update 8/11/11

We are happy to say Miss Caroline's heart murmur is gone!!!!! This means she will have her medicine stopped and start back on feedings. She should be on full feedings by tomorrow and have her IV taken out. We can not wait for her to catch up with her little sister!! By little I mean younger...Caroline still outweighs little Mackenzie! They are both still gaining weight which is great! Mackenzie is receiving more calories added to the breast milk which helps to add lbs a little faster! Mackenzie also nurses when I am visiting. She tries hard but is definitely our fiesty little girl!! She spends a lot of time looking around and sucking her fingers! She did take almost a full feeding of breast milk last night from a bottle!! This is just one more positive step to having our little girls home with us!

Caroline fast asleep!

Mackenzie wide awake!

update 8/10/11

Visited with the girls again today. Both are still gaining weight like champs! Mackenzie is at her birth weight and Caroline is 1 oz shy (she was bigger than her sister at birth!).

Caroline still has an open duct. The doctor said it appears to be smaller but it is still open. The nurse indicated that the murmur is softer and squeakier which is a good sign according to her! They will give her another dose of meds tonight and I believe check again tomorrow. Prayers still that it closes soon! Let's get her caught up with her sister!

No updates on Mackenzie. She is still cruising along! She was wearing a onesie today which is the first step to being in a regular crib (which means she is able to regulate her temperature without burning to many calories....one of the requirements to come home!).

All told, the girls are stable and doing quite well!! :)

Update

A lot of people have asked how the girls are doing, how long they will be in the NICU and other related questions. I am going to try to keep this updated to answer any and all questions!

As for the girls. They are both stable and doing well.

Mackenzie is tolerating full feedings. At this point they go directly to her tummy through a tube. However, she nurses when I am with her and takes at least one bottle of breast milk a day. She doesn't get a full feeding in then but it is a start. It is a lot of work for her to get everything she needs herself. She is gaining weight well! Yesterday she gained an ounce and a half. She is one ounce shy of her birth weight...3lbs 7oz! She has been breathing on her own for about a week now. She only needed a cpap for some forced oxygen for a short bit at the beginning. She is no longer receiving any additional medicine or IVs. At this point, she is "sleeping and growing". As soon as she gets a little fat on her she will hopefully be able to maintain her temp with little work and make it one step closer to coming home!

Our fiesty little princess!

Awake and Alert!

Caroline was progressing right along side her sister until the weekend. While she is still stable and doing quite well she has been diagnosed with PDA causing a slight heart murmur. This is VERY common with preemies. Part of the heart remains open when inside mom. Typically this part closes shortly after birth in all babies. However with Caroline it has not yet closed! She is being treated for this right now with medicine. This medicine can cause upset tummies along with other side effects. The doctors have put her back on IV nutrition to avoid any tummy issues. Aside from that she is tolerating the medicine well and is having no other issues. In fact, the PDA is showing minimal symptoms! We are hoping the medicine works quickly to close the duct and she can start feedings again soon to catch up with her sister! However, she is still gaining weight and slightly bigger than her sister...3lbs 8oz!

Caroline and Daddy

Sweet Caroline!

We were told that the girls would be in the NICU for about 5 weeks. With one week down we are hoping it is 4 weeks or LESS until they are both home with us! The nurses have no reason to think that the girls wouldn't be home with us by Labor Day! Continued prayers that they continue to do well and make strides towards coming home as soon as possible are greatly appreciated! Big brother Alex has seen his sisters 3 times. He seems very interested in the "bees" or "bays" and will tell you he has "two" sisters when asked (most of the time)! We can NOT wait until our family of five is together!!!

July was crazy!

Wow! July was a crazy month! Started with shingles, then bedrest and ended with a wild hospital stay spinning quickly out of control...from our perspective!

Both babies were placenta previa most of my pregnancy. I was doing quite well with that until just after 28 weeks. I was admitted to the hospital in early July and was having contractions about 2 min apart, only mildly uncomfortable. The contractions were stopped with two doses of medicine and I was sent home on modified bedrest. Again, a few days later I was admitted. I only spent a few hours there that night and sent home with the same instructions. I really wanted to make it until at least 32 weeks...at that point Meritus (in Hagerstown) is able to handle the girls. I was doing well for the most part. Weekly appointments were showing healthy babies with good growth! July was almost over and I only had to make it until August 4...longer would have been nice!

July 31st arrives...and once again I am admitted to the hospital. Baby B's placenta had moved up but baby A was still giving me trouble! Shortly after I arrived it seemed I would just stay over night and be sent home Monday morning...such a relief...or so I thought! That evening I started to have mildly painful contractions again 2 min apart. I wasn't worried too much at this point becuase I figured I would be give a dose or two of the meds given previously and things would settle down. As they didn't settle down, the doctor, after talking to a perinatologist about my situation and a neonatologist regarding the girls, decided to have me transferred to Frederick Memorial Hospital. They have a stage 3 NICU and can handle babies as young as 28 weeks. My girls were very close to the 32 week mark (only 4 days) but all doctors thought the transfer would be the safest move at this point. The intent was to admit me Frederick until Wednesday then have me return back to Meritus.

I was given magnesium sulfate to stop the contractions and sent on my way in an ambulance. Nick met me at the hospital. The contractions unfortunately were not letting up. This continued all night. Not only is Magnesium sulfate possibly the worst drug I have ever experienced...it wasn't doing what it was supposed to do! The next several hours I drifted in and out of sleep experiencing a lot of pain! My contrations were about a min apart and not letting up! An ultrasound was issued in the morning. Both girls still looked good but it appeared that I was in active labor. Unfortunately with placenta previa this is not a desired situation. It can be very dangerous for both mom and babies! At about 830 am the doctors at Frederick Memorial decided to deliever the girls. This was NOT what I wanted to happen. I was very upset, scared, nervous, overwhelmed and sad. I was happy to meet my girls but it wasn't time!

Nevertheless...our two beautiful girls were born shortly! Caroline Susanne was born at 912 weighing 3lbs 10 oz and Mackenzie Christine was born at 913 weighing 3lbs 8 oz.

Happy Birthday Caroline!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!