The boys have been looking great. Both are gaining weight. Kaden weighed 3lbs 13oz and Braylon weighed 4lbs 13oz. Although Kaden in only in the 3rd percentile, he is finally starting to gain and maintain his weight. They increased his feeding to 26 calories to help him progress a little quicker.
We have a big eater on our hands. Braylon nippled all but ½ of one of his feedings today and I am pretty sure he broke a NICU record. Yesterday the nurses would give him his whole feeding by gavage (through his tube) even after he had breastfed. I thought that it was strange and thought they might be over feeding him so I asked the night nurse if that was normal. She said, “Oh yeah, they almost always do that with preemies because they can’t get enough from the breast alone, it’s just too much work. I would be amazed if could get a full feeding from breastfeeding at his age. There is just no way.” I told her, “Really? Because it feels like he is getting a lot out.” It wasn’t until they weighed him last night and he had gained a little more weight than they had expected that they started to consider that he might actually be getting a full feeding or even a half feeding from breast. Today the day nurse decided to weigh him before he breastfed and then after he was finished eating. They are able to measure the amount of fluid in their stomach because 1gram on the scale equals 1mL of fluid. She let him eat for a ½ hour and then weighed him. She was so stunned by his weight gain she weighed him twice before she could believe it. He weighed 60 grams more after his feeding, which means he ate a grand total of 60mL, over 1 ½ feedings. His full feeding by bottle or gavage is only 42mL. I wanted to say, “He is a Howland. Haven’t you heard we don’t do anything small? That’s why we got two babies in one shot and look at what a commotion they caused when they were born. And didn’t I mention my milk supply?” (I am able to pump so much they have started to hint about donating some of it, but I keep telling them I’m stock piling it for later, I will need if they both eat like Braylon)
Kaden has been doing excellent on his high flow cannula. The nurses can hardly tell the difference in his respiratory status whether he is on it or the c-pap. The doctor said he can try and stay on it a little longer each time and he only has to use the c-pap when he looks like he needs it. He is starting to fight the c-pap, which the nurses say is great because the more he fights and shows he doesn’t need it the faster the doctors will take it away for good. He made it eight hours by the time we left tonight. I was able to hold him for 2 hours today and we both loved every minute of it. He can finally relax enough to snuggle right in and fall fast asleep. He looks so peaceful now when he is sleeping and actually looks rested. The more rested he looks and the more weight he gains the more he is starting to look like his brother. He is changing more and more each day, just like his brother did several weeks ago when he really started to progress. Kaden is very interested in starting to nipple and likes to burrow his face in my chest and stick his tongue out to lick me or try and suck. Today he left a big puddle of drool on me. He won’t be able to start nipple feeding until he is off c-pap for good and off the continuous feedings. If things go for him like they did his brother it will practically happen overnight. We are hoping that he is finally over the hump.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
We Are One Month Old!!!!!
One month ago today, at this very time, I was laying in the operating room with Bryan by my side, waiting for our little miracles to be born.
I can still remember the terror like it was yesterday but yet it feels like a dream. I remember the frightening moment at St. Joes when the labor started again and Dr. Berg came into check me and told me I had to be shipped out. She had asked me if I had a preference and as the tears rolled down my cheek I blurted out the first hospital that came in my head, not knowing anything about either hospital’s NICU and hoping I had made the right choice. I also remember how the meds they gave me to slow the labor made me feel awful and how it felt like forever for the helicopter to arrive. I still get that anxious feeling when I think about arriving at Sacred Heart and knowing that none of my family had arrived yet and I can still hear the helicopter pilot’s voice when he called to tell Bryan that I had arrived safe and sound. I also remember the call I made to Bryan telling him my water had broke but not to panic when deep inside I was the one who was panicking.
Just when I thought I might make it a few more days with our little guys inside me so I could get the extra doses of steroids to help their lungs develop my body decided there was no time to wait and I began to dilate. Dr. Olson came back in the room to check me and it was then that he made the call to get the surgery suite ready and to call in the crew and the neonatologist. Again it felt like a lifetime waiting on the surgery crew as the fear of what was to come continued to build.
I waited in the cold surgery suite while the anesthesiologist gave me the block and they walked Bryan up to the head of my bed. They placed the drape in front of my face and I could hear the doctors and nurses talking as they worked to get Braylon and Kaden out into the world. I could see the nurses scurry from me to the little warmer and another group of nurses scurry from me to the other warmer across the room. They motioned for Bryan to come over and both groups stood around the warmers as I struggled to sneak a peak of the boys, but could only see either a doctor or nurses back. As they wheeled the babies by, one of the nurses noticed me watching and asked her group to stop and said, “Mom just wants a peak.” It was then that I saw one of the babies’ legs sticking straight out. Bryan left with the babies while the doctor and surgery crew sewed me up.
Again it felt like a lifetime as they worked to close my belly and another lifetime as I waited in recovery for the feeling to come back to my legs, asking over and over, “Can I see my babies yet?,” “How much longer until I can see my babies?”, “Can I have something to drink now?” While waiting Bryan brought the camera down from the NICU with pictures of the babies so I could see that they were okay and gave me a little report. From there they wheeled me to my room on post-partum where I had to wait again and finally around 3am Bryan got to wheel me up to see my babies. I remember looking at them with amazement and thinking, I can’t believe you were inside of me and I can’t believe how perfect you are. I instantly fell in love and felt the strongest bond I think I could ever feel.
Today, one month later, the boys have grown so much and yet they are still so small. Braylon is now 4lbs 10oz and Kaden is 3lbs 11oz. Both boys are doing great and continue to make progress and each day is one day closer to going home.
They went from ventilators to c-pap, cannulas, a crib, a bottle, both wearing clothes, and developing their own personalities. Braylon has been getting the hang of taking his feedings from a bottle or breast and by his 9pm care time took 4 feedings by bottle. Kaden has been gaining more and more time on his cannula and will hopefully get rid of the c-pap for good in the next couple of days. He tolerated his cannula for over 7 hours today with little trouble. Both boys had their first eye exams yesterday and both had good reports. Although again it feels like a lifetime, the time spent in the NICU, we have one month already down and hopefully only one more to go.
I can still remember the terror like it was yesterday but yet it feels like a dream. I remember the frightening moment at St. Joes when the labor started again and Dr. Berg came into check me and told me I had to be shipped out. She had asked me if I had a preference and as the tears rolled down my cheek I blurted out the first hospital that came in my head, not knowing anything about either hospital’s NICU and hoping I had made the right choice. I also remember how the meds they gave me to slow the labor made me feel awful and how it felt like forever for the helicopter to arrive. I still get that anxious feeling when I think about arriving at Sacred Heart and knowing that none of my family had arrived yet and I can still hear the helicopter pilot’s voice when he called to tell Bryan that I had arrived safe and sound. I also remember the call I made to Bryan telling him my water had broke but not to panic when deep inside I was the one who was panicking.
Just when I thought I might make it a few more days with our little guys inside me so I could get the extra doses of steroids to help their lungs develop my body decided there was no time to wait and I began to dilate. Dr. Olson came back in the room to check me and it was then that he made the call to get the surgery suite ready and to call in the crew and the neonatologist. Again it felt like a lifetime waiting on the surgery crew as the fear of what was to come continued to build.
I waited in the cold surgery suite while the anesthesiologist gave me the block and they walked Bryan up to the head of my bed. They placed the drape in front of my face and I could hear the doctors and nurses talking as they worked to get Braylon and Kaden out into the world. I could see the nurses scurry from me to the little warmer and another group of nurses scurry from me to the other warmer across the room. They motioned for Bryan to come over and both groups stood around the warmers as I struggled to sneak a peak of the boys, but could only see either a doctor or nurses back. As they wheeled the babies by, one of the nurses noticed me watching and asked her group to stop and said, “Mom just wants a peak.” It was then that I saw one of the babies’ legs sticking straight out. Bryan left with the babies while the doctor and surgery crew sewed me up.
Again it felt like a lifetime as they worked to close my belly and another lifetime as I waited in recovery for the feeling to come back to my legs, asking over and over, “Can I see my babies yet?,” “How much longer until I can see my babies?”, “Can I have something to drink now?” While waiting Bryan brought the camera down from the NICU with pictures of the babies so I could see that they were okay and gave me a little report. From there they wheeled me to my room on post-partum where I had to wait again and finally around 3am Bryan got to wheel me up to see my babies. I remember looking at them with amazement and thinking, I can’t believe you were inside of me and I can’t believe how perfect you are. I instantly fell in love and felt the strongest bond I think I could ever feel.
Today, one month later, the boys have grown so much and yet they are still so small. Braylon is now 4lbs 10oz and Kaden is 3lbs 11oz. Both boys are doing great and continue to make progress and each day is one day closer to going home.
They went from ventilators to c-pap, cannulas, a crib, a bottle, both wearing clothes, and developing their own personalities. Braylon has been getting the hang of taking his feedings from a bottle or breast and by his 9pm care time took 4 feedings by bottle. Kaden has been gaining more and more time on his cannula and will hopefully get rid of the c-pap for good in the next couple of days. He tolerated his cannula for over 7 hours today with little trouble. Both boys had their first eye exams yesterday and both had good reports. Although again it feels like a lifetime, the time spent in the NICU, we have one month already down and hopefully only one more to go.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Snoedel (Snoodle)
Here is a little history behind the boys new blankets from Easter Bunnies G-Grandma Betty and G-Grandpa George. Bryan and I slept with them for three days before letting the boys snuggle them.
The Snoedel is a simple and effective concept that originated from a Dutch family tradition. The Snoedel offers parents a means to comfort and bond with their child – even when the baby is in the hospital. The pure, Dutch sheep wool incorporated into the high quality, flannel doll absorbs the parent’s scent and slowly releases it. The Snoedel provides babies with a sense of comfort and helps to ease parents’ feelings of helplessness and may become a child’s favorite comfort toy.
The Snoedel is a simple and effective concept that originated from a Dutch family tradition. The Snoedel offers parents a means to comfort and bond with their child – even when the baby is in the hospital. The pure, Dutch sheep wool incorporated into the high quality, flannel doll absorbs the parent’s scent and slowly releases it. The Snoedel provides babies with a sense of comfort and helps to ease parents’ feelings of helplessness and may become a child’s favorite comfort toy.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Maybe a few more weeks of the NICU
Another good day for the Howlands. Both boys have continued to do well today. Braylon has been either bottle feeding or nippling about half of his feeds without very many brady spells or desats. Dr. Egger said to start preparing for him to be discharged in about a week or two, although, we are not getting our hopes up. Bryan will be bringing the car seats up on Saturday in case we really do get to do the car seat test within the next couple of weeks. It is one of the requirements for discharge. He will also be bringing up any essentials we may need to make Braylon feel at home at the RMH such as the bassinet, blankets, etc. if he does come home before his brother.
Kaden has continued to do so well on his cannula that they are letting him stay on it 6 hours at a time and then back on c-pap for 4 hours. The nurses said that they really can’t tell the difference in his respiratory status on c-pap or cannula, which is great news, meaning his lungs are developing enough that he may be able to tolerate the cannula full time soon. Dr. Egger wants to try a “bubble” c-pap with him on Thursday. It is very similar to the cannula in appearance but gives a little more pressure like the c-pap. This would eliminate all of the head gear that is required for c-pap, which will be more comfortable for Kaden, and if he tolerates it, he will not have to alternate between two different devices allowing him to use his energy for better things such as growing. It doesn’t look like he will be going home as soon as brother but shouldn’t be too far behind. The doctors and nurses keep saying he may surprise us though so to go ahead and bring both car seats up.
Both boys may require some extra help when going home. Braylon may need to go home on a small dose of caffeine to help with the brady spells and that would mean he would go home on a monitor. Kaden may or may not need caffeine and/or oxygen when he is discharged, which would also require a monitor. Although I think it might help ease my anxiety about taking the boys home since I have gotten so use to watching the monitors, the nurses keep telling me it won’t help us sleep any better at night instead we will just be overly anxious about all the false alarms. Hopefully we won’t have to mess with any of it. The more I think of it, I would rather not turn our home into a smaller version of the NICU.
Sunday will be a big day for the boys. Not only will it be their first Easter, we are planning on holding them together for the first time. Both boys are stable enough to do that now but we are holding off until Bryan is back to share the big moment. It will be the boys first time meeting each other again since being in the womb. The monitors and oxygen are connected to these huge booms that can stretch almost to the center of the room which will allow us to keep both boys on the appropriate equipment while holding them. Bryan and I are so excited; it feels like we have been waiting a long time for the boys to be reunited. It will have been over a month since the boys have been side-by-side. There will be a ton of pictures I am sure.
The boys have their first eye exams tomorrow. I am told that this can be a little disturbing to watch but not necessarily painful since they numb their eyes before using the clamp like device to hold their lids open. They encourage the parents to be there so they can hear the results straight from the eye doctor but warn them about the appearance of the procedure. I have an idea of what it is like since I had eye surgery several years ago but am not really looking forward to watching it be done to my children. I will let you all know how it goes.
Interesting Fact: Today we met with our discharge nurse because she had some questions about our insurance. We asked her how much it cost to have our boys in the NICU. To our surprise it cost almost an average of $4000 per day each, so $8000 a day. Since delivery Braylon has racked up a bill around $180,000 and Kaden's is around $295,000. By the end of the week our boys will have spend $500,000 or 1/2 a million dollars by the time they are 1 month and a couple days old. Wow!!! This does not include my medical costs at all. Thank goodness for insurance.
Kaden with his puppy dog blankie from G-Grandma Betty and G-Grandpa George for Easter
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Kaden just hangin' out in the NICU
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Braylon holding his own binkie
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Braylon having a heart-to-heart with his monkey blankie from G-Grandma Betty and G-Grandpa George, from his Easter basket
"I'll be going home when monkeys fly out my butt" (Bryan made this saying up, if you couldn't tell)
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Momma feeding Braylon
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Kaden has continued to do so well on his cannula that they are letting him stay on it 6 hours at a time and then back on c-pap for 4 hours. The nurses said that they really can’t tell the difference in his respiratory status on c-pap or cannula, which is great news, meaning his lungs are developing enough that he may be able to tolerate the cannula full time soon. Dr. Egger wants to try a “bubble” c-pap with him on Thursday. It is very similar to the cannula in appearance but gives a little more pressure like the c-pap. This would eliminate all of the head gear that is required for c-pap, which will be more comfortable for Kaden, and if he tolerates it, he will not have to alternate between two different devices allowing him to use his energy for better things such as growing. It doesn’t look like he will be going home as soon as brother but shouldn’t be too far behind. The doctors and nurses keep saying he may surprise us though so to go ahead and bring both car seats up.
Both boys may require some extra help when going home. Braylon may need to go home on a small dose of caffeine to help with the brady spells and that would mean he would go home on a monitor. Kaden may or may not need caffeine and/or oxygen when he is discharged, which would also require a monitor. Although I think it might help ease my anxiety about taking the boys home since I have gotten so use to watching the monitors, the nurses keep telling me it won’t help us sleep any better at night instead we will just be overly anxious about all the false alarms. Hopefully we won’t have to mess with any of it. The more I think of it, I would rather not turn our home into a smaller version of the NICU.
Sunday will be a big day for the boys. Not only will it be their first Easter, we are planning on holding them together for the first time. Both boys are stable enough to do that now but we are holding off until Bryan is back to share the big moment. It will be the boys first time meeting each other again since being in the womb. The monitors and oxygen are connected to these huge booms that can stretch almost to the center of the room which will allow us to keep both boys on the appropriate equipment while holding them. Bryan and I are so excited; it feels like we have been waiting a long time for the boys to be reunited. It will have been over a month since the boys have been side-by-side. There will be a ton of pictures I am sure.
The boys have their first eye exams tomorrow. I am told that this can be a little disturbing to watch but not necessarily painful since they numb their eyes before using the clamp like device to hold their lids open. They encourage the parents to be there so they can hear the results straight from the eye doctor but warn them about the appearance of the procedure. I have an idea of what it is like since I had eye surgery several years ago but am not really looking forward to watching it be done to my children. I will let you all know how it goes.
Interesting Fact: Today we met with our discharge nurse because she had some questions about our insurance. We asked her how much it cost to have our boys in the NICU. To our surprise it cost almost an average of $4000 per day each, so $8000 a day. Since delivery Braylon has racked up a bill around $180,000 and Kaden's is around $295,000. By the end of the week our boys will have spend $500,000 or 1/2 a million dollars by the time they are 1 month and a couple days old. Wow!!! This does not include my medical costs at all. Thank goodness for insurance.
Kaden with his puppy dog blankie from G-Grandma Betty and G-Grandpa George for Easter
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Kaden just hangin' out in the NICU
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Braylon holding his own binkie
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Braylon having a heart-to-heart with his monkey blankie from G-Grandma Betty and G-Grandpa George, from his Easter basket
"I'll be going home when monkeys fly out my butt" (Bryan made this saying up, if you couldn't tell)
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Momma feeding Braylon
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Monday, March 29, 2010
Four Weeks Old!
Four weeks down. The boys have been doing very well over the last week. Braylon was gum tied to Ashley today, getting his first full nipple feeding. He also drank three full feedings from a bottle last night and drank ½ a bottle for me today.Last night he weighed 4lbs 6 oz and tonight he weighed 4lbs 6.9oz. The doctor called us this morning and said that both boys have been doing fantastic. He also said that Braylon will probably be leaving the NICU a few weeks before brother Kaden; which is good and bad news, good being that he will be out, and bad being that we will have to work something out with him and us to be able to see his brother. Once any of them leave the NICU they are not able to go back in. Hopefully his brother will catch up to him and they will leave together.
Kaden has been kicking butt on the cannula. He seems to be tolerating it a lot better this go around. Our nurse today said “they are doing fabulous”, and she kept saying the word fabulous over and over throughout the day. It was good because she is a nurse that we both really like. She usually gets the boys a couple times every week and she really notices that they are changing and likes to get them to move forward and make their way out of the NICU. Kaden has been trying his hardest to catch his brother and is gaining weight. He weighs 3lbs 9oz, and is really pushing to try to get some of that fresh squeezed momma milk; so is able to get his own crib, start nippling, and catch up to his brother. Other than that the boys are doing as well as they can be, and all we can do now is wait and hope for more “fabulous” days ahead.
Braylon 4 weeks old with his bear
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Kaden 4 weeks old with his bear
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Daddy bottle feeding Braylon
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Daddy and Mommy kissing Kaden
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Kaden has been kicking butt on the cannula. He seems to be tolerating it a lot better this go around. Our nurse today said “they are doing fabulous”, and she kept saying the word fabulous over and over throughout the day. It was good because she is a nurse that we both really like. She usually gets the boys a couple times every week and she really notices that they are changing and likes to get them to move forward and make their way out of the NICU. Kaden has been trying his hardest to catch his brother and is gaining weight. He weighs 3lbs 9oz, and is really pushing to try to get some of that fresh squeezed momma milk; so is able to get his own crib, start nippling, and catch up to his brother. Other than that the boys are doing as well as they can be, and all we can do now is wait and hope for more “fabulous” days ahead.
Braylon 4 weeks old with his bear
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Kaden 4 weeks old with his bear
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Daddy bottle feeding Braylon
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Daddy and Mommy kissing Kaden
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Sunday, March 28, 2010
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Kings of the NICU
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Crib for Kings.JPG)
The boys wrote a little not for the nurses.JPG)
Braylon hangin out in his new clothes more like swimming.JPG)
Kaden snoozin after cuddlin with dadAll is good on the Howland front. The boys have been doing very well this week, and will hopefully continue their streak. We have had some good news over the past few days and the boys have been growing. The other night the doctor was saying that Braylon would be getting into a crib soon, and today he did. He is now King of the NICU. He also gained 2 more ounces tonight, which brings him to a grand total of 4lbs 6oz. He also has been able to try nipple feeding and bottle feeding; he sucked down 43mL tonight all by bottle and it was his 2nd in two days.
Kaden is not far behind, and he weighs 3lbs 6oz, as of last night. His nurse was taking care of another baby and didn’t make it back in time for us to weigh him. He is not in a crib yet but is working his way towards a crib. The boy has been tolerating his switching over from cannula to c-pap fairly well and I think they might extend his time soon. I’ll leave that one up to the doctors. The last few nights Ash and I have been holding him skin to skin. What makes these nights different is that he is taking to it a lot better. He usually fusses a lot and will move around to get comfy, but I think he really likes it and we will continue to do skin to skin with both boys.
I can’t believe that it has almost been 1 month since they were born. Ever week there is a change with them, and every time I leave and come back they look so big. Braylon is definitely the chunkster of the two and is starting to get all that baby fat. Kaden has been getting a little more every week and you can really notice it in his cheeks now. They have both been a blessing to our hearts and we will hopefully be getting to our real home soon.
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