Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Relief, Frustration, and Baby-Pattern Baldness

Dear Ellie,

Your mother and I are frequently swinging between relief and frustration.  Relief, because you've gotten off very easy so far compared to most micro-preemies.  Frustration, because you are harder than a normal baby.  Yes, you could still be attached to machines, fail to gain weight, and be meeting 0 developmental milestones, but you aren't.  You are one of those rare success stories that doctors and nurses reference when dazed parents roll into the NICU for the first time.  We never forget this.  Unfortunately, that doesn't relieve us much from our worry when you behave in ways that are concerning.  Like when we feed you and the very act of eating causes you to shriek in pain, then drive you into inconsolable crying.  Or when you stay awake for hours and hours, groaning and whining and squirming from terrible gas or reflux or both.  Or, well, things like this:


Baby Pattern Baldness?  Really?  Great.  As of now, it looks like someone drove a lawnmower right across the back of your head.

As always, each little thing could "just be a preemie thing that goes away" or it could be a "preemie thing that won't go away."  Interestingly, when you are awake and alert, all of the problems seem to go away (except the baldness) and you show us the ways in which you are most exceptional.  It's at these moments when we are at our most hopeful, and when we are most proud.    
     

5 comments:

  1. All sounds normal if you ask me :) frustrating, but normal!! K started with colic at 4 weeks old until about 8 or 10 weeks old (immature digestive system trying to grow, which is why breastmilk is best) & K lost all her dark hair she was born with & was bald by 10 weeks!! Then the blond fuzz started growing in around 5 mos or so (pics we have of her in this transition are so adorable!!)!! :). Sounds like E is totally right on track, lol!! You will get thru it all!! & Enjoy every microsecond cuz soon you will be observing a 2.5 year old!! (Tears, but ones of joy as well as disbelief at time passing) :)

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    1. Ha, thanks for the reassurances Kerry :-)

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  2. Also add in the question "is this a typical baby thing and not preemie related at all"!
    It's hard to make that switch after they drill all of the possible preemie issues into your brain.

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    1. Lol, I know, we wonder that so often too especially since Ellie is our first. "Baby thing, preemie thing, or genetic quirk." Fortunately, the blog has given Ellie a lot of other parents willing to volunteer their perspectives :-)

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