Atticus is now over 4 lbs!! This is a big step in a great direction. We actually got to put clothes on him last night. He wasn't sure what to think of it, and the little onesie was all baggy at the shoulders, but he looked so good in it. He still needs the warmth of the incubator for now, but they're thinking he could move to an open crib in the next few days.
He's back up to 28 ml of formula at each feeding (he was at 29 ml before he got sick), and he's been digesting them really well. This means he can stop the IV fluids when he finishes his round of antibiotics tonight. Yea!!
The next step is teaching him how to drink from a bottle. He's got the sucking thing down, and he does really well with a pacifier, but now he needs to learn how to coordinate that with swallowing and breathing. They start really slow, maybe putting some formula on the pacifier or squirting in a few drops while he's sucking on the pacifier so he can make the association between sucking and food. We've already been giving him the pacifier during his tube feedings so he can associate sucking with a full tummy, but having something to swallow is another thing entirely. It can take some time to get it all down. So we'll see how he does.
I've had a personal milestone as well: I'm wearing a shirt today that I bought over a year ago but have never worn. It just never looked good on me, but today it fit. I have dropped 20 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I hope to keep dropping. I look and feel better than I have in a really long time, and I want to keep the momentum going.
Atty and I will surely encounter more bumps in the road as we progress, but hopefully they will be small bumps and easily surmountable.
4 comments:
I am so happy to hear your good news! What a miracle little babies are. I remember when we had to teach Amelia how to eat before she could come home. It seemed like things were going so slowly, and then all of a sudden she learned enough to get by. Babies are amazing, and so resilient! What a blessing. We continue to pray for you guys. P.S. I'm going to try and post something funny on my blog just for you.
Great news! I am really glad that all is going well. K's right, it really is amazing how strong babies are. I am so happy that things are going well.
Also, thanks for your input on the characters. It was really interesting. My mother in law is reading the third book right now. It makes me think I need to review the book. Some of the things she talked about, I could not remember. I will definitely need to read them again before the movie comes out.
Glad to hear things are going good. As part of work, Im regulary back in the OR or delivery room taking care of the babies right after they are born. We dont usually see them as young as Atticus in our hospital, but we recently did. It's amazing how vunerable they are at that early age, but also amazing their resiliency. Hope things continue to go well and you will be able to get him home soon.
BTW-Im not a creepy random blog commenter. I grew up with James and he linked to your blog on his myspace.
So great to hear the good news! He is SO cute, by the way. I know I've said that before, but he just is.
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