Some good news to report! Rachel passed her first hearing test on Tuesday and the PIC line has been taken out of her hand. Wow, how wonderful it is that that line is gone. A much less tangled mess. The next step will be to get the pulse/ox off of her foot, after that, the nose tube and the last thing to go will be the leads on her chest that monitor her heart rate and breaths.
***** Warning! I will now talk about breastfeeding. *****
The last two days I have tried breastfeeding Rachel because we were not having much luck with the bottle. She would latch on and suck but then choke on the milk because it poured out too fast for her. We even used a slow flow nipple. On Tuesday the lactation specialist, Martha, helped me out and Stephen was there for support too. First, we tried just using my nipple and for some reason Rachel wasn't having it. So Martha had me use a nipple shield and that is just what Rachel was looking for. To our surprise, she latched right on and started to suck. She did the same thing at the next feeding. Now that we know she can do it, the only struggle we have to overcome is her wanting to fall asleep all the time. She gets all fussy and starts looking like she wants to eat but as soon as I get her to latch on, she stops and falls asleep. We have to constantly touch her, tickle her, take off her clothes or use a wet cloth to wake her up. It's exhausting! I'm hoping as she nears her due date she will become more awake and able to nurse longer. I am also having a hard time with the schedule the hospital has her on for feedings. I know they have to have her feed every three hours to keep track of everything but that makes it harder for me to "teach" Rachel how to eat. There are times I can tell she is looking for her meal but I'm unable to feed her because it's not time yet. I think that if I was able to feed her when she wants to, she would learn faster. But besides that, I have found so far that breastfeeding is really amazing and I'm happy I've pumped this long so I have the opportunity to try it. :)
Awesome Mags!! I'm so glad that everything is going well w/the breastfeeding and with her getting rid of some of the wires!! I'm sure it's such a relief to have her latch on and get some milk in her belly!! I've heard quite a few people use the nipple shield and it seems to work like a charm. Keep up the good work :)
ReplyDeleteKy
I'm glad she's doing well with breast feeding! My second, who wasn't early and had no complications was difficult to keep awake for awhile too. I'm sure she'll get it. You all are in my prayers. I love seeing happy updates from you!
ReplyDeleteHey Maggie! I read your blog after I emailed you. I'm so happy that you're able to breast feed Rachel and that she has one less tube attached to her. That must be great relief for you.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful that you have made it this far with breastfeeding! Hang in there and she will figure it out soon. :)
ReplyDelete