Growing like a weed!

Max is 6 weeks old now and growing like a weed. He weighs 6 lb 6.5 oz. While things have settled down since his first week home, we're still a little overwhelmed. Who knew that such a tiny thing could wreck such havoc?! He sleeps 3-4 hours at a time at night, which mommy and daddy love, and he is much more alert during the day and loves tummy time with Daddy. He is generally a good baby but lets you know when it is time to eat. He gets his patience from Mommy (or lack thereof) and screams until he gets the food in his mouth. We're waiting for the day that he realizes that we will definitely be giving him his food as soon as possible. We're still working on breastfeeding and hope that Max will get the hang of it eventually but for now he's getting fed via a bottle and gets 2 formula feedings a day and the rest breast milk.

Max has an umbilical hernia - basically an opening in the abdomen that did not heal and a loop of intestines have moved into the opening. This should heal on its own before he turns 2. For now, it just looks like he has a large outie belly button. He also has a hematoma or "strawberry" on his left arm - a collection of blood vessels in the skin that shows up as a raised red mark. This too will heal on its own, probably by the time he is 2 also.

Max has had lots of visitors. Everyone just loves him and he's quickly getting spoiled. Tutu (Hawaiian for grandmother), Marcy's mom, spent almost 3 weeks with us and was a big help. Meme and Papa (Marcy's dad and stepmother), Nanny (Roger's mom) and all his aunts, uncles and cousins have all showered him with love. They were also very helpful to mommy and daddy, making lots of meals for them when Max was in the hospital and then after he came home.

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.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We certainly did. The baby even received a few presents....oh boy, spoiled already. Our baby shower is this weekend so I'm sure he/she will be even more spoiled. We went to the doctors last week and all is good. Baby and Marcy gained another 4 lbs - 23 in total. Roger says she waddles now. So far the pregnancy is going great. Marcy feels a little uncomfortable but not too bad. She's able to sleep pretty good....except for the every 2 hour bathroom break. I guess this is one way to prepare for baby's middle of the night feedings. Maybe she should start waking Roger up so he can prepare too?? We go back to the doctors on 1/6 for another ultrasound so we'll post the latest and greatest picture then.

All Decked Out...

We went to KPMG's annual Holiday party this weekend. Unfortunately, the picture of both Roger and Marcy came out too blurry but here is a picture of Marcy all decked out at the party. Can't believe that we're 6 weeks away from our due date......Oh boy!! Marcy is still feeling pretty good but swelling more and getting tired easily. She has a doctors appointment this week and will post more after that.