My little man was born Dec. 19 @ 37 weeks and 5 days. Scheduled cesarean due to my uterus wall getting thin and risk of rupture increasing daily. (My 4th sugar baby) 7lbs 4oz.

My sweet boy was okay till we got to recovery room. I tried to nurse him and he was lethargic and almost limp. Found out quickly, after calling saying he wasn't okay, that his blood sugar was 23. I hand expressed 10 ml of colostrum in 3 minutes (bruising my breast in the process) to get him out of the critical range.

By this time he was grunting while breathing... which I knew was a bad sign. He was rushed to NICU where pediatrician discovered one of his lungs was "shady" on xray. Started treating him for possible infection by IV, started him on a CPAP machine, and let me visit for 5 minutes before taking me to my room.

They kept him on dextrose intravenous solution for 4 days because he was too sick for supplementation. I was allowed to swab the inside of his cheek, every three hours, with my colostrum. Finally, a day after my milk came in, he got off cpap onto a regular nasal oxygen and they placed a nasal gastric tube to slowly introduced him to my milk by tube feeding. At first, his blood sugars didn't stay high enough to remove his iv... but within 24 hours his blood sugar stayed in a healthy range on just breast milk supplementation through his nasal feeding tube.

By a week in the NICU, his breathing improved enough to remove oxygen and I was able to breastfeed him for the first time. His blood sugar readings stayed in healthy range (could get enough milk by nursing alone) and his nasal tube could be removed.

I had to breastfeed him successfully for 48 hours, he had to pass a car seat challenge (stable vitals for 90 minutes in seat), he had to maintain his body temperature on his own with normal swaddling and clothes. I had to pass a CPR course. And, finally, got to bring him home.

He is thriving. Gained half a pound in first 5 days home. I got the owlet monitor as a gift and use it only at night... for piece of mind. His and my blood sugars are doing well. He has a touch of jaundice but at low enough level not to need treatment.