Monday, January 14, 2008

A 5 pound Baby at 8 Weeks Old!

Tipping the scales at
5 pounds, 2 ounces
our little light-weight is doing great!

Allie had a very good weekend. Eating straight from a bottle and staying off the oxygen most of the time. I was thrilled on Friday when Allie took a bottle from me and finished it in 35 minutes! The next day, she had to just show me what she was made of and gulped it down in just 20 minutes flat! She does like to wear a bunch of her food... but I guess we will give her some slack since she is just a baby after all. :-)

So... how much does she eat? She is on the 3 hour plan. Every three hours, she gets a little more than an ounce of milk. Yep.. basically over a 24 hour period, she gets 8 ounces. Next time you drink a whole glass of milk or water or something, think about little bitty Allie and how that keeps her going all day long. Because she is still learning to eat (suck, swallow, breath.. .or sometimes she chooses to breath, suck, swallow - this usually results in a slight gasp) ... and she gets worn out pretty easily, we are still giving her a bottle every other feeding. The other times she gets that same amount of food directly into her tummy via the white feeding tube you see in the photos. The tube is either in her mouth or her nose. Of course, her stomach is still so small... about the size of a peanut or maybe a small Lima bean. So, trying to give her much more wouldn't be good for her either.



She was able to stay off of the oxygen for most of the weekend with the exception of during her feedings and for a small time afterward as she digested her humongous meal. Keeping her consistent with weaning her off the oxygen and practicing with the bottle feedings are very important to us because the sooner she gets bigger and stronger, the quicker she can get better and eventually come home.




It does look like she will have to have the VSD fixed sooner rather than later. But, we won't know for sure until we see how she does the next few weeks. The VSD is causing her to get more worn out and probably keeping her from gaining weight much. So, it is a bit of a catch-22 for her. Right now, we work on the oxygen and the feedings and then see what her next adventure will be like.
She has changed so much over the past 8 weeks and it is amazing to look back at "old baby" pictures of her. In fact, on a daily basis she really seems to be changing. Babies are amazing! Especially this one of course.
Allie says "Have a Great Day!"














4 comments:

Jenny G said...

That is awesome that she is going without the oxygen so much, she'll be home in no time at all! (keeping you up 'til all hours!)

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad Allie is doing well. I just got all caught up on everything. Hear you'll be back at work soon. Will catch up with you in person. Take care and I wish you and Allie all the best.

Unknown said...

We love your outfit Allison!

Someone very cool must have gotten that for you!

We hope it's true that you are getting whatever you want because you, little girl, deserve it!

Love you lots baby girl!
Auntie Trisha and Aunt Tammy

PS...congrats on 5 lbs! We are so proud of you!

Anonymous said...

WOO-HOO!!! 5+ pounds, bottles and almost no oxygen...sounds like Allie could be on her way home soon!!! Can't wait to see her!!! Get ready to crop some pics cause we are on for the 25th & 26th :)