First Milk - Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Baby GL makes us so proud everytime we seen him.  Yesterday he had a blood transfusion, which is normal for such a little baby.  Everytime they do tests and take blood they need to help him along with a transfusion.  He also had some lung care yesterday just to help condition his lungs.  He did great with that.  He is actually on only 24% oxygen which is low so he's doing the breathing mostly on his own.  One of the lamps have been removed now. The uv blue light is still on him to prevent jaundice.  


Yesterday he began receiving breast milk, 1cc every 3 hours. He really enjoyed it according to the nurses.  When he got his first feeding he just was calm and sirene.  The nurse we saw late last night said she could see in his lines that he's taking the milk so well that we may expect a bowel movement very soon.  It's funny how proud I am of his diaper duties. 


His weight is quite low now, which is normal.  The Dr actual suspects his actual weight at birth was closer to 450 grams rather than the 520 grams.  He was already intubated and hooked up to tubes and wires at the time he was weighed at birth.  His lastest weight is 360 grams which is 12.7oz.  


For being so small he looks so wonderful.  You can see his skin has changed a bit.  The nurses tell us little stories about his day and they always make us smile.  What is consistent is that when they go in to fuss with him he stays very calm and if he is unhappy because of a wet diaper or needing his mouth suctioned he flails his arms to the point of grabbing the plastic wrap they have covering him for humidity.  He just grabs on to it and yanks.  He has his own ways of communicating to the nurses.  


My father and my sister finally returned from Chile and were able to meet Baby GL for the first time.  It's nice now to have the family around to be with Baby GL as he's growing.  The only fears I've had on this journey is the phone calls.  When you see on the caller id the hospital number your heart just skips a beat.  The hospital knows it, too.  I had a nurse call to check up with me this morning and she started by saying she wasn't from the NICU.  We really feel he's in great hands over there.