Woooo-Hooooo! :)

Ok, today was a big day for us.  I am still ecstatic just thinking about it.  First of all, I got to give Joshua a bath, and that alone would have been a big highlight.  Then we tried feeding, and he latched on and drank for a total of 15 minutes.  He was so alert and into it.  He's a breastfeeding machine!  The key was adding a silicone shield to help him latch on since his suck wasn't strong enough to get a good grip.  Compared to his previous attempts of "just playing," it was incredible how he just drank up like a champ, as if he's been doing it for weeks now.  That makes me so excited because it's the biggest hurdle before we can go home.  Of course, this is just a start.  He has to prove he can drink enough with his mouth to warrant the removal of his NG tube.  Then he has to show he can gain weight without the NG tube in.  If it counts for anything, he has pulled his tube out 3 times over the past 5 days.  He's making it pretty clear what he thinks of that thing. 

Tonight, Joshua gained another 10 grams, so he's up to 1930 grams or 4 lbs, 4 oz.  This morning the neonatologist said they're a little concerned because he isn't gaining weight as well as he should be at this point.  It's a fine balance because she wants to add calories, but too many extra calories can upset his tummy.  Another factor is adding volume can be bad since he already needs a diuretic to keep the fluids down.  So she told me rather than adding even more calories, she wants to tweak my breastmilk. She placed an order for the lactation consultant to come talk to me to discuss how I'm pumping, the timing of it, my caloric intake, etc.  I have to admit....while I am, first and foremost, concerned about Joshua not gaining much weight, inside I was secretly hoping the lactation consultant would tell me my milk doesn't have enough calories; I better eat more cookies and ice cream to beef it up a little.  I seriously prepared myself for that, mentally picking out my favorite Ben and Jerry's flavors for a stop at the grocery store on the way home, and having my "doctor's orders" excuse all lined up in case anyone asked why I'm oinking out.  Much to my dismay, I later found out that my milk production is fine, and I don't have to change my diet at all.  My "ice cream makes better milk" theory didn't pan out so well.  :(  Oh well, I tried. 

The bottom line is, I will now pump 5 minutes (the skim milk comes out first, mostly water) and separate that out.  Then I'll collect the rest of the milk, the "hindmilk" and feed him only that fatty, more caloric dense milk for the next week, and see how he does.

I just realized this whole post has been about breastfeeding.  Sorry, guys.  I've tried to edit out all of the "too much information" details.  It goes hand in hand with caring for an infant, so I'm not too embarrassed.  One thing's for sure...as much as I have been whining to my family about feeling like a cow being hooked up to the milking machine all day, I am so thankful I have a heavy duty, electric pump.  Special thanks to my sister Heidi for passing her pump along to me and giving me perspective of how nice I have it when I was complaining to her.  I could get stuck using a hand pump, which would take forever, and I wouldn't be able to multitask at the same time. 

Oh, one more thing, since we're on the topic.  My friends Scott and Rachel get extra good neighbor points for letting me bring over a bunch of frozen milk to put in their freezer since our freezers are overflowing.  I guess it's a good thing my ice cream theory didn't work out because I wouldn't have room in the freezer for it anyway.  See, things happen for a reason.  :)