Macie turned one month old on April 29th, just five days after her release from the hospital. We were just starting to get into a rhythm at home, and it was really like we had just brought home a newborn. It will be very interesting to see Macie's progress during her first year. Because she was born two months early, she will likely meet many milestones about two months past normal expectation for her chronological age. However, she may do some things early. Because of this, we now deal in both chronological and adjusted ages for Macie.
On April 29th, Macie's chronological age was one month. Her adjusted age was 37 weeks of gestation, or what I am calling negative three weeks old.
Stats:
The stats that we were given compared Macie to other one month olds that were born full term. Obviously, she was on the low end of all scales.
Height: 18.75 inches, 1%
Weight: 5 lbs 10.5 oz, not on the scale for percentages
Head Circumference: 34 cm, 2%
Compared to other one month old babies born at 33 weeks her percentages were:
Height: 24%
Weight: 5%
Head Circumference: 33%
Her weight, although a low percentage compared to height, is not of great concern. Macie has steadily put on weight since birth and is continuing to climb. Although she exclusively drinks breastmilk, it is fortified with a formula called Neosure that adds 2 extra calories per ounce.
Milestones:
Macie had many achievements of interest during her first month, most of which are documented in the NICU updates that I did. Here are a couple of other things to note:
- Rolled from front to side - 4 weeks
- Lift head at 45 degree angle - 4 weeks
- Turn head from side to side on tummy - 3 weeks
At one month Macie is wearing newborn diapers and preemie clothes.
Feeding:
Macie is eating expressed breastmilk fortified with neosure formula. While her "on demand" feeding schedule had her eating about 70ml every 4 hours, we had to change her schedule because of severe reflux. At one month, Macie is eating about 50-55ml every 3 hours.
We also "practice" traditional nursing one to two times daily. Macie is still working on maintaining her latch and staying awake long enough to get a good amount of milk.
Macie's reflux was severe enough that she was in a lot of pain throughout the day and night. At the end of the month she was put on Zantac to help address this issue.
Sleeping:
At one month, Macie is still several weeks early, so her sleep patterns mimic that of a baby in the womb. She wakes briefly to eat, and has some brief alert periods that typically last under 30 minutes. Other than that she sleeps and sleeps and sleeps.
At night Macie sleeps for four hour stretches and feeds twice during normal "sleeping" hours. She sleeps in a co-sleeper next to our bed. We double swaddle her and use an over-blanket for warmth. Her mattress is at an incline to help with the reflux.
Favorite Songs:
If Macie is upset, she will always calm down within a few seconds of when I start singing. The songs that work the best are Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep. She also likes the ABC song - so I think that is just her favorite tune!
Favorite Activities:
- Sleeping
- Tummy time
- Being held by mommy or daddy
Least Favorite Activities:
- Diaper changes
- Taking vitamins
- Spitting up
Here are some pictures from the end of her first month!
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