Little Miller Lee was a bit cranky today. His breathing was a tad inconsistant and he had 4 brief episodes of apnea; possibly the result of some distention in his tummy. The nurses tell us that the CPAP breathing apparatus can sometimes cause a little extra air to get trapped in there and it makes him uncomfortable. As a result, they backed off on the feeding today and he showed signs of improvement tonight around 9 pm.

Mom and Dad are determined to practice as much Kangaroo Care as we possibly can with Miller. We've done some research and everything we read convinces us that it is absolutely vital to his overall health and development. Kangaroo Care seeks to provide restored closeness of the newborn with mother and/or father by placing the infant in direct skin-to-skin contact with one of them. This ensures physiological and psychological warmth and bonding. The kangaroo position provides ready access to nourishment. The mother's body responds to the needs of the infant directly, helping regulate temperature more smoothly than an incubator, her milk adjusts to the nutritional and immunological needs of her fragile infant, and the baby sleeps more soundly.

Research support has provided evidence that Kangaroo Care contributes to breastfeeding longer and more frequently; health and survival of premature infants; quiet alertness and deep sleep; less time in incubators; earlier discharge; less crying and distress; fewer illnesses; and fewer readmissions to hospital. There is evidence of better maternal milk supply; increased confidence of mothers; father’s participation and acceptance; and empowerment. ( Wikipedia )

We had a tough call to make tonight. Miller had already had a challenging and uncomfortable day, but we really wanted to proceed with our scheduled Kangaroo Care session. We knew he was a little spent and it was tempting just to let him try to relax and recover. However, we decided to challenge him one more time. It's a bit of a production to get him ready for his mom's chest. There are wires and tubes everywhere and Miller's not a big fan being handled by cold-handed nurses. Finally, we had him situated and mom rocked him for about an hour, singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He did OK. There were a couple of times where his heartrate dropped to the point where it made us nervous and he grunted a little more than normal. We think he was just worn out. Hopefully, he's getting some rest tonight.

Big props to Kimberly. We cooked up her chicken and rice casserole tonight. Now that's what we call comfort food! It was delicious...

Tune in tomorrow for some information about the team our amazing sister Michelle is putting together for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica on May 12th. Team Miller will organize and walk in support of premature children around the world. We'd love to have you.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support.

Love,
Danny and Stephanie