Oskar's progress

Our baby boy is two weeks old today. He is doing so well! As I mentioned previously he has never needed assistance breathing which is amazing. He was having difficulty digesting my breastmilk as his system is just too immature. As a result, he had to have his feedings decreased and was put on lipids (fat) and a TCP solution both of which were administrated by IV for the purpose of adding calories. The first and second IVs where in his little arms and the third was placed in his head. I had been warned of the possibility as his veins are just so tiny and fragile but it didn't make it any easier to see my baby with tubes in his head. There was also a few day period when they suspected he was lactose intolerant and contemplated switching him from my milk to soy. And, after birth our little one dropped from 1530 grams to 1365 which was pretty scary.

I am happy to report that Oskar started digesting his milk like a pro. He stopped having residuals (milk left in his tummy at next feeding) and is now on full feeds which means NO MORE IV!! I was thrilled to see that go. He is now receiving 35ml every three hours which probably does not seem like much to a parent of a newborn but for Oskar it is perfect - the exact calorie amount necessary to help him grow at his current weight. Which is 1595 grams (3 pounds 8 ounces) as of last night. He has also had a brain ultrasound and an eye test both of which came back perfect.

This afternoon Juha, Seija and I gave Oskar his first bath! He was such a little trooper and only cried for a moment even though it must have been so cold for him. It was wonderful to care for him in such a normal way. I promise to post pictures soon.

I visit Oskar twice a day. For about 2.5 hours in the day time during which I practice kangaroo care with him (hold him upright skin to skin) for up to 2 hours and then again around 8 at night when I hold him for about an hour and stay with him for about 2 hours. As he gets bigger this will increase and within the next couple of weeks I will be able to attempt nursing with him. He still has a long way to go, of course, but I couldn't be happier with his progress. He is such a little fighter. Every day he is more alert, awake for longer periods of time, his little eyes looking at me and his little fingers holding tightly to mine. It amazes me the amount of love I feel for this tiny little human. He is our miracle baby and has stolen our hearts.