Interesting New Study

E#1 was given lots of IV fluid during her recent labor and C-section delivery. My grandson Mav weighed in at 8 lbs at birth then dropped to nearly 7 lbs in the NICU where he spent two days for observation for infection. E#1 had to deal with all the excess fluids in her legs and ankles for two weeks after the birth. There were no shoes that she could wear other than flip flops and slippers and those were still uncomfortably tight over her insteps.

This study out today makes it sound as though the baby’s true weight was probably his weight at 24 hours after birth because he got over hydrated by the IV fluids too. "It appears neonates exposed to increased fluids before birth might be born overhydrated, requiring the baby to regulate his or her fluid levels during the first 24 hours after birth." Here is the article from ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110814223805.htm Also though he isn’t back to his birth weight yet my grandson is probably getting good nourishment from his mom. As a grandma I can vouch that he is producing lots of wet and poopy diapers a sign of good nutrition.

There is a real pressure put on the mom’s to feed more often (every one to two hours followed by pumping) to produce more breast milk during the time frame (several days post-op) when it is the hardest to do so. Getting the baby back to his birth weight is a mantra. Maybe with this study the “lactation Nazi’s” will back off a little.

They (the experts in lactation) also had the new family coming in twice a week after they were discharged for appointments for lactation consultation and would like them to return again each time to weigh the baby after 24 hours. Holy cow she just had surgery people, lay off. The young couple balked at returning just for a weigh-in. She also had an appointment to check on her healing incision that first week too. That’s a lot of comings and goings when you feel lousy. 

In my day just making it to the standard two week appointment for the baby following a standard delivery was a monumental task for the new mom.

Then there is the young woman at our church who had her third baby in four years on a Thursday and was attending services on Sunday morning with the whole family. That’s nuts!!

Lou   

A tree flowering in August

The yard took quite a battering from the huge hailstorm in July but the landscape is rebounding nicely. The Canada red cherry tree that starts out with green leaves in the spring that change over to a wine color is re-blossoming now. Not every branch has blooms but enough that I can smell the lovely fragrance of spring again. The little oak has also put out new green leaves, but I worry about it still because of the damage on the bark of the branches where the hailstones opened big cracks. I hope it can withstand the next winter’s wind and cold. The flower boxes all came back too despite being reduced to stems. Nature is pretty remarkable in healing itself. I never tire of seeing the wonders.

The house needs a new roof, too bad it can’t heal itself!

From my “God’s Creation calendar for 2011” this month. “Look. . .and be utterly amazed.” Habakkuk 1:5

Lou

He shares a birthday with Mick Jagger and Sandra Bullock

Things have been busy around here! Our second grandchild arrived into the world on July 26^th after keeping his mom, dad and grandparents up all night at the hospital.  At the end his O2 level fell and he was born quickly by c-section. It was scary for everyone, but little Maverick Stephen is a beautiful healthy little guy and much loved by his extended family. His mom E#1 did a heck of a job and is recovering from the surgery and an infection and is so happy to be out of the hospital after a six day stay.

I was curious as to who little Mav shares a birthday with so I Googled it and found this site that seems to have the most complete listing of historical figures and present day celebrities. Click on the link to read the long list, many of whom I’ve never heard of.

http://holidayyear.com/birthdays-July-26.php

Some that stick out the most to me are actresses like Helen Mirren, Sandra Bullock and Bette Davis and creative musicians/composers like Wolfgang Mozart, Keiko Matsui and Mick Jagger. There is the groundbreaking film director Stanley Kubrick who directed “2001 A Space Odyssey.” There is also Aldous Huxley who wrote “Brave New World” a pessimistic portrayal of the future that was required reading at my high school. A couple more interesting people who share this birthday are the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung who wrote about dream analysis and George Bernard Shaw an Irish writer who was famous a humanist and thinker in his day.

Quite a diverse list! Welcome to the world little Maverick, may you grow strong and healthy and be exactly what God intends for you to be and discover and use the skills and abilities He has given you.

Love always,

Grandma Lou