NICU day 85

Today was a pretty good day. We had some good nursing sessions, and he seems to be getting more comfortable at the breast, but because we did more nursing than bottle feeding, and because we’re still getting less volume while nursing, our oral feedings average dropped from around 60 percent to about 40 percent.

I had a good talk with both the nurse and lactation consultant today and asked them to give it to me straight: should we just be focusing on bottle feeding so we can go home? Both told me the same stat: that bottle-fed NICU babies go home an average of about a half day sooner than breastfed babies. One half day. In the grand scheme of things, does a half day make a difference?  I know this is an overall average, which means our situation could yield different results, but the nurse and LC both acknowledged  how important breastfeeding is to me, and recommended we continue practicing both bottles and nursing while we figure out feeding. Because out in the wild, he’ll ideally take a combination of breast and bottle anyway. To completely stop breastfeeding just so we can go home a little earlier might make breastfeeding at home that much harder and increase our chances of giving up altogether. What’s a couple more days, for an easier time over the next year or longer?

At the end of the day, this final NICU stretch is preparing us for home life, and the more we can replicate patterns we plan follow at home, the smoother the transition will go. I’ve had numerous nurses tell me what we’re experiencing is textbook for an early preemie; that feeding issues are nearly always the final frontier, and that babies usually have an easier time with a bottle than nursing.
Hearing this is typical makes it easier to handle, but not necessarily less frustrating. I’ve said it before, but if only we hadn’t been teased two weeks ago with the possibility of early release! After all, we’re still about a week and a half away from our original due date of August 22, which is what I’d been mentally preparing for all along. Now, if we go past that date and we’re still here, I may start handling this with less grace!