Yassy’s note:Liam’s first year:Day 63 – Day 67
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Liam in NICU;day 8- day 14“, I wrote Liam came to our family about 3 weeks early (36 weeks and 2 days) and he has spent next 3 weeks in NICU.
He was tiny little baby; 18″ tall, weighing 5 lb 6 oz…
Day 63…..
Since he was born, he was master of moving small hands and chubby legs so fast.
I still remember when my mother in law has seen him flipping the hands so fast that she once said that he looked like an Indian god with 6 arms (Kali).
Day 63, Liam was in the mood of exercising on the floor and I had lots of fun watching his moves.
I got Liam’s exercise tutorial then.
Follow his move.
1. Left arm up,right arm down,right leg up,left leg kick to the right side
2. Right arm up, right leg down, left leg kick to the right side
3. Right arm straight down, left arm down to the 4 o’clock position, right leg stay down, left leg kick to the side a bit higher
4. repeat
I just took picture of his exercise because his foot move was funny and that I saw the monkey toes (curling up his toe although I could not capture his monkey toe part with this picture).
I can do Monkey toes and my father can do that too but my mother cannot do it, my husband cannot do it.
Day 64… Heart doctor visit…
Liam had to go to Heart doctor on Day 64, and he did weigh in.
He was weighing 9 lb 1 oz, and he was 53 cm (about 20″) tall.
He was gaining one ounce per day. Growing like a weed.
Liam did echo (ultrasound on his heart). It seemed that the 2 holes were not closed yet, but doctor strongly thought that those holes are smaller and he would expect them to be closed on its own as he grows more.
The leak in his heat is minor at that point and, he wanted to simply keep an eye on it.
He thought the leak was also not a problem enough to cause Liam to have anything major to live his normal life.
Overall, heart seemed to be not much of worry and, I was relieved.
You can imagine how we felt when we were asked to sit down and talk about issue doctor has found on his heart long time ago. Since heart is major thing and it got me scared but fortunately not as serious as son of Jimmy Kimmel “Billy”.
The doctor did not think of the need to do surgery and that was a good news. Even if he needed one, the surgery itself looked minor and not an open heart surgery.
The location of the heart (center) might need be monitored for the lung,we were told back then, but so far so good.
We came back home being told that we should see the doctor again in 6 months, and after that when he became 3 years old.
After the heart doctor visit, Liam was sleeping soundly..
All the poking might have made him sleepy.However, he took all the milk I gave to him after coming back home. He eats good.
Day 66..
For last 2 days or so, Liam got better at breastfeeding technique, and I saw his chin moving and swallowing more frequently.Then, I started getting hang of it too as day passes by.
Since big bottle/jag of formula we were feeding to Liam alternating with breast milk was gone,I switched him to all breast milk feeding again just like we used to (when supply is low, use formula) since I seemed to produce more milk than before.
Day 65, he was up about every 2 hours or so and I got less sleeping (1 hour or so each in between the feeding) and I found myself feeling very tired and having hard time to keep my eyes open..
I was fortunate then my mother in law was staying with us and helped us to feed him.
I could nap while she was feeding etc.It was a big plus for me.
Day 66 night, me and Liam had rough night.
As you know, I was way too tired and took nap like around 8 pm to 10 pm or so.
When I went to nap, my mother in law fed him.
When I asked her if he was all right (I saw her holding Liam in her arms in the dim light), she said she got good burp out of him, but Liam was straining excessively and she picked him up and he farted a lot.
She thought he had lots of gas in his tummy.
Previous feeding which I did at about 4pm,Liam was fine. No straining, no discomfort look, no nothing.
One thing that alarmed me was that he took 100ml milk of breast milk in 10 min, which I thought was too fast.
It might be too vigorous sucking to feed and air got in his tummy?
And even though he did burp I heard, he might needed more burping out?
Too much crying to the time he was actually fed caused it??
I thought of all the possibilities but I was not sure which one was the cause.
Because of gassy tummy, he could not sleep well and cried, cried every 15 minutes or so even though he was not crossing his leg to strain.I picked him up, rock him,but nothing worked.
So,finally, it came across my mind that we could do tummy massage.
So, I did that on him by laying him on the towel on the floor and some gas came out from rear.And he was feeling better.
If yo udo not know how to do the tummy massage, here is how you do it.
Infant Tummy Massage
Babies digestive system works clock wise motion. Babies’ uncomfortable side tend to be left hand side;12’oclock to 6 o’clock side…
1. Head touch; with your left hand side, cup his head and with right hand give him circle motion touch on his head, to calm him
2. With your right hand, place to the cross your baby ‘s tummy. Slide hands on his tummy to the groin. Repeat with your other hand (like a water wheel),a few times
3. Place your thumbs on the center so your hands come to their side of the body.Then, slide out to the waist, a few times
4. Imagine the clock. With your left hand, gently slide your hand from 7 o’clock to 7 o’clock clock wise (big circle) ,a few times
5. With your right hand, gently give pressure and slide your hand from 12 o’clock to the 6 o’clock clockwise, a few times
6. Alternate 7 o’clock to 7 o’clock motion with 12 o’clock to 6’ oclock motion, a few times
7. With your right hand,write the Japanese Hiragana letter の;From 12 o’clock to 7 o’clock and 7 o’clock to 7 o’clock a few times
8 Hold baby’s ankle and gently bounce to relax his tummy, a few times
9. Hold onto his ankle and take his knee and, very gently push baby’s legs against his belly, hold 5 seconds. Release the leg.
10. Bounce the leg again and repeat. Can do up to 6 times with leg bend motion.
Next feeding came. I tried to let him sit to burp but he did not want to bend, which he sometimes did when he wanted to drink more milk before the burping.
So, I let him drink a bit more and then tried bending him to sit.I do not know which, if he wanted to drink more thus he did not want o bend then or because of gas in the tummy.
He fought with me a bit trying to reclining back, but he did sit and he gave me a big burp.After that, he was able to sit without fighting me back.
That reaction,I had about 1 feeding after the feeding done by my mother in law,which was about 4 am feeding then.
Finally came 7 am or so feeding,. Liam could burp without fighting me back from the first time to sit to burp.
He was drinking milk much more slowly and I took more break to burp; about one sit up to burp at about every 1 oz or in the middle when he slowed down.
At the end, I had him sleep in my arms. So,he was then felt better and slept good for another 4 hours then.
Next feeding after the 7am feeding time,he did fine; no fighting with me to burp and I could have him sleep at the end,and he slept good 3-4 hours which he could not do since 10 pm last night.
So, I was up all night from 10 pm to 7 am that day… Liam did not have a good sleep either.
I slept in next day because of that. I had many thing to learn each day about parenting.
I admire my mother how she raised me and my sister when you yourself actually go through the parenting experience. I thank her every much.
Day 67..
When another feeding time came, he was taking milk slowly,which was good.
However, since he cried when he wiped his mouth and ready to let him sit up, I worried about gas in his tummy again.
But then if the crying starts even before I touch him for sit up to burp,then,I wondered it is his saying of “I want to drink more milk!” rather than “My tummy hurts”.
After a bit more drinking, he did not cry when I wiped his mouth ready to sit up to burp and he sit up without fighting me.I tapped his back to burp but no burp coming.
After the bottle finished (breast milk),I let him sit again and tried to burp him but no burp.
It might be because no air in his tummy especially he was drinking milk slowly. But when you do not hear the burp, I get sort of panic..partly because I am getting used to hear at least one good burp.
Every once in a while,I did not get any burp out of hm but it was rare occasion.
Since I did not hear his burping,I did tummy massage just in case,which simply makes me feel comfortable doing so when you do not hear the burp.
Now,he was comfortably sleeping with his both arms up.
Stay tuned for more stories of Liam.