Trucking along

Brooke is still pretty much the same : ). She's tolerating her feedings great...she's now up to 15cc's (approx. 1/2 an ounce) every 2 hours and it's being fortified to 24 calories per ounce. Monday night she lost some weight, but I forgot to ask this morning what her weight was last night. As of Monday she was still around 2lb. 7oz. Hopefully she'll start gaining steadily soon. She's still on 2L flow on room air. And she's still having her apnea/heart rate spells. I guess last night she had 6 of them, so they did bloodwork again this morning. Her nurse was pretty confident that everything is fine, though. When I talked to her this morning, her bloodwork results should have been back, but she hadn't heard anything yet (good sign) and the doctor was just making rounds and hadn't gotten to Brooke yet. Her nurse did mention that one night over the weekend, Brooke had 15 spells one night....nobody ever told us she had *that many. They did bloodwork then, too, but it came back good. I can't wait until she outgrows this!

My mom and dad watched Ryan last night and Doug and I went down to the NICU together alone for the first time since the day I got discharged. She had one of my favorite nurses, Kathy. She asked us right away if we wanted to get her out. Doug planned on kangarooing her. She brought us the warm blankets to put over her and kind of implied that we could get her out ourselves. So I asked her and she was all gung ho for us getting her out on our own! She didn't even stay and watch. I guess she figures we're pros by now ; ). And since Brooke no longer has the IV, there's nothing to really worry about messing up. If her leads come off or something, they can be popped right back on. And Doug got her out all on his own : ). (I was telling him I think that's really cool b/c I know some guys are afraid of breaking a 6lb. baby and he just laughed. LOL.) He let me put her back in her bed. Here are a few pics:

She really likes her hand up by her mouth!

Awwww : )

I think she looks like Doug!

I ordered Brooke her very first hair bows from www.FiveBlessedBows.com. They came on Monday and I couldn't wait to put one on her and take a pic! LOL.

It's not actually clipped in her hair...it's just laying there. (Sorry this pic is so dark!)

On a sucky note, I noticed yesterday that I have thrush on BOTH breasts. Ugh. I got this while pumping for Ryan, too. And I had a heck of a time getting rid of it! In fact, I got so frustrated because they wouldn't give him my milk while I had it and I couldn't get rid of it and I hated pumping SO much, that I talked to one of the neonatologists (this was at West Penn in Pittsburgh) about quitting pumping and he gave me the go ahead. It still took me weeks to get rid of it. So now it's back. The good news is, this NICU *will give Brooke my milk while I have it, so at least it won't be going to waste! I'm hoping to kick it quicker this time. I got some OTC antifungal cream last night and I'm going to use grapefruit seed extract on them, too (home remedy) and keep using that even once it's cleared up.

On a happy note, I woke up yesterday feeling like my old self! Honestly, it was *that quick. I no longer feel depressed all the time. It still hits me once in awhile when I feel my milk letting down or I first start pumping, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was. I know I'm gonna be just fine ; ).

Oh and I changed my first poopy diaper (for Brooke) last night! : ) LOL. Funny the things that make you happy when you're a mom ; ).