A Day of Peace

We anointed the twins Monday with Lourdes water and Padre Pio oil and they have shown some improvement, but it's still a little early in the game. We still anticipate a long road ahead of us with small victories and defeats along the way.

Ambrose had a really rough first day, as Ryan mentioned in the previous post, but has shown significant improvement. He's been weaned from the Debutamine entirely and they are decreasing his other meds very slowly. His appearance has definitely improved: his color is much better now that his oxygen and blood pressure have stabilized and he has been producing urine, so he's not as puffy.

As Ryan said, they are receiving nourishment intravenously. When they are ready they can start on the colostrum and breast milk that's waiting for them in the fridge. Charlie's little belly will probably be ready in the next couple of days.

They both have the bili lights on them to help prevent jaundice. So they look like they're in little tanning beds with their cute little foam sunglasses on, soaking up some rays. Charlie is still covered with lanugo (fine white hair that is usually shed before birth), which shows up nice and shiny in the blue light.

The nurses try not to disturb the little boys while they sleep, so they change their diapers, linens, reposition their bodies, and do whatever else is needed, while the boys are able to rest at long intervals in between rounds. This afternoon we were able to see the nurse do rounds with Ambrose. It was a wonderful glimpse at this little one. With the bili lights off and his mask removed, he became alert and active with his eyes opening and looking around. The only unfortunate part was that we forgot to bring the camera! Charlie is much more active, of course, flailing his long skinny arms around, kicking his legs, tugging at his nasal cannula and so forth. In fact, today he yanked a tube out of his mouth and had to have it taped down!

The NICU staff has been wonderfully informative and communicative as far as offering detailed explanations, updating us on progress, and not hesitating to tell us their concerns so there are no surprises. We are confident that they will continue to take good care of our little boys and are doing everything that can be done for them.

It's pretty convenient living just down the hall from the NICU, but I'll probably go home in a couple days, which would be a nice change of scenery, too. The last couple of days have been pretty busy - especially compared to my level of activity for the last two months. I feel good, am walking and sleeping well, have a good appetite, am producing milk, and am in a pretty good mood most of the time. I did get a little cranky today and had to go back to my room for some pain meds and a nap.

While spending so much time in the NICU these last couple of days, you can't miss seeing all the young, teen mothers there with their babies. One of the nurses told us that the highest percentage of preemie babies were to teen mothers. These poor girls who had just given birth looked very overwhelmed, while standing by their babies and observing the nurses adjusting breathing tubes and being told their child still has a long road in front of them. One young couple near Charles today was being told about a surgery their baby was about to undergo within that hour. We were happy to hear that the nurse really explained everything to them about the procedure (they were so close to us we couldn't miss overhearing). Our hearts went out to them and we pray that the surgery went well for the little one.

One request: Monday night one of our dear friends suffered a miscarriage, after managing to make it through a rough first trimester, which included a week in the hospital for dehydration. Please keep her in your prayers as she lives out of the country with her husband and does not have any other family with her.

God bless you!