We apologize for the dearth of posts recently - having a new baby at home is slightly time consuming. I am not sure if anyone is still following along, but figured we would send out an update just in case.
So....as many of you know, we brought the little man home 3 weekends ago. It has been an absolute joy to have him home with us after such a long course in the NICU. At the same time, Katie and I are first-time parents struggling with the adjustment of having a 'newborn' at home. To put it lightly, we are a little nervous and anxious. As many first-time parents before us have done, we scrutinize Edward's every move. Every cough, burp, grunt, pee, poop, spit-up, feed, etc is carefully discussed and analyzed. No stone goes unturned. The combination of being first-time parents and starting off with nearly 100 days in the hospital has greatly skewed Katie's and my ability to determine what is "normal baby behavior" and what is pathologic. This makes for many "interesting discussions" between the two of us.
To be honest, Edward left the NICU in phenomenal shape. He did not require any supplemental oxgyen or any apnea monitors. His only medication was a thoroughly disgusting multivitamin to be given only once a day. As with many NICU babies, his biggest issue was feeding. In the hospital, we had an attending neonatalogist, multiple nurse practitioners, ICU nurses, a nutritionist, a lactation consultant and a speech pathologist all helping us coordinate Edward's feeds. Upon discharge, he was just developing his ability to take bottles, but enough so to be able to go home. Once at home, his feeds were obviously up to only Katie and me. A daunting task to say the least. The basic tenet was for us to feed him every 3 hours or so and make sure he is making wet + dirty diapers regularly. If we accomplish this, he should gain weight! Simple, right? Well, Edward didn't make it quite that easy.
Week One
As previously mentioned, Katie and I spent the first week obsessing over our every decision and perseverating on the exact amount of breast milk he would take in with each feed. We (read Katie) kept a strict log of his daily intake, recorded to milliliter. Sometimes, he would take 30 mL, sometimes 45. Then he would only take 20. Then 40! Then 15. Then 45 again! Back and forth, back and forth. This variation caused great consternation. Still, he seemed to be making wet diapers regularly, so we pressed on, keeping the faith. Forty-eight hours after discharge, we had our first pediatrician appointment for a weight check. Driving to the doctor's office, both Katie and I shared our trepidation of finding out if had gained weight and confessed a likely sense of failure if he had not.
Once at the pediatricians, the nurse directed us to the intake area and had us lay Edward down to undress him on a scale ......a scale straight out of the 1890s - the type of scale with the movable weights across the top that looked about as accurate as throwing darts. You should have seen the look on Katie's face. In the hospital, a difference in weight as small as 5-10 grams could be detected. Much to our relief, the actual, digital scale was nearby and the scale on which we were only functioned as a changing table! Whew. Then the actual weigh in occured. I am not sure if any of you watch the Biggest Loser on TV, but as the nurse laid Edward, naked as a jaybird, on the digital scale and the numbers started calculating, I felt like we were on that show. Seconds felt like hours, but finally the scale settled out and he had gained 15 grams (half an ounce)! Not a huge gain, but more importantly, it was not a loss! We were so relieved. We continued on with our current plan and had another weight check 3 days later. On that visit, he gained 75 grams (2.5 ounces)! He was up to 6 lbs 13 ounces! Again, another huge relief. Maybe we were finally getting a hang of this whole parenting thing....then weeks 2 + 3 happened.
To be continued.....
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