Taking a break from the exhaustion for a quick update
I had no idea our second tour through the NICU would be so much more exhausting. I guess this is what parenting an infant and preschool is? Pumping every 2-3 hours and coordinating trips to the NICU and making sure I have time with Nathan - I've been too tired to do much else. It's frustrating to think we're going to be burned out before Liam even gets home. But instead of swelling on the frustration, here's what Liam's been up to this week:
On Monday, at 33 weeks, Liam graduated to his first big boy bed. Okay, really it's just your standard hospital crib / bassinet, but it's a big deal because it means he is successfully maintaining his own temperature - and at just 4;b 3 oz last Monday. Now it is much easier for us to pick him up and for Nathan to visit with him.
Also on Monday, we began working on breastfeeding. This kiddo has been interested since the day he was born, but the ability to suck, swallow and breathe doesn't really kick in until 34 weeks, so we held off until this week before letting him try. A week in, Liam doesn't really know what to do when he gets some milk and doesn't have much stamina, but he's definitely an enthusiastic overachiever. Saturday he actually nursed successfully for 5 minutes before being totally pooped out and falling asleep. And he did it without dropping his heart rate or forgetting to breathe, even though he had to keep taking breaks to swallow and catch his breath. Quite an accomplishment and unexpected for his age.
Getting the hang of eating is going to be the next big challenge for Liam. In the beginning, once he really starts getting the hang of breastfeeding, he's still going to be burning as many calories as he's getting when he eats, so he'll still mostly get my milk through his feeding tube. And then slowly we'll build up the number of times he gets to eat on his own each day. Remembering to breathe and maintaining a good heart rate will also be a challenge as he nurses for longer periods of time. So it's going to be a long process with starts and stops, but it's a great skill to finally be working on.
He's accomplished so much already, it's hard to believe that little Liam has only been in the world for two weeks. Or to think that his pregnancy was supposed to still have another 3+ weeks to it. We may be exhausted, but life in the NICU is definitely easier for Liam, and moving more quickly than it did for Nathan, and we are very thankful for that, even if it is wearing us out.