Kangaroo Care

Today was a pretty uneventful day. Natalie was similar to the day before (which is good). We had tons of visitors and now me and Jimmy are wiped. Some good friends have brought us trays of food and let me tell you, it is very much appreciated. Not having to worry about making dinner or just eating drive-thru junk is a blessing - thank you all!

The main event for today was we had our first session doing "Kangaroo Care".

Kangaroo Care - a method of holding a baby that involves skin-to-skin contact. The baby, who is naked except for a diaper and a piece of cloth covering his or her back (either a receiving blanket or the parent's clothing), is placed in an upright position against a parent's bare chest. This snuggling of the infant inside the pouch of their parent's shirt, much like a kangaroo's pouch, led to the creation of the term "kangaroo care."  This method has been proved to help in both emotional and physical ways for the baby (and the parents).

We will do this for around 1 hour a day from here on out, probably longer as Natalie gets older. The NICU firmly believes in the practice, but waits until the baby is stable enough to begin it.

I do not think I have been as relaxed during this entire experience as I was during my hour holding Natalie to my chest. She seemed to really like it too.

Otherwise, today was pretty uneventful. They raised how much milk they were feeding her, which is good because it means her body is accepting it. She even gained a few grams back to her weight.

Leaving her was extra hard today for me. I guess it just depends on the day, or maybe the fact that I have been able to hold her and be close to her, or maybe I am just rundown and tired, but I am eagerly awaiting morning.

Now we just have to contend with the blizzard we are supposed to be getting over the next couple of days. So, we are packing our bag and hunkering down there, so we do not get stuck home.