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Saturday 30 July 2011

32 weeks

Cruz
Ryder

My boys are just over 32 weeks now and doing g-r-e-a-t! I cant believe how they just keep plugging along....like it's no big deal.....they are such strong little guys that blow me away! When I got to the NICU today, my boys were wearing onesie's! Its just a small milestone in the NICU but it means they are maintaining their own body temperature thus graduated to wearing clothes and they have since decreased the temperature in their incubators in order to prepare them for the environment outside the isolette.....we are 24 hours away from an open crib...hooray!! Ryder is 1825 grams (about 4 lbs) and Cruz is a bit behind at 1695 grams. They have decreased their feeds from every 2 hours to every 3 hours, also in order to prepare them for the an open crib and because they are digesting things well (if they weren't they would stick to every 2 hour feeds). This is all good news....my boys are close to being reunited. The nurse tonight said it just depends on the Doctor on tommorrow as to whether or not they will be able to put them in a crib, otherwise, it might be Monday. I also got to change two poopy diapers today which made me happy (well three actually... the third one once I got back home, ha ha). Any chance I get to interact with my boys is a special moment for me...even if it is just a diaper change or taking their temperature for the nurse. It isnt easy changing a diaper in an isolette either!
I cant believe how quickly they change though. I feel like I havnt taken enough pictures and Im usually there by myself so I dont have a lot of pics taken with them, just individually of the boys and I will be thrilled once we have left the the isolette's behind (hard to take photo's through those things).
Saying good-bye is always the hardest part of my day. The short visits are difficult but once they are in the crib, Im hoping to get more snuggle time. We are also transferring them to a closer hospital but we have been waiting on that for a few days now and they say it could take up to a week for two beds in this other hospital NICU to open up.
That's the latest.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

2 weeks, 2 days & I got to hold my 2 boys! Bliss!





I FINALLY got to hold my boys together a few days ago.....it was amazing. It bothers me that they have been separated ever since I delivered them on July.8th......Im certain they miss each other.
I had an amazing moment with Ryder on Monday. When I got to the NICU for my visit, Cruz was sound asleep and Ryder was wide awake so I said hello to him through the plexi-glass isolette and I was sure he smiled when he saw me and heard my voice....I know they cant smile yet, buy his facial expression definitely changed when he saw/heard me. Then Ryder had some physio. He's favoring one side of his head and developing a flat spot so the nurse let me hold Cruz instead. While I was holding Cruz, I noticed Ryder was quite upset. I could see his red arms and legs flailing, I could hear him crying and his heart monitor alarm kept going off because he was so worked up, his rate was well over 200 BPM!!! After several failed attempts of the nurse trying to settle him and three beeping heart alarms later, she asked me if I could put Cruz back in his isolette and hold Ryder because she thought he just wanted his Mummy. Sure enough, as soon as the nurse handed me Ryder and laid him on my chest, we could see his heart rate drop from 210 down to 160 and all was perfect in Ryder's world! It was so awesome....he settled instantly because all he wanted was his Mummy! *sigh*....Im so in love!

Also, one of my favorite nurses there did Cruz and Ryder's handprints and did such a lovely job. I attached a photo up top. I will cherish these keepsakes forever! Thank-You Kaori!

Saturday 23 July 2011

July.22nd -2 weeks old

Ryder



Cruz



July.22nd

This journey is proving to get more and more difficult which has taken me by surprise a bit....the boys are getting stronger each and every day but these short one hour (and just one baby-so I alternate the boys each time) visits are breaking my heart! I am so in love with my boys and leaving them after a measly hour of holding just one of them is tearing me up. Its so incredibly difficult. I go every other day and the other Mom's in my pod in the NICU go see their baby every day but they dont have any other children at home and they all live close to the hospital. I can only go if I have a sitter for Brooklyn so as you can imagine, every other day and just an hour of holding one of them is breaking my heart. It feels like forever when I finally get to see them again!
They are more alert now and both my boys are off their IV's and at full feeds for their weight via nasogastric tube so I am greatful they are gaining weight (slowly but surely) and doing so incredibly well. They held off on the protein powder since they are gaining adequate weight with just breast milk so that is another plus.

Ryder finally hit his birthweight yesterday of 3lbs 6oz - took 2weeks, holy smokes! So now I am officially on the 1800 grams c-o-u-n-t-d-o-w-n because once one of the boys hits 1800 grams, they graduate to an open crib together! I cant wait because that also means I can hold them for much longer and interact with them so much more than I can while they are in individual isolette's. I figure by mid-week they should be in a crib and I will just show up one day to see them and they will finally be out of their fish bowls (ie. isolette's) and I will be able to just reach in and pick my boys up!!! Im so excited for that.

When I got to the NICU yesterday, I noticed two of their nurses had done the boys footprints for me and left them at Cruz and Ryder's stations. I had already made an attempt to get Ryder's and also attempted to get Cruz's handprints but those were a disaster. I shed a few tears when I saw them, they were just so beautiful and she put some very sweet personal touches on them as well. They are beautiful keepsakes that I will cherish forever! I have attached a photo for all of you to see as well. Ironically, I picked up Deja's paw print from the Vet's office on my way home from the hospital today.........footprints mark the start of two new precious lives and a paw print marks the departure of a beloved companion/family member. I feel very blessed to have had Deja in my life for 11 years and of course to have two beautiful, little boys (and let's not forget about my sweetheart, Brooklyn as well lol).

We had a couple of beautiful floral arrangements delivered to the house the last few days from the Police Department. My husband couldn't believe the chief sent us flowers, along with all the members at his department. They are beautiful and brightened my day. That was very nice of them to aknowledge the birth of our twins.

Brooklyn turns 2 in just 3 weeks time so I had better plan a small something or rather for her. I want to have a nice party for her, I have just been so busy with the boys, commuting, organizing sitters, pumping, taking care of her (and Chris has been away the last 3 days and isnt back for another couple of days as he's attending a wedding out of town). I think I'll keep it simple and either have a bouncy castle party at our house or a bouncy castle party at the local water park (assuming the weather is going to stay nice. Its been a wet, sunless summer here unfortunately. I think she wants a bike for her Birthday because every time the neighbor kids go by she yells, "bike, bike, bike!". I better start working on an EVITE so she has at least a couple of friends show up for it, ha ha.


Wednesday 20 July 2011

July 18th, 2011

Just 12 days ago, two amazing little boys came into our lives and I feel so incredibly lucky. I just saw my lil' men and I got really emotional today because I didnt get to see them yesterday and it felt like forever! They change so quickly and when I arrived at the NICU today, Cruz was the most awake and alert I have ever seen him and he kept looking up at me like, "uhhhh, Mama!".....they melt my heart. I want to take them home so badly but they have some growing to do and need to learn how to eat yet.

I was really disappointed on Monday when I found out the boys would only be able to be transferred to the closer hospital at 34 weeks (they are 31 weeks now) but that Mom's HAVE to "room in" with their baby's and having a 2 year old at home will make that impossible for us. I would love for the boys to be closer to home for their last 2 or 3 weeks in hospital but rooming in with them isn't going to work because that would mean getting a full-time caregiver at home for Brooklyn which just doesn't exist.....that would be Mama's job:)
So they will be in the NICU at the much further hospital until the end of August or early September:(

I got a call this morning from my Obstetrician who delivered our boys. He wanted to know how the baby's were doing and I guess his staff were hounding him to call and find out how they were doing as well. His first question...."are they still on ventilators?".....I was so happy to tell him they were NEVER on ventilators but simply on CPAP at room air- Cruz for 5 days and Ryder for 7 (Ryder was on 25% O2 for just a few days). He couldnt believe it! He too was blown away to hear they were doing so well because he thought they would have quite a fight ahead of them as did the rest of us. Our boys have done amazing and continue to surprise everyone with their quick progress and larger than life strength!
I asked him if a vaginal birth was ever a possibility during my labor but he said it was actually a really difficult c-section because Cruz was breech and Ryder was transverse. I wish I asked him about the placenta though because today was the first day that I realized I dont think the boys look identical.....and their nurse today said the same thing. Im not sure if it's just because of the weight difference but they are only 160 grams apart. I guess time will tell but they say that one placenta is the tell tale sign to identical twins.

One of the boys' nurses from last week approached me today. She was off for 5 days and when she left on her last shift, our boys were in the East wing (for youngest baby's and sick baby's) and when she returned, the boys were in the West wing near the front door. She too was blown away. She said, "your boys are doing phenomenal".......the Doctor had put in the boys PICC lines on her last shift and she returned to find out that Cruz had his PICC line discontinued (removed) already and Ryder's is coming out today. They ONLY put in PICC lines if they think the baby's will need them for a few weeks to a month......they wouldn't have put them in for just one week (too high risk for infection etc). So, like I have said before, I will say it again......I am one lucky girl to have two beautiful, healthy (just small at the moment) baby boys!! I cannot wait to get them home. These short hospital visits are breaking my heart!

They are starting the boys on a special type of protein powder that they will mix into my breast milk today.....just to help them gain weight faster. Once one of the boys reaches 1800 grams, they will graduate them from their individual isolette's into a crib and they will be finally be together again and I will finally get a picture of my boys together!!! Ryder is 1415 grams so he will likely hit the 1800 grams first. They gain between 15-25 grams on average/day but Ryder had a huge growth spurt of 85 grams yesterday. The other plus side of graduating from isolette's is that my snuggle sessions wont be limited to one hour....I can hold them for as long as I want to once they are in a crib.

My co-workers threw me a baby shower yesterday....it was so great to see everyone. I really work with some super people! I will miss them all when I'm off this next year but hopefully they will come visit me and my litter of children soon. You ladies did a lovely job.....and Chris and I are so incredibly greatful for the 1200 diapers you sent us home with yesterday!!! I still cant believe it!! Thanks for a lovely afternoon MMHC gang! xxxx

Monday 18 July 2011

Family Baby Shower















My Cousin Jessica and my Mom threw me a baby shower on the 10th. It was awesome! It was a Dr.Seuss theme, THING 1 and THING 2 of course and Jessica made so many beautiful things and paid attention to so much detail that a girl couldn't ask for a better shower. The only down side was that everyone assumed it was cancelled (the logical decision I suppose) and about 40% of the people that RSVP'd didn't come. Everyone told me to rest and to re-schedule but the food was pre-ordered and Chris's Aunt drove down from Kamloops for it so I really wanted to go.When we picked a date for the shower, we never thought in a million years that the Twins would arrive BEFORE the baby shower that was planned WELL in advance (2 months before my due date). Looking back, I shouldn't have gone just 2 days post-op from my delivery/surgery but the Oxycodone was in full effect and I felt great on Saturday when I decided to commit to going and got a hospital pass despite the fact that I delivered the twins just 48 hours before........but those were the drugs/hormones talking when I committed to it because post-op day 2 (morning of the shower) I was feeling pretty rough and was in a ton of pain but the meds carried me through for a few hours and then I pretty much crashed, hopped in my Mom's car and she drove me back to the hospital. The shower was super fun though and we played the "poo" game (my favorite baby shower game...you know the one where you melt a bunch of different chocolate bars into diapers and try to figure out which chocolate bar it is by looking at the poop!? So many people hate that game but it's my and Jessica's favorite, ha ha). Jessica also had a "photo booth" with stuff to dress up in and took pics of everyone dressed up all silly for the guest book. Brooklyn sure liked the boa's and even Daddy dressed up and took a pic with us. It was a good time:) Thanks Jessica and Mom....love you guys!

Sunday 17 July 2011

July 17th, 2011





My boys are doing great. I cherish every moment with them and it breaks my heart when I have to leave them and go home. Its much harder than I thought it would be because when you have a child, they are pretty much attached to you every day for the next year so leaving them in the NICU makes me sad. I want them at home and I want to spend every waking minute with them but that just isnt possible right now.
I did Ryder's footprints last night (his PICC line is in his hand so I could only get his feet) and attempted to do Cruz's hand prints (his PICC line is in his foot so I could only get his hands). Have you ever tried to get handprints from a baby?! Its next to impossible!!! Footprints were easy but the hands are sooooo tricky!! I will have to try again another day. I really want to get them done now while they are so teeny tiny so I can remember just how small they were and just how lucky I am to have two healthy baby boys! I still cant get over how stinkin' cute they are, nor how small.

I talked to a friend of mine who works on the maternity unit at the hospital 10 minutes from my house (she also works with me at the other hospital) and she said they get "grower" baby's there all the time so I am hoping and praying that by the time the boys are 34 weeks (that's how old they have to be in order to go to the smaller hospital), they can be transferred to the smaller hospital closer to home so they are only 10 minutes away instead of 45 mins- 1 hour. I will talk to the nurses or pedeatrician tomorrow and see if that's a possibility in a months time roughly.


Saturday 16 July 2011

The Birth Story of our 29 week Twin Boys!




July. 8th, 2011

My Birth Story and my last day of work……

I saw my family doctor on Thursday, July 7th and he wrote me off on medical leave which was to start after my last day of work the very next day. I was 29 weeks exactly. I had my first set of Braxton Hicks contractions on the Thursday while I was laying down for a short rest. I drifted to sleep while Brooklyn was down for a nap and woke up having a nightmare that I was either having labor pains or Braxton Hicks contractions. When I woke up I realized I wasn’t dreaming, that my uterus was in fact contracting but it didn’t last that long and had no rhyme or reason to the consistency or intensity which is indicative of BH. They eventually stopped and I didn’t think too much of it but I have to admit, I did have a “bad feeling” since it was the first sign of any physical change and we did have a really hard week after euthenazing our sweet Deja girl (our dog) the week before (rest in peace Deja).

I dropped Brooklyn off at day care for her last day and headed to work for what was supposed to be my “last day” before my medical leave started and what I thought would be 6 weeks of no work before the baby’s arrived which would give me some time to relax because the stress of everything going on in our lives was weighing heavily on me and stopping work would make my third trimester a lot more bearable both physically and emotionally.

I got to the hospital (where I work) for my shift at 7:45am. I headed over to the lab to get my Rhogam shot since Chris and I have “incompatable” blood types (he is B+ and I am B- but I am Rh- and he is Rh+). The lab gave me the prescription and I had an ER nurse I work with give me the injection and then carried on with my “last day”. I was sitting at my computer around 8:30-9am and felt some strong pressure down low and it was rather sharp but my uterus certainly wasn’t contracting and my mind never thought “labor”, not once! I had a few more “pains” we’ll call them and then I was paged to go see a patient on the 2nd floor....I did my assessment and sort of forgot about it a bit until I was sitting at the nurses station charting on the patient I had consulted with and had more “pain” but I was in a hurry because a bunch of the staff at Mental Health were taking me out for lunch for my “last day”. I rushed over to the mental health centre and we headed for the restaurant and it still only felt like painful pelvic pressure. When our party of 8 sat down for lunch I had what felt like “contractions” about every 15 minutes or so and for the first time, thought to myself, “could these be labor pains!?” I was a little more withdrawn through lunch because I was in quite a bit of pain but put on a brave face and after I thought about it I realized they were coming about every 15 minutes and pretty much had been for 5-6 hours by then but looking back, I’m certain I was in labor DENIAL!!!!!! I drove back to the health centre and the contractions were getting so intense that I finally started to worry. Some of them were about a “7” on a scale of 1-10 so I asked my co-worker (who had 3 daughters’) and she told me to get on all 4’s and see if it relieved any of the pain (assuming if I got relief that it wasnt "real" labor) or pressure so sure enough, I got down on all 4’s, moved my hips around a little bit but got NO relief. She said, “you should probably go get checked out just to be safe”….by this time it was about 3pm and my shift was over at 3:30pm so I said good-bye to my boss and co-workers. I told my boss I was sooooooo glad this was my last day of work because I had gained 40 lbs by then and said, “today was the first day I’ve been having lots of pain!”….he made a joke and said, “ha, you wont make it to Monday!”…….he was right!!!!

I drove back to the ER (where I work. I have an office at ER as well as at Mental health) to drop off my pager and cell phone and continued to have painful contractions every 15 minutes but I was still in labor DENIAL and refused to accept the fact that these were in deed labor contractions and nothing more than “pelvic pain”. My shift was over in 5 minutes and I just didn’t want to be “the patient” on my last day of work. One of the ER nurses I work with said I could have the ER Doc examine me, just to rule out labor but I had to pick Brooklyn up from day care and I wanted to get home for 4pm to see Chris before he left for his night shift because he hadn’t seen Brooklyn in a few days. So as you can see, I am a little on the stubborn side as having one of the docs I work with check me out would put a kink in my day and I figured I would be home within the hour and could simply go to the ER where I live (20 minute away) if things continued. That last hour however, between the end of my shift, picking up Brooklyn from daycare and heading home, I had some pretty intense contractions (one at Brooklyn’s daycare, one at the gas station (yes, I stopped to fill up with gas- still in denial!! lol) and in the car driving home. I phoned Jessica (my cousin) to ask her if she could come watch Brooklyn while I went to the hospital but told her, it’s probably false labor and Im sure they will just give me medication to stop the contractions and send me home. I phoned Chris to let him know but I told him to go to work anyways! (he was working the night shift) Ha ha. I didn’t want him to lose one of his days off before the boys arrived for false labor and figured if there was a problem, he could just drive back home….we both waivered for a few minutes until I had a few more contractions and by this time, they hurt so bad that I realized this could actually be “real labor” as I was starting to whimper, groan and having to breathe through each contraction which is apparently what I needed to do in order to finally accept the fact that, “Holy Shit! I think I’m in labor!!!!”……..all the while thinking, surely they will give me medication to stop the contractions and send me home. Jessica arrived to watch Brooklyn and Chris and I jumped in the car and headed to the hospital (isn’t it ironic that I work in the ER and here I was heading to another ER for an assessment! Ha ha…that’s where denial get’s you folks!!).

Thankfully the hospital is only 10 minutes away from house. We got to the ER and I had to stop in the middle of the parking lot to breathe through another contraction. We registered and were sent up to Maternity right away. It was 5:30pm when we got up there and when I told the nurse I was only 29 weeks pregnant…..with Twins, had been having contractions all day (I finally realized this is what they were) 15 minutes apart, I have hypertension and feel some pressure in my butt, we could see her anxiety shoot through the roof, “okay, I need 2 monitors, you need to pee in a cup so I can dip your urine, change into this gown, lay down, who’s your obstetrician!? She didn’t know where to start and we thought it was kind of funny because I had convinced Chris that they would still just give me some medication to stop the contractions and head home.

My obstetrician got to the hospital 30 minutes after they paged him. He did a pelvic exam at about 6pm and said, “Candice, your 8-9cm dilated, your in labor my dear! We gotta get them out now! We gotta get you to the O.R. Don’t move! I need to make some phone calls!”…..I LOST IT…..burst into tears. “Are you sure!?”, I asked him. He said he could feel the membrane bulging and told me not to move… “there’s no time Candice, your 8-9cm’s! We need to go to the O.R.! I asked him if they could transfer me by ambulance to RCH because I didn’t want to have my boys at a small hospital with no NICU but he said there wasn’t enough time. He phoned the neonatal teams at Children’s hospital and they were on their way, sirens flashing but they had to get through Friday’s rush hour traffic. We were initially told it would take them one hour to get here, only to be told an hour later that they were STILL 45 minutes to an hour away (traffic was bad apparently despite sirens flashing). I labored on the table in the operating room for 1 hour and 40 minutes until they arrived but they eventually gave me a spinal (much better and more effective than an epidural) and started the c-section 5 minutes before the teams arrived. They also gave me a magnesium infusion to decrease the odds of the baby’s having cerebal palsy but it was a solid 2 ½ hours of chaos! Doctors and nurses arguing about how fast to give me the Magnesium infusion, the anesthetist arguing with my obstetrician about when to give me my spinal, one nurse yelling at the doctor who Im convinced had never intubated a 29 week premie before (and I tend to trust nurses before doctors), my obstetrician was trying to decide how long to wait before the neonatal teams arrived from Children’s hospital (the boys weren’t in distress but he was worried that twin A (possibly breech) would end up stuck in my pelvis and then we would be in real trouble). He told me upstairs the twins were transverse (confusing) and that he may have to put me under a “general anesthetic” and then proceeded to tell me that he will have cut me vertically instead of horizontally…it was more bad news after another. Once we were in the O.R. they did another ultrasound and the boys had moved so he was able to use the same incision as my last c-section. Baby “A” (Cruz) was born first at 7:49pm and weighed 3lbs and (Ryder) was Baby “B” born at 7:52pm and weighed 3lbs 6 oz. Boy boys cried as soon as they hit room air once pulled out of my belly….it was music to my ears. Chris kept updating me and telling me they were pink and they looked good and that they were crying and the nurses all told me they were strong and trying to fight off the doctors and nurses from intubating them. I couldn’t see them though because of all the people in the OR. It was awful. I didn’t see them for a few hours until the neonatal teams stabilized them and then finally wheeled them into the recovery room to see me for 5 minutes before they ambulanced them back to the NICU at another hospital. I was shaking like a leaf and kind of out of it but I put my hand in the incubator to touch each boy’s itty bitty hand and then they were gone. They transferred me a few hours later via ambulance to the same hospital as my boys and I stayed there for 4 days while they were downstairs in the NICU. They anticipate the boys wont come home for several months and say your original due date is usually the date when parents are able to take their premie’s home. The criteria to go home is 4-5 lbs and gaining weight consistently (eating well etc). I hope they can come by the end of August but it may be September.

So that’s my crazy story…..what a whirlwind this week has been. We were in utter shock for the first few days but things are going well, the baby’s are strong and continue to improve every day! I feel so blessed that they are here, safe and sound despite their very early arrival. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Deja died 2 weeks ago on, Friday, July.1st(our beloved 11 year old vizsla dog) and the boys were born one week later on Friday, July.8th. I think Deja had one more parting duty and served as their guide (or angel if you will) to ensure our boys arrived safely…. I believe Deja had something to do with it and she will never be forgotten.

R.I.P Deja, December.4th 2000-July.1st, 2011.


Friday 15 July 2011

Our 29 week premie's are One Week Old today!





July.15th
The Twins are one week old today.....hard to believe, especially since it took a few days for the shock to wear off. They are doing g-r-e-a-t and take my breathe away every time I see them. Tonight was the first time I got to hold Ryder (twin B). He came off CPAP today and looks 10x better than he did. His respirations finally look easy and relaxed as his chest is no longer jerking on each breathe. He has finally caught up to his little brother.
I held Ryder (skin-to-skin) on my chest for an hour and a half tonight.....he was so content as was I. It was my first kiss and my first skin-to-skin and I was in heaven! These boys are truly amazing and put me at ease every time I see them.
When my obstetrician was paged to the hospital to examine me last Friday and told me I was already 8-9cm dialated and said we needed to get to the O.R. immediately to deliver them, I sort of lost it! I was terrified that one of them might not make it or that they would be sick and on ventilators. I told Chris they would have to fight so hard at only 29 weeks gestation but they have certainly proved me wrong. These boys are doing amazing and the respiratory therapists, nurses and pediatricians keep telling me just how awesome they are doing. I expected a battle, a break-down and roller coaster but I can feel everyone's prayers and support and I think we are all thriving because of it! Thank-You all for that. All your support and emails have been uplifting, comforting and kind.
The boys are doing so good that they started bumping their feeds by 1 mL every 8 hours instead of every 12 hours and they are at almost full feeds. What else can I say, they just need to grow and get stronger.
I wish I could have both of them on my chest at one time or hold them at the same time but the nurse thinks they will graduate to a crib next week and they will be together again at which time I can probably hold them together. I still cant get over how small they are....they are just so precious!
When I was holding Ryder tonight, he fell asleep on my chest and when it was time to go home (after not hearing a peep out of him all night), he squeeled super loud when the nurse took him off my chest to put him back in his isolette. We all started laughing because it was such a loud squeel that I realized he in deed has a good set of lungs on him and he clearly did not want to leave his Mom.....I said, "I know Ryder, I feel the same way."

As for Mama, I am still in a lot of pain from my c-section. I still cant believe they discharge you with maybe 2 days worth of T3's and nothing else. I had to go see my family Doctor today to get a prescription for more because Im in so much pain once the T3's wear off. I also didnt realize (or have since forgotten since my last c-section 2 years ago) that we use our abs for everything!!! I cant blow my nose without feeling pain or burning at my incision site nor can I cough without pain....so it sucked big time when I choked on my water at dinner time tonight and I coughed about 20 times before I could clear my throat and catch my breathe...I thought my incision had burst open it hurt so bad. Recovery from a c-section sucks (as many of you know) and I think I have a pretty high threshold for pain (as evidenced by working my 8 hour shift last Friday and having contractions all day long- I was in denial, lol) but a c-section is no "scraped knee" and people talk about them like they need a band aid because they are so common nowadays. It took a full 6 weeks before I could push a grocery cart without feeling pain or bleeding after my daughter a few years back and I anticipate it will take another 6 weeks to fully recover from this one. It just sucks because I cant pick up my daughter and getting in and out of really hurts unless I have T3's on board.....I was never given the option to deliver the boys naturally last Friday but Im assuming they didnt want to risk stressing the baby's etc.

Anyways, another great update and time spent with my little boys. Time for some much needed rest though. Until next time.

(If you were here....please leave some love in the comments so I know you stopped by:)
xxxxxx




Thursday 14 July 2011

July.14th-6 days old





We went and saw the boys this morning and when I laid eyes on Cruz's little face without the CPAP on, I burst into tears! Happy tears of course. What a difference a few days can make. He looked amazing and I could finally see his sweet face.....no CPAP and no photo therapy mask, just baby Cruz!
The best part was when they handed him to me and he opened his eyes after they laid him in my arms! A couple of hard blinks and he was trying to focus in on Mommy and Daddy. He knew his Mama's voice and smell, no doubt about it. Chris was leaning over my shoulder and Cruz was trying to focus on him as well...it was just an amazing moment. His strength blows me away!
He's only 2 lbs 9 oz right now but he's doing fantastic! They are bumping his feeds one mL every 12 hours so he's getting 7 ml's every 2 hours. I filled my shelf in the NICU fridge with pumped breast milk for my little munchkin's and the staff couldnt believe how much milk I was making since it tends to be much more difficult for Mom's after they have had a pre-term labor and in addition have had a c-section. They actually told me to hold off on bringing so much milk to the NICU until they use up what I have already left them, ha ha. That was reassuring to hear as I thought I was just doing "okay" with my supply so to hear I am doing great was comforting.

I REALLY cant wait until they are strong enough to nurse though and I can start to breastfeed. They said it could be up to a month before that happens since they are so small but then again, these boys are surprising everyone so it could easily be earlier than that. I'm looking forward to that bonding time more than anything! I used to cherish those quiet moments with my daughter when it was just her and I cuddling and nursing. One of life's treasures to be able to nurse your baby.

I spoke with the Pediatrician this morning who mentioned to me that Ryder has a heart murmur as a result of the chamber in his heart not closing yet (we are all born with the open chamber but it most often closes within the first few days of life) however it takes longer with premie's. That being said, the Doctor was not concerned and said the cardiologist was going to be there on Friday and would have a look and listen to Ryder's heart then. He didnt go over worse case scenario or treatment options because he is confident it will close on it's own shortly and didnt want us to worry (which I'm not). He is still on CPAP but with no pressure settings and it is likely he too will have his CPAP removed tommorrow! Yipee!!!! I still havnt held Ryder so I am really looking forward to that! Apparently Baby "B" is always more unstable than Baby "A" or so they tell me but Ryder is very stable, he's just a little slower to improve than his twin brother.

Cruz gained 45 grams today (he's 1225 grams now) and Ryder gained 25 grams (he's 1325 grams now).
Today was an amazing day!

PS. Thanks Steph for sharing this special day....it was so nice to see you and have you there with our boys:) xxxx




Wednesday 13 July 2011

July.13th-Boys are 5 days old

July.13th, 2011 (5 days old):

Today is my first day at home. I only slept a few hours last night (or any other night for the last week) as I have been pumping around the clock in order to fill my freezer with breast milk for the boys. I pump every 3 hours- 24 hours a day which cuts into my sleep but I want the boys to have enough milk for as long as they are in the NICU. There will come a time though when my supply wont be able to keep up with the demand of two growing boys! ha ha.

I got fantastic news today when I phoned the NICU to check up on the boys. Cruz is officially OFF his CPAP machine and doing well- he needs no assistance of any kind to breathe. His nurse told me he didn’t anticipate Cruz would need to go back on it because he is proving to be doing so incredibly well without (and I didnt even get the steroid injection for their lungs pre-delivery or anything). Cruz is taking 5cc’s of breast milk via his IV every 2 hours and Ryder is still on CPAP at room air (he was on 25% O2 for the first couple of days) and he is tolerating 3cc’s of breast milk. Cruz continues to be the more stable baby and the nurses have labeled him “The Wild One” because of his wild tantrums, ha ha. He kicks and screams and flails his arms whenever the nurses or doctors try to prick him or change his IV etc. He is so strong...I have seen him push off from one end of his isolette to the other and then they have to move him back down again. I didnt know a 3 lb baby was capable of doing that!

Ryder continues photo therapy for jaundice but is otherwise doing really well. Ryder has dropped a little more weight and today’s weight was 1305 grams or 2 lbs 14 oz. and Cruz is 1180grams or 2 lbs 9oz…SCARY!! That sounds so ridiculously s-m-a-l-l but the doctors and nurses have in no way led on that there is anything to worry about. Most baby’s lose up to 10% of their birth weight within a few days of life but when their birth weights are only 3 lbs and 3lbs 6 oz......losing 10% is much more problematic. We are going to see the boys first thing in the morning and I cant wait!!!