Sunday, January 11, 2009
This is what is happening at our house right now (or when I started this post anyway):
I thought that it would provide me a good opportunity to post some more pictures and give a short update on everything.
Dale had some jaundice and on Wednesday morning we found out that I would be discharged but that he would need to stay at least one more night in the nursery under phototherapy lights. They brought the lights into our room and let him stay with us for the remainder of Wednesday and just into Thursday morning after my discharge. Then he was moved to the nursery and placed into an incubator under the phototherapy lights. To make sure that he wouldn't hurt his eyes he had to wear black foam goggles (my previous swim coach experience came in very helpful when we needed to put them on).
I know that jaundice is a very small complication in the grand scheme of things but I didn't want my baby to have to leave the room and stay in the nursery. I wanted so badly to be able to take Dale home with us. While trying not to cry about him going to the nursery the thought that popped into my mind and made me laugh was "Dale wears his sunglasses inside" and so here is a picture with "Dale's sunglasses."
(And yes, I do realize that we were still very fortunate that everything else went so well and that he is healthy and home now. On one hand I feel a little bit guilty for being so upset - I know many people that have had babies in much more precarious situations. But - Dale is my baby - and I love him and wanted him in my arms)Dale quickly lost 10% of his body weight but because he needed to be under the lights most of the time there wasn't a lot of time to feed him and we were encouraged to supplement with formula to ensure that he was getting enough calories and could hopefully gain some weight back. Ryan and I had already decided not to introduce artificial nipples (either binkies or bottles) for at least about four weeks and after discussing this with the pediatrician it was decided that the best option was to supplement by cup-feeding. I tried to feed him the first time but had some trouble and became frustrated that not only could I not feed Dale the way that I wanted to but that I couldn't even supplement him the way that we wanted to. Ryan was wonderful, and he cup-fed Dale each time that Dale needed supplementation.
Dale was a cup-feeding champion and quickly began to regain his lost weight.
Thursday morning Dale was discharged with a Bili-Blanket. It is basically a wide plastic belt that has the ultraviolet phototherapy lights on one side. It is wrapped around his body and allows for home use and limited portability. Ryan and I were grateful to be able to hold him again, even with the large cord connected. In this first picture the lights aren't on, in the second one they are.
When we wrapped Dale up to sleep at night with the Bili-Blanket it would glow through all of the blankets. He reminded me of the gloworm toys that were really cool when we were little. Our little gloworm:
Here is a picture of us in the nursery just after Dale was discharged.
Then on Saturday we drove to Sedona to go to my brother's wedding (CONGRATULATIONS JAMES!!!). Dale was so good in the car and at the wedding. He slept through the ceremony and the dinner. I am so grateful that we were able to attend the wedding - it was a beautiful ceremony and I am so excited for James. It was wonderful to see him so happy and to be able to celebrate with him.
We also figured that since we were semi dressed-up that it would be a good time to take a few pictures of the three of us. As you can tell mommy and daddy are tired (especially daddy - check out that second picture : mommy was a little hopped up on goofballs and still very adrenaline filled) but very happy. We are enjoying this time with Dale immensely.
The next few pictures are for you Rebekah - who specifically requested a few pictures that would show how small Dale is relative to "big people." We will take some more for you (it's just been really busy this week).
The next picture not only makes Dale appear tiny, but it makes my shoes look big.
In the hospital that we delivered at each baby is given an electronic ankle moniter. While it is activated the baby can only be in certain areas and if the baby is taken from the specified area then an alarm activates and the portion of the hospital connected to the maternity section locks down - doors, elevators, etc. This picture was taken at Ryan's insistence so that he can tell Dale later that he has already needed an ankle moniter, his very own lo-jack.
And here are some more pictures simply because Dale is adorable and perfect (and JuLee NEEDS more pictures):
Dale is a wonderful baby. He is very mellow and peaceful, only squawking when he needs a diaper change, wants to eat or is uncomfortable (ie - when I don't swaddle him tightly enough or he is first put into his carseat). We have only heard him cry a few times and even then he calms down very quickly. He is a very content baby and we consider ourselves very blessed to have such a peaceful presence in our home. We love you baby Dale!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Dale is soooo cute! And the bili-blanket is so cool. Definitely a little glow worm. That is so fun that he even got to attend his Uncle's wedding!
we're so happy for you guys. he is way too precious!
dale looks amazing! he is so cute! and he looks awsome wearing his sunglasses indoors. now at some point in the future i might have to request a "sunglasses at night" picture just to round things out.
i love the pictures of dale as compared to big people! it makes him look even cuter!
i'm so glad that everything is going well and that everyone is happy and healthy!
So cute!! We need to come see you but we may never be able unless Kylie gets with and gets better. We hope you're doing well. He's real sweet. Glad your home and all is well. I'll call you tomorrow.
He is definately a Berg baby. So cute thanks for posting. His cousin will be excited to see him.
So cute! Our baby Junior had to have a bili-blanket after he came home too. Like you said, I know it was a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but I was very emotional about it.
Post a Comment