NICU Update

NICU Day 10: Daddy and I went in to spend the day with you guys. For your 2:00 cares daddy changed Kaiden's diaper. He was having a hard time with bowel movements so we get so excited when he poops. Ted took of his diaper and suddenly Kaiden grunted and BAM- pooped in Ted's hand. It was so funny! I am sure this wont be the last time that one of us gets pooped on :) Today we got to hold both of our sweet boys. They said that we should be able to hold them once a day, every day- which was the best news! I held Ethan for the first time, and Ted held Kaiden for the first time. We were in parental bliss! We went on a Valentines date to Olive Garden. I am so lucky to have two more Valentines this year.


NICU Day 11: We got to hold the boys again today. I did Kangaroo care with Kaiden and Ted held Ethan. These two boys are absolutely amazing! Kaiden stayed the same in weight and Ethan gained 20 grams. When Ethan was sleeping he kept burying his face down into his pillow. We kept turning his face, but he kept repositioning himself. I can tell we are going to find him in all sorts of crazy sleeping positions.


NICU Day 12: Kaiden absolutely hates his multi-vitamin that they give him. He spits it up pretty much every day. Ethan seems to do better with his digestive system overall. Today grandma got to hold Kaiden for the first time. I held him first, then when we went to do Ethan's cares he switched over to grandma. She was in absolute heaven! Today was also the first day that I did Kangaroo care with Ethan. Words cannot describe how amazing it feels to have my babies skin-to-skin against my chest.


NICU Day 13: We got transferred to a new pod today. We moved from D 44 & 45 to C 30 & 31. The room even has a window :) It was great knowing that they were stable enough for them to move them. Today Kaiden gained 10 grams and Ethan gained 20 grams. I love when they gain! Ethan is sooooo close to the 3 lb mark, and we cant wait to have two three pound babies. Both of their sodium levels were a little low, so they have started them both on a sodium supplement. Nothing like a straight dose of salt- ugh! I did not like the nurse today. She pretty much begged to be one of the boys' primary care nurses, and there is no way that I would choose her. I understand that my babies are adorable, but she was crazy! When Ted came to see them today Ethan was sprawled out in his bed. It was so funny! That boy and his sleeping positions :)


NICU Day 14: I cant believe the boys are two weeks old! That is so crazy to me! Ethan weighs 3 lbs 1/2 oz (YAAY over the 3 pound mark!) and Kaiden weighs 3 lbs 7 oz. Today I was able to go to rounds and the doctor said that the boys are both doing great! He said that they should come home before my due date, and he's guessing around 37 weeks. I am so happy that they will be able to come home before my due date. I can't wait to have them home with us! Ethan is still at 1 liter flow and Kaiden is at 3/4 liter. Kaiden is at 26 cc feeding and Ethan is 24 cc. They changed their beds every two weeks so they both got a new isolette.


NICU Day 15: Ethan was all sorts of smiley today when I was holding him :) Its probably because he is now a big boy and is over 3 pounds. Kaiden was just snoozing away looking adorable as ever. Kaiden got to participate in a training with doctors to practice doing head ultrasounds. I think he loved all of the attention that he got. Kaiden weighs 3 lbs 9 oz and Ethan weighs 3 lbs 1 oz. Kaiden is at 28 cc and Ethan is still at 24 cc.


NICU Day 16: Kaiden is now on 1/2 liter flow and Ethan is on 3/4 liter. They upped Kaiden's feeding to 30 cc and Ethan's to 26 cc. I can't believe that they started at 1 cc and look where they are now. They have come so far and are doing excellent. They both had a great weight gain today! Kaiden now weighs 3 lbs 11 oz and Ethan weighs 3 lbs 3 oz. They will have labs done again on Monday and hopefully their sodium levels are higher so they don't have to keep taking that. Today is the first day that Kaiden has shown much interest in his binky. He did so good, and sucked on it during his feeding. Ethan has always loved his binky and continues to do so.

Update

Wow I dont even know where to begin. SOOO much has changed! Long story short, I was admitted into the hospital for 5 weeks with an incompetent cervix (ha fun name right) and with pre-eclampsia (I will write more about this later). I went into the hospital at 23 weeks 2 days and delivered at 28 weeks 3 days. They did an emergency c-section on February 5th and Kaiden was born at 4:31 PM weighing 3 lbs 1 oz and Ethan at 4:32 PM weighing 2 lbs 14 oz. With how early they were born they whisked them right into the NICU and I didn't get to see them. Ted and my mom were able to see them for a few seconds before they passed them on. Ted and my parents got to go see them about a hour and a half after they were born. I got to see them for a few minutes about 3 1/2 hours after they were born (longest hours ever!) I will go into more detail later about this whole experience.

 Kaiden on his CPAP

 

 Ethan on his CPAP

High flow nasal cannula's

 First time seeing their precious faces when they were changing their oxygen to a low flow nasal cannula- one of my favorite moments!

 Mommy holding Kaiden 8 days after he was born- favorite moment for sure!

 Daddy holding Ethan 8 days after he was born

 

NICU Day 1: Since I had just had my c-section they wheeled my bed into their room for about 5 minutes. Once my spinal tap had worn off, I went down to see them around midnight and was able to stay for a little longer. We were all so surprised that they didn't have to be on a ventilator. They are so precious, and I couldn't believe that we made them and that they were ours for eternity.

 

NICU Day 2: Kaiden and Ethan both went off of CPAP. They were not even on it for more than 24 hours, which shocked us. They were able to go to a high flow nasal cannula. They also started feeding them 1 cc of my milk. Kaiden got an umbilical line put in for an IV. They tried to do this with Ethan but his wouldn't take.

 

NICU Day 3: They lowered their level of flow and both of the boys are doing great. I changed Kaiden's diaper and Ted changed Ethan's (who is a total pooping machine!). They increased their feedings to 5cc then 7cc. They are doing great with the new feedings. Ethan got a PICC line put in and it took longer than expected. Poor guy :(

 

NICU Day 4: They lowered their flow and increased their feedings. They are up to 10 cc of milk and they have added fortifier to their milk so they can get more calories. Ethan was weighing 2 lbs 8 oz and Kaiden 2 lbs 12 oz. Ethan lost 13% of his birth weight and Kaiden lost 7%.

 

NICU Day 5: This was one of the hardest days of my life. I was discharged and had to say goodbye to my babies. I was an emotional wreck, to say the least, and hated having to leave the hospital without them. Luckily they both were stable and that made leaving a little easier. They increased both of their feedings. Ethan gained 70 grams and Kaiden gained 10 grams. They were both putting weight back on.

 

NICU Day 6: They kept Ethan's flow the same and lowered Kaidens. With lowering his flow, they were able to change him to a low-flow nasal cannula. This is the first time we got to see his precious face without any tubes. It was so amazing to see- and he is adorable! This is one of my favorite moments! They both got their feedings increased.

 

NICU Day 7: Ethan was able to change to a low flow cannula as well so we got to see his precious face too. He is adorable just like brother. Daddy was able to be there today, and it was so fun sharing that moment with him. Kaiden is at 24 cc of milk and Ethan is at 22 cc.

 

NICU Day 8: They decided to keep the feedings the same today, which mommy was okay with. Kaiden was struggling a bit remembering to breathe so they upped his flow a little bit. They both got their IV lines removed which was a great step for them! They also had a head ultrasound and it showed no brain bleeds- yaay! This is the first time we got to hold them and it was an amazing feeling! I held Kaiden and daddy held Ethan. I will never forget the moment he was placed in my arms and I could feel his warm body against my chest. I was able to hold Kaiden for 1 1/2 hours and Ted held Ethan for over an hour. One of the best days by far! Kaiden is back up to birth weight and Ethan is almost their too :)

 

NICU Day 9: Kaiden is still struggling a bit with his oxygen. He forgets to breathe (which is very common in preemies). But the good thing is that he usually recovers on his own without stimulation from the nurse. He also had a good stool (I never thought I would be so excited for my son to poop) which he hadn't had yet. Hopefully this will help his tummy feel better and he will handle the feedings better. Ethan has done great on the oxygen. He is great at remembering to breathe and is now on 3/4 flow and Kaiden is on 1. The nurse said that the smaller babies tend to do better because they had to fight harder in the womb. I am so glad Ethan is handling the lowered oxygen. I hope that Kaiden has fewer episodes and remembers to breathe. They are going to try a dose of caffeine every 12 hours in hopes that this will help him. They each gained 30 grams. Kaiden is almost to 3 lbs 3 oz and Ethan is at 2 lbs 13 oz. One more ounce for Ethan and they are both back up to birth weight!

 

I am going to try and start blogging every night so that I can remember more details about what occurred that day. I want to be able to look back on this time and remember the ups and downs that we went through. Luckily the boys have had a ton of ups. They are doing much better than expected. We have had several nurses say that this is one of the fastest transitions they have seen, and that both boys are doing phenomenal. We are so blessed to have these sweet boys in our lives and that we are lucky enough to be their parents.

 

Kaiden:

You are so laid back and chill. Mommy thought that you were going to be the active one when you were in my womb, but that is so not the case. You are so happy and content just hanging out. Mommy loves when you open your eyes and just stare into mine. You have started to become more awake and it is so fun to see. You love having your right foot out of your snuggie, and we find you like this frequently. You have webbed toes on both of your feet, which is so cute. They aren't webbed a lot, and daddy is convinced it will make you a better swimmer. We love you so so so much and are so happy you joined our family!

 

Ethan:

You are definitely inquisitive! You want to see everything that is going on around you. You are usually very alert and awake. You LOVE your pacifier and having your hands by your face. You love to flair out your toes, almost like you are rubbing it in brothers face that you don't have webbed feet. You get jealous when mommy and daddy are with brother and you like to have your monitors go off. I have a feeling that you are going to be the active one with Kaiden right behind you following you. We love you so so so much and we are thankful you chose us to be your parents!