Day 45

Maksim weighs 1200 grams today! That is 2 pounds, 10.5 ounces. He is also up to 25 ml of breast milk every three hours. This will continue to increase as it is now calculated based on his weight.

I took a picture of him today trying to escape his incubator. He is getting pretty strong, and he was completely sideways when I got to the hospital for rounds this morning! I'm not sure why he is aways doing this. What a funny kid.


Dr. Anschutz is back on starting today. I had a few questions for him. I started with Maks' bilirubin, which remains slightly elevated. Not much has changed since he started the Actigall. That could mean it is doing nothing, or it is keeping it from being really high. He said he will probably check the level again on Wednesday, then discontinue the Actigall, then recheck levels on Friday to see if they increase without it. Hopefully Maksim's liver can kick into high gear, so he can remain off the Actigall.

I also asked him about the strawberry hemangiomas that Maks has. He has one on his back and a larger one on his neck. The doctor said that over his first 1-3 years of life, these will eventually cut off their own blood supply and go away. He said at this point, they are nothing to be concerned about. If they become a cosmetic concern, there are a few things that can be done dermatologically to reduce their appearance.

I finally started work today. I say "finally," because I have been dreading it quite a while. I absolutely love my job; life is just a bit more complicated and stressful than it was 6 weeks ago. My first day back was definitely crazy. The agencies I review for are quite behind because the girl who was covering for me is newer at the process. Therefore, I have A LOT of catching up to do, and a lot of learning, as there is also a new process that was put into place while I was away. I am very blessed to have an amazing boss who has been so kind to me since Maks was born. I know it will continue to be difficult; I just have to adjust and recognize that this is going to be my new normal. I had just perfected the whole working-mommy-with-toddler thing; now I have to start perfecting the working-mommy-with-toddler-and-a-baby-in-the-NICU thing, just in time to be thrust into bringing the NICU baby home and figuring out everything that goes into that adjustment. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I guess I should just stop thinking and start adjusting! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad