Alex's big task now is eating orally. We have had 3 days now with a couple successful attempts at nursing. This is just introducing him to it. He is still getting all of his nutrition through the feeding tube. Its a lot of work for him and he gets tired pretty quickly. But each day I have seen improvement - in how long he is awake, how long he latches, and how often he latches. (Don't worry, we won't post any pictures of this process).
We've also noticed that Alex is also awake for longer periods. Often after changing him he will be awake for 20 minutes or so, wide eyed and looking around. This is a sign that he is maturing too. The first few days we hardly saw his eyes open, now its a pretty regular occurrence. Even so - he still sleeps a lot. Growing and learning to nurse take a lot of energy so he needs A LOT of sleep.
He's also noisier. He grunts and sighs more. And I think his cry has gotten louder. Although we don't hear it all that often. (I know, we should enjoy it while it lasts!)
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| Tiny feet - the sensor on his foot measures his oxygen saturation levels |
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| Awake, changed and ready to eat. |
It looks like a lot of wires, but really, its not that scary. The sensors on his chest are to monitor his heart rate and respiratory rate. They stick like a band aid. The one on his foot is similar and measures his oxygen saturation levels. Then he has the feeding tube through his nose, which doesn't seem to bother him. He does however manage to pull it out every few days. He likes to have his hands up by his face and will occassionally get a finger under the tube. One quick movement and its out! Other than that, he wears a couple of ID bracelets and an RFID tag. The RFID tag will set off alarms if he gets too close to a exit.
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