What a difference a week makes! Today we celebrate the girls turning 2 weeks old! I can't believe how time is flying by.
On day 8, both girls came off of CPAP! The doctors weren't sure if it was going to be permanent but Gemma and Sage have both kept their Oxygen levels up high enough over the past week to not go back on any breathing support - they have to maintain a level of 88% Oxygen intake or higher. This being said, they no longer have to wear the restrictive hats and tubing, and are able to turn their heads from side to side and open their eyes. Chris and I are also able to get them in and out of their isolettes without assistance too! Going by their gestational age, the girls are 31 1/2 weeks. At 32 weeks, the Oxygen requirements are increased. This means that they both have to maintain Oxygen levels of 94% or higher. This is going to be a little bit of a stretch, and one or both of them might need to go back on a less-invasive breathing support (aka not CPAP) in the future. The doctors say that it wouldn't be "a step backwards," it just helps their little lungs get stronger as everything else is growing vigorously too.
Sage
Gemma
On the same day, the girls' IV's came out which means they are no longer getting nutritional supplementation intravenously. Rather, their vitamins are now added to their milk feedings which is still being delivered through the feeding tube. The really exciting part is that we've been able to start practicing breastfeeding now that their faces are clear. Even though the girls are still too premature to fully coordinate everything that goes into breastfeeding, they are still able to get acquainted with the tastes, positioning, motions, and movements. The lactation specialists have been so attentive and helpful with this.
Cuddly Twins just graduated to "Preemie" Diapers
What else?! At last night's weighing, Sage weighs 3 lbs. 2 oz. and Gemma weighs 3 lbs. 0 oz. Gemma has had a little more trouble keeping all her food down after her feedings but is still gaining a little weight. Both girls have now gotten their first and second baths. Chris and I were able to bathe Gemma and I bathed Sage today. They LOVE the water; they totally just melt into it.
Bath time for Gemma
There are a lot of tests and procedures that babies in the NICU have to endure. On Friday, the girls had ultrasounds of their heads to look for potential brain bleeds and cerebral palsy. Everything checked out as normal *sigh of relief.* They will have a few more followup ultrasounds as their time at the NICU goes on. They also have eye exams coming up to look for a condition called ROP. When babies are born prematurely, sustained high levels of oxygen can cause the blood vessels in the eyes to grow abnormally. It's a strange connection, but it can cause serious damage to vision. That is why, (going back to the first paragraph) they are allowed to have oxygen levels of 88% at this age, and it increases slowly as they get older. The doctors don't see any of these conditions being likely, but they have to rule out all potential complications early on.
On a lighter note, Chris and I decided to save the girls' umbilical cords for their baby books. All the nurses know to be on the lookout and to save them if they notice them fall off. On Friday evening, we noticed that Gemma's cord had fallen off, but it was nowhere to be found. Both the day and night nurses didn't remember seeing it, and had changed out all the blankets earlier in the day. Housekeeping had also come earlier and emptied the garbage. We still decided to look through the hamper and check Gemma's bed. Right before we left for the night (and had long-past given up the search), I glanced down on the ground and saw the little stump underneath a table, clear across the room from Gemma's bed. We don't know how it got there, but were really glad we found it! We are still waiting for Sage's cord to fall off. Hopefully that one doesn't wander so far.
Thank you, everyone, for continuing to keep the girls in your thoughts and prayers. We are so blessed to have you surrounding the babies in so much love from near and far. We'll be in touch!
Megan & Chris, and Sage & Gemma
& Grizzly (woof)
p.s. If you are new to the Team S&G list, you can see past updates on my blog: http://meg0801.blogspot.
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