One month old!! (35 weeks gestation)

I've started an unintentional trend of having blog posts on Thursdays.  When I was pregnant, Thursdays were my 'celebration' days, as that was the turn to the next week of gestation... and then the girls were born on a Thursday... so I've kind of went with the Thursday thing.  

With that being said, I'm sort of at a loss for words at what to type today.  The girls are doing wonderful... beyond our expectations, and a bit fast for their mom and dad.   Today they are ONE MONTH old!!  Just four weeks ago we were still in shock that we have two gorgeous baby girls... in a heated isolate, c-pap in their nose, IV in their belly button, and a feeding tube in their mouths.  Now, only 30 days later, they are just learning how to eat and get bigger with absolutely no other concerns.

With very few minor speed bumps, the girls have been doing amazingly well.  They started oral feedings at 33 weeks and in just one week of beginning oral feedings, the word "discharge" is being used more and more often.  

Danika:  Currently 4 lbs 13 oz.  Her feedings are going well.  She has been feeding three times a day with me, and is starting to get her feet wet with the bottle feeding.  She LOVES to be awake and look around.  She won't make a sound, but she will just lay there and look around.  She's really mastering the grin... and I completely fall in love every time she gives us one of her smirks.

Johnalyn: Currently 4 lbs 15 oz.  This girl loves her feedings!  She doesn't miss a meal and will even eat while sleeping (not very common with preemies).   She's been SO alert the past few days and is taking up to five oral feedings a day and taking bottles at night!  She sure has the lactation nurse impressed... and an exhausted mom!  

Last Friday, it was brought up the question of a possible transfer back to Mankato because their level of care is minimal at this point, and it would have been closer to home.  Our social worker tried every way possible to get the ambulance transfer covered by our insurance, but it was a no-go.  Because it wasn't medically necessary, and because it would have been a transfer to a step-down unit, it would not have been covered.  

Both of the girls underwent ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity) testing on Monday.  ROP is an eye disorder that could cause blinding, that primarily affects premature infants.  They had their eyes dilated and we all (me and the girls' entourage of two nurses, two respiratory therapists, and the head nurse)had a field trip all the way over to the Mayo building.  The appointment was uneventful, and the girls aren't at alarming risk of having ROP.  ROP typically occurs in premature babies under 2-3/4 pounds or born before 31 weeks gestation.  Because they were right at 31 weeks, we decided to go forth with the test.  

A lot of people have been asking me, how it's determined when they go home.  It's a loaded question.  There is a long list that needs to be checked off before they're discharge... but that doesn't mean it can't come up fast.  Some of thing things that need to be accomplished before discharge:  48 hours of oral feedings without any tube feeding supplementation, no weight loss with the oral feedings, no bradycardia episodes that require intervention, routine brain scans (due to their gestational birth), the 90-minute car seat test, and a list of parent education material that Donny and I have to complete (basically like a test-out... can we change a diaper, give baths, feed the babies, properly put them in their car seats, infant CPR... you know, all the things that all parents should have to do prior to discharge with their first babies... in my opinion).... 

When they are discharged, they will have a doctor appointment 24 to 48 hours after discharge to make sure they are thriving.  Danika will also have a follow-up for her heart murmur, just to gather a baseline with their pediatrician.  

It's been another crazy but amazing week watching them grow before our eyes and watching them develop new abilities.  As scary as prematurity can be, we are really pulling the positives out of this... one of them being that we are able to watch these miracles grow and develop to a level that most parents don't get to experience.  They are showing us the beauty in the smallest things... like celebrating weight gains as little as 10 grams... the sense of accomplishment with a swallow of milk... little squeaks as they find their voices... such little tiny things that have become such a huge deal to us.  Life is truly a gift!  

It's late... I'm rambling... and I can't decide what pictures to post... SO... that will have to wait until tomorrow when I can keep my eyes open!   Life is good.  God is good.  Please pray for our sanity as we near closer to going home!  :-)