Samuel loves to eat! He really took off on breastfeeding this week. He has consistently taken at least half of the amount that he needed at each feeding. Then he'd get the rest through his tube. However, he was waking up over an hour before it was time for his feedings, so yesterday (Friday) I asked the nurse what it would take to get him on an "ad lib" schedule where he could he when and how much he wants to. The requirement is that he has to be taking all of his food by mouth, so last night after I fed him, instead of putting the rest in his tube, I gave the rest to him in a bottle (it's a lot less work for him) and he took it all. The nurse gave him a bottle at 2am, and he took it all again. She then convinced that doctor to put him on an ad lib schedule, and at 5am, he took one and 1/2 times (60ml instead of 40ml) as much milk as he'd been getting each feeding! The nurses thought he wouldn't be hungry again until 9am since he took so much, but he was ready to eat again shortly after 8am. He took 60ml again! The rest of the day, I got to nurse him whenever he wanted to eat. I weigh him before and after feeding to see how much he ate, and he met his requirement for the day. :)
Since he's eating so well, the nurses started saying we could be going home in a few days! Yikes! I've been asking everybody this week how long it would be so I could try to have some idea, and everyone was saying 2-3 weeks. Now it sounds like it will be less than a week! The doctor will make an official plan on Monday.
On Tuesday, Samuel was 8 weeks old, and exactly double his birth weight at 4lb 14oz. He hit 5lbs on Friday, and is now 5lb 1oz.
Thursday he had another eye exam; his ROP is better, but not gone yet. He gets another exam in 2 weeks.
Yesterday he had a head ultrasound again. It came back negative, which means everything is normal. :) They also did an official room air test. He didn't quite pass it, but he didn't blatantly flunk it either. They may try again after a few days, but he may end up going home on oxygen.
Today Samuel got his first round of immunization shots. He is also getting eye drops because he has an infection in his right eye. Samuel is anemic (low on red blood cells) right now, which could play into why he failed the room air challenge yesterday. They're holding off on giving him another blood transfusion, though, because his body is working very well at making new red blood cells. If they give him a transfusion, the body could decide it doesn't have to keep working on making red blood cells, so it's better to wait and see if he'll catch up on his own.
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6 comments:
Wow! That's amazing and really exciting! Thanks for keeping us updated via your blog! :)
Home in a few days! That's fantastic! So he takes his own air supply -- Samuel and Grandpa can compare tanks. :)
That is so amazing!! Praise the Lord!!! Thanks for the updates, I have really enjoyed reading them :)
What a big guy! Sounds like you have a great eater on your hands. That is all such great news. We miss you guys and can't wait for you to bring Samuel home!
What?! the head ultrasound was a NEGATIVE? i guess i figured that would be a bad thing! oh wait...Darren's head ultrasound is negative too isn't it. i was hoping that little Samuel would inherit more of your lineaments Sarah, like a large organ between his ears. oh well, guess that's the Johnson family genes showing themselves, but at least he'll have Darren's apocryphal looks and physical intrepidity :) cheers
I am SOOOO glad nursing is going well for you guys and what a blessing to be able to feed him whenever he wants. Sounds like he was starving!
Jen
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