Six Days Old! Foster had a great day yesterday. He started processing his feedings which will now be increased to 5ccs from 3ccs (every 4 hours), he gained 10 grams, and he is doing great off the CPAP for 3 hour stretches. Since he started processing food, it is less likely he will need a central IV line that threads from a peripheral vein into a larger vessel by his heart. His progress over the next couple of days will determine if he needs the central line for more IV nutrition. He has developed a strong suck and is enjoying his pacifier...the first step before a bottle, then breast. He'll have to learn how to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time. Right now he's at least got the sucking and breathing down.

Chris has been getting some work done between visits to the hospital and I am going back to work on Monday, in order to spend as much time as possible with Foster when he finally gets discharged. Luckily, both of our schedules are flexible enough to accomodate for our NICU visits during the workday.

Thanks for the comments and well wishes...your support and encouragement keeps us going everyday!