Wednesday / Thursday NICU update

Yesterday's big event was that we got to start breastfeeding again. To my delight, Braxton took to it like a pro - that is, when he wasn't too tired. I'd say about half of his feedings were pretty good, so that's a good start.

For fun, Braxton's nurse and I decided to give him a bath yesterday afternoon. That was actually Braxton's first water bath. We set up a little tub near the foot of his bed and placed him in the warm water, which he loved. He loved it so much, in fact, that he started to pee. And not like a little stream into his tub. Picture one of those yard sprinklers that shoots out a long, pressurized stream of water, then rotates to cover a large area. Braxton's pee shot about eight feet across his room, hit his curtain, and covered the floor. It caused such a commotion that the entire NICU staff came to see what happened, and all went away laughing.

Today's focus is on getting Braxton prepared for discharge. His iv flow has been reduced down from 12, to 3. His tube feedings are being bumped up from 15ml, to a minimum of 30ml, depending on how well he nurses. The goal is to make sure Braxton continues to gain weight without his abdomen getting distended again. If all looks good tomorrow, we will cut his iv completely, make sure he is still gaining, then go home on Saturday.