Well, our first kiddo, Zack, came home on Thursday. Because he was still having a few slow heart rate events he came home with an apnea monitor. His heart rate really will only slow once a day, but the siren the monitor puts out jolts him right out. Mostly it just puts out a siren when the wires are loose. We didn't expect him to come home in snow! Made our trip longer but thankfully uneventful. The first night he only woke us a few times. He must have been breaking us in. The second night- wow- he wanted to party all night! The third night he was the best :)
On Saturday morning he met his cousins Dee Dee and Ainsley. They brought him some some of their baby gear that they are must too big for now that they are almost four. Zack loves his new ocean themed bouncer. In fact he is in it right now!
We also took a trip to see his brother Donny at the CHOP NICU. It was nice to be able to all sit together now that Zack is not in a crib across the room. Zack also visited the nurses in the Special Delivery Unit that took care of Mommy while he was being incubated.
Donny's condition has now stabilized enough that the docs can now start investigating how we are going to manage his care once he leaves the hospital. He is now on nasal cannula at 23% oxygen, we breath 21%. He does not like 21%- he likes 23%- so picky! He had an upper GI series of CT the other day. It revealed that he does have a small stomach contributing to a lot of reflux. A small stomach is something that is often seen in little ones born with one lung. The docs feel that the reflux is contributing to his very fast breathing. They moved his feeding tube from his stomach to the first part of his intestine. The also changed a bigger feeding every three hours to a continuous slower feed. His breathing rate has slowed to a much more normal level. They also found a very tiny amount of left lung tissue (the one he is missing). Next week he will go for a bronchscopy with the surgeons to see if there are any abnormal connections between his pulmonary and digestive systems. Long term, he may have a surgical procedure that tightens the connection between his esophagus and stomach to prevent as much reflux.
Today, Zack will meet his great grandparents! He will also watch his first Giants vs Eagles game. Daddy will teach him to be a Giants fan even though he spent most of his life so far in Philly!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Mommy on the Mend, Kids are superstars.
So, I've been promising an update and I think I finally have the strength to do it.
Zachary Alexander and Donald Aaron were bone November 19, 2010 at 1:50 and 1:51 respectively. Zach was 5 lbs 2 oz and Don 4 lbs 5 oz. We moved up their birthday by a few days because I had been developing pre ecclampsia signs for several days and the docs could not wait for me to get any sicker. Basically my blood pressures were climbing higher and higher, i was gaining about 2 pounds of water a day. I started visual disturbances- flashing lights- think aura before migraine on steroids. I gave Will a call and said "Its birthday time!" Then I called my mom- she said she had to put some food in the fridge and then she would be over. The section was then planned for about noon so Will could get there in time.
IVs were started. Both Will and my mom made it in plenty of time. Later I was brought back to the OR and extremely nervous. I felt a lot better when I was numbed up. I started to relax. Eventually they let Will in. He held my hand and was great. Zack came out first and I heard a little cry and it was awesome. Then Donny but he was quiet. The OBs described their umbilical cords from Medusa's head, to a pretzel, to an octopus. They had been tangled since 10 weeks and survived everyone's expectations. I didn't feel that great after that, but it might have been the addition of medicine for nausea.
They took me back to the room and eventually the babies came by. Unfortunately I don't really remember much besides little Donny grabbing my hand and wanting them to go so I could rest. Then apparently some not so good stuff happened. I began to hemorrhage. I'm not even sure on the details myself. All I know is I went from being kinda hot and needing lots of ice chips to being the coldest I ever felt in my life. I was shivering so bad. They are pretty spot on in the movies when they describe it as going blacker and blacker.
I was rushed back into the OR what I was told was about 3 hours later. To me it felt like 5 min. I was given a second surgery to remove some excess bleeding tissues. I was also given 4 units of blood and 3 units of plasma/platelets. I was left in a lot of pain and thirsty from the ordeal but I thought at least I was getting better. Unfortunately, the next few days after the surgery my blood pressures continued to climb and climb. I was still retaining water. I felt the water entering my lungs- like i was drowning. The alarms on my monitors would go off all night from the high BP and low pulse O2. The docs think i have sleep apnea on top of it all because every time i would fall asleep i would wake my self from lack of oxygen. I stayed and extra day and was sent home with Beta blockers for my blood pressures. It was the day before thanksgiving. Will and I decided that we would just take Thanksgiving for ourselves and come back Friday when more rested to see the kids. The OB team said to stop by for a BP check that day.
Will brought me home. We were both surprised on home much I really still needed him to do most everything. My legs were so swollen I could not lift them. We are not talking normal post partum swelling but something around 10 times what is normal. I almost blew off our trip on Friday because I felt so terrible. Its a good thing I didn't.
After a pretty painful trip into Philly, the first thing we did was stop over to the OB unit to have my BP checked. It was something like 223/119. That, and my swollen state prompted the doc to come over right away. I asked if I could at least see the kids for a few moments and she flat out said no. Things began to happen pretty quickly from there.
The Hospital of University of Penn (HUP) is directly next to and connected to CHOP. I was marched directly to their labor and delivery dept with 2 security guards, a nurse, midwife and OB. I was put in a room and told we had to start the Magnesium Sulfate drip now and then we will explain what is going on. I was in so much pain at this point. My belly felt tight and hard, My arms were already pin cushions and bruised from the week before. I think I had 7 IVs in them at once the last admission. I howled and carried on and anesthesia was called to place the IV. They used a TB test needle to give me a little lidocaine to make placement easier. Then a portable chest xray was taken to confirm the water in my lungs. The Magnesium Sulfate (Mag) is used to slow all smooth muscle function in the body so that the BP can come down. Also means no eating or drinking for 24 hours. I already had not eaten much because i didn't feel well that day. Over the next night I lost 8L of urine. That is 4 soda bottles! I looked a little better already. I was transferred to a less critical floor, my BP was monitored and I continued to lose fluid. My hard and painful belly was still of great concern. I was taken to CT and it was determine that I also had a hematoma and cellulitis in my abdomen. I was started on IV antibiotics and my blood pressure medicine was changed. Everyday (I was there for four) I started to feel a little better and a little more normal. I was surprised that the head of the OB/GYN department of U Penn came to visit me. She wanted to see how I was doing, but it was more than just a social visit. I was told that I should not have anymore children because I risk getting very sick again. I'm ok with not having anymore children but its kinda sad that the possibility is gone.
The kids are doing soooo well!!! At least I was able to go to nicu and see the kids more often because the hospitals are connected. Zack is down to just a nasal cannula on room air and is learning to drink from a bottle. Once he does that- he can go home!!! Donny despite having one lung is the fighter I knew he would be. His is still inubated but the nurses say it is doing minimal work. They are going to consult with the surgeon that will be evaluating his condition to see if he wants the tube left in for bronchoscopy. They want to stick a little camera down his trachea to see what is going on structurally. The nurses have often said that he is dealing with one large lung instead of two smaller ones. They both have a strong grips. And look like mommy :)
Zachary Alexander and Donald Aaron were bone November 19, 2010 at 1:50 and 1:51 respectively. Zach was 5 lbs 2 oz and Don 4 lbs 5 oz. We moved up their birthday by a few days because I had been developing pre ecclampsia signs for several days and the docs could not wait for me to get any sicker. Basically my blood pressures were climbing higher and higher, i was gaining about 2 pounds of water a day. I started visual disturbances- flashing lights- think aura before migraine on steroids. I gave Will a call and said "Its birthday time!" Then I called my mom- she said she had to put some food in the fridge and then she would be over. The section was then planned for about noon so Will could get there in time.
IVs were started. Both Will and my mom made it in plenty of time. Later I was brought back to the OR and extremely nervous. I felt a lot better when I was numbed up. I started to relax. Eventually they let Will in. He held my hand and was great. Zack came out first and I heard a little cry and it was awesome. Then Donny but he was quiet. The OBs described their umbilical cords from Medusa's head, to a pretzel, to an octopus. They had been tangled since 10 weeks and survived everyone's expectations. I didn't feel that great after that, but it might have been the addition of medicine for nausea.
They took me back to the room and eventually the babies came by. Unfortunately I don't really remember much besides little Donny grabbing my hand and wanting them to go so I could rest. Then apparently some not so good stuff happened. I began to hemorrhage. I'm not even sure on the details myself. All I know is I went from being kinda hot and needing lots of ice chips to being the coldest I ever felt in my life. I was shivering so bad. They are pretty spot on in the movies when they describe it as going blacker and blacker.
I was rushed back into the OR what I was told was about 3 hours later. To me it felt like 5 min. I was given a second surgery to remove some excess bleeding tissues. I was also given 4 units of blood and 3 units of plasma/platelets. I was left in a lot of pain and thirsty from the ordeal but I thought at least I was getting better. Unfortunately, the next few days after the surgery my blood pressures continued to climb and climb. I was still retaining water. I felt the water entering my lungs- like i was drowning. The alarms on my monitors would go off all night from the high BP and low pulse O2. The docs think i have sleep apnea on top of it all because every time i would fall asleep i would wake my self from lack of oxygen. I stayed and extra day and was sent home with Beta blockers for my blood pressures. It was the day before thanksgiving. Will and I decided that we would just take Thanksgiving for ourselves and come back Friday when more rested to see the kids. The OB team said to stop by for a BP check that day.
Will brought me home. We were both surprised on home much I really still needed him to do most everything. My legs were so swollen I could not lift them. We are not talking normal post partum swelling but something around 10 times what is normal. I almost blew off our trip on Friday because I felt so terrible. Its a good thing I didn't.
After a pretty painful trip into Philly, the first thing we did was stop over to the OB unit to have my BP checked. It was something like 223/119. That, and my swollen state prompted the doc to come over right away. I asked if I could at least see the kids for a few moments and she flat out said no. Things began to happen pretty quickly from there.
The Hospital of University of Penn (HUP) is directly next to and connected to CHOP. I was marched directly to their labor and delivery dept with 2 security guards, a nurse, midwife and OB. I was put in a room and told we had to start the Magnesium Sulfate drip now and then we will explain what is going on. I was in so much pain at this point. My belly felt tight and hard, My arms were already pin cushions and bruised from the week before. I think I had 7 IVs in them at once the last admission. I howled and carried on and anesthesia was called to place the IV. They used a TB test needle to give me a little lidocaine to make placement easier. Then a portable chest xray was taken to confirm the water in my lungs. The Magnesium Sulfate (Mag) is used to slow all smooth muscle function in the body so that the BP can come down. Also means no eating or drinking for 24 hours. I already had not eaten much because i didn't feel well that day. Over the next night I lost 8L of urine. That is 4 soda bottles! I looked a little better already. I was transferred to a less critical floor, my BP was monitored and I continued to lose fluid. My hard and painful belly was still of great concern. I was taken to CT and it was determine that I also had a hematoma and cellulitis in my abdomen. I was started on IV antibiotics and my blood pressure medicine was changed. Everyday (I was there for four) I started to feel a little better and a little more normal. I was surprised that the head of the OB/GYN department of U Penn came to visit me. She wanted to see how I was doing, but it was more than just a social visit. I was told that I should not have anymore children because I risk getting very sick again. I'm ok with not having anymore children but its kinda sad that the possibility is gone.
The kids are doing soooo well!!! At least I was able to go to nicu and see the kids more often because the hospitals are connected. Zack is down to just a nasal cannula on room air and is learning to drink from a bottle. Once he does that- he can go home!!! Donny despite having one lung is the fighter I knew he would be. His is still inubated but the nurses say it is doing minimal work. They are going to consult with the surgeon that will be evaluating his condition to see if he wants the tube left in for bronchoscopy. They want to stick a little camera down his trachea to see what is going on structurally. The nurses have often said that he is dealing with one large lung instead of two smaller ones. They both have a strong grips. And look like mommy :)
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