Holding Steady

So I've had a couple requests for pictures of the crazy eye makeup lactation lady. But knowing my luck she'd see it and sue me for something. SO, we're gonna have to picture this one in our brains. Does anyone remember the book "Ms. Nelson's Class" - I think that was the title. It was a book from our youth...those of us from the 70s/80s...about a teacher trying to get control of her class and she dresses up as a crazy witch of a substitute teacher to teach her class a lesson about how good they have it and therefore not to misbehave. Ok, so the weirdest of the lactation lady...the one with the bad eye makeup...looks exactly like the bad Ms. Nelson in that book. Her hair is black and grey and thinning and all over the place - think fingers in light socket. And the eyebrows are painted on with really too dark eyebrow pencil. A color not occurring naturally is all I'll say. And then the too pink lipstick that's slightly askew. Perhaps some blue eyeshadow in there as well. So that's the picture. It's a nice one right? Combine that with a slightly condescending and frankly sort of insensitive approach with patients and there you have it.

Ok, enough of my bitching and moaning. Leo is doing great! His direct billirubin levels finally started to come down this week. They're still elevated, but they're lower than they were last week which is a big win. So they're still running tests and sending cultures to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, etc., etc. But so far nothing conclusive still and the fact that the levels went down this week is definitely a good sign. So the investigation will simply continue.

And Dad got to feed him with a bottle today! That was pretty fun, Leo did really well on the bottle...still milk from me, but just in a bottle. The plan for his feedings moving forward is to try to get him to 1-2 good nursing sessions a day along with another 4-6 bottle feedings at 90% or more...meaning he takes 90% of the bottle or more. It's likely that when he leaves the hospital he'll be doing only 1 or 2 nursing sessions a day with the rest via bottle. It's going to take him months to get to full nursing. Slow and steady continues to be the mantra.

And hopefully we'll get down to the second floor here in another day or two. There's nothing keeping him in the NICU at this point medically, just the line in front of him of the full term babies that make a brief visit to the NICU right after birth for something minor and then move downstairs for a day or two and then go home. Or, as I like to call them, the babies that should give parents some perspective. Sorry you kid had to visit the NICU for a day or two but...come on. So we'll just wait until they're ready, no rush. He's doing well and that's what matters. We're thankful beyond words for the progress and can't wait to start the next phase...it's going to be easily another 4 weeks down there. Maybe sooner, but I doubt it. Slow and steady!!!

Time to pump. Over and out.