Baby steps

Natalie is at Horse Camp with her Girl Scout Troop for a week. She has been preoccupied with packing and planning and anticipating. We can't wait to hear about her adventures and what it was like for her to care for a horse. Her cousin, Coral, is with her and they are sharing bunk beds.

We have been visiting Olivia in Special Care Nursery at least twice a day. The babies in this nursery are the 'feeders and growers.' Olivia's time is spent sleeping, getting feedings through her NG tube, being assessed by nurses and doctors, and being held by her family. Yesterday, Larissa and I gave Olivia a bath. We washed her with washcloths. Larissa wanted to put her in 'a little blue baby tub' like we have at home.

Olivia's feedings through her NG tube are increasing in volume every day. This evening, we gave her first bottle feeding! Her nurse gave us tips for keeping Olivia focused, in case she dozed off once she topped off her tummy. Usually, babies are given 30 minutes to finish their feedings, but her nurse felt 20 minutes was a good place to stop for her first one. Olivia was interested and she took 18ml of her 28ml feeding in 20 minutes. The rest of the feeding was put in her NG tube.

Feeding and growing and sleeping and snuggling... little steps closer to home.