Today was an exhausting day. Emmett is still having a lot more events than before. The doctors say it may simply be time to up his caffeine dosage again, but the caffeine tends to raise his heart rate so I sometimes feel like we’re just swapping one set of alarms for another. And all those alarms just fry my nerves. I broke down crying during kangaroo care today because I’m just so tired of it all. Big picture, I know these desats and bradys are probably no big deal and he should outgrow them. And in talking to other NICU moms who have had much more serious complications, I almost feel guilty complaining. But I’m just so, so tired. And deep down I worry that the increase in events could be an indicator that something bigger is wrong, or that he’s beginning to take a turn for the worse. Or what if he doesn’t grow out of these events in the next two months? I know things can change on a dime in the NICU, so while he’s been a rock star by all accounts, I simply don’t trust him.
The good news is, he’s still gaining steadily. He gained another 25 grams and is up to 3 lbs 5 oz now. His team was so happy with his gain that they’ve lowered his fortification from 28 to 26 kcal and increased his milk intake to 28 ML per feed. So he’s starting to take more of my milk and less fortification. It’s rare for early preemies to be on exclusive breast milk and they’ve told us even after he’s released he’ll probably need three “milkshakes” per day (bottles of breast milk fortified with extra calories via formula powder). But I’m glad we’re moving in the right direction by increasing the ratio of milk to fortification.
I’m home again tonight and D is at the hospital. On the one hand, it’s hard for me to be away, but on the other, after such an emotionally exhausting day, it’s probably good. It’s always the hardest to leave when I need the break the most. Here’s hoping for a better day tomorrow.
Keeping up with the Hoffmans 