Pump It Up!

Welcome to our new world – pumping! I have learned a whole new vocabulary that one week ago was so foreign to me. Shields, membranes, cc’s…I could go on and on. I’m now pumping every three hours so every time I look at my watch and think, “Hmm, how much longer to I have?”, it seems to be that time. But the good news is, Harper’s close to being on full breast milk and off the formula. And the even better news is that she started bottle feeding yesterday at 4pm. We started on a very low dose of 10 cc’s of breast milk by bottle every four hours and still feeding her 17 ½ cc’s per hour continuously through the feeding tube. She’s taken to the bottle like a champ and loves seeing that little yellow bubble headed her way. She’s done so well that she’s being bumped up to 15 cc’s tomorrow and bringing the tube feeding down to 15 cc’s. We hope this will continue until she can take all bottles - get gone with that tube girl!

We’ve already covered that Jared and I have established the FACT that Harper is a genius and will be Ivy League material. We’ll our little 1600 SAT has now figured out that pacifier just doesn’t quite cut it. She wants the real stuff. She’s even started licking off the sucrose or breast milk that we’ve dipped her paci and then spits it out. Hello??? Who wouldn’t question this child is a genius???

She’s starting to show signs of hunger just before bottle time. Another great sign. Strangely enough, the only thought that keeps coming to mind is “wow, she’s just like a real baby”. And, that folks, would be total and utter exhaustion talking! We are tired and I hope that this routine that we’re developing finally allows for sleep. Peace of mind just doesn’t seem to set in when you’re up every 3 hours. So to you exhaustion, I say, “wow, I’m just like a real mother”.

I want to thank everyone who’s offered to bring us meals over the next weeks. Jared and I came home today and picked at cereal and left over cold rice, just not having the energy to stop and pick something up or make something when we got home. I can’t tell you what a gift this is and how it makes our small amount of time home that much easier. Tonight was one of those nights that I let get to me and have broken down in tears about 5 times for no particular reason. Again, sleep and preganancy hormones - ugh!

And let’s not forget what tomorrow is – Harper’s first birthday! Well, one week old that is. I feel a birthday blog coming on. Or maybe just a picture montage? Either way, I promise to post some more pictures tomorrow of our little champion but for now, I NEED SLEEP!!!

Wishing us all sweet dreams,

Brooke