Sunday, June 17, 2012

Day 78

We have had quite a busy week! They have decided to let Nate start oral feeding this week! They keep such a close eye on how much he is eating and pooing that I didn't think they'd ever really let us try it with him until after his surgery so we were very excited. We time how long he nurses and adjust his tube feeding based on how many minutes he goes. So far he is such a champ! He is pretty consistently eating half of his feeding by mouth. That's pretty darn good for a little guy. He has quickly learned though that Mom = food. Now every time I am there to change his diaper he thinks he is starving and can't possible wait even 5 minutes to eat. Yesterday, I was giving him a bath and he grabbed my finger, shoved it his mouth, started sucking, and then started screaming when he realized that it wasn't giving him any milk. I think I've created a monster :)

Starting feeding has been a full time job. I am now at the hospital more than ever and don't have much free time doing much else besides eat and sleep. It's wonderful to feel useful though. I love that I have a more active role in his care and feel more like a normal mom.

Nate also had another eye exam this week. So far he has stage 2 zone 2 ROP. Stage 2 refers to the severity of the diseased blood vessels. There are 5 stages and surgical treatment is usually required at stage 3. The zone refers to how mature his eyes are. Once the blood vessels have grown through zone 3 they are considered completely mature. The doctor told us that where he is right now there is a 50% chance he'll need surgery. Please keep praying for our little Nate's eyes. One less surgery to worry about would be so great.

Now picture time...


First of all...Happy Father's Day Todd!! 
The boys taking their Sunday afternoon nap.
                                    
This is how Nate sleeps after eye exams. No one is going anywhere near his peepers :)


We took a new dollar bill picture. I can't believe how big this kid is finally getting! 
11 weeks

7 weeks
2 days
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3 comments:

  1. LaurieJune 18, 2012 at 11:26 AM

    Yes, Todd, Happy Father's Day yesterday! And so cool on the nursing!!! For Dusti, I mean, not Todd. :-)

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  2. MistyJune 20, 2012 at 8:45 AM

    Dusti and Todd~ We are so glad your little guy is doing so well and making so much progress. We love reading the updates about him on the blog. We hope you are doing well and we will continue to pray for your little guy.

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  3. ChristyJune 26, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    I am so happy to read that Nate is doing well and getting so big. He is so cute! I loved watching that little video clip of him over and over...those monitor dings in the back ground bring back a lot of memories for me as well. Our little Emily's eyes, were at that same stage and zone I remember and then suddenly went to zone 3, and she was OK. I pray that Nate's eyes will make that same turn for the better and he won't need eye surgery! You both are so strong. Thanks for updating your blog and for sharing your experiences with all of us. We will continue to pray for you and Nate. I can't wait to actually meet you someday, too! :)

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