Previous Updates on the babies

 

LATEST UPDATE:

 

01/24/03: Once again, it's been a long time since I had time to update the site. The babies have been keeping Tammie, my wonderful sisters, and myself extremely busy. This weekend is the first time in a long time that we had all three with us. I think we got out of practice because it seems like more work than ever before. It's a good thing they are so cute!

Remember that little room where we had the cribs? Remember all the work I did in there? Whelp, it's all been moved! After seeing how much time we spend downstairs with the babies, we decided that the larger room downstairs was better suited for three cribs (not to mention less trips up and down stairs for mom and dad). So, we moved the nursery and are enjoying a much more convenient setup now.

The babies had another check up recently. All three are doing great. They have tolerated their feedings lately and are gaining weight fast! We think Samantha might be teething. She seems to drool and get very cranky at times lately. Of course, they all have their cranky moments.

 

All three babies smile at us lately. No matter how tough this job gets, one of those smiles never fails to set things right in a hurry. It amazing what power they have over us sometimes, you know? In addition to the smiles, they are reaching out to touch things too. Lastly, they are very alert! They look around with wide eyes all the time and it never gets old for us.

I hope I can update this site quicker next time. Until then, keep those thoughts, well wishes and prayers coming our way. They're working!!!!

 

 

12/25/02: Hope everyone is having a superb holiday season! Everyone is doing great! Dominic seems to show some discomfort at times from the surgery, but that was to be expected. He has otherwise had no issues about it.They all enjoyed the attention they got on Christmas Eve at Conni's house.

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12/20/02: Dominic is back home and shows no signs of being uncomfortable. He has two small band-aids where they made the incisions, but those are the only evidence of the procedure. It appears that he has made it through without incident! As I type this, all three are laying side by side in their boppy pillows after a hearty 3-ounce dinner J

A special HUGE THANKS goes out to Margie and Diane for looking after Kayla and Samantha while Tammie and I were at the hospital.

In the meantime, Samantha seems to be having issues with colic. We're trying different things. It isn't too bad right now and, all in all, Samantha and Kayla are progressing very well.

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12/18/02: As I write this, Dominic is spending his second night in the hospital for a double hernia surgery. He was scheduled for operation on Monday, December 23rd. Instead, we ended up bringing him to emergency on Wednesday, December 17th. He was in such pain that we brought him in right away. The doctor agreed that it he needed to take care of the problem ASAP.

The surgery was performed the following morning (12/18). He is recovering in the pediatrics ICU and is expected to be home tomorrow.

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12/09/02: Well, it's been a while since I updated this. I hadn't realized just how often people check this until I "let it go" for a few weeks. Now, the two questions I get asked the most ("How are the babies?" and "How is Tammie doing?") are followed by, "When are you going to update the site?"

 

So, without further ado, let me tell you that the three kidlings are doing great! We took them for a check up on December 8th. They got weighed, inspected and vaccinated. At this time, their weights are:

Samantha - 7 lbs. 9 oz, Dominic - 5 lbs. 7 oz, and Kayla - 6 lbs. 7 oz

Suffice to say they are all gaining some healthy weight! Aside from some normal "baby" issues (gas, spitting up…), Dominic has a couple of small hernias that require some attention. We're told they are not dangerous and can be dealt with easily. Still, the thought of Dominic undergoing a medical procedure like that right now is a little frightening. The poor fella has been through a lot already! Even as I type this, he is in my lap and he is very uncomfortable. I think a warm bottle and a few Gerber gas drops will help him out J I'll try not to take so long to update the site again, but free time is a rare thing lately…

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11/22/02: And Dominic makes three! We got Dominic on Friday. As I write this on Saturday, I do so with tired eyes and a weary head. Our first night with all three was a long one as we tried to juggle the three of them and their schedules. Actually, we had been taking shifts at night. Before Dominic came home, the girls were feeding every three hours. At 9:00 PM, Tammie would nurse whichever one would latch on and I would bottle feed the other.

Then she would go to sleep and I would stay up and change/feed the girls at 12:00. Then I would go to sleep at about 1:00 and she would do the 3:00 and 6:00 feedings. This way, we would both get between 6-8 hours of sleep... theoretically but it was working.

By the time Dominic got home, his feedings were ad-lib/on demand, which means "when he wants and however much he wants".

About this time, the girls began to fall off that three-hour schedule that they were on also. In addition, Kayla developed a diaper rash. Last night, I tried real hard to keep Kayla quiet, but she cried from 11:00 on. We both thought her rash was hurting her, but we think this morning that she was just hungry earlier than usual and we should have fed her right away. In the meantime, Dominic and Samantha took turns waking up, crying, pooping and hungry. We realized over the course of last night that none of them are on any real schedule anymore and that their normal feedings needed to be increased about 1/2 ounce.

Once they are fed well and changed, they fall asleep. I think tonight will be better since we're pretty sure that we understand them better.

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11/18/02: SAMANTHA IS HOME!!! Two down, one to go! We picked Samantha up from the hospital tonight. I think she really likes her new place. Her and Kayla look like angels in their cribs side by side. We got pictures, but guess what…. The memory card went kaputz and we lost all the pictures from the last few days. We'll get a new card and post more pictures later.

Dominic will be home soon, but he keeps on having what they call a "Brady". That's when the heart rate slows dramatically for a spell. They do not believe that it is anything serious, (it's something preemies often do) but they want Dominic to go 48 hours without one before they will let him go.

So, send Dominic your prayers and well wishes so that he will be able to join his sisters soon!!

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Talk about busy! Kayla takes a step back, Dominic takes a step forward and Samantha prods along slowly…

This latest update covers from 11/17/02 to 11/19/02. First things first:

We brought Kayla home on Tuesday without incident. She slept the whole ride away. She looked so little in her crib! The "experts" say that you can not spoil a child before one year old, but that didn't stop us from trying J . Mom is staying with us and between her "grandmotherly" ways, Kristina's newfound excitement with a new sister, Tammie's nursing and Nicks's new daddy role, I don’t think kayla was put down for more than a few moments. Everything was going great until Friday evening…

While nursing, Kayla stopped breathing for, want we felt, was enough time to be concerned about. Tammie stimulated her and she perked back up with a deep breath, but then we could see the bottom of her neck kind of "moving in and out"; like she was having a hard time getting air to her lungs. In addition, she had been congested from the feeding tube that she had when she was in the NICU. So, we took her in and they kept her overnight for observation and tests. In the end, we were told that there was nothing wrong with her at all. They said that preemies would do that from time to time and that, unless the non-breathing lasted for 20 seconds or more, then we shouldn't be overly concerned as long as it happens "every once in a while". They did run many tests and did x-rays, but nothing was found to be abnormal. SO…. We get to take Kayla home AGAIN today (Sunday).

While Kayla was in the hospital, we think she got out of bed at night and went upstairs to see Dominic and Samantha. We think she told them how cool their room was at home and that Gramma was there too. Why do we think that? Because the day after Kayla was admitted, Dominic was moved from his isolette to a crib! Then, him and Samantha both pulled their feeding tubes out. That same day, Dominic started to nurse with gusto! I think he could pull Tammie's feet up through her chest if he wanted to! Samantha began to take her feedings fully from a bottle and her hemoglobin (her hemoglobin had been low), was back up to normal levels.

It was as if the babies were trying to convince the nurses that they were ready to go home! Their charade, however, seemed to lose steam. Samantha didn't finish two of her feedings last night, so they put her tube back in. The good news is that, since they put the tube back in, she has since finished all of her feedings from the nipple again. She is just trying to keep us busy I suppose.

All in all, the babies are ALL doing great! Also, it looks as though Dominic will be joining Kayla at home tomorrow night! Samantha will not be far off afterwards. Most likely, they will all be together by the end of this week.

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11/10/02: Kayla is coming HOME!!! Kayla has yanked her feeding tube out on her own and flung it over the side of the crib!!! It's anarchy!! She's taking control!! J The nurse decided that, since she has fed from a bottle a few times in a row today, that Kayla "knew" to pull her tube out. Looks like she will come home on Tuesday!

 11/09/02: Things are progressing nicely. Dominic is still in an isolette, but he is very close to getting into a crib. About four more ounces is all he needs to gain before the will make that move with him. He has begun to feed a little from a bottle, so he is headed in the right direction.

Samantha continues to improve with her feedings. Tammie has begun to nurse her, but that will take some getting used to for Samantha. She is able to take a full bottle a few times each day, but has yet to do that for two consecutive days for all feedings. As soon as she does that, she will come home. That day looks very near…

Kayla has really surprised us. She feeds very well on the bottle. Tammie has been able to nurse her to some extent too. We feel that Kayla may very well be home about the same time as Samantha.

All in all, the babies are starting to drink from a bottle and nurse somewhat. They are gaining weight and are more alert everyday. One of the doctors said that all three should be home by the end of November. We'll have to wait and see…..

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11/06/02: Dominic is getting better. He's feeding again and seems to be back on the right track. Best of all, Tammie held him for a while today, so he's getting some much needed attention again. Also, Dominic is showing great signs that we should attempt to try to bottle feed him soon.

Tammie tried to nurse Samantha today. She just fell asleep (Samantha, not Tammie). Still, all of this is good news as she is showing signs of nursing very soon.

Kayla is doing great in her crib. She seems to be very alert during her feedings. In fact, we sometimes wonder if kayla might surpass Samantha in nursing and/or feeding from a bottle. She is really coming along very well.

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11/5/02: Kayla has been moved to a crib! This is great news!

Dominic, however, is still trying to make things difficult. His stomach was enlarged and he was not doing well, so the doctors checked him out. It was only gas, but they scaled his feedings back and will gradually increase them again. They told us that this kind of thing is very common. It sounds like there is nothing to worry about.

Samantha is still going strong. She's feeding from a bottle for about 1/4 of her feedings. Her only issue now is how tired she gets. Soon, when she builds some strength up, she will be able to nurse regularly.

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10/29/02: When we got to the hospital today, we were told that Samantha had drank 10 cc's from a bottle. This is another step towards her coming home and, from the way she is to be improving that day is approaching fast for her!

Kayla and Dominic are still doing very well, but they are not as far along as Samantha. Dominic still sleeps a lot and we sometimes feel that the girls are getting more than their fair share of attention. Still, Dominic's best friend right now is sleep (I know you can all relate at times).

It's been over two weeks and the babies have gained some weight. Their most current weights are:

Samantha: 3 lb 14 oz; Dominic: 3 lb 0 oz; Kayla: 3 lb 1 oz

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10/28/02: Notice anything different? Well, we corrected an error. Kayla's birth weight was originally recorded here as 3 lbs 8 oz. That was incorrect. Kayla's birth weight was 2 lbs 13 oz. That's what we get for trusting the first quickie Polaroid pictures with the weights scribbled on the bottoms. But enough of that, here is some good news…

Notice the recent pictures of Samantha? She is out of the isolette and in a crib! Well, it doesn't look like the cribs that we all know. In fact, it looks like something that I would use to drain oil in while working on a car. Still, it is a crib and it means that Samantha can maintain her body temperature on her own! It's another step towards coming home.

Dominic still sleeps an awful lot, but that is very good for him. We don't hold him as much since it's best not to wake him. Also, it's hard to get real good pictures of him because we don't want to go poking around his isolette too much or turning on lights around him. That explains why his pictures don't come out as well sometimes.

There have been no other real significant changes lately. All three are tolerating their feedings well and, as a result, those feedings are being increased as they gain weight.

All in all, the babies are doing fantastic! 

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10/23/02: Samantha seems to be on the fast road to nursing. While all three of them will grab a finger when placed in their palm, Samantha will reach out to get it if she sees it near, then pulls it to her mouth.

Dominic sleeps a lot. They grow as they sleep, so we don't disturb him. He needs to catch up!

Not much has changed lately, but tomorrow is another day…

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10/21/02: GREAT NEWS!! Samantha has been moved to "Phase II" with Dominic and Kayla!! They are finally all in a room together. They are also on regular feedings and are tolerating their milk nicely. Things are still coming right along…. J  

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10/20/02: We went to see the babies today and got a big surprise when we saw Samantha. She is no longer on the respirator! Sometime around 6:00 last night, she dislodged it herself and, when they went to put it back, they saw that she was breathing very well on her own. Since they had planned on taking her off of it soon, they decided to see how she would do without it right then. When we saw her, she had been off the respirator for 24 hours and breathing fine. She was crying and kicking hard too! It was the first time we got to hear her (while on the respirator, the babies are kept sedated somewhat). The nurse bundled her up and handed her to Tammie. As soon as Tammie held Samantha, she stopped crying. She was awake and her eyes kept looking back at Tammie and I. She seemed extremely alert and attentive. 

Dominic and Kayla are still doing great in Phase II.

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10/19/02: I'm sure you all know about the events that led to the doctors' decision to birth the babies. Tammie has been through a lot, but she and the babies are doing great! Dominic and Kayla have been moved to "Phase II". Basically, that is where they put the babies when they only need to grow some more. When they gain some weight and get their feeding coordination going, than they will move to "Phase III" which is also known as HOME!!

Samantha is still on the respirator. They have been able to continue weaning her off of it and she should be breathing on her own within a few days. In other words, she is doing very well too! 

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10/11/02: Tammie went into pre-term labor on Thursday evening. When they checked her blood pressure, they saw that is was high. They are keeping her for a few days and they are testing her for Preeclampsia. They are also running some other tests. The doctor said that the boy's low weight could be related to what is going on with her. We could have the babies this weekend… 

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10/08/02: Tammie is three days into her 31st week. We went to have the last scheduled major ultrasound yesterday (Monday). There has been a slight change that the doctor and us are concerned about. The boy did not get as big as the girls did this time around. Four weeks ago, they were all within one ounce of two pounds. This time, the girls are about 3 lbs 5 oz, but the boy is 2 lbs. 12 oz (about 1/2 pound under the girls). Also, they said that the bloodflow in the boy's cord was not flowing as well as the girls'. The doctor took a look and said that the boy is looking fine and is still doing "all the things that healthy babies do". He also said that the weight issue might be nothing at all. He wants to monitor the boy's progress more closely, so he scheduled Tammie to come in twice weekly. If there are any signs of stress, they will go in and take them all right away.

Average weight for triplets is about three pounds, so it looks like they will all weigh at least that when they are born. Keep these little kidlings in your prayers and we will update you all on any changes.

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10/02/02: Tammie and the babies are doing great! She has carried into her 30th week and will start week 31 on Sunday, October 6th. The babies have all been growing in synch and have shown to be very healthy. Our last major ultrasound showed all three babies to weigh two pounds. This was very good news as they are right on their proper schedules. We have another major ultrasound scheduled for October 7th. We will know how much the babies weigh at that time, and they will have a real good look at everything that an ultrasound can reveal.

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