To The Growth and Development Unit for Mother’s Day, Day 50

Barnaby is in the GDU (growth and development unit) now. On saturday he got put in a real crib and rolled down the hall to a whole other neighborhood where he shares a big room with two other babies. This is a graduation from the solo rooms that are reserved for younger and less stable babies. To get here he had to have no iv lines, no significant respiratory support, and to be on full feeds.

The GDU is noisier with other babies crying and other parents talking but that’s part of why it’s good. Developmentally he is at a place where the extra stimulation of hearing lots of voices is a positive thing. There are curtains that can be pulled around each crib area for privacy and each crib has a comfy chair next to it. His roommates are named Moses and Uyiosa.

His primary team of nurses still gets assigned to him whenever possible. It’s a little different because the other babies also have primary nurses and so we’ll have to share with them sometimes. We know and love Barnaby’s primary nurses and we can see that he does too. When he hears Nicole’s sing-songy voice and persistent giggling he really responds.

For Mother’s Day Barnaby tried his hand at breastfeeding for the first time. They start him slow, making sure that Ana has just Pumped and he isn’t getting too much milk. It was a hugely emotional bonding moment for everyone and a very positive experience.