Weekly Roundup – Triplets edition

Noah checking out Mom's cleavage

This picture was taken Sunday, July 5th.  Noah was sprinting four hours a day and was just about to go on maximum feeds which is the last step the baby takes before they take him off the supplemental lipids.  It's a nice milestone and we had such a good day with him.  He was very awake during the hour Nikki held him, and she even held him while he fed.  A great day, right?

Then the poor little guy crashed and stopped tolerating his feeds.  He was doing some crazy Exorcist projectile aspirating, I guess.  Turns out he came down with a UTI (Uterine Tract Infection).  And just so he wouldn't feel lonely the other two also got UTI's but everybody seems to have a different strain as they are all on different meds. 

This is the reality of preemies, and I bring it up so that other parents can learn what to expect.  You will likely experience the hightest of highs, followed shortly thereafter by the lowest of lows.  It's reality.  You'll cry for them, for their pain, but you have to roll with it, too. 

My daughter, Bella, just spent a week back on the ventilator.  They extubated her today, for the third time, and she was breathing with the aid of the Si-pap.  This is a good milestone.  But we spent an hour and a half with just her tonight and she cried most of the time.  It was pitiful to hear, because she has no voice after being on the ventilator for so long.  We felt helpless to calm her.  The only thing that worked, briefly, was giving her the binky as she fed via the feeding tube. 

For those parents with babies in the NICU, it's highly recommended that you try to make your baby suck on the binky while she is being fed through the tube.  This trains her to associate sucking with sustenance. 

So, all three have UTI's as stated above, and they also all suffer from Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS).  This has been the major source of our setbacks.  Because they were so premature, their lungs were quite underdeveloped.   When any little bug hits them, it really knocks them on their ass.

Owen is close to sprinting.  Each of the last couple days they've told us they were going to try it.  I think he made it about twenty minutes yesterday, but he didn't tolerate it well.  They were going to try it again today, but he had a spell where he needed assistance to start breathing, so they aborted.  He's close, which is a long long way from where he started.  He's at 3lbs 3oz right now.  His brother is at 4lbs 3oz.  And dainty little Bella Marie is at 2lbs 15oz.  They are a day short of 33 weeks (gestation age), which means that we are six weeks into this odyssey.  Given that by all rights, were they singletons, they would still be in the womb, they are doing terrific.

Speaking of terrific, short update on Mom.  She's having no issues with her C-section and feels great.  We took a long walk together Monday night, and hopefully we'll start to make that a habit together. 

Signing off for now.  Thanks to those who sent me a note on the Great Expectations Manifesto.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  I thoroughly enjoyed writing it.

Cheers,

-Papa Charley