Christmas Eve Visit

Merry Christmas Eve! We had a long day at the NICU. My parents (and little brother) came back down from Georgia again today. They stopped by the house and came up to the hospital. Here is Wyatt with Grandma and Grandpa C :

They are all dressed up for Christmas Eve church service. They brought W a present for his crib:

And also read him the Christmas Story =) They left and went to church and we met back up at the house this evening. When we got home, they had TONS of food ready for us! My family always has chili and oyster soup on Christmas Eve night, so we had that with sausage and crackers, chips and salsa, veggies and dip, breads, and all sorts of Christmas goodies! Thank you so much Mom and Dad!

Wyatt had another GREAT day! I apologize my posts aren't near as funny or entertaining as Tyler's was yesterday, but I'm just going to post some updates bullet style.
* His move to Side B went well and he is all settled in.
* He has no IV's
* They no longer have to weigh his diapers
* He is to be at 70-75 mls per feeding.... he always eats that amount if not more! He ate 90 mls at one feeding =) We are SOO very thankful he is not refusing to eat like they warned us. He loves to eat =)
* His jaundice level today was 14.6 If it goes over 15, he will have to do the phototherapy (when they lay under the bright lights) They are taking his level again tomorrow.. we are praying it stays under 15.
*This morning he had a slight dip in his heart rate, 78bpm, anything under 80 is considered a "Brady" reading and can be of concern if they continue. His doctors and nurses are not concerned because they think it was just an isolated incident caused from a deep sleep. When it happened he showed no other signs of problems that are typically associated with Brady readings.
*I breast fed W for the first time today! First attempt was rough, second feeding went much better! We'll get the hang of it.

Most exciting news.... They ordered a hearing test and car seat evaluation for him!! These are some of the final steps taken before being evaluated for discharge. As long as his jaundice levels stay low and he doesn't have anymore Brady readings he will be one step closer for his final evaluation by his doctors.

Please continue to pray for our little man, and thanks bunches and bunches for all the prayers and support you have already shown. Good Night and Merry Christmas!

P.S. This post was a combination of both Jenna and Tyler =) Things are still a little crazy around here, but at least we have each other to lean on!

Hey everyone, this is Tyler publishing tonights update! First I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and support that you have shown us during the last week, thank you thank you thank you.

Ok, on with the update...

So, Jenna and I have settled into a decent routine now where we get to hang out with Wyatt from 1:30pm to 6:00pm. During today's visit we received a bunch of great news from Wyatt's nurse.

First and most importantly, he is sucking down his bottles like no bodies business! This is really good news because it means he isn't showing any signs of developing a feeding aversion (this is my assumption, not something the nurse told me). This assumption is because they have been increasing the volume of intake by 5ml each feeding. By 0200 tonight he will be up to 60ml and that is the volume he needs to be eating before they will remove his IV. So lets hope and pray he keeps sucking them bottles down like Budweiser's.

Second and equally important, later this evening Wyatt will be downgrading his residence, this is a really good thing, let me explain. The Wolfson's NICU is separated into two sides. Side A, has all new transfers and holds the babies that need intensive care around the clock. Side B, is called the "feeders and growers" side where newborns are just being monitored while they tie up all the loose ends in preparation for going home. So, Wyatt is downgrading from Side A to Side B TONIGHT!!!!
(Just to fend off the question that you're thinking, no we don't have a discharge date, but we are moving in the right direction.)

Other random updates are...
This morning he had his last dose of antibiotics.
He put on his first T-shirt and is now allowed to wear clothes for warmth instead of a warming lamp.
He is also getting a new bed, out of the high tech warming bed to a generic crib on wheels (i'll be putting a lift kit and off road tires on it for a Christmas present, lol).
Jenna's milk is in!

Now on to what you're really here for, photos and videos of the man of the hour...Wyatt!!!

Ohh ya I'm a ladies man.

Hi everyone, I can't wait to meet all of you!

Hey everyone look at my mommy, she's the prettiest woman I've ever seen.

Don't mind the stuff caked on my face, I just had the most delicious bottle ever!

What in the world is happening to me?

They're called hiccups son.

Live and up close!

Here he is getting checked out by the Nurse...

8:00 Feeding And A Picture

W's feeding schedule is:

8:00
11:00
2:00
5:00

Around the clock =)

We just called to speak with his night-time nurse. She fed him his 8:00 feeding which included all the colostrum we had frozen and then the rest supplemented with formula. She said he drank the whole bottle perfectly fine =) SO happy!

I also wanted to share a picture of his belly button. His day-time nurse said they don't usually have a belly button, but the surgeon he had likes to try and make it look like he still has one, hehe.

I don't plan on posting many more updates on Facebook, since they are going to be more detailed like the last 2 blog posts. (I don't think the majority of people on there care for this much information, haha) And only close friends and family know about the blog... so check here regularly!

Feeding Update

I wish my next blog (after the last one being a 39.5 week pregnancy update) was Wyatt's birth announcement! But life doesn't always go as planned so unforunately, this post is going to be an update on his progress in the NICU. I will have to back track later on with the labor and delivery story =)

We did spend time with Wyatt yesterday after I was discharged, but I feel like most of the updating has really just begun today. So here we go....

After the surgery, he needed to have 3 poopy diapers before they could take the NG tube out (the one that goes to his stomach). He had his 3 poopies (actually 4), so they took out his NG tube this morning!! He was then able to start feeding with a bottle. We happened to go up to visit him today shortly before his first ever bottle! We got there at 12:45 and his first feed was at 2:00. The bottle had 1 ounce of Infilite (like Pedialite for infants). The requirement is for him to drink the bottle within 30 minutes.
*sidenote - babies with this type of complication/procedure OFTEN form food aversions and have a VERY difficult time with feedings. They want feedings to be an enjoyable time so they learn to want to eat, not something that has to be forced upon them. So they take it very slow in the beginning and make sure he is not fighting it. Therefore, if he does not finish the ounce within 30 minutes, the rest of it is fed to him back through the NG tube. Also if he is choking, or just spitting it all up, the tube goes back in*
Well, the first feeding (split up between the nurse and me)... he finished in 5 minutes!! No choking, no spitting up, and he even burped for us =) YAY baby boy! We were so happy.

Tyler did the 2nd feeding of Infilite. He fed really well for his daddy. Finished it in 10 minutes with no choking. Burped again too. However, about 10 minutes later when I was holding him, he did spit up. We called a nurse (not his) over and I handed her the burp cloth that I caught it in and she said, "Oh, that wasn't to bad." Me and Tyler were both really worried all of a sudden though. But then his nurse came back and reassured us it was no biggie. So then we felt better. =)

From now on, he gets to have breast milk via bottle! Same things apply.. he has 30 minutes to drink the designated amount otherwise he has to get fed through the tube. I did have colostrum that I pumped from the first 48 hours. However, my milk hasn't come in yet and I am not getting anything else to give to them right now so after he eats the "liquid gold" =), they will start supplementing with formula. Unfortunately, we will not be there tonight for his feeding when he starts with what we had frozen for him. We will call later and see how he ate it.

I know I have some awesome prayer warriors out there asking what they can pray for and am so glad we have very specific requests now:
1) Most important, that Wyatt does not get the food/feeding aversion that is SO common in babies with his specific complication.
2) He eats his bottles within the 30 minutes and is not choking or fighting the feed so that the NG tube does NOT have to go back in.
3) His wet/dirty diapers will be what they are looking for (they have to weigh all his dirty diapers)
4) His weight gain stays on track.
5) He is starting to develop jaundice... just pray it doesn't get to bad.
6) That my milk comes in! (Yes, I am continuing to pump around the clock, drinking lots of water, eating fruits and veggies, ect.)

39.5 weeks

The picture on the left was taken the day after we found out I was pregnant.. I was only 5 weeks. I thought it would be fun to put on the same clothes and take another picture now at 39.5 weeks pregnant! (The shirt does NOT go over my belly) ;)
My last appointment was 6 days ago and the Dr. was able to feel his head (said he has definitely dropped)and tell that I had begun thinning out, but no dilation. I have another appointment tomorrow. My actual due date is Sunday, the 19th so I'm anxious to see what the plan will be starting Monday if I am still preggo =)
I have really been surprised at the lack of back pain I've had the entire time. It seems that is one of the main things you read about. And other than the brief run of sciatica (mid-pregnancy) my back has not bothered me one bit.......... until now! haha The lower back pain just kicked in in the last 24 hours, I've got the waddle going and everything. Combine that with the (often times) excruciating pressure on my bladder and... man, I can't wait to feel "normal" again. lol
I think it's funny that so many people told me I would never make it to my due date because I'm "so tiny" and I'll for sure "pop early" hehe Apparently, Wyatt thinks it is pretty darn cool being carried around by his mama =)
While we are SO excited to see his little face, I really have absolutely loved being pregnant and will SO miss this belly of mine. It has been such a blessing to be able to experience this miracle and to think.. the best is still yet to come!!
Praying he is here and home by Christmas!!!

And a couple more bare belly pics... disregard the wacky pj's.

37 Weeks

I know this isn't a usual belly picture, but it will suffice :) We were working on the Christmas tree.. our itty bitty fake tree. We decided not to get to carried away this year, seeing as who knows when it will all get taken down. ha

How far along? 37 weeks


Size of baby? Over 19 inches and just over 6 pounds.. I have no idea how he is fitting in there ;)
Total weight Gain/Loss? Up 27 pounds

Maternity Clothes? For the most part, but I am still able to wear a couple things that are not maternity.

Gender? It's a Boy!

Movement? He hasn't slowed down at all! And at this point, when he moves you can see every last little kick. Loving seeing all his feet, knees, elbows, ect. poking out =)
Sleep? Some nights are good, some nights are bad. VERY hard to turn over, getting comfortable is not easy.
Symptomns? Nasal Congestion (yes, still), some days I have the round ligament pain on the right side, I have to pee about every half hour, I am SO thirsty all day long (I've never drank so much water), and let's not forget to mention the forgetfulness.. "preggo brain" is no joke! (pretty much the same as my 33 week update... but I will add that my shins hurt when I get home from work. And my appetite has been pretty big the last few days.. I think he's putting on his last bit of fat before making his appearance =) )

Belly Button? Perfectly flat
What I am looking forward to? Meeting Wyatt!!!

At last week's appointment, Dr. said he is a "take home baby" at this point! We are ready for him anyday now. But well aware that he might not be going anywhere for a couple weeks yet still. Next appointment is Thursday, so hoping I will have something to report!