7 weeks old!

Mallani is 7 weeks old today. There have been lots of changes recently. Mallani was moved to the step-down unit over a week ago. It's actually a step-up unit, but they call it step-down. Either way it means she's one step closer to coming home. Her new room is just across the hall from her previous room, but this room has a window. When she originally moved she was in a room that was setup to accommodate triplets. We had lots of room, and it was really nice. A couple of days later they moved a set of twins into the room with Mallani. Later that day Mallani was moved to her own room. It's much smaller, but it's really nice to be able to spend time with her without a bunch of other people around.

Since the big move Mallani has continued to gain weight. She's up to 2 lbs 13 oz. She also had her nasal cannula removed. For those that don't know, a nasal cannula is a device that delivers supplemental oxygen to a person that needs help breathing. So now our little girl is breathing on her own. That means it's time to start bottle feeding. She still has a feeding tube, but the bottle feeding process has begun. Lauren got to try bottle feeding her today. It didn't last long. Shortly after she started sucking her heart rate dropped. That's not unusual. She's still supposed to be in the womb where she would be 34 1/2 gestational weeks.

The bottle feeding process can take time for a preemie to master. Most babies have time to learn to suck and swallow in the womb. Obviously this is something Mallani will have to learn outside of the womb. Mallani loves her pacifier so sucking is not a problem. The problem is sucking and swallowing at the same time. She will learn to do it, but it will take a little time. At this point they try to bottle feed her once every 12 hours. The other feedings go through the feeding tube. Mallani dictates how long the bottle feedings last. It burns calories and energy so they don't push her.

Mallani is actually now eligible to move to the final unit which the nurses call 2K. She probably won't move until she gains a little more weight unless they need the room before that. Hopefully once she gains a little more weight she'll be able to be moved to an open crib. We're still not sure when we will get to bring our sweet little princess home. It all depends on how quickly she gains weight and learns to take the bottle. We're hoping that she will be home by the end of the month. Thanks again for all of the thoughts and prayers!

Jim