When we arrived at the hospital today, the nurse said that Emerson took 10cc from the bottle and the rest was gavage feedings. This seems to be the pattern for the last few days.
Emerson was in a deep sleep on his tummy when we arrived. He LOVES sleeping on his tummy. This was the position he was in whenever we had ultrasounds. He's pretty inactive on his belly compared to his back too. We let him sleep and decided to hold him for his 5pm and 8pm feedings.
I was able to pump about 8cc for his 5pm feeding. This is the most that I've been able to pump, so was very excited about that! I bottle fed him the breast milk first. He was doing well at first, but than started to fade away after 15 minutes. I can't even begin to explain how happy it made me to feed him breast milk. Its been so hard with him in the special care nursery. I am trying to help out where I can but sometimes I just feel so useless. :( Being able to provide breast milk to him feels like one way I can help him grow. It took almost 20 minutes to get the 8cc down, so we gavage'd the rest of the formula.
Emerson did seem out of it again today. Not really awake. I know this is normal but miss seeing those big eyes of his. I cuddled with him for a little bit, as well as daddy did and than we let him rest up for his 8pm feeding.
Louise was the night shift nurse tonight. She has been off for a week so the last time she saw him he was still on oxygen. She was telling us how great he looked, which is always nice to hear :) She let me change his diaper, and got his formula ready. I was able to pump 5cc, so I bottle fed that to him first. It was hard to even get that down. So Louise took over feeding him. I'm so glad she did because she was able to get him to nipple 13cc! Grant and I watched her and she showed us some pointers in bottle feeding. Our technique could definitely use some help! We were letting Emerson be in control of the feedings, but we need to take a little more control to keep him on track. She showed us how to open his mouth to get the bottle in more efficiently. As well as how to help support his chin while he is feeding. I asked questions about feeding to much, gagging, all the things I've been worried about doing, and feel a little bit more knowledgeable now about the feedings. I'm so glad she took the time to show us some pointers, and looking forward to trying them in tomorrows feedings.
Emerson was pooping a lot in the time we had him out. I could smell it! Louise noticed that his butt was a little red, so we put on some destin to help with that.
Emerson's had a little neighbor for a few days and she was gone when we arrived at the hospital. This is one of those hard things. Babies will come and go through Emerson's stay. One day we will be going home too, just have to keep the big picture in mind.
Just before we left, Louise weighed baby boy and he gained another ounce. He has been gaining an ounce a day, which is awesome!!!
Keep growing little man!
Emerson was in a deep sleep on his tummy when we arrived. He LOVES sleeping on his tummy. This was the position he was in whenever we had ultrasounds. He's pretty inactive on his belly compared to his back too. We let him sleep and decided to hold him for his 5pm and 8pm feedings.
I was able to pump about 8cc for his 5pm feeding. This is the most that I've been able to pump, so was very excited about that! I bottle fed him the breast milk first. He was doing well at first, but than started to fade away after 15 minutes. I can't even begin to explain how happy it made me to feed him breast milk. Its been so hard with him in the special care nursery. I am trying to help out where I can but sometimes I just feel so useless. :( Being able to provide breast milk to him feels like one way I can help him grow. It took almost 20 minutes to get the 8cc down, so we gavage'd the rest of the formula.
Emerson did seem out of it again today. Not really awake. I know this is normal but miss seeing those big eyes of his. I cuddled with him for a little bit, as well as daddy did and than we let him rest up for his 8pm feeding.
Louise was the night shift nurse tonight. She has been off for a week so the last time she saw him he was still on oxygen. She was telling us how great he looked, which is always nice to hear :) She let me change his diaper, and got his formula ready. I was able to pump 5cc, so I bottle fed that to him first. It was hard to even get that down. So Louise took over feeding him. I'm so glad she did because she was able to get him to nipple 13cc! Grant and I watched her and she showed us some pointers in bottle feeding. Our technique could definitely use some help! We were letting Emerson be in control of the feedings, but we need to take a little more control to keep him on track. She showed us how to open his mouth to get the bottle in more efficiently. As well as how to help support his chin while he is feeding. I asked questions about feeding to much, gagging, all the things I've been worried about doing, and feel a little bit more knowledgeable now about the feedings. I'm so glad she took the time to show us some pointers, and looking forward to trying them in tomorrows feedings.
Emerson was pooping a lot in the time we had him out. I could smell it! Louise noticed that his butt was a little red, so we put on some destin to help with that.
Emerson's had a little neighbor for a few days and she was gone when we arrived at the hospital. This is one of those hard things. Babies will come and go through Emerson's stay. One day we will be going home too, just have to keep the big picture in mind.
Just before we left, Louise weighed baby boy and he gained another ounce. He has been gaining an ounce a day, which is awesome!!!
Keep growing little man!
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