2 surprises

I walk into his room and my heart skips a beat. There are two nurses hovering over Will's tiny body, busily engaged. But then I see their smiles.

"We have a surprise for you. Notice anything different about boo-boo?" This particular nurse always has fun nicknames for Will.

I do a quick assessment. The first thing I notice is he isn't in his isolette. My baby, my little man, is lying in a crib! He looks soooo good in a real life crib! This is a big step for Will. It means he is able to maintain his own body temperature, which is on the going home checklist.

The next thing I notice is his feeding tube.

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaim. "His feeding tube is coming out his nose!"

The nurse smiles and explains, "We are going to see if he can handle feedings in his stomach. This is the next step to getting him home."

Will has had a feeding tube that enters his mouth, goes past his stomach and into his intestines. He has been taking feeds (my breast milk) this way to help his reflux. Before this tube placement, he would spit up a lot, not be able to handle it then aspirate.  With the food going past his stomach, there's less chance of it coming back up. An NG tube, the one they are placing, goes through his nose to the stomach. This will be a HUGE test for Will.

I rest my hand on his belly as the nurses finish taping the tube to his plump cheek. This is so wonderful! He will be able to nurse so much better without a tube coming out his mouth. And yet, I'm nervous. I want him to succeed so badly. If he can handle food in his stomach, then we can take him off continuous feeds, gradually working him toward scheduled feedings. Once we get to scheduled feeds, he'll be able to nurse more!

Go Will, Go!