2.9.2010
Arrived just after 8am this morning. Both babies were sound asleep when we arrived. They both had a good night. William has gained 10g and Esther lost 10! I am not too worried as the doctor said that their weight might suffer as we start breastfeeding and it will take some time to get the ratios right between feeds from breast and tube feeds.
Both babies went to the breast this morning and had a go! Esther at 9am and William at 11. I will try them again this afternoon. I think that twice a day is enough at the moment. It is hard to know what to do at the moment, just follow the babies’ cues and do what seems right.
This morning went so quickly with feeding and cares. I finally managed to express some milk at 12pm.
Esther has been high saturating in air (actual air!) for much of the morning. She has no prongs in her nose and is not attached to the wall! She is doing so well, better than her brother who is high saturating but in 0.02 oxygen!
Scary News! We are being promoted to Nursery 3!!! One step closer to the door, more new people to get to know. Change of plan! We are staying where we are. I am happier with that plan.
Esther is a bit cold today. 36.2. We are keeping an eye on her temperature. She does have one less blanket than yesterday and no cardigan, so there are ways to make her warmer.
Both babies are sound asleep now and seem to be nice and stable. Now I know we are staying I can make a plan for the day.
1pm lunch; 1.30pm William nappy; 2pm William feed (tube); 2.45pm Esther nappy; 3pm Esther feed (breast); 4pm milk; 4.40pm William nappy; 5pm William feed (breast); 5.45pm Esther nappy; 6pm Esther feed (tube)
Esther was due to be changed at midday but she was so peaceful and asleep that I did not want to disturb her.
William is now on 0.01 oxygen. Keep on coming, little William! You are doing so well.
Read Esther some Bible stories this morning while she digested her food. Will read to William this afternoon. Lunch now.
Back from lunch just in time to witness a self correcting brady with desats episode from William. Little monster! I think that he may do an Esther and sleep through his change and feed!
William woke up so I changed his wet and dirty nappy before giving him a feed and a cuddle. He had a bit of a go at the breast, then he had a tube feed which he slept through. Bless!
Esther woke for her nappy and feed just before 3pm. I changed her and put her to the breast. She was chomping away for about 20 minutes. She was working really hard and then had a well deserved rest whilst she had her tube feed. She did all of this off oxygen. She has done almost 5 hours unplugged now! She might be tiny but she is strong and determined. I love her so much and she so so suits her name!
I have put them in their cot close together, facing each other for a while whilst I go off to express some milk before being back for William’s feed at 5!
Have been thinking about how I would cope with this routine at home. It is actually not too bad but I am hoping that they will feed at the same time which would be much better. But if that doesn’t work I could cope with this.
However, my expressing routine is slipping again as a consequence of this routine but I will not need to do that so much when William and Esther can breastfeed properly. Today I have done 2.30am, 7am, 12pm and 4.15pm. I will do 8pm and 11pm at home which means that really I am two expressions short! But I am not too worried at the moment as it is more important to be here with the babies and have some milk left for them.
When I came back from expressing, William and Esther had both turned their heads away from one another. Very funny. Continued cuddling and feeding into the evening. Esther remained off her oxygen and William was in 0.01.
