Weanable 2/13/13
Melissa
When I got to the hospital this morning I was surprised to find Hattie laying on her back and crying. The nurse must have seen the concerned expression on my face because she assured me Hattie had only been crying for a few minutes. I think it was a combination of her being frustrated because she was on her back, being hungry and needing her diaper changed. I also arrived later than usual because I was at my six-week postpartum appointment (it's still hard to believe it has been almost six weeks since Hattie was born!). I figured the main reason Hattie was crying had to be because she was missing her mama! Dr. Perez saw Hattie this morning and made a very big change. We have started to wean Hattie off her temperature controlled incubator to prepare to move her into an open air bassinet. The weaning process could take up to a week. Her incubator is set at 80 degrees to see if she can maintain her own body temperature between 97 - 98.9 degrees.
When Dr. Alexander called yesterday morning he said we wouldn't start weaning Hattie to a crib until she's a little bigger and 33 weeks gestational age. But the weaning clearly started today, so we were a little confused about the mixed messages from different doctors. We are, however, very excited about this development and Hattie seems to be tolerating it well!
Hattie and I nuzzled and kangarooed for a long time this afternoon. I keep reminding myself I will never get this time with my sweet girl back and I try to savor every minute I get to spend holding her.
Chris got caught in a torrential downpour on the way to the hospital. When he arrived he was soaked. He was wearing wool pants and came in smelling like a farm animal.
Hattie had a quick bath tonight. The nurse gave us some pointers and Chris and I are feeling more confident we could bathe her on our own at home. Her feeds have increased to 29 cc of milk every three hours. Our little piggy now weighs 1,535 grams, or 3 pounds 6 ounces.
Chris didn't kangaroo tonight (remember the stinky wool pants?) and we left a little early to try to get some rest and get a few things done around the house. Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I baked cookies to bring to the nurses. I also did Hattie's laundry and washed all of her cute preemie clothes so we're prepared once she moves into her crib and has to be dressed.
