I gotta keep this short. I have to pump in another 30 minutes and I have some brown rice on the stove.
Gavin's progress is slow and fluctuates. He was making steady progress during the first week and then the docs discovered his PDA was still open, so they halted his feedings and administered some medicine to close it up. Normally it is a 3 dose procedure but one dose seemed to do the trick so he went back on his feedings.
Initially he lost three ounces, but as his feedings increased he gained six! Way to go Little Mann!
Then yesterday he just wasn't acting like himself. He was very sleepy, had a fever and had several episodes where his heart rate dropped and he had to be stimulated by me or the nurse to get it going again. His breathing is still very fast. The doc had a blood culture done yesterday and there is indeed an infection, but they don't know any specifics yet. This afternoon they did a spinal tap on our little guy. Good thing I was not there to witness this as I am sure his crying would have brought me to my knees. We will know more about how this procedure went after Casey's evening visit tonight. I hope they can pinpoint this infection promptly and get it treated fast. In the meantime he is on some very general antibiotics. They stopped his feedings again yesterday while they figured out what was wrong with him.
He is doing much better today, was more feisty than yesterday and they were able to start him on his feedings again, but he was started at 6 ccs. Before yesterday he was up to 12 ccs. Before his medicine for his heart he was all the way up to 17 ccs! So as you can see it is a slow process, back and forth.
I am having trouble with my milk supply and still trying to find a balance between recovering, working parttime, pumping and hospital visits. The first week I went back to work full time and that was too much. Yesterday I tried working remotely and staying at the hospital all day. That was also too exhausting. So today I slept in and am spending more time at home between visits and trying to work about 10-15 hours remotely per week, it's been difficult to adjust to. I don't want to use all my paid leave before Gavin comes home. Between finances, Gavin in the hospital, and just the physical and mental exhaustion of recovering it is difficult for me not to get stressed, which of course effects my milk supply.
I started taking some herbal supplements today as well as trying some "power pumping" techniques recommended by the lactation consultant. If these don't work then there is a prescription I can try.
No new pics, sorry. He looks just the same, the tubes come and go. I'll post more pictures at a later time. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray that Gavin's infection goes away quickly and that my milk supply increases..and that we find a pot of gold laying around so we can pay for all this and I don't stress out too much about not working full time right now.
5 comments:
Thanks for the update Tiff, we look forward to more pictures later, once things calm down a little. Baby Gavin and family remain in our prayers. I like the nickname by the way "little Mann".
Thanks for the update. We continue to keep you all in our prayers. Hang in there!
{{{Prayers Tiff}}} Thanks for the update too. I hope G's infection goes away quickly, your supply raises and you find money tree! :o)
Hi there - my friend Marie asked me to come over and offer some advice on how to up your supply while pumping. I pump for my son #2 and did so for my first son and was able to donate milk. I also mentor breastfeeding women.
Some things to try to increase your supply:
Fenugreek - you need to take enough so that your urine smells of maple syrup. Only then is your dosage correct.
Mother's Milk Tea
Goat's Rue
Blessed Thistle
It is VERY important you are using a hospital grade pump - I have only read this blog post so I am not sure what kind of pump you are using, but you want to be using a Medela Lactina or Symphony to bring in your supply whilst exclusively pumping.
You should aim to pump every 2 to 3 hours - my recommendation would be every 2 hours.
While you are pumping, make sure you are doing breast compressions and massage - massage and compress all the way downwards starting at your armpits towards the nipple.
Make sure the flange you are using is the correct size for your nipple - if it is too small, your nipple will rub along the side when sucked - this will inhibit the flow of milk.
If all else fails, you can order domperidone on the internet to increase your supply. If you are intersted on where to get this, you can contact me at laura@kyledavidmiller.org
I hope some of these tips help! Best of luck! You are doing a wonderful thing pumping for your baby!!! I hope you are able to get him to breast eventually and that his health continues to improve!
-Laura
Thanks for the updates! I hope his infection goes away soon. But good news on gaining 6 ounces. Woo-hoo!
I realize it's hard but try not to worry. You'll find your pot of gold soon enough :)
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