Quick update: Had a behavioral specialist meet the babies today. She said they looked real good (always a good feeling when a professional says that). She said Paige was pretty advanced and Cole was a little immature. Who knew coming out second would set him back so much! She said we shouldn’t force the babies to feed and to wait about 4-5 hours per feed. That’s kind of what we have been doing, so sweet! She’ll be back next week to go over some more stuff with us, but again she was pleased with their progress so far. Also had a follow up with the surgeon who performed their heart and hernia operations. He said they look great. He was really pleased with their scars as they are barely noticeable. As he put it: “I do good work”. This is the same doctor I made a comment to about surgeons being bad at circumcisions (oops!). Interesting fact: he also had a 1 pound 10 ounce baby about 12 years ago. It’s amazing how most of the people who work in the NICU are connected. Tobie starts the midnight to 7 am shift tonight. I should put up a poll on who do you feel more sorry for: Tobie, me, or the babies! (I have a feeling I would come in last).
Related Posts:Posted in: About
That’s awesome. As we said in the NICU…a good day.
Question: you mention not forcing them to feed. You mean not waking them up to eat, or not forcing them to finish a bottle? Cause if it’s not forcing them to finish a bottle, how can they go 4-5 hrs?
We have been waiting for them to wake up before a feed. If they are sleeping soundly, we let them be. If it goes more than 4 hours, we start doing things to wake them up, like change their diaper, turn the light on, etc. Also, they have given us signs they do not want to continue feeding (like Paige’s pouty face or Cole’s head shakes). When they get to that point, we usually just stop feeding them because we could waste another 30 minutes and only get probably 10-20 more ccs. It’s just not worth it. Looking at their feeds on a daily basis, they are definitely eating more than the minimum, so that works. Our babies seem to do much better with more spaced out feeds. They seem to want it more when it comes time to feed. Plus we don’t feel so guilty trying to force the bottle in their mouth every 3 hours when they don’t want it. So stressful.
So glad all is going so well !! Do what your instinct tells you, like you are doing & everything will be great ! Babies will give you the cues you need to look for….don’t worry !! You two are doing a super job !! Give the babies a hug & kiss for me
~Gina B.
Is Cole still on the diuretic? Do you have to weigh his daipers?