lindsays blog

Day 6 – the male nurse

Men just are not as sensitive as women.  Miles had a male nurse today, who was very good at what he did, but was not very sympathetic towards me.  I was able to hold Miles for his 12 oclock feeding and he fell sound asleep against my chest zipped up into my hoodie shirt.  I loved every minute of it and was sad when he had to go back into his incubator.  I told the nurse I was going to grab something to eat and would be back to hold him for his 3 oclock feeding.  The nurse’s philosophy is that these babies need to spend most of thier time sleeping in their isolette because when they sleep is when they heal and we shouldnt be holding him all day.  He didnt want me to hold him for the 3 oclock feeding which really made me upset…. don’t tell a post pardum hormonal woman she cant hold her baby because you don’t believe in it!  So I left the hospital pretty upset, but Miles was sleeping soundly in his isolette.  Mike and I are going back up tonight at 9 to hold him for that feeding which will make me feel better about the day:)

As far as Miles goes, he is still truckin…. still no additional oxygen, although his respiratory rates are still very high.  Everyone there keeps telling me that pneumonia is a very slow healing process and it may be a while before he can get control of his breathing.  It is very sad to see the muscles between his ribs working so hard to pull in breaths.  He is no longer needing the lights because his bilirubin levels have dropped to a safe level.  They will continue to take his bilirubin levels to see if he rebounds at all in which he would have to go back under the lights.  They still are not detecting the heart murmer they heard on the first few days, so lets hope that little hole in his heart is closing on its own.

Miles is so strong already, he keeps trying to pick up his head and look around his isolette when he is on his belly.  And he is showing signs of hunger like opening his mouth and rooting, although they are not letting me try and breastfeed him until he can get the tube feeding down pat and until his respiratory rates come down a bit so he doesnt aspirate the milk.  The lactation consultants there are having me give him a binkie when he is getting the milk into his tummy to simulate sucking while feeling food in his belly.  Most babies fall right asleep after some food in his stomach, but not Miles, he is too curious about what is going on around him.  The nurse left me to hold him while he got his food, and when the nurse came back he commented on how funny it was he was still wide awake looking around on my chest.  I am worried I will have two boys who are too curious about the world to bother with sleep!!!

It will be a better day for me after I see him tonight in an hour with his new night shift nurse.