This weeks update

After speaking to one of our CF nurses earlier in the week I decided to take Nash over to South Calgary Health Centre to have him weighed. On Wednesdays they have a drop-in program where you can weigh the babies and ask the nurses any questions you may have. I know that from our last visit to CF clinic that his weight has really slowed down, an average of only 8 grams/day. While I try to look at the big picture and realize it would slow down eventually, it's still hard not to stress about it. Our nurse assured me that he is doing great but for my own peace of mind I went to weigh him. Not much change:( According to their scales he is just over 14 pounds. His weight and length are both between the 10th and 25th percentile. Again, could be worse, could be better. P.J. has informed me that I am no longer allowed to weigh him unless we are at CF clinic.

On his way to get weighed

So taking the advice of our dietician I decided to try adding powdered formula to breastmilk once a day to make his calorie intake higher. The recipe to make higher calorie breastmilk simply calls for 1 teaspoon of powdered formula to 100 mls of milk. (You don't actually make the formula, just put the powder directly into the milk) So I'll be curious to see over the next two weeks, which is when we go to clinic again, if this makes much of a difference or not. 

Other than that this week has been all about rolling and learning to sleep unswaddled! Nash is rolling up a storm and even attempting to crawl. It's a pretty pitiful attempt, but an attempt none-the-less. The rolling lead to me realize it was time to lose the swaddle at night. On Tuesday night he was starting to roll over in his crib and I was afraid that if he rolled over in the middle of the night swaddled he wouldn't be able to move. When I mentioned that he was still swaddled to the nurse at the Wednesday drop-in she looked annoyed. Not so much annoyed at me, but at the fact I hadn't been advised not to do so past six weeks.

So Wednesday night we tried our first night unswaddled and I decided to go cold turkey. We already had his legs unswaddled, and one night with one arm out, so I figured just rip the bandaid off and go fully unswaddled and it wasn't so bad. He started off by half babbling/half crying. We had his "Sleep Sheep" going full blast and he had his "lovey" (little blanket/stuffed animal thingy) draped over his face and he was almost flipped onto his belly. Quite the sight! Then I lean over to look at him and take his "lovey" off his face and he looks up at me wide-eyed and smiling. I thought I was in for a long night. He finally drifted off and then woke a few other times throughout the night. He even turned on his aquarium at one point in the middle of the night and watched it until he fell back asleep. I did cave and bring him into our bed for a couple of hours but honestly, it went better than I expected. By night two, all is well. Turns out he is a side-sleeper and just loves to pull things up over his face. Sorry, these pictures are a bit grainy as they are from my cell. Hopefully he continues to sleep well and then eventually I'll be ready to move him into his own room!

Night one of being unswaddled