Nathan Joseph Heckman

We are very excited to announce that our son has been named Nathan Joseph Heckman. He bears the same initials as his father and will proudly carry Jessi's maternal Grandfathers name, Joseph. Nathan already shows the strength and calm demeanor we loved so much about Grandpa Lenau.

Jessi was released from Bloomington around 11am on Sunday and headed straight for Peoria. We spent the afternoon with Nathan and had a chance to learn more about the infection and treatment.

Both Jessi and Nathan were diagnosed with Group B Strep (GBS). GBS is caused by a bacteria that lives naturally in women. Pregnant women are routinely checked for GBS due to the risks it poses when the baby is born - Jessi's test during pregnancy was negative but it showed up sometime between then and delivery...

Jessi will finish out a round of antibiotics this week and Nathan has been switched to penicillin. He will be on antibiotics for 10 days and we are still unsure as to when the clock officially started so we don't know yet when we'll bring him home. We hope in time for Super Bowl so he can watch his first football game w/ Daddy!

The doctor's at Children's Hospital insert Nathan's PICC line yesterday afternoon, which will be key to delivering his antibiotics.

A PICC line is, by definition and per its acronym, a peripherally inserted central catheter. It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access. It is similar to other central lines as it terminates into a large vessel near the heart. However, unlike other central lines, its point of entry is from the periphery of the body � the extremities. And typically the upper arm is the area of choice.

A PICC line provides the best of both worlds concerning venous access. Similar to a standard IV, it is inserted in the arm, and usually in the upper arm under the benefits of ultrasound visualization. Also, PICCs differ from peripheral IV access but similar to central lines in that a PICCs termination point is centrally located in the body allowing for treatment that could not be obtained from standard periphery IV access. In addition, PICC insertions are less invasive, have decreased complication risk associated with them, and remain for a much longer duration than other central or periphery access devices.