Saturday we stopped by Naomi's room a little after noon and she was being fed 9 mL of milk every three hours. So far, every increase in milk has been 3 mL. Before increasing the feedings the nurses check to see how much Naomi is digesting by pulling back the contents of her stomach using a syringe. It's the kind of gross thing that a father can tell his daughter about when she is older. When you reach 9 mL, you get a special syringe pump to give you milk slowly for 30 minutes. They'll wait until she is older to expand her stomach like it would during a normal feeding.
Her belly button was still sore and looked red. The doctor was waiting to see if it would get better on its own. If not, they would start antibiotics. The big news of the day, however, occurred after 3 PM cares. Never one to be complacent, Naomi turned her head after the nurse carefully positioned it earlier. It was hard to believe that such a tiny girl was already lifting her head and turning it during "tummy" time. After Ana positioned her head, she turned it twice. I'm not sure if that was a sign of childhood rebellion or "look at me mom!"
Sunday, Ana and I tried to get out of our rut. We awoke early, and after packing a few quick things, headed off to see Naomi in time for 9 AM cares. She didn't digest her milk well that night so she was kept at 9 mL. The lack of digestion combined with her heart murmur worried the doctors. They told us they were going to continue to monitor her PDA and if her feedings didn't continue to increase, they would most likely try a drug through her IV to prompt the PDA to close. The lack of digestion can sometimes be a sign that her heart isn't pumping enough blood to her intestines because of the opening.
After cares, we headed home. Our schedule shift for the day was prompted by the need to try to fit in midday naps. I've tried sleeping on the couch in Naomi's room, but it's difficult with all the beeping, alarms, and whiz-bangs. I'm beginning to get worried that Naomi won't be able to sleep unless there are several alarms going off in the room at random times.
We arrived home shortly after lunch, recouped, repacked, and went back to Naomi's room for 6 PM cares. She was given antibiotics for her belly button. The doctor didn't think it improved. We also didn't get a chance to hold her. We traveled home, did some chores, and got ready for bed. After a week and a half of this, I think I could write a book called eat, pray, pump.
For those of you who didn't know, Naomi's original due date was Halloween before they shifted it to November 7. Since we didn't know whether she was a boy or a girl we used the gender neutral name, "Little Goblin." I guess now she is a little goblina. As a result of the nickname, Naomi's aunt and uncle found her a scary goblin book for us to read to her at night. We waited until she was at least 10 days old to read it to her so she wouldn't get scared.
Monday came too fast. I was planning to return to work on Tuesday to figure out a manageable schedule. When your baby comes 11 weeks early and FMLA is 12 weeks, you start to think about how can we split up our time to cover Naomi's needs now and when she comes home. The estimated range for when Naomi may come home is 7 to 11 weeks from when she was born.
The day wore by too quickly as always. We arrived just after 12 PM cares, so we stopped in and whispered hi to Naomi. After 3 PM cares, it was my turn to hold Naomi again, so I put on my kangaroo time gown and hopped in the rocking chair. Naomi snuggled against my chest for an hour or so before the nurse came back to help put her in her incubator.
She had slowly gained some weight through the weekend and was still feisty as ever. Her digestion was slow, but it did improve over the weekend. The doctor is planning to continue to monitor her heart and is hoping her PDA will close on its own. Each 3 mL increase in milk is a step in the right direction as she gets stronger and stronger.
I'd also like to say thank you very much to all of the people who have helped us and to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and hope. Thank you for the gifts and the time you have taken to help us. It is very humbling and inspiring.
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