OT: Prayers needed for my baby nephew

My baby sister had her 2nd son Sunday morning 3/12/06 at 3:42am. He was a little early, as he was due April 4th. Brantley Ray Bailey weighed 5lbs 7oz, but was immediately put into neonatal intensive care. He was having difficulty breathing, so they put him under an oxygen tent. He was breathing on his own, but not able to maintain a good oxygen level on his own and his respirations were way too fast. Monday he was transported to Montgomery by the Angel Care mobile hospital unit. Brantley is there at the Neo-Natal unit. He has a chest tube in and has a collapsed lung. They have discovered a pnuemo-thorax, or a pocket of air outside the lung, below the chest wall, and it's pressing on his organs. They also suspect he is missing the coating on the inside of his lung to allow the lung to move smoothly and keep from sticking to the tubes inside. They aren't 100% sure about the coating on the inside yet, but he has done better since the chest tube aiding in re-inflating his lung. He is crying, which is a first since his birth. The doctors said once his vitals are holding well, they will worry about checking the coating inside the lung. The other lung seems to be fine and functioning normal. It was just struggling and being the only one working was too much on his immature lungs. They are afraid he will tire out soon with one lung still doing all the work, and they actually hope that happens because then he can be put on ventilator and it will let his little body rest and mature some more. Please, please keep my family in your prayers. My sister was released from the hospital a day early so she could go see him, and she had a c-section. They were a single income family, and now my brother in law is taking off to be there. My husband and I have their other son, who will be 2 on March 30th. He's missing his family so much. I am going to Montgomery Saturday to be with them for the weekend. I am sorry I've been out of the loop for the past few weeks, but my sister has been having contractions and the flu and needed all the help I could give her. Thank you in advance for you prayers. Sherri Carroll Dothan AL

Sherri, I'm so sorry to hear that the precious little angel is going through all of this. I'll keep him and the rest of your family in my prayers. there is nothing in the world more wonderful than a baby. I hope he'll be doing much better as quickly as possible. I'm glad to hear he's able to cry, at least that's an encouraging sign. It sounds like a stubborn little fighter too. That will serve him well as he grows stronger. Hugs to Brantley and his family. Carol

Thanks so much Carol! I appreciate it. He's not doing too well now. My sister just called and told me he will be put on a ventilator in the next few hours. The coating in his lung is missing and they can't do the surfactant because of the air pocket in his chest cavity. Somehow, his lung is seeping air. It's going to be a long drawn out process, and we are all going to have to put our faith in our Lord and know he will guide us. The March of Dime's brought Carla and Lonnie food and drinks and a few vouchers to go get meals at some of the resturants in Montgomery. Thank you all for your prayers. Sherri