The Next Goal

In order to go home Jackson needs to be able to breath on his own, hold his body temperature, and feed on his own. He is making steady progress with his breathing and temperature and now Mom and Dad hope to focus his attention on the task of sucking. Jackson continues to get his feeds through a tube and the next step is to get him strong enough to take his feedings from a bottle. In an effort to prepare Jackson to take to bottle feeds Mom and Dad are helping him by introducing a pacifier during his feeds so he makes the connection between sucking and receiving food. If he is alert he takes to the pacifier quite well and makes the most amusing suckling sound inspiring his parents to grin ear to ear. We hope to try bottle feeds in the next week so he can meet another key goal in his progress as a preemie.