She is such an easy baby to love.
The Good Stuff:
- Millie can officially be born now haha! Today was my due date.
- This little chunker is weighing in at just under 7 pounds! She has basically caught up to all those other kids that got to cook a little longer. She is so beautifully round that we keep getting complements from her nurses on her plumpness. A fat baby is what I've always dreamed of.
- She is just about ready for her 4 month old vaccines. We were supposed to get them two nights ago, but I talked them into holding off to avoid messing up her good eating streak.
- Well that was pointless! She is back to not eating really. Yesterday she ate 13, 5, and 24 grams. She needs 54. Today she ate 13.
- Millie is no longer being seen by the NICU doctors. She gets a visit from her Pediatrician every morning. He's great and we're very glad we picked him.
- She is receiving Synagis shots to protect her from RSV. These shots are something typically only high risk babies get because they cost $1,000-2,000 per shot...and she gets 5! RSV is a big deal, and we were really worried about it. If your baby gets it twice before they are 2 years old, they will most likely be asthmatic. Our Pediatrician says he has never seen a baby get RSV that has had at least 2 of these shots. Hot dog!
Things are moving a little slow, and we know they really need Millie's room for other babies. No one is pressuring us out the door, but we are dying to be gone! Yesterday, after I finished feeding Millie those 5 grams, our Nurse asked if I was taking Millie home on a feeding pump. I said, "No. She is just turning 40 weeks tomorrow, so I think she just needs a little more time." She replied, "Oh. It must just have been a rumor then." Haha! You think we're wearing out our welcome? We really don't feel like we are, and I'm betting she had us confused with another baby that is leaving Friday on one. (We will miss you Jamie and Norah!) Buck and I talked about it and we both feel comfortable taking her home on a feeding pump if we need to, but we would prefer to try her on all bottles first. We are starting that tonight to see if she does better. The less equipment we have, the better!
This is going to sound strange, but it is finally sinking in that we have a premature baby. It's been a big reality check seeing so many people give birth and then bring their babies home. Those babies eat and breathe just fine. I think it's hard because we are finally at our due date and she is still in there. She has overcome so much more than full term, healthy babies have to, so I am happy to give her all the slack she needs. It's just a little sad.
My sister, Lani, is about to have her baby any day now. I hope to bring Millie home by the time Lani brings her baby home, but to keep my spirits up my new goal date is Easter. Simply because this girl has a beautiful Easter Dress. What good Southern Girl doesn't?
I can't believe it. Every time I see pics of her...I am in shock.. She looks soooooo healthy. I will miss the barbie pics, but it will def. be something to look forward to bc it will def. be a drastic difference.
ReplyDeleteRSV shots are awesome. Manny was born 2 months early, in June, so when fall came around, his ped. recommended he get synagis. He got them monthly for about 5 months. They are huge needles and since it goes by weight,by the end of the 5 months Manny was getting more than one needle to accommodate the dosage.
I'm so excited that you're enjoying her ped., it makes a huge difference. Are you doing a March of Dimes event?
I like the green outfit. I wish Millie was bigger than Sacagawea and then I could use things after you. Oh well. If Millie keeps chunking up (Jabba) then maybe they actually will wear the same sizes.
ReplyDeleteThat's some talent Millie's got. A pacifier, oxygen up her nose, and a feeding tube! And to think I feel like I can't breathe from being stuffed up!
PS-I know it's under Aaron's account. I don't feel like changing it. You know what I mean...
Are the RSV shots so they don't freak out about the plane ride any more?
All we care is that she comes out before April 27th or whenever it is. She can take all the time she needs to get heathy and stay healthy. Just don't miss your flight. =)
Eating can be really frustrating. My daughter was released from the nicu without a feeding pump when she was not eating very good and ended up loosing weight and getting a g-tube placed. Infants on oxygen have a much harder time coordinating suck-swallow and breathing. If you can, see if you can get a speech therapist on board to help with eating. I think if we had done that sooner our daughter would not of developed the aversion to eating she now has. (I am a friend of Betsey's).
ReplyDeletei love your attitude! So, in order for millie to go home she has to be able to eat a certain amount? Here's to happy eating!
ReplyDeleteBTW, Aden did great every month and when it came time to give him his shot, he got RSV one week to the date after and landed us in the hospital for 2wks in the ICU, each month. It got to the point where I dreaded bringing him in for the shots. I just knew he would get sick. But, I didn't know how sick he would get if he didn't get them. They did a study on us. Even though it isn't a live virus he got seriously ill. MEDICINE has drastically improved from 10 years ago, when he was born. So far he isn't asthmatic but he is all muscle and very lean which is a definite plus if he were. We are in a perfect spot in MO, there is a specialist here who is on CNN and he is doing a study on premature babies and synagis. Kai has been doing horrible with allergies, and asthma here, we are scheduling an appt. to get her in ASAP. We ran into his wife who gave us her name and number and his private number and said, YOU tell him, MERRIANNE said, get her in! Gotta love a woman who leads rules his neck. (something from MY BiG FAT GREEK WEDDING)
Caleb came home with his feeding tube and it was actually really nice. We just kept doing things exactly as they were done in the NICU, but in the comfort of our own home. It's a little stressful still, because he's not entirely in the clear with eating enough and he still may need a g-tube eventually, but I'd much rather be able to put the NG tube down by myself in my home than wait for him to pick up his eating in the hospital, or for him to come home and lose weight and get in trouble. And besides, you guys needed our room with a view. They were pushing us out the door for you! And I'm so glad they did.
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