Our sweeties are 4 weeks old today. They are doing well. Ava (green bow) weighs 5 pounds 9 ounces. She is doing better with her reflux but still has a hard time remembering to breath when she eats. Ali (pink bow) weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces. She is perfectly content getting her feedings through her nose. She takes her bottle okay but can only handle drinking a bottle about once a day. It wears her out and she also forgets to breath. Today while I was at the hospital, I tried to nurse Ali and her oxygen level dropped below 30. She went blue and wouldn't snap out of it. The nurse had to put the oxygen mask on her. I tried to nurse Ava about a 1/2 hour later and the exact same thing happened to her. This means they won't be coming home for at least 7 more days. I thought we would at least have one of them home this week but they still have a few issues to work out. We are anxious to get them home soon!
Ava
Ali Our girls are both out of their incubators and are now in open cribs. They have both been holding their body temperatures so this is a step up for them.
Ali got her PICC line out late last night. She now weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces. She is doing great with her feedings.
Ava weighs 4 pounds 12 ounces. She has had reflux and her oxygen levels keep dropping so they had to put her back on oxygen. She also got her feeding tube taken out yesterday because she took all of her feedings by mouth but the nurse had to put it back in today because she wouldn't take some of her bottles today. She is doing well but she needs to get her oxygen levels up so that she can work on coming home. Every time her oxygen level drops to a certain point it sets her back another week from coming home. We love our girls.
Today I got to feed Ali her first bottle. She hasn't eaten in over a week. She only got to eat about a tablespoon and she wasn't very interested. They will slowly increase her feedings depending on how well she does but it could take up to 5 days. If all goes well, then she will get her PICC line out by the end of the week. Yesterday they thought she weighed 3 pounds 10 ounces but today they got a more accurate weight and she weighs 4 pounds 1 ounce.
Ava weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces today and is doing great! I gave the nurses permission today to feed her a bottle when I am not there to nurse. If she does well and takes all of her feedings by mouth for a week then she could get to come home real soon. Yeah!!!
We are so proud of little Ava! She earned her way into an open crib. That is a big step for her and she now weighs 4 lbs 3 oz.
We are equally proud of little Ali! She has been so strong getting past NEC. Tomorrow is her last day of antibiotic and her last day with no feedings. She gets to eat on Monday but they will start her out really slowly. She has been very fussy because she is feeling better now and realizes that she is hungry. We should find out soon if she will need a blood transfusion since her red blood count is still low.
Eric and I were able to hold Ali yesterday. We haven't been able to hold her for a few days so we were excited. She looked so much better and acted like she was feeling much better. She did have some bloody stools in the night but the nurse saw that she had a fizure in her bum so that is what caused the blood. Today is day 4 of no feedings and day 4 of antibiotics. We will find out on the 16th if she needs a blood transfusion. She weighs 3 lbs 12 oz. today. Her x-rays show no signs of NEC so the antibiotic is working. We are thrilled!
Ava is doing great! She weighs 4 lbs 2 oz. today and is off of caffeine. She is doing well keeping her temperature still and is working her way into an open crib. That will make her one step closer to coming home to us. We love our girls!
I didn't want our beautiful little boys to be forgotten on our family blog. These pictures are taken at Murray Park on a day where Eric and I took turns going in to see the girls in the NICU.
Eric and I just got back from the hospital for the night. Ali had to have a PICC line put in her today which is a "Peripherally inserted central catheter". They decided this would be best for her so that she could get the nutrients and fluids she needs and hopefully recover faster. The PICC line goes in through a vein in her arm and guided through the vein until it reaches the large vein that enters the heart (the superior vena cava). Stitches are placed around the catheter to hold it in place. The procedure went well but they may try again tomorrow to inset a new PICC line because they couldn't get it in far enough. The picture above shows how small the PICC line is compared to a pencil. It feels like a peice of floss but it is hollow. She now weighs 3 lbs 11 ounces. She looked cozy and peaceful when we left her tonight.
Ava is doing really well and was all smiles tonight. She kept making little tiny laughing sounds in her sleep and then she would get a really sad face that would quickly turn back into a smile. She weighs 4 lbs today and is holding her temperature really well so if she keeps it up she may be moved into an open crib soon.
We received a call at 11:00pm last night from the nurse practitioner to let us know that another Lumbar Puncture was just done, that they did get some fluid this time, and that they would have the results in about 24 hours. Today I spent most of the day at the hospital. The girls are so beautiful and I could only just watch them in there Isolette's. Ali had an x-ray at 10am that looked really good. The doctor comments were, "no definitive signs of NEC." That doesn't means its gone but it is responding well to the antibiotic. She has an Anderson Tube down her throat to decompress her stomach and suck out the stomach fluids. Today it was bright yellow which still indicates infection and they can't remove the tube until the fluids run clear. She is entirely off of feedings and receives the nutrients she needs through an IV in her veins. She will still feel hunger pains but as much as I ask they say she probably doesn't feel hungry because she feels so sick. Today I got to change her diaper again which made me nervous because of all the bad news that that presented yesterday. She opened her eyes to look at me when I changed her which makes me feel good for her to know I am there. She had another x-ray at 5pm which also showed that she is looking much better. She will have her next x-ray at 5am 8/12. Lastly, her results from her Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap) came back and she does not have Spinal Meningitis.
Ava had a temperature today and slept the whole time I was there so I didn't get to hold her or nurse her. The nurses have been watching her very closely to make sure she doesn't show signs of NEC. They don't know how it spreads so they are very cautious but I was told today that just because Ali got NEC, does NOT mean Ava will get it. Ava had an x-ray done today because the nurse felt something in her tummy. It came back clear so she was able to have her regular feedings. I put a picture of our family and a picture of the girls together in each of their Isolette's so they can feel like we are there with them.
Today Eric and I went to the NICU to visit our little girls. Each day we are so excited to see them and each day they seem to get better and better. During our visit today the nurse told me to change Ali's diaper and take her temperature. I hadn't changed either girls diaper or taken their temp's so I started with Ali. After I changed her I was going to get to try and nurse her for the first time. As I was changing her diaper I noticed her diaper was a reddish color so I asked the nurse if it looked normal. She said no and took it straight to the attending doctor. They immediately sent it for lab work. An x-ray machine was brought in and an x-ray was taken. We found out that Ali has Necrotizing Enterocolitis or NEC. "Necrotizing" means death to tissue, "Entero" refers to the small intestine, "Colo" refers to the large intestine and "itis" is inflammation. They had to do a Lumbar Puncture on her (spinal tap) and they were unable to get any fluid after a few attempts. She is currently on antibiotics and they are hoping that we caught it soon enough to get rid of it. If they can't kill the bacteria soon enough, she could lose some of her bowel from it and some babies die from it. Needless to say, we are very concerned for our sweet little Ali so please pray for her. On a good note, Ava is off of oxygen and I attempted to nurse her today for the first time. She was x-rayed as well and does not have NEC.
My mom took in last Friday to get my bi-weekly NST test. We were there for 3 hours and my contractions really started picking up. They moved me into Labor and delivery to watch my contractions. They weren't stopping so the only option left was to try Magnesium Sulfate. It is the least preferred of the two ways to stop labor and since I had already tried the Nifedipine, this was my last option. They hooked me up to the IV and got the Mag into my system. The next 2 days were a blur but I do remember feeling so drugged and nauseous that I just had to sleep. The contractions started coming again on Sunday (Aug. 3rd) so they decided that it was time to let the babies come. An ultrasound was done and showed that the babies were each about 4 pounds so we weren't to worried about the babies being too small. I ended up having a c-section and I was so drugged from the epidural and the Magnesium that I didn't know what was happening. The babies are here now and Ali weighed 4 lbs 1 oz, she was 15 1/2 inches and was born at 4:02 p.m. Ava weighed 4 lbs 2 oz., was 17 inches and was born at 4:03. They are doing very well and will be in the NICU for approximately 4-9 weeks.
I am thankful for...
Since it's that time of year, I wanted to list the things I am grateful for.
-our little miracle babies
-6 hours of sleep at night
-afternoon naps
-52 ounce Diet Dr. Pepper with 4 shots of vanilla from Holiday Oil.
-family
-friends
-my testimony and my eternal family
-food on the table
-a home to live in
-days when Eric has a job
-a loving husband
-and last but not least...$32 dollars to fill my SUV!!! YEAH!!!
More like the terrible three's!!!
Ashton turned 3 on October 5th. He wanted a dragon, a real fork lift from Home Depot, etc. We couldn't afford most the items on his birthday wish list so he ended up with a little four wheeler (thanks to some help from both grandparents). He loves it and Tate can go for rides with him so its even better. I thought he was a stinker at 2 years old but it seems that 3 is even worse. He keeps us on our toes! We sure love our little Ashton.
Our new family car...what do you think?
Eric was coming home on Aug. 7th after a play with his family at Desert Star Play house. He had just gone to visit the girls and fill up the car with gas before heading home. He was turning into our neighborhood and he slowed to let 2 cars pass in the opposite direction. The women behind him was obviously not paying attention and crashed right into the back of him. He is doing well and just has a little tingling in his arm and a sore back. We are so glad that he is alright and that our boys and new babies were not in the car!
Ashton's funny comment about daddies car accident
Ashton asked what happened to our car because Eric was trying to explain to him about the car accident. Eric said, "I got in a accident in the car." Ashton said, "oh, you peed in the car?" He thinks an accident is peeing or pooing.
New to blogging
I figured since I am on bedrest and always looking for something to do, I would start our family blog. I think it's supposed to get easier with time but as for now our site is looking pretty bland. Don't let that fool you though because we are a very fun family! :) I think this will be a good way to keep everyone updated on the twins upcoming delivery, the boys and our family.
While I laid in bed, Eric took the boys to the Rodeo all by himself. That is something that I would never attempt. He did meet Beau, Cavin and Sawyer there. Ashton got new cowboy boots the night before so all my boys wore their boots. Eric wore his big "E" belt. Ashton loved the rodeo and can't stop talking about the clown who showed everyone his bum. Tate couldn't sit still so he kept poking the people in front of him and spilling cousin Cavin's popcorn. Maybe next year will be better.
Today is July 26th which means 18 days on bedrest. Some people might think it would be nice to spend a few days in bed but after day one I was already going nuts. I can only get up to eat or use the bathroom. Needless to say, I get up to eat a lot because its one of two reasons to get a break from my bed. So far, the girls are good. I will be 32 weeks on the 29th. My doctor is saying that is a much better place to be then when I went into preterm labor at 29 weeks and spent 4 days in the hospital. I am dilated to a 2+ and 60% effaced but so far the bedrest and Nifedipine have minimized the contractions. The average cm growth of a singleton pregnancy is 35 cm and I am measuring 40 cm and still growing. The babies are extremely wiggly and between the two babies, I am getting kicked and stretched around the clock. I can't wait to see what they look like but hopefully its not for about 3 or 4 more weeks. Stay tuned and hopefully I can keep the blog current enough to keep you updated.
Our sweeties are 4 weeks old today. They are doing well. Ava (green bow) weighs 5 pounds 9 ounces. She is doing better with her reflux but still has a hard time remembering to breath when she eats. Ali (pink bow) weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces. She is perfectly content getting her feedings through her nose. She takes her bottle okay but can only handle drinking a bottle about once a day. It wears her out and she also forgets to breath. Today while I was at the hospital, I tried to nurse Ali and her oxygen level dropped below 30. She went blue and wouldn't snap out of it. The nurse had to put the oxygen mask on her. I tried to nurse Ava about a 1/2 hour later and the exact same thing happened to her. This means they won't be coming home for at least 7 more days. I thought we would at least have one of them home this week but they still have a few issues to work out. We are anxious to get them home soon!
