2 week check-up

The babies had their two week check-up today. They were weighed, measured and poked in the heels for a blood test. The big news is that they are each over 5 lbs now!! Mallory weighs 5lbs 1oz and Emerson weighs 5lbs 2oz. We were so happy to hear this news because it means they are getting plenty to eat, which in turn means we're doing our job as parents.

We have noticed some distinct differences in their personalities in the last two weeks as well. Mallory is our sassy girl. She likes things her way, all the time. She won't eat if she has a poopy diaper, but she screams while having it changed. If she hears her brother crying, she has to start so she can be louder than him. She's our handful baby. Emerson is easy going. He doesn't mind if midway through his feeding he has to be stopped and set down while we deal with Mallory. I've had to do a few tandem feeds just to keep them both happy. We're enjoying the fact that they have such different personalities because we really want to have two individual children...not "the twins".

Home at Last!!

We have now been home for almost a week. My mom was here during the week helping me out while Craig worked. She went home on Friday afternoon and will return tomorrow to help again this week. The following week my dad will come to help out. I think after 3 straight weeks of help, I will be able to handle things during the day on my own. The night time feedings are getting better, although it's always a challenge when both babies are crying at the same time. We've tried to stagger their feedings so that they aren't both ready to eat at the exact same time. We are still feeding them similarly to how we did when we left the hospital. I let them nurse for 15-20 minutes then give them each an ounce of pumped milk or formula to supplement. Hopefully soon they will be ready to just nurse so that I can stop hooking myself up to the torture device also known as the breast pump!

When they were released from the hospital Mallory weighed 4lbs 4oz and Emerson weighed 4lbs 8oz. They had an appointment with their pediatrician last Wednesday (two days after release) and she was 4lbs 6oz and he was 4lbs 9.5oz. With such small babies, our ultimate goal is continued weight gain, so we are happy they are both doing so well! They have another appointment this week, so I will update with their new weights at that time. I am also meeting with a lactation consultant this week to see if the babies are strong enough to just nurse yet.

As for me, my incision is healing really well. I feel pretty good and can even wear my non-maternity shirts! The pants may take awhile longer...baby steps. :)

Feeders and Growers

The babies were both doing well the next day and we were informed that neither babies were breathing well on their own and did not require additional oxygen. This was a a big hurdle for us because it is extremely common for preemies to need some oxygen. They were also assessed daily for jaundice and we also dodged that bullet. Overall, our NICU exprience was minor compared to many stories we've heard. Our babies were designated as "feeders and growers" meaning that they just needed to eat and gain weight to be released. Of course, the catch was they had to gain weight for several days in a row AND be able to get all their food from breast or bottle. This was a challenge for us because it took 4 days for my milk to fully come in and they were not strong enough to take all their meals that way. After trying to use a small tube taped to my breast that the babies sucked on while nursing, we ended up having to use gavage tubes for each of them. Gavage tubes go through their noses and into their stomachs. It was hard to see them with tubes taped to their faces, but we knew they were getting the nutrition they needed. After a few days of using the gavages and nursing them, Emerson still wasn't gaining the weight he needed to. The conclusion was that he was nursing too long and burning more calories than he was taking in. So, as a last resort and after much thought, we opted for a breast and bottle feeding. The babies each nursed for 5-10 minutes, then took an ounce of breast milk or formula (if I didn't have enough pumped milk) for the rest of their feed. They both gained weight and were released to go home after 8 days in the NICU. It was a happy day for all of us!! Our insurance company approved my stay for 4 days after surgery. After I was released, we were allowed to stay at the hospital with the babies in a room a floor above them. Craig stayed with me most nights in my cramped room. Every 3 hours around the clock we would get up and go downstairs to the NICU to feed the babies. After each feeding, I would pump then go back to bed before the next feeding. It was a rigorous schedule and I found myself very teary much of the time. I was sooooo ready to be home and I was extremely sleep deprived.

June 20th Surprise

I cannot believe it's taken me so long to update this blog. As all of you know, Emerson Robert and Mallory Rose joined our family on June 20. I was 34 weeks and 5 days pregnant and NOT ready to have these babies. This is how it unfolded...

I woke up around 12:30am on June 20 to go to the bathroom. On my way back to bed, I noticed I still had the urge to urinate, so I started heading back towards the bathroom. On my way, I had liquid leaking and as soon as I got next to the toilet, I had a large gush of fluid. I instantly knew it wasn't urine and somehow figured out a way to go back into the bedroom to tell Craig. I said, "Craig, wake up." "My water just broke." He jumped out of bed and said, "What?" "Oh no". We were both in shock that this was happening so early. Everything to this point in the pregnancy had been smooth sailing. We had a special ultrasound done on Friday (two days before) that indicated that everything was fine with the babies. It's amazing how quickly everything changes.

I made a phone call to the emergency room who then paged our OB's office. Within a few minutes, one of the OB's called back and calmly told us we might want to go into Labor and Delivery to be "checked out". He made me sound like I must be mistaken that my water had broke. Little did he know...

After we got checked into our room on the Labor and Delivery floor, they monitored the babies and my contractions. They also did an exam to see how I was progressing and tested the fluid to see if it was amniotic fluid (it was). Since it was the middle of the night, and I was having a scheduled c-section, they wanted to wait until morning to perform the surgery. So, Craig and I waited in the room and tried to sleep. I say try because I was having contractions so I was unable to get comfortable. Oh yeah, I still felt like I was peeing myself over and over again. Apparently (a nurse informed me) the body continues to make amniotic fluid even after the sac breaks.

Throughout the wait and as I was being wheeled into the operating room, we kept hoping both babies would be okay. We had heard horror stories about unhealthy preemies and we were terrified. At 10:13, Mallory was born and at 10:14, Emerson arrived. Both babies were put on oxygen in the operating room, but were healthy. Just small. Mallory was 4lbs and Emerson was 4lbs 9oz. I balled my eyes out as soon as I heard Mallory's cry. It was a sound I had waited for my whole pregnancy. It turns out that Mallory's cord was wrapped around her neck, which may have been the reason her water broke. Emerson's water was fully intact, so he was surprised he was being born. Both babies were taken to the NICU where they were assessed for various issues common with preemies. Craig was able to push them in their bassinets into the NICU and stay with them for awhile during my recovery.

It was the best Father's Day gift I will ever be able to give Craig!!