Two Steps Forward and One Step Back

As you can see Sebastian is so much bigger then when he was born. These pictures were taken on my visit yesterday Sunday May 3rd. At the time of these pictures he was weighing in at 1075 grams (birth weight 845 grams). Today (Monday) he is weighing in at 1101 grams (so he is that much fatter). This week has been full of ups and downs. Last night he was given another blood transfusion and is alot happier baby this morning. He has been having small (not small to Steinar and I) issues which we have learned is part of the joy of being the parents of a baby in NICU.

It is amazing to see how much he is changing and how much healthier he looks with some meat on his little bones. On May 10th he will be one month old. Time flies when you are in a constant state of being tired (and he's not even home yet). I must say I have a new appreciation for mothers and I finally understand why my sister Anna gets so excited when she is able to get a little sleep for an hour.

My only question is "Mom, how did you manage four and still stay sane?"

Today Sebastian is 3 weeks old

I have not yet had my visit with my son as I am meeting Steinar at the hospital this afternoon. Today he is 3 weeks old and is weighing in at 1056 grams. Over 2 pounds. Another milestone passed. Pictures will be posted when I get home.

April 30th (Thursday) We get visitors

Today Tracy, Ilona and Aria come to the hospital to visit. I have not seen the Reece family for ages and although I am exhausted it is one of the best surprises yet. I am happy to have Sebastian meet some of the most important people in our lives and I enjoy the visit. We are only able to have one visitor at a time but they are willing to make an exception. Unfortunately due to a recent flu outbreak they have now restricted children from entering the NICU. They are talking about the possibility of changing the policy to parents only if this outbreak gets any worse.

The visit is great (not long enough) and I am thrilled that they have come to see us. Thanks for taking the time to come to the hospital.

Various pictures of my first day holding my beautiful boy

KANGAROO CARE - A way to hold your diapered baby against your bare chest, skin-to-skin, inside your shirt, or covered by a blanket. This is like a baby kangaroo in his mothers pouch.

April 29th 2009 - One of my finest moments (putting his size into perspective)

I arrived at the hospital today and was hoping to change Sebastian's diaper and do his temperature. This is something I have been doing for the last few days and I love to be able to help care for my son.

Bev the nurse caring for Sebastian asked me if I wanted to hold him today. Up until this point I have not been able to do this. Immediately I was in tears as it is very emotional after almost three weeks to get to do more then just hand hug your baby through the islolet.

I changed into a gown and prepared to finally hold Sebastian. It takes two nurses and about 15 minutes to organize Sebastian's breathing tubes and everything else he is hooked up to in order to disconnect and reconnect him quickly. He is placed on my chest and takes very little time to settle in comfortably between my very ample chest. Because I can't see his beautiful face they give me a mirror so that I can hold it up to observe him as he lies peacefully on his mommy.
It was an amazing moment as you finally have that connection to your child that you have been denied for so long.
Bev tells me that because he can smell me, hear my heartbeat and my breast milk smells like amniotic fluid he is in a very happy place. I don't think he can be as happy as I am at this moment.
I hold him for two hours and after holding him I go to pump for milk. My output doubles after holding my son. The human body is an amazing thing.

I know if I am able to hold him my visits are more complete.

This is a moment I will never forget.

Gaining weight over the past few weeks

These pictures were taken sometime around April 22nd ish. I try to take pictures on every visit if it will not disturb him. At this point his weight is over his birth weight of 845 grams. It has taken two week to get to this point so we have passed another milestone. The green soother in his mouth keeps him calm and strengths his muscles to prepare him for breast feeding.

For feedings Sebastian was initially getting his food admitted to him fairly quickly (over a five minute period). This did not work as most of his food would sit in his little tummy. They have since put him on a slow feed that is administered over a one hour period (similar to an IV). He is now in a happy place and is tolerating his feedings much better.

Finding Time to Post -The joys of pumping for milk and the Dairy Queen

I am trying to find the time to post on this blog, to sleep, to eat, and to try and keep some sort of communication with friends and family. I am in to see Sebastian every day and for the most part he is doing well. We have ups and downs and it is very much an emotional rollercoaster. As the days go by we are a bit more prepared for what every day may bring.

Other then not having our son home I think the hardest part is keeping up with milk production so that Sebastian has what is best for him. I was told that I should be pumping every two hours. This worked for the first couple of weeks until I hit my wall. When I say hit my wall I mean got sick from exhaustion. You soon realize that you are not very productive if you are not able to sleep. It is a bit of a catch 22 as they want you to sleep but they are telling you to pump every two hours. Unfortunately I have not mastered the breast pumping and sleeping at the same time. That I am sure will come in time.

When we (the mothers who have children in NICU) bring in the milk it goes to the "Dairy Queen". I used to think of the Dairy Queen as that great place down the road that serves all types of yummy ice-cream but I now see it as something entirely different and alot more important. In the Dairy Queen the milk is either frozen or processed and prepared for your baby's next feeding. The ladies in this department measure the appropriate amounts and prepare it for the nurses to administer to the babies. When they(the babies) get a bit bigger they add vitamins to the milk. If the baby was still in you it would be getting what it needs via the umbilical cord.
When you baby is a micro-premie (under 26 weeks when born) they start giving him/her about 1 ml every two hours and slowly increase it based on the tolerance. The figure out the amount that the baby can take based on a weight calculation. As of today Sebastian is at his maximum feed and getting 13ml every two hours. It is nice to see him gianing some weight.