Big steps forwards, small steps back

Not much time to update, I want to get back to the hospital.

Yesterday they were on the verge of pulling the ng tube.  He had gone from 36% oral feeding to 76% in just a day or two.  And he was waking up starving before his scheduled feeds.  So they were going to put him on ad lib feeding, which would mean pulling the tube. But the over the course of the day and night they had to gavage (feed through the tube) partial feedings several times.  So we are going to go back to the every three hours schedule, with a minimum of 35ml, and me still weighing him before and after nursing.  But if he wakes up between feeds starving, they will still offer him a bottle, because starving the kid is clearly not good.  I think the amount he takes orally depends partially on the nurse on duty, and how much is going on.  I think some nurses are more willing to try, or have more time to try.  Also, breastfeeding wears him out.  So he is going to be nursing and then I think the plan is to gavage the rest, so he isn’t using too many calories just to eat calories.

Yesterday and the day before he got over 20mls per nursing session!  Today he conked out after ten minutes, so I imagine he didn’t get much (we had decided to stop weighing him pre and post, but then decided to start again after I had already fed him this morning).