10-11 December 2011

Mom and Dad had stayed overnight Friday night so they were here for my morning feedings.

Dad did my temperature and diaper for my 5:30 a.m. feeding.  Since he woke me up, I decided to play a little trick.

I had a full diaper so I waited until he got it off and started putting on the next one, then pooped in that one.  So he waited a minute while I pretended to be finished, then pulled that one off and put on a third one, and I immediately pooped in that one!  So he ended up having to use four diapers to change me - what a way to start the day, huh?  I was amused, even if no one else was...

Ain't I a stinker? (in more ways than one - ha ha!)

Mom breastfed me for my 8:30 feeding, and I was hungry!  I ate great, and in fact they had to pull me away before I was done because I'm still only allowed to get part of my feeding that way, they wanted to gavage part of it - but I got 25 ml, or about half my feeding, before they made me stop, so that's good!

I went back to sleep while the rest of my feeding was gavaged.

Then I half-woke for my 11:30 feeding when they changed me (no tricks this time, I was too sleepy and just wanted to get it over with)

Once I was half-awake, though, I decided to try out some new expressions for Mom and Dad to see how they liked them.  I think they're getting better and picking up my little nuances.  What do you think:

Not sure?  In order, those were:
- why did you wake me?
- forget this, I'm going back to sleep
- there's going to be a present in my diaper when you go to change it
- too cool for school (which is fine since I don't have to go to school yet)
- remembering the trick I played with the diapers earlier today
- faking being asleep
- peeking to see if they believe that I'm asleep
- actually asleep

Don't worry, no quizzes on those (yet!)

On Sunday Mom and Dad were once again there in the morning, and Mom had another good breastfeeding session with me - it helps when I'm awake!

Of course, eating is a lot of work so I took a break after that to get some rest.

But I'm getting better at knowing my schedule and woke up when I knew when it was time to eat again - though I didn't really want to get out of my nice warm swaddling.

Dad said I had to get out to eat though, so I obliged - plus it was a chance to show off my latest outfit - it's called a "sleep sack" and is really comfortable - though I'm not sure someone less secure in their masculinity could pull it off, since it kind of looks like a dress.

Anyhow, after the usual temperature and diaper rigamarole, Dad gave me a bottle and I did well, taking the full 20 ml I was allowed.

I got the rest via gavage after.

After my feeding the doctor came by, and had a little bit of not-so-good news:  he thinks I have a hernia.  Luckily it's not painful so they're letting it go for now, but said that there's a decent chance I'll have to have a surgery to repair it before I go home.  Boo!

I guess maybe I should back off the weights a bit, or at least not strain so hard when I'm going number two!

8-9 December

Thursday, 8 December 2011

Weight 5 lb. 4.1 oz.; still consistently putting on weight which is a good thing and one of the criteria determining when I can go home.

As of this morning I was still only allowed 10 ml per bottle and had to take the rest via gavage (tube), but after successfully eating all 10 ml for three feedings in a row, the OT said my bottles could be increased up to 20 ml per time.  To celebrate, I spit up all over the nurse at my next feeding.

Dad came early in the afternoon and visited for a bit but didn't get to hold me since I had been spitting up so he visited with Rory instead; same story with Mom when she came later in the evening - I was sleeping and being gavage fed so she didn't get to do much with me either :-(

Pretty boring I realize.  Luckily more happened the next day, which brings me to:

Friday, 09 December 2011

Despite my excessive number of spitups, I'm keeping enough of my feedings (now 52 ml per time) down to keep putting on weight - up another ounce and a half to 5 lb. 5.7 oz.!

Mom tried breastfeeding me in the afternoon at my 2:30 feeding; they do this thing here where they weigh you before and after breastfeeding to find out how much you took.  As you can see, I'm not a big fan:

However, i was okay once they put me down with Mom ready to eat.  I got nice and cozy with her.

In fact, I got so cozy that I had no interest in eating.  And seriously, why should I have to do all the work when there's a machine that will pump my food into my stomach for me with no work on my part?  Sometimes adults are so silly....

Anyhow, since I wasn't going to breast- or bottle-feed (they said it was because I was "sleepy" since no one wanted to admit that I was beating their system), they put me back in bed and I had a little nap.  Pretty nice outfit, huh?

Later when it was time for my next diaper change I was much more awake:  (the shadow is Mom blocking the light so it's not shining right in my eyes - who designs these nurseries and puts lights straight down into where the crib goes, anyway?)

Dad was changing me, and I was a little peeved at him for not spending more time with me the day before, so I played a pretty good prank on him.  I did a big poop ahead of time so he'd have to wipe me while my diaper was off.  Then while he was doing that, I did another one and hit him in the hand before he could get the diaper covering me again.  Score:  Ben 1, Dad 0.  (Rory tried something similar but didn't have the guts to go all the way with it - you know her, she's too nice for her own good sometimes...)

Anyhow Dad went ahead and held me for my feeding anyway, which allowed me to spit up on him as well (though I can't claim that one was entirely premeditated, it's a pretty good bet that I'll spit up at any given time....).  After that he put me back in the crib since I seem to do better when I'm motionless.

Mom was going to try breastfeeding me one more time at the 11:30 p.m. feeding, but she had had a long day and didn't make it that long:

So Dad did the honors instead.  I figured I owed him one from earlier so I woke up to visit with him:

And then I did a good job with the feeding, taking my entire 20 ml bottle and only spitting back up a little of it before they gavaged the rest for me.

Eating the bottle tired me out so I went back to sleep then.  But Mom and Dad are taking advantage of the move to Special Care by staying the night so they'll be here for my night and early morning feedings which will be new and exciting.  And there's even the outside chance I'll be awake for some of those feedings! ;-)

7 December 2011

Another quiet day in the Special Care Nursery.

I've been taking a bottle roughly every other feeding, and pretty much every time finishing the full 10 ml they're letting me take before doing the rest through my feeding tube.  I usually scarf it down pretty quick - what I'd really like is for them to let me take more than 10 ml in a feeding since I like to taste it!

However, I still haven't quite mastered the art of eating, which is perhaps why they're limiting me.  For instance, Dad came by for my 11 a.m. feeding and gave me my bottle, which I ate all of (other than what dribbled down onto his pants) and then spit some of back out.

I did have the wherewithal to look suitably ashamed about that while getting the rest of my food via gavage:

My work done, I went back to sleep.

Mom came by and visited in the evening, and held me for awhile and sang to me - between her and Dad I'm gonna know a pretty good repertoire of songs by the time I get out of here.  At least Mom has a nicer voice!  In any case I was surprisingly awake for that time of day, so we had a good visit!

Later on, Dad came back and held me while Mom fed Rory.  I got pretty cozy and fell asleep for a long time while we listened to the 2nd half of A Christmas Carol on TV.
 

It was a nice night!

6 December 2011

Not much to report from my first full day in the NICU.  I slept most of the day.

Still having some spit-up issues when I drink from the bottle, probably because I can't help but eat too fast when I have the chance to scarf down some food (gotta eat fast since I have places to be and people to see...).  So they've now put me on a 10 ml limit for bottle feedings; I still get my full 45 ml feeding, but at least 35 ml of it has to come through my feeding tube.

Mom and Dad both had to work today but came by after work.  Mom fed me my 10 ml bottle and then put me back in my crib to get the rest of my feeding.  I stayed awake for awhile after that, employing the patented Kerins eyes-wide-open look:

Dad came by shortly after and held me for awhile.  I was a little sleepier when I went back in my crib.

Nothing else to report, a quiet day (and quiet is good in my line of work, that line being "developing and growing")!