November 8, 2011

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I thought I would be updating my blog more frequently than I have been, but I guess that's how it goes with a two month old.  I'm lucky if I'm showered most days!  Sienna is doing pretty well these days.  About 5 days ago I began fortifying my breast milk twice a day with formula to give her more calories.  My intuition was telling me that she wasn't getting enough to eat.  While I was nursing her all throughout the day,  she would get so relaxed and sleepy that she would always fall asleep after five or ten minutes.  Based on the amount she was consuming at the hospital and how long it took her to eat I just knew she wasn't eating as much.  She also had lost a little bit of weight since coming home, which I know can happen, especially with gastro babies.  Since I am already giving her two bottles a day for her meds I figured I would try supplementing those bottles with formula as well.  Almost immediately Sienna seemed to be sleeping more and a much happier baby in general so I think I'm on to something.  With fortifying those two bottles it adds about 30 calories a day , and she only needs to eat about 300-350 a day at her current weight so it does account for a tenth of her total calories.  She is starting to fill out and put a little bit of weight on. She is having only mild reflux at this point (and it's just like normal baby spit-up) and is rarely throwing up.  So her digestive system seems to be maturing.  When I read some other accounts of other gastro babies who aren't doing as well I feel so fortunate.  She really is a little miracle.

I will try to add some pictures on here as well, unfortunately that involves digging out my camera, uploading pics, and transferring them on.  It doesn't sound like much to do but it is a miracle I even have five minutes to update this blog right now!  Does anyone know if I can upload pics from my phone onto this site?  That would be much easier.  Those of you who are on facebook have seen my (and my mom's) many daily pictures so they are being taken, it's just so much easier to put them on facebook from my phone than to take pics on my camera and put them on my computer.

Sean and I are having Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house this year.  For us it will be much easier to have everyone come to us then to pack up the dogs, Sienna, and all of our stuff (in our Mini Cooper!) and travel.  It should be pretty low key with Sean's mom Lindy, his dad Bill and step-mom Julie, his sister Jazzie and step brother Mike, my parents Bob and Ann, and us.  It's hard to believe it's that time of year already--this year has flown by with my being pregnant, working up to the week before I delivered, the six weeks at Stanford, and the month we've been home with our new baby.  Holy cow, no wonder I'm so tired.