Check Up (5 1/2 weeks old)

Cameron had a check up today. He is still eating WONDERFULLY, still gaining an oz a day. He is now up to 6 lbs 4 oz. He is the size of a normal newborn!!! Well... a smaller normal newborn, but still within normal newborn range. : )

He is 19 inches long, arms, legs, muscles, breathing, and everything else looking and developing good.

Here are some of the following changes that are happening with our little guy:

• Adding in more breastfeeding sessions little by little, the last week he's been on 4 breastfeeds & 4 bottles a day, now I can start breastfeeding once more every couple days til.... (drumroll...) I don't have to pump milk anymore! WOO HOO! Cuz seriously... it sucks. LOL
• When he's awake, bringing him downstairs to be with the family more for tummy time, sitting in his bouncy chair. He's growing good and having more energy so whenever he's awake we can start giving him some more stimulation and interaction. Before he would only really be awake for about 20-30 minutes at a time, just enough to eat, so we wanted him to save his energy for eating and growing.
• AND... taking him out of the house a little more!!!! Doc said on nice days we're okay to take him out for a walk or bring him outside while the boys are playing on the grass, or even for a trip to the grocery store. He's still not okay to go places where there will be lots of little kids or lots of people who would want to be touching and holding him (so we wont be taking him to the kid's library activities and church and any big family functions just yet).
• This time we can wait TWO weeks before going in for a weight check with the nurse. And we'll see the doctor in about 3 weeks for his 2 month checkup.

He also has another eye exam next week (he had his 2nd one last week). His first eye exam was at the hospital and I was not there. I went to the one last week, however... I will absolutely under no circumstances be attending the one next week! Blaine has agreed to go to that one (thank heavens... obviously I would have gone if he couldn't... but I am SUPER glad he's going!). It was AWEFUL!!! They have to put this tool in his eye to pry the eyelids open and hold them open and another tool to move the baby's eyeball around so they can get a good look into the pupil!!! The tool they use to hold it open is just HORRIBLE looking! I saw the tools, but had to look away while they were actually checking him. They gave him drops to numb his eyes but he was still screaming because they had to hold him down and I felt literally sick. Ugh, it was SO aweful. I would rather watch them replace his IV and feeding tube a MILLION times than have to watch that eye exam. Thus... I told Blaine I couldn't go to the next one and he agreed to take him next week. I know it's necessary... and I would rather him have these checkups than have his eyes not develop right and end up going blind (yes... a possibility for preemies, but so far they have no immediate concerns for Cameron). I mostly understood it when they explained it to me... but not well enough to explain it to someone else very well. Basically (as far as I understood it) when a baby is born premature their body is so busy putting all its energy into making the major organs (lungs... heart... etc) work and develop (because those are most important obviously as they keep the baby alive) that the eyes fall behind (and eyes aren't fully developed until 40 weeks), and then when the eyes start developing again they're kinda like, "Ooh, better hurry and catch up" and then they grow too fast and they don't grow right and the baby can end up blind. Risks go up if the baby has needed to be on oxygen. Luckily, Cameron really didn't need oxygen for very long, so that's good. So far, his eyes are looking good, everything is developing as it should, but they still aren't fully developed so there is still a chance problems could occur, which is why we're going back in next week. His chances for problems are low at this point, but even a low risk of blindless is enough risk that us and the doctors want it watched carefully of course.

Lots of good news. He's doing awesome and continuing to grow and develop as he should. It's nice to finally be able to feel like we have a baby as part of our family. Having him sleep up in his room all the time is certainly better than the hospital, but we'll enjoy lots more having him be around for and part of our little family's daily activities! : )