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Progress Report - All Are Tired But Doing Great

The boys continue to do really well in the NICU. We're getting more comfortable every day as we get to understand the schedule of their care and when the doctors come around on rotations. The nurses are fabulous and provide lots of information to make us feel more comfortable as well as helping us feel more comfortable about changing their diapers, taking their temperatures, and wrapping them up and letting us hold them during their gavage feedings. Here's a detailed update on both:

Thomas (Tommy) never needed any respiratory help, but he's been in a temperature controlled incubator to help regulate him to be warm enough. He needed one day of the bili-lights, but it doesn't look like he will need it again. They keep an eye on both their bili levels every day. Tommy has been on gavage feedings with my breast milk for several days. Yesterday he was at 20 mL per feeding and they are increasing by mL every 12 hours. He's tolerating his feeds very well and every diaper we changed of his yesterday had BM!!! His goals are to gain weight and mature to be effective at sucking so we can begin nursing.

Liam graduated off both the respirator and CPAP and is on oxygen through the nose candula. He's also in a temperature controlled incubator and was under the bili-lights twice, including yesterday. He's on gavage feedings, but only 5mL with no increases as the doctors are evaluating what they want to do with the hole in his heart they found yesterday. It sounds like the choices are to wait and see if it closes or to give him medication to close it for him. His goals are first to be on room air as well as gaining weight and mature his sucking for nursing. He may not reach these goals until after Tommy as he needs to work on his respiratory goals as well.

We're just so grateful to all the staff and medical help available at our local hospital. It takes 30 minutes to drive there, but it is such a state of the art facility and the people there are so amazing and helpful to the parents going through these tough times. We even got to hold both the boys at the same time the night before last when Phoebe was visiting. She took some pictures which I hope to get posted soon, but not at the detriment to our rest.

We are still though very tired. Leo is still doing some work (since he can work from home and over cell phone) so he can save his time off for when the boys get home. With him doing all the driving back and forth, making sure we have food, making sure Phoebe gets on the bus and homework done, and of course taking care of me, he's been as tired as I am. We do have help at home, which is especially helpful with getting Phoebe off the bus and being there for her, but we still want to make sure that she doesn't feel slighted. She is so excited with her new baby brothers that she's tired too, but that is starting to settle down. Now her other excitements are the other cool things they do at the end of the school year like Field Day and the Parents' Picnic. Of course I'm tired, what with giving birth and waking up to pump all night, but I've been taking cat naps often and making sure I'm off my feet a lot. Today though, I need to get some bills done before we need to go to the hospital, so I need to sign off for now.

Thank you, thank you, for all your well wishes and kind words. Just so you know, this blog will not be ending as this was always not just an infertility blog, but a blog about all the joys in my life, which are my family, my work, cooking, yoga and anything crazy that pops into my head. I will also be posting the birth story for the twins, but I want to give that one lots of time and energy to do it right.

Comments

Carrie Ann said…
Great that the boys are doing so well. Hope you are recovering well too.
Hopeful Mother said…
Great to hear from you. Hoping that everyone continues to progress and do well!
Kami said…
Thank goodness the boys are doing good! Thinking of you guys!

Kami
Shal said…
Glad to hear that the boys are doing well. Will keep praying that they meet all their goals and are able to come home soon! :)
I am so happy that your sons are doing so well. I am happy for all of you and the new Big Sis too!
Amy B said…
I have been lurking and reading your blog for awhile now. What a great time to delurk and tell you Congrats! You and your precious boys are in my thoughts and prayers!
On My Mind 24/7 said…
Congrats on the boys! Glad they are doing well. Hope you get some rest so you can be strong when they get to come home!
cd0103 said…
I somehow missed the "they are here" post. Congrats! Sounds like good progress.
Lauren said…
Glad to hear that everyone is doing well even if tired.
nancy said…
Great to hear it all. Good! You guys are doing really well as mommy and daddy to all your kids. Good job. :)
It is fantastic that you have a state of the art facility within 30 minutes of your home. I am also glad that Liam and Tommy are progressing well. Can we at least get some toe pictures? Hee.
Wanted to share a belated congratulations! I love the names you chose, and look forward to hearing how things go. Wishing your whole family well...
That's all such wonderful news, but I'm sure it's tough to be so far away from them. I'm so impressed with your positive attitude after having been through so much. Sounds like you're doing pretty well yourself :-)

Congratulations again, sweetie. I'm so very excited for you.
Lynda said…
Good to hear you're not disappearing from cyberspace as your story is one that many struggling with IF and SIF will get a lot of out of. Your story is one of hope and faith - one for sharing, I really think.

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