Silly Beckett (updated)

Silly Beckett was a little too tired to meet all the requirements for having a successful breastfeeding tonight at 8pm. Bummer. So he did have to get gavage fed half of his feeding.

Still a rock star. He did finish his 5 pm bottle making that 12 consecutive successful feedings. That's what he got his shiny sticker for today!

So he is a bit tuckered out, and is telling us he still would like his oxygen support...no biggie...we have lots of time to still make it home for Christmas.
.........
Just called the nurse to see how his 11pm feeding went, and he did finish the whole 50 mls, but he took the whole 30 minutes (as opposed to earlier today/last night when he finished 18 minutes one time!) He did sleep really well after we left until his 11 feeding, so that's good. We will see how his 2 am feeding goes...the nurse and I are wondering if he is rocking on the edge of starting to wear out from working so hard.
...........
5:45 am: he gained weight! Up 64 grams to 5 lbs. 14.4 oz!
He still needs to have a poopy diaper. He is trying, but having no luck. :(
He finished his 2 am bottle in 25 min, and his 5 am bottle in 23 min. Beckett may be back on track. We will try breastfeeding again at 11 am today...hopefully that goes better!

Oxygen Please

Well, Beckett finished all his bottles this morning, as well for the 2 pm feeding! However, he only lasted 5 minutes off oxygen today. Not a problem. We won't rush him. He is just letting us know that he would still like to have his oxygen. He is still rocking his feedings, so we will let him take his own time with the oxygen.

Maybe I need to get him the preemie onesie that says "oxygen isn't just for old people" :)

Excited for tomorrow because the Occupational Therapist is going to meet with me for insight into therapy we can be helping Beckett with now that he can handle more stimulation being almost 35 weeks gestation.

Oh! And date night tonight for Ben and I! Wahoo! Thanks Tom and Katie!

No gavage feeding since 2 am YESTERDAY!

Yep! This guy is still impressing us by the minute! He hasn't had to be tube fed since his 2 am feeding yesterday! CRAZY!

Recap of yesterday:
2 am yesterday: ate 22 mls; gavaged rest
5 am: whole 50 ml bottle
11 am: breastfed 18 min with mama
(And if its 15 min or more, than no gavage needed)
1:45 pm: breastfed AGAIN 15 minutes
5 pm: finished whole bottle in 20 minutes!
8 pm: breastfed 20 min with mama!
11 pm: ate 52 mls in 18 minutes! (He has an order to ad lib feed so he can have more mls if he wants)
2 am: whole bottle in 25 min!

Wow. Beckett really wants to come home! Dr.Simpson said yesterday he will probably be home by Christmas. Yay! The DRG is out another week. Another hospital stole him this week :( he is not even going to recognize Beckett, but he has told us even though he has been gone, he has been keeping tabs on "our boy!"

Was there pretty late last night...its getting harder to leave cause he is so blasted cute making all those cute baby sounds! Seems so real now that we are going to bring him home!! He is also super cute because he is smerking and smiling a lot! Makes me just giggle with joy! We had some great snuggle time! Mama is planning on staying home this morning to rest up. Those late nights at the hospital are bittersweet. Love it, but then my day the next day just drags! Plus my allergies are still bothering me. :( Please pray for comfort for me.

Called the milk bank yesterday, going to donate some of Beckett's abundant milk supply. Even though we did score another cheap deep freeze off craigslist, we are still going to donate some. Plus if Beckett really takes off with breastfeeding, I have a feeling it will take us a long time to get thru his stored milk! So blessed that God blessed me in that area. My dairy farm family would be so proud! :)

Super excited for my mom, Wendy and Maizee to come this weekend. We are going to get everything ready in Beckett's nursery TO BRING HIM HOME! So we will be good to go!

Thanks for all your prayers! Wed is weaning oxygen day again....pray he will be able to tolerate longer than his 30 min he did before.

Oh, and he did gain 13 grams, so not much, but its still a gain! Up now to 5 lbs. 12 oz. (2611 grams actually....didn't convert the math exact)

5 Consecutive Feedings!

Beckett is still a rock star in my book. But hey, rock stars need rest too. He did finish his whole 8 pm bottle with Ben, but decided at 11 pm that he wanted to take only 22 mls, and then rest.

Houston, we did have a poopy diaper though! (probably because they were threatening him with talk of a suppository!) 

Edited at 4:30 am....................
He still gained weight, even with a poopy diaper! Now 5 lbs. 11 oz.
And his length on Sunday was 45 cm
He slept right on thru the 2 am feeding. But now here at 5 am, the nurse said he was awake and rooting, so Go Beckett Go for the 5 am feeding!

Pray for me. As I just woke up, I am a little stuffed up. I swore it was allergies yesterday, so please pray that it's still the case. I was planning on going in to attempt another breastfeed at the 11 am feeding.

Ho Ho Ho Home Please

Ok, I am freaking out with Joy (I know...go with me here!) I think Beckett wants to come home soon! I just got off the phone with his nurse. Beckett finished ALL four bottles today...in a row...all 50 mls...8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, and just at 5 pm. Daddy is going in for the 8 pm feeding...and we shall see if his eating streak continues! WAAAAA HOOOOO! This is huge progress people! :)

And last night...he attempted 3 of his four feedings. 8 pm took 50 mls (ALL); 11 pm took 35 mls; 2 am took 20 mls; 5 am - was tuckered out, so gavage fed...

and then the amazing 8 am streak began...

this is so blasted exciting and scary all at the same time.

I think he may be coming home sooner rather than later. HIP HIP HORRAY!

Now, in preemie land, they often like to do this to parents...and I am fully aware of this fact. But today, I'm going with it! WAAAAAAAAAAAA HHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!

He still needs to have a poopy diaper though...which might explain the huge weight gain. Just sayin'
5 lbs. 9.6 oz.

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it. Yes, Ben was just singing this in my company. Oh, and Ben also wanted me to post. "Yeah, tell them I'm going to go in tonight, and take a picture of all his love handles from all those feedings he took today!" :)

Ho Ho Ho Home please.

Our Growing Boy: 5 lbs. 6.1 oz!

Beckett has been in the NICU for 66 days today.

Please pray he will come home for Christmas.

Holding Daddy's Ring

Daddy's Wedding Ring Again - Compare to Day 1

What a cutie! Filling out the preemie clothes!

Look at my Big Boy CRIB and Airplane Mobile!

This is the hat that Ben made at the MOD Family Support Night

Daddy and Beckett: My Two Favorite Guys

Well, the two BTGs have been spending some quality time together the past few days...just doing the dude thing. Mama has a runny nose, and now cough, so has been staying home.  :( It's AWFUL for her, but she knows it's best for Beckett.

Exciting though because Ben got to give Beckett his bottle for the first time yesterday at 2 pm! And today, hopefully he was awake and alert, cue-ing so he could be fed by daddy again! He took his whole bottle at 8 am, and then was too tired to eat at 11 am.
 
He gained weight and is now up to 5 lbs. 6.1 oz.

Dr. Miao (think I spelled his name wrong yesterday) changed his order to "ad lib" feedings yesterday, so if he wants to eat more than 50 mls, he can. Hasn't done that yet. Beckett does really well the first 40, and then the last 10 he is pretty sloppy and tired. That eating is hard work!

Enjoy some sweet pics of Beckett and Daddy (notice the updated wedding ring picture...compare from day one!) *some are from a couple weeks ago...sorry :)

Daddy's Wedding Ring

Our Sweet Ellie

Daddy got a new camera...can you tell? Although I'm too impatient to wait for him to edit them all in photoshop! :)

No more caffeine!

Beckett had a restful night. He finished his whole bottle at 8 pm, ate 28 mls at 2 am, and 40 at 8 am. Ben went in today to hopefully get to bottle feed Beckett at the 2 pm feeding.
He weighed in at 5 lbs. 5.2 oz.
Dr.Miao is seeing Beckett this weekend. And the new order of the day is to discontinue his caffeine! He hasn't had a stim episode since the 21st.
Ellie and I stayed home today. Her runny nose has gotten better. I think its allergies. I have a bit of a runny nose too. :( Hoping it is just allergies for me too!
I'm excited because I think we are going to put our Christmas tree tonight! Wahoo!

The Best Afternoon Ever!

Beckett finished his whole bottle at his 8 am feeding. Then, mid-morning Grandma and Grandpa Gramkow, and Uncle Jerry got to go see Beckett with Ben. I stayed home with Ellie who has a runny nose, which I am hoping is from allergies! He slept through his 11 am feeding while they were there, so got his feeding by gavage.

After lunch, they let me go spend the afternoon with Beckett. Loved the mama and son time (especially since I've missed out with Ellie not having preschool)!

So best afternoon ever because Beckett nursed for 25 minutes, and didn't need to be tube fed at all that feeding!

And then I got to hold and snuggle with him until his next feeding.

Whereupon he nursed AGAIN! For 20 minutes, so he got to skip tube feeding again!

The best afternoon ever. So proud and amazed at my sweet 34 week today little guy!

Oh...only new orders were to increase feeds to 50 mls.

He did get to try being off oxygen today, and lasted 30 minutes....which was better than Wednesday's 15 minutes!

******This just in!! Just called the NICU and Beckett got a bath, and then finished his whole bottle at 8 pm!!!! This kid is amazing! I think a light bulb has turned on!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yet again, another day we are SO thankful for our newest blessing, Beckett Thomas. Daddy, Mommy and Big Sister spent this morning with Beckett. It was a great time together, and mama held him almost the whole time. Ellie kept asking to hold him, and again, we had to tell her that she could hold him when he comes home. Poor thing. She just doesn't understand. We will all be thankful when our sweet boy gets to come home.

Recap of yesterday (Wednesday)...
HAPPY FEET! Have ya'll seen that movie? Oh, it is just too cute. Sad at the beginning, but too cute. We may or may not have been dancing around at the end of the credits like penquins. Oh Beckett, you're going to have so much fun when you come home! It was such a great day! As you can see from the pictures, Ellie and I went to see Beckett in the morning sibling visiting hours, and she LOVED it. She made sure to keep telling me when he had the hiccups (which he gets a lot, after every feeding). There was also a point when Beckett was smiling at her. It was too cute! Ellie and I also brought the NICU staff Bagels from Panera (for both day and night shift) as a small token of our thanks. We LOVE the nurses there, and everyone actually on the medical team, has been so great to us at Harris FW Hospital!

He had more of a "resting" day yesterday. He did try and eat a couple bottles through out the day, but only ate 22 mls at the 11 am feeding. He wasn't really giving cues. Still working on that energy building! Dr. Urspung also wrote orders to try him off the nasal cannula (which is actually only at 0.1 - and we could go home on that if that's the only thing keeping him in the NICU) three times a week (mon, wed, fri). So yesterday, they tried, and he only tolerated 15 minutes with out it. He was desatting just a little too much. We will see how Friday goes.

Dr. Urprung also gave us the results from his head ultra sound. His ventricle ratio they look at went down to 35%! Wahoo! He also told us there is no indication at this time of PVL (Periventricular leukomalacia), which is something else they "look for" at these ultra sounds, but not until they are further along in gestation. (Which Beckett will be 34 weeks gestation tomorrow). Still hard to tell how this will ultimately affect his motor, intellectual development, but Dr.Ursprung said that the parent's involvement really plays a big role, and he said "Beckett cashed in for the parents department...we are comforted knowing that you guys will give him the environment to thrive to reach his potential." So nice of him to say those things. I guess he can tell how much we love this tiny little guy!

Beckett had 3 stools last night! Wahoo! However, didn't all day today. He's now entirely converted over to the breastmilk with the Human Milk Fortifier (HMF), and seems to be tolerating it fine. His poops sure are STINKY though! :)

Weight: down 10 grams to 5 lbs. 3.3 oz.

Today we didn't change much for Beckett...still the 48 mls, and still just trying to get more practice at bottle feeding. He did take 30 mls at 2 am, and 8 am he finished his whole bottle! I tried breastfeeding at the 11 am feeding, but he only nursed about 5 good minutes...he was tired. He does have some choking spells when I'm nursing him, but actually recovers pretty well. These episodes don't count against him because it's feeding related, and today he actually didn't drop his heart rate. At 5 pm, he ate 25 mls.

He hasn't had a episode needing stimulation since the 21st (so for 3 days!)

B man did have to get his 2 month immunizations today. :( It was the hardest I've ever heard him cry.  

Best news we heard today were the results from Beckett's most recent eye exam yesterday. Before he was a Zone 2: Stage 1, and now he is a Zone 2-3: Stage ZERO! I didn't even know the ROP scale could go down to ZERO! So as he grows the zone is going to get bigger (it's the natural development of the blood vessels behind the retina), so they are on track. Dr. Ursprung said the last zone actually has to do with developing his peripheral vision, and usually occurs closer to "full term" gestation. But as far as the stage..that refers to the severity. So he said that he is "almost ROP free."

We are so thankful. We really just didn't know with him being a 25 weeker, his chances for having his sight affected were obviously greater.

One thankful mama. One mama praising God and thanking him for yet another blessing for our Beckett.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We are thankful that you are thinking and praying for us on this journey with Beckett.

 We're on the home stretch....COME ON CHRISTMAS!! :)

I love my baby brother!

Happy 2 month Birthday to my Beckett who is 5 lbs. 3.6 oz!

Yes, that is right! My boy is still a growing! He has now gained 3 lbs. 1 oz. Since birth! Crazy! Happy 2 months, Beckett! You will be 34 weeks gestation on Friday!

Yesterday he did really well with adjusting to the low flow nasal cannula, "off the wall" where its 100 percent oxygen, but the puffs of air are low. This is the lowest step we can go before they start trying him off everything! We are getting there!!!

Yesterday, Beckett got a bath, and he attempted bottle feeding at 5 am, where I think he ate 37 if I remember correctly. Then I was there to try breastfeeding at 8 pm, and he kind of nursed for 15 minutes. And then he was giving cues again at the 11 pm feeding, so the nurse tried another bottle. He ate 43 mls out of 48, but she said he was a tad sloppy. I wonder if he will sleep all day because of his three consecutive feeding attempts last night! And he did his rocket, poopy diaper explosion at 11 pm last night again! :)

Last night at the March of Dimes Family Support Class, I made a onesie with iron on ties (cow print)! It is super cute. And I got the supplies needed for Beckett's shadow box, which I missed last week because Ellie was sick. Anyways, love the idea. Basically you make a scrapbook page, and then you can also put his first diaper, and hat in there too. So neat. I am going to have to make one for Ellie too!

Have a blessed day. I think Ellie and I are going to go see Baby Brother together today. And then we are super excited because daddy's last day of work is today for the thanksgiving holiday. Ben's family will be here with us for Thanksgiving. Grandpa Gramkow will get to meet Beckett for the first time!

We sure have a lot to be thankful for! Happy early Thanksgiving everyone!

Creative Blog Post Title Goes Here

So is this what it's like to have two kids? I tell ya ... I'm going to have to just give the "main points" updates today. Ugh. Ben was always so good at creative blog post titles when Ellie was in the NICU, and we were so good with Ellie to update every moment ...

Now.

I insert blog post titles with well ... you see it. And I'm not even going to try and change it :)

I don't keep track of how much I pump. I'm lucky to make sure I get it done every 3 hours.

I come up with a plan for the day, and then something comes up, and well, I've learned that my percentage of that plan actually sticking is about 10 percent. (like today, this morning I was going to take Ellie to a friend's house, until she woke up not wanting to eat, and had a spout of loose stools. Poor thing. So now I'll wait to go see Beckett when I Ben gets home from work tonight, and high five him on the way out with exchange of child #1.)

I've had to forfeit many Beckett Baths and bottle feedings because I need to be at home with Ellie, while Daddy's at work.

So main points.

Beckett is still doing AWESOME! Yesterday he didn't take as many bottles, but I think he's just showing us he's tired. Which is totally allowed. BUT he's still practicing and building up those muscles to get back at it again!


Feedings are up to 48 mL, and we are tapering him off of prolacta, and now introducing him to a Human Milk Fortifier (which is liquid, and is introducing the cow's milk protein ... so praying this goes over well). We still don't know if before it was due to the cow's milk protein intolerance, but because he had those issues before, that's why we are tapering it. So he got one HMF added to his feeding yesterday, and will get two today, and so on. Dr. Ursprung (who is taking care of Beckett this week since I suppose Dr. Grubbs is allowed to take a week off and have a life outside the NICU :D ... oooh ... I just looked up Dr. Ursprung's bio, and he did his fellowship at Harvard Medical Center ... very cool!) discontinued his vitamins and iron supplement because it's in the HMF now.


I can't remember the weights I told you before ... but today it is 5 lbs. 1.8 oz. He took 30 mL of his 11 pm feeding and pooped before, during and had a poop explosion up his back. Good thing he's getting a bath today! :)


Beckett had some lab work done this morning, and his hematocrit is 26.1, so it's up from last week. His retic looks great though, so he's doing a good job of producing red blood cells! Dr. Ursprung said he can't guarantee he won't need another transfusion, but for now, we are good. And he is probably going to discontinue the routine weekly lab work, and change it to as needed.


His head ultrasound is today, and his eye exam is supposed to happen this week too. Dr. Ursprung said he'd be able to review the head ultrasound results with me tomorrow.


Oxygen needs: This is kind of a critical week (34 weeks gestation) as to determining a diagnosis for Beckett's lung issues. We are going to try Beckett today on LOW flow nasal cannula, so this will be less pressure (flow), but more concentrated oxygen. He has been hanging out between 23% and 25%, so we are going to see how he does. He might need to go back to high flow, but we just wait and see.


As far as episodes, we are trying to see if he will outgrow his caffeine dose.  He did have a stim episode yesterday when I tried to hold him during his 8 pm feeding last night. He wasn't showing cues to the nurse, so I was just planning on holding him. After 5 minutes, he did have to get put back to bed. :( Hopefully tonight I'll get some snuggle time with my Beckett.


PRAISE that Beckett is doing well with the feeds. PRAISE also, I just got off the phone with Shea (mama of Beckett's NICU buddy, Riley), and they were scheduled to do the puncture to relieve hydrocephalus, but the neurosurgeon reassessed and decided she didn't need it! Her last head ultrasound revealed that her condition is getting better! So great to hear that mama so excited for good news, and hopefully a stable day today!

What's not to love?

Beckett weighed in at 5 lbs. 2.2 oz. last night! He took 37 mls by bottle at 2 am, 23 mls at 8 am, and nursed for 15 minutes at 2 pm. Other than that...he's had a calm day, just looking as cute as ever. :) Why...is that a double chin I see? What's not to love? :)

Hip hip horray for Family Day

Yesterday I was starting to feel like I have a real "baby." And today was a sweet day for our family.
Last night, Beckett had a pretty good night. He didn't gain any weight. So another day at 5 lbs. 0.4 oz. Dr. Simpson said she wouldn't really get too concerned about lack of weight gain, and says she looks at it week by week. As long as he is growing along a steady growth curve, that's what we want. And Beckett is.
The night nurse bottle fed him at 5 am, and he took 22 mls.
I usually get up to pump only once in the night, but this morning I woke up at 6 am, and was awake. Awake, and so happy. So I decided to spend some sweet time with Jesus catching up on my devotionals, and thanking Jesus for blessing me with such a sweet family...and a lot of sweet days. I feel like we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...we are still praying Beckett can come HO HO HOme for the Holidays!
Ellie and I spent the morning together since Ben went to church work day. She was talking about how she wanted to see Beckett, and I decided why not. While we are healthy, and RSV season hasn't hit yet to close down the unit to children visiting...sure! Ellie was so excited all morning getting ready! On the way to the hospital she asked me if she would wash her hands with soap and water for 3 minutes at the little sink. She also said we were going to see Beckett's room with the airplanes. She sure remembers! And she hasn't seen Beckett in awhile! We got there for the sibling visiting hours, and went to Beckett's room to find the nurse feeding Beckett a bottle! Ellie watched ever so intently, every move. When the nurse put him back to bed in the isolette, I set her down (since I was holding her the whole time at a distance), and she started crying. She wanted to see Beckett again. She also kept asking to hold him. :( we stayed for about 45 min.
He has had no residuals all day. Hasn't had a poopy diaper, but is definitely doing his business moving smelly air through his system. I asked Dr.Simpson if she thought we were maybe past the intestinal issues, ad she thought so. As nothing is a guarantee, I was still encouraged to hope that we might get to put that in our past.
He has been hanging out around 25 percent all day, still on the 1 liter. I still feel like he is desatting more often, but he brings it right back up. He hasn't had any episodes last night or today! :)
After Ellie's nap, Ben and I decided we should just all go during the sibling visiting hours between 4:30 and 6:30. We wanted to hang out as a family tonight with Beckett. He was due for a bath, and we would also be there during his 5 pm feeding, so I could try breastfeeding again.
When Ellie woke up she was so excited to find out that she got to go back to see Baby Brother. It was too cute, we signed into the unit, and started our scrubbing, when Ellie says, "oh no, we forgot to take my temperature!" They weren't going to have us do it again,  but Ellie was insistent. Plus, she gets a big sister sticker when she does it! :) Daddy gave Beckett a bath, while Ellie and I watched every move. I tried breastfeeding after the bath, but he was pretty tired. Kind of predicted that, but he was awake so we thought we would try. He nursed maybe for 5 minutes, so he actually got the whole 45 ml feeding by gavage.
We stayed there the two hours we could with Ellie and she did great! She even read some books to Beckett while he was being held by Daddy...they were in Ellie language, but hey, maybe Beckett understood. :)
We came home, and Ellie immediately started playing with her dolly. Since Beckett doesn't need the sheepskin anymore, Ellie does for her baby. She swaddled, fed a bottle, and even had a paci for her baby.  (Gotta love when a paci in the NICU drops on the floor...banned from further use for Beckett. Not the case for Ellie's dolly!)
Felt so wonderful to have all four of us hanging out as a family. I am getting really excited to bring him home. After all...it is almost December people! :) We did set some stuff up in Beckett's room too. Ellie got a big girl bed, so we moved the crib. Aunt Audrie found a super cute airplane mobile and lamp, so yep, Beckett will be getting an airplane themed room when he comes home too! I found a matching clock, and then we have some airplane decorations, that awesome name sign with the same colors, blue and red....So Yay!
All in all, a great day. When I called in to check in on his 8 pm assessment, the nurse said he barely grunted...he was a pretty tuckered out little dude. Hoping and praying he gets some good rest tonight to gear up for another brave day tomorrow.

Joy because of my Boy

One proud mama here.

My little boy finished his first full bottle this morning at 8 am! Yes, that is correct...45 mls all by bottle. No naso gastric feeding tube (its in his nose now, had I mentioned that?) required for this feeding folks!

He has had little to no residual all day. Hopefully we are past his intestinal issues. He did have on stim episode today, and has
been desatting a little more frequent during his feedings. Praying he doesn't have too much refluxing going on.

And I did get to see my little boy today. And tonight he just totally breastfed (yes, the real deal folks!) For 13 minutes with a good latch. He is pacing himself really well! So proud of how well he is practicing his suck, swallow, breathe. This is a huge milestone in his development! Didn't burp for me, but sure had a full poopy diaper at the end of his feeding! Sounding a bit like his cousin, Maizee! :) They have guidelines based on how many minutes he was actually sucking, and so the nurse gavaged fed the 26 mls left of his feeding while I held him.

Speaking of when I fed him, held him...my emotions were just flooded with tears of joy. God is so amazing by blessing me with little Beckett, who amazes me every day.

It brought me to tears to see him looking up at me with those wide open eyes.

It brought me to tears to hear him cooing and making squeaky noises.

It brought me to tears to hold him in his clothes, swaddled.

It brought me to tears to feel him hiccup close to my chest.

It brought me to tears to see his smile and half smirk.

It's starting to feel more like I have a baby. It brought me to a smile from ear to ear to know Beckett is my son.

My perfect baby boy.

Thank God with me today.

He did it!

Well, Mr.Beckett took a THIRD bottle last night at 8 pm. He took 22 mls! So proud of him for even trying!
Just called in here at 3:30 am, and he now weighs 5 lbs. 0.4 oz! He did it! He has had NO residuals. He did have a couple self resolving episodes, but no stim. His oxygen has been a little higher, at 28 percent, because he has been desatting more. I am sure he is so worn out now! And he is totally still adjusting to the flow change down to 1 liter.

So far so good as far as Ben and I not getting the stomach bug! Yay! I hopefully will get to see my little dude today!

Two Bottles!!!

Dr. Grubbs called me this morning with Beckett's update. I hadn't called into the NICU to check on Beckett since 3:30 am, when I was up to pump. Ben was pretty much amazing and took the first shift of the night holding our Ellie who came down with a stomach bug around 10 pm last night. Poor thing. I took the second shift of the night holding our sweet princess, so daddy could actually get some sleep before heading to work. (So far today, she has been good. And that goes for mom and dad too. Phew? I'm not yet convinced)

Beckett is having another ROCK STAR day!
1. Increased his feeds to 45 mls (which will be considered full feeds, and then will increase periodically based on his weight); still adding prolacta to make it 26 calorie. AND he gets his vitamins 2x's a day, iron and caffiene (which hopefully he'll outgrow soon).
2. At 8 am, he was wide, eyed and alert, so he took a bottle! Drum roll please....20 mls over 20 minutes. And then he was spent. Nice work son. I think I'd be tired too if I was eating non stop for 20 minutes. Maybe your dad would have a different opinion. I may or may not have timed myself eating one time in college, and I could eat a whole meal in just 6 minutes. Yes, I know, I know. I'm letting ya'll in on more ways on how cool I am. Anyone else ever done that?
3. He has continued to follow the poopy diaper preference by all medical staff and his parents. He has already had a couple more poopy diapers today. Wahoo!
4. He did have a huge nasty dirty diaper last night which could be the cause of why he did NOT yet tip the 5 pound scale. Yes, that's right. Ben called it. Beckett weighed 4 lbs. 15.7 oz. last night. I tell ya, this kid just keeps his mom in suspense every day with his weight.
5. BREATHING SUPPORT! This is exciting. Dr.Grubbs is trying his nasal cannula down at 1 liter! Can I get a whoop? whoop? So we shall see how he does. So far today he has done well, no episodes. The nurse today did tell me that she actually wasn't going to tell Beckett that he got his oxygen flow turned down. :) He is hanging out around 23-25 percent.
6. He has been maintaining his temp pretty well the past few shifts, so maybe we are getting close to open crib status??? The top has still been popped!
7. AND THEN, they told me that at 2 pm (just a short 6 hours later!), he was awake and alert looking ready to eat and took a SECOND bottle! Yes, that's right...20 more mls by the B-O-T-T-L-E (and just for those who are curious, that was to the tune of "the B-I-B-L-E," but sing it like the BOT-TLE :)

One happy mama. And yes, I do realize that I am extra excited because I have not been hit with the nasty stomach bug that Ellie had last night. Please pray for mommy and daddy immunity on this one!

Nov. 17: World Prematurity Awareness Day

Thanks for wearing PURPLE in honor of Team Gramkow: Ellie and Beckett

It's now happened twice in the Gramkow family. Premature Birth. We prayed that Ellie was a fluke being born at 28 weeks gestation at just 2 lbs. 7.5 oz.

Ellie on Day 1

However, her baby brother, Beckett, followed in her preemie footsteps just three years later. Beckett just couldn't wait to meet us this September 23, at 25 weeks gestation. Once again, we had to see our baby whisked away by the NICU team. He weighed 2 lbs. 2.6 oz.

Beckett on Day 1

Tomorrow, our Sweet Beckett will be 33 weeks gestation...he's now requiring less oxygen support, he is trying to learn to suck, swallow and breathe his mama's milk, and still just needs to grow.

But I'm not about to just sit around and say poor me. And trust me it's a temptation I face, oh, about every 10 minutes of each day...whether it's driving to the hospital yet again, whether it's seeing full-term pregnant women out and about, whether it's pumping to put another bag of breastmilk in the freezer, or whether it's days like today when my daughter is sick, and we can't go visit the NICU.

It's unfortunate that we have to embark on this long, NICU journey a second time...but as my loving husband said, "If this is how we get to have Beckett in our family, than we'll take it."
This is a serious issue in our society today, in our world today. Babies are being born too soon. Unfortunately, some parents choose a lifestyle of drugs or smoking that lead to their preterm birth, while others of us think we have done everything right in our pregnancy...yet still get to watch our baby grow in an isolette right beside them.

People need to be educated about the risks they could possibly be preventing for their babies, before they find themselves walking the NICU journey. I know they probably aren't thinking about the possible outcomes, and who knows if educating them will really implement change. But it's worth a try, isn't it?

And research...wow. Our tiny miracles wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the advances in research, and the medical professionals in both perinatology and neonatology who adhere to such research. We will forever be grateful to both Dr. Hall and Dr. Grubbs for their commitment to seeing our tiny babies go home as "perfect" as they can be for us.

We aren't there yet...we need to keep researching and supporting efforts to help prevent preterm birth. It's a cause worth fighting for. I have two miracles to prove it.

______________________________

"What is FDR's significance to Prematurity Awareness? Although he wasn't a preemie, he founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis which was later named the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes changed it's focus to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, infant mortality, and premature birth in 1958!

While parents of preemies are eternally grateful for research and breakthroughs thanks to the March of Dimes, so many breakthroughs have been made that affect "term"ies as well, that we should ALL be grateful for the March of Dimes!

You and your baby benefited from March of Dimes work if:
1. Your child received the vaccine to prevent polio.
2. You took folic acid before and during pregnancy as a preventative to birth defects to the brain and spinal cord.
3. Your baby underwent newborn screening to test for dangerous, yet treatable conditions.
4. You had a healthy baby due in part to good prenatal care.

We aren't just going to sit around. And hopefully you will be encouraged to make a difference in a cause you believe in too. Team Gramkow will definitely continue to participate in the March of Dimes: March for Babies each Spring. We will give back also through supporting families who have to travel down this NICU road after us. We want to. So many have supported us.

After all, PREEMIES will always have a special place in our hearts.

Busy Beckett

Well last night I didn't didn't get to sleep very early last night, but I had one of those nights where you get a bunch of stuff done and then you wear yourself out. Well Beckett is having one of those productive days ... only hopefully he won't wear himself out.

His oxygen flow got lowered to two liters per minute.
Feeds are up to 40 mL (over 1 oz) and he has had low residuals all day (1-5 mL).
He had one large stool.
He had a record 18 mL from his bottle at his 11 am feeding!
He graduated from his IV fluids today so he got his PICC line out.

He got another chance to try non-nutritive breastfeeding tonight, and he did awesome! He latched on and did really well for about eight minutes. Then he took a nice nap with mama. What a great way to round out the day.

He weighed 4 lbs 15.4 oz last night. Mama is hoping he will break five pounds when they weigh him tonight,  but I think it would be funny if he stopped at 4 lbs 15.9 oz since that's is pattern. He's got this weight gaining thing figured out. He knows that if he's just shy of a pound mark he doesn't have to gain much weight: just enough to pass the pound mark and we'll be thrilled. What a performer.

Beckett got a BOTTLE!

Big news for this boy! At his 8 am feeding today, he was awake and alert during his cares (diaper change and temp check), so the nurse tried a bottle, and he took 5 mls! This is part of the cue based feeding I was talking about yesterday! And then he was super tired!! Super bummed I wasn't there, but that kind of leads into my day...

Tired. Still exhausted. Now add overwhelmed in there too. I am so happy Beckett is making such great progress, but now it is REALLY setting in how hard it is not being able to be at the hospital all the time with Beckett. And exciting, but just hard because I am the one who needs to be there when breastfeeding, and I want so desperately to be there to see if he cues all day long...but I still have Ellie to care for. Just have to try my best, but this is hard.

It has been almost 2 months of trips to the hospital. It is wearing on me. Ellie is going thru a clingy, I need lots of attention phase too. B man is doing so well, yet...

This is hard.

After calling my poor husband at work bawling, and my sister too, I was able to take TWO naps today! I didn't go into the NICU until this evening.

Beckett's day recap
1. First Bottle - 5 mls!
2. Echo came back fine. His PDA is closed! Praise Jesus!
3. Still 35 mls, but added prolacta today to bump calorie count up to 26 calories. Clear liquids running in IV today, maybe PICC out tomorrow?
4. Did have one gentle stim episode earlier in day, and then one while I was holding him that earned him a spot back in bed. (Which actually they were trying to pop the top of his isolette again this evening.)
5. He pooped....TWICE today! At 11 am, and then tonight when I was there AGAIN ...and I may or may not have had to use a couple diapers because he totally had some more where that came from...and totally accompanied by a rather loud blow out toot. Im definately slow putting his diaper back on with all those wires, but my reflexes were stellar tonight in prevented what could have been the great toxic disaster of November 2011. Oh Beckett, what a boy!
6. We tried non nutrative breastfeeding again tonight (again, this is when he still gets his feeding through the feeding tube in his mouth over a pump, but gets to attempt breastfeeding as well) We could call this dessert! And he did REALLY well. He latched on again, and had a few good sucks. This is quite impressive especially with an OG tube! He lasted about 5-7 minutes, and that was all he wanted. He will sleep well tonight! He worked hard! So proud of my little guy! So amazing!
7. Thyroid testing came back normal! Wahoo!

Please pray for rest for both Ben and I. And for Riley's parents too...they learned hard news from her head ultrasound today.

OH! And guess what? How convenient that my preemie is in the NICU during March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness Month: November. And in addition, Thursday, Nov 17 is World Prematurity Day. An effort to educate and continue to research how to prevent preterm labor AND how best to care for our tiny babies. So, in an effort to support that cause, please join Team Gramkow in wearing purple on Thursday in honor of Ellie, Beckett and other preemies in your life, and consider changing your facebook status to also show your support! "I'm wearing purple today to honor the tiny babies of this world, especially Ellie (2 lbs. 7.5 oz at 28 weeks) and Beckett (2 lbs. 2.6 oz at 25 weeks)... Support March of Dimes research and education to care for these babies and prevent preterm labor."

Shouldn't be too difficult for you K-State and TCU fans! :)

Ok...need to go to bed now!

4 lbs. 14.3 oz!

Our favorite night nurse was back last night! (And hopefully we will get our favorite weekend nurse this coming weekend!) But I bet she had a hard time even recognizing Chunky Beckett! He weighed 4 lbs. 14.3 oz! But don't be alarmed, he still needs to poop! Infrequent pooper on our hands, and he isn't even on full feeds, prolacta or his vitamins again yet! Even though he does need to fufill his stinky boy duty, I am so pumped....that is so close to 5 pounds!!!!

Well, yesterday he wasn't able to maintain his temp, and let us know that he still needed the isolette closed for a little longer. It is ok...we will try again another day. He is up to 35 mls every 3 hours, and still his highest residual is 6. He did have a couple self resolved episodes last night.

And we tried non nutrative breastfeeding again, and he didn't do well at all. Tired, not interested. But again, it is ok. We will try again today. Now they are doing cue based feeding, so if he does show signs, we can try the bottle or breast if I'm there. We will continue to follow his cues.

Tuesday morning labs did indicate his hematocrit is down from last week. It is now 24.5. (Last week was 25.3). But his retic (ability of making baby red blood cells) is better. It was 115 last week, and is now 205. Today they are also testing his thyroid. He failed both of his newborn screens. The DRG says hypothyroidism is pretty common in preemies in the NICU regarding the newborn screen, but they are still testing his TSH.

Oh. I forgot to mention he grew in length! Sunday he measured 42 cm!

Beyond Excited

<p>I got in this morning to see Beckett and his isolette top was popped open! That's right...this past weekend, he earned his clothes again, mastered hanging out in his isolette at air control (no temp probe), and now gets to see how he does with room air temps! Wahoo! This is a huge milestone: maintaining his own temperature! He isn't fully there, but we are really close people!!

And he now gets to 35 mls! He is almost to full feeds. The DRG is stopping his TPN tonight, following with clear liquids, and if all progresses well, maybe the PICC will come out this week. His highest residual was 6 yesterday.

He has been a rock star in not having any episodes needing stim this weekend still. His oxygen is around 25 percent.

AND we got an order to try non nutrative breastfeeding TWICE a DAY! And we are well on our way to trying cue based feeding!

Not sure if you can tell, but I am beyond excited. Both Dr.Grubbs and I were all smiles with how he is doing today!

Oh, couple other things...
Eye exam #2: still the same. Zone 2: stage 1, so that is good
Grubbs has heard a heart murmur intermittently, and actually B man hasn't had an ECHO, so he is ordering one. He isn't concerned that it is something major, but we are going to still check things out.

I'm gearing up to try NNB again here soon with Beckett, and then I'm having lunch with Shea! She got to meet Beckett today, and I get to meet her sweet Riley after lunch!!!!

Best. Night. Ever.

Beckett not only weighed 4 lbs. 10.1 oz. to start off the day, but he got an increase in feeds to 30 mls. Remember this is one full ounce every 3 hours for this 32 weeker! Wahoo! And he DID finally have a BIG poopy diaper on his own at 4 pm (no glycerin suppository!)  So Uncle David and Aunt Audrie were still here to watch Ellie tonight, so Ben and I headed to the NICU together. I planned on holding Beckett skin to skin, but then the nurse asked if I wanted to try "non-nutrative breastfeeding." Basically the idea is let's associate the gavage feeding of my tummy getting full with exposure to the breast to root around if he wants to. Beckett totally rocked it! He actually latched on! We tried the football hold for about 10 minutes, and he tolerated it very well, and didn't have any episodes. This was very exciting for us. I didn't think we would get to try this so soon. And apparently he was quite impressive for a first timer at this! I can't really remember when we got to try this with Ellie, but I know evidence based research has changed a bit from when Ellie was in thr NICU. And well, we all know Beckett wants to have his own story different from his sister. So we are praying that he actually does well with the nursing.

We still have a LONG way to go, but as with each day....we will celebrate today. And tonight my friends, earned a Best Night Ever status. Another day where my Beckett is showing just how amazing he is. Wahoo!

Busy day

Somehow our day turned very busy...back to life with Ellie around! Last night (fri night) Beckett lost weight. :( down to 4 lbs. 7.3 oz. He still hasn't had a poopy diaper! He did get bumped up on feeds to 25 mls, and he is tolerating them great...with residuals the most at 3 mls. They are giving the milk via auto syringe over 30 minutes so it isn't so overwhelming through the gavage (oral feeding tube). He has had a great day with no episodes needing stimulation. He got a bath today, so he smells all squeaky clean. Oh! AND he got his clothes back on last night! He has been maintaining his temp well! Will post pics with clothes soon.

Big Sis is Back!

Big sis came back home today, but first we had to stop at the docto's office. Poor Ellie hasn't been feeling the greatest at Uncle David and Aunt Audrie's house. Strep test came back negative! But she does have ulcer sores on the back of her throat. I guess it is kind of like the lovely cold sores virus, but hers are in her throat. And I bet you can imagine how lovely it has been to try and convince her to take medicine. Poor thing. We are glad she is back, and cuddly, but hope she feels better soon.

Beckett had a pretty good day today. Increased his feeds to 20 mls and he is tolerating them like a champ! He hasn't pooped, but has managed to successfully push out his suppository twice. He weighs 4 lbs. 9 oz. He did have one brady that required stim last night, and two today. The one right before I left today required moderate stim :( I did hold Beckett today, and it was soooooooooo sweet! We loved every minute of it. He was awake, and so they brought in a mirror so I could see his face while I held him. I did pretty much smile the entire time.

Our hearts were heavy today as we learned our NICU friends lost their second baby yesterday. She delivered triplets at 24 weeks, and now only Riley is left fighting for her life. Please add little Miss.Riley to your prayer list. And also pray for wisdom for Ben and I as to how we can serve them best in this time.

I definitely held Beckett a little closer today thanking God for every day we have been gifted to have with him.

Looking forward to a weekend with David and Audrie here. Poor Ben spent all day getting a virus off our computer. But luckily Ellie has wanted to give daddy lots of cuddle time.

Three Cheers for Team Gramkow

Beckett's Cheers
Cheer #1: Weight is now up to 4 lbs. 8.3 ounces!
Cheer #2: He had a poopy diaper with no blood.
Cheer #3: His feeds got increased to 15 mls, and he has tolerated them well today (highest residual has been 3 mls, but it's partially digested...which is telling us his bowels are functioning correctly. YAY!)
Jeer: he did have a couple A/B episodes that needed stimulation.

Ellie's Cheers
Cheer #1: She has been loved on by her Aunt Audrie and Uncle David all week long!
Cheer #2: She gets to see here mama and daddy tomorrow (pray for safe travel back to Fort Worth for them)
Cheer #3: Her weight is around 30 pounds these days...just sayin'
Jeer: She has a cold that has been producing nasty green snot, and so we are scheduling a doctor's appt for the latest possible appointment, hoping they get here in time. I'm thinking sinus infection? Ellie was also kind enough to share her cold with Aunt Audrie. (pray we ALL don't get sick from her this weekend, but well...it is what it is)

Ben's Cheers
Cheer #1: He started his first fire tonight (Yes, I know, for the 10 times we'll actually need to use our fireplace in Texas...I understand you Northerners)
Cheer #2: He got his DLSR camera in the mail today, and is ironically practicing taking pictures...of his fire he created. Oh Benjamin, how I love thee. You are special, and so fascinated by electronics and optics.
Cheer #3: His weight is...wait, ok, don't need to share that. He doesn't have to work tomorrow! Off Friday!
Jeer: He still will be spending his off friday catching up on lovely paperwork and bills.

Mandy's Cheers
Cheer #1: She got a nap from 4 pm to 5 pm today. This is exciting stuff!
Cheer #2:She has connected with some other NICU mamas, which makes her heart happy.
Cheer #3:She had an amazing date night with her hubs last night. Massages are so relaxing!
Jeer:  I am still craving McDonald's Fruit and Yogurt parfaits. Don't worry, I haven't given in, I'm just saying. I did try to drink soy milk straight up for the first time this morning and may or may not have gagged a little. Guess I'll stick to just cooking with it as a substitute. Or I will have to try that almond milk some others have suggested.

Quick Update

I only have time for a quick update...we shall see how I do.

Feeds: increased to 10 mls today, first one at 11 am, he tolerated well with 0.5 residual; tpn lowered

Weight: 4 lbs. 5.1 oz. Length was the same on Sunday (41 cm)

Oxygen: currently at 26 percent. He has been desatting more frequently today. :(

Caffiene: dose got increased to 12 mg/kilo...it was 8.6 and we were trying to see if he would outgrow it...not yet he says

Eye exam that was on Monday, Nov 11: talked thru with Dr.Grubbs and its a zone 2: stage 1of ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) the measurement goes up to 3 zones (actually refers to where it at behind the retina)...higher the zone worse off; lower the stage the better. Eye exam will be sometime next week, and we will look for trends. Dr.Packwood saw Beckett, and he is the same opthamologist that we followed up Ellie with after we moved here.

Head Ultra Sound: was on Monday, hemmorhaged blood is slowly resolving; didn't give a ratio (percentage) this time, but it looks better...slight improvement...so we are "head"ing (get it) in the right direction. That comment was inspired by Ben...he would totally have written that!

Mama's no dairy plan: its good that he is tolerating feeds for most part with low residuals, but will be hard to tell if this is really the factor until he is on full feeds. She is still longing for McDonalds fruit and yogurt parfaits, but for now, "it's only just a dream" (know that song? Wow...Ben, I am on a roll...you would be so proud!)

Hematocrit: is low...he is showing signs of anemia, but we are holding off a bit, don't want to change too many factors at once. He is still retic-ing (making baby red blood cells), but his percentage is "not as exciting as it could be" according to the DRG. (Dr.Grubbs :) doesn't help that he doesn't get to have his iron vitamins until he is back to full feeds (which would prob be around 30 mls....that is one ounce people)...remember he was just getting 1 teaspoon these past few days! You can do it Beckett! Keep packing on those grams!

It's been a good day, and I am still strep free, living to tell the story. However, I haven't held Beckett yet, still need my mama buffer days to make sure I am in the clear! AND I am super excited because I'm about ready to leave as Ben and I are going to get some massages! Bring on the relaxing! We both need it, as we both have matching cold sores from stress...we know we are cool! :)

Thanks as always for continuing to think and pray for our Sweet Beckett, and even his crazy parents! :)

Weekend Update

This weekend was pretty low key for Beckett. Mom and Aunt Marie headed back with Ellie yesterday to drop off Ellie at Uncle David and Aunt Audrie's for a week. So thankful for them coming to help out this weekend. It as always, went way to fast...

Ben and I did enjoy some peace and yesterday afternoon, but then Ben said he wasn't feeling well. So he stayed home to nap, and I headed into the NICU where I got to hold Beckett for an hour and fifteen minutes! He tolerated the hold pretty well, but kept wiggling his chin down to where he couldn't breathe as well. :( So he did have a couple episodes.

So this morning Ben and I headed to urgent care to get checked out. Ben = strep; Mandy = no strep. But we are still staying home for this lovely "contagious" period to wait and see if it's my turn next. :( Hopefully not, but again, better safe than sorry as to going to expose Beckett to sickness. So frustrating, but well, what can we do. I'm actually thankful that it's bacterial and can be at least treated by antibiotics, rather than viral where you sit and wait it to take it's course. SO SO SO thankful for modern medicine.

Saturday for Beckett:

We loved helping with his bath. It was the first time in his life that he actually had his head and hair scrubbed well. His tummy did appear to be a little more distended, but soft. He did restart his feeds at 3 pm Saturday, again the 5 mls every three hours. And for the most part he did well with residuals, 1 or lower.

Sunday for Beckett:

He weighed 4 lbs. 1.3 oz...so gained 10 grams. He did have one residual of his full feed 5 mls, but it did look partially digested. His oxygen has been better since he's been on the 3 liter nasal cannula. He has had only 1 stim episode (during last nights shift). So Dr.Grubbs is pleased with how he is doing. He did have some labs - electrolytes, etc. and those all came back normal. (labs because he's on TPN still). And this morning's chest/KUB X ray, Dr.Grubbs didn't seem too concerned. Still air in his tummy, and his lungs are "hazy" but not any indication of collapsed (which was a concern when he went off the CPAP, and an X ray had shown one lung that way). His residual was 2 all night last night. Still hasn't had a poopy diaper, so he is getting more suppositories. The nurse said his bowel sounds weren't that active this morning. But we'll see after Dr.Grubbs assessment if he changes any thing. As for now, he is keeping 5 mls every three hours for a couple more days, so Wednesday we might start increasing feeds again.

Last night he weighed in at 4 lbs. 2 oz! So he gained 19 grams! Good job Beckett!

(I think Daddy and Beckett are both going to be doing a lot of snoozing today! :) 

Please pray for a healthy, quick recovery for Ben, and for me not to get strep! Prayers too for Beckett's bowels...that they would tolerate these feedings, and they would start to function correctly. Prayers too for comfort for him, as he gets to hang out today with just the nurses and doctors yet again. :(

Guess who is 4 lbs?

That is right, he tipped the scale just enough, and is now 4 lbs. 0.9 oz! Wahoo!

Beckett had a pretty decent night. He did have one self-resolving brady, and more desats than on CPAP. His X ray last night did indicate that one of his lungs was less inflated, but this morning's X ray said it was better. His oxygen has been between 22 and 30 percent. Dr.Grubbs increased the nasal cannula to 3 liters, and again, we will see how he does. Its still too early to tell if the bubble CPAP is to blame for the abdominal distention. We are hopeful he can tolerate it, but Grubbs wasn't planning on taking him off CPAP for a couple more weeks. He will allow Beckett to go to 4 liters, but no higher. So back to CPAP after that.

He is starting Beckett's feeds today at 5 mls every 3 hours, and Ben and I are heading to the hospital today with my first no dairy breastmilk. (Been 24 hours no dairy...and I did get clarification from Dr.Grubbs, that we are starting with eliminating the main dairy stuff like milk, cheese, ice cream...so I don't have to look at labels for whey too intently yet) He also said this could be a temporary thing, or not it at all, but it is worth a try. He is going to try 5 mls for a few days to see how he tolerates it.

Beckett gets a bath today, and so mommy and daddy are pretty excited to help out with that this afternoon!

More poopy diapers

Unfortunately I changed two that had questionable blood in them, and more of this mucousy stuff. Dr.Sidebottom came in and said we haven't really figured it out yet...Beckett doesn't exhibit any of the other clinical signs of NEC. And again, it could be this cow's milk protein intolerance...and I had to confess to another doctor yet again, my obsession with fruit and yogurt parfaits, and how I've eaten them non-stop since before he was born! So it could make sense since I have eaten them in excess!

X ray is supposed to come at 5 pm. And it is 5 pm. And so we wait again.

Still NPO...another day

We are going to hold feeds today, and Dr.Grubbs will re-evaluate tomorrow morning the plan. He consulted with some of the other neonatologists, and they reviewed the x rays, and they don't think it is pnematosis indicating the NEC. But Dr.Grubbs feels more comfortable holding his feeds a little longer, and we are trying to get his tummy back down, air out thru the replogle. He also ordered a suppository. He will get an X ray at 5 pm today, and then again and 4 am.

The bloody stools could be from other things too: fissure (he didn't see one, but it could be internal) or maybe a cow's milk protein intolerance. Which means the only cow's milk he is getting is what I am eating that goes to him thru breastmilk. So Dr.Grubbs asked me to eliminate dairy (although I need to still have calcium somehow) and we are just going to feed him fresh milk from now on. (Well, when he starts eating again). Super sad about no more fruit and yogurt parfaits! But as any mama can relate to...we mamas gotta do what we gotta do! Now, if you remember from before, its just with the early gestation babies that they use the prolacta fortifier which is human milk protein. At some point they would introduce the cow's milk protein fortifier...between maybe 32 and 34 weeks gestation. However, with Beckett it might be closer to the 34 week mark because he is kind of telling us he might have a sensitive tummy.

He has some big bowel loops still :( but his tummy is going down with the replogle.

Dr.Packwood, the opthamologist came today for Beckett's first eye exam. He declared his eyes "immature" which is likely and what we obviously expect because he is only 31 weeks. It is still too early to rule out ROP (retinopathy of prematurity). But it is a good sign that Dr.Packwood didn't indicate abnormal growth pattern of those blood vessels I think its behind the retina.

He is still on high flow nasal cannula, but has had episodes, so not sure if he will get to keep it. I hope he gets to keep it atleast until Ben gets here after work so daddy can see his hair and more of his handsome face! I did think it was a big jump going from 8 liters on the cpap to 2 liters nasal cannula, but Dr.Grubbs explained that it isn't 8 liters that actually goes directly into Beckett's lungs. He did have to explain it twice because I didn't get it the first time. Guess I need to reread Ben's Tech spotlight even though I got lost half way thru that too!

I try so hard to learn and understand everything! :)

Forgot to mention his weight! He still gained! So close, but not quite 4 lbs! 3 lbs 15.9 oz!