2/28/05 Lucas hit 5 lbs today!!!!! He is still on between 35-40% oxygen under his hood. I did kangaroo care with Lucas today while he ate lunch, and he did a great job of snuggling on my chest and tucking. He is so sweet!
Soph weighed in at 4 lb. 1.9oz. She was given orders that she could bottle feed twice a day so I tried feeding her at lunch time. She ate about 1/2 the bottle (20 cc's) and then pooped out. When i put her back to bed, she fussed and fussed. I decided she had air in her tummy, so i picked her back up and patted her. She let out a HUGE burp and then immediately fell asleep. All is right with the world now!
2/27/05 Soph weighed in at 4 lb. 1 oz and is still on the nasal cannula (barely). She finished her bottle today with just help from Daddy, and she even held the bottle for him for a while! What a cutie! I did kangaroo care with Soph earlier in the day and she actually latched on to my breast and started sucking. She is making really big steps!
Lucas weighe din at 4 lb. 12 oz. and is on about 35-40% oxygen. He finished his entire bottle with just help from me! Even down the the very last drop and he was still sucking afterwards! He was very alert today and stared for a long time at me and his toys. He is getting more coordinated and can reach out and grab things (like his feeding tube which he still likes to pull out!)
2/26/05 Lucas was on about 35% oxygen today and weighed in at 4 lb. 14 oz. He took his whole bottle today, with a little help from one of the nurses. She gave Will and I tips on how to feed preemies, and it really helped! Lucas got to meet Aunt Malinda for the first time today, and check out the cute pix of her holding him!
Sophie weighed in at 3lb 14 oz. and is still on the minimum amount of oxygen available. She finished her bottle too! The nurses are going to recommend that she tries the bottle more than once a day because she is doing so well with it and is on so little oxygen. Soph met Aunt Malinda too, and finally got a chance to wear her own clothes. Soooo cute!
2/25/05 I did kangaroo care with Sophie again today for over an hour. The physical therapist said she is still having some problems "tucking" like newborns should, so cuddling seems to help. She snuggled right up and tucked well for over an hour. Sophie weighed in at 4 lbs today! She is still on the nasal cannula with the minimum amount of oxygen.
Lucas is on about 38% oxygen and weighed in at 4 lb 12 oz today. He was wide awake this morning and stared for a long time at me with his huge eyes. He is doing very well with his physical therapy and has gotten better about being held and touched. Will fed him his bottle last night and he took about 25 cc's.
2/24/05 Lucas had to get an injection of a diuretic today, with the hopes that it will dry up some of the liquid in his lungs and he will be able to decrease his oxygen. He is on about 40% oxygen right now, and weighed in at 4 lb. 13 oz last night (extra water weight). He got a bath yesterday, so he was very tired when it was bottle time last night. He only ate about 16 cc's from his bottle before he fell asleep. Not too bad though!
Sophie weighed in at 3 lb. 13 oz today and WOW was she hungry last night. Will must have had the magic touch, because he got Soph to eat 28 cc's from her bottle. That's the record so far! I held both babies while they ate their lunch today, and Soph really stared at me for a long time. The nurses say she is beginning to really study faces when she is awake, and they are convinced she knows mommy and daddy!
2/23/05 Sophie and I got to snuggle for over 2 hours today! She only drank about 10 cc's from her bottle last night because the nurse gave her a bath right before she tried, so she was VERY sleepy. She weighed in at 3 lb. 14 oz. today and I got to do kangaroo care with her. She did VERY well. She immediately began to fuss and looked for my breast. She latched on and sucked for a while, then fell asleep. She slept that way for over an hour. I then tried to move her so she was lying on my chest and she threw an absolute tantrum! She screamed and cried until I put her back by my breast, at which time she latched on again and fell back asleep for another hour! Nice work Soph!
Lucas drank over 20 cc's from his bottle last night and weighed in at 4 lb. 10 oz. He is still eating 50 cc's every 4 hours, and he got a bath this morning. The nurses took pictures because he was so cute! They said he got this unsure look on his face when they put him in the tub, but then relaxed and really enjoyed the bath. They said he leaned back and looked like he was at the spa! What cute pictures for the baby book!
2/22/05 Lucas weighed in at 4 lb. 8 oz today and is eating 50 cc's every 4 hours. He drank about 20 cc's out of his bottle yesterday, so he's learning fast! He is regulating his temperature so well that he doesn't even need a blanket anymore, just his cute little outfit! He is on about 35% oxygen under his hood.
Sophie is 3 lb. 12 oz today and eats 40 cc's every 4 hours. She also ate about 20 cc's from her bottle last night, so she's trying to keep up with Lucas. Today, they tried Sophie on room air and she is doing really well! She no longer has additional oxygen (except for a small boost after she eats)! She is so beautiful now that we don't have to look at her through the plastic hood! She had a bone scan yesterday and it showed no signs of fractures or breaks (they were concerned because her bones look brittle from being on the fluid and not milk for so long when she was smaller).
2/21/05 Sophie had a HUGE day today! She got transferred to a "big girl bed", meaning she is in a crib now and gets to wear clothes. I got to put her first outfit on her, which was a little pink gown. She did NOT like having clothes put on her, but calmed down after she got her lunch. She weighed in at 3 lb. 11 oz. today and was on about 25% oxygen. She looks so big and grown up in her bed. We are going to feed them by bottle tonight at the 8pm feeding so Will can help too!
Lucas weighed in at 4 lb. 7 oz. and is doing well in his crib. He and Sophie both decided it was a good day to be rough on mommy, and pooped after i took their diapers off of them. Good thing I learned early on to put a security diaper on under them before i took the dirty one off! They are so sneaky! Lucas was enthralled with one of his toys and stared intently at it while he ate his lunch.
2/20/05 Lucas weighed in at 4 lb. 5 oz. today and drank 20 cc's from his bottle. He is eating 48 cc's total a feeding, which is 1 2/3 oz. each feeding. He was very awake today and got cuddles from Nana. He was on about 30% oxygen under his hood.
Sophie drank 8 cc's from her bottle and weighed in at 3 lb. 10 oz. She got cuddles from Papa George. She is getting soooo big! She is awake alot more than she used to be, and for longer periods of time. Soph is on about 25 % oxygen under her hood.
2/19/05 Sophie weighed in at 3 lb. 9 oz. today and was bumped up to 38 cc's of milk every 4 hours. We were able to try her on the bottle for the first time today and she ate 7 cc's from the bottle. She worked so hard to suck down the milk out of the bottle, but her little mouth just got so tired! We are able to try both Sophie and Lucas on the bottle once a day now until they get the hang of it. Sophie also got some cuddles from Nana for the first time today. Check out the pictures in the album.
Lucas weighed 4 lb. 5 oz. and also tried the bottle. He was able to drink about 18 cc's from the bottle, and then fell asleep. He is getting so big! He got cuddles from Papa George and we got some really cute pictures of it too!
2/18/05 I held Lucas again today because he peed all over his bed and he needed to have to changed. He weighs 4 lb. 4 oz. now and is growing bigger every day! He was very alert and active while i was there, and enjoyed his 48 cc's of milk for lunch. He is so beautiful and has huge eyes. He was on about 30% oxygen.
Sophie was also very awake and alert today. She is eating 35 cc's of breast milk each feeding and weighs 3 lb. 7 oz. She is beginning to LOVE her pacifier. She has really gotten the hang of sucking on it, and we are hoping to start trying her with a bottle soon. She was in about 30% oxygen when i got there, but quickly weaned back down to 22%. Go Soph!
2/17/05 Sophie weighs 3 lb. 7 oz. again today, and is doing well. She is at about 21-22% oxygen, so she is very close to coming off the hood and breathing only room air. She was very active today and had another HUGE diaper. Last night, Will got to hold Sophie while she ate her dinner, and we got a family photo as I was holding Lucas. (check out the picture in the album!)
Lucas weighs 4 lb. 2 oz again today. He is at about 30% oxygen, so he is down from yesterday, which is good. He was taken off his caffiene today, which is a big step. He was also bumped up to 48 cc's of milk every feeding. He's growing like crazy!
2/16/05 Lucas weighed in at 4 lb. 2 oz today (he broke the 4 lb. mark!). He was on about 37% oxygen while i was there. Above Lucas' bed is an air duct for the air conditioning, and the nurse was concerned that his temperature was a little low because the cold air was blowing on him, so she built him a little tent out of blankets. He is on his first camping trip! He did very well with his physical therapy today and is still eating 43 cc's of breast milk every 4 hours. I was telling the PT about how Sophie was lying on her tummy yesterday and turned her head completely over, first on her face then to the other side. The PT was very impressed and just as I finished the story, we looked down and Lucas turned his head over in the exact same way. He can't be outdone by his sister!
Sophie also did very well with her physical therapy. The PT said she did better than average on some of her stretches and reflexes. Sophie weighs 3 lb. 7 oz. and is only on 21.7% oxygen (21% is room air). She is still under the hood, but only because sometimes she needs a little extra boost of oxygen. She is doing really well and is eating 35 cc's of breast milk every 4 hours.
2/15/05 Sophie weighed in at 3 lb. 6 oz today. She was at about 27% oxygen. She is eating 35 cc's of breast milk every 4 hours. I didn't get to interact much with her today at my noon visit because she and Lucas were waiting to be seen by the eye doctor.
Lucas weighed in at 3 lb/ 14 oz and was at about 37% oxygen. He is still under the hood and in his big boy bed. He looks so cute in clothes! He fussed quite a bit while i was there because the nurse was holding their feedings until after they were seen by the eye doctor, so Lucas was HUNGRY! He calmed down some though when I gave him his pacifier. Lucas also got his first bath in a tub today. The nurse told me when I got there for my noon visit that Lucas had spit up, so she gave him his first real bath. She said he didn't really like being placed in the water, but he calmed down and enjoyed being shampooed.
2/14/05 Lucas was at 30% oxygen today and weighed in at 3 lb. 14 oz. He looks so cute in his big boy clothes in the crib. I held him briefly today while the nurse changed his bedding. He seems to be much happier outside of the isolette.
Sophie weighed 3 lb. 4 oz today and was in the low 20% in her oxygen. She filled up an entire "big" diaper today, including soiling her bed and blankets. I think she just likes new bedding :). She got a follow up head ultrasound today, but the results won't be in until tomorrow.
2/13/05 I was able to do Kangaroo Care with Sophie today for about 1 1/2 hours. She curled right up on my chest and snuggled in for a nap (pictures!). She took her feeding through the tube while on my chest. I placed her near my breast, and she latched on, but didn't totally get the sucking part down yet. She cuddled back against my chest and fell into a deep sleep (which made ME very sleepy too). I could definitely lose hours and hours in the day just holding these babies. Sophie weighed 3 lb. 5 oz today and was at 24% oxygen.
Lucas was also doing very well. They were able to turn off the additional heat above his bed, as he is regulating his temperature (with clothes and blankets) in the outside world. He weighed in at 3 lb. 13 oz today and was exhausted from his big day yesterday.
2/12/05 Today was a huge day for Lucas! He was moved from his isolette into a crib (check out the pictures!). In order to regulate his temperature, he gets to wear clothes (preemie clothe are almost too small for him). He is still under the hood and is at about 40% oxygen. Will and I held him for a while today and he did very well with it. He ate out of a bottle, about 20 cc's!
Sophie is still doing well. She weighed 3 lb. 5 oz. today, and is at about 27% oxygen under her hood. She is beautiful and screamed and kicked for us today. She calms down though when she hears Will or my voice.
2/11/05 I held Sophie again today! We did kangaroo care for about 1/2 hour. When Ifirst got to the hospital, she was screaming and screaming (hungry!). She calmed down as soon as the nurse placed her on my chest, and fell into a deep sleep while i fed her. She is sooooo sweet! She weighs 3 lb. 3 oz. and was on about 27% oxygen.
Lucas is doing well also. He did not need much additional support as he came off his steroids. He is on about 35% oxygen and is still on the hood. He stared at me while i changed his diaper, and he has the largest eyes! He weighs 3 lb. 13.7oz. He is getting more of a personality every day. When i held his legs to change his diaper, he gave me the most evil look! What a cutie!
2/10/05 Lucas is 3 lb. 14.7 oz. today. He was between 27-35% oxygen while i was visiting. He did well with his physical therapy and responded well to my voice. I was able to help with his physical therapy and the therapist said he has been doing very well. He is still recieving breathing treatments to help open his lungs up a bit, but they are really helping (even though he hates them).
Sophie is 3 lb. 1 oz and still growing. She is finally filling out some and her tummy doesnt' look so huge anymore. She also did well with her physical therapy and the therapist said she has been much more active the last few days. The therapist asked if i wanted to change her diaper, but i let her do it because she already had gloves on and her hands in there. It was a good thing too, because Sophie decided to poop all over the place after the therapist took off her diaper to wipe her. She had to get all new bed linens, and it turns out that was the second time she had done that today. Hey, when a girl wants new bed linens, she'll do just about anything..... :)
2/9/05 Sophie is 3 lb. 1 oz. today. She is at about 30% on her oxygen levels and is awake much more active. She peeked at me today and started sucking, so i gave her her pacifier and she calmed right down. She pulled out her feeding tube, which is a good sign (she's starting to be very independent!)
I was able to do Kangaroo care with lucas today for about 1 1/2 hours! As soon as the nurse set him on my chest, he began rooting. I moved him down to my nipple and he immediately latched on and started sucking! a HUGE step! He slept peacefully for about 1 1/2 hours in my arms, until i finally had to go home and pump. Apparantly, he threw a fit at midnight last night, so the nurse took him out and bottle fed him (for the first time!). He drank 25 cc's from the bottle. GO LUCAS! He is weighing in at 3 lb. 13 oz.
2/8/05 I held Lucas today!!!!! Today, the babies are 2 months old and I finally got my first chance to hold Lucas. He is so sweet! He weighs 3 lb. 11 oz. He is on really low oxygen settings on his hood (down to 24% for a while!) so the nurse let me hold him while he ate his lunch. He squirmed a bit until the milk hit his tummy, then he fell into a deep sleep. He was albe to maintain his settings outside the isolette for over 15 minutes while i held him!
Sophie hit the 3 lb. mark today for her 2 month birthday! She is also really low on her oxygen settings, about 28%. She was only awake for a few minutes while i was there today,but she opened her eyes long enough to see me. She is so beautiful and sleeps so peacefully.
2/7/05 Sophie had another good day. Shei still around 28% oxygen on the hood. She is still eating full feedings and was active and awake while I was there. She had the BIGGEST dirty diaper i have ever seen (70 cc's!). She filled up her entire diaper with poop, and it even leaked out the side and onto the covers and bed. Go Sophie! She was awake for a good 20 minutes after i changed her diaper, and she stared at me the entire time. I sang and talked to her and she really focused on me.
Lucas had another great day. He is down to 28% oxygen on the hood (he's giving Sophie a run for her money!). He also had a good diaper, which means he is getting rid of some of that excess water. He also was awake for a while today, and he has HUGE eyes (the nurses say, "like his mommy") He watched me as well, and crossed his eyes when the mask was brought to his face, meaning he was really focusing on it. They are growing up so fast!
2/6/05 Lucas had a GREAT day today. He was taken off the ventilator and put on the oxygen hood like Sophie is on. He was able to stay on the hood, even through his feeding, although they had to turn his oxygen up a bit. It's hard work digesting and breathing at the same time! Lucas weighed 3 lb. 14 oz. today, but is retaining some water. He is finally getting rid of some of the water in his lungs, so we are hoping this will help him breathe easier.
Sophie had a good day also! She is at about 28% oxygen, and has had many fewer drops in her oxygen levels under the hood. She is still on full feedings and has started to be more active again. She loves her pacifier!
2/5/05 Sophie is at 2 lb. 14 oz. and is still on full feedings. She was down to 25% oxygen in her hood today, so the nurse let us hold her! She had to wear a nasal cannula, but Will and I were able to hold her for about 15 minutes each. She is so sweet! she just kept looking up at us and then closing her eyes and sleeping. Her oxygen saturation level was 100% the entire time (meaning she really liked it!).
Lucas is 3 lb. 10 oz. He lost an ounce after a VERY dirty diaper. He is still extremely active and is doing well weaning off the ventilator. He is almost at the point (probably today or early tomorrow) where they will try him back on the CPAP nasal cannula (the big tube thing he was wearing in his week 7 pictures). He is still on full feedings and is doing better now that he is on antibiotics.
2/4/05 Lucas is still at 3 lb. 11 oz and is still eating 40 cc's of fortified breast milk every 4 hours. He is doing above average in his physical therapy, but still has some swelling in his throat. They were able to lower his settings significantly on the ventilator in the last 24 hours, but may not try him off of it immediately because he is starting antibiotics for yet another infection. He is VERY active!
Sophie is still on the oxygen hood, and is around 40-50% oxygen today. She is still eating 32 cc's of fortified breast milk every 4 hours. She weighs 2 lb. 14 oz. now and we're hoping she'll break the 3 lb. mark soon! She is not as active in her physical therapy, but may be tired from trying to breathe and digest all that milk! The physical therapist has not noticed any difference between her left and right side activity, which is good, as we are keeping an eye on it due to her brain injury when she had seizures.
2/3/05 Sophie is doing well, shei s still weighing in at 2 lb. 13 oz. They have increased her feedings to 32cc's fortified. She was awake for a long time this afternoon and responded well to touch and sound. She was between 25-30% oxygen (which is almost room air!)
Lucas had his feedings upped to 40cc's fortified of breast milk. If he can digest that, he will have his pic line removed (his deep IV line) which will decrease his risk of infection. The doctors are giving him steroids to strengthen his lungs and decrease swelling around his vocal cords (from the ventilator tube). Hopefully, this will get him off the ventilator for good! (then we can hold him!)
2/2/05 Lucas is weighing in at 3 lb. 11 oz. and is still on his ventilator, although the settings are gradually being turned down. He is eating 32 cc's of breast milk every 4 hours, plus it's fortified with extra calories. He is active and opens his eyes a lot more than he used to. Today, he was very fussy after the nurse "suctioned" him, so i put my hand on his head and sang to him, and he calmed right down and started breathing regularly again. Just needed some of mama's touch!
Sophie is weighing in at 2 lb. 13 oz. and growing every day! She is recieving extra oxygen under her hood, which looks like a bubble around her head and upper body. She is only getting about 30% oxygen though, and room air has about 21%, so she is almost off the hood. She still looks tiny compared to Lucas, but is starting to fill out... FINALLY! She is eating 30cc's of breast milk every 4 hours, fortified with extra calories. Soph enjoys her physical therapy and responds to Will's and my voice. She is so beautiful and looks more and more like Will every day!
Posted by our3babies
at 9:42 PM CST
Updated: Tuesday, 8 January 2008 9:48 PM CST
