Logan 36 weeks & 4 weeks!

So yesterday Logan was 36 weeks gestational and today is 4 weeks since his birth.  So yay for Little Man!  He is up to 6lbs 1.5oz.  The NP upped him to 7-8 feedings/day since he's been doing well with the others.  Yesterday we had a lactation consultation for breast feeding.  We tried him on my left side since he's been so successful with the right.  I also tried a different hold - football style.  I'm definitely very comfortable with cross cradle, but I figured, "Why not try something new?"  Well, he ended up having another brady (bradycardia) episode where he stopped breathing and his heart rate dropped.  I had actually pulled him off because he sounded choked.  While I was burping him is when his heart rate dropped to the 60s.  It started to come back up, but dropped again, then came back up, then dropped, then came back up again.  We stayed pretty calm throughout it, probably because the lactation nurse was there and his nurse came in to help get him out of it.  But, it still feels a bit like a set-back.  That being said, we definitely don't want him home until he can eat without having these episodes, because they are so scary.  And of course, they won't send him home until he can go awhile without those.  So we're just waiting on him.

Today I had my 4-week follow up at 9:15am.  Since my doctor's office is beside the hospital, I ended up spending all day with the little man.  My follow up went well.  I had a bunch of questions to ask about future pregnancies and this happening again.  I felt really good about everything after the visit.  It could happen again, but this next time I'll just be monitored really closely for pretty much ANYTHING that could trigger it.  The midwife also told me that usually when there is a repeat pre-term labor, it happens about the same time the other one did.  And 32 weeks, while definitely not ideal, isn't completely horrible.  Another awesome thing about my visit, I got the go-ahead to start working out again!  She said I shouldn't move straight into Pilates or Yoga, that I need to build my stomach muscles back up slowly, but I can get on my elliptical.  We need to move it back inside this weekend so I can work on that.  I have already cued up Scrubs on Netflix so I have something to watch.

I nursed Logan at his 11:30 feeding.  He is no longer being weighed for nursing.  Instead, they are doing it more like we will do when he is home.  I will nurse him until he seems satisfied.  Then, I will feed him the bottle and see what he takes.  Then I will pump (this will probably get old pretty fast).  As long as he gains weight, we're all good.  I will work with his pediatrician to dial down on the bottle feedings and up on the breast feedings until hopefully, we are at all breast feedings and only pumping when I go back to work in April.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I can't remember if I mentioned this, but he is now laying flat in his crib like he will when he comes home.  No more sleeping on his tummy for him!  They also got rid of his z-flo, the thing that he slept in.  He is getting prepped for discharge, which is exciting for us!  I'm guessing pretty soon we will start getting trained for what he will need when he comes home (vitamins, supplements, etc.) and hopefully soon we will schedule the angle tolerance test - where he is monitored in his carseat for 90 minutes.

Anyways,s o back to his 11:30 feeding.  He nursed for a little while on the left side.  When he no longer seemed interested, I gave him his bottle.  Well, he fell asleep so I put him back in his crib and went to tell the nurse.  When I came back, he was awake again and making noises like he was hungry, so I picked him back up and gave him the bottle.  He took about 11cc before falling asleep again.  I put him back in the crib and prepped to pump.  I was getting ready when he woke up again!  Goodness child, stay awake!  He reminds me of my niece Katy who used to fall asleep during her feedings.  I think I remember her feedings taking about an hour and my sister having to use ice on her bare feet to try to wake her up.  Well, the nurse came in and said she would try to give him his bottle while I pumped.  So we sat and chatted while he took from his bottle.  When all was said and done, he took about 40cc from his bottle.

Well, by then it was around 1:00 and I was hungry.  I ran to the rest room and cleaned my pump parts.  I dropped everything and was heading out to get some Subway (yay sandwich meat).  Logan's Wade grandparents arrived to see him, so I chatted with them for a minute before heading out.  I ate my lunch and got back to the hospital a little after 2:00.  I wanted to make sure I was there for his 2:30 feeding.  He was sleeping pretty well, so we ended up deciding to let him have this feeding as his tube feeding for the day while I pumped.

After that we just chilled for awhile.  I tried to nap a little and maybe got about 10-15 minutes in.  Jesse got up to the hospital for Logan's 5:30 feeding.  I nursed him again and did both sides.  I wasn't sure if he was getting anything, but oh well.  Jesse fed him his bottle and he took about 20-something cc.  After that we went to the support group meeting.  Once again, it was really nice to be there.  There is definitely a special club for those who have been on magnesium sulfate.  And I hope that none of you readers are members of the club.

As we were leaving tonight, it struck me that you know you've been going somewhere long enough when the parking attendant no longer says "Have a good night," but "See you tomorrow."  I know a good portion of the NICU nurses now, even when they are not Logan's nurse for the day or night.  The front desk ladies (there has yet to be a male there) know us, too, and sometimes just wave us through as they call back to let his nurse know we are here.  We recognize other parents, now, and share that smile when we meet in the hall.  The smile that says, "I know what you're going through.  I'm sorry you're going through it.  I hope you're out of here soon."  But, this is not a bad thing.  I couldn't ask for better nurses for Logan.  It warms my heart when his nurse comes in and say, "I was so happy to be assigned to him today!  He's so cute!"  He seems to have a fan club among the nurses.  They exclaim over his dimples and say how sweet he is.  They also say how much he has grown.  It's very reassuring.

Jesse and I are doing ok.  We're both very exhausted.  For me, I have to pump every three hours, so I don't get good sleep.  I'm finally feeling well enough physically to get things done at home, so that's helping a little.  And a dishwasher repairman is coming tomorrow, so hopefully it's an easy fix.  Jesse gets up in the morning, goes to work, sometimes comes home for lunch, goes straight to the hospital, then gets home anywhere from 7:00-9:00 at night.  We end up eating dinner late, so lots of times it's just fast food, or some arrangement of leftovers we may have.  We're looking forward to being home with Logan so we can hopefully have real meals and food.  I want vegetables!

Last, I would like to thank all of you for your support in this trying time.  It hasn't gone unnoticed, even if it has gone unsaid.  We appreciate everyones thoughts and prayers and love.  It really means a lot to us.  So thank you in sharing in this difficult time, even if it's just from afar.  So here are some more Logan pics:

Oh, and Happy Belated 3rd Birthday to our sweet niece Molly!  We love you and hope you have so much fun at Disney World next week!