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| Day 49 |
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| Getting chunky at just over 5 pounds! |
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| LOVES her Halo Sleepsack! Thanks Anna! |
Caroline is officially a breastfeeding baby! She started getting fed 3cc's over 3 hours (by syringe) on Thursday (a full feed for her is 40 cc's) to test out her tummy to make sure it could handle being fed. By Friday at noon we were given the go-ahead to try breastfeeding as long as we weighed her before and after to see how much she got. The docs thought maybe she'd get 20 cc's or so and were surprised to learn that she got 40! At 3PM she got about 50 cc's and at 6PM we stopped doing the weigh-ins. I was supposed to stay the night with her last night to feed her through the night but her sugar and sodium were off and she was peeing a ton so the docs decided it was best to know exactly how much she was getting... I was very sad to have to make the choice between a bottle or an NG tube but I went with the NG tube to protect the breastfeeding until it is well-established. This morning we were again given the green light to breastfeed and she was a champion eater! She ate and ate and ate and then burped (and burped and burped!) and fell asleep hard. She is so cute when she cuddles up to me after a feeding...
Even though we have made great strides with breastfeeding (which
had been the only thing keeping us in the hospital) she cannot go home yet. The discovery that more of her hormones are deficient will keep us in the hospital for a while longer. The docs will want to get everything balanced out before sending us back to the boonies with our prescriptions - and even when we get home we will have to keep a pretty intense watch over her. It looks like Caroline may have something called
Hypopituitarism which impacts multiple hormones. At this point we know her ADH (causes the diabetes insipidus), TSH (thyroid - monitors your metabolism), and ACTH (releases cortisol) are out of whack but we will not know about the other hormones (growth, sex, prolactin, oxytocin) until she is older. We should know a little bit more next Tuesday...
hallelujah, some good news. So glad you are getting to directly breastfeed! Yeah!
ReplyDeleteShe really does look like she's filling out - he face is fuller. She looks very happy and content in the picture with Tyler. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear the good news. She is so adorable and getting bigger - 5 pounds! Continued prayers to you all.
ReplyDeleteTara
Go, Caroline! So glad she is eating more and that it is such a wonderful time for you both! And that the doctors are learning more about her and how to help her. She is in good hands, from Mom and Dad and beyond! Here's to more good days, Love, Joanie
ReplyDeleteAimee, congratulations on nursing Caroline! She sounds like she is doing a great job and so are you!
ReplyDeleteThe doctors sound very skilled at caring for Caroline and I am so impressed with what a fantastic mom you are!
So glad that you and Caroline finally get to enjoy all of the benefits of breastfeeding1 What a relaxing time for both of you! Glad to know that the doctors have narrowed down their search and all of those hormones can be replaced. I am sure it is quite a balancing act, but will hopefully be figured out soon! Caroline looks like she had filled right out! Bravo to you all! Love, Martha
ReplyDeleteAimee,
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the breastfeeding is working out. Knew she'd get the hang of it. Over 5lbs is something to celebrate. Bet she'll put more weight on quickly now. Thanks for the link for more info on what she has going on with her pituitary gland. Thinking of you and baby Caroline constantly. Love, Jeanne