Counting, counting, counting. Each and every ounce in weight and cc in food intake. For someone who really likes estimates and guesses, this has been a real change of mindset for me!
Yesterday Joey had a swallow study done to make sure his airway was safe while he eats. When vocal folds are weak they can sometimes fail to make that nice clean seal between the esophagus and trachea. The major risk, of course, is that liquid can slip down into the airway. Of course this is no good. Of course this is what we found out has been happening. It was clear from the images during the swallow study that his swallow mechanism works beautifully, which is great news. He can still eat. The bad news is he will have to stick to the bottle.
The Menu: Breastmilk fortified with a teaspoon of formula for the extra Calories, and thickened to a "nectar" consistency.
This was pretty emotional for Mama, who had successfully nursed him just before the test and was looking forward to reintroducing that into our schedule. Really, the laziness aspect of breastfeeding holds a strong appeal. However, this quickly paled in comparison to the excitement that he suddenly started EATING MORE! He is now at his goal for oral feeding!
Last night he had lost a little weight after a day of not eating. (The testing schedule had thrown off his regular eating for the afternoon.) Today he has maintained his weight, but not gained any. For normal babies this is a normal pattern, but for a tiny little post-surgical patient it is a little more crucial. He is eating enough to go home, but he MUST be steadily gaining weight.
Please PLEASE pray that he is ready to come home tomorrow!!! St. Joseph, pray for him!!!
Can they do the study later and see if there are improvements?
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