A Giant Leap for Mom-Kind

For the past several days mommy has been absolutely exhausted both physically and mentally. Physically in the fact that for about 62 days I have been going through the same routine of getting up and getting dressed every morning in order to feed and hold my little boys while continuing to pump in between care times. I generally live off of 1 to 2 large meals a day because I hardly have enough time to eat with everything that is going on. The nurses keep encouraging me to be better about eating and taking breaks but it is a little difficult when you are the only one with the proper equipment to breastfeed the boys and they are also encouraging me to breastfeed Braylon almost all of the care times that I can go to and Kaden about two of his care times. It takes about an hour for each baby, and that is if things go smoothly, and by the time you are done with both it is time for the next set of cares. I know it will get easier at home because all we will have to do is feed them and change their diapers, not take their temperature, change the probe on their foot, wait for the nurse to do their assessment, wait for the nurse to get the milk out of the fridge and warm it, etc.
Now, for the mentally exhausting part. So for about a month I have been questioning to myself if Kaden would benefit from steroid therapy. The doctors and I all agree that Braylon probably got the entire dose of the one steroid injection I received before delivering and that is why he has fared so much better in the respiratory department. So I have been thinking to myself, why can’t we give Kaden steroids now to help his lungs. I am not the type to go raising an issue unless I have gathered some information first. Plus, I have been trying to keep the mommy side of me and the nurse side of me separate and just let the doctors do their jobs. But, lately I have been feeling really, really, frustrated with how little progress we have been making, especially with Kaden’s respiratory status. He has remained on high-flow cannula and although we have been able to turn the flow down he has needed more oxygen to maintain his saturation. Not to mention that his respiratory rate has continued to creep back up and he has to work to breath, so much that he has been too exhausted to eat from a bottle and has needed to have them through his tube. So with my frustration I finally mustered up enough courage to bring the idea up to Dr. Egger, who nicely but immediately shot it down. While in the mist of our conversation, in which he shot my idea down, he mentioned that another doctor is more likely to use steroids. So when that doctor was the one to make rounds on the boys the following day I thought I would take the opportunity to ask him his opinion.
At first it sounded like he agreed with Dr. Egger but after he gave me the opportunity to explain my thoughts we were both on the same page. He said that it is not a common practice to use steroids on term babies but he did not see why not, since Kaden is no longer too small to be at risk for some of the side effects. He told me that he did not want to step on Dr. Egger’s toes because he was the boys’ primary doctor but he felt that my points were valid and worth discussion.
Yesterday, Dr. Egger was back and rounded on the boys. I could tell that things were a little tense and I felt almost as though he was avoiding rounding on the boys while I was in the room. Finally he did make his way in and he said, “So I hear you and Carl had a discussion about steroids for Kaden.” I explained that I wanted to know his opinion. He asked me why it was so important to me and I explained my thoughts. He again shot my idea down by saying, “I’m not going to do it but I am going to be off for the next six days so if another doctor wants to write the order….” I was a little shocked by his response and when he left the room the tears started to well up in my eyes out of frustration. All I wanted was for him to give me a good reason why he would not consider it.
Usually when the doctors round they leave the room and then come back after reviewing the charts. This time took longer than normal so I thought he wasn’t going to come back. Eventually he did come back and as he walked in the room he said, “Can I reserve the right to change my mind?” and I responded “Yes.” He said, “I do want to try a course of steroids and in fact I would like to take it one step further and use steroid breathing treatments also.” He explained that he did not realize that although we were turning the liter flow down we were needing to turn the oxygen up which really is not progress. He warned me about getting my hopes up because it was a guarantee that Kaden would improve while on the steroids but may rebound once the course is completed. I told him that was fine and that the worst thing would to be right back where we were that day.
That brings us to today. Kaden had had a total of two doses of the steroid by the time we showed up this morning. In that time they were able to turn his oxygen levels from 50% to room air and his liter flow from 1.5 liters to 1 liter and could have gone down further if the equipment had allowed it. At that time Carl, the doctor who had agreed with me, stopped by just to chat. He asked how things were going and I told him great but that I knew it might only be temporary. He said, “I don’t thinks so. You usually don’t see this big of a change this soon if it’s not going to work.” He also said, “I think this is what he needed. We are headed in the right direction.” This made me feel so much better about my decision. I had been feeling unsure about whether or not I had done the right thing.
The doctor that rounded today, who is usually against steroid use, came in and assessed Kaden and was amazed and also agreed that it was the right move and did not feel that even if there were a rebound effect that it wouldn’t be without progress.
During our afternoon care rounds there was some trouble with Kaden’s high-flow because they had turned to liter flow down so far. Because there was not enough air flowing through the tubing condensation kept building up and squirting in Kaden’s nose, so the nurse took it off to fix it. While she was fixing it she watched Kaden’s monitor and could not believe it when she noticed no change. We let him be without any cannula for several hours and he continued to do better and better.
When I came back after report the nurse from day shift stopped me on the way in. She said they had decided to put Kaden back on a cannula only because he had been grunting and holding his breathe so much trying to make a poop that he kept setting the alarms off. They decided to put him on a regular cannula so they could continue to turn the flow down without getting water up his nose. Basically he is on room air with a little bit of air blowing at him.
At this point he is where he would need to be, oxygen wise, to be able to go home. The doctors think that it may have even been enough of a step in the right direction he may not need to go home on oxygen. All he would have left to do is the nipple all of his feeds, which has also been better since he does not have to use all of his energy to breath. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this was the solution and there won’t be a big rebound. We will know in about four days if it is going to work.
In the mean time Braylon has been put back on the caffeine to help him breathe through the reflux and he has been put on straight breast milk. He has gone over 24 hours without a brady spell and the doctor today said that they won’t be doing anything right now because it’s the weekend but that he will have the home monitor people come work with us on Monday and for us to be prepared to room-in with Braylon Tuesday night, assuming he doesn’t have any brady spells for a total of five days and he passes his car seat test.
I am afraid to say it, but, I think we may be on the home stretch.

Same thing different day

Sorry it has been so long since we posted. Really as of right now there haven’t been very many changes. Beside the fact the boys have been moved to a different pod, they are both doing very well. Braylon is still on his 5 day countdown to going home, and he weighs 6lbs 14oz as of last night. He is looking so chubby now it is hard to believe on how small he was. His little feet are getting to fat for the pulse-ox to stay on, but we don’t talk about it around him he seems to get fussy about us talking about his chubbiness.
Kaden is still getting better. They have moved him down to 1.5 liters for his oxygen, which means he needs to get down to 1 liter and nipple all his feeds and hopefully he will be ready to come home. He weighs 5lbs 7 oz and is gaining about 1.5 to 2 oz per day with his thickened feeds. Both he and his brother are in big boy diapers, and it was good for Kaden because he had a big blow out the other day. He had 3 different outfits in a matter of a day because of his blow outs. Tonight we are going to give both boys a bath, and for me it will be the first time. Hopefully we will get some more pictures up and I will remember to post on the blog.

The boys are continuing to make progress although it never seems fast enough for me. It is always encouraging to hear the nurses, who have not seen them in a while, say how good they look. Both are gaining weight and Kaden has entered the 5lb Club as of last night. Braylon is still a member of the 6lb club. Everyone laughs about how plump he has gotten. He actually has rolls on his arms and thighs.
Kaden is still nippling about half of his feeds but keeps plugging away and does a little better each day. They have been able to gradually turn down the flow on his cannula and he has tolerated 2 liters from 3 liters for the past couple of days. Our goal is 1 liter of flow in order to go home on oxygen.
Both boys have their own obstacles to overcome before they are able to go home. Braylon has to stop having his brady spells and pass the car seat test. He is having lots of trouble with reflux which is the primary source of the drops in his heart rate. Kaden has to get his liter flow down on his oxygen and be able to tolerate it at 1 liter, although he has very few brady spells he has to outgrow those, be able to nipple all of his feeds, and pass the car seat test.
I am hoping that we will be home by their due date because they were due on Mother’s Day and that would be the best Mother’s Day gift ever. The nurses keep telling me that one day everything will just click and they will stop having the bradys, etc. I just keep waiting for that day to get here.

Here are some more cute pictures from everyone to enjoy.

P.S. Today is Daddy's Birthday but we can't say much yet until he is here to open his gifts.

Pictures As Promised

A Big Move

The boys have been reunited once again. They are now co-bedding again and both have Tucker Slings which helps keep them up right on the incline in their bed. Our nurse today didn’t think that it would be a problem to have Kaden elevated too. We are happy to see them together again.
On another note, we have been moved out of the East Pod to the Center Pod today for staffing purposes. We almost had a window room and a roommate but I threw a little fit and told them I preferred privacy over a window. There was absolutely no reason why we should have a roommate when there were several empty rooms (the staffing problem is that things are slow). I think our nurse felt bad because I think she could tell I was not happy with the move. There are people whose babies have only been there a few days and will be going home sooner than ours that could have moved. I am a little irritated that they would move someone who has been there as long as us and still has some time to go. We had made our other room feel more comfortable and then we had to move. Oh well, maybe we will have better luck in this room and we will get out of there sooner.
Both boys are making progress. Braylon has less brady spells and Kaden’s respiratory rate has been normal. They were even able to decrease Kaden’s high flow cannula from 3 liters to 2 liters. Once he can get down to 1 liter and nipple all of his feeds he will be really close to going home, even if it is with oxygen. He has a few brady spells but not nearly as many as his brother did. The nurse tonight said that he is improving by leaps and bounds and thinks that he won’t be too far behind Braylon. He is nippling every other feed and would nipple all of them if he had the stamina which will only come with a little more time and practice.
Braylon has had several massive poops today after being stopped up for over 24 hours. Thank goodness we moved him out of preemie diapers into size ones just in time because he would’ve had several major blowouts today.
I was able to hold both of the boys together tonight and it was so entertaining. They were both wide awake and interacting with each other. They were grabbing at each other’s faces and staring at each other. Braylon grabbed a hold of Kaden’s tubes and Kaden tried to suck on Braylon’s fingers. Brenda was able to get lots of good pictures and I will try and post them tomorrow.

Last night was a calm night. Both boys are doing well. Braylon is still having trouble pooping and they gave him prevacid, which helps with his reflux and some pear-nectar to help him poop. The reflux has been getting a little better, but he was still having trouble keeping in his stinky surprises for too long, but hopefully last night he gave the nurse a big ‘ol diaper sized pudding dessert. He hasn’t gone for over 24hrs so I’m sure when he does go it will be a big one.
Kaden has been doing well. He has been nippling every other feed and his respiratory rate has been staying down. He will be getting an increase in his protein, which will hopefully help him grow more, and he will now start stinking it up with his brother. The doctor also told us when he thinks the boys will be ready to come home. He said Braylon could be getting out in a week or two, and Kaden would be about a month or so. I would rather them just tell us a day or two before they knew exactly when they would be getting out. Braylon has been supposedly getting out for the last 3 weeks, and it kind of gets our hopes up.
Its been a long road, and I know things can only go up from here. I have two strong, healthy boys, and a beautiful strong wife, who hasn’t seen our home in over a month. She has been doing very well up here without me being around all the time, and I’m proud of her for that. So hopefully in the next month we will be out of Spokane and won’t come back for a long time.

more ups and downs

It’s amazing that in less than a week the boys change so much. They look bigger, have more color, and are more alert every time I come back and see them. Both boys are doing well, and have been separated again. Braylon was having to many brady spells and needed to be more elevated after he ate. The nurses didn’t think that would be fair to Kaden since he was doing alright just the way he was. It also makes it easier for us to do their cares. The crib sharing was fun while it lasted. Plus I think Kaden was getting tired of Braylon bragging about breast feeding and nippling all his feeds and stinking up the place.
Kaden was able to nipple a couple of feeds today. They have put him on lasix, which helps him get out the extra fluids that he is holding onto. This also allows his respiratory rate to be lower and then he is allowed to eat from a bottle or mama. We leave it up to him. They also said to not be surprised if he loses a little weight since they put him on it, but as of last night he weighs 4lbs 9oz. He is starting to be a little porker. Ash and I decided to try and nipple feed him every other care as long as he is up to it. We hope that it will help him grow and hopefully get him out of here faster.
Braylon has been doing a lot better with his brady’s since being elevated. As of tonight he only had a hand full, which is a move in the right direction. It seems to be with him whenever one problem gets better another occurs. He has been getting some stomach problems we think. Before when he was done feeding you could guarantee that he would have a surprise waiting in his diaper, today and yesterday it hasn’t been happening. After he eats he doesn’t really want to burp or leave a surprise and that has been irritating him. He will fuss and fuss and all we can do is try to get it out. The nurses brought him some gas drops and it seems to work but it takes a little while for it to sink down into his system. Hopefully he will do better tonight and he will let out a good one for his nurse. Even with his recent strike on pooping, he has gained weight and is now at 6lbs 1.2oz. At the rate he is going he will be crawling out of the NICU.

Little Mr. Stinky Gets A Bath

Over the past couple of days we have noticed a little odor while holding Mr. Kaden. Usually there is a stench to the probe that is wrapped around their feet to monitor their oxygen level but once you cover it back up you can’t smell it. Bryan and I started to notice that even after Kaden’s probe was covered and we were holding him we would get a whiff of stinky feet still. I told Bryan, “I think he is starting to smell like a stinky foot” and Bryan responded, “Yeah, I noticed that too.”
Yesterday while holding Kaden skin-to-skin I discovered that the smell was coming from behind his ears. I told the nurse about it and she said, “Yeah, with little guys like this, they work so hard breathing we don’t want them to waste their energy fussing over a bath so we just usually give them a spit bath.” So I tried to clean behind his ears some which helped a little.
I mentioned to the boys nurse today that Kaden was beginning to smell a little sour and she said that I could give him a bath, we would just have to be quicker than we would be with Braylon. I felt bad for the little guy and thought about how uncomfortable it might be for him to have not had a real bath; I could only think of how itchy it would feel.
He did really well with his bath and didn’t fuss nearly as much as his brother did. It did wear him out for most of the day but he was so calm after we were finished and he look so much more comfortable and looked like he was sleeping better. I love his little chicky fuzz hair after I dried him off and it was so nice to snuggle and kiss on him and not be reminded of the high school gym, although it didn’t ever stop me.
Both boys have continued to gain weight. Braylon weighed 5lbs 9oz and Kaden weighed 4lbs 7oz. Braylon is still a big eater and doing very well with feedings. He still has lots of apnea spells which is the only thing keeping him in the NICU but at least he is with his brother. We are not anxious to separate them now that they are co-bedding.
Mom is exhausted and running on fumes. So please forgive me for not being real good about keeping up on the blog. I think the hectic schedule with two babies in the NICU for over a month is finally starting to catch up to me.

Kaden buns


Kaden “enjoying” his first bath


Getting dried off



Mommy with a squeaky clean Kaden


Oh Yeah! And the boys with their 6 week old picture with their bear

P.O.S. Morning

Today started off badly, no it wasn’t with the boys but what we had found out before their noon care time. Ash and I were leaving the McDonalds, and had walked down the hill to where we usually have to park our car or jeep. Well usually we have both vehicles parked down on the street but the night before we had parking spot for the jeep. We had our usual stuff, cameras, the pump, some lunch for us, and what Ash had pumped from the night before and early morning. I was driving so I went to the driver’s side door, obviously. Before I had even attempted to open the door I had noticed something different about our car and I as I walked closer I saw a small hole in our window and it was completely shattered and looked like a spider web. Ya, some P.O.S shot our window with a pellet or bee-bee gun. They made us miss a care time with the boys, waste our time looking for a place to replace our window, and have to deal with the insurance company. So today could have gone a lot better, but what can you do?
We were still able to see the boys and that brightened our day. They are both doing well, but they still have a ways to go before we are able to take them home. Braylon is still having brady spells, and Kaden is still breathing to heavy for us to be able to nipple feed him as much as we want. The doctor and physical therapist decided that we could feed Kaden as long as his respiratory rate was under 60 breaths per minute. Last night and yesterday he was able to take 3 bottle feedings, which were 21, 23, and 40mL. Kaden’s full feed is 40mL so that was great, but later on he was tuckered out and his respiratory rate was too high for him to try anymore. We figured that we would give the guy a rest, like the nurses say “he’s not going home tomorrow, so no point in pushing him too much.” Braylon has still been doing well on his feedings, but he seems to get a little tired every now and then. He weighs 5lbs 6.5oz and Kaden weighs 4lbs 5oz. The boys are gaining some weight and trying to get out as fast as they can. Mom and Dad hope they will get out soon, so we don’t have any more un-expected costs. Dad got a speeding ticket the other day also, yay me!

Mommy's NICU Birthday

Today’s was Mommy’s 26th birthday and she spent it with us at the NICU. We asked Daddy to have a card waiting for her from us at the RMH and since we aren’t able to walk yet we asked our nurses today to go get Mommy a present. We lay quietly in our crib waiting for Mommy and the rest of our family to arrive and for our nurse to deliver the surprise. Mommy made it to the NICU before our nurse got back from picking up our surprise.
When our nurse got back to our room she handed Mommy a pretty coffee mug with some chocolates and a balloon wishing Mommy a happy birthday from us. Mommy loved it and we think we could see a little tear in her eye. We don’t think she expected it and was really surprised.
After Mommy and Daddy finished with our cares Grandpa and Grandma took Mommy out to birthday dinner at Shogun. We hear that they made a bunch of noise, sang Mommy a song, made her and Daddy dress up, and took their picture. They ate a birthday cake that matched the cookies we had delivered by Grandma to the nurses to help celebrate Mommy’s birthday. The cake looked a little funny though because Angus and Izzy, who we have not met yet, decided they would have a taste too while the cake was in the car. Angus tried to deny it but he had some blue frosting left over on his whiskers. Mommy didn’t mind though, she just laughed.
We are happy we could spend Mommy’s birthday with her. We think she enjoyed having us around. She told us what a great day it was and how thankful she is for everyone who made her feel special on her day.

Mommy and Daddy at Shogun


Our surprise for Mommy




Mommy's sampled birthday cake

Reunited Once Again!!!

The day has finally come that the boys are CO-BEDDING!!!! I walked in this morning and was pleasantly surprised by the sight of both boys in one crib. I can’t even describe the feeling to see them together again and to know that they are side-by-side and have each other even when mommy and daddy are not there. I do feel a little bad for Kaden though because now he gets to bask in the stench of his brother’s dirty diapers. Braylon has some really rank diapers and stinks up the whole room. The smell even creeps its way out of the garbage and lingers in the air. The nurses joke about throwing them in another nurse’s room or even in the other pods as a joke. They say it is from the extra protein they are putting in his bottles, hopefully they decide to get rid of that before sending him home.
Several times today I just stood at the boys’ bedside to see if they noticed each other. They didn’t do anything real exciting but I could see Kaden just staring at his brother and studying his face, as he does with everyone. He seems to be the real observant one. Braylon snuck a few peeks at his brother and watched Kaden a few times until he got distracted by the thought of food. Tonight we experienced a little bit of the twin thing. Kaden was screaming his head off because he wanted his binkie but couldn’t have it until his oxygen level went back up to normal (he has been very attached to his binkie since getting to breastfeed a little yesterday). While Kaden was screaming Braylon was laying there with his eyes open listening intently. After Kaden had carried on for some time Braylon decided he would start some sympathy whining. It started out as kind of soft cry but when he noticed his brother was going to continue carrying on he started whaling. Both boys were going at it and we were all laughing at the sound of their cries together. I thought I had better get my laughs in now because this will not be very funny for long, especially at three in the morning.
Kaden had another first today. He got to try and eat from a bottle. He did very well but was only given the chance to eat 5mL because his oxygen level kept dropping. While he was getting the rest of his feed through his tube he was still having trouble keeping his oxygen level up. The nurse decided that maybe she would try to suck his nose out a little and, sure enough, it was full of boogies. Kaden also got to be held by someone other than mom and dad also. Last night Great-Grandma Cloann got to hold him and today Grandma Brenda got to hold him while Braylon ate.
Braylon has turned into a little comedian. He was having trouble with his monitor today. The nurses were not sure when the guy could come up and fix it so they said to go ahead and start breastfeeding him and the guy would know to knock since the curtain was closed. When the guy arrived Braylon was still working on lunch. I told him I would just cover up and he could come read some of the numbers off the monitor. It was right then that Braylon came unlatched and pulled of the nipple shield (a little device that helps preemies latch on to breastfeed). I couldn’t get the nipple shield and him latched back on without exposing myself so I just held him with his head up on my chest, under the blanket, until the guy was finished. Braylon decided he couldn’t wait and began vigorously moving his head side-to-side, licking my chest causing the blanket to move too and making obnoxious grunting noises. I kept trying to not laugh hysterically at him. The guy said, “Are you sure you have a baby under there and not a teenager.” We all busted out laughing.
Both boys have continued to gain weight and they are consistently staying a pound apart. Braylon weighed 5lbs 2oz and Kaden weighed 4lbs 2oz. We keep hoping that Kaden might start catching up with his brother so he won’t look so little next to him but I am not sure how long it will be with his brother’s hearty appetite.
It looks like Braylon will be staying a while longer in the NICU. He has been having more and more brady spells over the past couple of days. They appear to be more of what they call central apnea/brady spells which means he forgets to breathe at times. They may have to start him back up on the caffeine to help keep him stimulated enough to remember to breathe. He can go home on the caffeine and the monitor but in that case I would just prefer he stay in the NICU with his brother until he either out grows them completely or they both get to go home. I am just planning on not getting to go home until May.

Back together again



Braylon waiting for lunch


Kaden sitting on mommy’s lap waiting for his first bottle


Kaden getting burped


Both boys in their crib


Kaden rooting on mommy’s finger

Kaden makes the news again!

We have more breaking news with Mr. Kaden. He has traded in his isolette for a crib. Once he can prove that he is able to maintain his temperature, which he has done well with all day today, he will get to co-bed with his brother. He has turned into such a big boy and has progressing quickly since last week. It is so nice having him in the crib because I can hear his little squeaks while he is sleeping and stare at his cute little face without a barrier between us. The doctor forgot to write the order for co-bedding this morning so I am supposed to remind him when he calls with an update tomorrow. Hopefully the boys will be reunited once again and will get to enjoy each others’ company for the next week or so. I think that once they have the support of one another again they will just take off.
The doctor thinks Braylon may be well enough to get discharged the end of next week but he continues to have brady spells and seems to have had quite a few today. Most of them are related to his reflux or position so they are going to see if placing him on a foam wedge will help. Since his brother may be sharing the same bed he will be sleeping on the wedge too, although he doesn’t need it. I would really be surprised if Braylon gets out next week but you never know with him, he has amazed everyone with his eating skills he could amaze us again.
Both boys have gained weight. Braylon weighed 5lbs 1oz and Kaden weighed 4lbs 1oz. Kaden got to take a shot at breast feeding. He was only allowed to try for a little while but really caught on quick. He took to it very well and he will get to try and feed from a bottle tomorrow. He loved it so much he has begun to root on everything that comes close to his mouth, like his brother did. Braylon still thinks that he should eat every time we wake him, no wonder he is such a little brute. He continues to nipple all of his feeds and now has the tube out of his nose and no longer has anything on his face other than his beautiful eyes, cute little nose, and kissable little lips. Hopefully Kaden will do well enough with his feedings they can remove his tube soon but he still needs the support of the oxygen. We still enjoy his little face too even with his extra attachments.

(I couldn't get a picture of Kaden in his crib today because the battery died to my camera, hopefully tomorrow though)

Breaking News!

Breaking News! Kaden is now in the 4lb club! Here are some pictures of the boys on the scale tonight.

Kaden on the scale weighing in at 4 lbs


Braylon on the scale weighing in at 5 lbs

You may notice the boys are starting to look alike now.

New Arrangement

Well, Braylon continues to have his brady spells which for every day he has a brady will buy him an additional five day stay at Hotel NICU unless the doctors decide to discharge him on a monitor. Since his brother Kaden is getting closer to being in a crib, today’s nurse decided to do a little rearranging in their suite. She got a portable monitor for Braylon and hooked it to Kaden’s boom (the boom holds the monitors and has a power supply) and also moved Braylon’s crib over to Kaden’s side of the room. This way we can hold them together anytime we want, the boys are closer to each other, we don’t have to feel shut out from one baby when we have the curtain closed to other baby’s side of the room, and they are all set up for co-bedding when that day arrives.
Last night Braylon became a member of the 5lb Club. When the doctor called today he said, “Braylon is just a little stud, he has been nippling almost all of his feeds.” I guess this is pretty impressive for a baby his gestational age. He only has to meet a few more requirements to be able to leave the NICU since he has had no trouble maintaining his temperature in his crib and continuing to gain weight. In order to leave he has to not have any apnea or bradycardic spells for five days (unless they are minor spells and will have a monitor), nipple all of his feeds, and pass the car seat test. The majority of his brady spells are related to reflux and/or obstruction (when he gets milk caught in his throat that he can’t swallow or cough up and gags himself, or his head falls too far forward and pinches off his airway), which they are expecting him to outgrow in the next week or so because he will start gaining more muscle control in the weeks to come.
Kaden also gained weight last night. He weighed 3lbs 15oz, just 1 oz shy of the 4lb Club. He will probably weigh 4lbs tonight. Once he reaches 4lbs and maintains it for several days plus maintains his own temperature he will trade in his isolette for a crib, which means he will more than likely be sharing his brother’s crib. Finally! I am thinking this may take place this weekend.
Kaden has also been moved from continuous feeds which run at a slow rate all day long, to bolus feeds which is a feeding given over 1 ½ hours. The doctor said that they may try letting him nipple some of his feedings next week. The occupational therapist have been working with him over the past couple of days and said he has been doing very well with his pacifier and will probably take to breast feeding and bottle feeding very well and they expect him to really take off after that.
This Friday we are all taking infant CPR, which is a requirement if the boys go home on any monitors. The nurse yesterday said to be sure and get it done this week because she is not sure if Braylon will be in the NICU long enough for us to get it in the following week. This would be very exciting but we are not going to get our hopes up because this is the type of thing they have warned us about, just when you think you are about to leave there is always one thing holding you back. We have just been taking it day-by-day and trying not to look too far ahead because we have found that it can get very frustrating otherwise. I keep telling the nurses, “No rush. We will be here until Kaden gets to go home anyways. When he gets closer is when we will be in anxious to get home.” Although we would love to have Braylon discharged, the longer he stays in the NICU the longer he will get to co-bed with his brother and the easier it will be for Bryan and I to visit Kaden. As long he is in the NICU we are able to be with both boys at the same time and not worry about having someone watch Braylon while we are in with Kaden.

Braylon's 5 week picture with his bear


Kaden's 5 week picture with his bear


The view of their new arrangement from the couch (Braylon's crib to the left and Kaden in his isolette to the right)

GOT MILK?!

Picture of the box of milk Bryan took home. The bottles are stacked three high.


So today is the day they finally asked me to take some of the milk home, PLEASE! Apparently the Howland boys’ stash of milk has been taking up lots of space in the NICU freezer. The lactation specialist, officially, asked if I was interested in donating, but I told her, “No, not yet, I want to make sure my boys have enough that we won’t have to buy formula for a while.” (One of our nurses had twins and she said not to donate yet because she went through 2 of the Costco containers of formula a day, which costs approximately $60 dollars per day) Breast milk is good for a year in a deep freeze and that is where we will be storing it. She said that if one year from now I still have plenty of milk left over the milk bank would still be interested in taking it and would pay for all of the screening costs. If I continue to have an abundant milk supply I will most likely become a donor, at Sacred Heart almost all premature babies are given breast milk whether it is from their mother or a milk bank, if the parents allow it, because of it's amazing health benefits. There is a reason they call it "Liquid Gold".

Before Bryan left for Lewiston, our nurse went in to get our box of frozen milk, packed on ice, to take home. When she noticed how much was in the box she asked the nutrition center if they left enough extra supply in case they need to thaw some in the weeks to come, their response was, “Oh yeah, there is a whole ‘nother box in there.”

Bryan took the box home and when I called to make sure he hadn’t forgotten to unload it from the car, he said that he put over 280, 2oz, bottles in the freezer. I did the math and if the majority of the bottles were full that equals over 4 gallons of milk in our freezer alone.

Here an interesting article from the Associated Press that came out the day before our discussion on breast milk vs. formula.

Study: Breast-feeding would save lives, money
By LINDSEY TANNER (AP)

CHICAGO — The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk only for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.
Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.

"The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.

The findings suggest that there are hundreds of deaths and many more costly illnesses each year from health problems that breast-feeding may help prevent. These include stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, juvenile diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and even childhood leukemia.

The magnitude of health benefits linked to breast-feeding is vastly underappreciated, said lead author Dr. Melissa Bartick, an internist and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Breast-feeding is sometimes considered a lifestyle choice, but Bartick calls it a public health issue.

Among the benefits: Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight infections; it also can affect insulin levels in the blood, which may make breast-fed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity.

The analysis studied the prevalence of 10 common childhood illnesses, costs of treating those diseases, including hospitalization, and the level of disease protection other studies have linked with breast-feeding.

The $13 billion in estimated losses due to the low breast-feeding rate includes an economists' calculation partly based on lost potential lifetime wages — $10.56 million per death.

The methods were similar to a widely cited 2001 government report that said $3.6 billion could be saved each year if 50 percent of mothers breast-fed their babies for six months. Medical costs have climbed since then and breast-feeding rates have increased only slightly.

About 43 percent of U.S. mothers do at least some breast-feeding for six months, but only 12 percent follow government guidelines recommending that babies receive only breast milk for six months.

Dr. Larry Gray, a University of Chicago pediatrician, called the analysis compelling
and said it's reasonable to strive for 90 percent compliance.
But he also said mothers who don't breast-feed for six months shouldn't be blamed or made to feel guilty, because their jobs and other demands often make it impossible to do so.

"We'd all love as pediatricians to be able to carry this information into the boardrooms by saying we all gain by small changes at the workplace" that encourage breast-feeding, Gray said.

Bartick said there are some encouraging signs. The government's new health care overhaul requires large employers to provide private places for working mothers to pump breast milk. And under a provision enacted April 1 by the Joint Commission, a hospital accrediting agency, hospitals may be evaluated on their efforts to ensure that newborns are fed only breast milk before they're sent home.

The pediatrics academy says babies should be given a chance to start breast-feeding immediately after birth. Bartick said that often doesn't happen, and at many hospitals newborns are offered formula even when their mothers intend to breast-feed.
"Hospital practices need to change to be more in line with evidence-based care," Bartick said. "We really shouldn't be blaming mothers for this."

On the Net:
• American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org
• Government: http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

A Day of Firsts

Happy Easter! Well it was our first Easter as a family, and it was a good one. The boys are doing fantastic, and continue to progress their way closer to home. Braylon and Kaden are both getting so big and chunky. Braylon has some thunder thighs going on, and Kaden is still playing catch up, but he is getting bigger and better. He only comes off his cannula when he needs to, well I guess some of the nurses take him off to give him a break now and then, but most of the time he is on the cannula. He seems to be more awake during his care times and is really starting to root. Last night I was talking to one of the nurses and telling her that she was going to give our kids bad habits. They stick a suction tube up one nostril and some saline up the other side to clean out the buggers. Then when they get done with both sides of their nose they stick the tube in their mouth. For a place that has a lot of germs and people that are trained to handle germs, that doesn’t seem very sanitary to me. So I told her that she was teaching our kids that eating their buggers will be ok, because they are already starting to get used to the taste. They do it in that order because the saline washes down the backs of their throats and they can suck out the excess fluid after they are done with their noses. I would just have two suction tubes, but that’s me. Also, Braylon has been getting into a habit of giving everyone the one-finger salute, and showing his true feelings. I don’t know why he insists on holding that finger up all the time, but I think it’ll cause some problems in the future.
Today was our first family picture. This was a picture that all four of us were in. Ash and I were able to hold Braylon and Kaden at the same time. Earlier today Ashley gave Braylon his first bath and he hated it. The good news was that he didn’t have any monitors or tubes with him during his bath, and Ashley was able to feed him after. He showed Ashley that the faucet wasn’t the only thing that could spray, as he decided to turn his bath into a Braylon fountain and shot it straight up in the air. Well back to our first picture, since we were able to take Braylon off his monitors and cannula for a little while it allowed us to hold the boys at the same time. Kaden was wide awake for this milestone but Braylon wasn’t gonna have any of it as he decided to sleep through the whole thing. So Kaden saw how selfish his big bro was being and that he couldn’t even wake up to say hi. It was pretty cute though as it looked like Kaden was reaching out to touch Braylon, but I think he was stretching out or looking to get a few cheap shots in on his bigger brother while he was zonked out. Braylon stayed awake from one care time to about the other. It means Braylon was up for about 4 to 5 straight hours without sleeping, so it was understandable that he slept while we were holding him and his brother. All in all this was a great day for the Howlands and hopefully we will be able to get some more family photos.

Braylon's Buns

Can't you tell he loves it

Braylon after his bath

Kaden practicing sucking on his bink



First Family Photo

Proud Daddy with his boys

The boys reunited for the first time (you can really tell the 1 lb size difference)

Kaden's point of view

Braylon's point of view

Momma and both boys back together again

Kaden reaching for his brother