One month Old!

Yesterday Joshua Turned 1 month Old! In one month he has almost gained 2 lbs, he is up to 5 lbs 8 oz. they have been steadily increasing his feeding and starting today they are going to try to have him feed orally 6 times (out of the 8 for 24 hours). He still has infrequent episode where his heart rate drops or his O2 saturation drops, he is getting better, but he will not be able to go home until he has that under control as well. It shouldn't be too long before he is home with us, I still think my goal of July 4th cold be right on target (Joshua's independence from the NICU), Lisa is skeptical, but what does she know... I think she just doesn't want to get her hopes up. at 34.5 weeks gestation it is amazing we are even having this conversation.

Here is a photo of the first time Lisa got to see Joshua-

Blue Steel-

Big Boy!

Joshua weighed in last night at 4 pounds 12 ounces, officially one pound heavier than his birth weight at 3 weeks old! We can't believe how much bigger he is and how fast he is growing. He is bottle feeding or nursing twice a day now and doing amazing. I have NEVER seen a preemie his gestation eat this good! He has proved me wrong so many times over the last few weeks that I have been completely humbled regarding my NICU knowledge.

Family Pics!

Photo Update

This is how he looked as we pulled ourselves away from him to go home last night....

Quick Update

I guess I will post an update since it has been so long since the last one...

Joshua is doing great and continuing to gain weight. As of last night he was 4 lbs 9oz. He is beginning to nurse from Lisa and is slowly getting the hang of it-last night he was able to get a whole feeding from her!

Right now Joshua is working through a little reflux problem, where during and immediately after his feeding his oxygen saturation level drops. he has been on oxygen around his feedings to help this and hopefully he will get better soon.

We have some very cute pictures to post later, when I am home, including pictures of his grandparents' first time holding him!

BEFORE AND AFTER! This is me at 26 weeks pregnant and again 1 week after delivery. Total weight loss: 3 lbs 12 oz. Haha

But seriously, this is one downside to having a preemie, I was counting on losing at least 15 pounds or something with a term baby! And now for some reason I'm retaining water like none other! What is the deal?!

It takes some time (I'm sure most of you know) for the uterus to get back to normal size...hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later....
The truth is, I really miss being pregnant. Not so much the heartburn or frequent bathroom trips, but I miss feeling my baby move and having him with me all the time.

Joshua's first Bath!!

Update

Here are Some of the latest shots of our boy. Some of them will give some more perspective on his size.

He is doing great and surpassed his birth weight yesterday and currently weighs 3 lbs 13 oz. he is still off his IV and oxygen and is breathing fine and tolerating all his feedings.

Tonight he got his first bath and there will be a slideshow of that event very soon!

One Week Old!

Here is Joshua - smiling for the camera- at one week!

Joshua had a big day yesterday! The nurse took him off CPAP and he did great! He is now on nasal cannula and it is so fun to actually see his face. Also, they were able to increase his feedings and he has a NG tube (in his nose instead of his mouth). His jaundice is getting better and if all goes as planned he will be off of the bili lights today. He is having some fluctuations in his temperature and they are keeping a close eye on him (this is a potential sign of infection), all in all it was a very good day.

He pulls the cutest faces all the time, and we've had many nurses tell us how sweet his temperament is. My mom says he must get that from Eric and not me...but I don't know about that...

As for me, it is getting easier to walk around and I can get out of bed on my own finally. The worst part is when someone makes me laugh and it feels like I'm going to bust a stitch. Oh yeah, and the exhaustion. It's kind of frustrating to get up every 3 hours around the clock to pump and have no baby here to play with :( I miss him so much, this has definitely given me a new perspective for my job as a NICU nurse.

More Pictures

Eric's first diaper change...he's really pretty coordinated!

Eric's first time holding our son

A little perspective on his size (Lisa's hands)

Here is our little alien boy with his CPAP on, he is still a cute guy.

Here is Lisa's first diaper change, look how happy she is!

Progress

Here the latest about our little boy...

They have decreased his Oxygen to only 21% (which is what room air is!) and the Respitory Therapist seems to think think his CPAP days are almost done, then we could actually see his face all the time! he has been tolerating his feeding better and is up to 21ml per feeding today! the nurses also seem content with the amount of pooping he is doing. This was great news to Lisa and I. For the second day in a row his weight increased, he is back up to 3lb 8oz and should be increasing from here on out.

I got to hold him for the first time on Saturday and it was a great moment. while we know it is going to be a long road before we get to take him home he is already making progress and it is very encouraging. We have some great pictures from the last couple of days, but I am at work and will post them when I return home.