1.21 gigawatt reflux capacitor

Another day another issue. Today, Dane was diagnosed by the speech pathologists in the NICU (based on his symptoms) as having acid reflux. We have noticed that during and after meals he will often arch his back either forward or back and make a really upset face. We were told that when he flexes forward he is pooping but when he arches back he is responding to the reflux. We were told it is fairly common in all newborns, more common in preemies, and something he should grow out of in the weeks/months to come. To help prevent and/or minimize his reflux, we are supposed to hold him as upright as possible (ideally with him standing) for 20-30 minutes after each feeding and we are feeding him with a special bottle. The speech pathologists recommended the Doctor Brown Wide Neck bottle, which better simulates a breast and forces Dane to form a better seal around the bottle's nipple (and this supposedly gets him more used to breast feeding in addition to reducing his reflux.) So one more thing to help him get through, but once again we are relieved that it is a minor thing with hopefully an easy solution.

The doctors said they will continue to monitor for Dane's anemia. They said that they will be increasing his vitamins to "full strength" (1cc /day of polyvisol with iron) to help kick-start his body's production of red blood cells.

On an exciting note, we got Dane's Discharge Packet today. Very cool for us, not because it is an exciting read but rather because it means he'll hopefully be home with us soon. He is still growing (up to 4 pounds, 10 oz today), which is also great to see. Our car seat says it is good for babies between 5 and 22 pounds, so as long as he gains 6 more ounces before discharge he'll fit without a problem. (We are bringing the car seat in to the NICU soon so they can test to see how he fits in it...we will also wrestle with the car seat base to learn how to install it in Larissa's Camry and then go to the Wheaton Police Department to have them confirm that it was done correctly...I'm sure we can figure it out, but we just want to ensure he's as safe as possible!)

Lastly, we bought an outfit tonight for Dane for my graduation. We are planning on him being home by then (~6 weeks away) and want him looking good for the occasion. When the time comes, we'll of course share pictures. :) It was exciting because this was the first outfit for Dane that we actually bought (as opposed to gifts from family/friends and the plastic bin of preemie clothes that the Spencers were awesome enough to lend us). We can see that, if we aren't careful, Dane will be a VERY well dressed kid and we might be broke.