The 72 hours of cooling is complete, and Aaron is now at normal body temp. As he warmed, his blood pressure dropped for a while. This was somewhat expected, since the warming caused many of his blood vessels and capillaries, especially in his extremities, to open up a bit more. This caused his blood to flow more freely to his extremities, and caused his overall pressure to drop. They added some more fluid via IV, and also added some potassium and another drug, and his pressure rebounded immediately. It has stayed constant since.
We were very wary of seizure activity during the warm up, but he only exhibited a little bit a couple of times.
His skin has been cool to the touch since we have been here, but now that he has warmed up it feels like a baby’s skin should feel, and his color has gotten better as well. This subtle change has been quite comforting to us. We do not know yet when we will be able to pick him up and hold him, but we are hoping soon; that skin-to-skin contact can be very powerful medicine for both baby and mama.
We’re also looking forward to when he wakes up. They stopped giving him morphine when they started warming him up, but some of the other medications have continued to keep him groggy and unconscious. He has started to move his arms and legs a bit more, but we still have no indication what sort of damage may or may not exist in his brain.
We are very hopeful. I was thinking over some verses from Romans 8 today, and while applying them all to Aaron’s situation pulls them a bit out of context, they still speak to the hope we can have when we place our faith in God, and the love He has for us. There are several promises here from God that we can rely on, and that we are claiming.
“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son … What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? … Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:24-39