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Bye Bye BiliBlanket ~ Cora Update

by Toni Herrbach

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Cora continues to improve each day. Feeding her is a struggle because she is a very sleepy baby but she did gain 2 ounces so she now weighs 5 pounds. Still not up to her birth weight, but we go back on Monday for another weigh in. The good news is her bilirubin levels dropped and we were able to take her off the biliblanket!

This is awesome because it means we actually get to hold her and she is not attached to anything! I never thought that would be a big deal, but it really is.

She had her first bath on Wednesday night. I decided she needed to have all the remnants of the tape and bandages from the NICU removed and they were pretty sticky. She didn’t love her sponge bath, but she didn’t hate it either. She really loved being wrapped in a warm towel once it was over.

One of my readers was kind enough to send me her daughter’s outgrown preemie clothes, which was a total blessing. Cora has been getting tangled up in all the newborn stuff and I was worried she could hurt herself (not sure how, but I am a mom, I worry) wearing her current wardrobe.

Here are a some pictures from the past few days.

Last moments on the biliblanket.

Free!

Nice and alert after her bath (I don’t know why I wasn’t smiling, I really was in a good mood).

Loving the warm towel.

Snug as a bug ~ Dad is the best swaddler in the world!

For those of you who read my blog for all the tips and advice, don’t worry I’ll be writing about other stuff soon. Amazingly there are people who know me in real life who still chose to read my ramblings so this is an easy way to keep everyone updated on our sweet Cora. Until then, please enjoy the great guest posts from some of my readers.

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Comments | 35 comments

« Cora’s Birth Story ~ Part One
Cora’s Birth Story ~ Part Two »

Comments

  1. MoDLin says

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    Oh, she is lovely! I’m so glad to hear she is doing well.

    You might be interested in visiting the March of Dimes community for parents of preemies called Share Your Story: http://www.shareyourstory.org/. It’s a great way to connect with other parents of tiny newcomers.

    Reply
  2. Stephanie says

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    Oh, isn’t she sweet? It looks like she’s smiling in that picture of her in the yellow sleeper with the butterfly on it.

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  3. Janice (5 Minutes for Mom) says

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    OH MY!!! She is just delicious – and ohhh sooo tiny!!!

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  4. Nell @ Casual Friday Everyday says

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    Look at that petite beauty. And yay for no more bili blanket… I know what a relief that is!

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  5. hotpants™ says

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    My husband was always the better swaddler. After two babies, I still couldn’t quite get the hang of it.

    Reply
  6. Keeley says

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    Oh, she’s so beautiful. =)

    Reply
  7. Netta says

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    All of us who “don’t know you in real life” feel like we do, and many of us have prayed for you & little Cora… so we are THANKFUL to read about & see pics of her!
    Happy Easter

    Reply
  8. Jackie says

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    So happy to hear this update Toni! Yay Cora! I definitely love hearing about your family. Cora is a beauty!!!

    And love the new header! I just noticed it. CUTE!

    Reply
  9. Kristen S says

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    I agree with some of the other comments. The reason we like to read your tips and advice is because we feel like we know you and trust you! Keep the personal updates coming! We love them! Thanks for sharing your life with us!

    Reply
  10. Amanda says

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    New Reader here, 🙂
    Cora is such a pretty baby, and those pics of her wide awake are wonderful. Enjoy her while she’s tiny…we will too, we can wait for all of those other “necessary” posts.

    Reply
  11. Heather says

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    Perhaps as a super organized, experienced and got it together mom this may be a non-issue for you, but I was a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of putting 5 pound baby in the car seat intended for a regular newborn, packing all the things we could potentially need, venturing to the sick house aka pediatrician’s office for a lousy weight check. My community has a Welcome Home Baby program that is offered to every new baby. A nurse from the local health dept comes to the house to do a weight check and help you with anything you’ve encountered since coming home but haven’t the energy to call the doc to ask (or are embarrassed because you think you should know the answers). Apparently most people decline the service but I said you’d come to my house for free? Bring it! It’s normally a one visit thing but my nurse said she’d be happy to swing by twice a week for the weight check until the pediatrician was satisfied with my son’s growth rate. It was so convenient–so check it out maybe your community has it too!

    Reply
  12. Stephanie says

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    Oh you do not ramble! Thanks for the updates though 🙂 Love ya 🙂

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  13. Allison says

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    She is SO precious! Praise the Lord she is doing so well! You are so blessed! (I know you already know that!) 🙂

    Reply
  14. Heidi says

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    My daughter was on the biliblanket too. I was so glad when her level got down to where she could be off of it. It was rainy and gloomy,but as soon as it was sunny I stuck her cradle by the window. She had been on the biliblanket 4 days and it had only went down 2 points. One day in the light dropped it down to a level we could take her off of it.

    Reply
  15. Joelle says

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    She’s so cute! Enjoy your weekend with her!

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  16. Monica Bertone says

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    I love reading all your posts.. She is precious, and it reminds me of when my babies where that small. Not that they are that old, but time does fly by quickly!

    Reply
  17. Nancy M. says

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    I really love seeing pictures of Cora and hearing about her! I am happy she is doing so well!

    Reply
  18. Kris says

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    SHe is so precious! Don’t worry about the weight gain. Now that you can hold her, hold her A LOT. Especially skin to skin. There is not enough that can be said for the love and warmth of mommy to help a baby thrive! I love reading your baby updates! Keep them coming!

    Reply
  19. Christy says

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    I say keep ’em coming! I read your blog for everything, and it’s nice to see your family in a more intimate post such as this!! Reminds us you really are human too =)

    Reply
  20. Tori says

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    She’s a beauty. So glad she’s improving and gaining!!!

    Reply
  21. Meredith says

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    Hurray to no more foot pricks and bili blanket! Having gone through this routine 3x with my kids, I am doing the happy dance with you.

    Reply
  22. lis says

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    She is just the most sweetest thing!

    Reply
  23. Erin says

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    I love the baby updates and the I still smile at the picture of the little one who could hardly wait to hold her baby sister. I am so happy that Cora is healthy and happy and you are all doing well…keep sharing the news…life is more than tips and tricks…it is love.

    Reply
  24. Angel says

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    I too am enjoying the updates..even though we didn;t have to deal with anything personally, 2 of my nieces were on apnea monitors for a long time. It was odd finally holding them w/o all the cords.
    Be sure & rest.

    Reply
  25. Jasmine says

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    thats so funny and neat my husband is the best swaddler also. I do it and it always comes undone.He does it and we ha ve the perfect little baby burrito.So glad she is doing better! And you

    Reply
  26. Amy :) says

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    I’m a new reader to your blog as of about a week & a half ago. I don’t think anybody that reads your blog minds a bit, hearing the Cora updates! She is *so* sweet. I love all the pink clothing & bedding! 🙂

    Our youngest, Naomi, who is almost 5, had to be on the bili blanket for the first week or so after she was born. She was born 3 1/2 weeks early, and I was so afraid she’d have to stay in the NICU like our two babies before her. But she went home the next day, with me.

    Anyway, our 12 yo daughter was wondering if you were going to change the header on your blog, so it was fun to see today that your belly was “shrunk” and little Cora added to the kids’ portraits.

    Amy 🙂

    Reply
  27. Monica says

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    Praise God for freedom from the biliblanket, cords, and sticky stuff and for her weight gain!! She is such a beautiful baby!

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  28. Courtney @ Sister To Sister says

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    Yay for the weight gain! She is just adorable! I love hearing about her! 🙂

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  29. allison walker says

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    i love your blog.i enjoy hearing about miss cora as much as i enjoy all of your worldly knowledge. i can’t imagine you losing any followers. its all about supporting each other. you just keep on keepin on, whatever that means for you.

    Reply
  30. Suzanne says

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    I don’t know you, but I’m still enjoying the Cora updates. She is so beautiful and tiny! So sweet. And, I love the updated banner/title on top of your blog. By the way, you are so thin! How do you do it? I start out thin, then look like a miniature whale after I give birth and takes me forever to lose the weight. Anyway, I guess that’s another story for another time. Take care!

    Reply
  31. AmyG says

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    She is such a little doll. So cute! I’m glad she’s off the biliblanket!

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  32. Amanda @ Fake Ginger says

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    I’m so glad she’s finally off the blanket. I can’t even imagine what is was like for you guys to not hold her much.

    Reply
  33. Amy @ MomsToolbox says

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    So sweet! Thanks for keeping us posted and sharing pictures.
    And I like the new addition to your header, too. 🙂

    Reply
  34. Jacqueline G Reitnauer says

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    I have never commented on your blog before (I don’t think), but I wanted to say that I am really enjoying reading about your new little blessing! You commented that you’d get back to writing about other things soon, but this is absolutely fine by me to be writing about this now, as it is the focus and center of your life, and should be for good reason!

    Much love for your family!

    Reply
  35. Michele says

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    Congratulations! She’s absolutely precious!

    Reply

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