2nd Ped Appt

Well, Talon had his second doctor appointment today. Actually, this was the appointment for his circumcision and a weight check. Our big boy is up to 5 pounds today!! Yay!! The doctor was very pleased and said we can do just one more weight check on Thursday when he has his circumcision checked, but then he doesn't need to come back until 2 months because he's gaining weight so well.

The circumcision went fine too. He had a topical anesthetic, but they said most babies still cry from being strapped down. However, the doc said Talon didn't cry a single tear the entire time. They were so impressed with him today! (Too bad they can't be home tomorrow with us when the anesthesia wears off! =) So far, he's doing very well, sleeping quite a bit since we got home, but he did have a long afternoon.

1st pediatrician appt

Talon's 1st doctor appointment went well today. He weighed 4 lbs 10 oz and measured 16-1/2 inches. (His birth measurements were 3 lbs 14 oz & 15-1/4".) So, he's growing very well, and the doctor was pleased. Otherwise, the rest of his exam was very good too. He didn't much care for getting naked for them, but he did well.

We go back next week for another weight check and also his circumcision.

Coming home ?

The word today is that Talon continues to do well and may be allowed to come home tomorrow (Tuesday) as long as everything continues to go well over the next 24 hours! We'll keep you posted.

Feeding tube be gone

I guess I should have waited to send that last update. We have more good news from our visit at the hospital today.

Apparently, Talon started taking all his feeds vigorously for the nurse today, and they decided they could take out his feeding tube. When we arrived for his 11 a.m. feeding, we were absolutely amazed at how he took his feed like a champ - less than 5 minutes. We were so proud of him! The nurse told us that that's usually how it works - that babies will seem to be just plugging along and then all of a sudden over a couple days they make leaps and bounds like a light bulb went off for them and they figured out what they're supposed to do. She also said that if he continues to do so great, he may very well be discharged home tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday. We are very surprised, but very excited too. (We're also a bit frantic because we don't have his car seat bought yet, pacifiers, or anything like that -- that'll teach us! =)

We'll keep you posted!

Out of Incubator

We have very good news on Talon this week. On Saturday when we went to the hospital for our morning visit, Talon had just graduated out of his incubator and into a regular crib. The nurse practitioner was confident he would do well, and so far he has! Of course, he's still all bundled up in a hat and blankets to help him maintain his body temperature, but he's doing great so far.

He still has his feeding tube, and they're using that a couple times a day yet to help him rest for a few feeds, but he's also been breast-feeding pretty good for most feedings that I'm there. The only time he's sluggish is when he's sleepy, but he's often hungry now by the time I get there so that is a good sign his appetite is growing. He's also doing very well with his weight gain and is now up to 4 lbs 2 oz Just this past week, he was still a bit under birth weight at 3 lbs 13 oz, so he has done well with his weight gain.

So that's our news this week. We'll keep you posted.

Feeding update

Talon didn't do as well today on the breast, and the nurse said his last several feedings have been a huge struggle. Essentially, he seems to be expending too much energy and work for his feedings, and they are contemplating a feeding tube. It isn't entirely a worst-thing-ever kind of deal. They warned us from the beginning that once his feedings became significant he may have trouble having the energy to get through them. Terry and I already felt the past several days that they were pushing him way too hard on his feedings since they pulled the IV and were hoping not to have to restart it. He has barely woke-up to feed the last few days which essentially tells us that every ounce of energy the poor little guy can muster goes to feedings. So, the plan is to still let him bottle and breast-feed to his content, then tube-feed the rest to him so that he can conserve his energy. The nurse practitioner told me today that they will keep the feeding tube in until he can easily nipple feed all his meals without so much effort. In the meantime, he will be getting all he needs nutritionally to continue to grow and gain weight - just with a little less effort expended on his part. So that's our latest news on Talon.

Feeding update

Talon did another amazing thing yesterday. The doc said he was feeding well enough and was aggressive enough with his feedings that we could try actual breast-feeding if we wanted to. (Up to this point, he had just been getting breast milk in a bottle from what I was pumping.) So, last night, Terry and I went up there with the intention to give it a try. The little shit latched on and started sucking on his first try. We were SOOOO proud of him! I was just amazed because I didn't really have a clue what I was doing (our classes weren't even scheduled until next week), but the nurse helped us position him, and he just latched right on like a pro. Even the nurse was impressed. So, today we're going to go back and try again.

Word of Thanks

Hi Everyone ~

Just wanted to take a few minutes to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for us and our little baby this past week. Your thoughts and prayers were obviously quite helpful as the baby and I are both doing very good.

For those of you who don't know, I was admitted to the hospital a week ago Friday (June 30) for toxemia. Apparently I got quite sick through the weekend and the doctor wanted to deliver the baby the following Monday. Luckily, we had a very knowledgeable and proactive doctor who had already started preparing for a possible early delivery by giving us steroids to help the baby's lungs prepare for early delivery.

On Monday, July 3rd, at 10:06 a.m., we delivered our beautiful baby boy via C-section. He weighed 3 lbs 14 oz and was 15-1/4 inches long. He is a perfect little boy, just really small. He was born at 33 weeks (7 weeks early), and his name is Talon William Lamb. He continues to grow and thrive every day. Of course, he is just the cutest thing ever! He never needed any oxygen which is amazing and only started out with an IV to help with his nutrition while his feedings have been very slowly increased. He is in an incubator to help maintain his body temperature (he doesn't have much body fat yet), and he had just a few days of light therapy for jaundice. His IV was discontinued yesterday already at 5 days old, and as long as he continues to do well with progressing his feedings, he will not need to go back on IV nutrition.

I was discharged from the hospital on Friday, July 7, and I am doing very well. The doctor still has me on blood pressure medication from the toxemia, but my lab numbers are all returning to normal, and I am doing very good.

Talon will be staying at the hospital himself for a few more weeks. He is progressing every day, so we hope it won't be too long. Essentially what the doctors are looking for is for him to continue to increase his feedings and to show good growth before he can come home. He still has some hurdles to get through, but we are very confident in our doctors and nurses as they have taken very good care of us so far.

So, that's how things are going here. Sorry we couldn't get updates out sooner, but we will definitely keep you posted. I will also send out some pictures in a separate e-mail. Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers. It has meant a lot to us.

Love,
Tanya, Terry, & Talon