Day 32; Going steady

Today was a good day in the NICU. Loki has gained 36 grams again and now weighs 936 grams, almost a kilo. He has been sleeping most of the day with his oxygen steady between 29%-32%. So, our little guy is working hard on growing his tiny body and learning how to breathe. In addition, he is working his vocal cords, which sounds absolutely adorable. Margaret said today he is turning into a big boy, even knowing how to complain when no procedures are performed. At these moments he really likes his pacifier.

The big news of the day is that he will be weaned off his IV feeds, and in a few days solely receive breast milk. This makes me (Mom) especially happy and proud, as we can start making a dent in our many bottles of milk. Loki needs his yeast meds for only five more days, and his antibiotic only one more day. This means he will not need any IV's after Nov 24th, given that all goes well. Hopefully the nurses will be able to find enough workable veins to continue regular IV lines, so we do not need to put in a PICC line for those last days. Apparently some children need to go back on the ventilator when receiving a PICC line, as the morphine they get to deal with the pain interferes with their breathing. Fingers crossed once again, despite the fact that this means a few more ouchies for our little trooper. Before an IV is placed he receives a little bit of sugar, which apparently helps dealing with the pain (must be the endorphins being released by all that sweetness). Today he actually slept through the placement of an IV. The only response he gave was a little desat.

Finally, as said above, Loki is using his vocal cords more and more, and his soft squeaky voice is becoming louder. It sounds like music to my ears!! I am so proud to be the mother of this incredibly cute, sweet and strong little boy!!