hi faithful blog readers!!! PRAISE GOD, our son has been fed for 2 days straight and it is an AMAZING feeling. as of today and for the first time ever, jackson will end the day having consumed 30 ounces!!! i cannot tell you how fulfilled my heart is tonight.
(i gotta keep this quick, as i just ran home to blog quickly and get some jammie pants).
i will post more details tomorrow, once we are home, but for now, i wanted to let everyone know what our plan of action is… jackson’s ng tube was placed yesterday morning. as you can see from the pics, it goes in through his nose, down his throat, and into his belly. jackson has two types of feedings going on right now… “pleasure feeds” and “tube feeds.” a pleasure feed consists of us orally feeding jackson using either a soft tipped sipper cup (neon green cup pictured) or an open mouthed cup (pink cup pictured). during a pleasure feed, we basically play with jackson while feeding him. he chews on teething rings for oral stimulation, sucks on his pacifier, and takes sips of formula from various sources. the pleasure feed lasts for 30 minutes. whatever jackson consumes orally is considered a victory, and then the remaining ounces are then given to him as a tube feed. the idea is that jackson begins to associate positive feelings while getting a full belly and eventually learn to enjoy eating again.
as of now, jackson will have his ng tube for 5 weeks, getting fed 6 times a day, with each feeding being spaced 4 hours a part… basically, we are doing a 7-11-3 schedule around the clock, minus the 3 am feeding. this will give jackson 30 ounces a day, which is WONDERFUL!!! with time, we will drop the 11 pm feeding too, upping the amount of ounces per feed to 8, and getting jackson 32 ounces a day with 4 feedings. (i know, it’s a lot of numbers, and i don’t do numbers).
our spirits are HIGH as a kite knowing that our little magoo goes to bed at night with a full belly. that is all that i have wanted for the last 5 months. jackson’s weight has maintained at 15 and a half pounds, only gaining 2 ounces over the last month… but, we have only upward mobility from here my friends!!! in time, i will be proud to change our magoo’s nickname to PORKER.
will post more tomorrow when we are home… enjoy the pics!!! (don’t let the tube scare you, jackson is the same goofy, playful, rollin’, quirky, smiley baby. he has no idea it’s even there. oh and also pictured is the infamous teri, jackson’s feeding therapist who rocks our world).