No more sleep

Inauguration day 2009 was a special day in the Tadjbakhsh household.....Not because we have a new president but because Max came home that day. On Monday we were told that Max wasn't ready to come home but on Tuesday morning when Marcy called the hospital to check on how Max did through the night, they told her he was ready to come home. We were surprised and excited and a little...okay a lot...nervous. But we went to the hospital for the last time to pick him up. Even though he had gained some weight, he weighed 4lbs 5.6oz at that point, he looked so small in his big car seat.

The first night at home was very stressful. Not only did Max not sleep at all, mommy and daddy were nervous about everything. When we left the NICU they gave us instructions to feed him at least his minimum amount needed every three hours. We were so aware of every milliliter he ingested and the time that he ate it. It was quite nerve racking. And of course, when he was sleeping, we were watching him sleep. He didn't sleep well because he was so used to the NICU which is noisier and brighter than our house is at night.

Luckily we got an appointment with the pediatrician for Thursday and he put our mind at ease. Max had gained almost 2 more ounces - he weighed 4lbs 7oz. He told us not to worry so much about being so precise regarding feedings. Like everything else, now Max dictates when he wants to eat and how much. Luckily he has been increasing what he takes and for the most part keeps to every 3 hours. We will be seeing the pediatrician once a week for a few weeks because Max is a preemie. The last few nights have been better....We're all getting used to our new routine, or lack thereof. Eat, sleep, change diapers, do laundry, and start all over again.

Max has quite the personality and a set of lungs to go with it. He doesn't like his diaper changed and makes a lot of what sound like piggy noises. He is also very impatient and wants to eat the second he wakes up. He makes lots of faces....most of which look like he is very concerned about something or he is thinking very hard. He's very strong and tries to hold his own pacifier and bottle. He's already Daddy's little boy.

1 Week Old

Max is 1 week old today. Boy, time flies....even when you're not having too much fun! He's still in the NICU but doing great. Feeding tube has been out since Tuesday morning and he's been taking all his bottles on his own. Sometimes he struggles but he manages to drink all 35 ml (a little more than an ounce.) His feedings are alternated between breast milk and formula. The formula is higher in calories and will allow him to gain weight faster. He doesn't have any other IVs or anything else. Just a monitor for his vital signs.

To get out of the NICU he needs to be eating on his own, maintain his body temperature outside of the incubator and with no other problems (e.g., jaundice). He's still in the incubator but they keep turning the temp down and he's maintaining his body temp. As of 8 pm last night, he weighs 3 lbs 14.4 oz.

Marcy is usually at the hospital from 11 am. Roger comes to the hospital after work and we stay until about 9 pm. We change, feed and hold him at 11, 2, 5 and 8. The good thing about him being in the NICU is we're getting one on one training on taking care of him and how to breast feed. The NICU nurses are amazing.

We'll post again soon.

Max David Tadjbakhsh

The week of January 4th was a whirlwind - starting with our baby shower and ending with the arrival of Max David Tadjbakhsh on January 8, 2009 at 10:41 AM. On Tuesday we went to the doctor and had an ultrasound. The u/s showed that the baby wasn't growing as he should have been. So the doctor wanted to induce labor on Thursday. On Wednesday night we went to the hospital to start the process. Overnight Marcy was given Pitocin to start the induction and the baby's heartbeat was monitored overnight. The monitoring showed that his heart rate kept decreasing every once in awhile and stayed low for long periods of time. So the doctor decided that the best thing to do was to perform a c-section.

The surgery started at 10:15 and Max was born at 10:41 AM. He only weighed 3 lbs 14 oz and was 16.5" long. Because of his size and prematurity he was taken to the NICU for treatment. He had to be put on oxygen for a short period and was given IV fluids and antibiotics for the 1st 2 days. He now has a feeding tube to help him eat because he is having a hard time eating the amount he needs to eat to grow big and strong. He's also a little jaundice so he's in the "blue light special" (the light therapy to help him get rid of the excess bilirubin.) He will likely be in the NICU for at least a week - until he can eat on his own, maintain his temperature, and gains weight. Now he weighs 3 lbs 12.8 oz. - he lost two oz, gained one and then lost .2 oz yesterday. Luckily he's able to keep taking breast milk and only be supplemented with 2 formula feedings a day. Of course, until he gets stronger all his meals are through a bottle or the feeding tube.

Marcy is leaving tomorrow, which will be very hard to do - to leave Max here - but it is what he needs to grow. We will be making many trips back to the hospital to keep him company, feed and cuddle with him. We'll keep posting to give everyone updates on Max's progress.

Showered with Presents

We had our baby shower yesterday and it was a lot of fun. As you can see, we got a ton of stuff. We're sure more than the baby really needs but it is fun looking at all the stuff....cute outfits, soft stuffed animals and blankets...who won that contest anyway? Thank you to everyone for the wonderful gifts. We spent time last night going trough it all and oohing and ahhing all over again. If the baby decides that January is to be her birthday month, we'll be prepared now....or at least prepared with material possessions. Mentally prepared is another story.
Check the blog later this week for an update after our doctors appointment on Tuesday.