Monday, November 22
- Kendall Kooy
- Nov 22, 2021
- 3 min read

Hey everyone. We are still here, I promise! I’m sorry that my blogs have been less frequent lately but it has been hard to find the time. Days are busy and nights come quickly.
The last week with Walker has seen some ups and downs, which seems to be the pattern of life in the NICU. A few steps forward, a couple steps back. A few good days, and couple not as good.

The beginning few days of last week were very hard for me emotionally. Walker hated having his replogle tube in his mouth and was constantly gagging and trying to get it out. He was upset and wouldn’t take his soother because the tube was in his mouth and in the way. He continued to have spells where his oxygen saturations went too far down and his replogle got blocked. There were times that they needed to use an oxygen bag to get his levels back up. Every time the nurses pulled the tube out to unblock it and tried to put it back in, he would fight against it. It was very hard for me to watch him in such discomfort.



After a few days of watching him struggle and noticing that the replogle didn’t seem to be working any better in his mouth, I asked Walker’s doctors if it would be possible to move the tube back to his nose so he would be more comfortable. They ended up agreeing with all the points that I raised and shortly moved the replogle back to his nose. Since then he has been much more content and has started taking his soother again. His repologle still blocks, but he has had less frequent oxygen desaturation spells, especially in the last couple of days.
Yesterday (Sunday) Walker had a good day and got his PICC line removed. His PICC line was the central line that they used to give him is IV nutrition and any medications he needed. Since he has been doing so well with his feeding and was not getting any medication through his PICC line in the last while, they were able to take it out. Walker is now off all IV nutrition and is getting my breastmilk through his G-tube. He gets fed every 3 hours for 1 hour and has been tolerating these feeds well. Because he is a premie, they fortify my breastmilk with extra nutrients like protein and fat to help him gain weight. The quicker he grows, the sooner he can hopefully get the surgeries he is waiting for.
This morning when I went to visit Walker he was doing pretty well, but looked pale to me. The doctor on rounds decided that his hemoglobin level was low enough again that he needed another blood transfusion. I asked the doctor about why his hemoglobin levels keep dropping even though he isn’t bleeding (like he was after his surgery), and she explained that because he is a premie and they have been doing bloodwork on him so often, his little body is just not able to keep up with the demand and falls behind a little bit. The transfusion boosts his hemoglobin levels back up to where they should be to help him out.
In the quiet of the NICU last night, rocking with Walker sleeping peacefully in my arms, the words of this song came to me:
Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,
He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister His grace,
No work too hard for him, in faith receive from Him,
Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.
Day after day we have seen the power of God working in Walker’s life. He has been there in the NICU with Walker in every moment. He has never left. I’m not sure how we would get through this all without the comfort of knowing that God is there, that He is in control, and that He is doing so much more than we can see.
Thank you for continuing to follow our journey and lift our sweet boy up to his Heavenly Father in prayer. Please pray for God’s protection over him every moment. Pray that he continues to tolerate feeds well and that they can continue to increase them. Pray that God will give strength to his body and help him grow. Pray that we get closer to Walker’s surgeries every day. Pray that his replogle tube works well and his oxygen saturations stay up. Pray for attentiveness and diligence and wisdom for the nurses and doctors who care for him. Pray for courage for Andrew and I to advocate for Walker when we feel something is not going well. Pray for a peace that passes understanding for all of us.



We continue to pray. How amazing that you could suggest the movement of the tube and the doctors and nurses respond! keep being the advocate! Walker is blessed to be in the best place! Happy to see his growth and wee smile!
So many prayers ❤ Love you all!