2 Weeks Old - In an Open Crib

Our little 4 lb. burrito waves "hello"

Today Hannah is two weeks old. It's hard to believe that I would be in the beginning of my 8th month of pregnancy if I were still pregnant.

When we got to the hospital this afternoon we found out that Hannah was "graduating" to an open air crib -- she did such a good job maintaining her own temperature that she was too warm in her incubator with the air and humidity turned all the way down. Typically they wait until a baby can take feedings from a bottle before moving them to an open crib so they can conserve energy for feedings as they learn to suck/eat on their own, so this is a bit of an experiment to see how she does, but they felt the time was right since she was so warm in the incubator. We've been warned that she may ultimately need to go back in the incubator, but we'll wait and see how she does.

Hannah has also moved into another room in the NICU. Jon and I aren't totally crazy about the room because it's not a private room anymore where we can hang out all day and have some privacy/comfort -- it's a small room with about 7-8 babies in it (pretty close quarters). It's supposed to be a good thing because they only move stable babies to this new room, but it is less comfortable to be there for extended periods of time. Even the pumping room isn't nearly as comfortable. Her old room had a closet for family storage, a rocker/recliner, a window with curtains, and a sink/counter (great for cleaning pump parts). This new room has a computer chair by each crib and a small counter for her chart-- no windows and only one rocker for all the parents to share. Hopefully we won't have to be in this new room for long, but we're still expecting for Hannah to be in the hospital another 4 weeks.

Wearing Clothes for the 1st Time

Hannah is doing quite well. She is already up to 3lb, 13oz!!! She is certainly doing her job of growing. She is taking about an ounce of milk at each feeding, and we just started to introduce her to the "concept" of breastfeeding. She likely won't get any real nutrition directly from me (other than through pumping) for another week or so, but she is learning how to suck. Hannah has also been able to maintain her body temperature, so they are turning down the temperature in her incubator (and lowering the humidity too). Since she has maintained so well, she is now able to wear clothes. Here is a picture of her in her first outfit!

Daddy loves his little girl!

Now that she can maintain her temperature better, we can hold her for longer periods of time. I think Jon and I alternated holding her for about 5 hours today. It's the best feeling in the world.

1 Week Old

Hannah is a week old already. She is doing quite well and has gained back the 5oz that she lost in the days after she was born. She's over 1600 grams now (about 3lb, 9oz).

Sleepy girl.
She's in "sleep and grow" mode at the NICU.
But that doesn't stop her from kicking and squirming!
She likes to sleep like her Daddy, with her hands/arms over her face!

First Bath

Hannah had her first bath tonight.

Originally the day shift nurse told me she thought it would be around 11pm, so I should call to confirm when I should drive back down to "help"....but when I called the night nurse told me that she'd given her the bath at 8pm since she wasn't sure if I was coming back....ARGH. The only thing I was "unsure" of was whether Jon would drive me back down at 11pm since he is trying to make sure I get my rest (but he'd even agreed since he knew I really wanted to be there). An earlier bath wouldn't have been a problem at all -- how I wish she'd called to check! How frustrating. But, the nurse knew that I wanted to be there so she took pictures for me and has printed them out. As soon as we get back from the hospital on Monday evening and figure out how to scan them into our computer, I'll add them to this post.

Feeding Update

Hannah is doing quite well. She had her IV removed this morning and is no longer getting nutrition from any source other than me (well, we're supplementing what I can produce with donor breast milk until I can cover all of her feedings).

She is now "eating" 24mL at each feeding. It seems like each time I turn around the number goes up. We started at about 5, then have quickly increased to 8, 16, 20, and now 24. It's exciting to see the improvements.

I'm working pretty hard to supply all of her nutritional needs. I'm drinking about 120 oz of water every day (I fill up this giant jug the hospital gave me about 4 times!) and eating like crazy. I'm pumping every 2-3 hours, which is not easy but I know how important it is, so it that makes it easier to continue. Tomorrow morning I'll be switching to a different brand of hospital-grade rental pump, since I've recently learned that I have a bad pump for a "preemie mom" and they actually make a special pump for NICU moms who have to do all of their pumping with no baby at home to "help out." Thank goodness for my friend Kim, who is a lactation consultant, gave me all sorts of advice/information on this stuff (and drove to my house immediately when I called and told her I was having a problem with production on Saturday morning)! The consultant who saw me in the hospital never mentioned the NICU brand (Symphony) to me, and neither did the woman at the rental center at the hospital. Oh well -- at least now I know.