another update

Sami is continuing to gain weight. Last night at 11:30 p.m. she weighed a little more than 3 pounds and 11 ounces.

The biggest challenge right now is that she doesn't really want to eat so most of her food is coming to her through the tube down her nose. Every other feeding she is offered a bottle, and she gets through about half of it before refusing to eat any more, so then she gets the remainder of it through the tube. Every other feeding between those, she is strictly being fed through the tube. I know it's good because this way she can get her nutrition without exhausting herself by eating, but it's disheartening to watch her with the tube down her nose, and I was really enjoying sitting with her and feeding her every few hours when I am there. She ate so well her first two days, and then it seems she just exhausted herself. At her small size, even eating is exhausting for her.

Aside from that she is doing well. She is keeping herself warm, and I'm hoping that soon they will move her out of the incubator into a crib in the NICU. She will also have to pass a car seat test before she can go home. We will have to bring in her car seat when they tell us to, and they have to make sure she can sit in it safely. She is getting close to meeting all of her criteria to go home, aside from the eating issue. The criteria are: she has to weigh at least 4 pounds, she has to be totally bottle-fed, and she has to regulate her own body temperature. Her weight is going up, and the real main battle we still have to get through is her eating regularly from a bottle.

I miss Sami when I am not with her, but I know she is very good hands. Each NICU nurse only care for two babies per shift, so she is getting round-the-clock care.