It seems as though the last six weeks have been a total blur! The girls are growing so fast. It is wonderful to see them getting so bigger and being able to stay awake for longer periods of time during the day. We still wake them to eat every four hours. The bottling is going much better than a week ago. This is one thing that I hope improves quickly so that it becomes easier to feed them by myself.
Yesterday was the first day that Mike went back to work and I was home by myself with four kids. I think that doing daycare was pretty good prep for caring for twins. Time management is very important. But, things went very smoothly.
Next week is a busy week for the girls, they go to the eye doctor on Thursday to be rechecked and then on Friday gp back to our family doctor. Hopefully everything will check out great and the girls will have grown. I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and we will update again next week after their appointments.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sleepy Girls!
Well, the girls are doing great! They seem to sleep ALL the time. I am sure that will change as they get older so we are trying to enjoy it! The girls went to the doctor on Friday and everything looked great. It was good to get in touch with our family doctor again and for her to meet the girls. The girls also gain a significant amount of weight. Brooklyn weighed in at 6# 4oz. and Brienna at 5# 15oz.
Currently they are both sleeping peacefully through the Vikings game! I hope that everyone is well. I have added a couple of pictures of the girls. Have a good evening!
Currently they are both sleeping peacefully through the Vikings game! I hope that everyone is well. I have added a couple of pictures of the girls. Have a good evening!
Brooklyn
Brienna
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The 6 of us
For the first time in 89 days, our family is finally together again! The last morning at the hospital was pretty uneventful-we got there, fed the girls, took some pictures, signed the paperwork, packed up, and were on our way home by early afternoon!
Sydney is very excited about her little sisters being home. She sat on the couch and was able to hold each of them a couple of times. We're pretty sure that she'd hold them all day and night if we'd let her! Taiton is the typical 2 yr old big brother. He got home, looked in the pack and play at the twins, and said, "What's that?" He likes to hold them, but prefers we keep it to around 15 seconds at a time. He is very intrigued by the fact that they have fingers and hair, "just like me"!
The first night went pretty well. We fed the girls at 9:30 pm, 1:30 am, and 5:30 am and they both slept for about 3 hours between the feedings, which was really nice. Now, the true test will be whether or not we can keep them on the same schedule!
Both girls have been eating well since being home. They've each had a few eating-related spells, which is no real surprise to us. But, aside from feedings, they haven't had any spells. In fact, their new apnea monitors have been silent the entire time so far, except for when one of Brienna's wires was loose. So, that is going well.
Today's weather has given us a mix of rain, ice, and now snow and Sydney was home from school by 9:30 this morning. The bad weather has just added to the blessing that we are all at home and finally have no need to travel!
So, the first day home was pretty uneventful, which is good. Hopefully we can keep it that way. Here are some pictures from yesterday:
Packed up and ready to go home!
Taiton and Brooklyn
Brienna (left), Brooklyn (right), and what I believe was the happiest 4 yr old in the state of South Dakota yesterday!
Sydney is very excited about her little sisters being home. She sat on the couch and was able to hold each of them a couple of times. We're pretty sure that she'd hold them all day and night if we'd let her! Taiton is the typical 2 yr old big brother. He got home, looked in the pack and play at the twins, and said, "What's that?" He likes to hold them, but prefers we keep it to around 15 seconds at a time. He is very intrigued by the fact that they have fingers and hair, "just like me"!
The first night went pretty well. We fed the girls at 9:30 pm, 1:30 am, and 5:30 am and they both slept for about 3 hours between the feedings, which was really nice. Now, the true test will be whether or not we can keep them on the same schedule!
Both girls have been eating well since being home. They've each had a few eating-related spells, which is no real surprise to us. But, aside from feedings, they haven't had any spells. In fact, their new apnea monitors have been silent the entire time so far, except for when one of Brienna's wires was loose. So, that is going well.
Today's weather has given us a mix of rain, ice, and now snow and Sydney was home from school by 9:30 this morning. The bad weather has just added to the blessing that we are all at home and finally have no need to travel!
So, the first day home was pretty uneventful, which is good. Hopefully we can keep it that way. Here are some pictures from yesterday:
Packed up and ready to go home!
Taiton and Brooklyn
Brienna (left), Brooklyn (right), and what I believe was the happiest 4 yr old in the state of South Dakota yesterday!
Monday, January 18, 2010
I'm goin home...to the place where I belong...
Last night Brooklyn and Brienna went through a 12 hour apnea observation. The results of the observation are that the girls will be coming home on apnea monitors. They have a form of apnea they refer to as periodic breathing. This is something they will grow out of in time. The monitors will record each spell the girls have and we will return with the monitors in a month to have the spells evaluated. The girls also passed their first test today!!! Brooklyn and Brienna both fit into the their carseats which was a huge relief! No need to buy another one for around $300! They also sat very politely in their carseats for 90 minutes with out any trouble. So, test passed!
The fourth chapter in our journey is about to begin! On January 19, 2010, Brooklyn and Brienna will be discharged from the hospital and we will, for the first time, be together as a family of 6. The day before they were born I had many mixed emotions, nervous, excited, scared and impatient. Those same emotions are rushing back. We are very excited and impatient to have the girls at home but, very nervous and scared about being responsible for their care with out the presence of medical staff! This is the part where we are home and hospital free after 89 days!!
Our nurses have reiterated to us that we need to maintain a rather strict visitor policy for the next few weeks, until the girls' immune systems have matured a little more and we'll be following their guidelines for adapting preemies to the "outside world". So, for now, we ask for your understanding and would appreciate visits from immediate family members (over the age of 10) only. We'll have continued discussions with our doctor at our weekly appointments and will keep you updated as the girls' immune systems develop. We know that many of you have been waiting to meet the girls for awhile now, but the last thing we want is for them to end up back in the NICU because of illness.
In addition, any visitors MUST be perfectly healthy before coming to visit, for obvious reasons. Please call in advance if you'd like to stop by so we can plan accordingly.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding!
The fourth chapter in our journey is about to begin! On January 19, 2010, Brooklyn and Brienna will be discharged from the hospital and we will, for the first time, be together as a family of 6. The day before they were born I had many mixed emotions, nervous, excited, scared and impatient. Those same emotions are rushing back. We are very excited and impatient to have the girls at home but, very nervous and scared about being responsible for their care with out the presence of medical staff! This is the part where we are home and hospital free after 89 days!!
Our nurses have reiterated to us that we need to maintain a rather strict visitor policy for the next few weeks, until the girls' immune systems have matured a little more and we'll be following their guidelines for adapting preemies to the "outside world". So, for now, we ask for your understanding and would appreciate visits from immediate family members (over the age of 10) only. We'll have continued discussions with our doctor at our weekly appointments and will keep you updated as the girls' immune systems develop. We know that many of you have been waiting to meet the girls for awhile now, but the last thing we want is for them to end up back in the NICU because of illness.
In addition, any visitors MUST be perfectly healthy before coming to visit, for obvious reasons. Please call in advance if you'd like to stop by so we can plan accordingly.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Getting closer...
Well, the first half of the week seemed to be going very slow. But, yesterday made up for it!
Brienna is now bottling whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, which is the end of the feeding program. She's been doing very well with that and is still gaining weight. Today, she is 5 lb, 3 oz.
Brooklyn is now bottling her full volume every three hours and will move to ad libitum (same as Brienna) tomorrow. Brooklyn has been a little behind because she still needs to be paced quite a bit when she eats, otherwise she forgets to breathe. Due to the pacing, she had been moving through the steps a little slower than Brienna. Brooklyn currently weighs 5 lb, 9 oz.
They will have an apnea test performed on Sunday night-this was postponed from Thursday night because they were still having too many feeding-related spells. We will get the results of the apnea test on Monday afternoon, and IF the tests come back OK, then they will send both girls home on Tuesday! Both girls have occasional spells, so we're unsure what the result of the apnea test will be-they may need medication and/or apnea monitors. If they are put on medication, that will likely mean an additional 5 days in the NICU.
Both girls will also need to pass the "car seat test" on Monday, which involves sitting in a carseat for 90 minutes without any drop in heartrate or Oxygen levels. We've been told that Brienna may need a special carseat, since she's still too small for her regular one. We'll find out more on that on Monday.
Have a good weekend!
Brienna is now bottling whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, which is the end of the feeding program. She's been doing very well with that and is still gaining weight. Today, she is 5 lb, 3 oz.
Brooklyn is now bottling her full volume every three hours and will move to ad libitum (same as Brienna) tomorrow. Brooklyn has been a little behind because she still needs to be paced quite a bit when she eats, otherwise she forgets to breathe. Due to the pacing, she had been moving through the steps a little slower than Brienna. Brooklyn currently weighs 5 lb, 9 oz.
They will have an apnea test performed on Sunday night-this was postponed from Thursday night because they were still having too many feeding-related spells. We will get the results of the apnea test on Monday afternoon, and IF the tests come back OK, then they will send both girls home on Tuesday! Both girls have occasional spells, so we're unsure what the result of the apnea test will be-they may need medication and/or apnea monitors. If they are put on medication, that will likely mean an additional 5 days in the NICU.
Both girls will also need to pass the "car seat test" on Monday, which involves sitting in a carseat for 90 minutes without any drop in heartrate or Oxygen levels. We've been told that Brienna may need a special carseat, since she's still too small for her regular one. We'll find out more on that on Monday.
Have a good weekend!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Relative Size!
Twins - Day 26
Good Monday morning, everyone!
Well, it's hard to believe that the twins will be 1 month old at the end of the week! Time has certainly flown by! Brooklyn weighed 5 lbs 2 oz and Brienna weighed 4 lbs 11 oz yesterday. So, both girls are growing very well.
Bottling is going pretty well for both girls. Yesterday, Brooklyn was receiving 35cc 4x per day. Her total volume is 43 cc, so she's not quite receiving her full volume yet. Also, since they receive 8 feedings in a day, she is taking half of her feedings by bottle and the other times she is fed through her feeding tube. Brienna is now receiving her full volume (40cc) by bottle and is being bottled 6x per day. So, as far as feedings go, Brienna is a couple days ahead of Brooklyn. But, both girls are doing well at their respective levels and are getting very good scores for the most part.
This weekend, for the first time, we were given a glimpse into when we could expect the girls to come home, and if everything goes well, we're hoping to have them home in about 2 weeks!! They have scheduled a couple different tests for the end of this week. They will receive vision tests and head ultrasounds, which is standard procedure for premies. The head ultrasound is to check for bleeding on the brain. They had one ultrasound shortly after birth and everything looked good, so this ultrasound is basically to make sure that nothing else has developed. They will also have an apnea test, since they still struggle with "spells" from time to time. This test will give the doctors a more detailed explanation of why they are having the spells.
Also, early last week, we were approached by the case manager and she told us that they are going to be putting together a TV commercial for Sanford Children's hospital and they would like us to be in the commercial! So, we agreed to do that and the recording took place on Friday afternoon! It was a fun experience and something that will be fun to show the girls when they're older. The film crew showed up at 1 pm and proceded to interview us for just over an hour. They also interviewed a nurse for 30 minutes, and then spent about an hour recording us and the nurses taking care of the girls. So, it took about 3 hours total, which was more than we expected for a 30-60 second commercial!
They will interview one of the doctors and do the editing in the coming weeks and then we will be able to view it before it goes on TV. We'll also be given a copy that we'll try to put on this site for those of you that will not be able to see it on SD TV channels.
We've been told that it's hard to judge the relative size of the girls in the pictures that we've put on the site so far, so we've been working on taking pictures that show their size better. We'll work on getting a picture or two posted later tonight.
Have a good day!
Well, it's hard to believe that the twins will be 1 month old at the end of the week! Time has certainly flown by! Brooklyn weighed 5 lbs 2 oz and Brienna weighed 4 lbs 11 oz yesterday. So, both girls are growing very well.
Bottling is going pretty well for both girls. Yesterday, Brooklyn was receiving 35cc 4x per day. Her total volume is 43 cc, so she's not quite receiving her full volume yet. Also, since they receive 8 feedings in a day, she is taking half of her feedings by bottle and the other times she is fed through her feeding tube. Brienna is now receiving her full volume (40cc) by bottle and is being bottled 6x per day. So, as far as feedings go, Brienna is a couple days ahead of Brooklyn. But, both girls are doing well at their respective levels and are getting very good scores for the most part.
This weekend, for the first time, we were given a glimpse into when we could expect the girls to come home, and if everything goes well, we're hoping to have them home in about 2 weeks!! They have scheduled a couple different tests for the end of this week. They will receive vision tests and head ultrasounds, which is standard procedure for premies. The head ultrasound is to check for bleeding on the brain. They had one ultrasound shortly after birth and everything looked good, so this ultrasound is basically to make sure that nothing else has developed. They will also have an apnea test, since they still struggle with "spells" from time to time. This test will give the doctors a more detailed explanation of why they are having the spells.
Also, early last week, we were approached by the case manager and she told us that they are going to be putting together a TV commercial for Sanford Children's hospital and they would like us to be in the commercial! So, we agreed to do that and the recording took place on Friday afternoon! It was a fun experience and something that will be fun to show the girls when they're older. The film crew showed up at 1 pm and proceded to interview us for just over an hour. They also interviewed a nurse for 30 minutes, and then spent about an hour recording us and the nurses taking care of the girls. So, it took about 3 hours total, which was more than we expected for a 30-60 second commercial!
They will interview one of the doctors and do the editing in the coming weeks and then we will be able to view it before it goes on TV. We'll also be given a copy that we'll try to put on this site for those of you that will not be able to see it on SD TV channels.
We've been told that it's hard to judge the relative size of the girls in the pictures that we've put on the site so far, so we've been working on taking pictures that show their size better. We'll work on getting a picture or two posted later tonight.
Have a good day!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Twins - Day 22
The twins are 3 weeks old today! They are at 35 weeks gestational age and maturing every day. We have been snowed in for two days at the house in Elkton and I am really looking forward to going to see the girls tomorrow. I miss them alot!
On Tuesday through the night the girls had a couple of set backs. Before the morning both girls were back in isoletts. Neither of them could control their temp enough to be in the cribs any longer. We are hoping this is just a short term thing and that they will be back in the cribs by the weekend.
Bottling was a struggle on Tuesday night and Wednesday also. We believe that the girls temp and respose to bottling are connected. We were hoping that if the girls are not stressed about maintaining thie body temp they will do better at bottling. This must have been the case. After a day in the isoletts the girls are scoring at the top for their feeding scores getting a 5 out of 5 possible points. Brienna is currently on step 6 of bottling and Brooklyn is on step 4. Their are 9 total steps. Hopefully Brooklyn will move up to step 5 tomorrow to start to catch up to her sister!
As of last night Brooklyn weighed in at 4 pounds 13.5 ounces and Brienna is at 4 pounds 7 ounces.
I hope that everyone is well and warm! Have a good evening!
Kelly
On Tuesday through the night the girls had a couple of set backs. Before the morning both girls were back in isoletts. Neither of them could control their temp enough to be in the cribs any longer. We are hoping this is just a short term thing and that they will be back in the cribs by the weekend.
Bottling was a struggle on Tuesday night and Wednesday also. We believe that the girls temp and respose to bottling are connected. We were hoping that if the girls are not stressed about maintaining thie body temp they will do better at bottling. This must have been the case. After a day in the isoletts the girls are scoring at the top for their feeding scores getting a 5 out of 5 possible points. Brienna is currently on step 6 of bottling and Brooklyn is on step 4. Their are 9 total steps. Hopefully Brooklyn will move up to step 5 tomorrow to start to catch up to her sister!
As of last night Brooklyn weighed in at 4 pounds 13.5 ounces and Brienna is at 4 pounds 7 ounces.
I hope that everyone is well and warm! Have a good evening!
Kelly
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Twins - Day 20
Well, we are on the right track!! The girls are doing wonderful and both have moved into "big girl" beds!! Both girls are able to control their body temperature on their own and have moved from the isoletts to cribs. This is one of the four things the girls have to accomplish before being able to come home. So, this was very excited news for us. Following is an update on the rest of their stats:
Bilirubin: Both girls' jaundice has been classified as a breast milk jaundice. But, the bilirubin levels in both girls have begun to drop. So, they are no longer concerned about those levels and will not be checking them anymore unless another problem seems to arrise.
Weights: The girls are growing like crazy! Brooklyn is 4 pounds 10 ounces and Brienna is 4 pounds 5 ounces. We looked at pictures from about a week and half ago and we can see them filling out already!
Bottling: Over the past couple of days we have had some struggles with bottling. The girls have been dropping their heartrates during bottling occasionally and so the doctors are not bumping up their feedings. Brooklyn is currently recieving 15cc 4 times a day by bottle and Brienna is recieving 20cc 4 times a day by bottle. Brooklyn did very well today and hopefully will be bumped up to 20cc tomorrow. Both girls have been put on preemie nipple to help them pace themselves while eating.
Since the girls are in cribs we are now able to dress them in sleepers (my favorite part!). So, we took some pictures today of them together. Thought I would share them:
Bilirubin: Both girls' jaundice has been classified as a breast milk jaundice. But, the bilirubin levels in both girls have begun to drop. So, they are no longer concerned about those levels and will not be checking them anymore unless another problem seems to arrise.
Weights: The girls are growing like crazy! Brooklyn is 4 pounds 10 ounces and Brienna is 4 pounds 5 ounces. We looked at pictures from about a week and half ago and we can see them filling out already!
Bottling: Over the past couple of days we have had some struggles with bottling. The girls have been dropping their heartrates during bottling occasionally and so the doctors are not bumping up their feedings. Brooklyn is currently recieving 15cc 4 times a day by bottle and Brienna is recieving 20cc 4 times a day by bottle. Brooklyn did very well today and hopefully will be bumped up to 20cc tomorrow. Both girls have been put on preemie nipple to help them pace themselves while eating.
Since the girls are in cribs we are now able to dress them in sleepers (my favorite part!). So, we took some pictures today of them together. Thought I would share them:
I hope that everyone has a wonderful week. We are hoping the snow storm is not to bad so that we can make it to Sioux Falls tomorrow!! Take care!
Kelly
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year!
Hello! I am sorry we haven't updated recently, the time just flies by when you have two kids at home and two in the NICU! The twins are doing wonderfully!
Bottling: Last Wednesday, the feeding readiness observation was taken of the girls and they got scores of 15 and 16 which was enough for them to start bottling on Thursday! I was very excited as this is just another step closer to going home!! Today the girls are up to 10cc of breast milk in a bottle four times a day. The remainder of their feeding is then given through the gavage tube. Brooklyn does good bottling if she is awake. Brienna is usually pretty hungry when it comes to meal time so she does quite well. Mike and I are able to do the feeding. It is great to be able to take an active part in their care.
Bilirubin: Billi lights are off but their bilirubin numbers are on the rise. The doctors believe that they have a breast milk jaundice now and will not treat it until it gets much worse.
Weights: The girls are gaining quite well now. Brooklyn weighed in at 4 pounds 9 ounces. Brienna weighed in at 4 pounds 3 ounces. The girls have both surpassed their birth weight and continue to grow quite rapidly.
We look forward to a "normal" week with the older kids home and Mike back to a semi-normal work week. Hopefully the girls will be home soon! We wish everyone a happy new year!
Kelly
Bottling: Last Wednesday, the feeding readiness observation was taken of the girls and they got scores of 15 and 16 which was enough for them to start bottling on Thursday! I was very excited as this is just another step closer to going home!! Today the girls are up to 10cc of breast milk in a bottle four times a day. The remainder of their feeding is then given through the gavage tube. Brooklyn does good bottling if she is awake. Brienna is usually pretty hungry when it comes to meal time so she does quite well. Mike and I are able to do the feeding. It is great to be able to take an active part in their care.
Bilirubin: Billi lights are off but their bilirubin numbers are on the rise. The doctors believe that they have a breast milk jaundice now and will not treat it until it gets much worse.
Weights: The girls are gaining quite well now. Brooklyn weighed in at 4 pounds 9 ounces. Brienna weighed in at 4 pounds 3 ounces. The girls have both surpassed their birth weight and continue to grow quite rapidly.
We look forward to a "normal" week with the older kids home and Mike back to a semi-normal work week. Hopefully the girls will be home soon! We wish everyone a happy new year!
Kelly
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