Mindy:
I never thought that the girls would be born before week 28. I wish so much that they were able to stay inside a few weeks longer but they seem to have a mind of their own. For how little they are they seem to be doing well, yet it is very emotional to see them hooked up to so many machines and working so hard to survive. But we do have some fighters on our hands.
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| Mindy next to our little Fight Club Champion |
Tuesday was a blur for me. I was having contractions over night Monday but nothing that was alarming and I was in no discomfort. Them about 7:30 AM I wasn't feeling right. Little did I know I was in active labor and dilating rapidly. The doctor came in around 9 and said to get me ready the girls were going to be born within the next hour. The pain got quite intense and I do not know how women can give birth naturally. Ouch! The C-Section went fine and I had no complications. I could feel a lot of pressure and tugging and the anesthesiologist was telling me exactly what was going on as Tony was too busy watching the whole thing. I was really impressed that he was able to watch without any difficulties.
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| Yup. Tony was just fine through the whole thing! |
I have been able to spend some time with the girls but has been hard for me as I can still only stand or sit up for a few minutes at a time before I get really uncomfortable. Add 8 weeks of bed rest and a C-Section together and it doesn't make for a fun recovery. They will be putting a recliner in the girls room so I can start staying longer without being uncomfortable. Tony and I will be creating a schedule of when we will come to visit and I'm sure it will vary day by day. I'm waiting for my doctor to come in with further instructions on my recovery then I get to be discharged for good this time!
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| Now we just come to this room for visits! |
I've heard people say that once your child is born they fall even more in love with their husband. This is so true. Watching Tony with the girls often brings tears to my eyes as he is a great proud daddy. He knows how each of the girls is most comfortable and works with them to get them to that position so they can sleep most peacefully. For example, Rianne likes to sleep with her hands up by her face and Tony is able to move her CPAP and bedding to the right spot so she can get her hands just right.
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| Rianne a little unsatisfied with her position but sensing mommy is watching |
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| Rianne sneaks a peek from under her hat |
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| That's what I'm talking about, now I can get my hand next to my ears and listen to my iTunes! |
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| I'm in here somewhere! |
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| Brielle just chillin... |
I wasn't sure how I would consistently update everyone with the girls medical condition and progress. I've been using a organizational tool that I created as an analogy to 11 systems of our body that I go over the first day of Health Science Anatomy class in Fall. It's a "how to keep things organized for people who are not normally organized i.e. husbands" method I used while Mindy was on bed rest for two months.
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| If Mindy were to be on bed rest much longer we were going to take drastic measures to get her some "outside" time |
I'm still terrible at cleaning, but I've become quite the organizational guru having completely ordered and labeled (at one time or another during Mindy's bed rest) our bathroom, closet, pantry, office, daily schedule, and automated routine tasks such as laundry, trash, dishes and making sure I have time without distraction to spend with her at least twice a day.
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| The Dymo labeler will in Tony's stocking this Christmas |
So I'll use the same 11 systems in that order because I know them from memory, but first, a quick update on Mindy.
She's still hurting a bit but will have her staples out today (Ouch!)
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| No, not this staple remover! |
So here's the skinny on the kiddos:
11:23 AM Just got the call that Mindy will get to hold Rianne today and got to see her face. I'll get to see them later today, so jealous. Mindy was super excited and nervous. I, in my very East Coast empathetic way said, "don't drop her." Sigh. I was doing so well...
- Renal/Kidney - we have not heard anything bad about any kidney function
- Derm/Skin - Teagan has some rash on her belly and by her nose that seems to be responding well to Aquaphor
- GI - Rianne and Brielle are both doing well with 2 mL of breast milk every 6 hours, Teagan went NPO after her belly wasn't looking good. They don't want to stress her systems too much and she's the peanut right now. Teagan's fighting in the beginning has taxed all of her systems.
- Cellular (Blood) - Teagan will get a a 10 mL transfusion of O Negative blood this afternoon. She has had a lot taken out with the draws for blood gases and is doing the worst of the three with the lungs so it would be good for her to have more oxygen carrying hemoglobin.
- Lungs - Rianne is on the bubble cpap still with around room percentage oxygenation around 21%, Teagan will go on a high velocity system, the intubation that she had before was too rough on her and maxed out at 60 respirations per minute and just barely keeping her saturation in the high 80's/low 90's. This type of system is supposed to not let the lungs deflate completely keeping the alveoli from sticking together. Brielle seems to be doing well with her intubation initiating a lot of the respirations on her own.
- Brain -All should be coming off of intraventricular hemorrhage precautions soon (maybe noon today?) I believe this is just making sure they are laying on their back getting minimal stimulation so their brains don't blow a fuse
- Liver - The Bili lights have been turned off on Teagan and Brielle!!! They may need them again later but for now they can get out of the tanning bed and get some much needed sleep!
- Circulatory System - Aside from having needles the size of javelins in their legs and arms, all seems well
- Autonomic/Somatic Nervous System - The breathing is really the piece of the autonomic nervous system that needs to move well now, soon the GI will come along as well
- Cardiac - murmurs have been reported in all three, the concern is patent ductus arteriosus. I put the explanation of what should happen below from Wikipedia:
When the newborn takes its first breath, the lungs open and pulmonary vascular resistance decreases. After birth, the lungs release bradykinin to constrict the smooth muscle wall of the DA and reduce bloodflow through the DA as it narrows and completely closes, usually within the first few weeks of life. In most newborns with a patent ductus arteriosus the blood flow is reversed from that of in utero flow, i.e. the blood flow is from the higher pressure aorta to the now lower pressure pulmonary arteries.
In normal newborns, the DA is substantially closed within 12–24 hours after birth, and is completely sealed after three weeks. The primary stimulus for the closure of the ductus is the increase in neonatal blood oxygen content. Withdrawal from maternal circulating prostaglandins also contributes to ductal closure. The residual scar tissue from the fibrotic remnants of DA, called the ligamentum arteriosum, remains in the normal adult heart."
Treatment can be with Indomethacin...again, here's the Wikipedia explanation:
Because Prostaglandin E2 is responsible for keeping the ductus patent, NSAIDS (inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis) such as indomethacin or a special form of ibuprofen have been used to help close a PDA.This is an especially viable alternative for premature infants.
- Skeletal - All are doing well and they are just so tiny. The kids hands fit around my finger so it's both heart warming and wrenching at the same time.
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