Day 55

Milk troubles

Today we tried another bottle feed, as Robin was awake and hungry when Nicki got to the hospital. Since we were pretty successful yesterday, it seemed like a good idea – and it was for a very short amount of time. Robin drank all 55mls of his milk from a bottle! Problem is, he brought it all up almost immediately after (all over Nicki). Poor little duck was so good at sucking from his bottle, but swallowed way too much air and couldn’t hold it down. After we cleaned him up, the nurse aspirated 25mls of air out of his tummy. That’s a lot for a little guy!

For the next feed, we just did a normal gravity gavage while he slept, and then for the 7pm feed, he had half bottle (with an air check) then the rest gavage fed. He did much better and kept it all down. Giving him oral feeds is proving to be challenging, but Nicki will keep trying with him every day.

The other struggle is that Nicki’s milk supply has drastically reduced. Where we had an abundance in the beginning, she is now only just getting enough for the amount Robin needs every three hours. The hospital fridge is now empty, so she is speaking to the lactation consultant about options. They said that this can happen after exclusively expressing, and being away from the baby for extended periods of time. The hormone levels that are needed for milk production just aren’t maintained the same way they are if you are able to be with your baby. It’s been almost eight weeks now, so that’s a long time for Nicki’s body to keep the momentum going. Hopefully, with trying breastfeeding everyday, the supply increases and there are medications available to help as well.

Grandma Lees sent a very special present for Robin from one of her friends: Maureen Rees knitted some teeny tiny booties, that are just beautiful. They fit Robin perfectly, though at the rate he is growing, they might not fit for very long! He liked having them in his feet, and kicked his feet around when Nicki put them on him. Thank you to Grandma Lees’s friend in Sydney! We will treasure them and Robin will have a special reminder of how tiny his feet were.

Robin has a new favourite position when sleeping, he likes to put one arm up by his head. Nicki and Robin had a little nap this afternoon on an armchair, and without the wires, we could get quite comfortable and move around easily. When the nurses came in to do hand over, Robin woke up and Nicki sat him up so he could see what was going on. He was very interested in the nurses, and was making noises trying to fit in with the conversation. Very cute!

Nappy rash has pretty much cleared up now as well.

Visitors: none

Stats

Weight: 2620 gms

Feed: 55mls / three hourly (gavage / bottle) + supplementary breastfeed