Dr. Appt Update

Playing Dress Up at Grandma's

Waiting for the Doctor

Sydney

Morgan

This is a quick post because I am supposed to be taking a nap!! Today the girls went back to the Dr. for a quick check up to make sure they were still gaining weight and that their jaundice looked better. Mommy is proud to say that they both passed with flying colors!!

Here are the stats and a feeding update:

Sydney

At the last appt, she weighed 5 lbs - today, she weighed in at 5 lbs, 12 oz. She also grew 1 1/4 inches...she's now 19 1/4 inches long!

Morgan

At the last appt, she weighed 5 lbs, 8 oz - today she weighed in at 6 lbs, 8 oz.

Feeding Update

Currently, I am able to provide enough expressed breast milk for the girls and we are not having to supplement with formula. I will be honest though, I am only nursing a couple times a day because it unfortunately leaves no time for me to sleep or get anything done around the house. Right now the girls are getting expressed breast milk from a bottle and then nurse a couple times throughout the day....and I must say I am very pleased with this. I wish that I had more hours in the day that I could just nurse them both exclusively, but I am happy that I can provide enough breast milk for them, even if its from a bottle.

We're Home!!

Sorry for the delay in posting...to say the least, things have been exhausting and chaotic! Let's start with the update on the girls....

Morgan was discharged from the NICU on Wednesday evening (3/3/10) and Sydney was discharged from the NICU on Thursday morning (3/4/10). On Thursday evening, I was discharged from Labor and Delivery and Steve and I moved rooms to stay with the girls in the Pediatric Unit at the hospital. The girls weren't quite ready to go home on Thursday evening. The doctors took the girls off the Billirubin lights on Thursday evening and told us that if their levels remained stable, we would all be going home on Friday. The girls passed with flying colors and we were discharged Friday by lunch time!

The girls are doing really well here at home. We went to the Pediatrician on Monday (3/8/10) and Morgan was almost back to her birth weight, she weighed in at 5 lbs, 8oz. Sydney weighed in at 5 lbs even! The girls are eating every 3 hours and keeping mom, dad, grandparents, aunts and uncles very busy changing diapers!

I've had lots of requests to update on how I am doing, so here goes.... I woke up the morning of the C-Section with a slight cough. By Tuesday, I had a full fledged bronchial infection - does not feel very good after abdominal surgery. As the week progressed, I came down with a viral infection on top of the bronchial infection. Needless to say, I felt miserable! Not to mention I was trying to breast feed both girls while they were in the NICU, every three hours, then go back to my room pump, eat, and try to take a nap. By about day 5, I was running on VERY LITTLE sleep. Thankfully, this wonderful RN on the Pediatric Unit offered to babysit the girls during the night shift so Steve and I could get nearly 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep - it was wonderful and much needed prior to discharge. We got home Friday afternoon and I was still battling both the bronchial infection and viral infection, on top of the sleep deprivation. On Sunday afternoon, I noticed that my tongue was going numb and I was having ear pain. By bedtime on Sunday, I went to take a drink of water and it started pouring out the side of my mouth. I called Steve into the room to show him, he said smile and I couldn't. He then told me that he thought I had Bell's Palsy. Sure enough, I do have Bell's Palsy - the left side of my face is paralyzed. My left eye will not close all the way, and I cannot smile or drink out of a cup....it's WONDERFUL!!

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of the girls - more to come I promise....

(Morgan on the left - Sydney on the right)

THE GIRLS ARE HERE!!!!!

Announcing.......

Morgan Danielle - born at 1:02pm
5 lbs, 9.9 oz
18 inches

Sydney Camille - born at 1:03pm
5 lbs, 6.5 oz
19 inches


First, both girls are doing VERY well! They are however spending their first night in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). At birth, Morgan was suffering from anemia and Sydney was having difficulty managing her blood sugars.

Morgan received a blood transfusion earlier this afternoon and is currently being nourished by IV Dextrose. We are hoping to start feedings with Morgan tomorrow. Her color is looking much better this evening and she REALLY loves her daddy!

Sydney was able to attempt breast feeding for the first time around 8pm and did great! She finished the remainder of her feeding on the bottle but then gave mom and dad quite the scare. She started to spit up and then stopped breathing. The NICU staff came right over, used the bulb to suction, gave her some oxygen, and she bounced back beautifully! They said that perhaps she needed a smaller nipple on the bottle, with less flow; and they reiterated that she is still learning to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time.

Tomorrow I promise to post and update with more pictures!! Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and kind words. Steve and I truly feel so blessed.

5 more days.....

Yes, the title of this entry says it all....we have, AT MOST...5 MORE DAYS until we meet the girls!! Our doctor has rescheduled the C-Section for Monday, March 1st at 12:30pm (and he will be back from his vacation). Let me explain how this all came about...

First, rewind to Sunday. I spent most of day at Labor and Delivery as the girls decided to decrease their movement. After nearly 5 and a 1/2 hours of monitoring and a biophysical profile, both girls finally decided to cooperate and we were released to go home. Before parting ways at Labor and Delivery, the on call OB explained to us that he would be surprised if we made it through the rest of this week, given the girls are positioned VERY low in my pelvis, I am beginning to efface and dilate, and my contractions are starting to intensify.

On Tuesday, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my doctor had not left for his vacation yet and would be able to see us after our routine testing (NST, BPP, and growth scan). After he reviewed our test results, he made the decision that our C-Section should be rescheduled to Monday, March 1st. He said there is essentially 0% chance of making it to Monday, March 8th and didn't give me a percentage for making it to Monday, March 1st. He just reiterated that I need to STAY OFF MY FEET. Here are the highlights from the testing....

• Both girls passed the non-stress test and it was confirmed that I am having contractions, which are increasing in intensity and frequency.
• Both girls passed their bio-physical profiles, but it took nearly the entire hour - I think they are definitely running out of room!
• Morgan was estimated to weigh 5 lbs, 9 oz. Sydney was estimated to weigh 5 lbs, 7 oz.

In other news, I am FINALLY packed for the hospital and last night Steve cleaned out our car and installed the girls' car seats. Wow, I can't believe its almost time!!! Now we just wait and see if they come on their own or if we make it to Monday at 12:30pm. Updates to follow, stay tuned....

35 Weeks....

Before I update about the girls, Steve and I would like to thank everyone for your kind words, notes, messages, and prayers during the past few weeks - they have really meant a lot to us during this very difficult time. We laid my grandmother to rest and had a very lovely memorial service for her on Tuesday. My grandpa is still in the hospital, but we are hoping that he will be discharged home next week!!

We had our weekly doctor appointment on Thursday and once again, the babies looked great! Our doctor (whom I adore) actually said I could be the poster child for a twin pregnancy. Here are the facts:

• Both girls passed their biophysical profile ultrasound and non-stress test with flying colors.
• I am 50% effaced and dilated externally a finger tip. He also said he could feel Morgan's head.
• Both girls are head down and sitting right on top of my cervix.
• My fundal height was measured at 39 cm, which was a little small. The doctor did say that could be due to the fact that both girls may have dropped and are low in my pelvis. We have a growth scan next week and will make certain they are still gaining weight and growing.
• We parted ways by him telling me that I should "STAY OFF MY FEET" if I want him to deliver the babies. He is going to be out of town next week....I really, really would like him to be able to deliver the girls, so I am trying my best to keep my feet up!!

Our next appointment is on Tuesday and the girls will have another growth ultrasound at that appointment (fingers crossed both girls will be estimated to weigh over 5lbs). I think the reality is starting to set in that we are going to have two children sometime in the next 17 days!!

Dorothy J. Aden ~ 11/29/1920 - 02/10/2010

In loving memory of my Grandma Dot, aka "G. Dot".....this November would have marked her 90th birthday! Steve and I are very saddened that she will not be able to meet Sydney and Morgan, but we are finding comfort in the fact that she is now in heaven with my Grandpa Sam. We love you Grandma and promise to tell the girls all about you! Here are a few recent photos of Steve and I with G. Dot.

Taken at our wedding in Cle Elum, WA (02/07/2009)

Taken Christmas Day (December 25th, 2009)

33 1/2 Weeks - When it rains, it pours.....

Sorry for the long absence from posting, our world has been in upheaval for the past few weeks. It all started on January 25th...

My grandparents, Cloid and Pat (my mom's parents), were down visiting family in Nevada and on the evening of January 25th, my grandfather fell and broke his hip. He is 84 years old and is considered to be in poor health due to blockages in his heart, diabetes, and a host of other issues. Anyhow, he was flown back to Washington on Tuesday and admitted to a hospital here in the Tri-Cities. I won't get into all the details, but he finally underwent hip surgery on Friday, January 29th. We were told the surgery was VERY risky as his heart was very weak, but he's a fighter and our family had faith in him. He shocked all the doctors and sailed through surgery with flying colors! The next day, things took a turn for the worse, we were told his heart had been placed under a lot of stress and "it could go either way." He appeared to be entering the first stages of organ failure and we would just have to wait it out and see if he could fight his way back. Our family held vigil by his bedside, prayed, and talked to him all through the day on Saturday. He again shocked us all and started talking and was back with us on Sunday. By all accounts, God answered our prayers. It was a miracle. He has worked very hard and as of today, he is being transferred to the inpatient rehab unit at the hospital where he will undergo extensive, daily therapy to try and regain some of his strength and hopefully get out of the hospital. All in all, as of today, he is stable and fighting to regain his mobility and get home!

Just when we thought we had weathered our family crisis and were on our way to getting things back to normal, we were hit again. On Friday, February 5th my parents received a phone call from my grandmothers caretaker - this time it was regarding my dad's mom, Dorothy. Apparently my grandmother had fallen and hit her head and when the caretaker founder her, she was laying in a pool of blood, in her bed. The paramedics were called and she was transported to yet a different area hospital (we now have two family members, at two different hospitals). They ended up admitting her as she was suffering from a very bad urinary tract infection and she has congestive heart failure. We were told that she was going to be watched and treated for the infection and the plan was for her to be released today. At about 6am this morning, my parents received a phone call that her heart had stopped. She is now on life support and this prognosis is not good. The next 24 hours are in God's hands.

Through all of this, the babies are holding strong inside mommy, which is where I need them to stay. At our last appointment (32 1/2 weeks), Morgan weighed approximately 4lbs, 14oz and Sydney weighed approximately 4lbs, 4oz. My blood pressure was holding low and stable - thank goodness! And they passed their non-stress test with flying colors. I am supposed to go back to the doctor tomorrow, but given today's turn of events, the appointment may need to be postponed.

Sorry again for the delay in posting, if I could ask....please keep my family in your prayers. We could really use them right now.

Oh....I almost forgot in the midst of all this mayhem....Steve and I celebrated our 1st Anniversary yesterday! We have had a wonderful first year together and I know for sure, without him, I couldn't get through all of this. He truly is my best friend, he gives me strength and courage, and I love him so much. I know he is going to be an amazing father!!