Day 5 - ups and downs

James had to be put back in his isolet.  He couldn't keep his body temperature up.  This is normal for preemies.  They will try him in the crib again in a day or two.

On a positive note my milk supply has increased greatly!  At their last feed they didn't need any formula, just my milk!  Tonight Brian and I are staying in a special room supplied by the Ronald McDonald children's charity.  The room is right beside the NICU and allows us to go in and out of the NICU all night so that we can keep pumping and trying to breast feed them.  It also means that we have a place to nap in between feedings.  I am hoping to be able to stay here for at least a few nights, I can't imagine being away from my babies.  Getting to stay depends on how many other NICU parents request the rooms and who needs it the most.  

It's 9 pm on Saturday night and Brian and I are settling in for a sleep.  We are back in the NICU at 11 to pump/feed again.  Good night everyone.  

Day 5 - big day for my boys!

So today has already been a big day for my little man and my big one.

Brian changed the twins diapers for the first time and even dealt with a poopy one from Josie.

James has graduated to a big boy bed!  This means that he is able to regulate his own body temperature.  This is a big step towards him being able to come home.  We are so proud and excited that this happened so quickly!  

Mommy and JD

I'm so proud of you Michelle. You're already proving to be an excellent mother. 

Day 4 - like father like son

So at 5 pm we tried breast feeding James and discovered, as expected, that he is a lazy sucker.  This is common in newborns and will hopefully correct itself as he realizes how much he actually enjoys /needs to eat.  To help him along with this we put his pacifier in his mouth and encouraged him to suck on it while we pumped breast milk into the side of his mouth with a syringe.  At the same time he was fed formula though a NG (nasal gastro- from nose to tummy) tube.  This way he will associate a full belly with the taste of breast milk and the sensation of sucking.  

Brian and I are having a lot of fun learning about the personalities of our babies.  Josie so far is like me: small, feisty and loves to eat!  James is more like his dad: laid back, relaxed and calm.  

The pic is of James sound asleep after our feeding attempt.  You can see his new nose tube.  

It has been such a great day with them.  We will be going back at 8 pm for more feeding and cuddles!

Day 4 - first successful breast feed!

Warning:  I am going to talk about breast feeding!

Brian and I just got back from the NICU where I was able to successfully breast feed Josie for the first time!  I have been pumping and hand expressing small amounts since I was well enough to try on Day 2.  Today a lactation consultant came to the NICU with us and showed me how to get Josie to latch.  She was so good at it.  We did it for about 30 min on and off!  Josie then got some formula through her NG tube.  This is great because even with the formula she will associate being full with breast feeding!

We are back in my room for a nap now and will try the same thing with James at 5.  This is a huge breakthrough as I have just about every possible obstacle in front of me when it came to breast feeding. This is a small step in the right direction for me and for my babies!

Day 4 - Josie in her disco lights!

Well it's Day 4 in the NICU for our little ones and Josie has failed her jaundice test.  This is very common for preemies and is treated with these really cool blue lights and funky glasses.  As you can see from the first picture Josie is so squirmy and so strong that she actually pushed herself off the blue blanket.  She is little and feisty like her mama!

Brian did a bit of research on jaundice and it is caused when the babies livers cannot yet remove the bilirubin from their systems.  James takes after his father and has great liver function so far.  Josie takes after me, and we all know that I can't hold my liquor nearly as well as Brian, so she needs the extra care.

This morning we got to each hold one of them for about an hour and we were there when the paediatrician and nursing team did their rounds so we got the full details on our twins. The whole team is really impressed with how strong and healthy our twins are.  They have been breathing on their own and have good heart rates, oxygen saturation levels and respitory function so far.  At this rate they will be running their fist 5 km race in no time.   

Day 3 - bed time

Well it's the end of day 3 and it's been our best day yet.  I got to go to the NICU 4 times today and had lots of skin to skin with both babies.  Grandma Jane also got to hold James for the first time today!  Both babies passed their jaundice test for the second time.  Tomorrow they will probably start formula feeds through a tube inserted into their stomachs through their noses.  I am pumping every 3 hours but it could still be a few days or weeks before my milk comes in because of all the complications surrounding their birth and my recovery.  In the meantime they will get formula so that they can grow big and strong so that they can come home in a few weeks.  

It has been another emotional day.  When I hold them I just get so overwhelmed by how much I love them and am filled with such gratitude for how healthy they are.  Brian and I feel truly blessed!

My recovery is going well.  I had a 3 hour iron drip this morning and may have a few more in the coming weeks.  The nurses all keep trying to push Tylenol on me.  I don't think that they believe that I am not in pain.  But I'm really not and with all the meds I've been on in the last few days it's nice to be  mostly free and clear.  

There is a good chance that I will be discharged tomorrow.  Thankfully Brian was able to take another day off so we can figure out a course of action if that is the case.  The hospital has special rooms for parents of NICU babies so we will try to book one of those so that we can stay close by to pump and be with the twins.  If not we will have to figure out a plan for travelling back and forth from the hospital a few times per day.  We will have to wait and see.