Gaining Weight

I'm happy to share the news that Ethan is now on his way to being a chunky baby! He's back up to 3.1 lbs now, and the nurse tonight gave him 27 oz. of milk for dinner. As he gains weight, they'll be able to feed him even more. He's consistently keeping his food down, so we're thrilled with that. We get to hold him for about an hour twice a day, so Katie holds him during the day shift and I go back up at night for a little while. Today and yesterday, the nurse had Katie place Ethan in the nursing position and let him "nuzzle" for a while. He seems to like "them" just fine, we're looking forward to when he's developmentally ready for nursing. The concern at this point is that his brain can't coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing all at once.

Another thing that is an issue with premature babies is bradycardia. Ethan has had a few episodes here or there, but he's on a caffeine treatment for that. Overall, he's a happy little baby, with a small feisty streak. We're so proud of him, and we cant wait to bring him home!



As a followup from my post on Sunday, Doctor Alexander said that his brain ultrasound came back showing nothing for concern. Praise God! We'll still need to see how his tests for hearing and sight go over the next few weeks, but so far so good!Not much more to add at this point, so I'll sign off for now. Thanks for your continued prayers for our family!
- Ken