Spencer - 33 Weeks (Gestational Age)

Hello again!

Well, Spencer's made some great strides this week. Still no infection or any real issues to speak of, which we're so pleased about and ... last Wednesday (the 9th, Drew's birthday), he "graduated" from CPAP to Low Flow nasal prongs, which only give him the tiniest bit of oxygen! He's on 5 cc right now and once he gets down to 0, he won't need any breathing help at all. So, he's getting there. As I said before, the breathing/lung development is the biggest thing for these little preemies.

Weight-wise, as of tonight (Tuesday), he's up to 3 pounds 10 1/2 ounces. 5 1/2 more ounces and he's out of the incubator and into a cot! Also, at 3 lbs 12 ounces, they go from being fed every 2 hours to being fed every 3 hours, so that'll be the next thing for Spencer.

The other positive thing that happened this week is he got his eye exam done ... and no ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) was detected! He'll get a follow-up exam in 2 weeks, but so far, his eyes are fine. Drew stayed with Spencer as he was getting the exam done - I was told by other parents to avoid it if at all possible, as the process scares the babies, which in turn scares the parents .. their eyes get opened super wide with this special eye opening tool .. one person even said it looks like a medieval torture device ... that was enough for me, I wanted no part of it! At the same time, I was glad Drew was there to comfort Spencer. He said Spencer did very well and didn't struggle or squirm too much. Poor little guy though - about 1/2 an hour afterwards, he threw up. His nurse said it would have been the stress, as Spencer had never thrown up before (and hasn't since, either). I felt so sad for him. : ( These little babies go through so much in their first few weeks of life - the poking, the prodding ... it doesn't seem fair. If I could go through it all for him, I would in a heartbeat!!!!!

Finally, the very latest thing that's happened (just started yesterday) is that I'm starting to introduce breastfeeding to Spencer. The preemies get the coordination to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time between 34-36 weeks, so it's still a little early for him, but the nurses say I can start training him now. So far, so good .. he latched on for a few seconds his first few tries! It's a learning process, but I think he'll be fine, once he gets the hang of it.

Oh ya and one very last thing - a new mom came in from Children's Hospital with a baby who is now 35 1/2 weeks, but was born at 23 1/2 weeks at 1 lb 6 ounces .. she had (or has) the same thing I do, a shortened cervix and her stitch only lasted a week and a half (I guess I should consider myself lucky that mine lasted 6 weeks?) ... her daughter, Erica, is huge now though! I couldn't believe how big she was, looking at her in comparison to Spencer. Hanako, the mom, told me that generally, the preemies will go through a growth spurt at around 34 or so weeks (that's just next week for Spencer!) and for her daughter, it meant gaining 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) a day! Sounds pretty fantastic, I can't wait for Spencer to go through his. Every ounce he gains makes him bigger, stronger and closer to the NICU door! : D

Well, that's all for this week. I've been meaning to post more pictures - I'll do that soon.

Thanks for reading and please keep us in your thoughts!

Love,

Tara, Drew & Spencer xoxo