Pictures from Two Weeks at Home

Hello, handsome!
(11/14/2006)















Sleeping Angel/Tyrant
(11/18/2006)















Happy Face
(11/18/2006)




















Hands
(11/21/2006)















Is it time for lunch yet, Mama?
(11/22/2006)

The next thing...

Well, everytime we think we're home free, something new comes up.

This week's crisis is that Samson has developed what looks like an allergy to cow's milk proteins, and that has resulted in bloody, mucusy stool, increased reflux, and severe colic. The cow milk proteins are passed to him through breastmilk after Mama has eaten her usual diet of 75% cheese & yogurt. So, starting yesterday we're back to square one on pumping milk full time and no breastfeeding. Samson will have to drink special non-dairy, hypoallergenic formula for a week or two while Mama goes on a strict non-dairy diet to detox. After that, we start again on the breast and see how it goes.

The trouble with the strict non-dairy diet is that there are hidden dairy products in lots of prepared foods, things you wouldn't imagine. Casein, whey, and anything starting with the prefix "lact-" is off limits, so any prepared foods with added protein-based thickeners are no-nos. Some foods that are labeled "non-dairy" still have some of these cow milk protein-derived additives. Also, many foods that do not have milk products in the recipe may be produced on machinery that also produces dairy-based foods, so they're off limits, too. No butter, no chocolate, no ice cream, no seasoned snack foods (bye-bye Nacho Doritos), no creamy sauces of any kind, and no fast foods, because you can't trust the restaraunts to tell you the truth about what's in their food.

The good news is that Samson has become a new baby since his switch to the gentle formula yesterday. He's crying much less and sleeping more, and we're getting to enjoy some pleasant times together. It's a relief to see him in a state other than discomfort and to get to know him when he's not in distress.

Another positive point is that most babies outgrow CMA and do just fine with dairy at 2-3 years of age. Samson may get to experience the joy of quesadillas some day...

Also adding to our relief is that our new doula, Veronica, started today. For four hours on weekdays through Christmas, we now have an extra set of hands to help with baby care and to give us some respite for a nap or a meal or chores that need doing. The doulas are experts on new baby care, breastfeeding, and special health needs like ours, so we can rest easy with Samson in their hands. This service ain't cheap (we're basically burning through our savings, or what's left before we start paying our share of the medical bills, and I don't even want to think about *that* figure...), but it is SO worth it in order to preserve what's left of our sanity. If anyone is thinking of sending a Christmas present to the family or birthday gift to Mama, please consider making a contribution to the doula fund.

Thanksgiving

Just a quick post to say: don't worry! We haven't been online in a while; too busy to type. Samson is doing great, up to 7 lbs now. He has passed his first 2 pediatrician visits with flying colors and just had his follow-up opthamology visit yesterday with no evidence of retinopathy. Yay!

We've got lots of pics to post, but just haven't had time to get them off the camera and onto the computer. This weekend, we hope...

Tomorrow, some wonderful friends will be coming by to drop-off some home-cooked Thanksgiving food for our first family holiday together. Our list of blessings is long this year, but we are most thankful for the people in our lives who have helped us during these past two long months:

• the midwife who sent us to the hospital when things didn't seem quite right;
• the doctor who read Mama's symptoms correctly and ordered the right tests to determine the source of the problem;
• the NICU staff who gave Samson the best care possible for the first 42 days of his life outside the womb;
• the loved ones who have brought an endless supply of food, baby gear, and comforting sentiments;
• the lactation consultant who saved Mama's boobs and showed us a light at the end of the "triple-feeding" tunnel
• the Daddy who has been Mama's constant support, cheerleader, and partner, and who skillfully does everything for Samson that Mama does (except for the breastfeeding);
• the Mama who never gave up on making "bestmilk" for Samson, even through spending 8 hours a day hooked up to a pump or doing the work to prepare and clean-up afterwards, and enduring repeated failed attempts to relieve the daily excruciating pain until the proper meds were prescribed to cure the bacterial mastitis; and, of course
  
• the Baby who has added an indescribable intensity to our lives, opening our hearts to possibilities that we never contemplated before, and already teaching us too many lessons to recount here.
  

What are you thankful for this year?

Single parents amaze us & RSV sucks

As I type, Samson is lying in his bassinet (thanks, PaPa and Grandma Buras!), quietly alert and making adorable grunts and sighs, between hiccups and yawns. He just had his late lunch and will soon be sleeping soundly.

So far, so good. We have survived our first 30 hours with the new baby at home, and even got about 6 hours sleep each last night (though not at the same time, and not in a consecutive block).

Being able to have Mama and Daddy both at home to share baby care duty is such a tremendous blessing. Because Mama is still pumping lots of milk until Samson gets strong enough to eat all of his calories by breast, Daddy gets to feed the baby by bottle every other 2-3 hours while Mama either sleeps, pumps, or tackles a household chore. Daddy also keeps the bottles & pump supplies cleaned & sterilized, changes diapers & soaks up spit, and keeps Mama fed & hydrated. Without a tag-team partnership, we can't imagine how all of this could possibly work. As far as Mama is concerned, Daddy is the best baby-daddy in the universe.

Samson seems to be a pretty jolly fellow. For the most part, he only cries when he's hungry or having a bout of reflux (which seems to happen about once per night and can only be soothed by holding him upright against your chest, patting his back firmly, and bouncing while saying in a sing-song voice, "I know, sweet boy. I know. Tell me about it."). After his experience living in a bus bin at the NICU for his first 6 weeks of life, he is content to relax in his crib and doesn't demand a lot of help to fall asleep. Noise and light don't bother him, either. The only downside is that he does tend to be most active at night, as the routine in the NICU dictates that most handling of the babies occurs then. We'll be working to switch his days and nights around over the next few weeks.

And the restrictions never end...

Tomorrow is Samson's first outing (since the trip home), to have his first pediatrician appointment. Beyond those and other doctor visits, he'll be in semi-isolation at home for the next 4 - 6 weeks. This is because September through May (but especially the winter) is RSV season in Austin, and preemies are particularly susceptible for their first 2 years of life. This virus can be deadly for preemies, and the best way to protect them is to keep them from contact with people (especially other children).

Visitors to the Hobbit Hole will be required to wash hands and there'll be a "no kids touching the baby" rule until Spring. Additionally, anyone who has received recent vaccinations with live viruses (such as the Flu Mist vaccine that is inhaled) can't have contact with Samson for 6 weeks past the exposure.

We hope everyone will bear with us as we do our best to protect our little guy from any more hospital stays.

Samson has left the building

Hallelujah!

Samson is home, as of 10:30a Texas time. He's already had his first trip through the Taco Shack drive-thru, his first risky diaper-change on the striped sofa, his first bottle given start to finish by Daddy, and his first nap in his Travel Lite Crib.

Woo-hoo! We are SO overjoyed that our family is finally all together.

We'll be getting adjusted over the next few days and not picking up the phone, so please don't worry if you call and we don't answer.

Set him free already...

The doctors had been telling us that at some point, it would be like a light bulb turned on in Samson's brain and suddenly he'd be an expert suckler, ravenous for nipples and able to keep going long enough to get a full meal at each try. Well, it looks like that day may be here, and it means that we're getting very close to putting him in that fancy carseat and bringing him home to the Hobbit Hole. Here are Sammy's latest stats:

Age: 5 wks, 3 days
Adjusted: -18 days
Gestational: 37 wks, 3 days
Weight: 5 lbs, 12.5 oz
Feeding: All nipple, every 3 hrs; 58 cc by bottle; ?? by breast; gavage at nurse's discretion, depending on volume consumed by nipple

Now we can go in at any of his feeding times and attempt to nurse. This is a huge relief, since it makes our schedule much more flexible and we can try to avoid the horrible gridlock during rush hours. Plus, Mama gets to spend more time holding Samson "skin-to-skin," which helps with increasing the hormones that raise milk production levels.

But enough with the details. We know you're only visiting to see the latest pics. Here you go:

Ahhh... relaxing after a long lunch














Interesting. This time, she's wearing the color of my diaper contents.













Okay, enough admiring me. Off with the shirt, woman, and give me my breakfast!

There's No Time

Sorry it's been a while since the last post. Mama and Dad are in constant motion and the blog has been on the back burner this week. Here's the latest on Sammy:

Gestational Age: 37 weeks
Weight: 5 lbs, 8 oz
Feeding: Nipple, Nipple, Gavage (meaning 2/3 of his meals are by bottle or breast now)
Meds: Prilosec for GERD (reflux); multivitamin; iron supplement

Today is Saturday, so no rush hour traffic to/from the hospital - yay! Except that it's also a home game at UT, so all streets leading to/from UT around game start/finish will be packed - boo! Gotta get going so we'll be there in plenty of time for the 4:30 nursing session.

We've got lots of stories to tell about our adventures as parent advocates this past week (let's just say that we won't be getting any holiday cards from Charge Nurse Kitty), but those will have to wait for another time. Instead, enjoy these recent shots of cuteness:

First Holiday
You can see a short video clip of this momentous occasion here.
















Proud Papa

Samson, someday after puberty you, too, may have such luxurious locks of curls. Don't worry. The coolest chicks dig the mad scientist look.














The Private Room

Now we can breastfeed in peace, regardless of time of day or night. Sometimes it pays to have a Mama who doesn't settle for arbitrary and subjective enforcement of illogical hospital policies, even if it means that we are now known as "those" demanding parents.