Day 33; pee and poop

The big event of the day was holding Loki again during the morning hours. (Thank you Margaret for making that happen.) Although this was, as always, a little scary to make the move from isolet to chest, he did quite well throughout the move. It took a little time to get him all comfy against my chest, but once settled with his mask in the right spot, he snuggled up, making little sounds here and there. For quite some time he enjoyed listening to me quietly singing the song I used to sing for him when he was still inside womb. After the first excitement, his oxygen saturation was pretty steady. However, making a huge (for his size) poop in his diaper made him desat again. It is a lot of work for a little guy like Loki to get all that leftover food moving.

Loki has been on similar Oxygen settings as yesterday, and that is a good thing. We made day five on the SiPAP, something we are very grateful for. Also, yesterday marked his 29th week of total development, so he is getting older. His appearance is starting to change and he is looking like a much bigger baby now (considering that he was only 610 grams when he was born). His face is much rounder and his cries are now audible when the isolet is closed. Big, big boy!

He still forgets to breathe sometimes (apnea) which causes bradies (low heart rate) now and then. Although this continues to be somewhat scary, they are part being preemie, and we will continue to see those for quite a bit longer. A little pat on his booty or stroking his back or chest usually takes care of it.

As of tonight, Loki's only nutrition comes from fortified breastmilk (my milk mixed with extra calories) through his g-tube. This milk combined with the caffeine he gets through his tube make a nice Cafe Latte for our feisty boy. He has one more antibiotic to finish on Nov. 24th, after which he will no longer need his IVs. We really hope the nurses can stretch his IV use until that time, so a PICC line would be out of the picture.

He weighed in today at 963 grams, almost a kilo, which means another milestone in sight. And while changing his diaper, he peed all over my hand, as well as over his own IV wrapped wrist. His pee shot strait up in the air when I moved his diaper aside. Not sure what he is trying to tell me: Pooping and peeing all over me!? For now, I experience his excretions as a blessing. They are signs of him growing and doing real baby things!