Cassie: 3 lbs, 14½ oz.
Elena: 4 lbs, 1 oz.
Andrew did not go to full feedings today because of his weight. They are concerned because he had not gained at all this week. They are going to have him do ad-lib feedings which means that he can eat whatever he wants. If he finishes a bottle and still appears hungry he can get some more. Mom is also making bottles for him of the most fattening of the breast milk, the end of the pumping.
Cassie had a quiet day. She may be tried off of her respirator on Wednesday.
Elena self-extubated while Mom was holding her and since she was not able to get any treatments or drugs beforehand, she was re-intubated.
Cassie had a good day. The nurse we had today, Brenda, commented on how different she is from Andrew and Elena. Her looks are strikingly different as she is fair-haired like Dad. She is also very content most of the time and just likes to look around at everything.
Elena self-extubated again today and was put on nasal CPAP. By the time we left the hospital she was still doing well. We pray this is the time where it works. They did start caffeine on her as well as a steroid to assist with the inflammation in her airway. She seems very calm this time. If she stays off she can be co-bedded with Andrew by the end of this week. She did something very cute today. She was just looking around her isolette so her nurse put a picture of us in her sight. She looked at it, it caught her eye, and she just stared at it for many minutes. She knows who Mom and Dad are...even in pictures!
Cassie slept all day long. She didn't even really stir. They are going to try to decrease her pressure a little bit on her respirator and hopefully try her off by the end of the week.
Elena had to remain in one position all day in order to help her keep her airway open. She would get pretty mad whenever anyone would get in to change her diaper or check on her. Her CO2 levels were staying pretty low but her heart rate was fast. It could have been from some of the drugs she was getting that made her heart race. We were not allowed to hold her as they wanted her to remain as quiet and un-stimulated as possible. By the time we left things were looking a little hazy as to whether or not she could make it on the CPAP and after we got home we received a call that she was going to be re-intubated. We are really sad because we so want the girls to get off of their respirators and get home. Please keep all of the babies in your prayers and ask some extra blessings on the girls to get off of those respirators.
Cassie: 4 lbs, 3 oz.
Elena: 3 lbs, 15 oz.
Andrew had a good day. He did get blood and his color improved dramatically. Tomorrow he should go to bottle feeding every three out of four feedings. He will also be tried off of his oxygen and on room air as the blood he got today should help him oxygenate better. We are still looking at a week to ten days for him to come home.
Cassie had a quiet day. She started swinging a little bit early this evening, but it did stop. As you can tell, she is the biggest right now. We had to weigh her twice to make sure it was not incorrect. It is really fun to see them filling out. She will be tried off of the respirator on Saturday.
Elena has an order to re-intubate should she extubate herself this week. She will be tried again next week. She loved getting her bath tonight. She even let Mom dress her afterwards and did not fuss. She was smiling a lot today. She was just too tired from all of the work she had to do on the CPAP. One of the reasons she lost weight is that they even skipped a feeding of hers last night in order to not disturb her. She should gain her weight back quickly.
Grandma Ester arrives for a visit tomorrow and we are all very excited.
Cassie is going to be tried on CPAP tomorrow. She enjoyed being with Grandma Ester today who flew in from California. She is still the biggest of the three.
Elena had her neck worked on by the occupational therapist and did a great job.
Cassie was extubated today and just flew. Her CO2 level stayed down and her oxygen needs were less than what they were when she was on the respirator. If she does well through the night they may try her on the nasal canula soon.
Elena is still on her respirator. Her support on it is very small, but she does not like to do it on her own.
Cassie did so well on CPAP that she was put on nasal canula. She was doing so well that they talked about taking one of her monitors off. Because of this, and because she is also too warm in her isolette, she was put in the crib with Andrew. It is a very cute site.
Elena is still the same. She is gaining weight well and we are hoping soon she will be strong enough to breathe on her own.
E-mail us at dls52@email.byu.edu.
(c) Dane Seeley, 2000