7 September 1999
Mom Comes Home...
Babies Still Growing.
First of all... Yes, there are more pictures of the babies in the picture
gallery
found on the link above. We have gotten one request for more
pictures for
every two congradulatory messages received. We appreciate your
excitement
but give the newest triplet Dad a break and let him catch up a little
and get
used to changing diapers. <grin>
Rachel was released to come home on Wednesday afternoon (9/1/99) and
while she was a little sore, she was very glad to sleep in her own
bed again.
We even got a little stroll down the cul-de-sac in after we created
something
of a stir with all of the neighbors. Mom continues to recouperate
a little more
as each day passes and we expect her to be doing cartwheels before
long.
Just not today.
Rachel, myself and my parents have been making very regular trips to
the
NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) every day. The car will soon
learn
the way all by itself so we can sleep going there and back. We
try our
best to go there during feeding times so the babies are alert (if cranky)
and ready to interact with anyone with food.
The babies have progressed from Stage One - NICU also known as
"Critical Care" to Stage Two or "Intermediate" and finally Stage Three
or "Fatten and Fortify". The next step is known as the Family
Learning
Center where Mom and Dad learn how to care for pre-mature infants
and whatever special needs they might have. The learning center
puts
the babies and the parents in an "apartment" just outside of the NICU
and let's them live and care for the youngsters. If there are
problems or
questions there is a nurse outside of your door and an entire NICU
staff
just down the hall. The key is getting them there.
The first born and smallest by some 4 ounces is Miss Katherine Grace
who is also the most voracious eater and has taken to the bottle almost
without incident. She is the baby we give to reluctant Grandfathers
and
neighbors who have come for a visit which we want to be happy.
She
is having some "catch-up breathing" where she will breathe for a while
and then pause and then breathe quickly until her lungs are happy again.
This is supposedly normal for preemies, but it makes her parents want
to
quit watching the heart/respiration monitor she's hooked up to.
She is
also having some difficulty regulating her own body temperature, which
they battle by keeping her in an enclosed isolette which comes complete
with a heater and temperature gauge to give her a boost when she needs
it.
The second born and biggest is Miss Rebecca Anne who has the largest
birth weight seems to have a slightly reluctant time of eating.
She will
wolf down half of her bottle and they fall into a deep, hard sleep.
The
nurses have a few tricks up their sleeves but all agree she is just
getting
exhausted taking food in this manner. When she runs out of steam
the
standard procedure is to run a small tube down her nose to the throat
and down into her stomach. They simply pour the milk/formula
down
this tube (it takes a few minutes) and she's fed. She is in an
open crib
and holding her own temperature just fine. Those of you from
Grandma
Thompson's side of the family will be happy to know that she has a
definite "Cannon" face when she makes the right expression.
The third born and heir
to the throne, Mister Ian Alexander is the
toughest case we have at the moment. He is also a little weak
on his
ability to eat and is being tube fed when he tires. The thing
that is making
his parents nervous is the fact that his heartbeat
slows in and around
feedings. The doctor has attributed it to reflux
and feels fairly certain
that he will simply grow out of the problem. In the meantime,
he is
being fed about half of the food that he's been getting and been put
back on IV Fluids, Glucose and Lipids (Fat) to round out his diet.
When
he is ready, they'll start lowering the amount coming through the IV
and increase the food through the bottle. In order to stimulate
him a
little, the doctor has also prescribed a low dose of caffeine which
we
have all joked about getting through a tube, but Ian will be able to
say
he's done it. They hope that the caffeine
will be just enough to excite
his nervous system and not let his heart beat so slowly. He has
caused us
the most worry so far, but since they have begun the process the
nurses tell us he is much more active and alert. He is in an
isolette
which helps him regulate his temperature when he's undergoing some
light therapy to help him break down bilirubin
in his blood. Once that
stabilizes, he'll be ready for an open crib.
All of the children seem to have very common pains of prematurity
that will take time to overcome. You have to remember that they
should still be inside the womb for another seven weeks. They
will
have to finish growing on the outside. Despite the parents who
are
most likely to think the worst when an issue is raised, the NICU staff
are all amazed at their progress. Most of the nurses are very
"matter
of fact" about the babies problems and almost speak of them like a
cold
that will simply work itself out. Having spent more than a week
in the
NICU and having a look around at some of the other children there
and overhearing some of their problems... we REALLY do have it
easy. And we're coming to the realization that our babies are
really
very healthy for the time frame they were born. The baby across
the
room from ours has a heart problem and while we aren't privy to the
medical prognosis, his mother asked us to pray for him. All the
way
back in "critical care NICU" there is a very premature baby who was
born at a mere 14 ounces (one of the smallest ever handled there).
This child will spend the next six months or better in the NICU trying
to get healthy.
The last bit of information is subject to change at any point and that
is the most asked question to date. When will the babies get
to come
home? The final answer is up to the babies. They have to
put on
weight, regulate their own body temperature, break down and dispose
of bilirubin, stop having slow heartbeats and generally eat more
independantly. We have had estimates from the doctor who say
them
on Day 1 and guessed Labor Day to a resident who didn't think the
end of October was out of line. An experienced nurse commented
as we left this evening that she would be surprised if the girls weren't
on their way home by Saturday or Sunday. We've learned to take
these predictions in stride and but we still get excited every time
someone ventures forth with an opinion. We really aren't talking
about
months, but we could be talking about weeks depending on how things
work out.
Like so many things, time will tell.
