Second Week in the NICU (Part 1)

Day 8 ~ December 29th

Today they were a week old! Our pastor drove me up to AMC today...then our friends R & R brought Matt up after he finished the route. I was able to be at the hospital from around 3:30 until 8:30, which was really nice. I was able to make all of my rounds and spend some good time with each of the babies, and then Matt was able to sit and hold Henry and James for a little while.

Daddy with James

Miss Ellie snoozin' away

Day 9 ~ December 30th

Friends took me up today and I caught a ride home with the ILs on their way back from NH. The BABIES ARE ALL IN THE SAME ROOM! I was so excited when I walked in and saw that all their names were on the board for the same nursery: YAY! I may or may not have let out a squeal of glee when I saw that.

They were all doing REALLY well today: Henry is back up to his birth weight (4lbs 13oz), James is almost to his birth weight (5lbs 1 oz) and Ellie was 4lbs 5oz (born at 4lbs 9oz). They're all on the right track! Ellie took THREE bottles today with no problem, the boys had taken most of their feeds via bottle too!

James' heat is pretty much off (27c) and he's regulating his own body temperature. Henry and Ellie were both down to 28.5c...the goal is that they're stable at 27c, before they can be discharged (in addition to a whole lot of other things).

What always makes me optimistic is when the nurses start asking about things having to do with discharge (circu.mcisions and vaccines).

It was so wonderful today to just sit and hold one of the babies while still seeing the other two.

Day 10 ~ December 31st

Matt and I went up in the afternoon, after the store closed, to see the babies. We were able to hold Ellie for quite a while. Matt was quite content to just sit and cuddle his liittle princess. Then the two of us were able to hold Henry and give him his bottle feeding; it was the first time Matt got to feed one of the babies. The babies are getting mostly formula because I'm not getting more than a few ounces from each pumping session. They are all doing well...just working on their bottles. Henry had taken all of his feeds via bottle today. Ellie and James were every other feeding.

The heat came down a bit more in both Ellie and Henry's units. The boys are the closest to their birth weights, Ellie is still about 4 ounces away from her's. Everyday they're doing a little better with their eating.

Day 11 ~ January 1

Matt and I went to Albany this morning, as soon as Ave woke up (she seems to be coming down with something...fun!) The babies are all doing really well! I even managed to try and nurse Henry and then Ellie, they both did pretty good: Latched on with no problem, but it was a lot of work for them and they could only manage a few minutes before you could see they were just too tired.

Mommy with Henry

Daddy with Ellie ~ Mr. James

Henry's heat was almost all the way down, 27.8*, Ellie's was at 28*, and James was steady at 27* (where he has been for almost a week). They were all doing pretty good with their feeds and were taking more than half of them via bottle, as opposed to tube feeding. Henry is above is his birth weight at 4lbs 14 oz, James was 5lbs 1 oz, and Ellie was 4lbs 5 oz. Of course no one will speculate as to when they're coming home. It's pretty much down to their being able to feed via bottle.

Day 12 ~ January 2nd

I went up to Albany myself today. I honestly don't mind the drive; It's long, but not terrible. I think the years of driving back and forth for RE appointments prepped me for NICU time :-P

There were some big surprises when I got there though. I walked in and found Henry in a car seat, wondered for a split second if I didn't get the memo. They were doing car seat tests today, Henry passed his! Ellie and James will do theirs tonight or tomorrow.

Henry during his car seat test

The nurses even hazarded to say that Henry may be home on the weekend: YAY!!! He was taking all of his feeds via bottle, although they did sometimes have to really force him to take it within his allotted time frame. His heat was entirely off and he even gained a little bit of weight overnight.

James is doing well also. The nurses said he sleeps almost constantly, but he's taking about 90% of his feeds via bottle. He just falls asleep and can't be bothered with the last 6mls he's supposed to be taking. I did get him to take his entire bottle for me this afternoon, but it was a bit of work.

Ellie is up 2 more ounces, to 4lbs 7oz, just 2 oz under her birth weight. She's doing the same thing as James though with her feeds, taking all but the last 6mls or so by bottle. The nurses weren't too worried and said that it could very well be that they're full and just don't need/want that little bit extra.

All of the babies had their hearing screens done today, and passed. They also were started on vitamin D. The heat is off in all of their units, and they're all pooping and peeing!

Of course, realizing that VERY SOON there will be at least one baby home makes me very nervous. Between all that I still need to get done and the idea of having 4 kids being my sole responsibility, it's a bit intimidating! Heck, these kids have a TEAM of nurses caring for them in the hospital, and soon it will be just me. But I'm trying to remain faithful and calm, knowing that God always gives us what we need.