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the eric update - day 53: supersized paci. yet another spit bath. first laundry load!

tonight, eric was upgraded to a really, really big paci, which is yet another sign that he's getting to be a Big Boy. the pacifier is a special preemie, orthodontically-correct paci which the nurses claimed would be difficult to find outside the nicu. it doesn't seem too difficult if you know where to look, but maybe there's a difference that makes a difference that i'm not seeing. i'm sure someone can help me clear up the confusion. in any case, the supersized paci is a big step on the way to getting prepared for breastfeeding. it's neat to see him start to suck on everything in sight when it gets close to feeding time, even though his feedings are coming through the feeding tube.

maybe someday, i'll stop documenting every bath that he gets, but today was not that day. kris looked at me with a raised eyebrow when i told her that i was going to photograph yet another spit bath, but i just couldn't quite bring myself to not take the pictures. hopefully you'll still enjoy the fruits of my obsessiveness.



in one of the most subtle changes of late, eric's nasal cannula air flow was decreased from 2 liters to 1.5 liters, which is a huge step forward in the process of getting weaned from the respiratory aid. the nurses thought he'd need to have his supplemental oxygen turned up to help offset the decreased airflow, but he didn't, which they said was quite impressive.

the floating ball indicates the flow rate. when it gets to zero, he'll be able to get rid of the nasal cannula altogether and be free of tubes up his nose!

they also told us that, as soon as he gets the IV taken off of his hand, we can start bringing in his own personal clothes! the clothes he's wearing now are special tops with velcro that make it really easy to get on and off in the event of an emergency, but soon he'll be able to wear regular street cloths.

so, late in the night we did his very first load of laundry.

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8/26/2004 11:58:00 PM 6 comments

6 Comments:

Does this mean the knitters among us should run out and buy baby blue wool now?

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:26 PM  

hmmmm. well, if there happen to be any knitters in the crowd and they happen to find themselves buying some yarn....

i should note that we have plenty of "preemie" outfits thanks to a couple of donations that i have yet to properly acknowledge ( hi, brittany and beth! ), but hopefully we will be leaving the nicu in the late fall when we'll need plenty sweaters and caps etc.

i've been told that by the time he gets out of the nicu that you don't need to be concerned about making it specifically for a preemie, but rather just look to regular newborn cloths for sizing guidance.

maybe i'll have to take a quick knitting course and take the award for "first sweater" myself :-)

By Blogger e3, at 12:42 PM  

I'm a first time poster - found your site on daddytypes. Anyway, I just wanted to say how beautiful baby Eric is - he's starting to look more like a newborn and less like a micropreemie. I guess those are good signs. I'll be sending a postcard from the wonderful world of UNC-Chapel Hill. Best of luck to all of you.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:03 PM  

Oh, how cute!!! I love the ginormous paci pictures :)

And yes, they can be found elsewhere ;) I actually plan on making a trip to the local wal-mart, I hear they carry them... It would certainly save on the shipping costs. But E3, you MUST check this out:

http://www.soothie-pacifier.com/get_item_treb.htm

We just got one for Kyle, and it's helping him to keep midline. He gets all excited when he sees it, and stuffs it in his mouth (even if its the leg he's chewing on - LOL). Keeping midline is proving to be a challenge given that these little guys grow up in a gravity filled environment that pulls their shoulders into a "pinned" position with arms flared outward.

Speaking of wal-mart. They sell Gerber "Preemie" clothing in sizes 3-5lbs. the onsies and sleepers are NICU friendly, and all have snap fronts. We found that going over the head was always a challenge with the canula, etc. (I wish I could find snap front onsies for a 14lbr LOL).

I can't believe how wonderful Odin is doing! He's going to be home in no time at all!

Sending big hugs and kisses from Kyle!!!

By Blogger Katra, at 7:39 PM  

once again, katra - thanks for the tip on the gerber clothing. we have a bunch of clothes already from donations, but as you said, it's a little hard to get the onesies over his head with the cannula, so it might be nice to go out and get a few more with snap fronts until he gets rid of the cannula.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:34 PM  

hmmm. for some reason, blogger decided to post that comment anonymously, but it's from me. honest.

By Blogger e3, at 3:39 PM  

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this site chronicles the continuing adventures of my son, odin, who was unexpectedly born on the fourth of july at 25 weeks gestation, weighing 1 pound 7 ounces.

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