Not Out of The Woods Yet

Regarding Colin's anemia of prematurity, the doctors tell us they won't give him another blood transfusion until he becomes symptomatic. Well, Ania and I think we're there. As I've explained previously, it's a bit of a catch-22: as Colin's hematocrit drops (the portion of the blood volume that is comprised of red blood cells), he becomes more anemic which is not good of course. However, it's going to take Colin getting somewhat anemic for his bone marrow to start producing reticulocytes (immature red blood cells), which then turn into mature red blood cells. The moment he receives a blood transfusion, his blood oxygen levels increase dramatically and he immediately feels better. The downside? This tricks his body into thinking it doesn't need to produce any more reticulocytes, and thus he won't produce enough of his own red blood cells.
So starting Friday, Colin started to slow a little on his bottle feedings. He would take longer to eat, and would eat smaller quantities. We also noticed he was laboring harder than usual (he literally would breathe heavy and rapidly in between sucking and swallowing, as if to catch his breath). He was still eating his minimum required amount per feeding though. Until last night, that is. The nurse had no other choice than to reinsert his feeding tube. So for a couple of feedings, he got part of it in the bottle (what he could manage), then the rest via the tube. Finally this morning, Colin just couldn't do it and he received his entire feeding through the tube. Without having enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to all the cells within the body, weakness sets in. What else could it be?
Normally, Monday's are reserved for Colin's blood labs. Since he clearly has taken a turn for the worse, we'll request that these are done early, unless the doctors can convince us otherwise that it isn't necessary. In 2 days, Colin will be 40 weeks gestational - his original due date. He should, by now, be figuring out this whole thing. The level of concern on our part is rising once again as a result (can't help it). What does this mean long-term? How long can this go on? Is there some underlying problem they haven't discovered or told us about yet? These are all questions that will be posed today, for sure. Is this just something that will correct over time and that nothing other than Colin's prematurity is the cause? That's our hope and our prayer.