Pass The Milk

Last night we got a surprise when the doctor said Braden was going to be tested feeding on the bottle! He was giving all the right cues earlier in the day and given his gestational age of almost 33 weeks we prepared to give it a go!

They were certain to remind us to have no expectations as this is a big step that takes preemies time to master since they are swallowing, breathing and sucking all at once. It was so amazing to watch him discover the new tastes in his mouth and watch his eyes look all around at us as if to say, "what is going on here?". He only got down about 5ml out of 30ml, but we were thrilled to have some small progress while also avoiding episodes of him not breathing, which is common when they are learning about the bottle but obviously still scary! We will work him up to full feeds over time trying the bottle once or twice a day as we hope to pack on more pounds to his 3lbs 7oz frame.

We continue to be amazed at his progress as he attempts things he was not meant to do for weeks in a normal situation! The doctors say he is a super star given how sick he was in the beginning and we feel so blessed at all the progress he has made so far. See video for short clip of Braden attempting to eat.