So the biggest hurdle Kenley had to jump while in the NICU was getting down this technique. Of course with term babies we never give this a second thought because they are born and right away start to eat and do just fine. In having a preemie, you have to remember that they are still developing and growing, just outside of your belly. This technique isn't usually formed in babies until around 34 weeks. So we first tried a bottle with her when she was 33 weeks....a little early but hey, some babies might get it quicker then others. Nurse Donna (one of our favs) was the nurse that first helped us to try to get Kenley used to the bottle and to see if she had it down yet. Of course, she didn't. At first I would be really nervous about bottle feeding her because as soon as her heart rate dipped her monitor would go off and its a really scary thing to look at a number that should be in the 100s and its in the 50s or 40s. For that first week of trying the bottle with her that monitor went off A LOT! When we first started I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off it. I wanted to be able to see when her heart rate was dipping and rub her back and get her to take a breath. Eventually Jim and I became so used to her that we would be able to be a step ahead of the monitor and know when she needed to take a breath and sit her up or rub her neck before the monitor even had a second thought about going off. Soon I only kept my eyes on her and became so used to her eating rhythm. Usually she would be so hungry that as soon as she wrapped her lips around the nipple she would suck suck suck suck and suck so much that she would forget to take a breath and sometimes it would happen so fast that it would set the monitor off but we eventually got to a point where the monitor would go off only a once or so at the beginning and then never again during the rest of her feeding.
She still had her feeding tube in because they would do one feeding through the tube, another feeding through the bottle. She was still getting formula for extra calories and they made it so her tube feedings were the formula and bottle feedings were milk. She did NOT like the formula. If they tried to give her formula through the bottle, her monitor would go off again and again and again. But at the same time we knew a time would come when the tube would be out and she would have to take formula from the bottle. I was not looking forward to that day. But surprisingly she actually got used to the formula and when we brought her home she had no problem drinking it.
I remember this part well. We came to see Kenley one last time on a Saturday night and we arrived to a baby with NO tube in her nose! Huge thing for us because we had not seen Kenley's face without something on it since the day she was born. Her nurse had informed us that it had fallen out and instead of trying to put it back in, she was just going to keep it out and see how she did with her feedings. By this time she was doing pretty much every feeding by mouth and didn't need the tube as much anymore anyways. So when we came in Sunday, still no tube and when I came in on that Monday morning, still no tube! So we were finally headed in the right direction. As long as she kept gaining weight and kept the tube out of her nose she would be going home soon!!!
It was time for her afternoon feeding and the nurse gave me her bottle and left us alone. Well lets just say that feeding was less than productive. For whatever reason she was not having it. She did not want to finish her bottle. At this time Kenley had a certain amount she had to eat and in a certain amount of time. As long as she did what she was supposed to the tube stayed out. Well the nurse came back in and checked on us and saw that she hadn't finised her bottle and it looked like she needed to put her tube back in. I was DEVASTATED!!!! Not only was her tube going back in but I WAS THE ONE that pretty much made it have to go back in. I stood by Kenley's head while she did it and watched. Usually Jim was the one to stay in the room whenever they drew blood or did anything to make her unhappy but he wasn't there that day so I had to stay. To watch that tube go up her nose and watch her squirm and twist made me want to die. I felt so incredibly bad for her. I cried the whole time, though I somehow kept it from the nurse and kept crying while I got her back out of her crib and settled on me for a nap. The nurse left us again and I was crying my eyes out. Jim called me on my phone and right when I picked up to talk to him my mom and dad came walking through the door. And stopped dead in their tracks. I told Jim I would call him back and told mom and dad what had happened. I had a hard time getting it out while crying but they walked in and instantly thought something was wrong with her. I started out that she was fine, but then explained about the tube. I remember saying I felt like she was never getting out of that place. We had taken three steps forward and two steps back. The rest of that week was focused on her feeds and trying to get her out of the hospital. I remember nurses stopping by our room and saying "She hasn't gone home yet?" b/c she was doing so well.
The tube came back out and I walked in Friday morning to see Donna as her nurse! Yay!!! Donna tells me its time to get the ball rolling, she is working on getting her out of here. She scheduled her hearing test and wanted to do her carseat test. I think if we had had any other nurse that day, Kenley would have been in the hospital a few days past the day she came home. She was so proactive and thats what we needed right then. She passed her carseat test with flying colors and her hearing test. Now we just waited for the news from the doc about what day she was headed home. My birthday was that Sunday and we talked to her doc that day and he told us that if we were comfortable with it, then Tuesday would be the day. We could always wait an extra day and she could come home on Wednesday...uuummm, no thanks, Tuesday is GREAT!!! That was the best birthday present I could have EVER received. The only downside was she was coming home on a monitor. Even though her doc informed us that sending her home on a monitor was little bit of overkill because the only time her heart rate dipped was at the beginning of feeds and Jim and I knew her well enough to know when she needed to take a breath and what to do. But he said he would rather be safe then sorry. She only needed to wear it while she ate and at night. That monday they showed up with the monitor and gave me a tutorial on how to use it. I was just hoping I would be able to remember it all to explain to Jim. And I did!
Yay!!! She's coming home! It is Monday, April 26th...57 days in the NICU...Coming home on Tuesday, April 27th for a grand total of 58 days in the New Hanover Regional Hospital NICU...just two days shy of being there for 2 months. The day she comes home needs its own post!!!
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