I can’t believe it’s been a whole week already! I went to see Dr. Dora this morning to get my staples removed and all I could think was this time last week I thought we were doing great and that we had at least a few more weeks before we would meet our babies. A lot has changed since last week!
Logan with his eyes open! Anyone think Mason and Logan look alike? I do!
The babies are all doing great. They all got EKGs yesterday and head ultrasounds today. All 3 head ultrasounds looked the same as last time which is great. We want the same or better each time. The EKGs showed that all 3 babies have a PDA. This is very common in preemies. Basically, in my non-medical understanding, they have a duct in their hearts that is open that needs to be closed. The duct helps transport blood between the lungs and the heart (I’m not sure which way) before birth. In full term babies, the duct closes pretty soon after birth. In preterm babies it sometimes doesn’t close as fast. All 3 babies will be treated with indomethicin, which is basically ibuprofen. They started their first dose tonight. This should help constrict the PDA so it will close up faster. All 3 babies also got blood transfusions yesterday. This is also completely normal for preemies. They are so tiny that they have to replace the blood that they take out for tests. All 3 babies looked much pinker and overall healthier after the blood.
Mason has had 2 pretty good days. As of tonight he weighs 2 lbs. 4 oz. He’s huge!
Mason did not get off of his ventilator like we had hoped. Yesterday morning his chest x-ray was a little cloudy and we got the EKG results showing the large PDA. So he is still on his ventilator because of the PDA. But other than the PDA he is in great shape. His night time nurse Lisa said he’s very stable.
Speaking of Lisa, she asked us last night if she could be Mason’s primary night time nurse. We really like Lisa so of course we said yes when she asked. Now if we can only get his daytime nurse Cindy to be his primary day time nurse we will be all set! She basically is his primary nurse anyways I guess though because she has been with him every day pretty much.
Yesterday and today Cindy let me help with Mason’s hands-on assessment. I got to clean him up, change his diaper, and roll him over. Rolling him over was terrifying! He is so tiny I was scared I would break him when I lifted him off the bed. Cindy helped of course.
Here’s a bonus picture of Mason. He’s looking so much better. He’s still bruised but it’s finally starting to go away! I think he has blond hair like Logan.
Logan had 2 really good days. We finally got a weight on Logan too. As of tonight he weighs 2 lbs. 2 oz.
Yesterday morning we were surprised to find that he was off the oscillator and on a regular ventilator! Yay Logan! He has been doing great on the regular ventilator too! He is on very low settings (21% oxygen, or room air) and he’s breathing over the machine (meaning he’s taking more breaths than the machine is giving him).
Today I got to see Logan’s eyes today for the first time! He is doing so well on the new ventilator that he is not on the maximum amount of sedation. He’s so sweet!
Last but not least, Logan pooped today. Poop is a big deal for preemies! So yay Logan! Brian was so proud.
Here’s another picture of Logan from today with his eyes open. He seems so much happier now that he’s off that oscillator! He’s even tolerating it ok when people touch him (preemies don’t like to be touched like full term babies).
James is still doing great. As of tonight James also weighed 2 lbs. 2 oz. To me he looks longer and skinnier than his brothers. He definitely has longer fingers and toes!
James started having Brady episodes yesterday. These are completely normal for preemies. A Brady is where he drops his heart rate. The good news is that James corrects this on his own and the nurses have not had to do any type of stimulation. His nurse Shelby (we really like her too) said that preemies have Bradys because their brain isn’t fully developed at this early stage. James still had some Bradys today but much fewer than yesterday.
I got to help with James’s hands-on yesterday and today too. And today, I changed my first poopy diaper. That’s right, James pooped today too! Yay James!
James is not sedated at all so we got to see his eyes lots of times over the past few days. He is very alert. And feisty.
James got a paci yesterday! He likes it in his mouth but doesn’t really know what to do with it yet. The paci in this picture is the smallest paci they make and it’s over half the size of his face!
Brian and I are doing pretty well too. We are getting used to our new schedule. Brian’s parents have been helping a lot with Addison and my dad is in town helping out which has been great. Brian has been working some this week. I think it’s good for him. I will probably start working at least a little in another week or so and then take time off when the babies come home.
Funny story: Yesterday when it was time to head home from the hospital, Brian went to get his car (he actually works at the hospital and parks far away from the NICU) and I waited by the entrance to the hospital for him to pick me up. Only problem is that Brian didn’t show up. After about 15 minutes Brian called me. I had just figured it out too. He forgot me! That’s right . . . Brian forgot me! I’m not mad but I am telling everyone because it’s hilarious.