Bath pictures that I promised from the other day

They're pictures of the pictures so they're not the best quality but I said I would post them and only remembered to snap pics this morning.

Here's Addison:

And Riley:

A brief little update

Addison is now 3lbs. 0.9oz. and Riley is 2lbs. 6oz. When I talked to the nurse this morning, she asked if I wanted to give them their bottles tonight when I come in. Bottle time has been kind of frustrating and I end up leaving feeling down because I don't get to hold them a lot of spend any decent time with them. Get one out, try the bottle for a half hour, what they don't take goes in the feeding tube and the other one comes out, tries bottle for half hour or so. So, I asked if they wanted to try to bottle feed them today since they have experience with feeding little babies and I might not be doing something right to get them interested. Nobody has really worked with me on feeding and while I'm not uncomfortable feeding them, it would be nice for some tried and true nicu tips. They got their bottles at 2pm and I just called to see how they did. Riley finished his whole 25cc bottle. He got the smelly vitamins added into the bottle and she said he spit up a little bit after the feeding but he did take the whole thing.
Addison took 17 of his 30cc and didn't spit up but she said he had a little bit of reflux and you could see the milk coming up the feeding tube. She put him on his tummy and he's been great since.
Tonight when I go in, I'll get to hold them together, read them their books, and just relax.
Tomorrow when I go in at 2, their nurse is going to sit with me and we're going to try to feed the boys together.

8 weeks old!

Hard to believe it's been 8 weeks already. I don't have any pictures to post today though because my batteries in the camera were dead BOTH times I went to the hospital today.
I gave the boys their baths, from start to finish, all by myself for the first time. Luckily the nurse was able to snap a few pics with the nicu camera but they're printed and I'm not up to scanning them tonight. I might try to snap a pic of the pic and post it when my batteries are charged.
So, onto their day. Addison is up to 2lbs. 15.3oz. He should hit 3lbs. tomorrow. Feedings, oxygen, and high flow are all still the same. He's also off the xopenex. He's been having a few more events and it's usually while he's being fed. The nurses said that their full belly pushes on the other organs and they tend to not take deep breaths which leads to de-sats and all the other fun stuff. One other thing that I think I forgot to mention the other day is that he's now upgraded to regular, Pampers preemie size diapers. They're huge on him but he finally outgrew his little mini diapers. He is still trying to figure out his bottle. He only took about 7cc of his bottle. He is latching on better but he gets tired and just kind of sit there with the bottle in his mouth.
Riley is now 2lbs. 5.7oz. and is also still on all of the same oxygen, medicine, and high flow settings. He's having only a few events that are usually self resolved. He did ok with his bottle and took about half of it this afternoon. He didn't de-sat at all and I felt a lot more at ease than when I left yesterday.
I liked getting to visit twice today. I gave them their bottles at 2pm and then went back at 6 for their baths and for a nice long holding time. I really feel bad for not getting in there more often. It's very hard to be pulled in so many directions. I'm trying to balance time with Leah and Skylar, time with the twins, and time with Ian and it's just really tough.

Tough visit tonight

This bottle thing is hard. I was so optimistic when they did well with their first bottles but it seemed to be a case of beginners luck.

Addison took about 10cc of his bottle. He seemed to gag on the bottle a lot so we switched to a low flow nipple and he liked that better. He then got tired and lost all interest in eating.

We got out Riley and gave him the low flow nipple right away. He took it and started sucking instantly and about a minute later, he started to gag also. I gave him a little break, burped him, and tried again and he de-sated down to 49. He wasn't getting his saturation back up so they turned up his oxygen and put an oxygen mask near his face so that he was getting even more oxygen. He eventually came back up but that was the end of bottle feeding.

I asked the nurse if they could put their feeding tubes in their noses. Right now, the tape is just under their bottom lip and when they try to take a bottle, first off, it's hard to get a tight seal with the tube in the mouth. Second, they dribble a little bit and the tape ends up falling off and then the tube starts to move and gag them. Hopefully when I go in tomorrow for their bottles, they'll have their tubes moved.

They both did gain weight though. Addison is at 2lbs. 14.6oz. Riley is at 2lbs. 4 something ounces.

I didn't get to hold either of them very long and I didn't even stay to pump like I usually do when I'm finished holding them. I know they'll eventually get it but it's very hard to see them de-sat, gag, and refuse bottles.

Much better visit tonight

I went in a little bit early tonight so that I could get a head start on their evening care. Their nurse was still at lunch so I sat and talked to them for a few minutes.
When their nurse came back, the unit clerk came over and said that Dr. Klombers, the opthamologist, was on his way over to the hospital to do their eye exams. He gets a list of babies that need exams and will call usually 15-20 minutes before he comes over. They never know exactly when it will be, only that it will be close to the date that it's due. The boys weren't due for their follow up until this coming Thursday. 45 minutes later, he showed up and was done with both of them within 10 minutes. He told be that they both looked great and were benign and he would do another follow up in 2 weeks. He said that if in 2 weeks, he still didn't see anything, they wouldn't need anymore checks!
I had to wait for Riley to finish his feeding but then I was able to kangaroo care the boys together. They did really well and only had issues when one would move and bother the other.
I held them for an hour and then their nurse needed to weigh, measure, and get a head circumference. Addison weighed 2lbs. 14oz. and Riley weighed 2lbs. 4oz. Addison was 36.5cm. long but I forgot to ask about Riley.
Tomorrow they're due for their baths so tomorrow when I go in, I'll get to give them baths and try them with their bottles.

Not quite the family visit I had imagined

The kids weer really excited to head to the hospital this morning. After about 5 minutes of sitting in a chair next to the isolettes, they realized how incredibly boring it is. They were disappointed that they couldn't hold them and that the babies don't really do much of anything. Leah was only in for about 10 minutes before Ian took her back to the waiting room to calm down. They came back about 15 minutes later and she was ready to come back and sit. She was extremely jealous. She wanted my attention so bad and she had a hard time understanding that she can't hug, kiss, or climb on my lap while I'm holding the babies. She did talk to the boys and hold their hands and after we left, she did say she was happy to go see them.

Skylar didn't have to leave at all and he asked a lot of questions. He talked to the boys and told them about his video games. He was bored out of his mind though. I tried to get him to read books from the nicu library but he wanted no part of it.

Neither of the boys did well with their bottles today. I think they could feel my tension from the kids being restless. Riley's feeding tube and cannula prongs kept coming loose. Addison barely woke up and when he did, he seemed to gag on the bottle.

There is some good news though. Riley has passed 1,000 grams! He weighs 1,006 grams or 2lbs. 3oz. Addison weighs 2lbs. 13.1oz.

Our visit was kind of short and I didn't have time to pump before we left so I'm planning on going back this evening to spend some quality time with the boys. They're only allowed to try the bottle once per day for right now so I'm going to kangaroo care them and just relax with them.

Lots of big changes!

I went in to visit early today and as I was in the wash room, the unit clerk came in and said "I don't want you to worry if you look at their beds and see them empty, they moved your babies to the PCU" How awesome is that?? Their doctor decided this morning that they are ready to move to the less critical part of the nicu. It was kind of reassuring to walk over to their new spots and see babies getting ready to go home. One baby was doing her carseat test, another baby had all of it's things packed next to his bed. We're that much closer to those moments.

They both gained weight. Their nurse said she put Riley on the scale this morning and it said 1,000 grams but she always does a second reading and she said when she hit re-weigh, it came up 999 grams. She hit it again to see if she could get it to say 1,000 again and it said 998 so she said she took that and didn't want to chance trying a 4th time. Hitting 1,000 grams is a huge deal to the staff there.

Addison had to go from 2 to 2.5 litres on his high flow. He was having a few more episodes than normal and they thought the jump from 3 to 2 might have been too much, too soon. Since they turned him up he seems to be doing better.

I got to give them their bottles. Today didn't go as well as yesterday for Riley. He was wide awake after I changed his diaper and having to change his outfit that he had all messy and by the time he was due for his feeding, he was fast asleep. He only took 7 of his 25cc. He did latch onto the bottle and didn't de-sat very much so we're still very proud. I, by pure luck, happened to capture one of his adorable smiles with the camera :)

Addison didn't want to be showed up by his brother again so he took 24 of his 32cc like a champ! He then fell asleep and had no interest in finishing. Of course, after we put him back in the isolette, he was wide awake.

Now that they're in the PCU, we're allowed to take in siblings who are 4 years old or older. I asked the nurse if Leah could have a one time visit since she'll be 4 in October and she ok'd it. Tomorrow morning we're going to take in the kids. They haven't seen the babies since they were 2 days old. They remember seeing them with their eyes still fused, lots of wires and iv's, and under saran wrap. They're very, very excited to be able to see them and I'll be sure to post a picture tomorrow of all SIX of us :)

First oral feedings!

Ian stayed home sick today so I decided to go up to the hospital at 2pm so that I could relax with the rest of the family this evening.

Today I would have been 33 weeks pregnant. Babies normally develop the suck, swallow, breathe pattern between 32 and 34 weeks. The nurses and doctors have been talking about introducing the boys to a bottle or breast for a few days but I was shocked to walk in there this afternoon and have their nurse ask if I wanted to give their first bottles!!

Addison (who now weighs 2lbs. 10oz.) got his turn first and easily took down 12 of his 30cc. His nurse was impressed. They keep their feeding tubes in until they're taking full oral feedings so not only did he have to suck, swallow & breathe, but he had to latch around the nipple with the feeding tube in his mouth. He started to de-sat after he took the 12cc and he was getting tired so after letting out a huge burp, he got the remainder of his food through his feeding tube. He is still self regulating his body temp. and was actually on the higher side of normal today.

Riley was next to get a bottle. He now weighs 2lbs. 2oz. and they increased his feedings to 24cc. HE TOOK THE WHOLE BOTTLE!!!!!!! It took him about a half hour but he took all but about 1cc that they used to mix in his vitamins. Not only did he take his whole feeding, he was still wide awake after he was finished. He only de-sated once and all he needed was a little burp. His nurse rinsed out his bottle, put a little note in there saying "Riley's first bottle 8-8-08" and gave it to me to put in his memory box.

They both were turned down to 2 litres of oxygen on the high flow and they've been sating fine. Riley keeps pulling the prongs out of his nose and putting them in his mouth.

The other great news for today (that is almost as awesome as them taking oral feedings) is that they're next in line to be moved to the PCU (progressive care unit). It's in the same room as the nicu but on the other side of a wall and it's for babies who are no longer critical that just need to "feed and grow" as the nurses put it. It's a huge step towards them coming home. She said that nothing will be done before Monday but they are scheduled for their labwork Monday morning and a decision could be made as soon as then!

The NICU has no weight minimum for coming home (if they're under 5lbs. they go home in a carbed instead of a carseat) so all they have to do is be taking full oral feedings, off the high flow cannula, and ideally off the regular cannula but it's not ruled out that they won't come home on oxygen.

Just now getting time to update

I didn't get home until almost 10:00 last night and by the time I finished pumping, I couldn't keep my eyes open so I didn't get a chance update.

Nothing has changed as far as their oxygen settings and feedings go. Addison's body temp. was really warm all day yesterday so they turned off the assisted heat from the isolette and he is now 100% in control of regulating his temperature and so far he's been doing great. He, as of yesterday was at 2lbs. 9.7oz.

RILEY HAS HIT 2 POUNDS! Yesterday he was 2lbs. 1oz.

I got to get Riley out first last night so I spent a little more time holding him before Addison came out. They are both getting so big and doing so many great things. Last night, while they were being fed, they were both making sucking motions and actually smacking their lips. The nurse said that is a really good sign that they should be ready for oral feedings soon. They would have been 33 weeks gestation today so hopefully this weekend I'll start to introduce them to the breast and bottle.

I'll have another post tonight after I get back from visiting with them :)

Only a few changes

Addison is up to 2lbs. 9.7oz. and he is now 14.2 inches long. He is getting 1 full ounce (30cc) of fortified breastmilk and was turned down to 3 litres of oxygen today.

Riley is 1lb. 15.8oz. today and is 13.8 inches long. The doctor increased his feedings to 23cc and he came down to 2.5 litres of oxygen.

They're both tolerating their changes just fine. I held them so that they were facing each other today. They ended up holding hands a few times. It was so sweet and I wish a nurse had been available to take a picture. They're both smiling a lot and it seems that Addison is always smiling. I don't know if he does it when I'm not there but it is adorable when I'm talking to him and he starts to smile :)

7 weeks old!

Not too many changes today. Riley is still holding onto that 1lb. He's 1lb. 15.6oz. today. Maybe tomorrow he'll have no choice but to hit the 2lb. mark :)

Addison has started to smile and he smiles A LOT. I held him for 2 hours tonight and he kept smiling. It was so sweet.

Addison is still having very few episodes. He had two today and one was self resolved. He is doing a lot of shallow breathing. Riley is having a few more episodes than before. The nurse did tell me that I shouldn't be surprised if they get caffeine sometime in the next few weeks.

I got to hold them together again tonight. Riley LOVED it. He barely even opened his eyes the entire time I had him. Addison did really well and only went below 90% saturation once. He started to squirm around a lot and it had been 2 hours so I decided to put them to bed for the night.

P.S. - Addison is wearing the darker hat

Reunited, and it feels so good!

"Notice anything missing?" That was the first thing the boys nurse said to me when I came in tonight. As I looked at Addison, I noticed that he didn't have his hat on and I thought it was weird because they need the hats to keep the cpap in place. Only when she asked if I noticed anything missing did I realize that Addison had been taken off the cpap and put on the high flow nasal cannula. He was weighed today and is up to 2lbs. 7oz.! You can see how much he's filled out in his face.

Riley is down to 3 litres on the high flow and still sating well. He lost just a little bit of weight and weighs 1lb. 15.2oz.

They both will get weighed daily now that they're not on the cpap. They also get their length measured every Sunday night but due to them getting a baby admitted, I forgot to ask and their nurse was busy with the new baby.

I held both of them at the same time. It was awesome and amazing and I've wanted nothing more than to have both of them together, in my arms. They both loved it and slept for most of the time. The half pound size difference between them is really noticeable when they're side by side. I sat there with them in my arms for almost an hour and a half. I told their nurse that if it wasn't for the fact that I had to pump, she would have had to kick me out of the nicu. :)

The boys both came out to play today!

We finally held both boys at the same time. I held Riley while Ian held Addison. They might not have known that they were sitting next to their brother but t felt darn good to not have to choose which baby to hold. We held them for their feedings and then for a little bit after they were finished eating.

Riley is now being weighed daily since he's off the cpap and it's much easier to weigh him. He was weighed this morning and weighs 1lb. 15.5oz. So, close to 2 pounds! He's still doing well on the 4 litres of high flow and not having any apnea or brady episodes.

Addison is still on the +4 cpap and handling it fairly well. He is having 2-4 episodes per day but it's not enough that the doctors are talking about giving caffeine. He loved being held by Daddy today. It was the first time Ian has held Addison. He rocked him and Addison's oxygen saturation was in the high 90's.

Tomorrow they get a full round of labwork done. No heel pricking for this one. They get a needle to have the blood drawn. Addison is bordering on low hemacrit so we're hoping that it's not dropping too much more because then he'll need another blood transfusion.

Gave Riley a bath today!

The boys have been getting sponge baths because of being on the cpap and I haven't been there for any of their bath times. Today, I was in the scrub room washing my hands, and their nurse came in and asked if I was interested in giving Riley a bath.

We got in there and got the table, heat lamp, and little "bath tub" all ready and I undressed him and he got to get his first real bath. He squirmed a little bit but didn't make a peep.

We got him all dressed and bundled up and then I got to hold him for his feeding. He was wide awake for most of the time I was holding him and he seemed to respond to me talking to him. He's still on the high flow cannula and it's on the 4 litre setting and will eventually get weaned down to a 1 litre setting and at that point, he'll move down to the regular nasal cannula.

Addison is down to a +4 setting on his cpap! If he tolerates this, he should be on the high flow cannula in a few days and then I'll get to bathe him also.

They're not having many episodes and they've both had a pretty normal day so far.

Another late evening post

I had to run some errands after visiting with the babies tonight. We finally ordered a MUCH needed chest freezer. It should be here in 2 weeks. Our side by side freezer has only one shelf that isn't packed with breastmilk. The boys aren't eating anywhere near the amount that I'm pumping and the bottles and bags are slowly taking over.

So, onto the visit...

Riley was put on the high flow cannula today instead of this coming Sunday. The doctor today decided that since he had been on the lowest setting of cpap for 3 days and not having any problems, that he should try out the high flow. So far, he's doing great with it! He didn't have to have his oxygen turned up too much to make up for the downgrade. He hasn't been higher than 26%. He's had NO apnea episodes since yesterday. He has, however, figured out that the cannula is much easier to pull out than the cpap and ventilator. The nurses found him chewing on it twice today.

Addison is still on the +5 cpap. He also hasn't had any episodes but he does like to sit with his oxygen saturation just below the minimum percent. His computer starts to ding if he drops below 86% saturation and he'll be fine one minute and then sit at 84-85%. He's been getting about 25-28% oxygen and when he de-sats, they turn it up, only to have him sat 99-100% (too high)

So, not too much to write tonight. Our boys are still stable, progressing well, and we're happy with that :)

I also wanted to share their pictures of their isolettes. They have their Project Linus blankets as their covers right now since they're too big to go in the isolette with them. Addison's isolette is the first picture and Riley's is the second.