Bottle Feeding 2/28/13
Melissa
Hattie had a busy day! Her Honey and Pop Paw (Chris' parents) came to visit us and got to see Hattie awake and active during her hands on time. Chris' mom talked to Hattie and Hattie just stared lovingly at her as she held Honey's hand. It was precious!
She was not cueing for any of her feeds this morning but at the 1:30 p.m. feed something very exciting happened. Since Hattie was alert and awake from her hands on time she was cueing and ready to eat. I fed Hattie from a bottle for the first time and she did great! Nurse April first put 5 cc of breast milk in the bottle and Hattie gobbled it up. April taught me how to properly hold the bottle in a horizontal position and pace the feeding to allow Hattie to eat at a comfortable rate and not spit up or gasp for air. I took over and fed Hattie 10 more cc and then we refilled the bottle with 10 more cc. She ate 25 cc total and probably would've eaten more if she could have kept her eyes open. I am a proud mama. Hopefully Hattie's success with the bottle will help her to breastfeed better as well.
Hattie had her picture taken with Dr. Alexander today. Another neonatoligst, Dr. McMahan, doubles as a photographer and took the photo. Hattie was a perfect supermodel! She got to be a wireless baby for a little while as Dr. A walked around in the pod with her. Dr. A said he isn't sure where the portrait will go after it is painted. He said it could be in his office, at his house, in the NICU, or in the lobby of the hospital. Our vote is for in the lobby!
Hattie got to see lots of family today. My mom and sister flew in tonight to visit and prepare for the baby shower they're hosting for us on Saturday! We can't wait.
When we arrived at the hospital we were in for a treat. Chris and Nurse Maria had just finished Hattie's hands on time and Chris was getting ready to feed Hattie a bottle! It was so cute to see her sitting on his knee and eating away. Hattie really showed off for her Grandma and Auntie and took 25 cc from her bottle tonight. She received the remainder of her feed through her feeding tube while she kangrooed with her daddy.
Hattie passed the 2 kilo mark and now weighs 2,010 grams, or 4 pounds, 6.9 ounces. Her feeds have increased to 38 cc. A few of the nurses have told me that as Hattie's cheeks fill out she's looking more and more like me. I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not...
