Baby Boot Camp

Rachael is feeling a bit better this evening. We are praying for her lactation to even out so she's not in as much pain and exhausted from having to pump so much. This seems to be improving some. Moms- you all know the exhausting marathon that first 6 weeks is- after you have a baby. David and I call it "baby boot camp". Well Rachael and Justin are going through "special forces baby boot camp." (-:

You have all of the normal overwhelming factors plus having lost a lot of muscle on bedrest, not living at home and the emotional and physical roller coaster ride of the having a baby in the NICU. Thankfully things are going really well for Jimmie because this is a huge boost for Rachael and Justin.

Jimmie's digestion seems to be back on track. He's pooping well-- which is really good news! He's now at 8ml a feeding. A full feeding will be 12ml. They had been adding lipids (fats) to his i.v. but they've discontinued that. And the exciting news of the day is he's back up to his birth weight of 690 grams or about 1 1/2 pounds. So now lets pray for him to start gaining weight. When he hits the 2 pound mark that will be a good milestone for his health.

Rachael and my mom both said his skin looked different/better today. Not quite as red a little more pink like a normal newborn. And Rachael says it looks to her like he's really wanting/trying to open his eyes, but it's just not happening for him yet. It will . . .

He's also still doing well on the high flow nasal cannula. I think it's set at like 30%. They've been slowly adjusting that downward and Rachael said the next big step in his respiration would be to go to a normal (flow) nasal cannula. It is just so miraculously rare that a preemie like Jimmie not be on a vent or cpap! We are just so thankful.

Grandma Cathy (Justin's mom) was finally cleared to go into the NICU yesterday. Yeeeeah!!! We are very thankful for that.

Keep on keeping on Jimmie! You are doing so good! We love you little man.

Keep praying for more miracles!

Love,
Amber