13 Days Later

Tomorrow Colin and Claire are 2 weeks old. And fortunately, the doctors and nurses expect them to be released Saturday! If there are no set backs, that will mean about 15 days total in NICU. They have thrived and improved by leaps and bounds over the last few days. On Monday they were both eating 4 of their 8 meals per day. On Tuesday they bumped it to 5 of 8, on Wednesday they moved it to 6 of 8, and on Thursday after the nurse shift change, the day nurse found Claire had pulled out her feeding tube (Again. No amount of tape can hold that girl back). Claire was grasping it over her head in triumph and looking at the nurse like, "here, take this - I don't need it anymore." So they moved her and Colin to 8 of 8 meals a day.

13 days old

They have both gone through major growth spurts this week. On Monday I caved and bought Colin two pairs of preemie pajamas. On Tuesday I put them on him and they fit perfectly. On Wednesday they were too small. He now weighs just over his birth weight of 5lbs 7 oz, and Claire now weighs 2.5 ounces more than her birth weight and is 5lbs 2.5oz. On Thursday Colin nursed for 20 minutes and then took a bottle and drank about 5 more ml. Claire nursed for 10 minutes, sucked down a 25 ml bottle, then begged for more and drank another 15 ml. She looked like she could have eaten more after that too. The girl was hungry.

Before we leave the NICU they both need to eat every meal from the bottle or by nursing from here on out. We need to bring in their car seats so they can do the car seat test (they sit in the car seat while attached to all the monitors and see if they do well sitting at that angle for 90 minutes). We also had to watch a quick CPR video.

They are allowing me the option to "room in" with the babies for a few hours - on my own, no monitors, no nurses. They consider it a sort of dry run in case I have questions. I'd get hospital room service, a bed and TV... But they said I have been there at the hospital so much for feedings, burping, bathing, swaddling, cuddling... that it's totally optional and I'd do fine either way. I am tempted but I'm also wondering if it's necessary when there are a million other things still not yet done to prepare for them to come home.

We need to trade cars with my parents... My little Saturn won't hold three car seats so I'm "upgrading" to a minivan. While I really have no problem driving a minivan, I'm kinda sad we can't use my car anymore. I like my car. But I'm relieved that my parents are generously donating a van that can adequately transport three children under the age of 26 months.

We also need to clean... But that's a never ending chore that pretty much goes without saying.

But that's just what WE need to do... The babies still have a release checklist of their own. Colin needs to be circumcised. Both babies were given (and passed) their hearing tests. They will get their Hep B vaccinations. Claire is on antibiotics for her fetal hydronephrosis  (and will be for about a month), and needs to have a follow up appointment with the urologist in 2-3 weeks. And sadly, for the real kicker, the doctor mentioned to me that Colin's left hip seemed a little "loose," and asked if anyone had talked to me about that yet. I sighed and told him no, but that I knew exactly what that meant since my now 2-year-old had hip dysplasia and was in the Pavlik harness for 4 months after birth. My first reaction, for lack of a better word, was "well, crap." Its a real bummer, and I hope he's not in store for the Pavlik. But if he is, we have dealt with it before, we know its temporary, and we are aware of the success rates. For a refresher on what that was like for Adam, you can go to this blog post from almost two years ago: On Our Way Out of the Pavlik. (I still get about 10 hits on this post a week from parents out there searching for information, stories, and success rates about the Pavlik and hip dysplasia).

While we don't know for sure yet what the diagnosis will be, because of our history both Colin and Claire will need hip ultrasounds after they are released.

Ironically, they didn't see any real signs of hip dysplasia on Claire. I find this strange because while hip dysplasia is very common, it is especially common in girls, especially girls who were breech. So my little breech girl looks good, but my head-down boy has some loose hips. I'm also not sure of the odds of having two boys with the same hip problem. I haven't found any research that suggests hip dysplasia is hereditary, but considering our track record, I would be shocked if it wasn't.

Both are being sent home on multivitamins WITHOUT iron, which they made a big deal about since most preemies need iron. However, both Colin and Claire have incredible iron levels. (That must be why I was consistently anemic regardless of how many iron pills I took - they stole it all. And I'm willing to bet their potassium levels are fantastic as well, since I couldn't keep any for myself).

They are also going to have calorie supplements to the breast milk to make it 22 calories instead of 20. That means I get to nurse 2-3 times per day and the rest of the time they'll get bottles of fortified breast milk. So the pumping continues...

I'm excited to get them home and know them better. In just the days I've been at the hospital it is extremely clear that our ninja, Claire, is extremely coordinated. Her feeding tube doesn't stand a chance. She can hold her pacifier in with her hand already, and didn't need anyone to show her that trick. She is "talkative" and alert and very observant. She smiles CONSTANTLY in her sleep and sometimes when awake. When you wake her up, you better be doing it to feed her, and when she is awake her hands are on the move - grabbing, moving, exploring.

Claire with her paci

The paci stays in... notice the feeding tube was yet again pulled out.

Claire's bath

Colin is our champ and he is also alert and observant. He is quiet and laid back, and so far is patient enough to allow Claire to eat first... Maybe so he can take his time later. He is steady and consistent, and a great cuddler. He's also a champ at nursing, which is easily his favorite thing. He doesn't complain, but then again neither does Claire, and I frequently muse about how much he is like Shannon. He really cracked me up the first time he got to cuddle with Claire and mom. She slept away without flinching... He looked at her like she was crazy. Or invading his space. Or very confused. Or seeing her face for the first time (as opposed to her butt or feet, which I'm sure he got an excellent view of in the womb). Either way, he made me laugh.

What the?! What are you doing here??

All right, I guess this is okay.

Sister nudges closer and closer...

13 days later, I put on my pre pregnancy jeans. They fit even better now than before I got pregnant. It's the little victories.

So next up for our family is the most terrifyingly exciting steps in a long line of terrifyingly exciting things that have happened to us in the last year. I'm sure to come will be lots of stories of how Adam adjusts to new babies at home and how they adjust to life with their family full time.