January 10, 2014

Paul and I stayed our first night in the NICU. We both slept in the recliners. I figured it would be easier for me to get in and out of (that is the hardest part yet) and more convenient for pumping. The nurses come and do cares every 3 hours which worked out well for me as I pumped every time they came in. Overall, we slept pretty decently. It was nice to sleep right next to our children too!!!

 

Both Karley and Bentley gained weight which is great! Their bilirubin levels stayed the same or went up by .1 so nothing significant by any means. We just think they like being little glow worms! They did great with the 15 mls of breast milk and were upped to 20 mls per feeding. They had some newborn screenings ran that are done on every child and we will have the results in about 4-5 days. They continue to do amazing! :)

 

One of the nurses informed us that she knows someone in our family. She was in 4H with Kerry, our sister-in-law, and was in the same class as Kerry's brother. It sure is a small world!

 

I forgot one thing on yesterdays blog...Paul and tag teamed and changed Karley's diaper. She had pooped so we cleaned her up. Then she pooped again and we cleaned her up and then she pooped again!!! She was a pooping machine! Today Paul changed her and he got peed on!! I am sure there will be plenty more of that for both of us!

 

I had an appointment this morning to check my incision. They removed the sterile strips and cleaned it up. They said it looked great! Paul said it was bigger than what he expected but they said it was about average.

 

We were contacted by Oneida County Health Department based on some paperwork we filled out. They asked a lot of wonderful questions to make sure we are all doing well and getting great care. It was great to be able to answer all the questions with such positive answers. They also informed us of some options we have. Once the babies come home, they will contact us again.

 

Paul and I ran into town and picked up some groceries since we have access to a fridge and some cupboard space. It will be nice to always have something close to eat and hopefully will save on some food costs. We got Toppers pizza for lunch and it was delicious!

 

A physical therapist came and talked to us. She explained a lot about the babies systems, the order they develop in, sensory development, and what signs the babies will use to show they are stressed and what to do. It was very educational! They are coming in on Monday to start working with both babies and showing us things we can do.

 

Karley sleeping away:

 

 

 

Bentley sleeping away:

 

 

 

Both Karley and Bentley are now off of their lipids they were receiving which is a step in the right direction!

 

Karley and Bentley got baths tonight. It was technically their second one. I was still in the hospital when they received their first one so we unfortunately missed it. Both of them did great!!

 

Karley's bath time:

 

 

Bentley's bath time:

 

 

 

We got to do kangaroo care right after.

 

Karley and daddy:

 

 

Bentley and mommy:

 

 

The people here are all soooo wonderful! I have been here awhile and truly have good things to say about the hospital and staff. Just a simple hello from staff as you are walking down the hallway means a lot. There are a few staff that know us and ask about the babies when we seem them. The NICU nurses let us get right in and help. It is awesome to be part of our childrens cares! It is much appreciated and we definitely feel welcomed!