The girls were a bit more photogenic as they were sleeping and the light was better on their side of the room.
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| Alexis |
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| Faith |
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Pics from last night (5 weeks old)
I held Jack for awhile last night and he was looking at me with his big eyes the entire time, which was super cute, so I tried to get a picture of him. It is so hard to get a good pic of a moving baby with an iPhone (especially in dim light), so the pics really don't reflect how adorable he is but I thought the series of pics was funny so I wanted to share.
The girls were a bit more photogenic as they were sleeping and the light was better on their side of the room.
Can't wait until they are home so we can hold them all of the time!
The girls were a bit more photogenic as they were sleeping and the light was better on their side of the room.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
36 Weeks
Each week has felt like it has gone faster and faster to me, which is a good thing as it means everyone is continuing to progress and I don't feel like we are sitting around waiting for the triplets to come home because there is so much we can work on with them. This week has mainly been focused on bottle feeding. Jack is now allowed to take his entire 44 ml by bottle and, although he doesn't finish it every time, he is doing really well. The girls are both allowed to drink up to 30 ml each feed. Whatever the triplets don't finish is fed through their feeding tubes. We were taught to use the side-tilt position to feed them as it makes the liquid easier to manage since it doesn't shoot to the back of their throats when they suck. In future months we should be able to switch to the regular cradle hold, but for now this seems to be working best for all of them.
Although they do need to learn to eat their entire feeds by bottle before coming home, I am not that concerned yet as everyone has still been having some spells and I'd rather they work on their bottle feeding while they grow out of having spells, rather than have their spells be the only thing holding them back from coming home.
The triplets are already one month old, which is crazy to me as time as flown so fast. Their one month stats were:
Jack: 4 lbs 12 oz (up 1 lb 9 oz from birth)
Alexis: 4 lbs 12 oz (up 1 lb 12 oz from birth)
Faith: 4 lbs 8 oz (up 1 lb 11 oz from birth)
On Tuesday morning the doctor decided to try everyone off their nasal cannulas as we'd prefer to go home without an oxygen tank or two per baby. As of last night (Wednesday night), all three were still off! The nurses have warned us that there is a good chance all will have to go back on their cannulas if the number of spells they have increases (they are allowed two per 12 hour shift right now) or if it takes a toll on their bottle feeding since it is now taking more energy to breath, but I am hopeful that at least one or two won't need it as it would make things less complicated at home.
The nurses are starting to talk about things we need to do before the babies can leave the hospital, which is exciting as it means we are getting closer! We have to watch a few videos before we go on SIDS, car seat safety, and infant CPR. We also need to bring in a car seat as each baby needs to prove they can keep up their oxygen when sitting in a car seat for 1.5 hours. Although there could be setbacks due to feeding issues or spells, we are hopeful that the triplets will be home in the next week or two. Prayers for them to stop having spells (Jack had gone two days but then had one last night, Alexis has been having one a day, and Faith has been having two per shift) and to start eating all of their feeds by bottle are appreciated. So far everything has seemed to move quickly, but we have been warned that this part can be frustrating as it might seem like they are making progress and then there could be setbacks.
Here are some pics from the last week:
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| Jack |
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| Alexis with me, Jack with Micah |
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| Alexis |
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| Faith |
The triplets are already one month old, which is crazy to me as time as flown so fast. Their one month stats were:
Jack: 4 lbs 12 oz (up 1 lb 9 oz from birth)
Alexis: 4 lbs 12 oz (up 1 lb 12 oz from birth)
Faith: 4 lbs 8 oz (up 1 lb 11 oz from birth)
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| Faith |
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| Faith left, Alexis right |
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| Alexis |
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| Jack |
On Tuesday morning the doctor decided to try everyone off their nasal cannulas as we'd prefer to go home without an oxygen tank or two per baby. As of last night (Wednesday night), all three were still off! The nurses have warned us that there is a good chance all will have to go back on their cannulas if the number of spells they have increases (they are allowed two per 12 hour shift right now) or if it takes a toll on their bottle feeding since it is now taking more energy to breath, but I am hopeful that at least one or two won't need it as it would make things less complicated at home.
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| Alexis looking very excited to have the cannula out of her nose |
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| Jack looking very relaxed now that his nose is free of the cannula |
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| Faith sleeping peacefully without her cannula in her nose |
The nurses are starting to talk about things we need to do before the babies can leave the hospital, which is exciting as it means we are getting closer! We have to watch a few videos before we go on SIDS, car seat safety, and infant CPR. We also need to bring in a car seat as each baby needs to prove they can keep up their oxygen when sitting in a car seat for 1.5 hours. Although there could be setbacks due to feeding issues or spells, we are hopeful that the triplets will be home in the next week or two. Prayers for them to stop having spells (Jack had gone two days but then had one last night, Alexis has been having one a day, and Faith has been having two per shift) and to start eating all of their feeds by bottle are appreciated. So far everything has seemed to move quickly, but we have been warned that this part can be frustrating as it might seem like they are making progress and then there could be setbacks.
Here are some pics from the last week:
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| Alexis getting her diaper changed. She often sticks out her hands and feet in protest. |
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| Alexis on 4th of July |
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| Alexis not wanting her pic taken |
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| Faith on 4th of July |
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| Jack on 4th of July |
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| Jack |
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| Faith |
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| Faith not wanting her pic taken |
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| Alexis |
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| Alexis |
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| Faith |
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| Jack |
Thursday, July 4, 2013
35 Weeks
This past week was full of changes and growth. Alexis, Jack, and Faith are now all over 4 pounds! They are actually starting to outgrow some of their preemie clothes, which looked huge on them when we first got them. Today I tried to hold Jack and Faith skin-to-skin at the same time and it was quite difficult as they are so much bigger and more wiggly, so I think I'll have to stick to one at a time from now on.
Each of the babies is on 24 calorie food (breast milk is fortified to add calories) so that they gain weight faster, and that stuff makes for some stinky diapers (and gas which makes you think you'll soon be changing a stinky diaper)! Micah and I have both had our fair share of changing "endless diapers" which involve getting 5-6 diapers dirty while trying to change a diaper. This has made us glad that we are getting our diaper changing lessons at the NICU when we're not actually paying for diapers as that really adds up with three babies!
A few days ago all three were moved from isolettes to bassinets. We had talked with their nurses about keeping them in isolettes for an extra week, but the NICU has been overcrowded and the isolettes were needed for new babies, so the triplets were moved. I love the bassinets as it's so much easier to pick up the babies and hold them. They also look so much more grown up! One reason isolettes are used is to help babies maintain their body temperature, but none of the triplets has had any difficulty with this since being moved to the bassinet.
Since the NICU has so many babies right now, all three are currently sharing one bed space. Faith and Alexis have been sharing a bed space since the first week, but now Jack has joined them. This is fun as it's now possible to get all three in pictures (although it really doesn't work to hold three squirmy babies at once), and Jack has been held with each of his sisters for extended periods of time. All of the nurses have commented about "poor Jack" as he's been "so far away" (he was a whole 10 feet away from the girls), but now his bassinet is between the girls so he is getting lots of quality time with his sisters. We are hoping this is a temporary situation, though, as the bed spaces aren't very spacious so there isn't a lot of room for us and the nurses to work with the babies.
All three are now taking a bottle every three hours! They still aren't drinking much liquid (10 ml for the girls and 15 ml for Jack), but they are getting much stronger and they are all getting better at coordinating their sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Tomorrow they will probably all be bumped up to 20 ml every three hours and if they do well with that they could potentially be bumped up another 10 ml the next day. Their bottle volumes will continue to be increased as each baby shows they can successfully eat the amount every three hours without growing overly tired. Currently, each is being fed about 40 ml every three hours so the remaining amount is fed through their tubes. The total amount they are fed is increased as they gain weight, so they could be on 50 ml or 60 ml every three hours by the time we leave, but we've been told that once a baby learns to eat the amount doesn't make much difference as they are efficient.
Two other requirements for being discharged, in addition to maintaining body temp and eating by bottle, is being spell-free for five days and being off caffeine for ten days. They have all been off caffeine for over a week and although each of them has had 1-2 spells a day, the lack of caffeine does not seem to be a problem. We've been told that the spells (decrease in heart rate and oxygen saturation) are due to their prematurity, and as the babies develop more each week they spells should disappear. Although it's a bit nerve wracking to hear the monitor go off and see the red lights flashing, we haven't been too worried about the spells as the doctors and nurses have assured us they will grow out of it.
This past Sunday my mom came for a visit. My parents flew out the day the babies were born, but since they were in the NICU and the nurses stressed that the babies really needed to rest and grow, my parents did not get to hold any of the triplets before they left. This time, though, my mom got to hold all of the babies multiple times. It's still a little hard since they still need to rest and grow and we try to hold for at least an hour so that we don't disturb their tube feeding and rest, but my mom didn't mind sitting for extended periods of time and staring at her grand babies. I also had a lot of fun with my mom during the few days she was here as the NICU can be a somber place and it was great to have her company for a few days. She will come back to help when the triplets are all home from the hospital, which we were told today will probably be about two more weeks.
Here are some pics from this past week:
Each of the babies is on 24 calorie food (breast milk is fortified to add calories) so that they gain weight faster, and that stuff makes for some stinky diapers (and gas which makes you think you'll soon be changing a stinky diaper)! Micah and I have both had our fair share of changing "endless diapers" which involve getting 5-6 diapers dirty while trying to change a diaper. This has made us glad that we are getting our diaper changing lessons at the NICU when we're not actually paying for diapers as that really adds up with three babies!
A few days ago all three were moved from isolettes to bassinets. We had talked with their nurses about keeping them in isolettes for an extra week, but the NICU has been overcrowded and the isolettes were needed for new babies, so the triplets were moved. I love the bassinets as it's so much easier to pick up the babies and hold them. They also look so much more grown up! One reason isolettes are used is to help babies maintain their body temperature, but none of the triplets has had any difficulty with this since being moved to the bassinet.
Since the NICU has so many babies right now, all three are currently sharing one bed space. Faith and Alexis have been sharing a bed space since the first week, but now Jack has joined them. This is fun as it's now possible to get all three in pictures (although it really doesn't work to hold three squirmy babies at once), and Jack has been held with each of his sisters for extended periods of time. All of the nurses have commented about "poor Jack" as he's been "so far away" (he was a whole 10 feet away from the girls), but now his bassinet is between the girls so he is getting lots of quality time with his sisters. We are hoping this is a temporary situation, though, as the bed spaces aren't very spacious so there isn't a lot of room for us and the nurses to work with the babies.
All three are now taking a bottle every three hours! They still aren't drinking much liquid (10 ml for the girls and 15 ml for Jack), but they are getting much stronger and they are all getting better at coordinating their sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Tomorrow they will probably all be bumped up to 20 ml every three hours and if they do well with that they could potentially be bumped up another 10 ml the next day. Their bottle volumes will continue to be increased as each baby shows they can successfully eat the amount every three hours without growing overly tired. Currently, each is being fed about 40 ml every three hours so the remaining amount is fed through their tubes. The total amount they are fed is increased as they gain weight, so they could be on 50 ml or 60 ml every three hours by the time we leave, but we've been told that once a baby learns to eat the amount doesn't make much difference as they are efficient.
Two other requirements for being discharged, in addition to maintaining body temp and eating by bottle, is being spell-free for five days and being off caffeine for ten days. They have all been off caffeine for over a week and although each of them has had 1-2 spells a day, the lack of caffeine does not seem to be a problem. We've been told that the spells (decrease in heart rate and oxygen saturation) are due to their prematurity, and as the babies develop more each week they spells should disappear. Although it's a bit nerve wracking to hear the monitor go off and see the red lights flashing, we haven't been too worried about the spells as the doctors and nurses have assured us they will grow out of it.
This past Sunday my mom came for a visit. My parents flew out the day the babies were born, but since they were in the NICU and the nurses stressed that the babies really needed to rest and grow, my parents did not get to hold any of the triplets before they left. This time, though, my mom got to hold all of the babies multiple times. It's still a little hard since they still need to rest and grow and we try to hold for at least an hour so that we don't disturb their tube feeding and rest, but my mom didn't mind sitting for extended periods of time and staring at her grand babies. I also had a lot of fun with my mom during the few days she was here as the NICU can be a somber place and it was great to have her company for a few days. She will come back to help when the triplets are all home from the hospital, which we were told today will probably be about two more weeks.
Here are some pics from this past week:
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| Grandma and Jack |
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| Grandma, Alexis (left), and Faith (right) |
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| Grandma, Alexis, Jack, and Faith (brown blanket) |
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| Jack trying to suck his thumb |
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| Me realizing how difficult it is to hold two at once (Alexis and Jack) as they move so much now |
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| Faith's bath (Alexis in her isolette in the background) |
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| Bath time for Faith |
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| Micah, Alexis (left), Faith (right) |
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| Faith in her isolette |
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| Micah and Faith |
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| Alexis (left) and Faith (right) |
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| Me and Jack |
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| Micah and Alexis |
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| Alexis |
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| Micah and Jack |
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| Alexis, Jack, and Faith - together for the first time since being born (although Alexis should be in the middle as that is how they were in the womb) |
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| Faith |
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| Jack in his bassinet |
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| Faith in her bassinet |
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