Today was Benton's 1 week birthday! Making it to the one week mark is such a milestone in a micro-preemie and we couldn't be prouder of our little fighter. We visited at 11:41am on the anniversary of his birth and sang him a birthday song. We then talked to Benton and I changed another poopy diaper. It's such a funny thing...with preemies every small milestone feels like the biggest in the world. Most parents probably are disgusted at the thought of changing a poopy diaper or at least aren't seriously excited; however, with our little man the fact that he has good diapers with poop is a huge accomplishment as it shows his bowels are moving and the food he is digesting is working its way through the system. Joe was able to feed him by injecting the syringe of milk into his feeding tube and then holding up the tube to let gravity do its work. We are so proud of our little guy as he was starting to get feedings every 4 hours of 1ml milk. Benton is such a feisty guy, he kept putting his hand up to his feeding tube, which is a highly developed move for a guy his age.
Later in the evening, we went back to visit Benton with Joe's parents and heard that his PDA duct had not fully closed and was starting to cause him some problems and they wanted to start another course of the ibuprofen. This is why the NICU is so hard on parents...one second he seems to be exceeding all expectations and in the next it seems that he has taken a step backward. With the reintroduction of the ibuprofen he can no longer be fed milk and has to go back to relying on IV fluids. We read him a bedtime story which he enjoyed and wished him a good night.
It's amazing the love you feel for your little baby and how protective you are right off the bat. It feels as if I am praying for him and thinking about him constantly. Being a parent is already our life's biggest accomplishment and watching him grow is both a privilege and an honor.
Please send your prayers and love to Benton and pray for his PDA duct to fully close.
Later in the evening, we went back to visit Benton with Joe's parents and heard that his PDA duct had not fully closed and was starting to cause him some problems and they wanted to start another course of the ibuprofen. This is why the NICU is so hard on parents...one second he seems to be exceeding all expectations and in the next it seems that he has taken a step backward. With the reintroduction of the ibuprofen he can no longer be fed milk and has to go back to relying on IV fluids. We read him a bedtime story which he enjoyed and wished him a good night.
It's amazing the love you feel for your little baby and how protective you are right off the bat. It feels as if I am praying for him and thinking about him constantly. Being a parent is already our life's biggest accomplishment and watching him grow is both a privilege and an honor.
Please send your prayers and love to Benton and pray for his PDA duct to fully close.
Thanks for sharing all these updates, Marika! Praying for peace and strength for all of you and healing for Benton. Love you!
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