Do Cribs Induce Sleep???

Checking out the crib before bedtime

First night in the crib

The video monitor (Thanks Grandma & Grandpa S!)

Gavin is growing so fast that we decided it was time to move him out of the bassinet and into the crib in his nursery.  It was such a sad day for me, but I knew it had to be done.  The poor guy didn't have a lot of room in his little bassinet anymore.  The first night was tough for me, though.  I found it hard to sleep because I just kept staring at the video monitor on my nightstand (those are amazing by-the-way!).  I also woke up several times throughout the night to look at the monitor.  However, Gavin did great and must have been much more comfortable because he slept 9 hours the first two nights in his crib and almost 10 hours last night!  Matt actually had to wake him up this morning because my coworkers had a lovely breakfast for me at 8:00 a.m.  We had to get Gav up at 7:45 because he was still sleeping!  We might have to start waking him up in the morning if this is going to be a habit.  For those of you who are familiar with breastfeeding, you know that going 10 hours without nursing is not a great idea.  Although Matt and I got a good laugh this morning when I woke up looking like a porn star!  (But I have to say, it sure makes your waist look smaller when your boobs are that big!  Ha ha!)

The past few days have been great.  Gavin is over the fussiness (so it probably was due to my own anxiety) and is back to his usual, happy self.  Monday and Tuesday Grandma S came over to help us with some errands.  Here are some pictures from the past few days, you can tell I've worn him out:

Visiting Target with Grandma S (Shopping is exhausting!)

Oh, I have a headache!

Taking a nap after a long day

Taking it Day-by-Day

Post-Op Pic

In my last post, I described Gavin's recovery in the hospital.  That evening, he still wasn't breastfeeding, so I had to try and pump as often as I could, but my milk supply was already slowing down.  The following day, on the 17th, I continued to try to breastfeed, but Gavin was too sore to do it.  I spoke with my mom that morning and teared-up as I told her that I never realized how much I would miss breastfeeding.  I was afraid that he would never latch on again and I would miss out on that special bonding-time that we share while he nurses.  My mom told me not to worry, that he would latch on again in time.  She also told me that she was proud of herself because she had finally figured out how to be a follower of my blog and had left her first comment.  This is what she said:

Hey Kel,
Now that it's all done, I still find that I have overwhelming emotions. The grand parent roller coaster is just as scary and emotional as the parent one. I love Gav's new look, though for some reason he looks older now, but I miss his big smile and will forever treasure that adorable photo of him in the surgical hat, it's precious. I love you all more than you know. Mom/Gramma

That afternoon, Gavin finally latched on and I was so excited, I cried.  I tried to call my mom to tell her, but I just got her voicemail.  She never got to hear that he had latched on...

My dad called at that same moment and I told him excitedly that Gavin had was nursing.  He was happy for us but concerned that he couldn't get ahold of my mom, either.  Later that evening, my dad arrived at the house to let us know what had happened.  I've never been so out-of-control with my emotions.  When I saw his face, I already knew what he was going to say and I began sobbing uncontrollably, shaking, and yelling at the same time.  It was the worst news of my life...

After that, with Gavin still only two days into his recovery, I had a very hard time.  Matt really had to step up and be both mom and dad for Gavin since I spent a few days just sleeping.  I rarely got off the couch and only moved to pump milk, which I wasn't even doing as often as I should have.  I wasn't eating or drinking regularly either, so my milk supply was dropping quick.  I was barely staying ahead of Gavin's appetite.

One Day Post-Op

Two Days Post-Op

Thankfully, I have wonderful, supportive friends and family who helped me get back on track.  I was able to build up my milk supply and continue breastfeeding, which is what I know my mom would want me to do.  She always told me that Gavin comes first and I need to take care of his needs before anything else, and she was right.  Overall, Gavin was doing very well with his recovery.  His scar looked great.  The stitches, arm restraints, and nose plugs didn't seem to bother him too much.  We did take the restraints off for awhile each day while we sat next to him to allow him to stretch his arms.

Five Days Later - Healing Well

One Week Later

On his one week post-op appointment, the stitches were removed and the arm restraints no longer had to be on.  However, Gavin was not happy to be wrapped up like a burrito to have the stitches removed and he let Dr. Martin, his staff, and most of the other patients know it!  After that, he still had to have the nose plugs in for an additional week.

Not Happy to be "Burrito-Wrapped"

No More Arm Restraints!

That week, the nose plugs kept falling out.  They would only fall out of one nostril at a time, but then we would have to keep pushing them back in and Gavin would fuss almost every time.  I know it must have bothered him because it was stitched in through the septum by a single stitch.  So, when it would fall out on one side, it would pull on the stitch and become uncomfortable.  Needless to say, we were very relieved to have it removed.  However, he had to be wrapped up burrito-style once again and once again, it did not go over well.  He yelled all the way to the car!

Happy to be Nose-Plug Free!

Since then, we have been diligently applying bacitracin cream to his nostrils and upper lip four times daily, as directed by Dr. Martin.  He looks great and is healing beautifully.  The only problem we are having now is that he has been very fussy lately.  On the 4th of July, he screamed throughout most of the fireworks show, which I'm sure my neighbors loved.  The noise didn't seem to bother him, it was something else, but we couldn't figure it out.  He finally calmed down after I got him naked and nursed him.  I guess he likes to be naked while he eats.  Hey, whatever works!  Matt suggested that Gavin may be fussy due to the anxiety I have been feeling lately and I'm sure that has something to do with it.

I'm trying my best to relax and appreciate the joy in my life, but I am just so incredibly sad over the loss of my mom.  I feel as if I will never be that happy again.  She was my best friend and mentor.  I know I was too dependent on her, but she never seemed to mind.  I cried today when I remembered a few moments we shared about a month ago.  On one occasion, I went to my parents' house when I needed a break for awhile and my mom let Gavin and I nap on her bed.  I told her that I always felt so comfortable and safe at her house.  When I woke up, I was hungry, so she made me a tuna sandwich.  Then, she even put some extra tuna in a tupperware container for me to take home and make sandwiches with during the week because she knew that I wasn't eating properly since I was so busy with Gav.  She always took care of me, even at 27.  Another time, we were out shopping shortly before Gav's surgery day and he was in need of a clean diaper.  She told me that we would need to change him in the car, and--being a naive new mom--I said, "How??"  She laughed and told me she would do it.  She just laid him gently on the backseat and changed him quickly and efficiently.  When she stood up, she complained of back pain (from years of holding 55 foster babies and 4 children of her own).  I then felt guilty, thinking that I should have done it, but she said she didn't mind a little back pain when it came to Gavin.  She loved and cherished every minute with him.  Oh, how I wish he could know her love!  I could go on forever about how wonderful and amazing my mom was, so I will stop this post for now.

I'm hoping to become more regular with my posting again, since I take pictures of Gav almost daily and love to share his cute-ness with everyone!

Gavin's New Look

It has definitely been a very long and emotional two weeks. Let me begin by going back to the morning of Gav's surgery...

Since Gavin's check-in time was 6 a.m., we had wanted to leave the house at 5 a.m., to make sure we got there in plenty of time. I woke Gav up about 2 a.m. for his last feeding before surgery. Afterwards, he drifted back to sleep, happy for the late-night snack; while I laid there sobbing at the thought of what was to come. I ended up oversleeping until 5 a.m., so we quickly threw some stuff together and headed out. I had forgotten the camera at home, so his initial post-op pics were taken from my camera phone.

I sat in the back seat of the car with him on the ride up so I could hold the pacifier in his mouth, since he was a bit hungry. But despite his hunger, he was so good the whole morning! Once we got there and waited for Dr. Martin and his team to take Gavin back to the surgery room, he was all smiles. He cooed and talked the whole time, completely unaware of what was about to happen. I cried most of the time, but completely lost it when they came to take my sweet boy in for surgery. We took this picture of Gavin before they took him back, and it quickly became the cell-phone wallpaper for me and both grandmas.

He was expected to be in surgery for 2 hours, but he was in there for 4! I was so anxious the entire time. Thankfully, my mom, Matt, and his parents were there as well. When Matt and I finally got to go back and see him, I practically ran down the hall. Then, when I saw my sweet boy, I was overwhelmed with emotion. He was groggy and swollen, and he looked so different. We all agreed that he looked older, but we weren't quite sure why. Here is one of his first post-op pics:

We had been given a private recovery room so that I could breastfeed, but Gavin wasn't able to latch on, he just kept crying and it was breaking my heart. Since I hadn't fed him since 2 a.m. that day, my breasts were so engorged that I thought they would pop. (And thank you, Joy, for telling me to wear dark colors because of the blood. It also helped conceal the fact that my shirt was soaked with milk due to leakage!) I tried to self-express some milk into a bottle so we could feed him and wow, was it painful! But I managed to get some out, although he still wouldn't take the bottle. I began to get really nervous that he would get dehydrated again.

When the ambulance arrived, they strapped Gavin in his carseat on the gurney. It brought tears to my eyes to see my tiny little boy in his carseat being wheeled on a gurney through the hospital halls. Luckily, they allowed me to accompany him on his ambulance ride across the street to the main hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, we were transfered to a room. (If you call it that - it was more like a closet with curtains for walls!) They brought me a breast pump so I could finally relieve some pressure and we could try to feed Gav. He still refused the bottle, so we tried a medicine dropper, which wasn't going great, but at least we were able to get some milk into him. At one point, the nurse came in to fix his IV, since it was coming out and I had to hold his little arm while she did it. It was awful - I was sobbing my eyes out, Gav was crying, and both grandmas were crying. What an emotional family we are!

That night and the following morning were rough. Since Gav likes to sleep on his tummy, I just let him sleep on my chest while I laid on the chair. Matt went out and slept in the car since there was only room for one chair in our room (or, closet). Gavin was so lethargic most of the night and the following morning. But thankfully, he began taking a bottle that morning so we could discontinue using the medicine dropper. I made sure to bug the nurses about keeping up on his pain meds and antibiotics. His morning nurse laughed when she gave him his Tylenol with codeine, because she said she had never had a baby like his medication so much. That's our boy! He did so well during the whole ordeal, I was so proud of him.

That day, Matt went home to get some much-needed rest, so my mom came to the hospital to keep us company. She said she loved every minute with Gavin and was so excited that I had called and asked her to come down. We were released about 3:30 p.m., so my mom loaded up our stuff and got the car ready for Gav and I while we waited in the room. It was so nice to finally be headed home. My mom dropped us off and I thanked her and told her I loved her.  I had no idea that that was the last time we would ever get to see her...

Nerves and Soy

Yesterday we received the call from Loma Linda that Gavin's surgery check-in time is 6:00 a.m.  That was good news because the earlier, the better.  Gav usually wakes up to eat somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00, so if we just keep him up really late tomorrow night, he might not have such a rough morning.  I know I'll have a rough morning regardless, because I have been overwhelmed with emotions about the surgery.  I feel anxious, nervous, sad, and glad all at the same time.  Whenever I think about it, I cry.  Thank goodness we have such wonderful, supportive family and friends who will be there for us through this experience.

I decided that I wanted to get Gavin's 3-month pictures done before his surgery, so I scheduled an appointment at JCPenney's.  I have never used their portrait studio before (because we have a photographer in the family - check out her work by clicking here), but I have seen some of their work and it's very cute.  However, I read a review online and it made me nervous, because the reviewer said that the appointments are only 10 minutes apart, he had to wait 1-hour, the photographers were rude, and they wouldn't allow him and his wife to interact with their child in order to make their baby laugh.  Ayyy!!  If I have an experience like that I will be so upset.  I hope it goes well.  It is so important to me to have great photos of his sweet wide-smile before he gets a new smile on Monday.

On another note, I have been craving ice cream for a few days now, but still can't have dairy due to Gavin's colic.  So I finally bought some soy ice cream on Friday from Trader Joe's and yahooo!!  It's delicious.  The soy milk I have been drinking is not so great, but the ice cream and ice cream sandwiches are very tasty.  Soy is one of my new favorite things!

Bottle blues

When we met with Gavin's Speech Pathologist (Heather) a couple weeks ago, she said that we would need to get authorization from our insurance before continuing the bottle-feeding clinics with her. My insurance requires a pre-authorization for speech therapy, so we have been waiting for Heather to call us back to let us know if the pre-authorization was approved by our insurance. Well, on Friday, she called to let me know that Gavin's pediatrician had to approve the pre-authorization and, after reading the report about our desire to work on bottle-feeding, he denied it. So we would not be able to meet with her to work on the bottle. I was so distressed about it since Gavin struggles so much with bottle-feeding and we need him to take a bottle when I return to work. I even ordered some bottles that seem absolutely amazing because they look and feel more like a mother's breast than any other nipples I have found. They even require the same suction and compression actions used with breast-feeding. So I was hopeful that they might be the best for Gav. So I made an appointment with Gavin's pediatrician today to explain the reason for trying the bottle and to try to convince him to approve the authorization.

I think I may have mentioned before that his pediatrician is really against bottle-feeding. So, after explaining our reasons to him, he basically said that if Gavin gets hungry enough while I am away, he will eat. Hmmm.... I don't think I really like that answer. I also expressed my concerns over Gavin's circumcision, since I had noticed that it seemed red and pulled apart in one spot. He said that it had adhered together in some spots and would eventually put apart on it's own. This worried me as well since I have heard horror stories about circumcision's fusing back together and requiring surgery. When Dr. Shafai showed me where it had already pulled apart on it's own, Gavin started screaming, so I grabbed him quickly to comfort him. We were also told that he has a herniated belly-button, but that it would go away by the time he is 2 or 3. Well, we certainly didn't get a lot of good news today. The doctor said other than that, Gavin is doing great and seems very healthy. He is even up to 11.14 pounds. I am concerned about his belly-button, circumcision, and bottle-feeding. I'm probably going to put Neosporin® on his circumcision, but I hope that it will get better soon like the doctor says it will. Has anyone else had this problem? And what about his doctor's advice? And does anyone near the Riverside/Corona area have a great pediatrician they might recommend? I'm not sure if I should stick with ours. As much as we like him, I'm just starting to have a few concerns.

On another note, tomorrow is Gavin's pre-opp appointment at Loma Linda. I am feeling so emotional over the whole thing. I cry almost every time I think about it. And after receiving a wonderful email from a new cleft buddy, Joy, it became even more real. She offered great advice, but nonetheless, I cried my eyes out reading it. Having a blog has been so wonderful because it has allowed me to connect with other cleft-affected families who have already been very helpful. We met Darcy while Gavin was in the hospital for dehydration and have continued to keep in touch with her through blogs and emails. It is so nice to have people to talk to during this experience. And, both Darcy and Joy's children had the same surgeon that Gavin will have, Dr. Martin, so that is encouraging as their children are absolutely beautiful! Both moms even said I could call them or meet with them if I needed help and support through this experience since they both live locally. So thank you, ladies! You and my other new blogging friends have been a great support system!

Wish us luck with our appointment tomorrow! Here are two cute pictures taken recently:

No Cheese, Please!

When Gavin was about 6 weeks old, we discovered he had colic. I had suspected it for some time, but after doing some investigation, I was certain that he had it. He was very gassy and would often arch his back and scream in pain. This was awful for me because it broke my heart to see my little man in pain when there was nothing I could do about it. I read that the most common offender of colic is cow's milk and other dairy products. Unfortunately, I pretty much live on dairy products and high-fiber foods - bean and cheese burritos, cheese quesadillas, grilled cheese, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etcetera; so I knew it would be a difficult transition for me. Well, it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought. For someone who ate Taco Bell bean and cheese burritos at least three times a week, I thought that I would go through withdrawals, but I didn't. When it comes to doing what is best for Gav, anything is doable. So I cut out all dairy products and bought Mylecon drops to help with Gavin's gas pains and over the course of the next few weeks, we saw a big improvement.

Unfortunately, when we tried the bottle the other day, the milk I had frozen was pumped prior to my change in diet, so poor Gavin had more gas pains that evening. He didn't even sleep through the night that night. He went to bed at his usual 10 p.m., but then woke up at 1:30 a.m. crying in pain. We had discovered quite by accident that the sound of the blow dryer soothes him, so Grandpa and Grandma S created a 40-minute blow dryer CD for us! :o) When he wouldn't stop crying that night, I rocked him in our recliner while the blow dryer CD played. He finally calmed down and was back to bed by about 3:45 a.m.

The next day (yesterday), he was still feeling the effects of that gas-inducing milk. He was a bit fussy all day and cried in pain on and off. He didn't take very many naps so I figured he would sleep well. Thankfully, he slept last night from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. - a very nice 7-hour stretch after our rough previous night!

Trying the Bottle

Matt and I ended up trying the Pigeon bottle again at home a few days after I had success with it at Loma Linda.  Well, it was a terrible experience.  Gavin screamed at the top of his lungs the whole time and had big crocodile tears pouring out of his eyes.  It was so heartbreaking!  We tried and tried, but ended up just letting him breastfeed because it was too traumatic for all of us.

On Friday, I got a call from the Speech Pathologist, Heather, because she would like to set up another appointment for us to meet with her and work on bottle-feeding again.  I hope we can because I really want Matt to go this time since he will be doing a majority of the bottle-feeding.  Last time, he couldn't go because he had to work.  So we are keeping our fingers crossed for another appointment, it has to be pre-authorized for our insurance, but they are pretty slow lately.

When I told Heather about our awful bottle experience, she explained that it may be best for Matt to try the bottle-feeding since Gav already associates me with breastfeeding.  Also, babies can sense their mothers up to 20 feet away, so it might also help if I am not in the room.  Wow, very interesting!  So today we decided to attempt the bottle again.  Matt tried first, but Gavin starting screaming and both my boys were feeling frustrated pretty quickly.  I calmed Gavin down and then tried the bottle myself by placing it right near my breast, and surprisingly, it worked!  He fussed a bit, but then took the bottle!  I was so excited.  We never know how much he drinks when he is breastfeeding, so I was interested to see that he drank about 2 1/2 ounces. This experience left Matt and I feeling a bit more encouraged about the bottle.  We want to try it again tonight if we can.  Let's hope for more success!

Here are two cute pictures of my sweet boy napping yesterday.

2 Months Old

At 8 1/2 weeks, my sister, Evie, and I brought Gav back to Loma Linda to meet with the Speech Pathologist for dysplasia, which is basically his suck, swallow, breathe reflex. He is still struggling a bit with feeding; he pauses frequently and often makes gulping noises. For this appointment, I brought some breast milk and the two bottles the Speech Pathologist had provided for us at our previous appointment-the Pigeon and the MeadJohnson-along with a Nuk bottle I had purchased. I was nervous to try the bottle, but also hopeful, as it would allow others to feed Gavin if needed. He was a bit fussy at the appointment, but surprisingly, he took to the Pigeon nipple with the MeadJohnson bottle right away. I was so excited to see my precious boy drinking so well from a bottle. I felt happy and encouraged that he would be able to take a bottle when Matt stays home with him once I return to work.

Gavin officially reached his 2 month birthday this week! He is growing so fast. He has his consultation with the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Martin, next week. We are feeling very anxious about it. I had read about other parents feeling sad when their children had surgery, as they had gotten used to their baby's "wide smile." Well, Matt and I know the feeling! Gavin is perfect and adorable just the way his is and the thought of his cute face having a new look is a bit sad. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it! But I know he will be just as cute as ever and it will be better for him. I'm hoping that breastfeeding will be a bit easier for him once the surgery is done.

Gavin has always slept on his tummy, despite doctor's warnings. He simply does not like to sleep on his back. He does do so on rare occasions, but usually, if I lay him on his back, he will fuss. However, I did notice that he seems to enjoy laying on his back when he's awake and looking up at things. So, Matt and I bought him a Lay & Play mat with a rainforest theme. We figured he would like it, but we had no idea that it would become Gav's favorite play thing! He went crazy when we laid him on it! He was cooing, kicking his legs and smiling a ton! It was the cutest thing.

6 Weeks Old

We reached two milestones at 6 weeks. On our 3-year anniversary, Gavin slept through the night for the first time! What a special gift our sweet boy gave to us. He began sleeping about 5 1/2- to 6-hours a night from that point on and it was wonderful. Also, by 6 1/2 weeks, he gave me his first smile! It absolutely melted my heart! I was having a little "conversation" with him and he gave me the sweetest smile! I cried tears of joy as it was one of the most heart-warming moments in my life. I never could have imagined just how much joy one little smile could bring.

During this week, we ventured out with Grandma S to Babies R Us. With all of the trouble we had had with breastfeeding, I am always nervous to leave the house, since Gavin usually doesn't stay latched on and requires a lot of assistance latching on in the first place. However, I felt comfortable going to Babies R Us, since they have a nice, private little "Mother's Room" where you can breastfeed and change your baby. Gavin wore his brown sneakers for the occasion:

I bought the "Mommy Bear" for Gav while we were shopping. It is a teddy bear that plays the sound of the womb to comfort babies. Gavin really seems to like it.

I keep trying to get a picture of Gavin smiling, but each time he smiles, I grab the camera and then he just stares at it in amazement. I can't get him to smile at the camera when he's awake, but I managed to sneak this one while he was snoozing on Grandma C:

2 Weeks Old

Gavin finally got to be home when he was 2 weeks old. It was so much nicer to have him home and begin trying to establish our own routine. He also got his first official sponge bath with Grandma C's help:

Breastfeeding was proving to be quite a challenge, though. I never realized just how much work it is, especially with Gav's special circumstance. During this week, I found myself becoming overwhelmed at times and breaking down in tears when Gavin would try to latch on couldn't. He would try so hard and become so frustrated that it would break my heart. Luckily, Matt would always come to our rescue and take Gavin for a little walk around the house to calm him down and give me a chance to relax as well. Then, we would try again and it would always work. Thank goodness for Matt! Here is a cute picture of Gav on his 2 week birthday enjoying a "milk high":

1 Week Old

After being released from the hospital, I thought that we could go home and begin our happy lives together. However, Gavin was very lethargic and didn't want to eat at all. He was so limp and I was so worried and scared. So the next day, on Tuesday, I had scheduled an appointment with a lactation specialist at Loving Support. My mom went with me and the lactation consultant was concerned about Gavin's lethargy and sent us directly to Dr. Shafai. Once there, the doctor determined that Gavin was dehydrated and wanted us to go directly to the hospital. So once again, we were readmitted, but this time to a different hospital, which proved to be much better! The nursing staff was wonderful and treated Gavin with love. I was sad to be back in the hospital again, but I wanted Gavin to be healthy more than anything.

Unfortunately, Matt needed to return to work, so he couldn't stay with me. However, my mom stayed with me in the hospital from morning until Matt got there after work. And I am so glad she did! I needed the love and support. Luckily, while we in the hospital, I was introduced to the most amazing lactation consultant ever. She was the only one to get Gavin to latch on. When he did, I cried tears of joy. It was so wonderful to finally know he was getting the nourishment he so desperately needed. Without her, I know he would not have latched on, and I am so grateful. Once the doctor determined that I was feeding Gavin regularly, he released us. We finally got to go home for good on Thursday, 11 days after Gavin's birth day, and it was such a relief to be home!

Gavin's First Week

I am proving not to be a very good blogger. My posts are so few and far between. However, I am going to work on posting more often. After Gavin was born, we remained in the hospital until Wednesday, when we were finally released. I couldn't wait to bring our baby home. We carefully dressed him in the little sport onesie and placed him the car seat. I sat in the backseat on the ride home and Matt drove slower than he's ever driven before. But it was so wonderful to be home!

The next day, on Thursday, everyone wanted to come and visit. We had quite a busy day! I found it difficult to breastfeed Gavin with so many visitors, since it was difficult to begin with and Gavin and I hadn't quite mastered how to latch him on while trying to conceal myself under a blanket. I began to realize how difficult breastfeeding was, especially with Gavin's cleft and I began to get nervous that maybe he wasn't eating enough.

On Friday, Gavin has his first appointment with his pediatrician, Dr. Shafai. When we arrived, the doctor determined that Gavin was jaundice and wanted us readmitted to the hospital immediately. That was one of the hardest days of my life. Seeing Gavin wearing just a diaper and laying under the bili light was difficult, but when they hooked him up an IV and put his tiny little arm in a split to keep the IV from coming out, I was a wreck. I couldn't stop crying. I don't think I could have gotten through it without Matt. He was my rock. As hard as it was for him, he stayed strong for both us. Each day, they would check his bilirubin level by drawing blood from his heel. That was awful for me also. I wished I could trade places with Gavin so he wouldn't have to go through all that.

During his stay, we also met with several lactation specialists. Unfortunately, Gavin was not eating well and none of them could get him to latch on. We even tried a bottle, a medicine dropper, and a spoon, but none of them seemed to be working well. I was nervous, but determined to get him to eat. We had to squeeze milk from the nipple on the bottle to get anything in his mouth. By Monday, his bilirubin level had dropped enough for us to go home. Once again, we were extremely relieved to be going home. But, our rough road wasn't over yet...