NICU Diaries: Week 10
Baby is 37 weeks corrected gestational age.
Read about last week: Week 9!
Day 64: Rockabye Baby
It was a very busy day at home; I didn’t eat or drink properly between all the dropping off, school meetings, dog walks and feeds and vomit cleaning, laundry, etc. I wasn’t going to see Baby Henry today, but… Sometimes I walk around making kissy noises at my phone like an idiot. It’s the baby monitor and his little chubby face. Once I saw him on the hospital camera, nothing could stop me from going to him.
I visited Baby at the hospital in the evening with Jer, who got to help weigh Baby as part of Cares. 5lbs 14oz tonight! “He is acting like a real baby!” Jer said after seeing him so awake and active. 37 weeks is full term.
I got to snuggle skin-to-skin, and Jer held him swaddled while I pumped. I had soaked my hospital gown with milk while holding him. It was the first time I got to rock him now that he’s over 37 weeks old gestational. Before then the movement for them feels like nails on a chalkboard, but now he’s developed enough to enjoy a gentle rocking. He had some periods of de-sat this morning so they decided to wait to wean his Hi-flow.
We think he looks like Fletcher now, but with Walker’s powers of observation and Lily’s hairline.
Day 65: VIP
I noticed sunlight in his live stream this morning and wondered if they had moved him from our dark little corner of the NICU to somewhere with windows. Henry now has a private room in Nursery C with a view of the duck pond, and it’s so spacious it feels like a VIP room! One of the ladies up front who helps arrange where the babies go gave Henry a nice area and said he’s become a big boy and needs a nice spot. I appreciated that thoughtfulness so much!!
I really struggled with being so very tired today, so I did a night visit again- this time with L. She was over the moon grinning when she held him after I did skin-to-skin with him. He is so beautiful with his giant eyes that search all over the place and studied Sister’s face. She said she could look at him forever, and held him as long as it was allowed. Many of the nurses who have taken care of Henry, especially his Primary nurse, asked about him and wanted to peek in at him. We didn’t get home until after 10pm on a school night, but we had a lot of fun together loving on Henry.
Day 66: Earlier
Baby’s care times have changed and moved up 1 hour. Arriving earlier will be challenging and mornings are no longer possible while the kids are in school. The new private room has been amazing; I enjoyed the expansive view of Y mountain from the wall of windows.
Baby is 5lbs 15oz now. They weaned him down to level 3 in his Hi-flow respiratory support. I’m very exciting for when he gets down to level 2 and we can try breastfeeding. His head wound is still healing; the metahoney has done wonders. Nurse Kristi said that Baby doesn’t like staying in his crib, and just wants to look at everything and be held. He was fussy being put back after I snuggled him until next Cares time, so she held him in her arms while charting on the computer.
Day 67: First Paternity Leave
It’s Jer’s first ever day of Paternity leave, so we visited Baby together. Nurse Karen asked if we’d like a baby mobile or maybe a swing provided for Henry here since he’s old enough to have one now. The nurses have been saying that it’s nice for the babies to have something to look at and stimulate their brain, especially when the nurses can’t hold or be with them 24/7. He’s able to stay awake longer and makes the cutest faces with his expressive eyes.
Day 68: First Halloween + Breastfeeding
I had some good intentions of getting Baby into a costume and taking a picture to go with the rest of our family for his first Halloween, but he was already dressed in pajamas and today had an extra time crunch. Baby’s big morning already included many unpleasant surprises for him like an eye exam, blood draws for labs, and switching the feeding tube from an OG tube in the mouth to an NG tube in the nose. That was all done before Jer and I arrived.
A new mobile hung on his crib, and a baby bouncer wrapped in a disposable cover sat on the floor. The provider met us and asked if we would like to try breast feeding today! Even though he’s not weaning to the level 2, they can temporarily turn it down to 2 just for the times when he tries breastfeeding with me until he weans.
He was so tired to begin with, but he did latch a few times and suckled from me. No pressure or expectations, as the goal was to provide positive experiences at the breast skin to skin so that he’ll be able to associate eating with being at Mama’s. I loved feeling my strong baby boy and his quizzical looks that his “pacifier” was leaking milk. My sister Adelyn came and visited. We had lunch at the hospital cafeteria, then headed home to pick up the kids from school and start our Halloween.
Day 69: Big Sis Visit
Baby drank from me for a little less than 10mins and then was very tired. He spit up quite a bit after Lily started holding him. The nurse said it was probably his meds upsetting his tummy. Poor baby…
Day 70: Big Brother Visit
I have a new reason not to like Daylight Savings. While his Care times have been moved up an hour recently and he’s still getting used to that, today it was the equivalent of 2 hours early. Usually Baby is sleeping at that hour, and he was too tired to drink at the breast at all. We just snuggled while he screamed at me for his binky. I’m trying not to be offended at being rejected for a piece of plastic. Lily is of course loving holding her brother, and wanted to hold him for longer.
Fletcher held his baby brother for the first time, and it was so sweet to see them together. He adores his Baby brother and helped with Cares.
They weaned Baby to 2 on his breathing support. His labs are being sent to Primary Children’s Hospital pediatric unit for recommendations from an expert regarding Baby’s BPD (Bronchopulmonary dysplasia = chronic lung disease). The nurse practitioner said if she had to guess she’d say 2-6 weeks or more for him to go home. I’m feeling beaten down already.
Read about next week: Week 11!
Check out more weeks from our NICU journey here.
