Sawyer was discharged from the hospital weighing 5 lbs 7 oz. At her official 2 month checkup 2 weeks following discharge, she weighed 6 lbs 3 oz and at her 3 month check up, she was 7 lbs 12.4 oz! This puts her at an average gain of about an ounce a day! In the NICU, she gained about an ounce every 3 days so I'd say she is thriving! She's still only in the 1% on the adjusted preemie growth chart, but she's staying on "her own curve" so we'll take it. We are sporting newborn size clothing still and newborn diapers, but I have a feeling we'll be switching to those size 1's and 3 month clothing soon :)
Reflux is still a beast, but we've been able to wean the amount of rice cereal in her formula and have been able to start adding a few feeds of thickened breast milk in there. Girl loves to eat though, thank goodness.
Her occupational therapist comes twice a week now to work with her, do an evaluation, and give us homework for the rest of the days. Developmentally, she's a little behind on milestones for her age and unfortunately, despite being 6 weeks early and <3% for weight, she doesn't get a break and is expected to perform on track with other 3 month olds. We're focusing a lot on strength and tone, as well as tracking with her eyes. Our biggest challenge is getting her to tolerate and enjoy tummy time which she needs to do in order to strengthen her neck and arms. She does okay if you modify it with a boppy pillow or have her lay on you, but screams if you put her flat on the ground. Her speech therapist is also going to start coming weekly to work with her on oral-respiratory and motor skill work.
Since we're pretty much on house arrest until RSV and flu season is over, we've just been spending lots of time cuddling...
...and taking naps with dad.
- Lights!---on the ceiling, on your phone, on the play mat. Like a moth to the flame, she is instantly drawn to any sort of light.
- Walks in the BOB stroller
- Car rides---looks around for a little bit then falls asleep
- Snuggles
- Music---pair with lights and she's a happy girl
- Baths
Current DISLIKES:
- Tummy time
This past week we had our first appointment with our pediatric ophthalmologist. Absolutely loved him! Report for Sawyer's eyes: first, he said on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst) he would rate her microphthalmia of the right eye a 2. We'll continue to watch and make sure her orbit (area/bone around the eye) continues to grow, but he doesn't think she'll need prosthetic orbital spacers. Second, her right eye iris coloboma does cause some light sensitivity, so need to go on a hunt for some super cute sunglasses for her to wear. As far as the retinal coloboma (only half of her retina developed), he was optimistic that with her right eye she will be able to see colors, shapes, and potentially very large lettering like on signs or be able to count fingers held up close to her. Regarding both eyes, she's slightly near-sighted. We already knew she would have to wear glasses as "protection" because of the coloboma, but looks like she'll also need them to have a prescription. He said this is actually a blessing because compliance with wearing glasses is much better when you actually need them to see better, rather than just wearing them for protection just in case. Otherwise, he told us to come back when she's about a year old and we'd go from there.
Our application to a Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Dallas was accepted and we will go visit them for a consultation at the end of February. Very excited about this---we've heard nothing but wonderful things about the hospital and I'm looking forward to hearing their opinions.
Our application to a Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Dallas was accepted and we will go visit them for a consultation at the end of February. Very excited about this---we've heard nothing but wonderful things about the hospital and I'm looking forward to hearing their opinions.
I think that about sums it up for this past month, we'll see you again at 4 months!
love,
Team Sawyer
