Mom Holds Eric

On Thursday Dr. Slagle said that it was time we think about holding Eric. (Of course I have been thinking about this for a while and wondering when Eric and Mom would both be up for it.) Thursday evening nurse Camile decided that we could set me up to hold for about an hour and while she fed him. I called Aaron and he came over to join in the event and took some great pictures.



Because Eric was still on the CPAP the best way to hold him was on a pillow in my lap. Both Eric, Dad, and I enjoyed this very much. Eric seemed so comfortable and opened his eyes and looked up at me in response to my voice. Every little movement and baby noise was amazing.





Yesterday afternoon, the respiratory therapist, Martha, and Dr. Slagle decided it was time to try Eric on "hi-flow nasal canula" for his breathing. This is similar to the CPAP but with a little less pressure. It delivers the same amount of oxygen as the CPAP but it is not as tight of a seal around his face. It looks a lot more comfortable, and he doesn't have to wear that big hat with all the tubes over and around his head. Also, with hi-flow, I can hold Eric on my chest skin to skin. This is called Kangarooing. It is really good for both of us.



Having Eric so close to me feels so good and he snuggled right in. Nurse Lisa put a little (big for Eric) shirt on him to help keep him warm and then covered him with a nice warm blanket. Who wouldn't snuggle in, right?. I bet it is like getting out of hot shower and curling up in a warm robe. Eric did really well with this and kept up well with his breathing.



Eric is a hungry boy. His feedings got bumped up to 15 cc's every 2 hours and he really likes it. His weight is now 1175 grams, about 2 pounds 9 ounces. So if he looks bigger in his pictures that is because he is. One of the nurses, Shannon, told me the other day how " huge" he is. They actually want me to try and find him a shirt that fits.