Little Pumpkin

Trick or Treat...I'm so sweet! Give me something good to eat...

How about mommy milk Amelia?? How about in a bottle? Well that's what you had today! TWICE. It was such an exciting day. I got a call from nurse Jen this morning saying that at her 9 am feeding, she finished her entire 27cc feeding from her bottle! I was soooo excited. We decided that we would try to do the "real" thing at her 3pm feeding. So I quickly got as much done as I could for work and was down by her by 2:30. We had lactation, we had nurse Jen, we had mommy and we were ready for Melie worm to see what she would do. We put her on a scale to weigh her to see what she weighed before the feeding. Then it was time for the main event. She actually did really good at first. She had a really good latch and had some really good sucks, took her time breathing and did great for her first real time. She didn't stay awake very long, and eventually fell asleep and was just too tired to really know what was going on. So we put her back on the scale and she hadn't changed anything, so they did her gavage feeding to make sure she got all her food for the hour. We didn't want to try with the bottle right away because it would have just been too overstimulating and too much work for her. So instead, we just hung out and kangaroo'd until her next feeding at 6. Nurse Jen asked if I wanted to try the bottle feeding with her, but I asked her if she could do it for a couple minutes so I could learn what to look for, when to twist the bottle, when to lower the milk as she took time to breath...etc. Once I felt comfortable, we did a quick burp and then it was MY turn! I think it just took me until now, as I am typing this, to realize that tonight was the first night I actually got to really feed my daughter. WOW..it was a big moment for me then, but I just started tearing up as I am typing this realizing that I finally got to actually feed my daughter! I have been providing food for her, but to be able to hold her, and watch her, and look at her, that was amazing. This is a good day and a good moment that I will have to remember. Again, another ahhhaaa moment, when I hear that breastfeeding is the most intimate moment a mother has with her baby. Even though it was from a bottle, she was still in my lap, and still drinking my milk and for now, that was our intimate time. She drank the entire 27cc's and afterwards, she just hung out and stared at mommy and looked around the room. It was nice to be able to have her in my lap and look at her, and baby talk to her. I finally put her back after her mommy milk "producers" where ready to explode and I could not longer handle it and had to go release them. It had been 7 hours and I couldn't take it any longer. The things I suffer thru to hold you little Amelia! OH well..it's worth every second!

Her air flow was turned down AGAIN on her road to having her nasal cannula removed. That would be so exciting. She HATES that thing. She pulls it out, she pulls her prongs and puts both prongs into one nostril, she decides to put it in her mouth...so to have that removed would make her SOOO happy!

I am heading in early tomorrow to try to attempt the real thing again at her 9 am feeding. Nurse Jen said that would be the best time to try it again because she is usually very alert and awake at that time for at least an hour or two. So I need to get to bed earlier than usual and get ready early and down there....so nighty night Amelia. I love you...great job today and Thank YOU for giving me a great new moment!