Day 11

Today has been another really good day! Nicholas has been pretty successful at breastfeeding…he’s been able to go 10-15 mins before pooping out and having to be supplemented with the rest of the feeding through his feeding tube in his nose. The doctor has decided he is ready for the additional supplement (called Human Milk Fortifier) to be added to his feedings between the four breastfeeding sessions. This means that he gets a bottle of breastmilk with a supplement that contains additional calories for calcium, phosphorous, iron, and other nutrients that he missed out on getting the last 8 weeks he would have been in the womb. These will help his bones and muscles to form correctly. Bottle feeding will wear him out just like the breastfeeding so it might be a few days of him getting used to this. I spoke with the nurse practitioner today and she said that Nicholas is a “Champion”! Who’d have thought his name would be an true example of who he is so early in his life. Nicholas means Victorious and that he is!! She said that he is doing very well and that he may be moved to an open air crib as early as this week! That would be wonderful and I’m looking forward to him graduating from the isolette into an open air crib where he’ll also get to start wearing clothes. How fun!! And all this means is that we are closer and closer to getting home as Nicholas accomplishes each of these steps. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers!!