8.13.2009

august 13am

i guess wordless isn't really my thing. :)


last night wren was up only 5 grams, so she's still at 4lbs 7oz. she's been taking about 2 feedings a day from me, and is a rockstar with breastfeeding. her heart-rate drops are almost completely non-existant now, and her desats are minimal. we're super lucky! i think i'm going to try and do more than 2 feedings a day soon. (she's still too tuckered out to feed twice in a row though.)you probably noticed in the picture that she had her og (oral) tube back down again. since she's on cpap she has to have the tube in her mouth. it's really a bummer too, because everytime i feed her it has to come out. it'll be much easier when it's an ng again. (nose)they use the size 8 (larger) tube in her mouth because they have to vent her stomach when she's on cpap. the machine blows a certain amount of air into her belly. after a gavage feeding, they simply open the syringe to air, and up comes the air in her stomach.

she's sprinting 6 on 6 off now! she tolerated it well yesterday, and hopefully will keep up the good work! we can't wait to have her back on cannula...in order to get her off of cannula... and get her home! her due date is quickly approaching, and it doesn't look like she's going to be coming home by or around that time after all. (maybe 2 weeks after?) luckily she's got the temperature thing down. and the feeding thing is going well... she's still having cyclical desats though, and can't seem to totally get off that cpap. i just keep telling myself she's the boss... i wish the boss would hurry up and decided to breathe!

her diaper rash is totally cleared up! we're still applying what katie endearingly calls "wren's crack spackle" at every nappy change though... since it seems she has a tendency for rashes. her poo is still runny at times, and seems more green than yellow now. i'm not sure why that is... i haven't had any green veggies in excess, or out of the ordinary. anyone have suggestions about green runny poo?
the poo is a little seedy, (for those who haven't seen breastmilk poo- seedy and yellow are good things), but still mostly runny. they asked me yesterday if i was still just pumping hind milk. i am, but i'm also feeding her twice a day, and they're also using frozen (which isn't just hindmilk). i think they were worried that it could be a fattyness overload, which could upsetting her stomach. foremilk is what you get in the first letdown, it's what's been made and stored. hindmilk is the milk that is made after the letdown, and the body grabs lots of fats to create it quickly. she's been off the hmf (fortifier) for 3 days now. so if it was that, her poo should be better today.

we're going to start trying to board at the hospital soon. they've been full so far. it would really be easier since i'm feeding her now. but especially convenient since i can't feed her twice in a row! that means i'm up there for at least 6 hours at a time, or, more likely, making multiple trips. (remember, it's 50 miles roundtrip.) i love the baby girl dearly, but i can only sit upright in a chair holding her for so long.. that time, before the disks in my back are crushed, and my tush is asleep, is about 4 hours. by the time the 6 hour mark comes i really need to defrag from all the beeping and hustle and bustle of the nicu.

i had to cancel my cowmooflage carseat! i know, it's a tragedy. but it still hadn't come in, and so i got online to check on the shipping status. target said it would be here... by september 20th! i really hope i have need for the carseat before that time! (though i may not.) i think we're just going to go to one of the stores here and see what they have. i'm actually considering a convertable. (one that grows with them) i know, mandy and eric, after all the selling i tried to do to get you to get the infant! haha... i just figure i'll be wearing her frequently, and that i don't want to lug around the infant carrier, so why not get the carseat that's really a car seat?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Charla and Thadd,
Hey guys!!! Just wanted to let you know I am still checking in often. I can't believe how big Wren is. She is so beautiful! I am thrilled with how well she is doing. I hope to get to meet her in November!! Hope you get to stay at the hospital soon. All three of you take care.
Cousin Jana

Anonymous said...

we have the cowmoo, I got mine during that crazy Target fiasco where they sold them for about $50. Now that I did the convertible-from-birth thing, I really wish I would have done it that way with my first two. It's been so much easier and it's nice that I haven't had to buy a new seat and this one will last him till he's in a booster.

Kathy said...

A word on the poo--Our midwife told us that babies are most often sensitive to dairy which can cause the upset stomach (green poo) so I totally cut dairy out of my diet. However, it turns out he is most sensitive to corn syrup (not totally sure what it is especially the high fructose kind (not sure what it is about it...but that's the culprit). So, you might just start cutting thing out of your diet one thing at a time and see what she is sensitive to. Caz had the worst diaper rash, too, so the two may be related for Wren, as well. Hope that helps somehow.

meghan said...

Now that Caden can hold his head upright completely on his own, we have pretty much quit carrying him in the carrier--if anything, we just put him in the stroller (he LOVES riding in it!) or just carry him around in stores...those carriers are so heavy! We have a convertible one we got through our insurance for about $15-$25...you might look into that. it took 3 weeks to get it! If you know anyone in AR who uses Washington County Farm Bureau Insurance--they can order it for you--that's how we got ours' (we used to be with them).
BTW--Wren is ADORABLE! She's getting to that fun stage where she looks like a little person and not just a newborn (I loved it when Caden finally got there!)