Scrub-a-dub-dub...

As the days to escape near, it makes things even more important to make sure he's kept healthy and safe. The topic of scrubbing in has been a fun one, since Dave and I both miss our layers of skin dearly- but for the safety of Chase and his fellow roommates, it is truly essential.

Thing about anti-bacterial products that people misunderstand (sorry- this is microbiology coming back to haunt me) is that it gets rid of all disease and illness causing bacteria.... whiiiiichh.... if you consider the name- is partially true. "Anti-bacterial" means just that- that it kills a majority of bacteria- both good and bad- off the skin. Problem is that it destroys the good flora/bacteria that our body needs, and tends to create "super bugs" as they mutate to adapt. More-so, things like RSV, the flu, colds, hepatitis, etc- are viruses- which are not killed by anti-bacterial products. This is why efficient hand-washing (look up for health-care workers- more than just a little swirl around the sink), and especially the required 3 minute scrub time in order to enter the pods of the NICU are life and death- or at least good health vs. bad. The combination of friction and products removes the unwanted contaminants, and minimizes the risk of transmission to others- especially the immuno-compromised babies who need all the help they can get.

So, that being said- getting in the practice of handwashing (minimum of 30sec-1min -sing happy birthday) on a daily basis, or accepting that scrubbing in for 3 minutes is a small price to pay for the health of the babies. I plan on implementing these rules even when we make it out of here and return home. Being exposed to germs builds immunity- sure- but until the little guy has a chance to gain strength- this will be pretty serious.

Also, for smokers- I am so sorry, but I recommend bringing a change of clothes- because I will likely make you scrub down and change into clothes that have not been exposed to the smoke and nicotine before you can hold and touch him. The residue from the cigarettes clings to the skin and clothing, and the carcinogens wreck havoc on their respiratory system, and can possibly lead to cancer. They consider it "third-hand smoke."

Sooooo- enough of my lecturing for the moment- just wanted to give a head's up to the importance of these practices to keep him healthy and safe.

As far as updates go- he weighed in last night at 4lbs 6.1oz, and while he lagged in the breastfeeding last night (I think he'd rather sleep- I tend to agree), he had another fairly successful morning- about half of his required feeding. They increased his volume to 40mL's every 3 hours- continuing to pack on the weight! Everything else is just a "wait and see" for him to work on those darn brady's and increasing his breastfeeding- so far pretty good!

(All he's done today... zzzzzzzz....)