Not So Deep Thoughts

(This post has been sponsored by sleep deprivation, so please keep that in mind as you delve into the depths of my brain...)

The good thing about having a baby (besides getting a darling baby, of course) is losing twenty pounds in two weeks.  Of course, it is a heck of a lot more expensive than Weight Watchers but your Weight Watchers membership does not include this:

I Think We May Have Hit a Milestone

While we were in the hospital, the early intervention feeding specialist told us that at 36 weeks gestational age early, sleepy babies all of a sudden wake up.  She said it is like a light switch.  At 4:30 a.m. on Friday, the nursery nurse called my room to tell me that Malia had woken up on her own and ahead of schedule acting like she was hungry.  I did a happy dance right there in my room in the midst of a serious sleep deprived haze.  In the 24 hours that we have been home, I have only had to wake Malia up to eat once.  She has been waking up on her own every two to three hours to feed.  I think maybe her switch has been flipped.  If I weren't so freakin' exhausted, I would do another happy dance right now.

There's No Place Like Home

This morning we got the news that we would be able to take Malia home.  Yay!  We got everything all lined up, I went to the nursery to feed her one last time and was told that she was breathing fast and the pediatrician wanted to watch her for a few more hours.  All our plans were put on hold for a bit while I tried not to get too discouraged.  By about three o'clock we got the green light and were home by four.  We still have some things to juggle (the oxygen tanks, the bottle feeding and pumping) and I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed, but at least I'm overwhelmed at home and not at the hospital.  Being able to sleep in my own bed, even if it is only for a couple hours at a time, will definitely be wonderful.

Keep Your Fingers Crossed...

Malia gained another ounce and a half yesterday which puts her back at her birth weight.  She did so well with the bottle/breast combination and the small amounts of oxygen that the pediatrician has decided that if she does as well today she should be able to come home tomorrow.  We would be coming home with a portable oxygen tank and would be keeping up the nursing and bottle schedule, but I can totally live with that.

It Didn't Go Quite As Well As We Had Hoped...

...but we are still headed in the right direction.  By yesterday afternoon Malia was so tired that she barely even opened her eyes when I went to feed her.  She still ate well, but she was so sleepy that if we had kept it up she would probably have started to lose ground.  So we backed up half a step and went back to breastfeeding two feedings and giving her a break on the third.  Instead of tube feeding, the pediatrician opted to try bottle feeding for the third feeding.  It is easier than nursing so she still gets a bit of a break, but it isn't completely backtracking.  That pattern has worked well today.  Malia is still feeding well and although she is still pretty sleepy, she is not as completely worn out as she was yesterday afternoon.  Her weight was up five grams this morning which is a miniscule amount, but still a step in the right direction.  Yesterday her blood oxygen kept dropping so she is on oxygen today, but the pediatrician is not overly worried about that.  He said it is very common for premature babies and just getting a bit older will resolve it.  He did run some blood tests just take make sure he wasn't missing anything, but all the blood work came back just fine.  And he tells us that being on oxygen won't keep Malia from going home.  If she still needs it by the time she is ready to leave, we would just take a portable oxygen tank home with us.

So we're not as close to going home as I would like, but we are still baby stepping towards the door.

I Can See a Light In the Distance...

Today is day nine in the hospital.  Malia did really well yesterday.  She was feeding well, waking on her own several times, was easily roused other times and had several good periods of wakefulness.  This morning she has gained a bit more weight (about another ounce).  So today we are doing a trial run: all regular feedings and no tube feeds.  This evening we will reassess and see if she feeds well all day without getting too tired out.  And then we'll see if she grows again.  My fingers are crossed.

"She belongs to me, you know."

Although none of us were prepared to have Malia arrive quite this early, the boys were pretty excited (and surprised) when they woke up and Kev's mother told them where Kev and I were.  Last Monday evening before low blood sugars necessitated an IV, Malia was able to come to my room for awhile.  Matthew and Nathan both wanted to hold her repeatedly.  Every time she was passed from one person to the next, Matthew would put his hands under her to "help" get her to the next person.  He wanted to hold her all by himself and we had to explain how carefully we need to hold her and that he will need help for awhile.  At one point, Matthew announced to everyone in the room, "She belongs to me, you know."  I guess I don't have to worry about whether or not they like her.

 

Nathan and Matthew have been so excited about having a baby and now she is here and they aren't allowed to see her.  It has been pretty hard on them.  They keep asking when they get to see her.  We tell them they will see her when she comes home but we don't know when that will be.  I wish we had a better answer for them.

Every Little Bit Counts

Yesterday an early intervention feeding specialist (I know, a huge title for a lady who has studied infant development and feeding problems) met with us to see how Malia is eating and to offer recommendations.  She says Malia has good feeding skills, that she is just struggling because of her age.  Malia's gestational age is 35 weeks and apparently that is the "sleepy" stage.  So the specialist has suggested that we do two traditional feedings and then one tube feeding to give Malia a chance to rest a bit more.  We started that routine last night and the last three regular feedings have gone well.  This morning her weight is up about 2 and a half ounces.  I know it isn't much, but each gain (no matter how small) is a step in the right direction.  The specialist says the excessive sleepiness generally passes once the babies hit 36 weeks gestational age so hopefully in a few more days Malia will begin to wake a bit more.