Zach's first few days at home

It has been a whirlwind past few days since Zach was born on Saturday. Here is a quick update of what has been going on since his birthday. Also, if you want to skip ahead, you can check out some pictures at the following locations:

http://picasaweb.google.com/astebner/ZachSBirthday
http://picasaweb.google.com/astebner/ZachSFirstWeek

Saturday August 1st, 2009

This was Zach's birthday. You can read more about that at http://kimandaaronstebner.blogspot.com/2009/08/say-hello-to-zachary-dean-stebner.html.

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

Kim and Aaron spent the day and night at the hospital as Kim recovered and we learned how to keep Zach fed. Zach weighed 7 pounds even after his first day, down from 7 pounds, 5 ounces at birth. Kim got her IV out and started walking a little bit to work through her recovery from surgery. Some friends came by to visit and meet Zach. Aaron made a trip home to take some stuff that we'd accumulated at the hospital back home and to pick up Zach's going home outfit and car seat. We had a nice packing list for when labor arrived, but never got a chance to actually use it. Dave and his family stopped by and Dave helped Aaron install the car seat. Aaron also took Zach up for a "car seat challenge" - preemies have to spend an hour in the car seat with their oxygen level being monitored to make sure they can handle riding in the car. Zach passed, and Aaron spent an hour getting a little extra sleep. :-)

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Zach weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces after his 2nd day. He was approaching the 10% weight loss threshold where they start working on supplemental feeding plans, but the nurses didn't seem overly worried because he's 4 weeks early and is still learning how to eat, and Kim and Aaron were establishing good teamwork for feeding times. He passed his jaundice test, which was some more good news for the happy parents.

The doctor checked Kim's vitals and sutures and decided that Kim was ready to go home. It seemed a little soon to us since she hadn't yet left the hospital room since the birth until this morning, but we adjusted as best as we could. We got our things arranged, filled out all of the paperwork, got Zach into his going home onesie, packed him into his car seat and headed for home. Grandma and Grandpa Glanzman came over to help ease our transition into parenthood. They cooked us a steak dinner, and Grandma moved in to help out around the house for a few weeks.

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Tuesday was a trying day for Aaron, Kim and Zach. We had a post-partum appointment and Zach was down to about 6 pounds, 9 ounces, which is right at 10% less than his initial weight. They gave us a feeding plan where we make sure he gets at least 30mL (1 ounce) of milk with each feeding. Kim has been pumping and we are able to finger feed him with a syringe. It is a little stressful, but it also gives Aaron a chance to help a little bit with feedings.

They did a jaundice test there too and he registered high this time, so we had to go get a blood test and talk to the pediatrician about that. It turned out to be fine when they checked his blood though so we avoided needing to have photo-therapy or more blood work. It was just so sad having to have his heel pricked for that blood test. He handled it pretty well overall though - he only whimpered a little bit. He's a very brave boy, and very calm most of the time. Let's hope that part continues!

Kim also registered high for blood pressure again, so we went to see the midwives for that and got a prescription for her that will permit her to continue breast feeding. Overall, that one appointment turned into a 4+ hour outing. Yikes! We also scheduled another follow-up for Thursday to re-check Zach's weight and make sure that things are heading in the right direction.

Sleep deprivation kicked into full gear this afternoon and evening, but we worked out a plan to split nap shifts the next day to help both of us catch up a bit. Grandma Glanzman has been a huge help making sure that we keep eating good meals, that Kim takes her medications at the right times, and that we're able to rest a little bit between feedings.

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

We turned a corner today with Zach - he started really eating and expressing his hunger to us today. Before today, we were setting our alarms and feeding him on a set schedule because we couldn't tell that he was hungry. Today, we saw signs of fussiness, lip smacking and rooting when he was ready to eat, and he showed a noticeable increase in appetite. That cheered both Aaron and Kim up, and we were able to take naps on shifts so we could catch up on some of the sleep we've been behind on since the delivery on Saturday morning. We also enjoyed not having to go anywhere for any appointments today. Shanna brought her son Alex over, and Zach had his first play date this afternoon (although technically, he didn't do anything except sleep).

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

We had our follow-up appointment this morning, and Zach weighed in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. So it looks like he's stopped the weight loss and has turned a corner. That has been a huge relief for Kim and Aaron. Zach is continuing to do great with eating, and he goes on binges sometimes where he eats and then is hungry again an hour later instead of waiting the typical 2 to 3 hours. It is a little tough when the feedings are clustered like that, especially at night, but we're not complaining now that he's putting on weight instead of losing it.

To celebrate only having a 1 hour appointment instead of a 4 hour marathon like on Tuesday, we stopped at Starbucks, and Kim had her first regular latte in many months. We had a relaxing afternoon and then Jacqui stopped by to meet Zach, and then the Giffins brought us over a yummy dinner and entertained Zach while we ate.