Yo, MTV! Check out MY new crib . . .

A big move for the little one yesterday . . . from an isolette into an open crib!  I don't think I mentioned, but on Wednesday, the nurses kept the top on his isolette open all day to see how well he maintained his temperature.  Turns out he did such a good job, they moved him into an open crib the next day!  I was told that they would move him when his weight reached 1800 grams (at the time, he was only about 1650 grams), but I think a surge in the number of babies in the NICU has created a shortage of isolettes, so I suspect they may have bumped him up and out a little earlier because they needed the isolette.  But he has been doing fine, maintaining his temperature and getting comfy in his new digs.  When they said "crib", I pictured a slatted crib, like one of his pod-mates has.  Apparently those are few and far between.  What he has looks more like a medium-sized Rubbermaid storage tub.  Not fancy and smaller than his isolette, but it's a big step up in so many other ways.

Nurse Megan mentioned that there are signs he may be developing problems with reflux.  It's not uncommon in preemies as young as he was and is treatable.  He has often been desatting and sometimes bradying toward the end of his feeds recently, both signs of possible reflux.  Today when I was there, he sounded very snufflely (a very technical term, I know, but that's the best way to describe it) and almost congested.  The nurse said that is also a sign of reflux, so there may be treatment forthcoming for that.

Last night, we tried dry-breast feeding again and Cayden did well, latching on a couple times.  As of his weigh-in yesterday, he was 3 pounds 12 ounces.

Daddy and I both visited him this afternoon.  Cayden had just finished a round of developmental therapy and then we tried putting him to the breast again.  He was more alert and interested than he was the last time we tried right after therapy, but I still think he was tired.  He managed to latch on a couple times but only briefly. Once they started his feeding through the tube, he really lost interest! 

Instead of going straight into kangaroo care, I took the opportunity to pass him off to Jason so he could hold his son for the first time.  Although I'm sure he was tired, he remained wide-eyed and fixated on his daddy while he held him.  It was a precious moment indeed. 

After awhile, Jason passed him back to me so we could kangaroo, which we did for the next couple of hours.  I left the NICU around 6:30, but I will be calling soon to check and see what his weight is tonight.  Nurse Megan should be with him tonight, so he will probably get his weekly "spa" treatment (bath and shampoo) with her.