Bennie Wayne

Kangaroo care

Bennie loves to snuggle with Joe and I! It is so special to spend time with her and she does really well being held. We have also been learning infant massage with the physical therapist and Bennie gets so relaxed. She likes foot massage the best so far. Holding her and giving massage helps her vital signs stabilize and helps with her digestion. It feels really special to be more and more involved in her day and have more tools to support her and show her love.

Food absorption and growth

Bennie is 3lbs! She has been growing well with a combination of iv nutrition (TPN) and breast milk feedings. She is now getting 14 ml (~1/2 oz) of breast every 3 hours. It is still a small amount, but she is getting closer and closer to her goal. So far she has done well with digesting and absorbing small amounts- it is possible she will have more trouble absorbing when we get to higher volumes.

Joe and I have been doing more and more of Bennie’s care each day. We check her temperature, change her diaper, clean her mouth, change her ostomy bags, and help get her comfortable in bed. We have been getting to know her better and are feeling more confident with keeping her calm while we care for her. We are so thankful for the nurses who are teaching us new skills and empowering us to do as much of her care as we can.

Breathing and CPAP

Bennie has been doing a bit better with her breathing. She has been needing a pressure of 7 on the CPAP and was needing more oxygen too. We are happy that her oxygen need is down to room air most of the time. If she keeps doing well they will try out turning her pressure down to 6. Once she is doing well on a pressure of 4, she can get the CPAP off. She has a little ways to go but we are happy with her progress!

Exciting progress

She is 3 lbs!

Bennie is 33 weeks now (just over a month since she was born!)

She is showing more feeding cues – opening her eyes, opening her mouth, sucking on a pacifier and also on breast milk swabs

She had the cover removed from her isolette so she can get more and more used to the light

She is adorable!