Jason and I never thought we would be so excited about poop - but here we are overjoyed that both of our boys have had their first poop! Jared yesterday and Anthony today. (I am sure that one day they will both appreciate and thank me for the fact that everyone knew about their first poop).
Jared is continuing his Ibuprofen treatment in hopes to improve if not completely close his PDA and all signs are good so far. His test results came back normal this morning and his is urine output has been unchanged. They will repeat the echocardiogram on his heart once the treatment has completed.
He is still experiencing "brady" spells but they seem to be a little less frequent since his nurse suctioned the mucus out of his throat and nose. I tried to explain to him that he shouldn't sleep with his mouth open like he does, because I think that might be contributing to the buildup of boogies. At any rate, he is on a smaller dosage of the light therapy and it is quite possible that he may soon come off of the light all together. That will make Jason and I happy for two reasons - 1. he will be able to take his sunglasses off so we can see his sweet face and hopefully see him open his eyes 2. Jason and I don't go blind looking at him under the light which is tinted blue and hard to look at for a long period of time.
Even though he hasn't eaten yet, Jared was the first one to poop. Yesterday both boys received a suppository (I can't imagine how tiny it was).
Anthony is stable and doing well. He received a blood transfusion yesterday and all seems to have gone well with that as there hasn't been any signs otherwise. He is still having "brady" spells which seem to come and go in frequency. Last night he had atleast 3 while Jason and I were visiting but then didn't have any more throughout the night. Honestly, it is quite scary for Jason and I when this happens while we are there. No one seems too worried about it because it is so common for preemies. However, since it is not common for Jason and I, we are the only ones that are put off a little.
Anthony's nurse last night indicated that his lung sounds were clear and she did not hear a murmur in his heart. The PDA does cause a murmur, so hopefully that means it might be getting smaller and smaller still. They are going to repeat the echocardiogram on Anthony within the next day or so to check on the status of his PDA. If it remains open, the doctors will need to discuss (wth us) the next course of action.
Jason and I spoke at length with Dr. Patel yesterday regarding the options of treating their PDAs if they are unable to close with the Ibuprofen therapy. It is possible they may do another round of Ibuprofen therapy, they may be transported to CHOC for a surgery to repair it, or the doctors may wait and see if is closes on its own. You will know when we know.
It is so comforting to both of us that so many nurses in the NICU love our little miracles so much. The boys have the same nurses regularly which helps us get to know them and we appreciate their love and support. It is not uncommon for them to hug each of us when we get ready to leave for the night, or if Momma has a break down at the incubator. It is so great to have such caring people taking care of our babies when we cannot.
Although each minute of each day seems to get a little easier for us, each day is not without its hurdles (big and small). Thank you for your loving thoughts and prayers as we deal with all of this together.
We understand that many of you want to see more pictures of the boys. We will do our best to post more as we take them. So often the pictures that we take each night don't come out well when we try to post them on the blog because they are so small. We will do our best to get better ones so you can also see their sweet faces.
Fight on! Little Fighters!! - Love Momma
Welcome to Our Blog! Our Story Starts Below...
Welcome to our blog! We set this up as an information hub about the progress of our little twin boys who were born on January 5, 2010. We along with our little boys first thank you so much for your love and support, and hope that this blog will give you an opportunity to follow their progress as they grow in the NICU at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton.
Our little boys had a harrowing journey to get here. They were born at 25 weeks and 6 days, which is needless to say, very early. Jared William, was born at 10:49 a.m. feet first, and on the bathroom floor of the delivery room. Anthony Michael was born at 11:30 via C-section after he decided that he wanted to come out hands first.
Our story started on Monday, January 4 after a doctor's appointment with Dr. Gray. Danielle had been feeling generally, "crappy" the day before and reported what sounded like some contractions. The doctor decided to send us across the street to the hospital just to make sure everything was okay. After a couple of hours in labor and delivery the staff confirmed a few contractions, but very far apart. Her cervix was not dilated and the babies were fine.
The doctor sent us home and told us to keep track of the contractions, and so long as they weren't less than 7 minutes apart there was no need for concern. The next morning Danielle started feeling contractions again, but this time they were about five minutes apart. She called the doctor who said to wait another hour and see if they went away.
I was just getting ready to walk out the door to work when Danielle had a contraction that just about doubled her over. Deciding something wasn't right, I called the doctor and said we were coming to the hospital.
On our way to the hospital Danielle was having severe pains in her lower back every three minutes. When we arrived at the hospital Danielle was hooked up to the machines which registered no contractions at all. The doctors and nurses did not think her pains were contractions but constipation. After several attempts to alleviate that Danielle went into the bathroom still having severe lower back pain.
After a minute, I heard a scream, and Danielle was screaming that her babies were coming out. The nurses came rushing, as did the doctor, but Jared was too impatient to wait. He was born on the bathroom floor. After Danielle was moved to the bed, Anthony wasn't so cooperative and an emergency C-section was performed.
The NICU unit was quick to respond and help the teenie little babies breathe and fight for life. Jared was 2lbs. 1oz. and was 13 and 1/2 inches long. Anthony was 1lb. 15oz. and was 13 inches long.
The whole thing was totally unexpected, and frankly more traumatic than happy. But we are blessed with two gorgeous little miracle babies!
Our boys came home to us on March 26, 2010, after spending 81 days or about 12 weeks in the NICU at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. As you may note from our previous posts below, the journey was not without its bumps in the road.
There were highs, and there were lows. We and the boys braved two laser eye surgeries, and countless other obstacles and scares. But, we never lost confidence in the medical team in the NICU, and always kept our faith that God would lead us through this time.
Our steadfastness paid off, because now the boys are happy and healthy at home! This of course brings with it a totally new set of challenges that we are exicted and eager to experience. The task of caring for twin newborns is a daunting one, but a welcome one.
So, just because the boys are now home, don't think the blogging will stop. It may not be as consistent as before, but we will do our best to keep you all updated on their progress, and give you a window into our lives raising twin boys.
Enjoy!
Our little boys had a harrowing journey to get here. They were born at 25 weeks and 6 days, which is needless to say, very early. Jared William, was born at 10:49 a.m. feet first, and on the bathroom floor of the delivery room. Anthony Michael was born at 11:30 via C-section after he decided that he wanted to come out hands first.
Our story started on Monday, January 4 after a doctor's appointment with Dr. Gray. Danielle had been feeling generally, "crappy" the day before and reported what sounded like some contractions. The doctor decided to send us across the street to the hospital just to make sure everything was okay. After a couple of hours in labor and delivery the staff confirmed a few contractions, but very far apart. Her cervix was not dilated and the babies were fine.
The doctor sent us home and told us to keep track of the contractions, and so long as they weren't less than 7 minutes apart there was no need for concern. The next morning Danielle started feeling contractions again, but this time they were about five minutes apart. She called the doctor who said to wait another hour and see if they went away.
I was just getting ready to walk out the door to work when Danielle had a contraction that just about doubled her over. Deciding something wasn't right, I called the doctor and said we were coming to the hospital.
On our way to the hospital Danielle was having severe pains in her lower back every three minutes. When we arrived at the hospital Danielle was hooked up to the machines which registered no contractions at all. The doctors and nurses did not think her pains were contractions but constipation. After several attempts to alleviate that Danielle went into the bathroom still having severe lower back pain.
After a minute, I heard a scream, and Danielle was screaming that her babies were coming out. The nurses came rushing, as did the doctor, but Jared was too impatient to wait. He was born on the bathroom floor. After Danielle was moved to the bed, Anthony wasn't so cooperative and an emergency C-section was performed.
The NICU unit was quick to respond and help the teenie little babies breathe and fight for life. Jared was 2lbs. 1oz. and was 13 and 1/2 inches long. Anthony was 1lb. 15oz. and was 13 inches long.
The whole thing was totally unexpected, and frankly more traumatic than happy. But we are blessed with two gorgeous little miracle babies!
Our boys came home to us on March 26, 2010, after spending 81 days or about 12 weeks in the NICU at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. As you may note from our previous posts below, the journey was not without its bumps in the road.
There were highs, and there were lows. We and the boys braved two laser eye surgeries, and countless other obstacles and scares. But, we never lost confidence in the medical team in the NICU, and always kept our faith that God would lead us through this time.
Our steadfastness paid off, because now the boys are happy and healthy at home! This of course brings with it a totally new set of challenges that we are exicted and eager to experience. The task of caring for twin newborns is a daunting one, but a welcome one.
So, just because the boys are now home, don't think the blogging will stop. It may not be as consistent as before, but we will do our best to keep you all updated on their progress, and give you a window into our lives raising twin boys.
Enjoy!
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