Sunday, December 28, 2008

Day 69: Little updates

Loki weighs 1940 grams (4 pounds + 4 ounces), which is almost two kilo grams, mind blowing. Today I am just so very surprised with how big he suddenly has become. I simply can't believe how he was a tiny little chicken without any fat only two months ago. Currently, he has chubby, fat little legs, a tummy and a double chin. Sure, he is still tiny compared to a full term baby, but compared to when he was born, he is gigantic. Also, he is much more handsome in real life. For whatever reason his cheeks are much more pronounced on photos. Don't get me wrong, he has big cheeks, which apparently is a symptom of the BPD (Bronchopulmonary Displasia), but somehow they seem significantly bigger on pictures. When you see him sleeping in his big boy crib he has a tiny, beautiful, round face.

Loki is fully on the nasal cannula; Doctor Usowics decided we should give it another try. So far so good. We are keeping our fingers crossed he will be able to stay on the cannula until he is ready to breathe without support. We are lucky tonight, our night nurse is one of our wonderful PM primaries; Danielle. She came in last night with a full, full bag of breast pumping supplies that she no longer needs. For those who use(d) the breast pump, you know how expensive the bags, the shields, the pads, the wipes etc. are. So I am very, very grateful and excited! This saving us a ton of money and time going to the pharmacy, which at this point in time is really, really helpful!! Thank you Danielle!!

Finally, we continue to work on the recreational breastfeeding. Sometimes he latches on, sometimes he does not want anything to do with the whole process. He shuts his mouth in protest and when the nurse, or I try to put the nipple in his mouth he cries and turns bright red. I feel so guilty shoving a boob in his mouth, but am really adamant about the whole thing. So, practice, practice, practice, that is our motto! Maybe one day he'll appreciate :-)

5 comments:

marieke said...

I agree with the picture-cheek story. I saw loki in real and on pictures his head seems longer with big cheeks. I think the camera does weird things with the pixels or so..... His head is much more round and he is very handsome! Cross my fingers for the cannula.
X

Anonymous said...

Oei mum, Loki not wanting to breastfeed... that must be hard to experience.. I am sure he will appreciate it soon! He is indeed getting a real big baby boy, what a magic all your love does to him! It is sooo good to see! Hopefully dad fully recovers soon and can hold his big boy again. Keep thinking of you three a lot. Wish you a very happy new year, full of breastfeeding, growth, love, health and countless wonderful moments,
Steffi

Anonymous said...

Lieve mama,
Er mag wel eens gezegd worden dat het bewonderenswaardig is wat je doet om Loki straks borstvoeding te kunnen geven. Het kolven is slopend, maar ook de oefensessies zijn slopend als je baby niet wil. Ik vind je een enorme doorzetter en ik vind het knap dat je het vol kan houden met het mooie doel van zelf voeden voor ogen. Voor Loki's gezondheid is het natuurlijk ook het mooiste en beste, maar veel mensen zouden afhaken (zoals ik ;-)). Dus zet hem op, hou vol!!
X Maaike

Mascha said...

Breastfeeding training is hard. I encourage you to keep trying. When he gets the hang of it, it will be so rewarding. But don't beat yourself up for the hard times he and you are having with it.

He sure is a handsome little boy.

Hugs for all of you.

Anonymous said...

Even some full-term babies don't like boobs in their faces. Yay - your baby is doing more and more typical things! :-) Jennifer M. PS - congrats on the open crib, that's major!

About Loki Sky

Loki Sky is a special little man. He was a very early micropreemie, weighing only 610 grams (1 lb, 5 oz) after 24 weeks, 3 days gestation, born to an American Father and a Dutch Mother in Berkeley, California on October 18, 2008.

On January 11, 2009, while still in the hospital NICU, his one kidney stopped working. It was repaired after three surgeries. After spending time in three hospitals in three cities, Loki came home on February 17. He struggled with eating, and then stopped in July, leading to 8 days in the hospital, a failure-to-thrive diagnosis, and a NG feeding tube. On October 10, a minor surgery installed a G feeding tube. Another procedure replaced it with a new one, and then again with a Mic-Key button in Jan. 2010.

In August 2010, he and his parents moved to the Netherlands.

Read about his first name.
Read & hear about his middle name.
See photos.
See videos.

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