Miles had his second visitor today - Barry who blessed the child with his first Giants jersey. I had hoped for a Reds fan but I have to remember, he is a California boy. The blond hair already screams out, future surfer so on this too, I give up.
Today was the first day, I was a visitor to the hospital. When we walked in there at 11 am, I saw another new mom slowly walking out of the NICU in a pair of furry slippers and recognized myself just 2 days ago. We smiled at each other, an unspoken understanding. Miles continues to improve. His eating has increased to every 3 hours and 4 ml of breast milk. Finally, all of the pumping, is paying off!
He had a nicer nurse who was only too happy to have me hold him for a good 45 minutes. This time, his eyes were wide open checking me and Dave out and clearly enjoying the cuddling. When we came back later in the day, I held him again and again, he opened his eyes taking us in. By that time, his eating had improved enough that he was again increased to 5 ml per feeding. Dave and I were also more confident to take on his temperature and diaper changing. I hate to admit it but it was my first....I always said I was waiting for my own child and thankfully, a three pound baby doesnt poop that much.
Today, I also got my first experience in the "pump" room and was able to meet other moms. The first thing I learned is that there quite a bit of accessories for easy pumping. I'd already bought the handsfree bra that holds the bottles while you pump so you are free to read, do a crossword or work on the computer. Other women had the aprons that come in beautiful patterns that go over the bottles for ultimate privacy. Or you can just use the worn hospital gowns, over a regular nursing bra and hold the bottles in place. That would be me :)
Beyond the accessories, connecting to other mothers filled a huge hole. Everyone had a different story...how many babies, how many weeks, what caused labor, how much time we had before, how we were coping, but really everyone was so positive and open in sharing their babies situation, progress and state of mind. While I am still nervous about setbacks, I hold onto that 90%+ chance that everything will be just fine for Miles.
1 comment:
Go Giants!
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