Trina’s update
In support of
Trevor & Trina Symons
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Trevor & Trina Symons
Baby James is 5 days old today! He also would have reached his 29th week of gestation today. 🥴
The last five days have been a whirlwind. Through it all there have been small blessings.
1) Listening to my body and heading to an OB Emergency department to be assessed. Having James at home would have been an unimaginable nightmare with probable very poor outcomes.
2) Giving birth at Butterworth. I am sure the OB care anywhere would have been phenomenal, but having baby at Butterworth meant that James and I could in the same place while I recovered. And that Trevor wasn't torn between trying to decide to be Wyoming with his wife or Grand Rapids with his son.
3) I am doing quite well. I was discharged from the hospital on Sunday and have been recuperating well.
4) Baby James is very small. But he's doing very well. I'll get into more detail later, but he's progressing well.
5) Trevor and I have been staying at the Renucci House for the past several days. It's been a blessing to have somewhere to rest our heads that's so close to baby James.
6) Feeling the support from so many in our lives. Thank you all. ♥️
Medical Details & Updates:
James David Symons
Friday, August 21, 2026
7:19 am
2lbs, 14 oz
15.5 inches
General: James is very small and requires a lot of monitoring. He has a very strong cry that can be heard from the hallway! He's already feisty and stubborn like his parents. He's got a strong grip and isn't afraid to let you know what he wants (he's already done a one handed push up against Trevor!) In his 5 days of life he's already pulled out 4 IVs and 3 OGs. While it might be more common in the NICU world, I still like to think it's James giving his nurses hell. 😅
Respiratory: This is the body system that we've been watching the most closely. James never had to be intubated - which is a big plus. He's been on CPAP since birth, but minimal settings. He is down to an fi02 of 21% and has been maintaining that for the past 24+ hours. For those nonmedical, an fi02 of 21% is the same percentage of oxygen that you and I breath; it's Room Air oxygen. James has also been on a CPAP pressure setting of 5. This is essentially a PEEP of 5. For those nonmedical; this is also called psychological PEEP. It's the same pressure that it takes you and I to keep our lungs/alveoli open.
He's nose is a little red from the CPAP (turns out the NICU deals with the same pressure injury concerns that we deal with on adults!). So they're switching him from CPAP to HighFlow Nasal Cannula every 6 hours. HFNC settings are 4L/21%.
Cardiac: James has a small murmur due to a patent foramen ovale. The foramen ovale is a normal opening between the atria in unborn babies. It usually closes at birth. James was born so early that it just didn't have a chance! This is an expected finding. They expect it close as he naturally develops.
Gastrointestinal: James is receiving breastmilk through an oral gastric tube (a tube that goes from his mouth down to his tummy). They've been able to increase the amount of his feeds and he's now on the standard dose for a baby his size. Because his stomach is so small, they are giving him his feedings over several hours. This helps him tolerate all that nutrition.
His bilirubin level has intermittently been elevated. Bilirubin is a byproduct of red blood cell breakdown that happens in the liver. In newborns, the liver is still growing and may need some help clearing the bilirubin from the body. To help this, James has intermittently been underneath a bilirubin light to breakdown the bili. Again, this is a normal and expected finding. He'll most likely been on and off the bili several times throughout his stay.
James is doing really well. But the best advice that we've gotten is that 'This is a marathon, not a sprint'. Anticipated discharge date is due date: November 10. We're definitely in this for the long haul.
Again, thank you all for the love and support,
Trina (and Trevor and Baby James)
The last five days have been a whirlwind. Through it all there have been small blessings.
1) Listening to my body and heading to an OB Emergency department to be assessed. Having James at home would have been an unimaginable nightmare with probable very poor outcomes.
2) Giving birth at Butterworth. I am sure the OB care anywhere would have been phenomenal, but having baby at Butterworth meant that James and I could in the same place while I recovered. And that Trevor wasn't torn between trying to decide to be Wyoming with his wife or Grand Rapids with his son.
3) I am doing quite well. I was discharged from the hospital on Sunday and have been recuperating well.
4) Baby James is very small. But he's doing very well. I'll get into more detail later, but he's progressing well.
5) Trevor and I have been staying at the Renucci House for the past several days. It's been a blessing to have somewhere to rest our heads that's so close to baby James.
6) Feeling the support from so many in our lives. Thank you all. ♥️
Medical Details & Updates:
James David Symons
Friday, August 21, 2026
7:19 am
2lbs, 14 oz
15.5 inches
General: James is very small and requires a lot of monitoring. He has a very strong cry that can be heard from the hallway! He's already feisty and stubborn like his parents. He's got a strong grip and isn't afraid to let you know what he wants (he's already done a one handed push up against Trevor!) In his 5 days of life he's already pulled out 4 IVs and 3 OGs. While it might be more common in the NICU world, I still like to think it's James giving his nurses hell. 😅
Respiratory: This is the body system that we've been watching the most closely. James never had to be intubated - which is a big plus. He's been on CPAP since birth, but minimal settings. He is down to an fi02 of 21% and has been maintaining that for the past 24+ hours. For those nonmedical, an fi02 of 21% is the same percentage of oxygen that you and I breath; it's Room Air oxygen. James has also been on a CPAP pressure setting of 5. This is essentially a PEEP of 5. For those nonmedical; this is also called psychological PEEP. It's the same pressure that it takes you and I to keep our lungs/alveoli open.
He's nose is a little red from the CPAP (turns out the NICU deals with the same pressure injury concerns that we deal with on adults!). So they're switching him from CPAP to HighFlow Nasal Cannula every 6 hours. HFNC settings are 4L/21%.
Cardiac: James has a small murmur due to a patent foramen ovale. The foramen ovale is a normal opening between the atria in unborn babies. It usually closes at birth. James was born so early that it just didn't have a chance! This is an expected finding. They expect it close as he naturally develops.
Gastrointestinal: James is receiving breastmilk through an oral gastric tube (a tube that goes from his mouth down to his tummy). They've been able to increase the amount of his feeds and he's now on the standard dose for a baby his size. Because his stomach is so small, they are giving him his feedings over several hours. This helps him tolerate all that nutrition.
His bilirubin level has intermittently been elevated. Bilirubin is a byproduct of red blood cell breakdown that happens in the liver. In newborns, the liver is still growing and may need some help clearing the bilirubin from the body. To help this, James has intermittently been underneath a bilirubin light to breakdown the bili. Again, this is a normal and expected finding. He'll most likely been on and off the bili several times throughout his stay.
James is doing really well. But the best advice that we've gotten is that 'This is a marathon, not a sprint'. Anticipated discharge date is due date: November 10. We're definitely in this for the long haul.
Again, thank you all for the love and support,
Trina (and Trevor and Baby James)
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Myrna 20 days ago
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