One Week Old

As you can probably tell from the lack of posts this week, I was not sitting on my bum in a hospital room this all day! :)

Cooper is doing GREAT, here are the updates...

-He has been losing about an ounce a day... expected, but not good
-He was taken off of the lights yesterday for Jaundice... they said it contributes to weight loss being under the lights and losing fluids... they stopped the bed warmer too to see if he can keep up a good body temperature
-We got to put clothes on him since his cord IV is out and the took the lights away... the clothes were Size new born 5-8lbs and looked just tiny, but on him they just swallowed him and were like a flour sack! (his weight was at 5lbs 1oz)
-He is nursing ok at some feedings and barely at all at others... this is to be expected since he is a premie and gets worn out VERY easily... but they have said several times that he is doing better than most at his age sucking/swallowing/breathing

Since he is breathing well the things we need for him to be able to come home are...
-Above his birth weight (which was 5lbs 10oz and he is at 5lbs 2oz today)
-Daily showing weight gain
-Can keep a stable body temperature
-Taking all feedings from bottle or breast

I was discharged on Thursday late afternoon.... I think on the weeks of bed rest I had been able to prepare (cry and be disappointed) for the first few days (a premie, c-section, not getting to hold in delivery room, having to pump and not nurse, a possibly SICK child, etc.) but I had not realized the emotions that would hit when we went up to his room to say goodbye and go home! ohhhh goodness! It was a ROUGH night.... you aren't supposed to leave the hospital WITHOUT your baby after giving birth. And then being at home not being pregnant and without a baby was VERY hard. We have his little bassinet set up in our room next to the bed... but there was no baby in there! It was TOUGH! So, Friday morning we made the decision for me to room in at the hospital. They have these complimentary rooms on the NICU floor that are daily assigned to parents (giving priority to the sickest babies and then to breast feeding moms)... praise the LORD one was available for us the past two nights and hopefully tonight. Basically I have been coming up here for the 10:30pm feeding and then staying through the 1:30pm feeding the next day and then going home for several hours (he misses two feedings) to be with Will and Pat.

Ok, enough rambling. I am typing this in the parents lounge on the NICU floor, I intend to try and add some pictures once I get home today.

Thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement.