Food for thought

Not a whole lot happened today.  Most of the day was spent experimenting with different supplemental feeding methods to see what would work best to get Josh to consume more breast milk, and gain weight more consistently.  After a down day in weight yesterday, Josh gained 24 grams today and is up to 4 pounds 10 ounces.  This was of course very encouraging news to Mommy and Daddy.

The different types of supplemental feedings that were tried today include the following:

1. Bottle feeding
2. A factory made supplemental nursing system (SNS)
3. A SNS that we made ourselves by cutting the tip of a bottle nipple off and snaking a feeding tube through it
4. A syringe connected to a feeding tube
5. A feeding tube connected directly to a nipple shield

Josh started off with the bottle as a supplement after nursing, and he did well with his first try.  His second and third tries did not go so well, and Mommy and Daddy were left wondering if it was the bottle, or Josh's age, or just that he was tired.  The different forms of SNS had moderate success, but Josh still either seems to not get enough, or get totally flooded with milk.  So there are still some kinks to work out.

The supplemental feeding is Josh's biggest hurdle right now to getting out of the NICU, because increase milk intake means increase caloric intake, and therefore increased weight.  At the same time we do not want to make him work harder for his increased milk intake because that could then just balance out the increase, or even overwhelm it.  Once we have Josh gaining weight consistently, while just being fed orally, we are that much closer to him coming home!

Prayer requests:

• Josh take to the supplemental nursing systems so that he can gain weight consistently
• Josh not have trouble breathing, or choke on breast milk while we are trying new systems
• Josh sleep well during periods when he is not feeding so that he does not expend his energy too quickly
• Josh stay healthy and not develop any new infections while in NICU
• Mommy's milk supply increase to meet Josh's increasing demand

Praises:

• Josh gained weight and is up to 4 pounds 10 ounces!
• Josh is getting closer to being exclusively orally fed
• Mommy got the nicer room to stay in at the hospital for at least the next two nights

(Josh enjoying some pacey time - building up those sucking muscles)

(Josh waiting not so patiently to get his diaper changed so he can eat)

(Mommy giving Josh is first bottle (thanks Haley for taking the picture))

(Handsome boy without any tubes on his face!!)