I haven't posted since my February update, so a quick recap of it:
Life was miserable for the weeks following that post. She had a few good days and got worse than before (or maybe not worse, but it felt worse because her crying did not stop, but it was probably the same amount of crying). When we took her in for her 6 month check-up she had lost apr. 10 ounces from when we took her in 2 weeks before that check-up.
So our doctor told me we should bottle feed her (breastmilk or formula, didn't matter, just wanted to check ounces). After an extremely emotional weekend I made the decision to completely stop nursing. We would feed bottles and I would pump until I dry up (getting sick shortly after that really sped up that process!).
I can say that although it was really really hard for me to stop nursing, it was the absolute best decision in our situation. I had been so stressed out for so long, I just needed to be able to let go of something. She had been nursed up till 6 months and I got her through winter. So stopping then was perfectly fine with me, just hard emotionally. I have theories as to how we got to where we were, so if anyone would like to know more about those, please contact me privately. Maybe some day I will write publicly about those theories, but right now is not that day.
Since we switched to bottles all the time Ruth has become a very happy baby. We hear lots and lots of babbling, she is become a more solid sitter and starting to hold herself in a stand when holding onto something (like the pew at Church it is the perfect height for her and perfect width for her hands). That is something Samuel wouldn't hardly do until he was 1 year old! He just did not like standing and Ruth has always loved standing.
I am now getting more excited about life again, though the stress of this year has left me with a mess, a messy house, always just barely keeping up with the class I teach and other things, so now I finally have the energy to start focusing on those other important things!
Something Ruth achieved recently that Samuel never did, was injuring my hip! Saying Ruth loves bath time may be an understatement because she LOVES bath time. In fact, she loves it so much that almost 2 weeks ago she splashed so hard she got lots of water on the floor. I normally bathe her in a tub in the kitchen sink and as I shifted the weight between my feet I ended up on the floor doing splits. Now my hip has been really sore! A few days after that happened I could go up stairs normally and as of yesterday I have started to be able to go down stairs normally. Maybe in 2 weeks I can start running like I was planning to 2 weeks ago?
Showing posts with label nursing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nursing. Show all posts
10 April 2014
06 June 2012
Moving
So I have been rather delinquent here, but I think with good reason! For those of you who don't know we moved across town to a house that is a little better set up for a growing family. It also has the added perk that Ben is now only 1.5 miles from work instead of 7! So far we are loving the new house and are just praying fervently that God sends us a buyer for the old house. We will be having the first open house for it on Sunday 1-3, so if you know anyone interested...
Moving with a baby is not fun, at least I did not view it as fun. It might not have been soo bad, but we had some issues going into it (not real bad issues, but they still added stress!). Basically Samuel is nursed most of the day and is to receive 3 bottles of fortified milk a day (and I get to pump pump pump...). A few days before we started moving things is when the nursing issues started. He used to nurse 25-30 minutes no problem, but had backed down to 20-25 minutes a few weeks before the move. I take it as he has simply become more efficient at it because he seemed just as full.
Well a few days before the move I would spend an hour or more just to get him to go 15-20 minutes, which was quite unusual. Normally we'd be done nursing in a half an hour then I would spend another half an hour getting him to burp. At the time I thought it was just laziness because it is easier to eat from the bottle, but now I think it might have simply been my stress of moving playing out in his feeding ability, which a few days before the move I didn't think I was THAT stressed!
Anyways, so pretty much to sum up the move, I spent the time fighting with Sam to get him to nurse, getting practically no sleep, which made me really no fun to be around... I was not especially nice to my husband the whole time and he was a saint to have put up with me! Just proof that I have an extremely loving and gracious husband! During the move I basically shut down and barricaded myself off from the world in a room with Sam.
Since that weekend I have slowly been unpacking our house, one box at a time. I have made a small dent into the things that need to happen. Also since that weekend Sam has taken of with nursing again and has been doing just fine! We are all much more relaxed overall. The only thing missing is Ben. He's been spending all this time at the old house getting it ready that we don't see him much. All the more reason I pray that house sells quickly!
Also with the move we didn't have internet until yesterday. So now I am back on and can feel connected to the world again! Over the next few days I am going to be writing different updates about different things that have been happening, other than the move.
Moving with a baby is not fun, at least I did not view it as fun. It might not have been soo bad, but we had some issues going into it (not real bad issues, but they still added stress!). Basically Samuel is nursed most of the day and is to receive 3 bottles of fortified milk a day (and I get to pump pump pump...). A few days before we started moving things is when the nursing issues started. He used to nurse 25-30 minutes no problem, but had backed down to 20-25 minutes a few weeks before the move. I take it as he has simply become more efficient at it because he seemed just as full.
Well a few days before the move I would spend an hour or more just to get him to go 15-20 minutes, which was quite unusual. Normally we'd be done nursing in a half an hour then I would spend another half an hour getting him to burp. At the time I thought it was just laziness because it is easier to eat from the bottle, but now I think it might have simply been my stress of moving playing out in his feeding ability, which a few days before the move I didn't think I was THAT stressed!
Anyways, so pretty much to sum up the move, I spent the time fighting with Sam to get him to nurse, getting practically no sleep, which made me really no fun to be around... I was not especially nice to my husband the whole time and he was a saint to have put up with me! Just proof that I have an extremely loving and gracious husband! During the move I basically shut down and barricaded myself off from the world in a room with Sam.
Since that weekend I have slowly been unpacking our house, one box at a time. I have made a small dent into the things that need to happen. Also since that weekend Sam has taken of with nursing again and has been doing just fine! We are all much more relaxed overall. The only thing missing is Ben. He's been spending all this time at the old house getting it ready that we don't see him much. All the more reason I pray that house sells quickly!
Also with the move we didn't have internet until yesterday. So now I am back on and can feel connected to the world again! Over the next few days I am going to be writing different updates about different things that have been happening, other than the move.
03 May 2012
Happy ZERO Birthday! Err, I mean 3 month Birthday!
Time has really flown since Samuel came home! He came home about a month ago now. I can't hardly believe it! Some things important things have happened and I will focus on those in this post.
We went to the eye doctor 3 times since he came home and he has now been declared ROP free! That is great news! He saw less and less each time until he saw nothing of the ROP left. So he doesn't have to go back to that doctor for 4 months. Yippee!
He has steadily been gaining weight since that first bit of weight loss. He is now about 7lb 10oz. We'll get the freshest weight tomorrow!
The pediatricians office has been interesting... They haven't quite figured out that he was born 3 months early and that makes things a little different for him than regular full-term babies. I also thought that his records were sent over from the NICU, but now I question if they truly were. They were trying to get me to schedule a "2 month" check-up to give him his 2 month shots. If they truly were looking at his record they would have seen that he received those before his discharge... So we are in the process of getting switched over to a different pediatrician, who also happens to be a neonatologist. The only trick is he's really good so his schedule is totally booked! We do finally have an app. scheduled with him, though not until the end of the month...
We still have a visiting nurse coming to check weight and he is still on oxygen. We are hoping and praying that he can quit the oxygen soon. I personally don't think he really needs it anymore, but alas, we shall see, when the visiting nurse comes tomorrow I want to talk with her about that more and see what she thinks. She could have some good suggestions about getting in with the doctor and deciding further about oxygen.
That being said, Sam did give us a little bit of a scare last weekend and we ended up at the doctor's office on Saturday (his due date). He kept dropping his oxygen really low just after eating (and just before too because he thinks diaper changes are the worst form of torture known to mankind...). So we went in and the doctor thinks Sam has some reflux. We've been trying some simple remedies at home (like holding him more vertically for about a half hour after eating) and he seems to be reacting well to that.
We also have Sam sleeping on his own again! If you remember when he first came home from the NICU he decided that he needed to be held 24/7, well we didn't completely agree. Though we LOVE holding our son, it is nice to be able to have him sleep without being held as well. So now we have him sleeping mainly in his bassinet and occasionally on us. Let's just say Mom and Dad are now getting a bit better sleep (even if it is just in apr. 2 hour increments...).
As of last check-up we decided to try only 2 bottles of fortified milk a day. This means I get to nurse him one more feeding a day and I don't have to pump AS much. Please pray that he still shows good weight gain with one less fortified bottle a day.
I think that is it with big updates. We are loving having him home though it definitely is more tiring having him home (though I still have not been as tired as I was when I was pregnant). Maybe the next big thing we can work on (other than getting him OFF oxygen) would be getting him to sleep longer at night? We can only hope!
We went to the eye doctor 3 times since he came home and he has now been declared ROP free! That is great news! He saw less and less each time until he saw nothing of the ROP left. So he doesn't have to go back to that doctor for 4 months. Yippee!
He has steadily been gaining weight since that first bit of weight loss. He is now about 7lb 10oz. We'll get the freshest weight tomorrow!
The pediatricians office has been interesting... They haven't quite figured out that he was born 3 months early and that makes things a little different for him than regular full-term babies. I also thought that his records were sent over from the NICU, but now I question if they truly were. They were trying to get me to schedule a "2 month" check-up to give him his 2 month shots. If they truly were looking at his record they would have seen that he received those before his discharge... So we are in the process of getting switched over to a different pediatrician, who also happens to be a neonatologist. The only trick is he's really good so his schedule is totally booked! We do finally have an app. scheduled with him, though not until the end of the month...
We still have a visiting nurse coming to check weight and he is still on oxygen. We are hoping and praying that he can quit the oxygen soon. I personally don't think he really needs it anymore, but alas, we shall see, when the visiting nurse comes tomorrow I want to talk with her about that more and see what she thinks. She could have some good suggestions about getting in with the doctor and deciding further about oxygen.
That being said, Sam did give us a little bit of a scare last weekend and we ended up at the doctor's office on Saturday (his due date). He kept dropping his oxygen really low just after eating (and just before too because he thinks diaper changes are the worst form of torture known to mankind...). So we went in and the doctor thinks Sam has some reflux. We've been trying some simple remedies at home (like holding him more vertically for about a half hour after eating) and he seems to be reacting well to that.
We also have Sam sleeping on his own again! If you remember when he first came home from the NICU he decided that he needed to be held 24/7, well we didn't completely agree. Though we LOVE holding our son, it is nice to be able to have him sleep without being held as well. So now we have him sleeping mainly in his bassinet and occasionally on us. Let's just say Mom and Dad are now getting a bit better sleep (even if it is just in apr. 2 hour increments...).
As of last check-up we decided to try only 2 bottles of fortified milk a day. This means I get to nurse him one more feeding a day and I don't have to pump AS much. Please pray that he still shows good weight gain with one less fortified bottle a day.
I think that is it with big updates. We are loving having him home though it definitely is more tiring having him home (though I still have not been as tired as I was when I was pregnant). Maybe the next big thing we can work on (other than getting him OFF oxygen) would be getting him to sleep longer at night? We can only hope!
25 March 2012
The "Home Stretch"
Before you get too excited about the title of this point, I want to give you a running analogy. For those of you who don't know, I got into running about 2 years ago and love it! It is very addictive I think! I need to get back out there, because I would love to run a half marathon sometime this fall. Alright, digressing...
Anyways, different races have different kinds of home stretches. Let's talk about 3 different kinds.
Anyways, different races have different kinds of home stretches. Let's talk about 3 different kinds.
- Some races you run and run and run, then all of a sudden the finish line is there. You couldn't really see it coming, it just sort of pops up out of nowhere. Then you're finished.
- Other races you can see it for miles until you finally finish it. Those aren't nice because you can tasted the finish, but it feels like it's being kept from you like candy on a string attached to your hat. No matter how far you go, it just never feels like it gets closer.
- Then there's even meaner races (right now I am thinking of the San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon I did last summer). In that race (while I was in a lot of pain because my knee hurt like crazy) you could see the finish around mile 22sh I believe, but then you had to run around this peninsula/island thing and you couldn't see it for a few miles. So cruel! It was sooo close, you could see it not that far away, then you had to run where you couldn't see it....
So, how does any of that have to do with Samuel going home (some day)? Basically I say we are on the home stretch because we have now been given the orders to feed orally whenever he is awake (on Friday we could feed him orally twice a shift and that went very well). Remember how one of the big things is that he has to be on 100% oral feedings with 2 days of weight gain? Yeah, we are getting really close.
The problem is, even though we are getting really close we really don't know what close means... Does that mean he will start eating orally and gaining weight well and we'll be home within a week? Maybe! Or is his energy not quite up to snuff and after eating more he will be sleepy more, thus keeping us here past Easter? Maybe! We just don't know at this point, it is too early to tell.
Oh and remember how I mentioned that his oxygen levels haven't been as spectacular as before? Yeah, we got to get that more under control too. How long will that take? I have no idea. Maybe within a week or maybe not until after Easter. So, yes, we are in the home stretch and we could be going home very soon (note to self, get that car seat installed!), but we could also be here for several more weeks.
What I do know, is that we want him healthy and strong so that he can handle what life at home means. That's a life without monitors to make sure he's breathing and has his heart rate where he needs it. It's also a life where being too tired to eat is not an option, there will be no more tube feeding (which is not a favorite of his anyways). We are simply thankful for the excellent progress he has made so far and we just pray that he will continue moving forward no matter how quickly.... or slowly!
Samuel means "God heard" and we surely know that God hears all our prayers, including the ones about Samuel! We have definitely been blessed with an amazing staff at this NICU, which is one way that God has heard our prayers!
22 March 2012
Long Time, No Post...
I know a week and a half has gone by since I last posted. Here's a good rule of thumb, if I haven't posted recently, that means not much has happened and what has is what is expected. As is the case since the last post. Besides I am constantly busy doing things as well, which I will explain more in this post.
So he started nursing last week on Monday and he has taken in quite a number of full feedings since starting. We have not been given the orders yet to do 2 attempts a shift, but he is started to do awesome at 1 attempt a shift. They look for things like taking in a full feeding while nursing (not needing to supplement with a tube feeding), waking for all feedings and desiring to suck or nurse at all feedings. Basically all the criteria they looked at to start him nursing, they look at all over again to add a feeding per shift.
That may seem silly at first that they use the same criteria, but it really makes a lot of sense. Remember how the milk in the tub feeding is being fortified with extra calories? Well, when we nurse, he isn't getting the extra calories, as there is really no way to fortify the milk as it is coming out. Also, nursing takes a lot of energy. What you end up with is a baby using a lot more of his energy in one shot instead of throughout the day AND he's getting less calories to draw from. That makes for a very tired baby after nursing. When we first started nursing it was very common for him to sleep through 2 or 3 feedings, whereas before nursing he was awake for pretty much all his feedings (sleeping through an occasional feeding very seldom).
After about a week and a half of nursing he is starting to be awake more again for his other feedings. He is still not as awake as he was before, but he is making progress in that direction and is getting close. As the staff here tells us, it is very common to be put in a holding pattern like this, as the baby develops, gets stronger and has more energy.
I would also like to add that he has been getting full feedings in when we try to nurse. He knows exactly what to do and he wants it! In fact, yesterday morning we weren't sure if we were going to nurse or not, and as we had to change out his clothes (he had peed out his diaper) I was holding him. He was being somewhat fussy, so I was trying to hold him in different ways to find one he liked, and well, he liked being positioned to nurse. I think he was very confused that he couldn't just nurse with my clothes in place like normal... So we nursed and he did great! Samuel sure knows what he wants!
The other "big" news is that he has now been back on a nasal canula since last Friday. I don't remembered if I mentioned this or not (but guessing I did), but it is extremely common for this to happen, especially when the parameters change and they start nursing. With all his energy being used on eating, he doesn't have as much energy to keep his oxygen up!
One of the doctor's was in looking at him 2 days ago and suggested giving Samuel some medicine that would help him get ready of the extra fluids in his body. While it is normal for babies to be on and off and on and off of oxygen, he is needed a little more support than in the past. Even on the CPAP that oxygen was generally set at room air or slightly above (21%), but this time he's in the 30s% for oxygen on the nasal canula. The doctor said that if the lungs and wet it can cause them to need oxygen, then he went on to explain a condition some preemies have that have to do with the lungs and moisture. He didn't think Samuel has been exhibiting signs of this condition because he hadn't really needed much oxygen in the past (and as I was very tired when he was telling me about it, I have no idea what it was...). Now Samuel is getting some medicine to help him rid himself of extra fluids (his legs and feet have been kind of puffy, showing extra fluid retention), and as he has shown an ability to gain weight despite the meds, they are giving him some more.
The doctor told me that nothing he says can prepare parents for the amount of pee, that made me laugh. He's had some rather large wet diapers and we have had to change his clothes and bedding a little more frequently... :-)
Last weekend was also the weekend of 2 baby showers. I'm sorry if I did not invite everyone I intended to, I have been really preoccupied and tried to get everyone invited, but that doesn't always happen. The showers were really good and we had company from out of town come. I did leave Ben to entertain them, as I am rather busy with Sam. Ben's Mom came out for the first time, so it was great for her to see Sam. My Grandma was also out for the first time, which meant it was the first time we had 4 generations together (though we didn't get a picture of my Grandma, Dad, myself and Samuel together... oops!). My Dad was born the day after my Grandma's birthday and Sam was born the day after my birthday, so that is a neat "family tradition." Ben's cousin also came out with her 2 girls.
Let's just say, between Samuel starting to nurse (and not knowing which feeding time he is actually going to nurse) and the baby showers I got very off on my pumping. Actually during the last 3 days I have pumped just over half of what I was pumping up till then. So this week I have been extremely busy pumping like a crazy person to get my supply back up. Today has already been better, but we'll have to see how the rest of pumping goes the rest of the day to be sure. I know that Samuel is nursing and taking some of the supply himself, but he's definitely not taking half of my supply away with 2x nursing and at first it actually caused my supply to increase. Nothing produces milk better than a nursing baby! But considering I am just 3oz behind where I was at at supper time yesterday, today is already looking MUCH better.
That's all I have, Samuel is doing great and hopefully in the next day or 2 I'll actually update my facebook photo album as well...
So he started nursing last week on Monday and he has taken in quite a number of full feedings since starting. We have not been given the orders yet to do 2 attempts a shift, but he is started to do awesome at 1 attempt a shift. They look for things like taking in a full feeding while nursing (not needing to supplement with a tube feeding), waking for all feedings and desiring to suck or nurse at all feedings. Basically all the criteria they looked at to start him nursing, they look at all over again to add a feeding per shift.
That may seem silly at first that they use the same criteria, but it really makes a lot of sense. Remember how the milk in the tub feeding is being fortified with extra calories? Well, when we nurse, he isn't getting the extra calories, as there is really no way to fortify the milk as it is coming out. Also, nursing takes a lot of energy. What you end up with is a baby using a lot more of his energy in one shot instead of throughout the day AND he's getting less calories to draw from. That makes for a very tired baby after nursing. When we first started nursing it was very common for him to sleep through 2 or 3 feedings, whereas before nursing he was awake for pretty much all his feedings (sleeping through an occasional feeding very seldom).
After about a week and a half of nursing he is starting to be awake more again for his other feedings. He is still not as awake as he was before, but he is making progress in that direction and is getting close. As the staff here tells us, it is very common to be put in a holding pattern like this, as the baby develops, gets stronger and has more energy.
I would also like to add that he has been getting full feedings in when we try to nurse. He knows exactly what to do and he wants it! In fact, yesterday morning we weren't sure if we were going to nurse or not, and as we had to change out his clothes (he had peed out his diaper) I was holding him. He was being somewhat fussy, so I was trying to hold him in different ways to find one he liked, and well, he liked being positioned to nurse. I think he was very confused that he couldn't just nurse with my clothes in place like normal... So we nursed and he did great! Samuel sure knows what he wants!
The other "big" news is that he has now been back on a nasal canula since last Friday. I don't remembered if I mentioned this or not (but guessing I did), but it is extremely common for this to happen, especially when the parameters change and they start nursing. With all his energy being used on eating, he doesn't have as much energy to keep his oxygen up!
One of the doctor's was in looking at him 2 days ago and suggested giving Samuel some medicine that would help him get ready of the extra fluids in his body. While it is normal for babies to be on and off and on and off of oxygen, he is needed a little more support than in the past. Even on the CPAP that oxygen was generally set at room air or slightly above (21%), but this time he's in the 30s% for oxygen on the nasal canula. The doctor said that if the lungs and wet it can cause them to need oxygen, then he went on to explain a condition some preemies have that have to do with the lungs and moisture. He didn't think Samuel has been exhibiting signs of this condition because he hadn't really needed much oxygen in the past (and as I was very tired when he was telling me about it, I have no idea what it was...). Now Samuel is getting some medicine to help him rid himself of extra fluids (his legs and feet have been kind of puffy, showing extra fluid retention), and as he has shown an ability to gain weight despite the meds, they are giving him some more.
The doctor told me that nothing he says can prepare parents for the amount of pee, that made me laugh. He's had some rather large wet diapers and we have had to change his clothes and bedding a little more frequently... :-)
Last weekend was also the weekend of 2 baby showers. I'm sorry if I did not invite everyone I intended to, I have been really preoccupied and tried to get everyone invited, but that doesn't always happen. The showers were really good and we had company from out of town come. I did leave Ben to entertain them, as I am rather busy with Sam. Ben's Mom came out for the first time, so it was great for her to see Sam. My Grandma was also out for the first time, which meant it was the first time we had 4 generations together (though we didn't get a picture of my Grandma, Dad, myself and Samuel together... oops!). My Dad was born the day after my Grandma's birthday and Sam was born the day after my birthday, so that is a neat "family tradition." Ben's cousin also came out with her 2 girls.
Let's just say, between Samuel starting to nurse (and not knowing which feeding time he is actually going to nurse) and the baby showers I got very off on my pumping. Actually during the last 3 days I have pumped just over half of what I was pumping up till then. So this week I have been extremely busy pumping like a crazy person to get my supply back up. Today has already been better, but we'll have to see how the rest of pumping goes the rest of the day to be sure. I know that Samuel is nursing and taking some of the supply himself, but he's definitely not taking half of my supply away with 2x nursing and at first it actually caused my supply to increase. Nothing produces milk better than a nursing baby! But considering I am just 3oz behind where I was at at supper time yesterday, today is already looking MUCH better.
That's all I have, Samuel is doing great and hopefully in the next day or 2 I'll actually update my facebook photo album as well...
12 March 2012
Nuzzling, Nursing and No More Canula!
Time has just been flying past! I feel like I had just posted yesterday, but alas... it's been a whole week! There have been a few developments since last Monday, mostly dealing with eating. :-)
For the Moms' planning on nursing their babies they encourage doing something called nuzzling once the baby is showing to be awake more and the need to suck on something. Basically you position the baby as if you were going to nurse, only you had pumped out all the milk you could just before this. You don't want to have too much milk there, because the point isn't to actually swallow the milk (though the baby might do a bit of this too, just the nature of things when you are constantly producing more milk), the point is to simply get used to the idea of being there (of course sucking and licking is encouraged!).
So last Tuesday we were given the go ahead to start nuzzling! Basically Samuel's spent most of the time just hanging out there making occasional sucks from time to time, but last Saturday he was going to town! He was eager to suck as much as he could!
Today I came into the NICU and was informed we've now been given the green light to start nursing! Yippee!! So basically starting today we are going to try to nurse one feeding in a 12 hour shift. There are 4 feedings each shift. As many of the nurses and lactation consultants have been good to warn me, this part of the NICU experience can be the most frustrating. Yes, it's not fun to see him hooked up to a bunch of machines (which right now he's hooked up to practically nothing), but I think this is frustrating because Moms have expectations of the baby simply taking to it quickly when this is rarely the case with preemies.
So I have decided that whatever happens happens! Which has been my attitude with Samuel pretty much the whole time. I clearly can't control what happens, if I could have he wouldn't have come out in January! This morning was our first attempt and lets just say, he was not really up for it. I think he was more awake about 10-15 minutes before we starting trying to nurse, by the time we started finally he was falling back asleep (our nurse got called away briefly and that threw us off, that's ok though because as we do it more I will feel more comfortable to take ownership of just going for it). We are about to try again this evening and he is usually very awake at this next feeding time, so we'll see if he's up for it this time.
In other news we took Samuel off his nasal canula last weekend! This means he is doing great with his new oxygen parameters. Ok, great might be a slight exaggeration, but he's doing good enough not to need it, he has his great moments with oxygen and then his not so great moments. Next weekend when he turns 34 weeks gestationally, so I won't be too surprise if he's back on a nasal canula within the week, but that is all a part of being in the NICU!
We thank God every day for the amazing progress and growth Samuel has been having!
For the Moms' planning on nursing their babies they encourage doing something called nuzzling once the baby is showing to be awake more and the need to suck on something. Basically you position the baby as if you were going to nurse, only you had pumped out all the milk you could just before this. You don't want to have too much milk there, because the point isn't to actually swallow the milk (though the baby might do a bit of this too, just the nature of things when you are constantly producing more milk), the point is to simply get used to the idea of being there (of course sucking and licking is encouraged!).
So last Tuesday we were given the go ahead to start nuzzling! Basically Samuel's spent most of the time just hanging out there making occasional sucks from time to time, but last Saturday he was going to town! He was eager to suck as much as he could!
Today I came into the NICU and was informed we've now been given the green light to start nursing! Yippee!! So basically starting today we are going to try to nurse one feeding in a 12 hour shift. There are 4 feedings each shift. As many of the nurses and lactation consultants have been good to warn me, this part of the NICU experience can be the most frustrating. Yes, it's not fun to see him hooked up to a bunch of machines (which right now he's hooked up to practically nothing), but I think this is frustrating because Moms have expectations of the baby simply taking to it quickly when this is rarely the case with preemies.
So I have decided that whatever happens happens! Which has been my attitude with Samuel pretty much the whole time. I clearly can't control what happens, if I could have he wouldn't have come out in January! This morning was our first attempt and lets just say, he was not really up for it. I think he was more awake about 10-15 minutes before we starting trying to nurse, by the time we started finally he was falling back asleep (our nurse got called away briefly and that threw us off, that's ok though because as we do it more I will feel more comfortable to take ownership of just going for it). We are about to try again this evening and he is usually very awake at this next feeding time, so we'll see if he's up for it this time.
In other news we took Samuel off his nasal canula last weekend! This means he is doing great with his new oxygen parameters. Ok, great might be a slight exaggeration, but he's doing good enough not to need it, he has his great moments with oxygen and then his not so great moments. Next weekend when he turns 34 weeks gestationally, so I won't be too surprise if he's back on a nasal canula within the week, but that is all a part of being in the NICU!
We thank God every day for the amazing progress and growth Samuel has been having!
29 February 2012
NICU Observations. :-)
Before I talk about my NICU observations, let me update you on Samuel's progress!
He is doing AWESOME with no oxygen support. Please pray that he continues this way! We have noticed that Sam tends to drop his oxygen saturation level just before and during a feeding. I think he does it just before to let us know he's hungry (he also cries a little, wiggles around and thrusts his tongue). The doctor thinks he does it during because he exhibits signs of reflux. NOT a big deal at this point. It hasn't caused him to drop his oxygen to really low levels and he seems to be handling his food well. This seems to be something pretty common with preemies, so it is a matter of him developing more and that should go away. If it doesn't, well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes. :-)
He had another head ultrasound on Monday (not because the doctors are worried, just more of a follow up check) and that came back with 2 grade zeros (referring to the intraventricular hemorrhaging that started as grades 2 and 3). So that was good to hear that it is still nothing to really talk about.
We are looking forward to few upcoming changes. One is to transition him to a crib. Currently he is still in the same kind of isolette he started in, but is getting very little support from it. It started with giving him 80% humidity to help his skin. Well as of last weekend he has been in room air humidity. It also was changing the temperature to help him regulate his body temperature. So for a quite a while he had a temp probe on that would constantly tell the bed his body temperature, then the isolette would adjust its temperature according to how hot or cold Sam was. They have since taken the probe at and set the bed at a constant temp. Currently it is at 26.5 C or 79.7 F. They have slowly been turning that down, which it is already closer to room air than it is average body temp.
Another change is to take him off of his caffeine. Yes, he's on caffeine. I'm sure I mentioned it before, but he's a refresher. The caffeine is meant to help him to keep his heart rate up and keep him from having too many apnea spells. Well, he's been doing pretty well awesome at both, so now it is a matter of deciding when is good to stop the caffeine (which one doctor told me, that if you increase the amount to match an adult's body weight, he receives the equivalent of 6 cups of coffee every morning). The doctor also mentioned that it will take about 5 days after he's off the caffeine for it to fully leave his body. So that will be exciting to see how he handles it when they do that!
Of course we are continuing with upping his milk feedings based on body weight. He started at 3mL and is already at 30mL and taking the feedings quite well! Between 33 and 34 weeks gestation (he'll be at 32 weeks on Saturday) is when they start figuring out the suck, swallow, breathe rhythm, which means we'll be started to try some nursing! YAY! That means eventually I won't have to pump as much!
Alright some observances about life in the NICU. Currently there are around 10 babies here, but almost all of these babies are different than the ones that were here when we arrived. They take on babies because they're early, but also if they were full-term and sick. So the turn over rate is high. However there are some that have been here longer than us. We said goodbye to one on Monday. She went home! Which is exciting and sad at the same time. You form bonds with the other parents of preemies that are here and when they leave it's kind of sad (besides we walk by their now empty room to get to ours, so it is a constant reminder). Another one of those families will also probably be going home at the end of the week. So we are starting to look like the old timers in the NICU and hopefully be able to provide the encouragement and like minded conversation that we had with those families.
Something I've also notices is how babies cry. Samuel is in an isolette, which muffles his cry to the outer world some, and besides he isn't really loud yet either. So he doesn't get to add to the chorus of cries you hear just outside your room. However, we have noticed that there is one baby (and I have no idea which one, nor have I tried to figure this out) that cries like a cat meows. When I first heard this baby, I thought there was an upset cat in the NICU, then I realized that that is silly and it is a baby. Yet every time that baby cries I keep thinking cat! We're just glad Sam's cry sounds like a baby and less cat like....
He is doing AWESOME with no oxygen support. Please pray that he continues this way! We have noticed that Sam tends to drop his oxygen saturation level just before and during a feeding. I think he does it just before to let us know he's hungry (he also cries a little, wiggles around and thrusts his tongue). The doctor thinks he does it during because he exhibits signs of reflux. NOT a big deal at this point. It hasn't caused him to drop his oxygen to really low levels and he seems to be handling his food well. This seems to be something pretty common with preemies, so it is a matter of him developing more and that should go away. If it doesn't, well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes. :-)
He had another head ultrasound on Monday (not because the doctors are worried, just more of a follow up check) and that came back with 2 grade zeros (referring to the intraventricular hemorrhaging that started as grades 2 and 3). So that was good to hear that it is still nothing to really talk about.
We are looking forward to few upcoming changes. One is to transition him to a crib. Currently he is still in the same kind of isolette he started in, but is getting very little support from it. It started with giving him 80% humidity to help his skin. Well as of last weekend he has been in room air humidity. It also was changing the temperature to help him regulate his body temperature. So for a quite a while he had a temp probe on that would constantly tell the bed his body temperature, then the isolette would adjust its temperature according to how hot or cold Sam was. They have since taken the probe at and set the bed at a constant temp. Currently it is at 26.5 C or 79.7 F. They have slowly been turning that down, which it is already closer to room air than it is average body temp.
Another change is to take him off of his caffeine. Yes, he's on caffeine. I'm sure I mentioned it before, but he's a refresher. The caffeine is meant to help him to keep his heart rate up and keep him from having too many apnea spells. Well, he's been doing pretty well awesome at both, so now it is a matter of deciding when is good to stop the caffeine (which one doctor told me, that if you increase the amount to match an adult's body weight, he receives the equivalent of 6 cups of coffee every morning). The doctor also mentioned that it will take about 5 days after he's off the caffeine for it to fully leave his body. So that will be exciting to see how he handles it when they do that!
Of course we are continuing with upping his milk feedings based on body weight. He started at 3mL and is already at 30mL and taking the feedings quite well! Between 33 and 34 weeks gestation (he'll be at 32 weeks on Saturday) is when they start figuring out the suck, swallow, breathe rhythm, which means we'll be started to try some nursing! YAY! That means eventually I won't have to pump as much!
Alright some observances about life in the NICU. Currently there are around 10 babies here, but almost all of these babies are different than the ones that were here when we arrived. They take on babies because they're early, but also if they were full-term and sick. So the turn over rate is high. However there are some that have been here longer than us. We said goodbye to one on Monday. She went home! Which is exciting and sad at the same time. You form bonds with the other parents of preemies that are here and when they leave it's kind of sad (besides we walk by their now empty room to get to ours, so it is a constant reminder). Another one of those families will also probably be going home at the end of the week. So we are starting to look like the old timers in the NICU and hopefully be able to provide the encouragement and like minded conversation that we had with those families.
Something I've also notices is how babies cry. Samuel is in an isolette, which muffles his cry to the outer world some, and besides he isn't really loud yet either. So he doesn't get to add to the chorus of cries you hear just outside your room. However, we have noticed that there is one baby (and I have no idea which one, nor have I tried to figure this out) that cries like a cat meows. When I first heard this baby, I thought there was an upset cat in the NICU, then I realized that that is silly and it is a baby. Yet every time that baby cries I keep thinking cat! We're just glad Sam's cry sounds like a baby and less cat like....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)