Thank you all for your thoughtful replies and constant support. We think all the prayers are being answered and the encouragement is really working - the girls are progressing with leaps and bounds. I have nothing but good news to report! It's hard to believe it's already been a week since they were born!
Chris and I have already started to see Sage and Gemma's personalities begin to develop. The nurses are getting to know the girls as well and are having fun sharing their observations. Sage has been described as "calm," "consistent," "go with the flow," and a "model NICU patient." Gemma has been described as "feisty," "0-100 in no time flat," and "will definitely get her sister into trouble later on." I wonder who they get these qualities from!?
I've been able to be here everyday from about 11 am - past midnight. Chris joins me here when he gets off of work for more skin to skin time, and for the midnight "hat check." Because the girls are still on CPAP, they have to wear little stocking hats that keep all the tubing in place. Each day at noon and midnight, the Respiratory Therapist comes in to change out all the dressings and check the stats. Both girls are now down to the lowest CPAP setting and are still maintaining Oxygen levels in the normal range! It should only be a few more days, according to the Neonatologist, that they will require CPAP at all! One of the nurses has shown me how to give the girls head massages for when the stocking hats come off, and how to reshape their little ears that have been squished down by all the tubing and hats. Since their faces aren't crowded with all of the tape and tubing, the girls usually open their eyes during "hat check" to check out all the sights! "Hat checks" are one of our favorite times with the girls!
Picture of the babes at "Hat Check"
Sage on top - Gemma on bottom
Tomorrow, their IV's will come out as they no longer require intravenous nutritional support. All their nutrition will be provided as a liquid supplement added to the milk they get through their feeding tubes. Yay! One less wire for the girls to be connected to. In addition, their feeding volumes are increasing by 5 ml. per feeding per day and their itty-bitty tummies are tolerating this increase fantastically! Only one spit-up to date!
The girls have also been taken off the "Bili-lights" as well. The lab tests over the past few days have shown that the girls' bilirubin levels have gone down enough to not be concerned. They will be tested again, as jaundice can rebound, but so far, they have enjoyed being swaddled in their isolettes - rather than laying in only their diapers.
Cozy Sage Cozy Gemma
In other news, the girls have both gained a little weight (they are both 1 oz. away from their original birth weight - Sage now: 2lbs 14 oz and Gemma now: 2lbs 13 oz.); they've gotten their footprints stamped for their certificate of birth, and will soon start to train for breastfeeding. At 30 weeks (their current gestational age), their simultaneous reflex for sucking/breathing/and swallowing has not yet developed, but by 32 weeks, we will start to train with Lactation Specialists. The girls will also have upcoming appointments with Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapists, and Eye Doctors to make sure their development is on track. Many things don't develop the same outside of the womb as they naturally do on the inside, so it's beneficial to work with specialists who can help identify any needs early on and teach us ways to handle and support the babies. The hospital staff has been great, setting up all these appointments for us. We haven't had to worry about any of it.
Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers! I love sharing news about the babies. We are head over heels in love with them and are enjoying this journey already; and being able to share it with you! We appreciate all your replies and if I haven't gotten a chance to email you back individually, I apologize. Know that we truly cherish the love that has been surrounding us.
Love,
Megan, Chris, Sage & Gemma
P.S. I posted the past email update on my blog in case you missed it! http://meg0801.blogspot.
Our "home away from home"
Sage getting footprinted
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