Tuesday, July 28, 2015

He was born as blue as my jeans

He was born as blue as my jeans and with the cord wrapped around his neck.  The OB said he had black hair before rushing him off to the NICU.  He was in the NICU for 16 days for under-developed lungs-- intubated for 8 of them.  

I wouldn't let them bottle feed him.  He nursed when I was there and he tube-fed when I wasn't.

The day I took him home the doctor tried to convince me that he wouldn't gain weight and it wasn't normal for him to be nursing every 2 hours like he had in his final 24 hours there.  He said he should feed every 3-4 hours.  This neonatologist also said I wouldn't be able to keep up with that frequent of nursing having a 21 month old and a 3 year old at home too.

I lectured him on what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends and then quoted several breastfeeding statistics and recommendations from the World Health Organization.  The nurses watched in stunned silence.  I assured the doc that even if he wanted to nurse every half hour, I would.  If I had any worry about his weight, I knew how to contact the pediatrician.

And then I left.  He thrived.  He was the first of my children to actually be on the growth charts.

As a baby we called him Chubba Bun,  Chubbalicious, or Bun Bun the Great.

I am so grateful Heavenly Father saw fit to let me be his mother.  He is full of kindness, friendship, integrity, and service.

Happy Birthday Bun!