Home Stretch

49 Days Old

36 Weeks and 5 days 

6lbs 1oz

Going Good!

I can't believe that so much time has passed, Devin will be considered full term on Wednesday.  What does that mean?  Not really much he still needs to hit the same criteria to go home.  The next big hurtle is breast and bottle feeding.  They are still feeding him mostly through a tube to his belly, in the picture it is the white tube going into his nose.  If he is awake and hungry I breast feed him but he doesn't have the stamina to eat every meal yet, nor the coordination to be very efficient at getting the milk out.  But we are on our way.  Everyone here tells us that one day it'll all just click for him and he'll get what he needs to do.  It is really testing the patience of Jeff and I.  :)  Once he is taking 70% of his feeds by breast or bottle the tube will come out.  Then he just needs to keep gaining weight for them to call it good.  

He also needs to be Brady and Apnea free for 5 days.  Before we were breast feeding he was doing excellent.  But the feeding is tasking his stamina and when he gets over tired he tends to Brady.  But that should go away when he gets better at feeding.  Yesterday he passed his room air challenge.  That is where he needs to keep his blood oxygen level above 75% for an hour.  This is one of the tests that they have to pass before they can go home.  The next one is an hour, with oxygen (if he still needs it) in the car seat.  We are on track to come home by his due date (April 28th) when is still up to Devin and his development.  

Devin now has a different bed that you can adjust the angle on.  This helps with his reflux.  We are slowly lowering it since he can't be on an incline at home.  The reflux is much better in the last couple of days.  Apparently they just grow out of these issues.  I'm really glad he is growing out of this one, it was hard to watch him be so uncomfortable.  

Since I posted last our friends Michele, Danielle and Amy threw Devin an awesome shower.  It was fun that his name was already known - we got really cool gifts with his name on it.  Jeff and I had a really good time seeing everyone and being away from the hospital for a little bit.  My mom (aka Grandma Rueckert) is putting the finishing touches on a forest animals quilt for Devin.  It will fit into the green forest animal theme that Devin's room is decorated with perfectly!  Both Grandmas and Grandpa Rueckert were able to attend the shower - it was great to have everyone there.  The grandmas both got a chance to hold Devin.  To see these pictures visit the blog - a slide show plays on the right with more pictures of Devin and visitors.  Jeff and I want to thank everyone who attended the shower and for all of the gifts.  I'm still trying to put them away... 

PS.  For all those who have asked - no it isn't a giant pacifier.  Devin is a small baby.  The pacifier is "normal" size.  :)