Smiles and Screams

Sunday, June 30

Tonight we had a little of everything...both smiles and screams! Daddy took care of Kinley's cares (diaper, temperature, etc.) during touch time, and I did Devyn's. Kinley was all smiles tonight:-)

                                                                    Kinley's smiles

 

We missed the weigh-in tonight, so we won't find out until tomorrow if the girls put on any weight today. Their feeds were increased again to 14 cc's. Now the syringe holding the milk is put into a machine which injects the milk slowly into their feeding tubes so that their bellies do not fill up too quickly.

Our evening with Devyn started out quietly....

Devyn sleeping peacefully...

 

 

 

...but as soon as it was time for her cares, the screaming began! Once she gets comfortable she does NOT like to be messed with (but who does, right?). She screamed throughout most of her care time, which took longer than normal because her bedding needed changing and the nurse needed to take her belly, head, and length measurements. BUT, it did give me a chance to hold her for a minute:-) She had a couple episodes tonight where her oxygen intake got extremely low. The nurses say that sometimes premature babies can forget to breathe.

 

                    In mid-diaper change. It might look like she was quiet.....but don't be fooled!



    Sometimes Mom or Dad's touch can calm her down.

 

 

Such a pitiful face...the nurse sat her up to remind her to breathe. Don't worry-the screaming restarted almost immediately! 

 

 

"Hi Mom!" Holding Devyn while her bedding is changed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Missed Wedding

Saturday, June 29

Today Grandma Carol married her Prince Charming, Keith, in Minnesota. The Marsh family, of course, was missing from the festivities, but we thought of them often throughout the day and sent lots of good thoughts and wishes. I guess we have to be very thankful that we weren't in Minnesota when I went into labor!

 

Back in the NICU, there was not too much to report today. The girls had a fairly uneventful day, spending most of it sleeping. Their feedings were increased again, this time to 11 cc's. I expected them to have gained quite a bit after eating so much the past couple days, but Kinley remained at the same weight, and Devyn gained only 10 grams....not enough to add another ounce to her stats.

 

 

                                                      Kinley holding onto her pacifier.

           Exhausted after Mom checked my temperature and changed my diaper.     -Kinley

                                                  Devyn in her usual sleeping position...arm(s) up!

 

                                          Kinley practicing her thumb-sucking positions.

Smile!

Friday, June 28

Today was another good day for the Marsh girls. The head ultrasounds were completed again this morning. Devyn's came back clear again. Kinley's shows that the two small bleeds are still there, but the doctor is still optimistic that her bleeds are more of a bruising which would go away on its own. She will continue to be monitored closely...hopefully they disappear soon!

The girls have been taking their feedings really well. The doctor increased their feeds to 8 cc's per feeding (almost a whole syringe worth), and it has been going great! Devyn gained another ounce today, so she's the BIG sister weighing in at 3 lbs. 6 oz. Kinley stayed the same today (2 lbs. 15 oz.). I asked about our next steps with feeding and when we might expect the girls to try bottle or breastfeeding. The nurse said that normally the suck-swallow-breathe ability doesn't develop until around 34 weeks (the girls are just over 30 weeks now). So, we still have a few weeks before they may be ready to eat on their own without the feeding tubes.   

                               Devyn's skin-to skin time with Mom. I held her for about two hours!

Kinley's skin-to-skin time with Dad. Two days in a row! 

                                                     It's such a hard life being Kinley....

 

Dad's turn for diaper change.

                                                         "Is this over yet Dad?"  -Kinley

 

                                         Kinley's smile or yawn? I'm going with a smile:-)

                                      Dad helping out while Devyn gets her bedding changed.

Two Little Hearts

Thursday, June 27

Today was an UP day on the NICU rollercoaster! Both girls had good breathing days. I held both Devyn and Kinley for an hour each throughout the day...and Daddy FINALLY got to hold Kinley when he came after work!

 

                                                       Daddy's first time holding Kinley

The cardiologist came by this morning for their echocardiograms. The results were very promising! The blood vessel openings (PDA) are very small in both girls. The doctor is very optimistic that the vessels will finish closing on their own without further medications. And now that they are done with the heart meds, their feedings have been increased to 5 cc's per feeding, more than double what they were getting!

And more good news....both girls continue to gain weight, and rightfully so now that their feedings are increasing. Kinley is now at 2 lbs. 15 oz. and Devyn weighs 3 lbs. 5 oz.

                                                                          Devyn Marie

                                          Kinley Grace...trying very hard to suck her thumb.

The girls will have their head ultrasounds again tomorrow morning. We are praying that Devyn's is still clear and that Kinley's shows that the bleeds have stopped.

The Biggest Loser....or Gainer

Wednesday, June 26

Today was another calm day in the NICU. I spent a majority of the day with the girls while Daddy was at work.  Both girls continue to do fine, although their breathing was not as stable today. So, with the exception of changing diapers, checking temperatures, and their other normal checkups, the girls stayed snug in their beds to focus on breathing.

 

Devyn with her pacifier.

 

 

 

                                                                  Kinley sleeping soundly.

Tomorrow the girls will both undergo another echocardiogram to check the progress on their hearts. I have not received an update on when their head ultrasounds will be yet.

When Justin and I returned to the hospital tonight, the nurse let us know that both girls had again gained weight! Devyn has now returned to her birth weight of 3 lbs 3 oz. and Kinley surpassed her birth weight and is now at 2 lbs 13 oz. SO, she is the biggest gainer! Their breathing was more stable tonight as well. I hope that means that tomorrow will be another good day for breathing. Dad is very eager to hold Kinley, as he hasn't had the chance yet.

                                                      Staring contest....Kinley vs. Daddy


Kinley was wide awake for a while tonight during our visit. I tried to get a picture with her eyes wide open, but she wasn't cooperating.

 

                                           Looking groggy. Kinley (above) Devyn (below)

 

 

How we spend much of our time in the NICU... watching our precious baby girls through the incubators.

Peace and Quiet

Tuesday, June 25

Today was a peaceful day in the NICU. No major news to report (good or bad). Kinley had a terrific day in terms of her breathing. I was able to hold her for about an hour and she did great! Often times the babies can become agitated when removed from their beds, which sometimes puts too much strain on their breathing and they have to be put back. But today Kinley was in great shape! She snuggled right in...it was wonderful!

The nurses joke that the girls take turns having their good days and bad days (although thankfully the bad days haven't been that bad). While Kinley had a great day, Devyn had a slightly harder time. She was having to work a little harder than normal to breathe at times today, so she stayed snug in her bed without distractions (except for diaper changes and her daily tests).

 

            Kinley sleeping peacefully. We keep blankets over the incubators to block out the lights.

                                        Devyn sleeping with her arm over her head... as usual!


The girls continue to take medications for their hearts. They will have another echocardiogram tomorrow or Thursday to check for improvements. The doctors had planned on increasing their feeding amounts to 3 cc's, but have decided to wait until after the heart medications gave been given so that their stomachs do not react badly.  The girls should also get their second head ultrasound in the next day or two to check for any changes in Kinley's bleeds, and to make sure that Devyn's is still clear.

This morning, before going to the hospital, I continued working in the girls' bedroom. I must admit, it's quite a disaster! I had just gotten back from a baby shower in Albuquerque when I went into labor, so there is a lot of washing and organizing to do!

                     The girls' closet is already completely full, and so is their 5-drawer dresser!

 

 

One Week Old!

Monday, June 24

We've made it through the first week of our precious baby girls' lives. Both girls have made great progress over the week, but we've had a few setbacks as well.

The most exciting event was finally getting to hold Kinley! It was Devyn's turn to hang out while her sister got some skin-to-skin time. I got to hold her for about 20 minutes or so. Daddy missed out this time, so it'll be his turn next (hopefully tomorrow).

 

 

 Mommy and Kinley...our first snuggle!

 

 

Some more exciting news is that both girls are finally starting to gain a little weight! Devyn is back to 3 lbs (only 3 oz. less than her birth weight). And Kinley is back to 2 lbs. 10 oz. (only 2 oz. less than birth weight). Both girls continue to get 2 cc's of milk every 3 hours. Devyn was also taken off of her jaundice lights today, so both girls are done "tanning" for now.  

The NICU nursing staff decorated the girls' incubators with name tags today which include photocopies of their footprints.

The low point of the day was a visit with one of the girls' NICU doctors. This morning a heart murmur was detected in both girls. The doctor ordered an echocardiogram, which confirmed that both girls have Patent Ductus Arteriosus. There is a blood vessel in babies' hearts which remains open while in the womb, but normally closes before birth, or shortly thereafter. Since both Kinley and Devyn surprised us so early, this blood vessel did not have time to close on its own. Although this is somewhat common in premature babies, and is not life threatening now, the doctors want to get the blood vessel closed. Both girls started medication today that will hopefully help the blood vessel close on its own. Their hearts will be checked again in 3 days to look for signs of improvement.

Sleeping beauties......Kinley (above) and Devyn (below). They both prefer sleeping on their tummies. Devyn usually has an arm over her head. And Kinely often has her hand up to her mouth.

 

 

 

 

Ups and Downs

Sunday, June 23

Kinley and Devyn both had another good day today. Both girls' breathing continue to improve. We hope that Devyn will be removed from all of her breathing aids soon.

 

The girls both had ultrasounds of their heads taken on Friday, which is normal practice for premature babies. Devyn's came back looking great. Kinley's, however, showed that she has two small grade 1 bleeds on either side of her brain. Grade 1 is the least serious level of bleed. Another ultrasound will be taken on both girls next week. If Devyn's comes back normal again, she should not need anymore testing. On Kinley's we will be watching to make sure the bleeds have not grown. The doctor is hoping that the bleeds are more of a bruising that should go away on its own.

Mom and Dad continue to be in charge of changing diapers and checking temperatures when we are at the hospital during "touch times." It feels great to be able to interact with the girls, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time.

Kinley Grace 6 days old

 

 

 

Devyn Marie enjoying a minute without her shades on.

 

 

Such popular girls....they had 7 more visitors today!

Kinley enjoyed hanging out with Ashley and Jeremy this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

A gift from the Hintons.

 

 

 

Proud Papa!

 

Showered With Love

Saturday, June 22

Today marks the date of my fourth and final baby shower. My aunt Deb and cousin Courtney were hosting a shower for me with friends and family in Minnesota. The girls and I were supposed to be in Minnesota this week (the girls were still supposed to be in my belly of course). So, this morning started off with the girls being celebrated from afar. I, of course, was missing from the shower, but some friends and family still gathered for the occasion. I joined in for a short time via FaceTime and watched as gifts were opened. Just as with everything else that has happened over the past 5 days, it is very surreal to realize how things have changed in just a few short days.

Both girls continue to do well and make progress daily. Although they are still getting two cc's of milk every 3 hours, the girls have still been losing weight each day. We hope this will change very soon.

Today even Grandma Carol and Auntie Kim had the chance to hold Devyn for a while. What a lucky girl!

 

A going-away present for Grandma Carol and Auntie Kim.... being the first family members to hold baby Devyn.

While Devyn gets all the snuggle time, Kinley stays cozy in her bed. The nurses change the girls' positions during their "touch time" every 3 hours. They have these amazing mattresses that are easily molded to fit around their bodies. They can be squished and scrunched into just about any position.

The nurse thinks Kinley is going to be a thumb-sucker. She puts her hand up to her mouth like she wants to, but so far hasn't actually found her thumb. We tried giving her a pacifier today, but she wasn't interested. Kinley finished up with her jaundice lights today, so she doesn't need to wear her shades anymore. We think we may be able to hold her sometime tomorrow!      

 

Kinley all cozy in bed.