*there's a little more waiting

Today was supposed to be a report of how wonderfully Will did with his return to bottle feeding. For several reasons, we'll now be waiting until early next week to give that a try. The main concern was another increase in spells. Will had his first vaccinations on Sunday and sometimes NICU babies react to them with spells. Just in case, he got blood work done to test for infection. Any time something unusual happens they check him for things like urinary tract infections but he hasn't had any yet. Poor Will is like me in that it's difficult to find a vein for an I.V. So he's getting his antibiotics through shots in his legs. He's handling them really well I think. He does cry but quickly calms down as if it never happened. We suspect his legs are sore from the shots because he hasn't wanted to be held much today. But don't worry, Will slept VERY soundly all day today. And he hasn't had any spells.

Although we're disappointed to have to wait longer, this isn't being handled lightly. Everyone is eagerly anticipating the day he's able to eat by mouth again! The upside of waiting is that the omeprazole he's taking to help his esophagus heal will have a full 10 days to work. We're hoping this will set him up to succeed with the bottle. And did I mention there haven't been any spells today?!?

Chris & I have been a little puzzled about Will's weight lately. With all of these days free of the responsibility of eating from a bottle, I expected him to gain a little faster. His weight gain has progressed, but very slowly. It was explained to us that babies never gain really well when fed by tube. Also, Will's tube is bypassing his stomach for the time being. Since the milk/formula combo he gets is going directly to his intestines it doesn't get a chance to be broken down in the same way in his stomach. Not having it sit in his stomach is supposed to prevent further irritation from reflux. Also, his nurse thinks that he is fighting with the inflammation in his esophagus which uses calories. His weight as of yesterday was 6 lbs, 7 oz. Not too bad, but we are anxious to get him home. Supposedly babies gain faster once they are out of the hospital.

One last thing: today is Chris' birthday! Happy 31st Chris! Like a seasoned father Chris couldn't think of anything special he wanted this year. I hope he enjoys his birthday shirt! The first of many I'm afraid.