Day 3 - May 20th, 2013

This was the first day that we had to drive to the hospital to see our son.  Yesterday was the hardest day because we had to go home without him.  The girls were really sweet to come home to.  Check out this awesome dance move that Benjamin caught Haley doing!

 Well today was a relief because I got to go back and see him.  I have heard that postpartum depression runs high in NICU moms because they beat up on themselves and while watching their baby struggle.  It was REALLY nice to go back today and see that I could still be his mom, but that is just where he needs to be right now.  I was able to change his diaper, take his temperature, and hold him a little bit today.  I spent the majority of the day with him.  I made me feel better about leaving him overnight.  It is never easy to leave him, but now I know I will always get to see him the next day and he is well taken care of while I am gone.

Benjamin's notes included: Off antibiotics!; New IV site x 3 :(  As you can see from the pictures, it is now in his scalp.  These are where some of the biggest veins (and easiest ones to get) are;  Up to 18 mL feeding every 3 hours;  Still on TPN and lipids (these are things that they put in his IV for strength and nutrition and all that.  They are made exactly specific to him and his labs are drawn every morning to see how they need to be adjusted for the next set.); Weight 2025g (about 4 pounds 7.5 ounces).

Losing water weight is typical of any baby, term or premature, so often when you bring a term baby home from the hospital they are smaller than their birth weight.  I am not sure if it is across the board, but premature babies can lose up to 10% of their birth weight (and still have the doctors feel comfortable!).  They usually should regain their birth weight in 10-14 days.

Other exciting news:  The lactation consultant, who I love, caught me in the halls and began talking to me.  She was pumped and decided to help me try and breastfeed him.  Usually they might latch on but it takes some time to learn.  Well, Adam is a rockstar, so no one will be surprised to hear that he nursed, and well I might add, for 17 minutes!  In the NICU, 15 minutes is considered a "full feed".  It was super exciting for everyone here.  :)

The main things you see in the pictures:  scalp IV, oxygen into his nose, monitors to check his heart rate, breathing rate and blood saturation, and a tube down his throat to put the milk straight into his tummy.  Sometimes he is a bit complicated to hold, but he sure is fun to hold once you get situated!