Friday, March 15, 2013

The New Normal

We have a bit of a routine going around these parts which is nice.

Here's a snapshot:

During the night, Dylan eats between 2-3 and 5-6. My wonderful husband does the first feeding, I do the second. I really think Dylan would like to sleep through the night, but we are not allowed to let him yet (because he needs to gain weight), so we feed him at least every four hours at night.

The mornings are the hardest for me. Dylan is more often than not constipated in the morning and grunts and groans and is unhappy from anywhere between 4:30 and 7:30. I am NOT a morning person...not even a waking up person for that matter. So it's really tough for the first hour or so and then I'm good. I try to put Dylan back to sleep after his 7-8 feeding, but it depends...usually he'll sleep for a bit

Then it's coffee time! I've never been a daily coffee drinker. But now I look forward to my morning coffee so much! We got a Keurig and I love it. I think it should go on every new mom's registry!

Dylan's usually pretty awake in the morning so we talk and play and do tummy time. And I try to catch a smile in a picture. It's a fun game. He'll be smiling for like 5 minutes, I'll open the camera, he'll make a stink face. I've caught a few smiles, but most of the time they are blurry because I'm rushing to get it.

If we don't have anything scheduled for the day (doctor appt or walking with a friend), I take Dylan on a walk around the neighborhood mid-morning. But we have been having doctor appts twice a week so far and a walking date once.

The rest of the day is kind of fuzzy. It's a mix of me trying to eat lunch, Dylan eating, Dylan eating, Stella trying to lick Dylan, Stella wanting to play, Dylan sleeping on me, and Dylan sleeping in the swing, with a bit of tummy time mixed in.

Dylan is pretty strong. He can hold his head up pretty well and is almost propping himself on his elbows. He's rolled from front to back a few times. I know they say it's more of an accident at this age, but he does it slow enough that it doesn't really look like falling. I figure if we are ahead in any area, it will be muscular since he's been using his muscles a lot longer than term babies.

Dylan is supposed to be eating every 2 hours or so right now, again because he needs to keep gaining. He seems to like every 2 1/2 hours. Feeding has definitely been frustrating. He was eating really well for awhile, now he's barely eating 2 ounces a feeding. He never averaged much higher than that, but he had a few 3-4 ounce sessions sprinkled in. Now, not so much.

He averages about 18 ounces a day with a high of 20 and low of 14 (ugh). He is on a little higher calorie formula, but I'd still like to up his volume. (Breast milk is considered to be about 20 calories an ounce - so is formula. We do one scoop for 54mls instead of 60 to get to 22 calories. But I'm also adding 1/4 breast milk.)

He was 9lbs, 1oz on Weds which is 5 months actual, 8 weeks adjusted.

Overall things are great. Besides the feeding difficulty, Dylan is a pretty happy, easy baby. I have no idea if its the time in the NICU (probably) that taught him to self-soothe and be happy just hanging out awake by himself, but he's pretty chill most if the time. He does have his moments though...

I'm still pumping 3x a day and getting about 25 ounces. I'm going to keep it up for now because I still dream about Dylan going back to exclusive breast milk or in my wildest fantasies, breast feeding (wild, I know!) so I want to keep my options open for now.

Want some pictures?

Enjoy.











22 comments:

  1. I just love this post. It is so amazing how well Dylan is doing at home and just makes me tear up. What a beautiful little angel and these pictures are so cute! Thank you for posting :)

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  2. What a great smile! And that last picture! "Hey... how you doin?"

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  3. Such a cutie :) I'm sure you are enjoying having him at home now. It sounds like he is really doing great, all things considered. We are working on establishing a routine of sorts as well. It is helpful to have some predictability to each day!

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  4. Oh my goodness...Dylan is such a handsome little fella! Love, love the third picture!

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  5. He looks so much bigger already! Being at home with Mom and Dad agrees with him. =D

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  6. Yay for somewhat of a schedule coming together!! He is adorable - I love that smirk!!

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  7. That last picture is adorable!!

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  8. Love love love the pictures! Glad you are getting into some sort of routine!

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  9. So cute. He looks great. We have the same Rock-n Play and we love it. She sleeps in it at night.

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  10. I know it's different because he was a preemie, but fwiw, it sounds like he is eating great to me. My 3 mo old never takes more than 2oz at a feeding. 3 or 4 oz at once sounds like a ton to me! It sounds like he has awesome weight gain too, that's wonderful! And lastly re: food, kudos to you for the pumping. You are a rockstar.

    The pics are ADORABLE! What a sweet baby boy you have!! :)

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  11. OMG So freaking adorable! I love those pics....LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!

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  12. Boy he has some GREAT facial expressions! Adorable.

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  13. The many faces of Dylan - I love it. :D

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  14. OMG! He is Adorable!!! That last picture, I can hear him saying, "When I pick up chicks, I'm going to look at them like this...don't worry Mommy, you'll always be my first love!"
    I love reading your blog because it gives me so much hope. I'm starting IVF any day now. After 2 years and at 42, I'm feeling very worn out and broken. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful story, it really brings me such happiness and joy!

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  15. What a cutie pie!!!! You are a tough cookie - feeding every 2 hrs must definitely keep you on your toes!

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  16. I'm sure it's just so good to have him home.He seems to be doing pretty well! Congrats on the pumping. I know how hard it can be and you are producing a good amount so that is great!

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  17. I think the doctor telling you to feed him every 2 hours is the wrong thing. Of course he doesn't want to eat. He never has the chance to get hungry. Try feeding at every 3 hours during the day for a few days. Babies need to have the chance to get hungry so they take a full feeding. Hungry, not starving of course. Almost all babies should be able to make it 3 hours between feedings and I'll bet he eats more at each bottle. Try it for a few days and see. I'll bet you see a difference.

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    1. Thanks for your response. We have gone anywhere from 2-4 and it doesn't seem to make a huge difference. I'm not sure if he gets too tired, or his reflux acts up, or if he feels satiated after just a little...

      I will keep trying different things though and I agree, he needs to feel hunger!

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  18. My lactation consultant told me that to get higher-calorie breastmilk, when you're pumping, you can discard the first 1.5 ounces and only keep the higher calorie stuff that comes out after. Maybe you could ask your doctor about doing that? It's a shame, since you're such a great pumper,to not be able to use ie!

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    1. That's a great idea! It would be a pain to switch bottles in the middle, but it's a great way to kind of get more bang for the bm I'm giving him. Since I'm only pumping 3x a day, I'd have to discard like the first 6oz!

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  19. Haha he is so adorable. Love all his expressions!

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  20. What a cute little one! I love the "stinky" face he is making in the 3rd picture. Just cracks me up!!!

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