Kangaroo Care

Today they are upping Jacob's calorie count from 90 to 104!!! Baby steps!!! He seems to be responding well to his breastmilk feedings and it appears his digestive system is having no issues so they have decided to up his calories and continue with the 1cc a day feedings 7 times a day.

I was able to hold Jacob for the first time yesterday and for once felt like there was something I could do for my child. I have felt so helpless since last Sunday when I went into pre-term labor and have spent many days crying because I haven't been able to do anything to help him.

These sessions, called Kangaroo Care, are designed to keep him warm while I am holding him against my bare chest and help regulate his breathing and heart rate. They lie him on me covered with a fleece blanket, a heat pack and another blanket on top of that. They also shined a heat lamp on me, but he was actually a little too warm so they shut the light off for the last half of the session. He seemed very comfortable.

When they took him out of the isolette, his heart rate was around 170 which is abnormal for him. When I was pregnant and even after he was born his normal heart rate was somewhere around 140. His heart rate tends to go up when he gets stressed out and having his diaper changed is one of those moments! When they took him out of the isolette and put him on my chest he immediately settled down to a heart rate between 138-145, more in his normal range.

You can tell that these sessions really help and I feel like he is calmer when he lies with me. He lounges in his isolette and always appears comfortable, but is continuously readjusting himself, especially his legs. When he is on me, he doesn't move for the entire hour and a half and even periodically opens his eyes and looks up at me. I know he can't see anything, but I know he feels better lying with me!

Ian was able to have his turn holding him today so now we have both been able to hold him!