The Romaezis

Okay, We Have Zantac

And please, oh please let it work!!

I mentioned how sleepless the first night home with Kam was and chalked it up to an adjustment. The second night wasn’t so bad and the third I don’t even want to talk about. We think he has reflux. The nurses in the NICU mentioned the possibility of reflux but it was nothing severe enough for them to do anything about. Well, they don’t have to take care of the kid 24/7. I figured they know what they’re talking about but he is clearly in pain. It shouldn’t have had to be severe in order for them to give him something to fix it.

I called the nurse line at the Doctor’s office on Friday morning after a sleepless night Thursday night. No baby should scream like Kam was. Goodness only knows what the neighbors thought I was doing to the kid. The nurse gave me some great advice. Change my diet to nothing but bland and feed Kamran every 2 hours. No spice (was already doing that), no caffiene (that too), tropical fruit, acidic food, you name it. She suggested that I eat lots of avocado and banana and it helped. We slept! Well, it lasted one night and the Doctor’s office was closed Sunday and we had an appointment Monday anyway.

We went to visit the doctor today and first thing we did was weigh Kamran. I didn’t think it would be good…and it wasn’t. Kam didn’t lose but he only gained 2 ounces. That is 40% less than he should have. Sigh. So I proceed to tell the doctor Kamran’s symptoms. I tell him that is really hard to get him to eat a good amount. He will eat 20 ml and then you really have to push him to eat the rest. After he hits 20 ml he screams bloody murder inconsolably like I’m starving him…but the bottle is in his mouth. He arches back and SCREAMS so I get up, we bounce up and down the hallway and I burp him…then I get maaaybe another 5 -10 ml in him. Not to mention that at times he burps and milk comes out of his nose…then he gets the hiccups. He only sleeps well laying on me or Kayvan even though we put him to bed on an incline. Oh, and at times he chokes on his bottle. As I begin to go through this with the doctor, Kam decides that he wants to eat (he didn’t want to finish his bottle at 1 before we left the house so at 2 I pull the bottle out in the Doctor’s office. Kayvan is feeding Kam and the doctor got to see firsthand what we’ve got to deal with–Kam showed him.

So we’re trying Zantac, hoping it makes baby boy feel better thus getting us a little more sleep…all 3 of us. I really need him to eat better. Kid needs to gain weight. It’s scaring me.

Wonder What the Neighbors Think

Not that I care much about outside opinions but my neighbors would probably believe Kamran was adopted if we told them that was the case. Of course, Kam isn’t adopted and we all know that.

Our absence from the neighborhood hasn’t gone unnoticed. Our next-door neighbor helped with the animals when I was first admitted to the hospital so he knows the drill. Most others round these parts are out of the loop. And I’m sure are slightly baffled when they see me walking Sookie. Last year they all met me when we started walking the puppy. Now Kamran and I walk Sookie with him in the Moby (better than the stroller for him but also me because it helps get my core strength back). I can tell they are all curious where Kayvan and I have been but don’t want to ask I’m pretty forthcoming but should really have some fun with them and make up some stories about why I’m suddenly wearing a baby though no one ever saw me pregnant.

Kamran Has A Lot to Teach Us

As first time parents, Kayvan and I have lots to learn and we know it. The first night home I mentioned? Ya, we figured out why it was so sleepless. Kamran has deemed the pack n play bassinet an uncomfortable, thus, unacceptable place to sleep. On night #2…technically morning #2 in a hopeless sleep deprived stupor I reattached the newborn nap station to the pack n play and viola! A sleeping baby! If only newborns could talk.

Originally we decided not to use the nap station at night because the manufacturer advised against the baby more than napping in it. Well, that is all newborns do anyhow. So he sleeps in the dang napper. Last night I got 3 to 4 hours of sleep at a time! Brand new girl here! We really only have him sleeping in the pack n play in our room until he’s a little older and sleeps longer. You know, for our sanity. During the day I put him in the crib in his room to “nap” with the angel care monitor on. I told Kayvan he was a little nutso for wanting the thing but that was before our baby was born and plugged into monitors 24/7. I’ve managed having Kam “disconnected” pretty well but have to admit, when he sleeps for 4 hours I check to make sure he’s breathing more than I need to. The first night home it was a bit foreign to pick Kamran up without his tail of cables following. I found myself pulling him a little extra, to make room for the cables then suddenly making the realization and shaking my head at how ridiculous I was. Now that our baby is home sans monitors I love that angel care monitor. All monitors tell you when your baby is making noise but my concern is that he is still breathing, especially since he used to have brady spells and the angel care monitor will alarm if he stops breathing. We have a 3 story townhouse so the monitor saves me lots of extra time running up and down the steps…which by the way I need, but that is an entire blog post of it’s own.

The Gang’s ALL Here!

I’ll start this blog by getting straight to the point. Kamran is HOME!!

After 33 days in the NICU, the doctors and nurses finally agreed that our boy could come home this past Sunday. It is SO nice to be sleep deprived and I’m only coming off night number 2. I haven’t updated in a while and a lot has happened since my last post. Continue Reading The Gang’s ALL Here!…

A good night for everyone!

Yesterday was a good one for all three of us. My car has been a bit wacky lately after not being driven for 3 months so when he got home, Kayvan changed the battery for me, we ran a quick errand and headed to the NICU. Traffic was horrible but we will skip that part. Kayvan and I got some good cuddle time in with our boy, I fed him and he did really well. I was quite happy about that since Kam is still quite the slow eater. He usually picks sleep over food.

We got kicked out over shift change and visited our nurse buddies on the high risk perinatal floor for a bit before returning to the NICU after shift change. I forgot that since I breastfed kayvan didn’t get to hold the baby much and in true baby hog fashion I proclaimed that I was going to do kangaroo care (skin to skin with the babe). Oops. After 30 minutes I decided to share because I had to go pump and Big K. and little K. got to hang for a bit. We let the nurses feed him at 9 because Kayvan had a hot date. We went out for an awesome sushi dinner in DC. I love that restaurant and love their black sesame gelato even more. To die for. I also decided to split a guilt free beer with Kayvan. It was delicious and no, baby K won’t be getting drunk any time soon.

While I was on bed rest I reserved a house cleaner using a living social deal I bought anticipating that by now I’d be out of my mind sleep deprived with a newborn at home. So the cleaners came bright and early and my house is spotless. It was clean to begin with but they did all the stuff I can’t or don’t want to. I LOVED it and lit some candles when they left. It also happens to be the day the Landscapers cut the grass as a part if out homeowners association dues. Because we gave a fence, they don’t cut the back yard. Well, I decided to help a Hubby out and asked the Landscapers if they would cut the back. We pay for it after all. And they DID! Kamran also ate like a little piggy thus morning which made me SOooo happy. Now, if he could keep this up Brady spell (which by the way is when he forgets to breathe and his heart rate drops) free for a few days, he can come home!! Keep in mind, this is day 1 of good days for him. We need a minimum of 3 good days in a row.

Reclaiming My Status as a Functioning Member of Society

With each task that I do on my own, Kayvan and I joke that I’m well on my way to becoming a functioning member of society again. It started with little things like making my way back to sleeping in our bed instead of the recliner, climbing the stairs, making sandwiches for lunch, the things I used to take for granted. Yesterday I was hell bent to do two things 1) go grocery shopping and 2) cook dinner (which has been Kayvan’s job forever. My work schedule used to put me home too late to cook and eat at a decent hour.)

I informed Kayvan of my first goal and he reminded me that I still shouldn’t be lifting or doing stairs more than necessary, hence I could not go grocery shopping. Wrong. This meant I couldn’t load and unload the car. So we decided that I would go to the store an hour before he got off work and he would meet me there in time to do the loading and unloading. Needing his help for grocery shopping means I don’t quite get the gold star for that task yet but I think I’ll give myself the bronze. I drove there on my own though!! I did cook dinner on my own last night as Kayvan reorganized our collection of DVDs into a DVD binder for space saving purposes. Dinner was quick and easy but it was yummy! A simple tomato basil pasta with chicken sausage. Not sure what I’ll make tonight but you bet I’m cooking.

Things that do not make me a functioning member if society. Taking Kayvan’s keys AND mine when we have a double deadbolt on both doors and he has to drive somewhere while I’m gone. Oops. He could have gotten out the garage (our fire plan) but couldn’t drive where he had to go once he got out of the house because I had the keys!! My poor friend who was out with me before I started driving on my own again had to take me home so I could give Kayvan his keys. I blame baby brain.

I’ll get there, slowly but surely, I’ll be the independently functioning person you all once knew and loved. Until then, I’ll try not to let my dependence drive me (or Kayvan) bonkers.

As for Kamran, he had a Brady spell again last night so we reset the clock and wait another 72 hours (or more if he has another). He’s really started gaining weight too. He went from 5.5 lbs (five and a half) to 5 lbs 9 oz. The nurse said she had to weigh him twice because she didn’t believe it. The scale could have been off a bit, or they could have used a different one from last time. The last time he had a big jump he lost a little the next day so tonight we will see how he does.