James is as laid-back in person as he was in utero. He spends much of his time sleeping, and even during heel-prick tests, he wiggles away but isn’t a screamer. He ate once overnight and has been feeding every two to three hours by day. Because he’s tiny and only sucks intermittently, he takes about an hour to eat a meal, but he’s got a good latch and a strong suck. In between meals, he sleeps. When he’s hungry, he wakes up and looks around expectantly (but without a fuss or fret to be heard) until he’s fed. As soon as he figures out he’s eating, our little boy’s eyes close again. This is supposed to be pretty typical of newborns, but as you might guess, it wasn’t our experience at all with his sister. I’m definitely not complaining!
This morning, the pediatrician told me that while James is doing very well for his age, he has a bit of a heart murmur. He had a cardiac ultrasound this afternoon to determine what exactly the problem was, and we will learn more when the doctor makes rounds tomorrow morning. Given his good color and overall health, though, the pediatrician and nurses don’t think it will be a significant issue.
Since it’s only been a few months since Maddi weaned, my milk has already begun to come in and by this evening, James’ feedings went down from an hour to about half an hour. He’s had three poops and seems to be getting plenty of food, and the talk around the nursery is that he may go off the IV tomorrow.