Man, I've said it before and I'll say it again. You get updated so quickly with your baby in the NICU, there are lots of highs and lows - even within 1 day. Last night and this morning, he did SO WELL nursing.
He wasn't acting interested, but I felt he knew what he was doing. Matthew and I believed they weren't doing him right to fill his tummy up after every time I nursed him, because then he knew he'd get full no matter how much effort he put into it. A Lactation Specialist came by yesterday morning and saw my frustration that he was wide awake and wouldn't eat much. He ate 18 ML when his "full feeding" was set at 56 ml. I told her I didn't think he was hungry enough. She asked the DR to let us drop the feeding amount and he didn't believe it would work, but he said we could try it. BOOM, they dropped the amount to 45 and his nursing sessions shot up to 41 ml, then 53, then 45, then 18 (he was trying to poop the whole time - and was hungry AFTER time was up), then 58 ML!!! In your face people, he's a pro at nursing - he just needs to be hungry and not be pooping or hiccuping. (Hiccups were a problem earlier this week too.)
I've been allowed to do back-to-back feedings today, you do two in a row then break for two and back on for two in a row. We'll see how the next back-to-back goes... if well, then they'll let him feed "on demand" instead of every 3 hours and if he does well - we'll be going home! Want to know something sad? They took an X-ray this morning and it looks a bit hazy. The problem is, his lungs were never fully clear... I think he's never fully recovered yet, but the Dr is worried something might be creeping up. BUT, it's not serious at this point, it's unclear, so the Doctor is just watching him for now. PRAY his lungs clear up. I can't bear to win the nursing battle only to face an infection. I feel strongly that he's fine and getting better. His oxygen levels have been great while I've been there, but a nurse I don't like was claiming his oxygen saturation has dropped several times. I think it's the monitor... but, we'll find out tomorrow. Pray the monitors are reading accurately! lol Pray for everything. Overcompensation in this case is not a bad thing.
I want to bring my baby home! Love you all!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
William on Wednesday :)
Today was a good day. Feeding is moving way slower than I thought it would. I'm learning that pre-term babies are SO different than full term when it comes to energy... all the nurses and doctors keep reminding me how sick he was last week and they think he's doing better than expected. I just want him home!
Like I said, today was a good day. I get to go in and feed him every six hours, the most recent one, he ate the the most he ever has from me. yay! They weigh him before and after I nurse him, so they know exactly what he got. He needs to be eating 75% of his feeding before they'll advance him to nursing back-to-back feedings or doing the "on demand trial." When they think he's ready, they let me feed him as he's hungry for 24 hours and if he does well and doesn't lose weight, we get to take him home! I hope that day comes quick. I'm trying to be patient.
Here are a few pictures I snapped with my phone. Even though it was through glass and poor quality, I love the one of the boys looking in! The nurses thought having William wave his hand was hilarious.
Like I said, today was a good day. I get to go in and feed him every six hours, the most recent one, he ate the the most he ever has from me. yay! They weigh him before and after I nurse him, so they know exactly what he got. He needs to be eating 75% of his feeding before they'll advance him to nursing back-to-back feedings or doing the "on demand trial." When they think he's ready, they let me feed him as he's hungry for 24 hours and if he does well and doesn't lose weight, we get to take him home! I hope that day comes quick. I'm trying to be patient.
Here are a few pictures I snapped with my phone. Even though it was through glass and poor quality, I love the one of the boys looking in! The nurses thought having William wave his hand was hilarious.
Monday, December 14, 2009
William Today :)
I just wanted to give you an update. William has still been off oxygen, they're confident he's way passed the point of needing it. They have a hose that blows some out to hold in front of his face if his oxygen saturation drops, they've only had to use it twice for a couple minutes since Saturday.
I get to try nursing him 3 times/day... at first, he was very tired and it was moving slow, now he's doing much better. His Jauntis came back up a little, so he was under the light again yesterday afternoon. That makes him extra tired, so it slows the nursing progress. He should be over it by the morning because the levels dropped significantly overnight. Let's hope it stays that way.
The only thing keeping William here is the fact he needs to nurse on his own and gain weight on a regular basis. He's even off the IV fluids. We feel like we're SO CLOSE, but it could still be 5 or 6 days. I hope he stays healthy and strong and we have him home next week.
I get to try nursing him 3 times/day... at first, he was very tired and it was moving slow, now he's doing much better. His Jauntis came back up a little, so he was under the light again yesterday afternoon. That makes him extra tired, so it slows the nursing progress. He should be over it by the morning because the levels dropped significantly overnight. Let's hope it stays that way.
The only thing keeping William here is the fact he needs to nurse on his own and gain weight on a regular basis. He's even off the IV fluids. We feel like we're SO CLOSE, but it could still be 5 or 6 days. I hope he stays healthy and strong and we have him home next week.
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