Ethan saw his regular pediatrician today for his after-hospital checkup. She was very pleased with his recovery. His chest is clear, and he’s not very snotty anymore. She said she was impressed with how well we knew how to read him, and that he was very lucky we were able to recognize his sickness early. She said we really caught the RSV early, and he was a very very lucky little boy.

We will continue his breathing treatments for the entire winter. He’ll get the pulmicort every day, two times per day for the whole winter. We’ll give him the xopenex only when he has congestion. He will continue to get the Synagis shot, but they had to find a pharmacy that our insurance will work with. He was supposed to get it today, but the pharmacy didn’t have it ready yet.

The only bad news is that he hasn’t gained any weight in the past 2 weeks. He was 7 lbs 2 ounces again, so he’s got some catching up to do. We were concerned about feeding him too much, so I asked her about that. We started feeding him 3 ounces for some of his bottles because he was still hungry after 2.5 ounces. The hospital doctor was concerned that was too much for him and discouraged me from feeding him that much at a time. When I asked his regular pediatrician about it today, she said that I should feed him based on his hunger. If he’s still hungry and wants more, give him a bit more. She said if I fed him too much, I would know because he would spit up a lot more than usual. She said it definitely wouldn’t hurt to feed him more if he wants it because he needs to gain weight.

I had a meeting with the lactation nurse while we were in the hospital to get some pointers on getting him started breastfeeding again. She told me to offer him a supplemental bottle after each nursing session to make sure he got enough to eat. The pediatrician agreed that was a good plan since he needed to gain weight. We started nursing again before he left the hospital and so far it is going well. Sometimes he will take a supplement and sometimes he won’t, so I think he’s getting enough milk most of the time. Right now its a pain because I have to pump before we nurse and after we nurse. So its a lot less convenient than just giving him a bottle. But once we get the hang of it, I can cut back on the pumping, and things will be so much easier.

Overall, Ethan seems to be feeling so much better. He’s eating well and he’s very alert. He’s only had one apnea episode since we put him back on his home monitor on Wednesday. He wakes up and demands food on a regular basis instead of sleeping through his meals. The pediatrician was amazed that he tries to hold his bottle already. I fed him a bottle while we were there and as soon as I stuck it in his mouth, he put his hands on it. Sometimes, he will grab my fingers like they are handles and pull the bottle to his mouth. He’s still being a bit fussy, especially when he gets sniffly and snotty. But he’s also giving a lot more smiles and cute baby noises these days.

The doctor said that it is OK for us to start taking him places, but not to let anyone touch him or sneeze/cough on him. And use common sense – don’t take him somewhere really crowded. She said she is more worried about Thanksgiving and visiting relatives than she is worried about us taking him to the grocery store on occasion. Even if someone appears well and has not been sick, they can still pass the germs. So anyone that wants to touch him has to scrub up. If there’s any hint of sickness, we’re going to make you wear a mask!!! We don’t want any more hospital visits.