Gavin's Getting Out

Gavin is getting out of the NICU tomorrow! We will call in the morning to see when he will be ready to go and then that's that, another baby home!

Kesleigh's first night was a little rough (on us, not her) but last night was much better after we did some tweaking she's now on a great schedule, let's hope Gavin will adopt a similar one.

Preston is doing great. He is gaining weight like crazy to get to be the 4 pounder he needs to be to get out of the NICU. It will probably be another week or so until he's home with us but that will give us time to get the other two on a schedule with each other.

It is so hard though to leave any of them in the NICU when you have one (or now two) home. I know they are getting the best care and are getting loved on all the time but it's still hard. Someone goes to visit them every day (sometimes more than once/day).

Kesleigh is Home

Kesleigh came home this morning. We roomed in last night at the hospital. It went pretty well but we didn't sleep much. She was pretty good but every little sound she made we were awake for which makes today a little rough but so worth it to see our little girl home and healthy. They boys should follow soon although it was VERY hard to leave them at the hospital this morning and take their sister home.

Going Home Outfit

Milk Update

I have started drinking the Mother's Milk tea (not bad tasting either) and taking the Fengureek. I also talked to my nurse at the peri's office and she gave me a prescription for Reglan so I've started taking that as well. I take 4 pills/day this week, then 3 pills/day next week...you get the idea. It's supposed to work wonders to I will let you know. Even taking the Fengureek and tea I am seeing somewhat an improvement in my milk supply (maybe it's all mental but who cares). The nurse also told me to drink an Easy Street or Blue Moon beer at night after a pump session. Since these beers are unfiltered their yeast helps the milk ducts stay open and with just one beer it will be out of my system by the time I pump again. That for sure should help me relax and I love Easy Street. That's the latest from here, I will keep you updated on if this stuff works.

Thanks for all the comments and encouraging words from my last post.

Milk Woes

Remember how in my last post i said that pumping/breast feeding is hard. Let me rephrase. Pumping is hard. It's hard when your babies are in the NICU and you're supposed to produce milk for them even though they aren't in front of you. My body is very confused. This weekend the thought of pumping made me cry (literally). I feel/felt like such a failure as a mother that I wasn't able to give my babies what they need. I have started taking Mother's Milk tea and Fungureek pills to aid in lactation. I hope they can help up my supply at least a little. I am able to breast feed the babies when I go into the NICU (which is 2x/day) so that's a positive. My nurse has "written orders" that I need to at least put a baby to breast every time I come in to help with milk supply as well.

I know full well that I will probably not be able to supply enough milk for 3 babies to have solely as their source of food but it makes me sad that I can't even provide enough for one.

I will keep you updated on my progress.

Update on Mommy (1 week pp)

So many of you have asked how I'm doing so here it goes...
I am still very sore from the c section. My section went as planned but we did realize as soon as I was open that all the muscles in the front of my stomach TORE while I was pregnant so when I sit up or do any kind of flex of my stomach it makes a tent shape. My incision looks great so there is no issue with healing besides the fact that it takes time:)

The emotions of postpartum have definitely come into play. I just started crying uncontrollably the other night on the way down to the hospital because I didn't think they babies were being held enough. I'm not depressed per say, just overly emotional.

Breast Feeding: It's hard work. I mainly pump everything and bring it into the NICU and then they get donor breast milk if mine isn't enough. My milk just came in the other day but I still don't feel like I'm getting enough.

6 Days Old

Kesleigh:
Current Weight: 5lbs, 9 oz.
Birth Weight: 5lbs. 8 oz.
Took two full feedings today via bottle.
















Preston:
Current Weight: 3lbs, 8 oz.
Birth Weight: 3lbs. 7 oz.
Passed his birth weight
Back on billi lights (called a billi rebound, very common) will be re-checked Saturday morning and will hopefully come off for good).
Latched on to the breast for first time tonight, did a great job and was able to get a little milk.

















Gavin:
Current Weight: 4lbs, 9 oz.
Birth Weight: 4lbs. 14 oz.
Took to the breast well yesterday.
Still on billi lights, will be checked Friday morning.

Baby Update

The babies are gestationally 35 weeks.

Kesleigh: Off the billi lights and in an open crib (looks more like a Rubbermaid bin if you ask me). She can bottle feed about 10 cc's before she is exhausted and can't do anymore. She is a veracious eater and has the breast feeding concept down. She loves to be swaddled and is very good about letting you know when she's not happy with something. Last night we were at the NICU and were trying to give her a bottle, she did not want it and stuck out her bottom lip to let us know. She will definitely be the first one to come home but we still aren't sure when.

Preston: Is off the billi lights but still in an isolette because he cannot hold his body temperature. He doesn't have the suck, swallow, breathe concept down so when we bottle feed him we let him take about five little sips and then pull out the bottle some so he will breathe. This is very common since he is so small. He is gaining weight like a champ.

Gavin: Still on the billi lights. His billy score was 10.2 this morning and they like to see it under 10 so he's very close. The doc decided to put him on for a few more days to hopefully have him be done. He is not very interested in breast feeding but can also get about 10 cc's of bottle before he's just too tired to do anything else but sleep.

In order to come home each baby needs to be regulating their own body temp, eating and pooping on their own (no issues here), and be able to take every meal through a bottle (working on this but they are too exhausted right now).

It's still a little hard to tell but we think that Gavin and Preston might be identical. We will have more of an idea when they are both out of isolettes and we can compare them side by side. Even though they had their own sac and placenta there is a 30% chance that the embryo split right after it implanted. We got our first glance at both of them side by side when we took the family photo when they were in the NICU.

Now for some pics:
Gavin

Kesleigh

Preston