One thing that has been consistant about Clare since before she was born is her hiccups. Early on in the pregnancy, in the second trimester, Amanda would notice a consistant "click" coming from her abdomen. Eventually we figured out that Clare was getting the hiccups. She still gets them often. Today they passed onto Daddy as he held her (they got so annoying that eventually I had to ask to put her away, because I'd watch her respiration and heartbeat shake on the monitor). Even though my period of holding her was truncated, at least I got a tiny bit of quality time with her.
She is just such a little doll. We want to hold her and touch her and carry her around and, of course, she's a preemie and needs as much sleep as she can possibly get to develop.
Yesterday she met her Grandma Mary for the first time. When Amanda asked if she looked like me, my mother was able to recount a lot of what my brother and I were like at that post-birth stage, but remarked about how much cuter little Clare was than either of us. It was a nice session for both of them, I hope.
We got a chance to talk to Clare's doctor today about her huge weight gain. He agreed that six ounces in two days was a little much, agreed that she was probably holding onto a bit too much fluids and prescribed some Lasix for her. At the 8 PM care, she fulfilled the prescription with a diaper that felt like it was six ounces.
One thing we've also been using in her care that is interesting is a paste developed at Tacoma General called "Dr. Abdullah's Paste". Babies have problems with yeast infections sometimes, in part because of the use of antibiotics, but also because of the perfect environment created by the tropical nature of a wet diaper. We noticed some redness and some spots on her bottom on Friday and were prescribed some Dr. Abdullah's and the redness and the rash went away. The stuff is kind of a combination of Aquaphor and Neosporin and other stuff that is good for baby's skin. It is pasty and we kind of paint it on her at diaper changes. The nurses swear by it, and it certainly does the trick.
With some excitement, anxiety, and intrepidation, we anticipate Clare returning to breast milk on Wednesday (kind of a birthday gift for Amanda, I guess). It is kind of scary, seeing how her first attempt was so frightening, but at the same time, she is that much older now and maybe that much more ready. We hope that this will transition her from the Giraffe incubator/isolette and into an open crib. We like the isolette-it is a quiet warm environment (Amanda calls it "her little terrarium, where little girls grow big and strong"), but know that she will be that much closer to home when she is in the crib. One step at a time, right?
1 comment:
Hi Amanda and Tim and sweet baby Clare,
Sara P. from UPS emailed us the news of Clare's early arrival and I wanted to send my congratulations on her birth and let you know John and I are also sending all good wishes for her growth, health, and a trip home in the coming weeks.
I also wanted to send encouragement on the breastfeeding front -- you are doing an awesome job!!! The pump sucks (literally and figuratively) but I promise that if you can stick worth it, it will be SO wonderful to nurse your little girl (and down the road, SO easy!). It might not seem that way now, but just keep hanging in there -- just one session at a time.
We had twin girls three years ago and while not as early as little Calre, the pregnancy and their early weeks were SO stressful. One other recommendation I have is to splurge on those horribly overpriced preemie clothes. For some reason, they didn't look as frail when they were in clothes that fit them properly. I know they didn't care -- but it helped my mental state!
We're thinking of you and so excited about your babe. If you get a chance and want to email, we are at lisnjohn (at) telus (dot) net. Otherwise, we'll keep looking for good news on her blog.
Much love from Canada!
Lisa, John, Jack, Kate and Liv
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