Back On the Milk Wagon

Sunday started out in a rush. Ana and I packed up after talking with the nurse. Our best efforts to get there early didn't pan out and we arrived at the usual 12 PM. However, since Naomi wasn't getting anymore milk, there were no cares.

We waited patiently for the doctor as we talked with the nurse. Naomi had passed a fair amount of barium in the morning, which was a good sign. After waiting around, the doctor finally arrived. Usually a late arrival is a good sign, but I didn't know what to make of it today. The doctor did his usual pancake style flip of Naomi and quickly stated that he was going to start her feedings again. We asked several questions about the left over milk in her belly, all of the air, and the X-rays.

The radiologist thought the X-rays looked normal and the doctor took us to his office to show them on the jumbo screen. It was difficult to discern much, but you could tell that the barium had worked its way through. Naomi was back on the milk wagon. She would start out with 4 mL and we'd wait to see how it went.

After the visit, I walked over to Ronnie's (the Ronald McDonald House) to get some dinner. I ate quickly hoping to return in time to help with Naomi's cares. When I entered the room though, I realized I was too late.

Naomi was practicing nursing! I couldn't believe it. I had spent most of the previous night awake pondering Naomi's digestion problems and now she was nursing. Usually the nurse will wait until 34 weeks to try because early birds don't suck, swallow, and breath in a coordinated fashion. Naomi, however, was once again starting early.

By the time 5 PM cares arrived, I was anxiously waiting for the syringe pull to check Naomi's stomach. When the nurse pulled back, I was deflated. She pulled at least 5 mL, that meant that Naomi wouldn't get more food. The nurse hooked up another syringe. She pulled back at least 12 mL more. Needless to say, I was shocked. Naomi didn't practice nursing, she actually succeeded at nursing. I was torn between being  elated and being worried. The nurse didn't seem too worried, so I chose to stick with elated. The nurse could tell by the consistency of the milk, that it was starting to digest.

We went home after cares and called in after the next feeding. Naomi digested all 17 mL that was returned to her stomach! After calling back in the morning, she had digested all of her milk over night as well. Now Ana is allowed to practice nursing twice a day and Naomi seems to be back on track. They'll continue to monitor her digestion, but so far things have been going well.