Not sure why but today I am super exhausted....I can only imagine what it will be like when the babies come home. I'm starting to have some anxiety over how the heck I'm going to keep up feeding these babies when they come home...
For now the babies are mostly tube fed at the hospital, Leah is bottle fed 3 times a day and Blake 2 times a day...Right now they eat every 3 hours. As they get better at it they'll get more and more until they are only on bottles. I get the opportunity to breastfed them at their 2:00pm feed...Today Leah wasn't interested and Blake was the champ and ate like a hungry little piggy...Change bum, feed, cuddle and repeat with the next baby...By the time that happens it leaves me enough time to pump and think about doing it all over again...
Realistically they will be better at the bottle when they come home since I can't be at all their feeds to breastfeed them...I'm just struggling with what will it be like when they come home. Will they only want to bottle feed? And if so how will I fit in pumping around all that bottle feeding...Will they only want to breastfeed? Holy cow thats a lot of pressure to be the only one able to feed them...Will one want the bottle and one want to breastfeed?? So many questions I don't know the answers too. Truthfully this was my only concern when I was pregnant with them, I just couldn't get my head around the whole feeding thing, turns out I had valid concerns...
I calculated the other day that I am producing 2 litres of milk per day, right now the babies are eating collectively 1/2 litre (500mls) so that leaves me with a freezer full of milk already. I suppose I could feed them bottle with frozen milk until the supply runs out...but what if it runs out too fast? What if I throw in the towel on pumping to early and can't get my supply back...
All of these crazy unanswered questions that are driving me crazy, and mostly because I'm tired I'm sure...I'm super determined to give these tiny preemies as much breast milk as I can handle before losing it completely. They need all the help they can to grow and thrive and it is HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended to try my best to give it to them exclusively...(I am not anti-formula by the way)
Anyways, I forgot my camera the past 2 days which is why no pictures...I already put it in my bag for tomorrow. Both monkies are doing well, Leah is growing like a weed up almost 100gms over her brother but both are doing well...
Goodnight, off to sleep before I have to get up and pump again...booo on pumping...
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Feeders and Growers
Another great day in the NICU for our little ones today. They are referred to as feeders and growers, which mean all they are really there for is to learn how to feed and to grow and then they get to go home...Today was a pretty exciting day on the feeding part...I was able to nurse Leah for the first time and she did awesome! She has had about 4 bottles since the big move and had done a great job so today they told me to give breastfeeding a try. She opened her little mouth and latched on without any trouble at all. She really did a wonderful job and we let her nurse for about 10 minutes. Right now they don't really want her to get a lot of milk from the nursing, its more about the practise. I had pumped right before so she didn't get too much milk. We followed it with a bottle which she drank all of...That was a very big moment for us and it literally went off without a hitch...
Now little Blake hadn't had a bottle yet, but we tried him out at nursing too and he wasn't the least bit interested...really though I think it was premature since he hadn't even given the bottle a try at that point. We did give him his first bottle after that and he did a fairly good job. He ate 21mls out of his 30mls. Maybe after a few more bottles we'll try out the breastfeeding again. He did seem to swallow a lot of air with the bottle, I could hear it as he swallowed. He did have a few good burps and continued eating but his enthusiasm wasn't quite the same as his sisters...
Today's weigh ins Leah 3lbs8oz Blake 3lbs6oz...awesome awesome :)
The babes today when we got there, even sharing a blanket how cute! The nurse said yesterday that they are starting to fuss when the other is taken out of their bed...I did see it for myself when we took Blake out, Leah woke from a dead sleep and fussed for her brother to come back in...I am loving them being together...Apparently they don't recommend them sleeping together when they get home for SIDS related reasons, however there seems to be some conflicting information out there I'll have to look into. They will be sharing a room anyways, it might be a good idea to seperate them so they don't have trouble down the road...
They look so grown up these days with their sleepers and tape free/tube free faces...
We were sent home from Foothills with some of these adorable knitted hats and a pair of knitted booties. I guess there are volunteers who donate all of these knitted hats for the NICU babies.
Now little Blake hadn't had a bottle yet, but we tried him out at nursing too and he wasn't the least bit interested...really though I think it was premature since he hadn't even given the bottle a try at that point. We did give him his first bottle after that and he did a fairly good job. He ate 21mls out of his 30mls. Maybe after a few more bottles we'll try out the breastfeeding again. He did seem to swallow a lot of air with the bottle, I could hear it as he swallowed. He did have a few good burps and continued eating but his enthusiasm wasn't quite the same as his sisters...
Today's weigh ins Leah 3lbs8oz Blake 3lbs6oz...awesome awesome :)
The babes today when we got there, even sharing a blanket how cute! The nurse said yesterday that they are starting to fuss when the other is taken out of their bed...I did see it for myself when we took Blake out, Leah woke from a dead sleep and fussed for her brother to come back in...I am loving them being together...Apparently they don't recommend them sleeping together when they get home for SIDS related reasons, however there seems to be some conflicting information out there I'll have to look into. They will be sharing a room anyways, it might be a good idea to seperate them so they don't have trouble down the road...
Leah drinking her "Bubby" as Big sister Alyssa would call it.
They look so grown up these days with their sleepers and tape free/tube free faces...
We were sent home from Foothills with some of these adorable knitted hats and a pair of knitted booties. I guess there are volunteers who donate all of these knitted hats for the NICU babies.
Blake all tired out after his big bottle feed...
Thursday, November 26, 2009
We Moved!!
Well today was a monumental day!!! The babies were moved to the Peter Lougheed Hospital...It was a bit of a shock to receive a message that my babies were moved to a different hospital with no warning and no real consent from us. I was still sleeping this morning and didn't hear the phone ringing, so I picked up the message about 2 hours after they were moved. I was a little upset to say the least, I would like to have had some prior warning as well as the opportunity to have travelled in the ambulance with them..Heck I would just like to have just known they were being moved. By the time the time I called them back they were already settled in and doing fine.
Once I was over my annoyance of them being moved, (which is now a further drive and terribly inconvenient for Kirk who will now spend an hour and 10 minutes after work to see them instead of 10 mintues) I went over to see them and get the new lay of the land. The move is actually a great sign that the babies are doing well. They were moved from a Level III Nicu to a Level II...It was also a big day because they are no longer in temperature controlled Isolette but in a open air bed and the most exciting news of all is that they are in a bed together!!! Together for the first time since they were born. Somehow I feel comforted that they now have each other...
The new Level II Nicu will take some getting used to, new rules, new ways of doing things. Of course them being in their open air bed is a huge deal, it means they are able to keep their body temperature up themselves. They encourage more hands on parenting which is great because as much as I'd love a nurse and a continual care monitor complete with alarm bells to come home with me, thats not going to happen...We are taught to look at the babies instead of the monitors and look for signs of distress. For example when Blake has his desats I usually stare at the monitor intensely until the level goes up and it stops ringing, here they teach you to look at him and see if his color is ok, face isn't going blue etc and make sure he's breathing rythmically. We are also encourage to do diaper changes and temperature taking and other simple things like that so when we go home we aren't as intimidated...
The other big thing that happened today after the big move was their feeding tubes removed from their nose and we were able to try them on a bottle. Leah did fantastic and eagerly ate her full 25ml of milk in about 10 minutes. Blake not so good, he did a few mls and then ended up tube feeding him...but he did get a few sucks in.
Both babies had HUGE weight gains overnight, now I'm thinking the scales between the 2 hospitals are drastically different or my milk supply has turned from cream into butter. Leah was up from 1431 yesterday to 1571!!!!!! CRAZY!!!! Blake was up from 1408 to 1495 which is another gigantic weight gain...so I'm not entirely sure how accurate those really are..in anycase WAY TO GROW BABIES!!!
So there you have it, a BIG day for the babies today and a big day for Mommy and Daddy...Change is always inevitable and I guess we'd better get used to it since they will be there for another 4 weeks (or so!)
Tiny man with his daddy after his big day...Doesn't he look handsome without any tubes on his face! Hopefully by tomorrow the tape will be gone!!
Blake trying out a bottle for the first time!
Leah drinking her bottle like a champ!
Brother and sister sharing a bed for the first time since birth!!
Funny enough they keep moving their heads to face each other
Little Princess was dressed in a onsie and pants today! So cute!
Our new home!!
Once I was over my annoyance of them being moved, (which is now a further drive and terribly inconvenient for Kirk who will now spend an hour and 10 minutes after work to see them instead of 10 mintues) I went over to see them and get the new lay of the land. The move is actually a great sign that the babies are doing well. They were moved from a Level III Nicu to a Level II...It was also a big day because they are no longer in temperature controlled Isolette but in a open air bed and the most exciting news of all is that they are in a bed together!!! Together for the first time since they were born. Somehow I feel comforted that they now have each other...
The new Level II Nicu will take some getting used to, new rules, new ways of doing things. Of course them being in their open air bed is a huge deal, it means they are able to keep their body temperature up themselves. They encourage more hands on parenting which is great because as much as I'd love a nurse and a continual care monitor complete with alarm bells to come home with me, thats not going to happen...We are taught to look at the babies instead of the monitors and look for signs of distress. For example when Blake has his desats I usually stare at the monitor intensely until the level goes up and it stops ringing, here they teach you to look at him and see if his color is ok, face isn't going blue etc and make sure he's breathing rythmically. We are also encourage to do diaper changes and temperature taking and other simple things like that so when we go home we aren't as intimidated...
The other big thing that happened today after the big move was their feeding tubes removed from their nose and we were able to try them on a bottle. Leah did fantastic and eagerly ate her full 25ml of milk in about 10 minutes. Blake not so good, he did a few mls and then ended up tube feeding him...but he did get a few sucks in.
Both babies had HUGE weight gains overnight, now I'm thinking the scales between the 2 hospitals are drastically different or my milk supply has turned from cream into butter. Leah was up from 1431 yesterday to 1571!!!!!! CRAZY!!!! Blake was up from 1408 to 1495 which is another gigantic weight gain...so I'm not entirely sure how accurate those really are..in anycase WAY TO GROW BABIES!!!
So there you have it, a BIG day for the babies today and a big day for Mommy and Daddy...Change is always inevitable and I guess we'd better get used to it since they will be there for another 4 weeks (or so!)
Tiny man with his daddy after his big day...Doesn't he look handsome without any tubes on his face! Hopefully by tomorrow the tape will be gone!!
Blake trying out a bottle for the first time!
Leah drinking her bottle like a champ!
Brother and sister sharing a bed for the first time since birth!!
Funny enough they keep moving their heads to face each other
Little Princess was dressed in a onsie and pants today! So cute!
Our new home!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
3 weeks!
Already, can you believe it!! Its gone by so fast yet it seems like an eternity I've been trucking back and forth to the hospital...
We had an EXCELLENT day at the NICU today...Babies couldn't have been better. Blake was doing awesome today!! It was the first day they added in his new suppliment Neosure to his milk, he did wonderful on it. First it went down his tube really well, as opposed to him puffing up his tummy and pushing it back up out the tube. He kept all his feedings down and didn't have any spit back up his throat either. They took him off his air flow nasal prongs today and he was just breathing normally. The best news was his Oxygen levels remained high most of the day, in the the high 90's and even hovering around 100%..WOOHOOO!!!!!! I held him while feeding him through his feeding tube and for the first time he finished his feed and I was able to keep holding him without him desating on me!! He was pretty cute today, everytime Kirk and I talked to him while we were holding him he smiled at us...Yes they really do smile, I know they say they its gas this young but I don't believe it...Even the nurses say Hey look he's smiling! So Way to go Little Man on the best day you've had in a week!!!
Leah of course was Leah, cute, easy, held her for a long time again today...She has leap frogged her brother with her weight gain and is now bigger than him..She was 1431 today which is 3 pounds 2.5oz..Blake was 1361 which is 3 pounds even, although I will cut him some slack since he's spent a week with out the calorie boosters...
I dont' have any pictures from today or yesterday, its difficult to take pictures while you are holding them plus lets be honest there's only so many exciting pictures one can take of a sleeping baby!
Lately everyone has asked me how I'm doing, and the truth is I am doing really great!! I feel great, incision is feeling good and compared to how I felt in the last days before they were born I feel like a million bucks...I'm a bit tired but I don't feel I can even complain about tired compared to how I'll be when the babes come home. I have great help right now with both sets of parents taking care of things at home and Alyssa, I've been able to focus on being at the hospital and the babies. Of course I do feel pulled in both directions, when I'm at home I think I should be at the hospital and when I'm there I feel like I should hurry home to Alyssa (and Kirk!). There are certainly days when I have a hard time leaving them or think about them when I'm at home and worry that they don't know that I'm their mom and that they spend 22 hours a day in a plastic box...I hate thinking that they are awake with no one to comfort them...I know its a short term thing and I'm mostly at peace with the way things are...
As I sit in their little cubicle behind the curtain wall surrounded by babies and parents that really are in a tough place I hardly feel the need for self pity...
The babies that surround us include a 26 week preemie who is struggling to gain weight after her bowel resection and having an ostomy bag put in while she awaits another surgery to fix a valve in her heart...we have a little girl who has absesses that refuse to heal and today through my fabric wall I heard parents learning that their newborn preemie son has down syndrome. Down the hall is the little guy who keeps having brain seizures and my room mate from Postpartum who's 26 weeker has already undergone 2 surgeries since my 2 have been born...
Then there was the most horrible conversation I witnessed downstairs as I passed the Adult ICU to go get a parking pass and heard a women whom I gathered to be an aunt telling a little 5 or 6 year old little girl that her mother just died...heartwrenching right?!? That was truly an aweful thing to witness...
So as I sit behind my curtained wall not being able to avoid overhearing these converstations of Dr's and Nurses and single mothers with abusive husbands, I hold my tiny little babies tight and kiss them and can't believe how incredibly blessed I really am. And when I leave the hospital at night, yes it can be tough but I mostly leave with a smile because I'm leaving behind healthy babies and going home to a loving husband and another little miracle...So really and truly I am doing Great!!
Thanks to ALL of my friends and family who are constantly checking in on us to make sure we are doing well...Kirk and Alyssa are also doing well..Kirk is a busy busy guy working so he can take some time off when the babies come home. Alyssa has had her moments of wanting us to stay home but she's been having lots of fun with her Mama's and Papa's and the extra love they've been giving her...
We had an EXCELLENT day at the NICU today...Babies couldn't have been better. Blake was doing awesome today!! It was the first day they added in his new suppliment Neosure to his milk, he did wonderful on it. First it went down his tube really well, as opposed to him puffing up his tummy and pushing it back up out the tube. He kept all his feedings down and didn't have any spit back up his throat either. They took him off his air flow nasal prongs today and he was just breathing normally. The best news was his Oxygen levels remained high most of the day, in the the high 90's and even hovering around 100%..WOOHOOO!!!!!! I held him while feeding him through his feeding tube and for the first time he finished his feed and I was able to keep holding him without him desating on me!! He was pretty cute today, everytime Kirk and I talked to him while we were holding him he smiled at us...Yes they really do smile, I know they say they its gas this young but I don't believe it...Even the nurses say Hey look he's smiling! So Way to go Little Man on the best day you've had in a week!!!
Leah of course was Leah, cute, easy, held her for a long time again today...She has leap frogged her brother with her weight gain and is now bigger than him..She was 1431 today which is 3 pounds 2.5oz..Blake was 1361 which is 3 pounds even, although I will cut him some slack since he's spent a week with out the calorie boosters...
I dont' have any pictures from today or yesterday, its difficult to take pictures while you are holding them plus lets be honest there's only so many exciting pictures one can take of a sleeping baby!
Lately everyone has asked me how I'm doing, and the truth is I am doing really great!! I feel great, incision is feeling good and compared to how I felt in the last days before they were born I feel like a million bucks...I'm a bit tired but I don't feel I can even complain about tired compared to how I'll be when the babes come home. I have great help right now with both sets of parents taking care of things at home and Alyssa, I've been able to focus on being at the hospital and the babies. Of course I do feel pulled in both directions, when I'm at home I think I should be at the hospital and when I'm there I feel like I should hurry home to Alyssa (and Kirk!). There are certainly days when I have a hard time leaving them or think about them when I'm at home and worry that they don't know that I'm their mom and that they spend 22 hours a day in a plastic box...I hate thinking that they are awake with no one to comfort them...I know its a short term thing and I'm mostly at peace with the way things are...
As I sit in their little cubicle behind the curtain wall surrounded by babies and parents that really are in a tough place I hardly feel the need for self pity...
The babies that surround us include a 26 week preemie who is struggling to gain weight after her bowel resection and having an ostomy bag put in while she awaits another surgery to fix a valve in her heart...we have a little girl who has absesses that refuse to heal and today through my fabric wall I heard parents learning that their newborn preemie son has down syndrome. Down the hall is the little guy who keeps having brain seizures and my room mate from Postpartum who's 26 weeker has already undergone 2 surgeries since my 2 have been born...
Then there was the most horrible conversation I witnessed downstairs as I passed the Adult ICU to go get a parking pass and heard a women whom I gathered to be an aunt telling a little 5 or 6 year old little girl that her mother just died...heartwrenching right?!? That was truly an aweful thing to witness...
So as I sit behind my curtained wall not being able to avoid overhearing these converstations of Dr's and Nurses and single mothers with abusive husbands, I hold my tiny little babies tight and kiss them and can't believe how incredibly blessed I really am. And when I leave the hospital at night, yes it can be tough but I mostly leave with a smile because I'm leaving behind healthy babies and going home to a loving husband and another little miracle...So really and truly I am doing Great!!
Thanks to ALL of my friends and family who are constantly checking in on us to make sure we are doing well...Kirk and Alyssa are also doing well..Kirk is a busy busy guy working so he can take some time off when the babies come home. Alyssa has had her moments of wanting us to stay home but she's been having lots of fun with her Mama's and Papa's and the extra love they've been giving her...
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Best Birthday Ever!
Kirk said today was the best birthday ever! We got to go see babies and he got to hold them both for the first time together today! Followed by a lovely get together with both sets of parents and both sibling and their families...We tried to get a picture of Daddy with Alyssa but she promptly ran away when she saw the camera, so once again its just pictures of the babies.
Baby wise, no new news which is always good. Blake was on room air today on air flow, doing much better on just mommy's milk. Both have had excellent weight gains still, Leah was down a bit last night but Blake was up 71 grams overnight without fortifiers!! So their totals for today are almost the same as each other, Leah is 1361 grams and Blake is 1364, which my friends is 3 pounds!! WOOHOOO!! Both babies have hit the 3 pound mark! Now of course they could go down a bit but for today they are both at 3 pounds!
It was pretty cute when Kirk was holding them both, I think he was a little overwhelmed having them both. Leah was staring up at him quietly and Blake was squirming around making all kinds of squeeky noises. It will take awhile to master the 2 baby hold, especially since they feel like a wet noodle its hard to readjust them...Wow should be interesting to tandem nurse them! Why I want to try I'm not sure but that is my goal.
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Leah was looking a little chubbier today, her face seemed fuller
Baby wise, no new news which is always good. Blake was on room air today on air flow, doing much better on just mommy's milk. Both have had excellent weight gains still, Leah was down a bit last night but Blake was up 71 grams overnight without fortifiers!! So their totals for today are almost the same as each other, Leah is 1361 grams and Blake is 1364, which my friends is 3 pounds!! WOOHOOO!! Both babies have hit the 3 pound mark! Now of course they could go down a bit but for today they are both at 3 pounds!
It was pretty cute when Kirk was holding them both, I think he was a little overwhelmed having them both. Leah was staring up at him quietly and Blake was squirming around making all kinds of squeeky noises. It will take awhile to master the 2 baby hold, especially since they feel like a wet noodle its hard to readjust them...Wow should be interesting to tandem nurse them! Why I want to try I'm not sure but that is my goal.
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Looks like Blake is going for the oxygen to try and pull out
Leah was looking a little chubbier today, her face seemed fuller
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Ah-ha!
Today when we went to the babies they said that Blake had been having the same problems overnight again. His tummy blew up again 1cm more over night than normal which I guess is a lot for a tiny baby, and he was desating quite a bit and he was really fussy and upset...Since Tuesday when he was first having his breathing issues and tummy troubles they stopped they human milk fortifiers he was on and only have mommy's milk...Last night they reintroduced the fortifiers into his milk and he instantly started having problems...So there you have it we have found the culprit to his problems!
Not that I am happy that he is having these issues, I am happy that we have been able to pin point a problem that we can now try and fix. His blood work and x-rays and everything coming back normal of course was great too, but at least now we have something to go with instead of being stumped.
They immediately stopped the fortifier and by the next feeding he was doing much better! His tummy had gone down and he was able to keep the full amount down with out pushing it back up. I guess what was happening was the fortifer was very difficult for him to digest and he would get so bloated that it made it hard for him to breath because his abdomen was so full of air, which of course was causing him to be uncomfortable and fussy.
From what I am understanding is Breast milk doesn't have enough calcium and minerals in it for a preemie baby, it does for a term baby just not these tiny babies. If they were still in utero they would be getting enough calcium from mom to harden their bones. So he does for sure need some kind of suppliment with the proper amounts of calcium and minerals to ossify his bones. Monday, Tuesday they will consult with a dietician to see what alternative we have to the human milk fortifier. I guess this does happen occassionally so I'm sure they will have the solution...So in the meantime he's only getting mommy's milk. He did have another big weight gain over night anyways so he must be getting enough nutrients to gain weight...
We held him for quite some time today, that little stinker is just such a little boy it makes me laugh. You almost have to hold his hands to stop him from pulling out his feeding tube and oxygen (which was at 23% today after his rough night)..He is so squirmy and he was making all kinds of grunting noises...and he looks just like Kirk!
Leah was such a little doll today, she is so good and content we held her for probably 2.5 hours and she didn't make a peep. She'll look around for a bit and then she'll fall asleep, then she'll wake back up and suck her soother, then back to sleep...what a difference between the 2 babies...Leah doesn't look like anyone to me yet, just like Leah...She had 2 days in a row of huge weight gain but last night she lost a bit, I guess thats pretty normal though.
They told me 2 exciting things today, first was they will start getting to try out nursing this upcoming week! Not to get any milk but to just learn how to...2nd thing was after prying a bit I did have a nurse practitioner say they will likely be home for Christmas!!!!!! Now of course they follow that with, not for sure, things change fast around here, don't get your hopes up...but I'm telling you my hopes ARE up...I really think by then they will be ready to come home...They would be 37-38 weeks gestation which is when they were suppose to have been born...Plus 2 sets of twins around us just got released this week at 36 weeks, so here's hoping!!!
Anyways, thats the loooong update for today!! Happy 32nd Birthday to my honey!!!
Not that I am happy that he is having these issues, I am happy that we have been able to pin point a problem that we can now try and fix. His blood work and x-rays and everything coming back normal of course was great too, but at least now we have something to go with instead of being stumped.
They immediately stopped the fortifier and by the next feeding he was doing much better! His tummy had gone down and he was able to keep the full amount down with out pushing it back up. I guess what was happening was the fortifer was very difficult for him to digest and he would get so bloated that it made it hard for him to breath because his abdomen was so full of air, which of course was causing him to be uncomfortable and fussy.
From what I am understanding is Breast milk doesn't have enough calcium and minerals in it for a preemie baby, it does for a term baby just not these tiny babies. If they were still in utero they would be getting enough calcium from mom to harden their bones. So he does for sure need some kind of suppliment with the proper amounts of calcium and minerals to ossify his bones. Monday, Tuesday they will consult with a dietician to see what alternative we have to the human milk fortifier. I guess this does happen occassionally so I'm sure they will have the solution...So in the meantime he's only getting mommy's milk. He did have another big weight gain over night anyways so he must be getting enough nutrients to gain weight...
We held him for quite some time today, that little stinker is just such a little boy it makes me laugh. You almost have to hold his hands to stop him from pulling out his feeding tube and oxygen (which was at 23% today after his rough night)..He is so squirmy and he was making all kinds of grunting noises...and he looks just like Kirk!
Leah was such a little doll today, she is so good and content we held her for probably 2.5 hours and she didn't make a peep. She'll look around for a bit and then she'll fall asleep, then she'll wake back up and suck her soother, then back to sleep...what a difference between the 2 babies...Leah doesn't look like anyone to me yet, just like Leah...She had 2 days in a row of huge weight gain but last night she lost a bit, I guess thats pretty normal though.
They told me 2 exciting things today, first was they will start getting to try out nursing this upcoming week! Not to get any milk but to just learn how to...2nd thing was after prying a bit I did have a nurse practitioner say they will likely be home for Christmas!!!!!! Now of course they follow that with, not for sure, things change fast around here, don't get your hopes up...but I'm telling you my hopes ARE up...I really think by then they will be ready to come home...They would be 37-38 weeks gestation which is when they were suppose to have been born...Plus 2 sets of twins around us just got released this week at 36 weeks, so here's hoping!!!
Anyways, thats the loooong update for today!! Happy 32nd Birthday to my honey!!!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Not much to report...
Everything is just the same as yesterday...Blake is doing fine, they have taken him off the oxygen and he is just on air flow..he did have 3 brady's over night last night and he did desat several times throughout the day...He also had one brady when I was there, but mostly he is doing good... His tummy is still big so they aren't sure what is causing that. He did have a big weight gain over night which is excellent since he's only on mommy's milk and no fortifiers. He jumped from 1309 grams to 1357 grams, they said that sick babies don't gain weight...Guess we'll just take that as a good sign. I held the little boy for a good half an hour today and maybe its just my wishful thinking but with some love and some whispers in his ear his oxygen went up to 96-97 % while I was holding him...I hope tomorrow he'll be mostly back to normal. Leah was as good as ever, I held her for at least an hour. She sucked intensely on her soother most of the time, which is good...I think she is getting ready for a bottle or to try nursing soon. I think probably within a week or so we should be able to give it a try...Blake has actually been liking his soother too, and his little mouth makes a sucking motion while he's sleeping so I guess he's getting ready too! Leah also had a good weight gain yesterday from 1287 to 1311 grams...Kirk always jokes that I make straight cream seeing how chubby Alyssa always was, so here's to hoping I'll fatten these babies up in no time! Thats it for today, thanks for checking in! In means the world to me to know how many of you out there are reading so often and keeping tabs on us!
Just for fun, here is Chunky monkey #1... this is Alyssa at about 7 months old...
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Just for fun, here is Chunky monkey #1... this is Alyssa at about 7 months old...
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Blake Update
So the little man is about the same as yesterday. You can see he still has his oxygen on from yesterday. He's fluctuated between 21% (room air) and 30 % today but it was 21% when I left. He still has a distended tummy and does desat when he's not on the oxygen. Blood work all came back normal, X-ray is normal so thats a good sign. He's pooped good today too, also a good sign... so that leaves us with a big fat question mark...
They have said that sometime these little guys do well for a few days then they just get tired out and need a break so to speak. So hopefully overnight and through tomorrow he'll slow himeself off the oxygen...I didn't hold him today, he always desats when I hold him, he gets too comfy in mommy's arms and forgets to breath so I thought it would be for the best to leave him be and get him a little more stable..
Maybe tomorrow he can have a tiny snuggle..he sure did look cute though!! Also he weighed 1309 grams today, he was 1310 when he was born so thats good that he's almost back to his original weight. They have also taken him off the human milk fortifier and is only on Mommy's milk until his tummy troubles and oxygen levels improve...Thanks for all your concern and messages, I'm sure in the next few days he'll be back to his normal self.
Little Girl is doing GREAT!! She always has perfect Oxygen levels, heartrate, never has brady's or destats...she's the little golden baby of the NICU. Today she weighed 1287 grams which is up from her birth weight of 1250!! Woohooo!!! Grow baby grow!!! I held her today for 2 hours most of which she was asleep, she did wake up a bit to suck on her soother...I happily held her and looked at all the tiny things on her, her microscopic veins and her weeeny little fingernails and adorably cute litte eyelashes...What a little pumpkin...I can't imagine what she will look like in 1 month from now or even 1 year...
They have said that sometime these little guys do well for a few days then they just get tired out and need a break so to speak. So hopefully overnight and through tomorrow he'll slow himeself off the oxygen...I didn't hold him today, he always desats when I hold him, he gets too comfy in mommy's arms and forgets to breath so I thought it would be for the best to leave him be and get him a little more stable..
Maybe tomorrow he can have a tiny snuggle..he sure did look cute though!! Also he weighed 1309 grams today, he was 1310 when he was born so thats good that he's almost back to his original weight. They have also taken him off the human milk fortifier and is only on Mommy's milk until his tummy troubles and oxygen levels improve...Thanks for all your concern and messages, I'm sure in the next few days he'll be back to his normal self.
Little Girl is doing GREAT!! She always has perfect Oxygen levels, heartrate, never has brady's or destats...she's the little golden baby of the NICU. Today she weighed 1287 grams which is up from her birth weight of 1250!! Woohooo!!! Grow baby grow!!! I held her today for 2 hours most of which she was asleep, she did wake up a bit to suck on her soother...I happily held her and looked at all the tiny things on her, her microscopic veins and her weeeny little fingernails and adorably cute litte eyelashes...What a little pumpkin...I can't imagine what she will look like in 1 month from now or even 1 year...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Small scare...
So our little man was causing some problems today, see I told you he'd be my handful ;) No really he is doing alright but he was having some "desats" a little too many and a little too low...From the moment I walked in there today his monitor alarms were ringing that his oxygen levels were too low...Over the next hour he kept dropping for no reason and down into the 60's, if you remember from my previous post the Oxygen level should be as close to 100% as possible.
We tried him on some Air flow through his nose and that didn't seem to help. Then we ran 23% oxygen (room air is 21% so not a huge amount) and that still didn't seem to help. After trying for some time we called in the attending dr who checked him over, a few more people came and they drew blood, poor guy was screaming and then they called X-ray over and they took some x-rays of his abdomen. The only thing he was showing was a bit of a distended belly, which usually means gas or he needs a poop, although he was pooping fine. When you are only 2 pounds everything comes to you, you don't even need to leave the comfort of your bed.
The dr took us down the hall to explain what might be happening. It could be an infection but they aren't sure or not, the pathology of the X-ray revealed no problems, the Blood gas (whatever that is) showed normal. We don't have the blood counts and the rest of the blood work back yet which will show if its an infection yet or not.
When I left him I had just fed him and he was stable on a little oxygen and sleeping...I'll call in a little while to see how his is and hopefully go back tonight for some kisses..
So the little man could use some prayers and happy thoughts tonight that its maybe just some gas or something not serious...what an exhausting day...
We tried him on some Air flow through his nose and that didn't seem to help. Then we ran 23% oxygen (room air is 21% so not a huge amount) and that still didn't seem to help. After trying for some time we called in the attending dr who checked him over, a few more people came and they drew blood, poor guy was screaming and then they called X-ray over and they took some x-rays of his abdomen. The only thing he was showing was a bit of a distended belly, which usually means gas or he needs a poop, although he was pooping fine. When you are only 2 pounds everything comes to you, you don't even need to leave the comfort of your bed.
The dr took us down the hall to explain what might be happening. It could be an infection but they aren't sure or not, the pathology of the X-ray revealed no problems, the Blood gas (whatever that is) showed normal. We don't have the blood counts and the rest of the blood work back yet which will show if its an infection yet or not.
When I left him I had just fed him and he was stable on a little oxygen and sleeping...I'll call in a little while to see how his is and hopefully go back tonight for some kisses..
So the little man could use some prayers and happy thoughts tonight that its maybe just some gas or something not serious...what an exhausting day...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Same old..
Not much new to report today, which I suppose is GREAT news...Both are eating more, both are getting cuter every day and the more time we spend with them we notice different things about them. They do look like siblings but certainly don't look like each other. Even the nurse said today how dainty and petite Leah is and how boy like Blake looks...
Leah doesn't mind being handled by us or the nurses and doesn't really fuss about anything. She always has the hiccups and she spends a lot of time awake and looks around instensely. From what the nurse told me today they can see us when we hold them close to our faces, their little immatures eyes cross when they are trying to focus on something...
Blake sleeps a lot, although he is starting to be a little more awake during the day. He doesn't really like to be handled or disturbed particularily when he's been asleep. The dr who did the heart study had to come back twice because he was too squirmy and wouldn't co-operate. He has pulled out his feeding tube several times, whereas Leah never has...He also pees and poops on the nurses everytime his diaper is open. He is also a little grunter, especially after he eats.
Both of them have lived up to what I thought they would be like when they were still inside..
Holding my 2 pumpkins, my favorite!
Blake wide awake with Daddy
The little prince stayed awake for record time tonight!
Leah doesn't mind being handled by us or the nurses and doesn't really fuss about anything. She always has the hiccups and she spends a lot of time awake and looks around instensely. From what the nurse told me today they can see us when we hold them close to our faces, their little immatures eyes cross when they are trying to focus on something...
Blake sleeps a lot, although he is starting to be a little more awake during the day. He doesn't really like to be handled or disturbed particularily when he's been asleep. The dr who did the heart study had to come back twice because he was too squirmy and wouldn't co-operate. He has pulled out his feeding tube several times, whereas Leah never has...He also pees and poops on the nurses everytime his diaper is open. He is also a little grunter, especially after he eats.
Both of them have lived up to what I thought they would be like when they were still inside..
Holding my 2 pumpkins, my favorite!
Snuggles with Blake...
Blake wide awake with Daddy
The little prince stayed awake for record time tonight!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Quick Visit
I just had a quick visit with the babies today. It was very difficult leaving them there today for some reason. I cried going in and I cried leaving them. Then when I was leaving there was 2 other couples leaving in the elevator with me with their full term newborn babies and everyone was oooohhhing and awwwwing over them...I just wished they were coming home with me. I know they need to be there but its still hard to know that for 20 hours a day they are being cared for by other people :(
I held Leah today since I had a good long snuggle with Blake yesterday...She was as cute as ever, they were both wearing sleepers today which looked extra cute, they were preemie sized sleepers and they were swimming in them..
Where the heck am I???
Big Eyed girl...
Baby girl swimming in her preemie sleepers
Little Blake was awake today while I was feeding him, it was a nice treat to see him with his eyes open
I held Leah today since I had a good long snuggle with Blake yesterday...She was as cute as ever, they were both wearing sleepers today which looked extra cute, they were preemie sized sleepers and they were swimming in them..
Where the heck am I???
Big Eyed girl...
Baby girl swimming in her preemie sleepers
Little Blake was awake today while I was feeding him, it was a nice treat to see him with his eyes open
Ohhh lunch looks good!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bald is Beautiful
Sorry I missed yesterday, I was honestly just too tired to do it, plus there wasn't a ton of pictures as the babies were under the lights all day...We didn't even get to hold them...
So we guilted one of the nurses into completely shaving Leah's head, seeing her aweful hair in these pictures really bothered me for some reason so our little princess has lost her brown wavy hair and is now sporting the bald look...She looks a little cuter now without the mangled do...
Both are still doing really well...Blake had is air flow removed from his nose, he "desats" a bit which means his oxygen levels dip when he forgots to breath but he always recovers within a few seconds, I've noticed he "Desats" and has "Brady's" (dip in heartrate) right after he eats, and when he is being held. He just gets so comfy and relaxed that he forgots to breath. It sounds really aweful but is totally common with babies of this age..Its still a little unsettling to have these alarm bells ring off loudy when you are holding him. Usually if you just move him a bit and put his head back he startles enough to breath...Other than that, feedings are going up for both and both are now on the Human milk fortifier which is the calorie booster. IV's are both out, which leaves just the feeding tube which will still be in for another 4 or 5 weeks.
Leah wearing a toque to keep her bald head warm ;)
This is the new graduated room they are in, I guess its not really a room more like a little cubicle, seperated by curtains. Leah is on the left and Blakes on the right...The monitors above are Heart, oxygen and respiration monitors. You can see the Green 130 on the right one is Blakes Heartrate...The blue 89 is Oxygen, you can see here its a little low they like it as close to 100 % as possible, this # flucuates all day long, they all do so its normal. The pink 51 is how many breaths they are taking...
Finally a picture of the little man with his eyes open, its a rare occurance and even sitting beside him hours on end every day, I've only seen them open a hand full of times.
Baby Blake sunggling with Mommy
Its difficult to picture how big the babies are, Right now they are just over 2 pounds and a few oz, they've lost a bit since they were born. Just to give you an idea of how small the babies are, here is a picture of their diaper beside a dollar bill..(there is no significance of it being American, I didn't have a Canadian one) In some pictures you can see they are wearing diapers that are rolled down, those are a bigger size. These ones are just a perfect fit.
Princess Leah with her new bald hair do!
Big yawn....
So we guilted one of the nurses into completely shaving Leah's head, seeing her aweful hair in these pictures really bothered me for some reason so our little princess has lost her brown wavy hair and is now sporting the bald look...She looks a little cuter now without the mangled do...
Both are still doing really well...Blake had is air flow removed from his nose, he "desats" a bit which means his oxygen levels dip when he forgots to breath but he always recovers within a few seconds, I've noticed he "Desats" and has "Brady's" (dip in heartrate) right after he eats, and when he is being held. He just gets so comfy and relaxed that he forgots to breath. It sounds really aweful but is totally common with babies of this age..Its still a little unsettling to have these alarm bells ring off loudy when you are holding him. Usually if you just move him a bit and put his head back he startles enough to breath...Other than that, feedings are going up for both and both are now on the Human milk fortifier which is the calorie booster. IV's are both out, which leaves just the feeding tube which will still be in for another 4 or 5 weeks.
Leah wearing a toque to keep her bald head warm ;)
This is the new graduated room they are in, I guess its not really a room more like a little cubicle, seperated by curtains. Leah is on the left and Blakes on the right...The monitors above are Heart, oxygen and respiration monitors. You can see the Green 130 on the right one is Blakes Heartrate...The blue 89 is Oxygen, you can see here its a little low they like it as close to 100 % as possible, this # flucuates all day long, they all do so its normal. The pink 51 is how many breaths they are taking...
Finally a picture of the little man with his eyes open, its a rare occurance and even sitting beside him hours on end every day, I've only seen them open a hand full of times.
Baby Blake sunggling with Mommy
Its difficult to picture how big the babies are, Right now they are just over 2 pounds and a few oz, they've lost a bit since they were born. Just to give you an idea of how small the babies are, here is a picture of their diaper beside a dollar bill..(there is no significance of it being American, I didn't have a Canadian one) In some pictures you can see they are wearing diapers that are rolled down, those are a bigger size. These ones are just a perfect fit.
Princess Leah with her new bald hair do!
Always putting on a show...
Big yawn....
Right after her hair cut, there is still a patch of sticky stuff from the IV tape stuck on her head. The white dots are velcro that stick her sunglasses on when she's under the lights. Those should be able to come off now.
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