A Great Day

I had a great day today. Two days I was able to start holding Benjamin. I wasn't able to do kangaroo care with him but I was able to hold him. kangaroo care is when you hold your baby bare chest to bare chest. The nurses put a gown on you and a little privacy screen goes around you so you aren't exposed. Anyway, kangaroo care helps preemies improve faster than expected and it helps preemies with their breathing as well. In the end, kangaroo care with your preemie can also mean less NICU time for your baby. Of course there is an added benefit of holding your baby and bonding. Anyway, I was able to hold start holding Benjamin a few days ago. Even though he was all wrapped up he still cuddled right next to me. We both enjoyed it.

Yesterday I went in to visit the boys and I was told I could help bathe Jacob. I was so excited because Jacob is still on his ventilator and touching him other than putting my hands on him seems impossible. The nurse let me bathe him. She stood right beside me and instructed me on what to do. It was exciting!! He really liked me. As I was washing him he did decide to pee. Of course there was nothing covering him and he sprayed quite a bit. I am still learning all of this with boys. If I would have been standing 2 inches to my left I would have been sprayed. Instead he sprayed the floor. I didn't have to clean that up. :) All of the nurses died laughing because they know these are my first boys. It was kind of a good thing Jacob did that because his bedding needed to be changed after that. That meant I had to hold him for the nurse so she could change his bedding. At first she asked if I wanted to change his bedding or hold him. I picked to hold him, of course! Then the nurse asked me if I had held him yet. I told her I hadn't and so she grabbed the ventilator and I was able to cuddle with him for just a quick minute. He cuddled right up to me and went to sleep. I loved it. It has been three and half weeks since he was born and I was finally able to hold him. I was so excited, even if it was for just a minute. Jacob won't be coming off of his ventilator for a while though, so I won't get to hold him that often. I really pray a lot that he can get better and heal enough so he can graduate from the ventilator to CPAP. Then I can start kangaroo care on him.

Today, I was able to bathe Benjamin. That was fun as well. Since he if off of his ventilator you can hear him cry now. It is the cutest thing you have ever heard. His cry is so small and quiet. I love it. He didn't cry a whole lot though, which shocked me. I figured he would because most babies cry while you bathe them because they get a little cold. He loved it. The little bit of crying he did do was short lived and absolutely adorable. After I bathed him the nurses bundled him up and I was able to do kangaroo care with him. YEA!!! We both enjoyed it. He cuddled right next to me and he went to sleep. I held him for almost and hour and a half. The nurse let me hold him a little longer because he was able to hold his temperature really well. In fact, his temperature was a little on the high side. He is a little heater and that is great he can hold his own temperature. I can go and hold him everyday like that if I want. When I was holding him his breathing was steady and his heart rate was great. He kept sliding around a little bit and he would settle right over my heart when he heard it. I kept moving him so it was easier to hold him and he would scoot back down again. It was funny and after I realized what it was he was looking for I stopped moving him. He was happier after that. I can't wait until Jacob is off of his ventilator so I can do kangaroo care with him as well. I will patiently wait though. I have waited 3 weeks to hold him for just a minute, I can wait a little longer, I am sure.