Well, the much anticipated visit occurred today. It was wonderful...yet exhausting - I had forgotten how much trekking back and forth to Duke once or twice a day was! The girls looked beautiful and slept for much of the time that we were at the hospital. Did I mention that our family was going to be famous and our girls are already modeling at the young age of 10weeks? Just kidding. We really were a part of a photo shoot for Duke today for a publication. They needed a picture of a family with babies and I guess we won. Cameron was the main attraction today...originally it was supposed to be both girls but since they were not together in the TCN side by side, they decided to just use Cameron for most of the shots and then towards the end they let me go and get Reagan and we added her in as well. Cameron did great and really enjoyed Daddy holding her. Oh yes, Cameron was moved back to TCN today during the day shift...which we are so pumped about. Then, I came back tonight with my mom and Seth's mom and we held the babies. I attempted to bottle feed Reagan and boy do I stink at it! You would think that I had never fed a baby before but I was so scared. Just to let you know how much I stink...when the nurses feed her she takes about 20 mL...when I fed her she only drank 5! I hope that I will get more comfortable and learn quickly. My goal is to be there to learn as much as possible - feeding, bathing, taking them in and out of the isolette, changing their clothes. Many of these tasks are things that we did with Aubrey but it all seems brand new now that we are dealing with babies this small!
So, here is the report that I have for you tonight. Reagan is up to 3 lbs. 2 oz. Cameron lost weight and so I think she is still around 2 lb. 6 or 7 oz. Reagan is now drinking a full ounce for each feed! Cameron had a kidney ultrasound this week and she does have small kidney stones but they do not appear to be causing her trouble right now - her heart rate was in the 140s when we were there tonight.
I think that is all for the report for tonight...I have to be back at the hospital tomorrow morning at 8am to meet with the lactation consultant to work with the girls. So, not long to sleep for me!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Our hearts are beating a little faster now.
Reagan is now 3 pounds 1 oz! Slow down girl! I don't think we're ready for you to come home. Well, of course we want Reagan to come home, but you know...all these, "We're not ready..." thoughts are coming into our heads. Leslie and I are totally in "go mode" right now. I'm all frantic trying to get the house in order for the babies to come home, now because the way things have been going, it seems more of a reality now than ever. And the funny thing is, it's not like I'm worrying about getting their room in order. I'm so mixed up and happy-frantic that I'm telling myself I've got to clean out the attic and stuff like that which really won't affect our preparedness for the twins being comfortable at home. Anyway, I guess I just feel like if I ever want to get anything done, I better do it now. Okay....so to more info on the girls.
Cameron is doing just dandy. They started her back on food today. We forgot to ask how much she weighs. She's still not in the same room as Reagan. The docs are waiting for a room to open up. Reagan had a bath tonight, which wore her out too much to drink out of a bottle. Leslie and I are going up to see the babes tomorrow, and we'll get to hold them too.
Cameron is doing just dandy. They started her back on food today. We forgot to ask how much she weighs. She's still not in the same room as Reagan. The docs are waiting for a room to open up. Reagan had a bath tonight, which wore her out too much to drink out of a bottle. Leslie and I are going up to see the babes tomorrow, and we'll get to hold them too.
Back In the Saddle
This morning at 5 am I called to check on the girls and heard that Reagan was doing better and had resumed all of her feedings through the NG tube but they decided not to feed her with the bottle because she was still so tired. Cameron woke up and they took her off of the ventilator straight to room air. She was doing great. She did have some tummy troubles and they ended up having to do a belly x-ray but that seems to be resolved now and they have resumed her feeds as of this afternoon. Cameron is still in the NICU but the doctors want for her to be back in the TCN as soon as possible. It may happen today...it depends on bed space because there are a limited number of beds in the TCN. Both girls met with different therapists today and Cameron has grown quite a bit in the last week but was still pretty sleepy from her busy couple of days. I do not yet know how Reagan's went because her nurse has not been available when I have called today. I am hoping to hear soon.
The Lord willing, tomorrow should be the glorious day that both Mommy and Daddy get to go and hold and see the girls again after a long time away. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have even been planning my outfit - as if it matters but that is how much I am aniticipating this visit. I pray that Aubrey will continue to feel well and that Seth and I would remain symptom free as well.
The Lord willing, tomorrow should be the glorious day that both Mommy and Daddy get to go and hold and see the girls again after a long time away. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have even been planning my outfit - as if it matters but that is how much I am aniticipating this visit. I pray that Aubrey will continue to feel well and that Seth and I would remain symptom free as well.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Surgery Update
The girls both had their surgeries and they went well. The surgeon said that we will not know if the surgery was a true success for another couple of weeks. Next Tuesday when he examines them, we want to see that their retinopathy progression has stayed the same and then the next Tuesday we want to see that it has improved. Some babies have to have a second laser treatment. I pray that one is all we needed. When I left the hospital Cameron was still out but they were doing blood work to see if they could wean her ventilator settings. Reagan was beginning to wake up.
On a good note, last night I heard words I never expected to hear - "You know Reagan is going to be ready to come home soon - be sure that you are ready!" I was in complete shock. Reagan drank her whole bottle last night which was a full feeding. They are hoping to begin working on feeding with Cameron by the end of the week (depending on how she recovers from surgery).
Please continue to keep our girls in your prayers as they recover from their busy day today.
On a good note, last night I heard words I never expected to hear - "You know Reagan is going to be ready to come home soon - be sure that you are ready!" I was in complete shock. Reagan drank her whole bottle last night which was a full feeding. They are hoping to begin working on feeding with Cameron by the end of the week (depending on how she recovers from surgery).
Please continue to keep our girls in your prayers as they recover from their busy day today.
Surgeries Today
Well, we got the phone call this morning that both girls are having ROP surgery today. Reagan is having it on one eye and Cameron on both. Reagan will only be sedated for the surgery but Cameron must be intubated and sedated as her ROP is more extensive. I have rushed home to degermify myself so that I can rush off to the hospital to be there. I am not sure if I will be able to see them but just want to be there - I don't know...maybe it is a mom thing. Reagan's should be taking place right now as we speak and Cameron's surgery will take place early afternoon. Please keep the girls in your prayers today and I will update you when I am back home.
Thanks for your prayers!
Thanks for your prayers!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Update
What a weekend! I truly do believe that we have spent more money on doctor's/hospital visits this month than in our entire lives! It has been crazy! After an emergency room visit yesterday and a 104.8 fever - Aubrey is finally beginning to act like herself again! It was very scary for me as her mom...especially since she has never really run high fevers before. But we are thankful and hopeful that she will be through all of this soon. We are praying that we do not get it as well.
In the meantime, the girls have been doing great! Cameron is back off of the cannula again - the nurse practitioners agreed that she does just as well off of the cannula as she does on it...so why put her on something that she doesn't need. The girls were bathed and weighed last night but her nurse forgot to write it down but I do know that Cameron lost a bit and Reagan gained about 10 grams....so they are relatively the same as last reported. They have added another does of beneprotein (not sure if that is how it is spelled) to Cameron's milk to hopefully help her in gaining and they are hoping to move her to being fed for one hour and then not for three soon (like a typical baby feeding schedule). Today both girls are being seen by the speech therapist. Last night Reagan drank 22mL of her feed orally!!!Yippee!!!! And when I called today, the speech therapist was feeding her while I spoke to the nurse and she was already at 15mL. I don't know when Cameron will begin to work on bottle feeding but I don't think they will do that until she transitions to the new feeding schedule. I have been told that we have now reached the point where Reagan will begin to work on feeding with Mom and the lactation consultants. I am so excited and eager for us to be symptom free and fever free (I still have a cough and a runny nose!) Last night the nurse said that both girls about 15 min. apart starting having some decent desats and crying loudly. She went to check on them and each one had made it all the way out of their blankets from being swaddled and had moved themselves all the way down to the bottom of their incubators! I guess they made a plan together and executed it to keep the nurse on her toes!
The girls will have their eyes checked tomorrow by the pediatric opthamologist. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
In the meantime, the girls have been doing great! Cameron is back off of the cannula again - the nurse practitioners agreed that she does just as well off of the cannula as she does on it...so why put her on something that she doesn't need. The girls were bathed and weighed last night but her nurse forgot to write it down but I do know that Cameron lost a bit and Reagan gained about 10 grams....so they are relatively the same as last reported. They have added another does of beneprotein (not sure if that is how it is spelled) to Cameron's milk to hopefully help her in gaining and they are hoping to move her to being fed for one hour and then not for three soon (like a typical baby feeding schedule). Today both girls are being seen by the speech therapist. Last night Reagan drank 22mL of her feed orally!!!Yippee!!!! And when I called today, the speech therapist was feeding her while I spoke to the nurse and she was already at 15mL. I don't know when Cameron will begin to work on bottle feeding but I don't think they will do that until she transitions to the new feeding schedule. I have been told that we have now reached the point where Reagan will begin to work on feeding with Mom and the lactation consultants. I am so excited and eager for us to be symptom free and fever free (I still have a cough and a runny nose!) Last night the nurse said that both girls about 15 min. apart starting having some decent desats and crying loudly. She went to check on them and each one had made it all the way out of their blankets from being swaddled and had moved themselves all the way down to the bottom of their incubators! I guess they made a plan together and executed it to keep the nurse on her toes!
The girls will have their eyes checked tomorrow by the pediatric opthamologist. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
We are All Tired!
Poor Aubrey had a rough night sleeping last night and had very high fevers of around 103 or so for most of the night. She would wake up sweating and then wake up cold. This is another new lesson in being a mom - because I have never had to do this before with her and it is so hard because you are virtually helpless - which we have felt a lot lately both with our baby at home and our ones in the NICU. So, last night the girls both gained weight - Cameron 2 ounces and Reagan 1. So I believe that puts them at 2 lbs. 14 oz. and 2 lbs. 6 ounces. This was a very big gain for Cameron and they think it might be a fluke so they told us to wait until tonight's weigh in before we count on that big of a number. Cameron was placed back on the nasal cannula last night as well - I guess she needed a little rest as well. Her heart rate has gone down a little bit since they have done that as well. The nurse last night said that Cameron is not showing signs of dehydration - which is also good. Reagan was very sleepy last night as well and did not want to wake up and bottle feed last night - she only drank 4 mL of a bottle last night and did not seem into it I guess.
So, I guess by all accounts each of the Carter girls are pooped! They are all tired and needing some rest right now. I hope that the girls will perk up some today. Seth has had to take milk out again so that they don't run out in the big snow storm they are calling for today! We'll see if it actually happens. But we would prefer that the girls get mom's milk not donor milk - so off to the hospital he has gone. The nurse said that she would try to hold the girls up for Seth so he can see them since he cannot go in now because of Aubrey's fever. I am hoping that they might be able to do that for us for Aubrey one day soon so she can finally see her baby sisters. Yesterday I asked the nurse if they were the smallest babies in the TCN and she said yes they were the smallest that she knew of. But she also said that they are perfect TCN babies - they are doing all that they should be...they just happen to be really small.
So, I guess by all accounts each of the Carter girls are pooped! They are all tired and needing some rest right now. I hope that the girls will perk up some today. Seth has had to take milk out again so that they don't run out in the big snow storm they are calling for today! We'll see if it actually happens. But we would prefer that the girls get mom's milk not donor milk - so off to the hospital he has gone. The nurse said that she would try to hold the girls up for Seth so he can see them since he cannot go in now because of Aubrey's fever. I am hoping that they might be able to do that for us for Aubrey one day soon so she can finally see her baby sisters. Yesterday I asked the nurse if they were the smallest babies in the TCN and she said yes they were the smallest that she knew of. But she also said that they are perfect TCN babies - they are doing all that they should be...they just happen to be really small.
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