Off to a good start

Joseph Atticus Allred was born December 21, 2011 at 10:52 AM.   He was 27 weeks gestation.   The doctors choose to deliver him because I had developed a form of pre-eclampsia that was causing the pressure in the placenta to cut off Atticus' supply of blood, oxygen and food.   Had the doctors not delivered when they did both Atticus and I would have been dead by the end of the day.   Atticus was delivered by emergency C-section.   He came out crying which everyone took as a good sign. He weighed 1lb 8 oz and was 13 inches long.    
Atticus was immediately taken to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Joe went with him.   From the beginning Atticus was remarkably stable.   The doctors intubated  him and put him on a ventilator with oxygen.   They gave him antibiotics and began giving him IV fluids and nutrition. Within a day or so they were able to take him off the ventilator and he was put a C-Pap machine which allows him to breath on his own but offers him support in case he "forgets" to breath (it is the same machine they give to adults with sleep apnea).   A few days later they were able to take him off that and put him on a nasal canula (oxygen tubes in the nose).
Atticus was doing so well and working so hard at getting strong that he actually wore himself out earlier this week and they had to put him back on his ventilator so that he could get some rest.
It is very common in preemies his size for them to basically wear out their adrenal system and they begin to have some small set backs.   Along with being back on the vent this week, he has needed a blood transfusion to replenish his red blood cells to help with the carrying of oxygen through his system.  He has also been on antibiotics to clear up a little bit of pneumonia that settled into his lungs after he aspirated some milk.  To treat the pneumonia he also gets his lungs suctioned every four hours.   He also had a duct in his heart that normally would have closed when he was born, but since he was so early it did not close on his own.  He was given some medicine to close it and it now appears to be closed.
I know this all sounds like a lot and like he is a pretty sick little guy and he is, but for how early he was he is doing amazingly well.   The doctors,nurses and respiratory therapists are all amazed at how well he is doing. They are all sure he will make a full recovery and will be just fine.   He is truly a miracle baby and  I know that this is due primarily to all your prayers and well wishes.   Thank you so much for them.