Finally we were able to brave the roads and come in to visit Simon. The snow started on Thursday afternoon and continued all through Friday with only brief moments of pause. Although this storm wassn't as bad as the last one, we still had well over a foot close to the foothills. Unfortunantly, we were not able to come into the hospital to visit yesterday.
Becca had a doctors visit on Thursday afternoon. Thankfully, the tests showed that she only had a low grade infection that caused premature labor. If the infection had been worse, Simon may have contracted it through the bloodstream and would start off his life being very sick instead of just very small. The doctor was confident that we wouldn't have much of an increased risk for future pregnancies which really set us at ease.
When we went back to the hospital this evening, Simon had been moved again. We were hoping that we would be able to stay in our cozy little spot by the window, but since there was more room there, a baby who was in a crib moved there. Our new spot is ok. We aren't surrounded by a lot of other babies, parents and busy nurses, but but it is on the corner, which makes privacy a little harder to obtain.
We are hopeful that Simon is on his way home soon. We still have to finish the nursery and do a few things around the house, but we ARE ready for him emotionally.
A lot has happened in the last few days. Simon has done so well with weight gain that he looks more and more like a full term baby everyday. Becca and I have still been getting in to see him for several hours 2 times a day even with the past snowstorm and Christmas. The news reports show there might be a nother big snowstorm blowing in at the end of this week. Hopefully we'll be able to dig out and see him this weekend, especially since he has started showing interest in breastfeeding.
Yesterday, we finally shoveled our way out of our driveway and made our way to the NICU. We were so excited to be with our little guy that we stayed for 9 hours straight! When we first arrived at the hospital we found out that Simon had been moved yet again. This time, Becca and I were happy with the change. Now Simon is in a private corner near a window and we have plenty of room to stretch out when we visit.
Simon's feedings have gone up to 42 ml every three hours which translates into approx. 3 tablespoons! Because of his age and weight gain, Simon has not been having Bradys or Apneas. He is also down to 25 cc oxygen which puts him just above normal room air. The nurses are very pleased that he is "boring" and lays in his crib all day just gaining weight eating and pooping. He also is very vigorous with his pacifier and is doing well with his "Basics of Breastfeeding 101" class.
Today, we had lunch at the house of someone from church. It was nice to get together with friends even though Becca and I frequently found our minds wandering back to Simon.
