5 months, and a little struggling.

Well, the boys are already 5 months old.  We've had a lot going on this past month.  The boys got their first shots to help protect against RSV.  Since they are preemies, they are very susceptible and can have a more serious case compared to your normal baby.  In a few weeks we will go to our first developmental therapy appointment since the NICU.  We're curious to see what they have to say.  They appear to be trending on track, with being behind in just a few areas.

Leyton's reflux has for the most part vanished.  He's talking and smiling a lot, and even a little laughter here and there.  He is trying to sit up already!  He can do pretty good with a little help.  He absolutely hates tummy time, but still can't figure out how to roll over.  Whatever, kid.  He has turned in to a thumb sucker, and is obsessed with putting his hands in his mouth.  He's starting to drool a lot too, so I think he will be teething soon.  Great.  He's started a little rice cereal, but usually smiles and coos at me while I try to feed him, and is not terribly interested with it yet.  

Parker has had some difficulty eating for about 5 weeks now.  He had a barium swallow study done a few weeks ago, and they said thickening his bottles is what he needs in order to keep the liquid going down the right pipe.  He's now on formula because he wasn't tolerating the breast milk very well.  I would have had to go through my diet, one thing at a time for a week at a time to figure out what it was.  I don't have the time or energy for that.  So back to the eating problem.  He sometimes throws a fit when you try to stick the bottle in his mouth.  I took him to a feeding therapist, and that freaked him out even more and caused a few day set back.  He's been going to the pediatrician about once a week so we can monitor his growth.  He's been hardly gaining, and losing weight at times.  After talking with my sister in law yesterday who was standing next to a neonatologist at work, we decided he has some kind of oral aversion, and need to get him in to a gastroenterologist as soon as possible.  She said if we feel we need to, we should have him admitted to the hospital as failure to thrive.  If he continues this downward trend on his feeds, I'm taking him.  It is so hard as a mother to sit here and watch your child try to eat, physically incapable of doing so, and seeing the fear in his eyes as I force him to eat.  He currently weighs only 11lbs 11oz; my friend has a 2 month old who weighs more than him.  The pediatrician has me concentrating his formula, and adding a calorie powder to get him to take in what he needs.  Based on his weight, he needs 430 calories a day.  That equates to a little more than 14oz of his concentrated, thickened formula alone.  If we can get him to take this, the additional 100 calories from the calorie powder will help him to grow.  He's eating about 8-12oz a day.  On a very good day, he will get to the 14oz.  I just really hope we can get this figured out soon.  We don't want him hating to eat too much longer, because that could cause a long term problem.  I just feel like he has had to fight for his life since he was conceived, and it's not fair to him.  Thank God he is in great spirits when you are not trying to feed him.  Hoping we can get this figured out SOON!!!

Here is their 5 month old picture, all dressed up in their Halloween costumes