Gus Goes Wireless! *

We were pleasantly surprised today to hear that Gus had his NG feeding tube removed from his nose and received permission to have the cannula removed - he is now breathing on his own! How exciting to have him make such good progress with eating and breathing that these two aids are no longer necessary.

Here is Gus' whole face - I don't think we had ever seen it without at least one tube or wire since he was born. The doctor still wants him to wear the cannula while he eats just as a precaution and to reduce the stress but it didn't seem to matter if it was in or out while we fed him today.

Gus was also moved to the "eat as much as you feel like" diet. His milk had been measured closely before but he was getting really grumpy about 45 minutes before his next feed. Turns out he was hungry so he is now able to take up to 2 oz (60ml) at each feed. So far he has taken the entire bottle each time in addition to what he is getting during his breast feeding.

Gus has lost a few ounces over the last few days - mostly due to restarting feeds after being on the IV and all the calories burned nursing and eating. He is at 5 lb 3 oz but with the increased feed volume that should begin to creep up soon. If Gus keeps this up he will be home soon, maybe even within a week. Nurse Penny is off over Memorial Day weekend and is concerned that he might go home or be moved to the graduate nursery without her... She requested the orders today that ultimately removed his feeding tube and cannula and increased his bottle feed volume. Again, we can't say enough good things about the people who care for Gus and the other babies at the NICU. Thanks also for your prayers for MH - she is doing great after her second round of eye surgery. Her parents are very encouraged by everyone's support.

Eating it up,
Gregg, Jill and Gus

*OK, not totally wireless - he still has the heart/respiration rates and oxygen saturation monitor wires.