They are HOME

Both Lauren and Emily are now home! They came home on Sunday, February 15 with monitors. They will be continuously monitored for heart rate and respiration for a minimum of 4 weeks. This was part of the criteria to allow the girls to come home. We went through training with a repiratory therapist on how to use the device, which will also record all events. They still occasionally have the Bradycardia, however they are all self resolved at this point. The girls will also have a home visit from a nurse to check their status and check vitals.

Gradual Improvement Pt. II

Both girls continue to gain weight, Lauren is at approximately 4 lb 7 1/2 oz, and Emily is at 4 lb 3 oz. On Monday during the day, both girls had no Bradycardia events. Stephanie and I went to the Premie-infant care class and I came back to see them. The nurses tried to feed Lauren a bit more and evidently, she was already full. Lauren had one more Bradycardia (self resolved). The goal to go home without a home monitor for heart and respiration, is that there can be no Bradycardia events for seven (7) days in the hospital. The Discharge Coordinator informed us that a high percentage of preemie babies go home with the home monitor. When they first come home, a nurse will also come and visit and assess the medical progress of the girls. Lauren had her "break through" moment and started nursing very well. Emily had already been nursing fairly well and they both had a good day nursing with Mom. Last week both girls were taken out of the isolete (incubator). This is a good milestone since both girls are now capable of maintaining their own body temperature and still gain body mass.

A few more pictures...

What is the next step?

Over the past week the routine has been established. Mom (Stephanie) spends a lot of time with them and is learning the optimum feeding schedule for the girls to practice nursing. Yes...you read it right...practice! Preemies do have to learn how the nurse and both girls are doing well in the category. The main goals at this time are for them to be able to: 1. feed on their own, 2. breath with out any Brady-cardia events (for preemies, forgetting to breath, normal at this stage), 3. gain weight and be at 5 lb. As of Sunday January 25, Lauren's weight was at 3 lb 9 oz and Emily's was at 3 lb 10 oz.

A few pictures...

Gradual Improvement...

The girls continue to improve every day. They keep on removing their own IV's which can be a problem if they are not staying hydrated. This is not the case, they continue to take their nutrition through the feeding tube inserted through their nose and have been tolerating their feedings well. It is a gradual increase in nutrition (about 2 - 4 ml/child/feeding cycle). They are fed about every 2 - 3 hours (standard). They also continue to pull out their feeding tubes (I can't imagine what if feels like, but it's probably not fun). My girls are very active when awake and definatly like being held by Mommy and Daddy. The nursing staff encourages us to hold them and interact. I have to admit, that is very soothing to hold my precious little baby girls.

The notification from the Hospital Patient Advocate

We were notified on Monday that the NICU was in a "lock down" mode. Evidently, there is a "severe" outbreak of RSV and the flu. They are only allowing the parents access to their children. The girls continue to progress along and improve. It is a slow and gradual process. They draw blood samples to check gases and mineral (salt, potassium, etc.) levels. They modify their diet for what ever they are low or high on. At this age, they tend to have acidosis (a normal condition and nothing to be alarmed) since their kidneys are comming on line (so to speak).