Briony didn't listen to either her Mum or her Dad and has lost weight again - 20g. In an effort to bulk her up her fluid intake has been increased to 160ml/kg (from 150). It seems to be a real struggle to get her to gain weight, but apparently this is what happens with very premature babies as all their effort goes on trying to stay warm and breathing, which they shouldn't be trying to do at this point.
Briony is now the ripe old gestational age of 28 weeks....
She continues to need breathing support and it has had to be increased further to 3.0l/hour, sometimes on air and sometimes with a bit of extra oxygen, especially when she is being handled and having her nappy changed. For this reason we have been asked to handle her as little as possible as she clearly gets upset by it. She's also not allowed out of the incubator until Thursday at the earliest, maybe later depending on how she is.
Briony now has her first dummy, which is something I was dead against until we found ourselves in this position...it's funny how things can change. The dummy will help her develop the suckling reflex whilst they are feeding her, so that she associates suckling with a full tummy. This doesn't develop until the baby is over 30 weeks old, so she needs some extra help.
Towards the end of the week we have been asked to bring some clothes in for her, so she should be able to wear more than just a nappy soon!
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