Coming Home

Well folks, the moment we've been waiting for is here! And compared to many of our fellow NICU-ites we have had a relatively short and uneventful stay. 

Drumroll please....

Maggie and Sawyer will be coming home tomorrow! 

Hank had a bit of an episode where he dropped his heart rate and saturations and had to have a nurse pay his back to make him bring it back up...SO that stunt made him need to have 3 episode free days before he can join us. We are planning to bring him home Saturday!

So our family is going to quickly be growing from 2 to 4 to 5 by the end of the weekend! We are both extremely calm and confident in bringing them home. I mean the NICU basically was parenting a newborn preemie 101 for us!

With this exciting news we know many of you will want to come and visit! We would love for you to meet our new additions, but with them being preemies and this being flu/RSV season we have some guidelines that need to be followed. We don't want our babies to have to go back to the NICU (or worse) as much as we love the nurses there!

So here are the guidelines that are going to make me sound crazy! It's the doctors guidelines I promise!!!!

1. We are going to be limiting visitors. Please don't just show up! Let us know if you want to visit. We may have had visitors that day or for some reason can't accommodate you at the moment!Please don't be offended if we aren't able to see you that day. We love you all and want you to see them!

2. We are not going to be allowing visitors in who do not have their updated TDAP(whooping cough) vaccine and flu shot. These are easily gotten at CVS, Walgreens or Target. Doctors rules!!'

3. If you have (or have had in the past few days) a sniffle, tickle in your throat or just feel off please postpone your visit. These babies aren't big enough to fight off our big germs!

4. We have a schedule that we are going to follow. If you come during a feeding/changing time we are going to be a bit preoccupied, but you're more than welcome to burp a baby, hold a baby etc!  Feeding times for Maggie are as follows and the boys start around 30 minutes after her and then each other.

 

8:00-8:30-9:00 am and pm

11:00-11:30-12:00

2:00-2:30-3:00

5:00-5:30-6:00

5. Please be prepared to wash your hands and sanitize!

Also, if you'd like to sign up to bring or send a meal please contact Sarah Heatwole (Facebook messenger etc. if you can't get to her just ask me!) She has set up this cool site that lets people send meals if they are out of town but want to help, or sign up to bring a meal by!  

We love you all! Thanks for helping keep our babies safe, happy and healthy! Can't wait to see you!

We Made 35 Weeks!

Well we got some snow...and we braved the blizzard to get these babies breast milk thanks to their Grandaddy and Daddy! No formula shall touch these babes lips!!! We were/are scared they will get bad reflux if they switch and these kids can't stand to miss a good meal. Momma milk seems to be doing a good job of fattening them up, so we got it to them!

We went up today to deliver milk and see them for a feeding and they are doing so great! I wish we could've kept them in until 35 weeks because man what a difference! The doctor came and spoke to us and said its not going to be long until all of these babies would be discharged...to us...to take home...HOLY WOW!!!

Maggie has been taking all of her feeds by mouth for a few days now and today they removed her feeding tube! They also removed her nasal cannula and she has been holding her oxygen level well! Pray she keeps it up so she can come home! We are doing the 'car seat challenge' (cue echoey announcer voice) tomorrow to see how she does in a car seat! 

Hank

Not to be outdone by his sister, he ripped out his feeding tube last night and has been taking all of his feeds by mouth as well. He is still in his cozy isolette. They are just trying to make it easier on him to gain weight quicker.

Sawyer

Not to be outdone by either of his siblings, he ripped his feeding tube out ( one of his favorite past times) today while we were there and they just kept it out. 

We will see how they do this week and we might have babies home sooner than later! Go Team TriDye!

Also, I'm extremely sorry for the lack of thank you cards going out to people since they have been born! They will get out, but know before they do that we are continually amazed and thankful for your gifts and support! We love you all!

Keep On Keepin' On

Life is good in the NICU! We have three sweet, sleepy, hangry angels and we are two tired but happy parents! We are just waiting on them to grow and mature. They won't even think of releasing them until they reach a gestational age of 35 weeks which is another week and a half.

Maggie: 4 lb 10 oz

To go home she needs to get off that oxygen/flow. It's really a tiny amount, but she seems pretty dependent for right now. She also needs to take 100% of her feeds by mouth. She takes most by bottle now!

Hank: 3lb 10 oz

We need him to grow, grow, GROW! He is starting to be more interested in feeds by mouth! He needs to get bigger to get out of his baby cage! He is so tiny, but SO mighty!

 Sawyer: 4 lb 1 oz

To go home he needs to take those feeds by mouth!  He had moved up into a big boy crib and is rocking it! He rips his feeding tube out at least once a day, so maybe he is getting motivated! 

Enough about our cute babies! I want to ask for prayer for our NICU neighbors! One of our neighbors gets to leave! Yay for them! A totally exciting and hopeful experience to behold! Pray for another family and baby who have been here a loooong time with their little one. They have great attitudes, but it can't be easy. Pray for their baby and their journey! 

2 weeks and a day!

These kids are 2 weeks old and a day! We came into the NICU to find that they have been moved to the step down room, which is one step closer to coming home! Woohoo go guys! 

The doctor said she was so surprised that they are acting as mature as they are, given their gestational age. They are old souls already. 

Maggie:

She is still on her nasal cannula. They took her off for half a day, but she needed it back. They say a few more days should allow her to grow the lung tissue she is obviously lacking at this point. Pray for her lungs to help provide her with the oxygen she needs!

She was put in an open crib now, which means she is able to regulate her own body temp. She is taking a few feeds a day now with the bottle only! Woohoo go Maggie!!

Hank:

He is such a little scrapper! Always ready to eat and poop and pee all over! He is taking some of his feeds by bottle as well. He's doing great! Growing and growing! We are excited to hear his new weight tomorrow!

Sawyer:

Tomorrow is his last day of antibiotics and he is doing awesome! He will get his picc line taken out shortly after. One less piece of hardware to juggle!  They said hey are going to try him out in an open crib tonight as well to see how he does.  He's taking feeds in the bottle well too. 

Big boy almost 4 pounds!

We sure do love these babies!

Day 11

IThe NICU has a lot in common with being in a casino. No windows. There are lots of beeps and lights flashing. You leave with less money than you had. You lose track of any sense of time, and by the time you leave the day is over and you're surprised!

Today has been another busy and good day here in the NICU. Everyone has either tried from a bottle or boob today and did really well! They are such smart little munchkins already. T didn't get to see them yesterday, he was feeling a little under the weather (I blame late night Taco Bell and not being in college anymore) and didn't want to risk it. It was hard for him to not be able to see them, but he will be here today after work! Pray against sickness for us! 

Maggie: 

Still on nasal cannula. Little miss likes that flow of air. Every time they reduce it her oxygen saturation dips and they raise her back up. Pray she is able to start to hold her own without the flow of room air helping her. 

Otherwise she's doing great! Took 13ml with a bottle today and was a trooper. Her little hiccups are the cutest thing. Funny thing is, she always had the hiccups in utero, so not surprising she's a hiccuper.

Hank:

He really wanted to breastfeed today and 
he rocked!

He didn't gain anything last night so they upped his feeds again today. They usually try to go slow upping feed amounts with babies who were growth restricted, but he has declared HE'S HUNGRY!!!

Sawyer:

His 2nd blood culture came back negative for bacteria. WOOHOO! He has 5 more days of antibiotics.

He also was into breastfeeding today and did great!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. A friend of mine from work made a gofundme page for us and we are continually overwhelmed by the generosity and love of our community. So many of you have sent gifts, brought frozen meals, totes me to the hospital, sent well wishes, and monetary support for these little people and we and the triplets are so lucky to have you in our lives and our "village".

Day 9

It was a good 9th day of life in the NICU. The doctor said they rounded (talked through patient care) quickly today because everyone was doing so well! Yay! We spent most the day holding babies! We only get to take them out once a day for now, so we try to take full advantage. 

Dad got to hold both the boys, while me and Maggie explored the fascinating world of trying to breastfeed a preemie. Although we've decided that they aren't a good luck charm for Virginia Tech (Duke vs. VT = not pretty) they must be bad luck for Virginia! 

Apparently Sawyer was extremely interested in Hank being with him and couldn't stop staring. Cute things!

They turned down Maggie's nasal cannula again, woohoo! She's the only one holding onto that piece of hardware still. 

So here are some more pictures of our cuties. God is good in the good and the bad, and we are thankful for some good!

Hank

Sawyer doing some tummy time 

Maggie conked out!

A Week and a Day

Well people it's been a whirl wind of a week. Let me update you!

All ultrasounds on everyone came back normal!

We will get to hold all of them by tonight! Yay!!!!

Maggie:

-She is still on a nasal cannula but they are decreasing the flow.

-They keep upping her feeds and I even got to breastfeed her this morning!!! As I type this I am going for the second hour of kangaroo care with her. Feeling her little movements and breaths and smelling her and...ALL THE FEELS!

-she was in a cute little outfit/ which means she is well enough to wear clothes! Big deal!! 

Hank:

-He is off the nasal cannula completely! 

GO little man!

-They are taking out the umbilical cord line for him today which ran something like baby Gatorade (T's lingo) into him, and are holding off on inserting a picc line (IV type thang).

-They are also upping his feeds and fortifying his breast milk today!

Hank with one less cord! Pray he does well with it off!

Sawyer:

-Antibiotics have done that dude a world of good. No more episodes of not breathing.

- His picc line is acting right so far.

- he is still pooping and growing

Sawyer conked out!

We are so SO thankful for your prayers and support. The power of prayer has been so evident in all of these circumstances and we are just so thankful to God in all of this.

 Last night was the first night I spent at home. I thought I would be calling every two hours while I was pumping making sure my babies were ok...I fell asleep in about 2.5 seconds and barely woke up to breastfeed one time. And that one time I couldn't find my babies pass codes to give to the hospital to even call....but you know what, I felt peace and not panic. So thankful for a great NICU and an amazing staff of doctors and nurses. The care we have gotten is insanely awesome.

That's all for now!

Pray for Sawyer

So the babies are doing well. Sawyer got some new hardware today after he had some "spells" of forgetting to breathe last night and today. They thought it was just because preemies do that sometimes, but they went ahead and tested his blood for infection just in case because it kept happening and his oxygen was dropping. 

The tests came back elevated. They started him on antibiotics immediately and also intubated him. He is on room air not oxygen and is "breathing above" the ventilator, which means he is not relying on it to breathe, but instead just gets a push if he needs it. All of these things are good in a scary looking situation. Nobody wants to see their baby go through anything like that, but we are trusting and praying that tomorrow will be a better day for Mr. Sawyer. 

Please pray that his new hardware can come off tomorrow and that his breathing improves dramatically. Pray that the antibiotics work quickly and that his oxygen level stays good.  Also in the midst of all of this SAWYER POOPED and ate well! Woohoo! They aren't reducing his feeding and he is very calm.

Maggie and Hank are doing well!  Maggie is starting with the speech therapist on sucking and might even get to nipple feed this week on a bottle! 

They are all digesting and keeping down Mom's milk!

Thanks in advance for your prayers! 

Quick Update, Pictures and some Visiting Guidelines!

Our wall of the NICU. Aren't the quilts adorable?! They were made by The Madonna House Senior Quilters for the NICU! Makes a place that can be pretty serious a little bit more colorful!

Maggie:

Is off sipap! 

Has Sensitive skin-bump/redness on face

Is off billi lights!!! 

Hank:

He pooped! Go buddy!

Sawyer:

He still hasn't pooped!!!!

But he sure is cute!

They are all amazingly precious! I'm battling extreme fatigue and a really bad headache and issue with the biopsy site. Pray for me that I can continue to heal and realize that taking care of me is taking care of the babies...but you know mama guilt...

I also wanted to write down for our wonderful visitors what information the Physical Therapist came by and told us were some guidelines of interacting with our preemie babies, as well as some basic NICU etiquette (we are just learning all of this as well)/what to expect/what the nurses expect. We ask if you come to visit you follow these too like we are. All of these things are basically helping them cognitively develop correctly since they should still be in my incubator, or keep them from being sick.

1. No perfume, smelly lotions, smoke - babies wouldn't be able to smell yet 

2.  Please speak in a hushed voice - babies would still be hearing muffled voices, but please talk to them!

3. No tickly or light touch - the babies need to be touched firmly yet gently, they have told us to hold the top of their head and bottom of feet. They can also grab a finger of course! They love that!

4. Let sleeping babies sleep - when they are supposed to be sleeping (anytime they aren't scheduled for changing and feeding) they need to sleep/that's how they grow and will get outta here!

Here is their normal schedule. These are times that would be good to come see them, otherwise we won't be touching them or opening up their isolettes. 

*8-9ish, 11-12ish, 2-3ish, and 5-6ish

5. Please don't come if you feel kinda sick, were recently sick, feel not right or a tickle in your throat. These kids will be around for a long time, so there is plenty of time to see them...and our germs are just too big for them right now!

6. Don't look at other babies while in the NICU (not that you would want to...the triDye is pretty darn cute!) -you know privacy and what not. It can feel like a museum of babies, but it's really these babies hospital room.

7. Be prepared to scrub up - you will enjoy a three minute hand scrub at the beginning of your NICU journey!

We love when you guys visit! 

Love, 

Maggie, Hank and Sawyer

You Fell Asleep

Sorry this one is sappy (brought to you by pregnancy hormones, just kidding, kinda!)

This is to my rockstar of a husband, partner in crime, and best friend. 

You fell asleep before I could tell you...

Our babies look like you.

You fell asleep before I could tell you...

Watching you as the father of my children is the most amazing experience of my life.

You fell asleep before I could tell you...

When you hold my hand as we look at our precious babies I feel closer to you than ever before.

You fell asleep before I could tell you...

I'm exhausted too, but I wouldn't trade this experience with you for anything.

You fell asleep before I could tell you...

I love you more than life itself and thank you for everything you are doing for me and our new family!

We love you T/Dad! Get some rest!

Feed dem Babies

Hospital life makes everybody sleepy! 

Our celebratory meal from the hospital!

Here's an update about our peeps today:

Maggie:

Doctors are doing a spinal ultrasound on January 7th because of a little dimple on her back. Trying to make sure her spinal cord is fine, all indications are that she is fine. Pray for that!

She went up to15ml feeds!

She has a rash under her arms, the little girl has sensitive skin like her mom I think! They are using bacitracin, pray it clears up with no other meds.

Her bilirubin levels have also gone down woohoo!

Still on sipap, hoping soon she can get to the nasal cannula like her brothers.

Hank and Sawyer:

No poop yet

Does better on breast milk

Stopped phototherapy today!

Still doing great on the nasal cannula

We had a great accomplishment today! I was able to feed all three babies with breast milk! And their tummies loved it! 

Hank!

Maggie's little hand!

Day 3

Well I am officially discharged from the hospital, but we are staying on to board near the babies for three days. T is being so great. I didn't think I could love him more than I already did, but boy kids do something extra to the heart! The boys are doing great. We sat in on the meeting this morning with the doctors and heard that they are already making good gains. Pray for little Maggie's bilirubin levels. They aren't going down like they want, so they are giving more phototherapy. The doctor said we are going to see how that changes the levels and we will reassess tomorrow morning. She is doing well though and I think she looks like me as a baby!

We have gotten to be more and more involved in their care and we are loving it. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. I'm still trying to recover and manage pain and pump! Pray my supply comes in soon! We see more and more supply every time I pump. It's pretty amazing how God has designed our bodies! 

Sawyer

Fuss bucket Maggie!

Update from the Hospital

I really haven't had a moment that has not been dedicated to our 3 new babies, pumping (trying to), or falling asleep all the time (only did that twice writing this)! Those are my excuses for not updating until 2 days after their arrival...and I'm sticking to 'em! 

They were all born on December 31, 2015 at 31 weeks and 4 days.

Maggie was born at 1:41 pm

John Henry at 1:42 pm

Sawyer at 1:44 pm

(I'll get accurate birth weights and inches and put them up next update)

We are all doing well under the circumstances of preemie birth and birth in general. It's hard on your body! I was so naive at first, thinking 'I won't need these pain meds'! Never in my life did I think I would be begging for them after my dumb choice...so that's good now that my pain is manageable. The only way I can describe c-section pain is that it feels like a lightsaber (yes, a lightsaber) is being held to part of my skin and just burning me constantly (we won't even go there to describe how it feels to get up). 

I did too much yesterday. And I paid for it by the end of the day. But it was worth getting to see my babies more, change a nasty diaper for Sawyer, comfort them, clean their mouths and just see them. I just want to be near them all the time, and I feel guilty if I can't be. T is struggling with that same guilt, but he was(is) so tired from the pumping schedule and the all night hospital care that he and I just needed to sleep last night.

Yesterday I got to hold Sawyer. It was the most amazing moment(hour). He was not happy to get pulled out of his little nest, but as soon as he heard Momma/smelled Momma/heard my heart beat he immediately calmed and melted into me. It was like we were becoming one big bundle again. A moment unlike any other in my life. T got to hold Hank and boy was he happy ( he meaning Dad and Hank). Hank did so well and it was an amazing thing to see T as a Dad. T has been so good, going in the NICU, involving himself in their care. We both feel a little disconnected from our babies and we are both fighting for the connection I think. 

It is almost kind of painful to stay in the Mother and Baby area of the hospital. You  hear a baby next door snuggled in with Mom or start to cry and you just want your baby (babies) there. They will be soon enough, I know...just keepin' it real folks.

At any rate here are some updates on our kids!

-They are beautiful, hard to see them with their masks on, but Hank and Sawyer really are identical!

-They are all healthy!

-They are all pooping and peeing!

-They are all breathing and didn't have to be intubated...they are just on a CPAP machine. Pray they start using less and less oxygen help!

-Pray against jaundice. Our little girl is under the bililights and has her stunna shades on, which is why we haven't gotten to hold her yet. Pray we get some skin to skin with Maggie soon, and that her brothers don't jaundice!

-They are eating through their tummy tube. Pray that my breast milk comes quickly so that they can have that! Also pray they keep it all down!

Thank you for your prayers, concerns and love. We are trying our best to keep you updated and feeling like you are a part of this.  If we slack a little please understand it's not you it's me! 

Thanks to all of our visitors! We love you guys and are so happy we get to share our joy with you!

Also, shout out to our friends who have done our disgusting dishes, taken the trash, organized clothes and gone on errands for us, so we can focus on being this new family. We love you guys and the triDye are pretty excited to snuggle you once that is a possibility!