Open Crib

Merritt has graduated from his incubator to an open crib! He's in the home stretch and we've been told that he'll be discharged once he demonstrates the ability to nipple (by bottle or breast) all of his feeds for 48 hours. The clock starts now!

Merritt with one of our favorite nurses

Update: He breastfed really well at his first feeding, but was too tired to nurse at his second feed and required to have all the milk through his feeding tube. Boo. Clock restarts. He just needs more time to learn to better coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Time will also tell how well he is able to regulate his body temperature outside of the isolette.