6.3

What i have learned from Will is that premature babies are not very little full-term babies.  They need a lot of care.  After Will's weight gain became stagnant we started on a very strict feeding schedule. Every three hours I had to feed him - which is no big deal normally.  Every three hours is pretty typical for a newborn.  However, Will is not able to eat like a newborn.  He has a hard time breastfeeding.  It takes him a while to get a good latch and then once he does latch on he immediately falls to sleep.  After he eats for a few minutes on each side, then I give him a bottle of formula.  Then after he takes the 2 ounces of formula, I pump (I want to breastfeed - so I am pumping to ensure my milk supply doesn't diminish).  Altogether this takes about an hour and half.  Then we turn around in an hour and a half and do it all over again.  The problem is he is not hungry that quickly and the next feeding is even more challenging.

Now, while it may seem like it - I am really not whining.  I am happy to do what I need to do to help him put on weight.  It is very tiring though.

Well, we went back to the pediatrician on Sunday for a weigh in and Will had put on 3 whole ounces. The pediatrician was very happy.  I was thrilled and so thankful.  I have been a little emotional over the last few days.  And when I say "a little emotional" what I really mean is that I have been a sobbing ball of nerves.  Dr. Johnson also told me that I could stop the formula and give him breast milk that I had pumped.  So we use the same schedule, we just breast milk instead of formula. I was really glad to hear this because I want to make sure that he gets all my good antibodies.  The boys are rarely sick (watch, they'll both get sick tonight).   We go in for another weigh in on Wednesday.

After our weigh in we took the boys to Penn Station for lunch.  Finn was a ball of energy.  They were playing country music and Finn danced in his seat the entire time.  I have never seen him so keyed up.  Michael told me that Finn has been doing this with him for the last few weeks.  I found it to be hilarious, annoying, but hilarious.  He would get his head going and then get right up in my face to do this head pulse thing.  My descriptions cannot do it justice.

Sam holding Will after a rousing game of football with Daddy, Pa, Uncle David and Uncle James

Once home we spent the rest of the day feeding Will.  Then that evening around 4:00 we went over to Tommy and Deniece's for a cookout.  The boys went with them to watch the Hendersonville fireworks while Will and I went home and prepared for a long night of eating.