Day 65: Getting better and bigger

Loki is feeling better. He was more feisty again today and gained weight. He is now 1730 grams getting close to 4 pounds!

For those who wonder, dad is not holding Loki yet because he just had a cold. He is no longer contagious according to the doctor, but he wants to be on the safe side, as he still randomly sneezes or coughs here and there. We can't wait for him to hold Loki again though!

Loki continues to sprint on the nasal cannula for three hours each shift and usually requires between 21%-25% oxygen. It is very clear he is getting stronger and bigger, because he tolerates more movement when being taken out of the isolet without major desats. I am able to perform more of the care taking tasks these days, which makes me really happy. Of course I continue to change our little guy's diapers, take his temp and position him in on his back, side or tummy. Although the positioning is a little more intimidating when he is on the CPAP and has the big mask on his face. When the cannula comes out of his nose I am able to put them back in and when dressing him I am allowed to disconnect and reconnect all the wires to the monitor. Today our pm nurse, Bonnie, made the evening much more fun by teaching me the skills of suctioning Loki's nose and mouth. I was a little to careful so she needed to help to actually get some secretion out, but it was fun to try. I'll be a NICU nurse before you know it :-) Finally, if Margaret works on Christmas day, she'll be teaching us the skills of a bed bath!

We cuddled for a solid 4 hours today and Loki practiced his smiles. When I had him on his back on my lap, he seemed to make great eye contact and whether it was a reflex or not, he certainly looked like he was smiling. I am not sure how much he actually sees at this point in time, but I like to think he sees my eyes and that this is the reason he smiles. Oh well, I may not ever find out, but it sure feels good! We also practiced breastfeeding. The second time around he latched on fairly well and sucked away for almost five minutes. Any drop of milk is pretty challenging to process though. We'll keep working on this one!