We are going to figure out this feeding thing, I just know it. Today, Melissa brought a different, slow flow nipple to help with our feeding lesson, and Sol seemed to be much more comfortable with it, drinking 5ml of his lunch by mouth. He lost a bit of confidence towards the end of our session with Melissa so his oxygen levels dropped briefly, but overall I’m really pleased as this is the most he’s taken by mouth comfortably. I feel that he’ll only gain confidence with more practice. Fingers crossed.

Sol during his feeding session:

Two hours after our feeding lesson, we had our first meeting with a physical therapist, Donna. She taught me and Mike some infant massage techniques, which will help soothe Sol during the remainder of his NICU stay as well as when he comes home. He relaxed immediately when Donna massaged his back – we are clearly on our way to having one spoiled little man! Afterwards, she sat and observed how Sol moved on his own. Sol impressed her with his bicycle kicks, moving all by himself with no prompts. Donna said that, during an earlier evaluation, she’d noticed his left side moving much more slowly than his right – not today, he was now showing equal strength in both sides. Go Sol!

Other than our two exciting therapy sessions, we had a fairly uneventful day. It’s now been about 36 hours since his last dose of Phenobarbital, but it takes a while to fully leave the body, so we’re just observing how he does over the next couple of days. From the doctors rounds today, it sounds like we’ll start having discussions later next week about getting Sol home. Until then, it’s all about practicing feedings and movements so we can continue to get stronger each day.

Hanging with Mom:

Post-lunch snooze:

Snuggling close:

Mr. Curious: