Bottle feeding

Gabrielle is 2 lbs 4.4 oz today. Jen held her today for a few hrs or more as she always does. This is the second weekend in a row that I've been unable (or unwilling) to get too close because of a mild cold. The baby digests all of her food with very minimal stomach residuals, and she looks healthy and less frail than before. Jen will feed her breast milk by bottle tonight--Jen's first opportunity to do this. The nurses were surprised when Gabrielle responded favorably to a bottle recently. The doctors want her to feed by bottle only once daily, however, since the extra work means less energy devoted to growing. She'll continue to receive breast milk by the feeding tube in her nose at three hour intervals for some time. Currently, her mouth is too small to nurse properly other than with a bottle. She sleeps most of the time, as she should, but she becomes very alert when feeding time approaches--opening her eyes to look all around, sucking, kicking, and fidgeting. She's very cute!