Feeder Grower

This weekend Maggie is being weaned off of her isolette and the nurses report that she most likely will be in a crib by Monday. She needs to be able to maintain her temperature today with the isolette set to room temperature. Of course, she is bundled up in a onesie, footie jammies, blankies and a hat. The nurses regularly check Maggie's temperature to make sure she's not too hot or cold. Maintaining temperature is one of the four things she must be able to do before coming home.

Maggie continues to make great progress nursing. She has successfully taken 4 ml at each feeding this weekend. The nurses determine this by weighing her before and after her feeding. Today I will start going to the hospital twice a day to nurse with Maggie. Jeff and I hope to have figured out a good schedule that allows him to return to more regular office hours, but also allows time for him to visit Maggie at the hospital. It's a lot to coordinate, especially with Cece at home.

All in all, Maggie continues to do just great. She just needs to keep growing! In fact, this next stage will be considered "feeder grower" stage. On Saturday, the nurse reported that Maggie gained an entire ounce since Friday. So, she is definitely growing. The nurses add a fortifier to the breastmilk she recieves through her feeding tube. This fortifier helps her bones grow and provides extra calories without adding volume.

We always get the question - "When will Maggie go home?" The doctors/nurses say to plan on her coming home close to her due date (Nov. 29), but she could come home earlier. It all depends on her progress. I'm optimistic that she's going to come home early to mid-November.