Thursday, May 19, 2016

Happy 12 Weeks! - May 19th, 2016

Today we had the same nurse as yesterday, and the nurse from last night had spoken with her about using a shield for nursing. She wasn't sure why we weren't allowed to use it, and wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page, since preemies usually use a shield. The nurse also told us that the night nurse put you in your bouncer and you loved it. You cried when she took you out of it.
For our 8:30 feeding, I didn't want to try NNS because I didn't want to tire you out for our 2:30 session of NS. While I was changing your diaper, the nurse went out for rounds. When she came back in she said that the LC was going to be there during the 2:30 session in addition to speech. Soon after, the LC came in to speak with us about trying to come in at your 11:30 feeding. She wanted to have you do NS, and I told her that speech wanted to be present every time that we nursed. She didn't know why, and she said she wanted to still do 11:30 as long as the doctor said it was okay. I saw the doctor a little later in the hallway, and she said that she is all for it. So at 11:30, we tried NS with the LC.
The nurse also said that during rounds they said your cannula could come off, and your feeds were going to increase to 50 ml every 3 hours. We are almost to the 2 ounce mark! Hopefully you have your cannula off for more than a few days!
I made sure that I was all ready for your 11:30 feed. I went to the bathroom, got a snack and coffee, and pumped a little before your feed. The LC came in to make sure that we were ready, and she started getting everything together. She put a pillow behind my back and had me shift to one side of the chair, put a rolled up blanket under the boppy, another two rolled up blankets under the side of the boppy, and gave me a rolled up pillow case for under my breast. She wanted to make sure that your head was propped up higher than your feed because of your reflux. I was much more comfortable that way than the previous ways we have tried. You latched, and the LC gave me different tips and tricks to help you. We worked at this for about 20 minutes, and they weighed you. (They weighed you before as well to compare.) Right before weighing you, the LC said to me "expect nothing." So, I expected nothing. After she weighed you, she said that you took 4 ml. My thought and her thought too, was that 4 ml is better than 0 ml. We have to start somewhere!
After your 11:30 feed, you stayed awake and refused to go to sleep. I was with you the whole time until your next feed and you did not go to sleep at all. You looked wide awake so we were going to try again with both the LC and SLP there. However, as soon as we got all set up and got you settled, you passed right out. You were so sleepy from not taking a nap in between feedings. We weren't able to do anything that time, but I was thankful that we were able to at the 11:30 feeding.
I was going to go home to take a nap after the 2:30 feed, and on my way out I saw the SLP and LC talking. I know that the SLP and LC have different thoughts on breastfeeding and ways to go about it. The LC said it would be okay to use the shield, and the SLP didn't want us to use it. The SLP wants to be present for all feedings, and the LC doesn't think that the SLP should have to be there (as long as a nurse is there or the LC). The LC thinks we should try more than one time per day, and the SLP thinks only one time is good. I am assuming they were talking to come up with a plan.
I called right before day shift ended to see what was going on with you and she said that you were doing well without the cannula. She said that ENT doctor came to assess your lip and tongue tie and said that the risks outweigh the benefits because they would have to give you anesthesia. So I guess more pain for mommy, but it is worth it. The LC said she would give me exercises for you to work on to try to stretch your tongue. The nurse also said that the LC, SLP, and NP were present for the assessment, and they all came up with a plan on where to go from here. They are going to speak with me about it tomorrow.
As the LC said today "today is a home run!" I consider it a success, knowing that I can use the shield, and that you transferred 4 ml. Your feeds also increased to 50 ml, and your cannula came off. A lot for one day, and you made it through. As always, we are so proud of how strong you are!
We came to see you again around 8:30, and you now weigh 5 lb, 15.4 oz. So incredibly close to being 6 pounds! You are getting so big! I can't believe how big you have grown in the last 3 months!
We love you and although we have a busy weekend, we will be around to see you and feed you! We will now be practicing daily, so it is important to stay on that schedule to give you the best chances of learning to nurse (and of coming home quicker). We will see you tomorrow morning buddy. Get some rest so you can be ready for tomorrows feeds!

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