I am moving blogs.
Yep, I've got brand new digs...
You can find us here (www.tripletmama.blogspot.com)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Poopsicle
(Or lack thereof...)
See, I mentioned yesterday that Emery's discharge was delayed due to a need to test her poop. (I am branching out as David astutely pointed out that I have mastered the use of the word "stool" by using it as both a noun AND a verb. I will eschew the term "bowel movement" for the more popular "poop". Yes... my medical school education at work. Oh, but I digress...). What I didn't bother to complain about is that she COULD HAVE come home yesterday. See, the black poop she has was not tested as the Nurse Practitioner whom the nurses called Wednesday night didn't believe it was necessary (had it been tested and come up negative as I believe it will, she still could have come home yesterday). I didn't make a big deal out of it although I was VERY ready to have her home. There was nothing left to do but wait for her to poop again (not such an simple proposition as they are receiving mostly special iron-containing formula and a small amount of breast milk. Quite the constipating brew. Just ask Parker. Oh, but I digress... again). AND SHE DID! This morning. Which means we should have been carting her home right about now.
Ummmmm. No.
See, the nurse this morning dutifully sent the poop down to the lab with the appropriate paperwork to have it checked for blood and C. Difficile toxin. But she forgot one thing... to test for the toxin the poop has to be put on ice.
It wasn't (grrrrrrr).
No poopsicle = no toxin test = no discharge.
*sigh*
In case anyone is keeping track (and I can only imagine that you are keeping copious notes...) Emery's discharge has been delayed by Emery three times. But the trained staff at the hospital are hot on her tail by delaying her discharge twice... in two days... a much more embarassing figure if you ask me :-).
So once again we wait with baited breath for our only daughter to poop.
And what pray tell, you must be asking, could be the silver lining in this Keystone Cops charade? Well, there is a possiblity that Isaac and Emery will be discharged together... probably Monday.
That is... if they have no more episodes AND someone sends a poopsicle.
What do you think are the odds? :-)
See, I mentioned yesterday that Emery's discharge was delayed due to a need to test her poop. (I am branching out as David astutely pointed out that I have mastered the use of the word "stool" by using it as both a noun AND a verb. I will eschew the term "bowel movement" for the more popular "poop". Yes... my medical school education at work. Oh, but I digress...). What I didn't bother to complain about is that she COULD HAVE come home yesterday. See, the black poop she has was not tested as the Nurse Practitioner whom the nurses called Wednesday night didn't believe it was necessary (had it been tested and come up negative as I believe it will, she still could have come home yesterday). I didn't make a big deal out of it although I was VERY ready to have her home. There was nothing left to do but wait for her to poop again (not such an simple proposition as they are receiving mostly special iron-containing formula and a small amount of breast milk. Quite the constipating brew. Just ask Parker. Oh, but I digress... again). AND SHE DID! This morning. Which means we should have been carting her home right about now.
Ummmmm. No.
See, the nurse this morning dutifully sent the poop down to the lab with the appropriate paperwork to have it checked for blood and C. Difficile toxin. But she forgot one thing... to test for the toxin the poop has to be put on ice.
It wasn't (grrrrrrr).
No poopsicle = no toxin test = no discharge.
*sigh*
In case anyone is keeping track (and I can only imagine that you are keeping copious notes...) Emery's discharge has been delayed by Emery three times. But the trained staff at the hospital are hot on her tail by delaying her discharge twice... in two days... a much more embarassing figure if you ask me :-).
So once again we wait with baited breath for our only daughter to poop.
And what pray tell, you must be asking, could be the silver lining in this Keystone Cops charade? Well, there is a possiblity that Isaac and Emery will be discharged together... probably Monday.
That is... if they have no more episodes AND someone sends a poopsicle.
What do you think are the odds? :-)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Still Flying Solo
Flying solo.
Yep, Parker is still the only one who has escaped the confines of the NICU.
Emery was to come home today (for, I do believe, the FOURTH time!) and yet, she is still hanging in the hospital (one of these days I will grab the two of them and make a break for it :) ). But for once she switched it up a bit. Her discharge was delayed this time not for a bradycardic or desat event. No, this time it was due to a black stool she had last night. Unfortunately we now have to wait for her to stool again so it can be checked for blood and infection and THEN she can come home. At least Isaac and Emery seem quite cozy...
Since I posted last, both Emery and Isaac had sleep studies. I happened to be there when Isaac was being wired up... Can you say "Mad Scientist"?
Neither study showed anything worrisome, but both will be coming home on Pulse oximetry monitors so that we know if their heart rate or oxygen saturations drop too low.
For now, we are enjoying having Parker at home... and enjoying the extra sleep which we won't be getting once the entire brood has made a break for it.
While we wait for the other two to slip the surly bonds of the NICU, here is a bit of entertainment. Parker was kind enough to humor his mother as she snapped a few pictures. The photo shoot came to an abrupt halt when he peed while naked.
And while we wait for Emery... talk amongst yourselves...
Yep, Parker is still the only one who has escaped the confines of the NICU.
Emery was to come home today (for, I do believe, the FOURTH time!) and yet, she is still hanging in the hospital (one of these days I will grab the two of them and make a break for it :) ). But for once she switched it up a bit. Her discharge was delayed this time not for a bradycardic or desat event. No, this time it was due to a black stool she had last night. Unfortunately we now have to wait for her to stool again so it can be checked for blood and infection and THEN she can come home. At least Isaac and Emery seem quite cozy...
Since I posted last, both Emery and Isaac had sleep studies. I happened to be there when Isaac was being wired up... Can you say "Mad Scientist"?
Neither study showed anything worrisome, but both will be coming home on Pulse oximetry monitors so that we know if their heart rate or oxygen saturations drop too low.
For now, we are enjoying having Parker at home... and enjoying the extra sleep which we won't be getting once the entire brood has made a break for it.
While we wait for the other two to slip the surly bonds of the NICU, here is a bit of entertainment. Parker was kind enough to humor his mother as she snapped a few pictures. The photo shoot came to an abrupt halt when he peed while naked.
And while we wait for Emery... talk amongst yourselves...
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Discharge Delayed
Hard for me to believe... but Isaac and Emery are still in the hospital.
Three times now they have had bradycardic events less than 24 hours before their scheduled discharges.
The episodes aren't serious, but every time they occur, the discharge clock is reset for another 5 days.
As a result, they are both having sleep studies done this weekend and we anticipate they will be coming home this next week on monitors so that we will know if they brady or desat. I'm not actually complaining... we would much rather have them stay in the hospital until they are good and ready to be safely at home. As Matt is fond of saying, "We will have them for 18 years, what's another few days?". In actuality they are still ahead of their projected 40 week discharge date. Otherwise they are both doing great. Isaac is by far the best eater of the bunch and also appears to have the most mellow nature (although Emery may not agree as when I walked into the NICU this morning, he was pummeling her in the head... payback perhaps for the times she has pulled his head around after getting ahold of his oxygen tubing?????).
They are all growing like weeds and currently range around 5 lbs 5 oz. In fact, in a sort of major milestone, they have all officially grown out of their preemie onesies!
Parker seems to have settled into his crib... and his "only baby home" status. He has a particular affinity for his father, being walked, having the word "swish" whispered repeatedly in his ear, being worn in the wrap sling, the cool vibrating crib mattress Matt found, and waking well over an hour before his next feeding.
I drove Mom to the airport this morning :(.
Her help has been invaluable for so many reasons and we are grateful to have had her here for so long. As Dad is serving as mission president, it is not easy for her to be away for so long from their responsibilities. Thanks, Dad for lending us Mom for two weeks! :-)
Sharon arrives tomorrow to help us for a week. We are so lucky! Between Mom and Sharon I hope to have a clue as to what I am doing with these babies by the end of the month.
39 weeks today!
Three times now they have had bradycardic events less than 24 hours before their scheduled discharges.
The episodes aren't serious, but every time they occur, the discharge clock is reset for another 5 days.
As a result, they are both having sleep studies done this weekend and we anticipate they will be coming home this next week on monitors so that we will know if they brady or desat. I'm not actually complaining... we would much rather have them stay in the hospital until they are good and ready to be safely at home. As Matt is fond of saying, "We will have them for 18 years, what's another few days?". In actuality they are still ahead of their projected 40 week discharge date. Otherwise they are both doing great. Isaac is by far the best eater of the bunch and also appears to have the most mellow nature (although Emery may not agree as when I walked into the NICU this morning, he was pummeling her in the head... payback perhaps for the times she has pulled his head around after getting ahold of his oxygen tubing?????).
They are all growing like weeds and currently range around 5 lbs 5 oz. In fact, in a sort of major milestone, they have all officially grown out of their preemie onesies!
Parker seems to have settled into his crib... and his "only baby home" status. He has a particular affinity for his father, being walked, having the word "swish" whispered repeatedly in his ear, being worn in the wrap sling, the cool vibrating crib mattress Matt found, and waking well over an hour before his next feeding.
I drove Mom to the airport this morning :(.
Her help has been invaluable for so many reasons and we are grateful to have had her here for so long. As Dad is serving as mission president, it is not easy for her to be away for so long from their responsibilities. Thanks, Dad for lending us Mom for two weeks! :-)
Sharon arrives tomorrow to help us for a week. We are so lucky! Between Mom and Sharon I hope to have a clue as to what I am doing with these babies by the end of the month.
39 weeks today!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Parker In Da House
Time has flown and I only today realized it has been a week since I posted.
I picked up Parker from the hospital last Monday as planned (complicated only by my neighbor informing me an hour before that I had water gushing down my front lawn--- a broken irrigation valve--- timing is everything, isn't it?). Here Parker is during his "car seat challenge" where they ensured that his oxygen levels would not drop while sitting.
Only in a picture like this do I realize how small he is! For those car seat safety savvy amongst you, I do not use the padded insert while driving him around...
We got a quick pic of the three together before Parker set off on his own, leaving his brother and sister to keep each other company.
Between taking care of Parker at home, exercising every day (Yay endorphins!), continuing to pump and of course running back and forth to the hospital to see Isaac and Emery twice a day as well as attempting to single handedly prop up the economy by shopping for large quantities of baby supples... it has been a very busy week. Because we didn't have enough going on... Matt started a trial the morning after Parker came home which meant that he worked extremely long hours the remainder of the week. How did we survive you may ask? My mother! She is out here for a few weeks and has not only helped me adjust to caring for a newborn, but she watches Parker so I can visit the other two babies. Matt's trial ended on Friday (he won!)and it was great to have him around all weekend. Matt and Parker bonded on Saturday as you can see...
Parker is doing very well, and his parents are learning :-). We love having him home and enjoy staring at him for hours a day.
He had two medical appointments on Friday-- one of which was a four hour round trip ordeal which I get to repeat every week for another 6 weeks... eventually with all three (Oh Goody!). At least now I know what to expect.
Isaac and Emery are doing well in the hospital. Both have had a few more bradycardic events so are not yet cleared to come home. Barring any new events, Emery should be home in another few days. Isaac shouldn't be more than a week behind her. He doesn't require oxygen while sleeping, but still needs it during feeds and when he (rarely) gets upset.
Take Home Message? Things are going well and we are SO grateful to be on this side of the journey :-).
I picked up Parker from the hospital last Monday as planned (complicated only by my neighbor informing me an hour before that I had water gushing down my front lawn--- a broken irrigation valve--- timing is everything, isn't it?). Here Parker is during his "car seat challenge" where they ensured that his oxygen levels would not drop while sitting.
Only in a picture like this do I realize how small he is! For those car seat safety savvy amongst you, I do not use the padded insert while driving him around...
We got a quick pic of the three together before Parker set off on his own, leaving his brother and sister to keep each other company.
Between taking care of Parker at home, exercising every day (Yay endorphins!), continuing to pump and of course running back and forth to the hospital to see Isaac and Emery twice a day as well as attempting to single handedly prop up the economy by shopping for large quantities of baby supples... it has been a very busy week. Because we didn't have enough going on... Matt started a trial the morning after Parker came home which meant that he worked extremely long hours the remainder of the week. How did we survive you may ask? My mother! She is out here for a few weeks and has not only helped me adjust to caring for a newborn, but she watches Parker so I can visit the other two babies. Matt's trial ended on Friday (he won!)and it was great to have him around all weekend. Matt and Parker bonded on Saturday as you can see...
Parker is doing very well, and his parents are learning :-). We love having him home and enjoy staring at him for hours a day.
He had two medical appointments on Friday-- one of which was a four hour round trip ordeal which I get to repeat every week for another 6 weeks... eventually with all three (Oh Goody!). At least now I know what to expect.
Isaac and Emery are doing well in the hospital. Both have had a few more bradycardic events so are not yet cleared to come home. Barring any new events, Emery should be home in another few days. Isaac shouldn't be more than a week behind her. He doesn't require oxygen while sleeping, but still needs it during feeds and when he (rarely) gets upset.
Take Home Message? Things are going well and we are SO grateful to be on this side of the journey :-).
Monday, October 6, 2008
D-day
"D" as in "discharge.
Parker is coming home in a few hours!
Emery was to join him, but a few bradycardic episodes in the last 24 hours means she will be in for another 4-5 days and will most likely be receiving another blood transfusion. The nurses think Emery is just a nurturing sister and doesn't want to leave Isaac alone at the hospital. You know, the whole "Leave no man behind..." thing :-)
Isaac has made remarkable (and I do mean remarkable!) progress over the last week and is now on the lowest possible oxygen setting known to man (0.1 liter). He is eating well and should be ready to come home in the next week (with or without oxygen). The nurses at the last NICU promised us he would most likely catch up to his brother and sister quickly... but I wasn't expecting this. What a champ!
Now anyone who knows me well can only imagine my last week. I have been shopping like a mad woman... not only for baby stuff (although that is clearly the most FUN shopping), but also food, household stuffs, etc. I have no delusions that I will be getting anything done besides taking care of Parker and visiting with Emery and Isaac. We have been putting together cribs, decorating the nursery (thanks Jen!) and doing more loads of laundry a day than I would like to admit. Oh, and lets just say we have been filling the garbage cans...
Parker is coming home in a few hours!
Emery was to join him, but a few bradycardic episodes in the last 24 hours means she will be in for another 4-5 days and will most likely be receiving another blood transfusion. The nurses think Emery is just a nurturing sister and doesn't want to leave Isaac alone at the hospital. You know, the whole "Leave no man behind..." thing :-)
Isaac has made remarkable (and I do mean remarkable!) progress over the last week and is now on the lowest possible oxygen setting known to man (0.1 liter). He is eating well and should be ready to come home in the next week (with or without oxygen). The nurses at the last NICU promised us he would most likely catch up to his brother and sister quickly... but I wasn't expecting this. What a champ!
Now anyone who knows me well can only imagine my last week. I have been shopping like a mad woman... not only for baby stuff (although that is clearly the most FUN shopping), but also food, household stuffs, etc. I have no delusions that I will be getting anything done besides taking care of Parker and visiting with Emery and Isaac. We have been putting together cribs, decorating the nursery (thanks Jen!) and doing more loads of laundry a day than I would like to admit. Oh, and lets just say we have been filling the garbage cans...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Graduation Day
Yep, kind of like graduation from kindergarten... only more expensive.
Yesterday the babies "graduated" from the Level III NICU and were transferred to a Level II much closer to home.
Road Trip!!!!
Here is a picture of their wheels... the "baby limo"...
There is talk of Parker and Emery going home Monday... which means I am have much shopping to do :-).
Yesterday the babies "graduated" from the Level III NICU and were transferred to a Level II much closer to home.
Road Trip!!!!
Here is a picture of their wheels... the "baby limo"...
There is talk of Parker and Emery going home Monday... which means I am have much shopping to do :-).
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