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!
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