October 4 (Day 19) - What a ride :)

Julia pulled some good numbers today.  Somewhere around a 36, 32, and even a 50! (I think, but am not sure). However, today has been ... a ride.

This morning Parker and I dropped Oliver off at preschool, while Sara took Donna to see Julia before she left.  Oliver did great during dropoff and Parker and I returned home to wait for Sara and Donna to come back so that I could head to work. I received a call from Sara while at work.  She said the doctor came to talk to her and said she would like to see Sara taking every opportunity to breastfeed Julia.  She told her she cannot sleep next to Julia, but may be able to sleep for a few hours in the family lounge.  She could not sleep in the family lounge all night though.  Needless to say this is a huge responsibility that is unfortunately all placed on Sara... So we talked and she was going to try to feed Julia all of her feedings from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm for the next few days.  We didn't think that nighttime feedings would work well since I would be home with the boys alone and it would have her walking the streets late at night between here and the hospital (since she would have to go through the ER entrance late at night).  Everything seemed crazy, but doable. Donna left after the 2:00 feeding. I left work to see Julia for a little while and then came home to watch the boys so Sara could go up for the 5:00 pm feeding.  The boys and I walked Sara to the hospital and then played in "the maze" as Oliver calls it.  Its a labyrinth of bricks in the park that the boys like to run around on. Sara came back and we ate supper.  Right before the 8:00 feeding the phone rang...

A nurse called said that the "Rooming out" room was available and Sara could stay with Julia tonight.  The rooming out room is typically reserved for babies that are ready for discharge and it gives parents a chance to take care of their baby while still being in the NICU.  Its essentially a small hotel room with a bed, TV (no remote as Sara told me), and a bathroom. She said okay - so tonight it will be used by Sara to take care of Julia.  We very frantically packed a bag for her (clothes, makeup, pump parts, NICU name badge, etc) since she needed to be at the hospital within the next few minutes for Julia's feeding (as she has been waking up angry with hunger lately).  So she's at the hospital tonight taking care of Julia and hoping to get a few minutes of sleep between weighing, feeding, weighing again, pumping, and NG tube feeding every 3 hours (not discounting the times Julia wakes up and wants attention). Sara also cannot feed her on demand as that would mess with the NG tube feeding.  I am at home with the boys trying to get the house prepared for another crazy day while preparing a paper for submission to a journal in the next day or (hopefully not) two.

With that.  Good night and I hope everyone wishes us luck tonight. Although I must admit I have it a little easier this night.

(Sorry there are no pictures, because the camera is at the hospital with Sara :)