A Big Boy Bed

Dylan is now three weeks old (34 weeks gestation) and has been moved to a big boy crib!  This means that the doctor believes Dylan is old enough and big enough to maintain his old body temperature. The isolette was helping to keep warm until now. It also means that is it much easier to take Dylan out and put him back into bed Before I had to open the doors of the isolette and try not to bump his head on the top or sides of the isolate. Now I just have lift him out like any other normal crib - although you still have to be careful with all of the wires.

I've also successfully bathed Dylan twice on my own. Bathing a preemie is differently than bathing a full term baby. They lose heat really fast so the baths have to be really quick and you have to be careful not to get the feeding tube in the soapy water and the other cords that are stuck on him. When he was still in the isolate it also made drying and dressing him a lot harder because you only have a limited space to stick you hand in and you can only lift him so high to get the towels and clothes under him. I haven't bathed him since he's been moved to a crib, but I know that will make things much easier.

Dylan is also big enough to attempt nursing. He still can't coordinate the sucking swallowing and breathing part all that well and has had spells (where he chokes on the milk and stops breathing) every time I've tried to nurse him, but the doctors and nurses say he's still pretty young and in about a week or so he should be able to do it. This also means I am spending a lot more time at the hospital. He eats every three hours so I try to be there for as many feedings as I can so we can both practice.