Kangaroo Care

Archer's day was full of excitement. His blood pressure line (his second so far) quit working, so it was taken out. The nurses will rely on the blood pressure cuff again to check his levels.

Archer then had a new I.V. line put in. The nurses had a rough time finding a good spot in a vein to accomplish this task. He got a little bruised up on his right arm during this process. Mom was a little frustrated, but the nurses made up for it later in the day.

The nurses decided that it would be a good day to start "Kangaroo Care" because Archer has been doing so well the past few days. Kangaroo Care is a technique for preemies and parents that allows skin-to-skin contact, on the chest, with quiet time, for a few hours at a time. In short, After four weeks and six days, Mom got to hold Archer for the first time for almost three hours!

It was quite the process in watching four nurses prepare for this event. Several wires and lines had to be untangled, detached, and reattached. Mom learned how to properly pick him up, and then she stepped back with him into a reclining chair. Archer did very well with Mom. It was a very peaceful experience for both of them. 

While Mom was taking care of Archer, the nurses switched out his incubator for the first time. He had made quite the mess in it today! So when Mom was done with Kangaroo Care, Archer snuggled into his new bed (with camouflage blankets).

Dad let Archer grasp his finger while he was in Mom's arms. Don't worry Archer, Dad's turn is coming soon!