Here she was about 6 lbs. The last weeks she spent in the hospital she only needed to learn how to eat well enough. She was taking bottles but not enough so she still needed supplemental feedings through the feeding tube. By the way, I did my best to get her to nurse but that's close to impossible in cases like this. I ended up pumping for 8 months so she at least got my breastmilk but from the feeding tubes or the bottle. She was also still on supplemental oxygen but that was not the reason she could not go home. Babies can be home and be on supplemental oxygen (of course it is very hard because they have to be hooked to the oxygen tank 24 hours a day). I was not looking forward to that but I really wanted her home. The day came when she finally was drinking enough milk from the bottle that she didn't need supplemental feedings. They decided to let her come home. She was weighing over 8 lbs at that point.
Two days or so before coming home she stopped needing the supplemental oxygen. We couldn't believe our luck. She was coming home with no tubes and wires, just like a normal newborn baby.