Today's theme in the NICU was WATER! First of all, we were able to give Kinley and Devyn their first baths...what an adventure! The nurse told us that as long as their breathing held out, we would be taking out all of their tubes and wires to wash the girls and then replacing them. We were so excited to FINALLY be able to see our girls' faces without tubes and tape all over them!
Each washing was completed in stages. First, all of the wires and sensors were removed and only the oxygen tube was left on. Then Mom or Dad performed sort of a sponge bath, squeezing water onto their tiny bodies and washing them with a soapy wash cloth, and then rinsing them. Then, their oxygen tube was removed so that we could hold them over the little wash tub to wash their hair and face. The nurse watched them closely during this part to make sure they stayed nice and pink- a sign they are still getting enough oxygen.
Daddy was in charge of Kinley's bath time. She did great! The water is often overwhelming for preemie babies, but she handled it quite well.
Getting ready for her bath. No wires....just her oxygen tube.
Kinley's sponge bath
"Look Mom! No tubes!" -Kinley
Getting her hair washed.
Kinley survived her first bath:-) One last look before her oxygen tube was replaced.
Next, it was Devyn's turn. Mom quickly realized that she should have taken the first shift. Devyn was NOT in the mood for a bath today. She screamed and screamed when the water touched her!
Devyn with her wires off...waiting for her bath to begin.
Torture!
I don't think she has forgiven me yet.
"That was rough!" Devyn with no tubes.
Everyone survived.
"What the heck?!?!"
The second reason for our water theme is the rain we received....in the NICU!!! While standing next to Kinley's incubator after her bath, water started dripping on me from the ceiling above. Kinley's machines and incubator had to be moved out of the way. Turns out there were similar problems all over the NICU! Then all of a sudden, in the back area of the NICU, water was literally coming down in sheets and buckets! Nurses were running everywhere trying to move babies and machines, and unplug electrical equipment. Justin even ended up rolling some oxygen monitors and supply carts!
Water pouring in from the ceiling. Can you see the bucket filling up with water?
The water fiasco could have been much worse. The nurses and staff all moved quickly to keep all the babies safe. Once the babies were all moved and safe, the staff had to figure out where these babies would all go. Many of them were in temporary spots so that their machines could be plugged in, but this would only work for a short time. Some parents were being called to ask if their babies could be moved to another area of the hospital, or even to another hospital location! One of the upsides of having babies in serious condition is that our girls were not asked to move.
I'm still not sure exactly what caused all the leaking. We did have rain storms in Vegas today, BUT the NICU is on the 3rd floor of a four-story building. The NICU is also undergoing an expansion, so there has been a lot of construction going on all over the area. Perhaps those two situations combined led to the leakage.
"It's too loud in here! What's with all the commotion?" -Kinley
Aside from the baths and leaks, the girls continue to do well. Their doctor came by during the commotion to compliment their progress. Both girls' feedings were increased again. Devyn is now at 29 cc's (almost an ounce) and Kinley is now at 24 cc's. The doctor said that basically we are at a "waiting stage," where we are waiting for the girls to be ready for their next big step--bottle and/or breastfeeding, which normally doesn't begin until around 34 weeks (about two and a half weeks away). Meanwhile, we hope they continue to eat, gain weight, and strengthen their lungs.
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