Homecoming

Alex was released from Children's Hospital, Thursday August 9, 2007, on a 'whiff' of oxygen. He was breathing fine without it, but we had to go over one particularly high mountain pass to get home and I was worried about him. Thankfully the drive home was mostly uneventful.

We stopped once to grab something to eat and give him a bottle, and once again a little over an hour from home. I have a vague recollection of contacting the Dr on call at the Pediatric Clinic, but I can't remember why. Mustn't have been a big deal, with no need for follow up! I guess I was just super worried about my little guy.

Brynn was very excited to see his little brother ... or was it the fact that I was home? Alex was in the NICU for 16 days, and I had seen Brynn for only 2 of those days.



The following morning we had a Dr's appointment for Alex, where they checked his oxygen levels. Once again he was breathing so well that he was removed from the oxygen. Before we took him in, we got this first picture of the little guy on his changing table! He is so tiny. It's easy to forget how little he was.

The whole time he was in the hospital I was giving him bottles of pumped milk. I had the option to try and nurse him, but was told that tended to take longer for NICU babies to learn, so decided to wait until we got home. The Dr's office weighed him that Friday, and told me to nurse him as much as possible over the weekend, giving him maybe one bottle on Saturday and none on Sunday, then go back in for a weight check on Monday. If he'd gained weight, I could switch to nursing only.

The squirt took to it like a duck to water, so I was able to stop pumping. I see this as a huge blessing: I'm not sure how long pumping would have lasted amidst the chaos of home. Alex was still pretty scrawny so he had to have a calorie adder once a day in a small bottle, but I had so much saved up, and sent home from the hospital with us, that I don't know that I ever pumped again! I truly detested doing it but will forever be grateful that I did.

Here are a few of the highlights of our first few days at home:

Getting a bottle from my mum, with Brynn's help

With Rosa

Ready for our first family walk