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37 week update Andrew

lemen99lemen99 member
in Indiana Babies

Hey everyone,

Andrew is now in his 37th week of gestation and is 11 weeks old.  He is 5 lb 10 oz and is now in newborn clothing.  He looks so big and healthy!

Andrew had another great week.  The most exciting update is that Andrew went off of his nasal cannula on Tuesday and he has done an excellent job without it all week!  Andrew is still in the crib and continues to do well maintain his temperature - I think it's very unlikely that he would have to go back in the isolette because he's gaining weight very nicely!  We gave Andrew his first tub bath this week, which was fun.  (Before he just had sponge baths.) 

Andrew's other new trick is "grunting".  He rarely cries (that may change when he gets a little older) but he grunts a lot and is doing it more frequently. I think it's his version of crying - it sounds like he is complaining.  The nurses call it the "preemie grunt" because it's so common in preemies.  I wonder if they grunt because it's easier (takes less energy) than crying.   I noticed this week he grunted a lot when he was hungry, and he grunted when he was tired and/or maybe wanted to be held. 

Feeding is progressing somewhat slowly, but we're moving in the right direction.  Andrew is continuing to show more signs when he is hungry, and is getting a little more "demanding" when he wants to eat.  This is good because he has to be able to recognize hunger and tell us when he needs to eat.  We've noticed when Andrew is asking to be fed, he generally eats his entire feeding.  He is asking to be fed more often, so that's good.  The nurses say we'll be surprised and one day it'll just "click".  As far as feedings go, the doctor told us he's right on track.

Once the feedings click, I think the last thing Andrew will have to do is pass a "car seat" test.  Meaning, they monitor him while he's sitting in his car seat to make sure it fits him well and he can handle sitting at that angle and maintain an open airway.  He is required to be able to do well in the car seat for at least as long as it takes for us to drive home, which in our case is less than 15 minutes.  (For other babies, it could be hours!)

As for Ryan and I, we spent some time this week taking a CPR class (always good to know) and we've been making a conscious effort not to watch Andrew's monitors in the NICU.  It's really difficult to do when you've been relying on them for 3 months.  We're making sure to watch Andrew to see how he's doing (not the monitors), and we're getting so good that we know how he is doing before the monitors do.  The nurses are very impressed, because they said engineers just love the data!  We do, but, we won't have it to rely on at home.

So not a lot is happening aside from waiting!  The general "target" the doctors give you is that they like to have the babies home by their original due date, which is April 6th.  The earlier the babies are born, the more they have to accomplish, so Andrew is doing a wonderful job. We'll see what happens!

 
Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers!

Love and God bless,
Kathy and Ryan

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