The good news is that Gideon is doing great and eating like he is in a breast milk chugging contest. The bad news is that he lost 40 grams yesterday (about an once). If they let us go home this week, that puts us on Friday. I am still hopeful. It is pretty common for babies to lose weight the first day off their feeding tube.
The baby in question is now sleeping. I escaped as soon as he was out for breakfast. I shall wait until he is up and fed again before taking a shower. By the time he and I are ready for that, his Granparents Smith should be here to amuse him while mom is away. The best thing about being rid of the feeding tube is that Gideon is no longer beholden to the eating schedule of the hospital. I can feed him when he is hungry, which is about every 2 hours. I must brag and say that at night, he sleeps a solid 4 hours in two stretches after eating a very large meal. Hooray! For me, that means a couple chunks of 3 hour sleep. I feel wonderful today, even though I have not had a shower as of yet. If sleeping was a super power, Gideon would possess it. He also sleeps through noise, diaper changes, and random acts of Momma kissing him all over his face. He gets this amazing ability from his father.
I can not believe we have been here over a month already. I keep thinking that it is still May and that Lost is still on. Technically for me, Lost is not over since the season finale is hanging out on my DVR. Thank God for technology. Somewhere in my mind I think life has not progressed outside of the floor of this hospital. I had planned on doing things this month, you know, after enjoying being a mom and not doing anything for the month of May. I was going to be writing a book chapter. We shall see about that. (Karen and Anne, not our book. Please, no hyperventilating).
We need prayers for weight gain over the next couple days. It is funny the things I have begged for from the Lord over the past month. I never thought weight gain would be on the list.
I appreciate all the breastfeeding advice and encouragement. There was a lot of tears and frustrations this past week, but I think we may finally have the hang of things. Now we just need to get home and get our own schedule established. And by that I mean, laying on the couch watching Battlestar Galactica, Robin Hood (both on my DVR waiting for me), Firefly, and other things to begin the geek indoctrination process.
Gideon is still sleeping and we have another day in front of us. That alone is enough for which to be grateful.
I remember how excited I was when Rowan started letting me sleep for 3-4 hours at a time! I felt like I had slept forever!
You’re in for some fun with Lost and BSG, let me tell you:-) Here’s praying you guys get home this week!
I’m so glad to hear that he’s such a good sleeper. Definitely will be a nice thing for you, especially when you get to go home. I will keep my fingers crossed for more good eating, lots of weight gain and going home on Friday. He’s come so far this month; I’m so happy for you, Ries and Gideon.