Today I feel as if I am getting into the groove of NICU life. It feels like we're stepping into some sort of routine, although nothing about our life right now is routine. The mornings are usually boring with school work, busy work, or figuring out life when Finnegan finally gets to come home. Oh, and we shower...another highlight of the morning! The mornings turn to afternoon as we wait for Finn's doctors to round. Rounds are usually the peak of the day (except when we get to hold/interact with Finn).
This morning Finn received another chest x-ray to check the placement of his PICC line. Throughout the procedure, the ladies taking his "picture" were commenting on how his Irish name fits because of his fiery Irish temper. Apparently Finn might just be more of a squirmy baby than they're used to. It's hard to believe he's only a week old and already has established a personality. Needless to say, Ian and I are aware that we will have our hands full with his little guy!
Besides his x-ray this morning, Finn's billi number went up a little bit, but it's still below the "warning" area. The doctor wants to wait for his results from tomorrow's test before doing anything if they need to restart phototherapy. Otherwise, his nutrition levels went up and he finished his gut priming today! This means that Finnegan will actually start getting mommy's breastmilk as nutrition (up until now he's been receiving it in really low levels as a "gut primer" so it didn't count as nutrition). The hope is that by the beginning of next week, he will be tolerating his food well and putting on the pounds! The nutritionist came in during rounds today to discuss possible fortifications to his TPN and "food." As of late this evening, Finnegan had received two feedings and had "eaten" all his "food"! The doctors said that most preemies have some issues tolerating their new feeding schedules after priming. We're hoping that he may beat the odds this time, too!
The doctor decided to push up his head sonogram for tomorrow so we would have results before the weekend. This sonogram will look at any possible areas of bleeding which are extremely common with preemies. This is one of the scarier tests for me, so I'll be saying some extra prayers in the next 24 hours to keep myself calm and staying positive.
Finnegan and I were able to have some mommy-son bonding this afternoon. After lunch, I was able to Kangaroo with my little munchkin. He only had one brady while we snuggled, and he kept peaking up to look at me and Grandma Bruckner. It was nice to be able to snuggle with Finn and visit with my mother-in-law. Everything about this afternoon just felt right. He was super cozy with his legs tucked under his belly and his one arm under his head. I sat stroking his soft blondish-brown hair and playing with his little hands that like to flail about. He was extra vocal today, which equals my baby boy sounding like a little meowing kitten. He's too precious for words.
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| Grandma Bruckner |
My friend Jessica came down to meet Finn as well this afternoon. With Jessica also being pregnant and due only a month after I was SUPPOSED to be due, I worried about how all this would effect her, so I didn't want her to be scared or overwhelmed meeting Finnegan. Needless to say, Jess made my afternoon. Her overall outlook on our situation with Finnegan is refreshing. I appreciated all of her kind words and support. I mean, hey...what are friends for!? I just wish her an easy pregnancy the rest of the way. I wasn't so lucky in that department, but let's hope baby boy Miraski cooks a LOT longer than Finnegan did! :)
Jessica was super kind and drove me back to Bloomington so I could spend the night at home. I've been spending every other night at the hospital just so I am able to recover a little bit more. My mom came down to spend the night as well. We went to dinner, BabiesRus for nursing essentials, and DQ for an evening treat! I can't tell you how much fun it is to be with my mom after all of this. She's such a goof, and she just gets me. It's comforting. After my mom spent some time being mesmerized by Netflix, we settled on watching Rango while I graded papers that need to get back to school. What a weird movie.
It's weird not being able to get up and walk across the room to see my precious little miracle, but I know he is in good hands and that is the most important thing for him right now. Plus, I know his pretty amazing dad is right there with him.
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