(Shameless plug: if you'd like to donate to our MOD team, you can do so at http://www.marchforbabies.org/jlee22! )
Showing posts with label updates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label updates. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
A Picture Update!
Wanna see what we've been up to?
We got a new stroller! Haha not really big news, but it was pretty exciting for us :) It's a Baby Jogger City Mini Double, and I LOOOOVE it! The babies like it too!
We got our last Synagis shots, Hallelujah! For one, those once-a-month shots are AWFUL. Two, that means that RSV season is almost over, which means our hibernating days are almost over!
Grayson started sitting unassisted. This is a major milestone!
This is BIG NEWS... we were chosen as the Ambassador Family for our area's March for Babies! The March of Dimes funds and supports research to prevent premature labor and to support premature babies, so it is obviously an organization that is SO close to my heart. I am thrilled!
(Shameless plug: if you'd like to donate to our MOD team, you can do so at http://www.marchforbabies.org/jlee22! )
We celebrated the twins' first Valentine's Day! How rotten can they be, really?
We started party planning (WHAT?!?)
I spent a day here, at the Georgia State Capitol, lobbying for the March of Dimes. It was such a cool experience!
Audrey decided she was a big girl. Where are my teeny tiny babies?!?
And last but not least, I was in a wedding last Saturday for one of my way-back-when friends. Has nothing to do with the babies, but I had a wonderful time! Congrats Michele and James!
(Shameless plug: if you'd like to donate to our MOD team, you can do so at http://www.marchforbabies.org/jlee22! )
Thursday, December 8, 2011
You Can Google It
Oh, my Blog Friends. I am so sorry you have been neglected.
You see, after the babies came home we had a couple weeks of a kind of bumpy adjustment period, but then we fell into this lovely routine. My babiesare were fantastic sleepers. They always had been. Naps on schedule, sleeping through the night early - we were extremely lucky.
And then. THEN.
The four-month sleep regression happened. Ugh, the four-month sleep regression.
It's very common. You can Google it.
(Name that movie!)
(Actually, don't name that movie. I'm kind of embarrassed that I just quoted it on my mommy blog.)
Anywho, yeah. Sleep regression. It actually is very common. I'd heard horror stories about it. It stems from a pretty big brain growth spurt that happens around then - their little synapses are firing and making all kinds of new, fun connections and the poor little babies just can't turn their brains off. And yeah, technically my babies are way past four months BUT their adjusted age is right there so of course we got in on the fun too! Fortunately, their night time sleep wasn't too terribly affected, but their naps. Naps were blown OUT. OF. THE. WATER. We went days - long, cranky, screamy days - without a nap. I tried everything. I rocked. I walked. I threw them in the car and drove around. Sometimes it worked, most times it didn't. So I gave up on napping and I tried to keep them as busy as possible.
So, dear Blog Friends, I'm sorry you have been neglected. But take comfort in the fact that you were not the only ones neglected - my hairdryer, oven, and washing machine count themselves among your ranks as well.
I am happy to report that about three weeks after the naps disappeared, they managed to find their way home again. Which is why I'm able to be making this blog post now :)
You see, after the babies came home we had a couple weeks of a kind of bumpy adjustment period, but then we fell into this lovely routine. My babies
And then. THEN.
The four-month sleep regression happened. Ugh, the four-month sleep regression.
It's very common. You can Google it.
(Name that movie!)
(Actually, don't name that movie. I'm kind of embarrassed that I just quoted it on my mommy blog.)
Anywho, yeah. Sleep regression. It actually is very common. I'd heard horror stories about it. It stems from a pretty big brain growth spurt that happens around then - their little synapses are firing and making all kinds of new, fun connections and the poor little babies just can't turn their brains off. And yeah, technically my babies are way past four months BUT their adjusted age is right there so of course we got in on the fun too! Fortunately, their night time sleep wasn't too terribly affected, but their naps. Naps were blown OUT. OF. THE. WATER. We went days - long, cranky, screamy days - without a nap. I tried everything. I rocked. I walked. I threw them in the car and drove around. Sometimes it worked, most times it didn't. So I gave up on napping and I tried to keep them as busy as possible.
So, dear Blog Friends, I'm sorry you have been neglected. But take comfort in the fact that you were not the only ones neglected - my hairdryer, oven, and washing machine count themselves among your ranks as well.
I am happy to report that about three weeks after the naps disappeared, they managed to find their way home again. Which is why I'm able to be making this blog post now :)
Saturday, October 15, 2011
In Medical Terms: 6 Months
It's been awhile since I've done a big update on where the babies are, medically speaking. Really, I don't think I've done one big comprehensive health post since they were born! (Mom blog fail right there, huh?) We just had our 6-month check up, so let's catch you all up!
Grayson at birth was 1 pound 8 ounces and 12.5 inches, at 6 months is TEN POUNDS, 6 ounces and 22.75 inches!
Audrey at birth was 1 pound 5 ounces and 12.25 inches, at 6 months is finally (finally) (praise the Lord and pass the ammunition) (FINALLY) right at NINE POUNDS! And 21.5 inches long.
Both babies got their full round of 6 month vaccines plus their flu shot. Four shots apiece! They wailed like banshees but I don't blame them one bit. I thought Audrey was having a bad reaction to hers, but like I said, it was something else. Thank goodness, because that was miserable and I wouldn't want to do that with every round of shots!
Grayson was FINALLY cleared at the retina specialist! Audrey was cleared at our first visit two weeks after we left the NICU, but Grayson has made slow progress and has had to go back once a month since then. His oxygen requirements were a little higher when they were teeny tiny in the hospital, which made his eyes mature a bit slower. But hooray, no more miserable retina checks! We go to a pediatric opthamologist starting in January to do routine checks for nearsightedness. Side note: I'm really curious to see how they check a baby for nearsightedness. It's not like they can cover one eye and read the letters.
The babies had their first physical therapy evaluation back in August and were right on par for milestones for their adjusted age of one month then. Preemies are notorious for being behind on physical development due to laying in a hospital bed for so long, so that was a huge relief to hear! We have been doing our little exercises every day though and we go back in November for a re-evaluation. I can't wait to show off what we can do!
Speaking of what we can do, the babies have been hitting milestones left and right lately! So far, they can: hold their heads up during tummy time (Audrey more than Grayson, although I think it's more of a "want to" thing than a "can do" thing. A is nosey and G is lazy!), are starting to push up on their arms, will bear weight on their legs when held up, can track from almost across the room now, are smiling and cooing socially, and are showing interest in toys. They are alllllmost rolling over and have tried to reach for a toy once or twice now. Laughing and interacting with toys are next, and I cannot freaking wait for those!
Grayson at birth was 1 pound 8 ounces and 12.5 inches, at 6 months is TEN POUNDS, 6 ounces and 22.75 inches!
Audrey at birth was 1 pound 5 ounces and 12.25 inches, at 6 months is finally (finally) (praise the Lord and pass the ammunition) (FINALLY) right at NINE POUNDS! And 21.5 inches long.
Both babies got their full round of 6 month vaccines plus their flu shot. Four shots apiece! They wailed like banshees but I don't blame them one bit. I thought Audrey was having a bad reaction to hers, but like I said, it was something else. Thank goodness, because that was miserable and I wouldn't want to do that with every round of shots!
Grayson was FINALLY cleared at the retina specialist! Audrey was cleared at our first visit two weeks after we left the NICU, but Grayson has made slow progress and has had to go back once a month since then. His oxygen requirements were a little higher when they were teeny tiny in the hospital, which made his eyes mature a bit slower. But hooray, no more miserable retina checks! We go to a pediatric opthamologist starting in January to do routine checks for nearsightedness. Side note: I'm really curious to see how they check a baby for nearsightedness. It's not like they can cover one eye and read the letters.
The babies had their first physical therapy evaluation back in August and were right on par for milestones for their adjusted age of one month then. Preemies are notorious for being behind on physical development due to laying in a hospital bed for so long, so that was a huge relief to hear! We have been doing our little exercises every day though and we go back in November for a re-evaluation. I can't wait to show off what we can do!
Speaking of what we can do, the babies have been hitting milestones left and right lately! So far, they can: hold their heads up during tummy time (Audrey more than Grayson, although I think it's more of a "want to" thing than a "can do" thing. A is nosey and G is lazy!), are starting to push up on their arms, will bear weight on their legs when held up, can track from almost across the room now, are smiling and cooing socially, and are showing interest in toys. They are alllllmost rolling over and have tried to reach for a toy once or twice now. Laughing and interacting with toys are next, and I cannot freaking wait for those!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Pour Out Your Hearts
Today was a much better day! The cupcake-and-sleep combo did me wonders.
The babies had a better day, too. They didn't get cupcakes unfortunately, but they did both a round of "just in case" antibiotics and some fresh blood so they were all happy and pink and pretty (Stephanie Meyer would be so jealous).
Today was bath and weight day too, and my kids have hit a definite growth spurt. The last time they were weighed was Thursday, and Grayson was 4lb2oz and Audrey was 3lb15oz. Today? FOUR POUNDS TEN OUNCES and FOUR POUNDS FIVE OUNCES. Holy moly! We officially have two 4 pound babies, and we're totally knocking on 5 pounds. I'm afraid Grayson is going to outgrow all his preemie stuff before I even get to put him in it.
Wanna see what else we have been up to?
Open beds! Grayson is in a normal, regular ol' full-term newborn crib! Audrey still needs a bed with a warmer but we are OUT of the isolettes! (Also, I'm very glad that our NICU's care level is not directly proportionate with the age of some of it's equipment. Nice wood paneling, no?)
PO feeds! I have to be totally honest and tell you that I have no idea what PO stands for but I DO know that it means we can feed the babies by mouth! Evey day we get to try one bottle feed and one breastfeed (don't worry, I won't share those pictures here) with both babies. Miss Piggy Pants has taken to it like a champ, and Grayson is good while he can stay awake which unfotunately isn't for long. It'll take practice but this is another huge step for my babies!
Also? The nurses have taken to saying "two to four weeks" now instead of "four to six weeks". Be still my heart.
Trust in Him at all times, o people, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. -Psalm 62:8
The babies had a better day, too. They didn't get cupcakes unfortunately, but they did both a round of "just in case" antibiotics and some fresh blood so they were all happy and pink and pretty (Stephanie Meyer would be so jealous).
Today was bath and weight day too, and my kids have hit a definite growth spurt. The last time they were weighed was Thursday, and Grayson was 4lb2oz and Audrey was 3lb15oz. Today? FOUR POUNDS TEN OUNCES and FOUR POUNDS FIVE OUNCES. Holy moly! We officially have two 4 pound babies, and we're totally knocking on 5 pounds. I'm afraid Grayson is going to outgrow all his preemie stuff before I even get to put him in it.
Wanna see what else we have been up to?
Open beds! Grayson is in a normal, regular ol' full-term newborn crib! Audrey still needs a bed with a warmer but we are OUT of the isolettes! (Also, I'm very glad that our NICU's care level is not directly proportionate with the age of some of it's equipment. Nice wood paneling, no?)
PO feeds! I have to be totally honest and tell you that I have no idea what PO stands for but I DO know that it means we can feed the babies by mouth! Evey day we get to try one bottle feed and one breastfeed (don't worry, I won't share those pictures here) with both babies. Miss Piggy Pants has taken to it like a champ, and Grayson is good while he can stay awake which unfotunately isn't for long. It'll take practice but this is another huge step for my babies!
Also? The nurses have taken to saying "two to four weeks" now instead of "four to six weeks". Be still my heart.
Trust in Him at all times, o people, pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. -Psalm 62:8
Thursday, June 2, 2011
These Days
We've been busy around here! There have been lots and lots of new things going on, plus I have lots of back-logged stuff to tell you about. Let's catch up, shall we?
-We had our March of Dimes walk on May 7. I raised around $350 which isn't much, but I started only a week before so I was pretty darn proud! I had some wonderful friends walk with me and we saw a lot of our nurses there too. It was awesome to hear so many NICU success stories and so fufilling do be proactive about supporting my babies. I can't wait to really get involved with next year's walk!
-I had my very first Mother's Day and Chris and the nurses made it SO special. I got breakfast in bed, some gorgeous flowers, cards from Chris, the babies AND the dogs, and charms for my Pandora bracelet. Chris got me a charm with the babies' birthstone, and when I went to visit the babies they both had charms for me too (a little girl charm from Audrey and a little boy charm from Grayson). Chris even had one of the nurses take some awesome pictures of the surprise!
-I went back to work to finish out the three and a half weeks that were left in the school year. It was bittersweet, and that's all I'll say about it (because, you know, writing unflattering things about people on the internet makes it public). My school friends managed to sqeeze out a little time to throw me the most wonderful shower though!
Annnnd here we are! It's June now, which means I can officially say "the babies will be home by next month" which is kind of exciting (and by "kind of" I mean OHMYGOODNESSEXCITING). Stay tuned for a big update about all the baby progress going on!
-We had our March of Dimes walk on May 7. I raised around $350 which isn't much, but I started only a week before so I was pretty darn proud! I had some wonderful friends walk with me and we saw a lot of our nurses there too. It was awesome to hear so many NICU success stories and so fufilling do be proactive about supporting my babies. I can't wait to really get involved with next year's walk!
-I had my very first Mother's Day and Chris and the nurses made it SO special. I got breakfast in bed, some gorgeous flowers, cards from Chris, the babies AND the dogs, and charms for my Pandora bracelet. Chris got me a charm with the babies' birthstone, and when I went to visit the babies they both had charms for me too (a little girl charm from Audrey and a little boy charm from Grayson). Chris even had one of the nurses take some awesome pictures of the surprise!
-I went back to work to finish out the three and a half weeks that were left in the school year. It was bittersweet, and that's all I'll say about it (because, you know, writing unflattering things about people on the internet makes it public). My school friends managed to sqeeze out a little time to throw me the most wonderful shower though!
Annnnd here we are! It's June now, which means I can officially say "the babies will be home by next month" which is kind of exciting (and by "kind of" I mean OHMYGOODNESSEXCITING). Stay tuned for a big update about all the baby progress going on!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Time marches on
It's been a few days, huh? The babies are three weeks old now (well, three weeks and two days), holy moly! Which puts them at 27 weeks (and three days) gestational age.
Here's a quick update on my munchkins:
Grayson
-We have a two pound baby!!! They weighed him yesterday and he was 2lb 11oz, but the paralytic he was on last week has made him retain a LOT of fluid and his nurse said he was probably closer to 2lb5oz or so. BUT STILL! Two pounds!!!
-And they were able to weigh him today because HE IS OFF THE OSCILLATOR!!!!!! His blood gases have been good so they tried him back on the traditional vent and so far he's been doing pretty well. (Minus an episode this afternoon where his lung secretions plugged his tube and he had to be reintubated. Scariest. Thing. EVER. to witness, at least from a mom standpoint. But I digress...) They warned me that he might have to go back on the oscillator BUT TODAY HE IS OFF. Hooray!
-He finally kicked his first infection but now they think he might have another. They repeated his blood culture and we're waiting to hear back from it... pray for a negative result!
-He's still such a laid-back baby. He hardly ever gets riled up but he makes the CUTEST faces. And I swear, he looks more like Chris every day.
Audrey
-She's still my tiny girl, her last weigh in was 1lb14oz. Not far behind her brother, and she's knocking on the 2 pound mark!
-She was diagnosed this week with a PDA. A PDA is a heart problem that is common in premature babies. Before birth, a large artery called the ductus arteriosus lets blood bypass the lungs because the fetus gets its oxygen through the placenta. The ductus arteriosus normally closes soon after birth so that blood can travel to the lungs and pick up oxygen, but in premature babies it sometimes doesn't close. They can use a medicine called Indocin (which, ironically, is the same medicine that stopped my contractions) to close it. Audrey's really isn't affecting her too much right now, and sometimes they can close on their own, so the doctors have decided to take a wait-and-see approach with her. Pray that it closes easily and doesn't cause andy problems for our baby girl!
-Her oxygen requirements have been really low lately (which is good!) although the number of breaths she needs from the ventilator is still pretty high. We're going in the right direction though, hopefully she'll be off the ventilator sooner rather than later!
-Miss Thing is still just as sassy as ever. The nurses all get the biggest kick out of her, they'll position her just right with all these rolled blankets and gel pads and she'll wiggle right out of it as soon as they're not looking and get right into however SHE wants to lay. Usually, that's with her knees pulled up and her hands up over her head, regardless of any tube or wire that may be in her way. She's set off many alarms by getting wrapped up in her tubes. She's also discovered her feeding tube, and has pulled it out no less than four times in the last three days. Girl is a MESS.
I think that about sums it up... we've been busy around here! It's still very two-steps-forward-one-step-backwards and it can be SO exhausting at times. I'm SO proud of my babies though, they are such little fighters. I'm a lucky mama!
Here's a quick update on my munchkins:
Grayson
-We have a two pound baby!!! They weighed him yesterday and he was 2lb 11oz, but the paralytic he was on last week has made him retain a LOT of fluid and his nurse said he was probably closer to 2lb5oz or so. BUT STILL! Two pounds!!!
-And they were able to weigh him today because HE IS OFF THE OSCILLATOR!!!!!! His blood gases have been good so they tried him back on the traditional vent and so far he's been doing pretty well. (Minus an episode this afternoon where his lung secretions plugged his tube and he had to be reintubated. Scariest. Thing. EVER. to witness, at least from a mom standpoint. But I digress...) They warned me that he might have to go back on the oscillator BUT TODAY HE IS OFF. Hooray!
-He finally kicked his first infection but now they think he might have another. They repeated his blood culture and we're waiting to hear back from it... pray for a negative result!
-He's still such a laid-back baby. He hardly ever gets riled up but he makes the CUTEST faces. And I swear, he looks more like Chris every day.
Audrey
-She's still my tiny girl, her last weigh in was 1lb14oz. Not far behind her brother, and she's knocking on the 2 pound mark!
-She was diagnosed this week with a PDA. A PDA is a heart problem that is common in premature babies. Before birth, a large artery called the ductus arteriosus lets blood bypass the lungs because the fetus gets its oxygen through the placenta. The ductus arteriosus normally closes soon after birth so that blood can travel to the lungs and pick up oxygen, but in premature babies it sometimes doesn't close. They can use a medicine called Indocin (which, ironically, is the same medicine that stopped my contractions) to close it. Audrey's really isn't affecting her too much right now, and sometimes they can close on their own, so the doctors have decided to take a wait-and-see approach with her. Pray that it closes easily and doesn't cause andy problems for our baby girl!
-Her oxygen requirements have been really low lately (which is good!) although the number of breaths she needs from the ventilator is still pretty high. We're going in the right direction though, hopefully she'll be off the ventilator sooner rather than later!
-Miss Thing is still just as sassy as ever. The nurses all get the biggest kick out of her, they'll position her just right with all these rolled blankets and gel pads and she'll wiggle right out of it as soon as they're not looking and get right into however SHE wants to lay. Usually, that's with her knees pulled up and her hands up over her head, regardless of any tube or wire that may be in her way. She's set off many alarms by getting wrapped up in her tubes. She's also discovered her feeding tube, and has pulled it out no less than four times in the last three days. Girl is a MESS.
I think that about sums it up... we've been busy around here! It's still very two-steps-forward-one-step-backwards and it can be SO exhausting at times. I'm SO proud of my babies though, they are such little fighters. I'm a lucky mama!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The NICU Shuffle
A couple days ago the NICU was a roller coaster. Today it is a dance.
Two steps forward, one step back.
Grayson is doing MUCH better. Still not "out of the woods", but much much better than he was. His oxygen requirements are way down and his lung x-rays are improving. Turns out he has a little infection which is what was throwing him out of whack, so they started him on antibiotics and that has helped tremendously. The oscillator is also still working its wonders, as his blood gases have been almost perfect since he's been on it.
But like I said, he started off haaaating it and never got better, so they had to put him on a paralytic drug so he would stop fighting it and let it do its job. After a couple days he wasn't fighting as much so they let him come off it, but then he started trying to breathe over the ventilator. So he's back on it. And the paralytic messes with his blood pressure, so he had to go on Dopamine to help regulate that.
Like I said... two steps forward, one step back. Round and round.
We're just working towards our big finale number, where the four of us finally waltz OUT of the hospital and INTO our home.
Two steps forward, one step back.
Grayson is doing MUCH better. Still not "out of the woods", but much much better than he was. His oxygen requirements are way down and his lung x-rays are improving. Turns out he has a little infection which is what was throwing him out of whack, so they started him on antibiotics and that has helped tremendously. The oscillator is also still working its wonders, as his blood gases have been almost perfect since he's been on it.
But like I said, he started off haaaating it and never got better, so they had to put him on a paralytic drug so he would stop fighting it and let it do its job. After a couple days he wasn't fighting as much so they let him come off it, but then he started trying to breathe over the ventilator. So he's back on it. And the paralytic messes with his blood pressure, so he had to go on Dopamine to help regulate that.
Like I said... two steps forward, one step back. Round and round.
We're just working towards our big finale number, where the four of us finally waltz OUT of the hospital and INTO our home.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Two weeks?!?
The babies are two weeks old today (and technically are 26 weeks gestational age) which omg, I can't BELIEVE it's been that long! Since now you now how they got here, let's see how the are...
NICU stuff
-Can I just say again that our NICU is so so so wonderful?!? Really, I am SO pleased with 99.7% of it. There's like, two nurses that aren't my favorite people in the world but really it's more of a personality thing, they ALL take fantastic care of my babies and THAT is what matters. The respitory team we've been working with is SO good, they really take time to explain everything to me and I am SO appreciative of that. NICU stuff is scary and overwhelming and having doctors that help me know what's going on really makes a difference. Seriously, they rock so much.
-Both babies have lots of tubes and stuff that are kind of scary but I'm getting used to them. They both have two tubes in their mouths, one that is a respirator that goes into their lungs and helps them breathe, and a feeding tube that goes into their bellies. They both had artery lines in their belly buttons at first, but those had to be removed after 7 days and then they each got an artery line in their foot. Those freak me out more than anything because if they get pulled out they will bleed really fast buuuut they have them pretty secure so I just try not to think about it lol, those are used for blood transfusions and when the nurses need to take blood for tests or whatever so the babies don't have to be stuck a million times. Audrey had to have ehrs removed though (it was turning her toes blue) so now she has lots of wires attached to her with little stickies, I like that she doesn't have the line anymore but they have to prick her heel anytime they need blood now, poor baby :( They also have an IV in their arm where any medicine they get goes. On top of all that, they have a pulse monitor that is just a little wire they keep attached with a sticker and a pulse ox monitor (that measures the level of oxygen in their blood)/blood pressure monitor that either wraps around their arm or their foot and looks like the teeniest blood pressure cuff EVAR lol it's so cute. Lots and lots of tubes and stuff, they look like little bowls of spaghetti lol.
-They're both getting little bits of breastmilk in their feeding tubes! They're not getting their nutrition from it yet (they have this stuff called TNP that they get all of their calories/eletcrolites/fat from) but the breastmilk primes their digestive system for when they DO start getting real feeds plus they get all the immune system benefits and all that from it. They get 1.2CCs an hour continuously through their feeding tubes, which is way up from the .3CCs an hour they started with, so yay!
-They have specific "touch times" in the NICU when the nurses go into their beds to give meds or feed or whatever, and if I'm there they let me check their temps and change their diapers. It's so fun and it makes me feel like a real mommy for minute.
-I've gotten to Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin) with both babies TWICE now! It's seriously a HUGE hassle to get the babies AND their vents AND all their tubes out of the beds and into my arms but it is so so SO worth it! There's all sorts of research that says it's super good for the babies and the nurses really encourage it. They have me take everything off on top and put on a hospital gown and they stick the baby down in there so we're full skin-to-skin. The babies respond really well to it and it seriously is some of the best moments of my life so far, I bawled the first time, like serious huge crocodile tears!
Grayson
-He is going to be such a good baby, seriously he is SO chill! The nurses poke at him and it doesn't even phase him, the only thing he really doesn't like is getting bathed. They can't cry because of the tubes in their throats but they scrunch up their little faces and it's SO pitiful lol, he makes the saddest faces when they bathe him!
-He looks SO much like Chris already, he has Chris's nose for sure and he has really dark hair but he has tiny ears like me.
-He makes the same big moves now that he did when he was in my belly, it's so funny. He's a big stretcher and will arch his back and kick his legs all the way out and he fans his toes out and it is SO cute.
-He's peed on me TWICE!
-His "bumps" have been pretty standard preemie stuff so far (knock on wood). He's had to go under the bili lights (the blue lights they use for jaundiced babies) a couple times. The lights caused him to lose moisture too fast though, which made his sodium levels go up which gave him some blood pressure issues for a little bit, but everything has leveled out now. He was having a hard time digesting his breastmilk at first but he starting pooping lol and they gave him a medicine called Reglan to help and he's doing AWESOME with it now!
-The only other major bump he's had is that his belly button line started to mess with his circulation a little bit, and some of the toes on his left foot turned really purple. They caught it pretty quick and actually had to move his line a day early, and they have been putting some Nitrogen something cream on it and it looks SO much better.
-When he was born he weighed 1lb8oz and was 12.5 inches long. Now he weighs 1lb 15.9 oz (I MEAN WE COULDN'T ROUND THAT UP GUYS?!?) and is 13.25 inches long. He has gained EIGHT OUNCES which is HALF A POUND and grown three-quarters of an inch in TWO WEEKS! My big boy!
Audrey
-She is affectionatly known as "Sassy" around the NICU lol. When the nurses do her touch time she HATES it and she lets them know... she'll scrunch up her face and kick and wave her arms around and when she gets really mad she'll desat (short for "desaturation", when the amount of oxygen in her blood drops) and then she'll bring herself right back up... desats aren't funny but it IS kind of funny when she does it to the nurses.
-She looks a lot like my mom's side of the family. She has exact copies of my feet and she has my nose, but her hair looks pretty light for now.
-Girl is a wiggle worm! even when she is sound asleep she never stops moving. And she's gotten the hiccups a couple times which is funny to me because she was always the one that got them in my belly.
-Her eyes are open!!! Both babies had fused eyelids when they were born, and she opened hers on the 3rd. They're still kind of squinty and she's still so immature that the lights bother her, but she is SO CUTE omg.
-Her bumps have all been standard preemie stuff too... She needed the bili lights like Grayson, she had some trouble digesting breastmilk at first but got the Reglan and it helped.
-She had one bump though that, although everyone assured me it was a totally normal thing that happens, was TERRIFYING to watch... I had been holding her, and when the nurses took her from me to put her back in the bed all of a sudden all her vitals went wonky and all these alarms started going off. She started turning gray (WHICH OMG YOU GUYS) so they unhooked the ventilator tube and used the bag which helped but she still wasn't where she needed to be, so they called in the respitory therapist (there's always one on call there) and she said it looked like a problem with her tube so they had to pull out her breathing tube and reintubate her AND OMG IT WAS SO SCARY. Apparently what happened was they all have some junk in their lungs (because all they do is lay flat, and they can't cough or anything) and when the nurses moved her, some of the junk got knocked loose and got lodged in her breathing tube, which blocked it and made it hard for her to breathe. They all assured me it happens to almost every baby (as I'm standing there sobbing, in jeans and a hospital gown with my boobs leaking everywhere... I'm sure it was a sight to see) but seriously? One of the scariest moments OF MY LIFE. Once she got her new tube in though she was totally fine, slept the rest of the afternoon and didn't even desat. Like I said, Sassy!
-She was born at 1lb5oz and 12.25 inches. Now she weighs 1lb12oz and is right at 13 inches long. She's gained SEVEN OUNCES and three-quarters of an inch in TWO WEEKS! She's tinier than her brother but she's holding her own!
Me
-Can I start by saying that I am so so SO thankful I didn't get the epidural? And even MORE thankful I didn't have to have a c-section? My recovery has seriously been SO easy. I was up and walking like, 30 minutes after giving birth. I didn't have any tearing or anything (um, bright side of having super tiny babies?) and my bleeding has almost completely stopped already.
-Im only 5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight already. I guess everyone was right when they told me I was "all baby"? Things have kind of rearranged though, I definitley have more of a pooch on my belly than before. I can get in my pre-preg fat jeans already but not all my pants. I'm ready for the next four weeks to go by so I can get back in the gym!
-Obviously I can't breastfeed at the moment (which is kind of sad for me because I was REALLY looking forward to it) BUT like I mentioned, they do have me pumping. And pump I do, I'm like a freaking machine lol. I have a love/hate relationship with it... I LOVE that it's something I can do for my babies, it makes me feel not so helpless but OMG pumping itself suuuuuucks lol. For the first month I have to do it EVERY. TWO. HOURS. All day. All night. And I know I'd be waking up like that with newborns too but, uh, my pump is not near as cute as my babies. I feel very farm animal-ish. BUT like I said, it's FOR my babies and I would seriously walk barefoot to the moon for them, pumping is the least I can do.
-I got the baby blues pretty bad for a couple days, but I don't know if it was all hormones or a combination of that and just the stress of everything. I feel a lot better now for the most part, I still have moments where it all gets really overwhelming but I don't think that's going to go away.
Whew, that was a LOT. I'm so proud of my babies!
NICU stuff
-Can I just say again that our NICU is so so so wonderful?!? Really, I am SO pleased with 99.7% of it. There's like, two nurses that aren't my favorite people in the world but really it's more of a personality thing, they ALL take fantastic care of my babies and THAT is what matters. The respitory team we've been working with is SO good, they really take time to explain everything to me and I am SO appreciative of that. NICU stuff is scary and overwhelming and having doctors that help me know what's going on really makes a difference. Seriously, they rock so much.
-Both babies have lots of tubes and stuff that are kind of scary but I'm getting used to them. They both have two tubes in their mouths, one that is a respirator that goes into their lungs and helps them breathe, and a feeding tube that goes into their bellies. They both had artery lines in their belly buttons at first, but those had to be removed after 7 days and then they each got an artery line in their foot. Those freak me out more than anything because if they get pulled out they will bleed really fast buuuut they have them pretty secure so I just try not to think about it lol, those are used for blood transfusions and when the nurses need to take blood for tests or whatever so the babies don't have to be stuck a million times. Audrey had to have ehrs removed though (it was turning her toes blue) so now she has lots of wires attached to her with little stickies, I like that she doesn't have the line anymore but they have to prick her heel anytime they need blood now, poor baby :( They also have an IV in their arm where any medicine they get goes. On top of all that, they have a pulse monitor that is just a little wire they keep attached with a sticker and a pulse ox monitor (that measures the level of oxygen in their blood)/blood pressure monitor that either wraps around their arm or their foot and looks like the teeniest blood pressure cuff EVAR lol it's so cute. Lots and lots of tubes and stuff, they look like little bowls of spaghetti lol.
-They're both getting little bits of breastmilk in their feeding tubes! They're not getting their nutrition from it yet (they have this stuff called TNP that they get all of their calories/eletcrolites/fat from) but the breastmilk primes their digestive system for when they DO start getting real feeds plus they get all the immune system benefits and all that from it. They get 1.2CCs an hour continuously through their feeding tubes, which is way up from the .3CCs an hour they started with, so yay!
-They have specific "touch times" in the NICU when the nurses go into their beds to give meds or feed or whatever, and if I'm there they let me check their temps and change their diapers. It's so fun and it makes me feel like a real mommy for minute.
-I've gotten to Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin) with both babies TWICE now! It's seriously a HUGE hassle to get the babies AND their vents AND all their tubes out of the beds and into my arms but it is so so SO worth it! There's all sorts of research that says it's super good for the babies and the nurses really encourage it. They have me take everything off on top and put on a hospital gown and they stick the baby down in there so we're full skin-to-skin. The babies respond really well to it and it seriously is some of the best moments of my life so far, I bawled the first time, like serious huge crocodile tears!
Grayson
-He is going to be such a good baby, seriously he is SO chill! The nurses poke at him and it doesn't even phase him, the only thing he really doesn't like is getting bathed. They can't cry because of the tubes in their throats but they scrunch up their little faces and it's SO pitiful lol, he makes the saddest faces when they bathe him!
-He looks SO much like Chris already, he has Chris's nose for sure and he has really dark hair but he has tiny ears like me.
-He makes the same big moves now that he did when he was in my belly, it's so funny. He's a big stretcher and will arch his back and kick his legs all the way out and he fans his toes out and it is SO cute.
-He's peed on me TWICE!
-His "bumps" have been pretty standard preemie stuff so far (knock on wood). He's had to go under the bili lights (the blue lights they use for jaundiced babies) a couple times. The lights caused him to lose moisture too fast though, which made his sodium levels go up which gave him some blood pressure issues for a little bit, but everything has leveled out now. He was having a hard time digesting his breastmilk at first but he starting pooping lol and they gave him a medicine called Reglan to help and he's doing AWESOME with it now!
-The only other major bump he's had is that his belly button line started to mess with his circulation a little bit, and some of the toes on his left foot turned really purple. They caught it pretty quick and actually had to move his line a day early, and they have been putting some Nitrogen something cream on it and it looks SO much better.
-When he was born he weighed 1lb8oz and was 12.5 inches long. Now he weighs 1lb 15.9 oz (I MEAN WE COULDN'T ROUND THAT UP GUYS?!?) and is 13.25 inches long. He has gained EIGHT OUNCES which is HALF A POUND and grown three-quarters of an inch in TWO WEEKS! My big boy!
Audrey
-She is affectionatly known as "Sassy" around the NICU lol. When the nurses do her touch time she HATES it and she lets them know... she'll scrunch up her face and kick and wave her arms around and when she gets really mad she'll desat (short for "desaturation", when the amount of oxygen in her blood drops) and then she'll bring herself right back up... desats aren't funny but it IS kind of funny when she does it to the nurses.
-She looks a lot like my mom's side of the family. She has exact copies of my feet and she has my nose, but her hair looks pretty light for now.
-Girl is a wiggle worm! even when she is sound asleep she never stops moving. And she's gotten the hiccups a couple times which is funny to me because she was always the one that got them in my belly.
-Her eyes are open!!! Both babies had fused eyelids when they were born, and she opened hers on the 3rd. They're still kind of squinty and she's still so immature that the lights bother her, but she is SO CUTE omg.
-Her bumps have all been standard preemie stuff too... She needed the bili lights like Grayson, she had some trouble digesting breastmilk at first but got the Reglan and it helped.
-She had one bump though that, although everyone assured me it was a totally normal thing that happens, was TERRIFYING to watch... I had been holding her, and when the nurses took her from me to put her back in the bed all of a sudden all her vitals went wonky and all these alarms started going off. She started turning gray (WHICH OMG YOU GUYS) so they unhooked the ventilator tube and used the bag which helped but she still wasn't where she needed to be, so they called in the respitory therapist (there's always one on call there) and she said it looked like a problem with her tube so they had to pull out her breathing tube and reintubate her AND OMG IT WAS SO SCARY. Apparently what happened was they all have some junk in their lungs (because all they do is lay flat, and they can't cough or anything) and when the nurses moved her, some of the junk got knocked loose and got lodged in her breathing tube, which blocked it and made it hard for her to breathe. They all assured me it happens to almost every baby (as I'm standing there sobbing, in jeans and a hospital gown with my boobs leaking everywhere... I'm sure it was a sight to see) but seriously? One of the scariest moments OF MY LIFE. Once she got her new tube in though she was totally fine, slept the rest of the afternoon and didn't even desat. Like I said, Sassy!
-She was born at 1lb5oz and 12.25 inches. Now she weighs 1lb12oz and is right at 13 inches long. She's gained SEVEN OUNCES and three-quarters of an inch in TWO WEEKS! She's tinier than her brother but she's holding her own!
Me
-Can I start by saying that I am so so SO thankful I didn't get the epidural? And even MORE thankful I didn't have to have a c-section? My recovery has seriously been SO easy. I was up and walking like, 30 minutes after giving birth. I didn't have any tearing or anything (um, bright side of having super tiny babies?) and my bleeding has almost completely stopped already.
-Im only 5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight already. I guess everyone was right when they told me I was "all baby"? Things have kind of rearranged though, I definitley have more of a pooch on my belly than before. I can get in my pre-preg fat jeans already but not all my pants. I'm ready for the next four weeks to go by so I can get back in the gym!
-Obviously I can't breastfeed at the moment (which is kind of sad for me because I was REALLY looking forward to it) BUT like I mentioned, they do have me pumping. And pump I do, I'm like a freaking machine lol. I have a love/hate relationship with it... I LOVE that it's something I can do for my babies, it makes me feel not so helpless but OMG pumping itself suuuuuucks lol. For the first month I have to do it EVERY. TWO. HOURS. All day. All night. And I know I'd be waking up like that with newborns too but, uh, my pump is not near as cute as my babies. I feel very farm animal-ish. BUT like I said, it's FOR my babies and I would seriously walk barefoot to the moon for them, pumping is the least I can do.
-I got the baby blues pretty bad for a couple days, but I don't know if it was all hormones or a combination of that and just the stress of everything. I feel a lot better now for the most part, I still have moments where it all gets really overwhelming but I don't think that's going to go away.
Whew, that was a LOT. I'm so proud of my babies!
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