Ok, so I know it's been a while since I posted an update...things have been a bit busy so this is the first time I've gotten online in a while.  I'll try to catch you up on the main events as best I can!

We took our discharge class on June 27 (a Monday) and they started talking to us seriously about taking Timothy and Elizabeth home that coming weekend.  When I showed up at the hospital Friday (July 1) they had everything ready to discharge them.  Unfortunately, Elizabeth had a spell that morning where she dropped her heart rate and oxygen levels into the 60's.  As a result, they wouldn't let us take them home because they wanted to watch her and make sure everything was ok.  Long story short, she kept having spells so they kept postponing their discharge.  Finally, on Tuesday (July 5) they were cleared to come home! 

Timothy and Elizabeth have both been doing really well at home!  We've kept them on the schedule they had at the hospital, so we're feeding them every three hours.  They each take about 2 ounces right now.  When there's only one of us here it takes about an hour to get them both changed and fed.  Even though the triplets are 2 months old, they're not at the same place developmentally as other 2 month olds.  Premies have an adjusted age that's calculated by taking their actual age and subtracting how many months premature they were.  Based on that, our kids are negative 1 month old.  As they get closer to being "newborns" (adjusted age of 0) they'll get better at feeding and should start taking their bottles faster. 

Things really have been going pretty smoothly at home.  We're getting a system down that seems to be working for us.  Timothy and Elizabeth mostly sleep between feedings.  Occassionally they get a little fussy, but it hasn't been too bad.  Paul and I alternate feedings during the night so we've actually been able to get a decent amount of sleep!

We went to the pediatrician today for their first check up.  She was amazed at how well they're doing considering they were born at 28 weeks!  When they were discharged, Timothy weighed 5 lbs 6 ounces and was 16.5 inches long.  Now he is 6 lbs 0.2 ounces and is 17.5 inches long.  Elizabeth was 4 lbs 14.5 ounces and 15.7 inches long when discharged.  She now weighs 5 lbs 9 ounces and is 17 inches long.  The doc said they're doing great and to keep doing what we're doing! =)

I think that's about it for news on Timothy and Elizabeth.  We're enjoying having them at home and can't wait for Mary to join them!



 

I don't have a whole lot of new info, so I'll just update all 3 kids at once.

Timothy is still doing really well!  He's up to 4 lbs 13.3 ounces and is still getting 40 mL of milk at each feeding.  He is now up to 4 bottles a day and they're trying to wean him from using oxygen when he bottle feeds.  He was having some gas issues this week so they have him back on Reglan and have added Mylicon drops. 

Elizabeth is also doing really well!  She weighs 4 lbs 7.2 ounces and is getting 37 mL of milk at each feeding.  She is getting fed by bottle 4 times each day (without oxygen) and is finishing her bottle feeds faster than Timothy!  She is also on Reglan.

Mary is working hard to catch up to her brother and sister!  She now weighs 3 lbs 3.7 ounces and is getting 30 mL (1 ounce) of milk at each feeding.  She is starting to get the hang of bottle feeding so they're letting her get 2 bottles a day.  She still needs oxygen occassionally to help her take her bottles.  They have started giving her caffeine and Reglan again to help with some breathing issues she was having after her bottle feeds.  Mary had an eye exam this past Monday and we are happy to report that she passed!  She will not need another eye exam for 6 months!

As you can see, all 3 kids are doing great!  Dr. B has started talking to us about taking them home.  She said that Timothy and Elizabeth are getting really close.  Basically, once they get the hang of bottle feeding they will be ready to come home.  They've signed us up for a discharge class this coming Monday to help prepare us for their eventual release.  We don't have a set date but we are encouraged that it could be coming soon!  Mary is a little further behind, so there's a chance we might be bringing Timothy and Elizabeth home before Mary.  We're hoping that doesn't happen, but if it does that's fine.  We're just excited that we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! =)                                 

Just a quick update for Timothy.  He's still doing really well!  He is now getting to bottle feed 3 times a day.  They don't let him bottle feed at every feeding yet because he's still learning how to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time so bottle feeding is stressful and tiring.  As he gets better at it, then they'll continue to increase the number of times he gets a bottle.  The nurses and physical therapist all say he's doing a good job so far with the bottle feeding.  He does better when they blow oxygen in his face during the feeding because it helps remind him to breathe.  Eventually he should be able to do it without the oxygen. 

He is currently getting 40 mL of milk (a little over an ounce) at each feeding and he weighs 4 lbs 5.9 ounces.  Paul got to help give Timothy a bath for the first time last night.  It was funny because right as they started Timothy decided he needed to go to the bathroom!  So, they had to clean out the bath area and start all over!  Other than that, not much has been going on.  Timothy's just eating, sleeping, and growing! =)                                                          

So Timothy had a pretty big day today.  He is now up to 4 pounds and has been taken off of all his medicines (except his vitamins).  Also, the doctor decided he was ready to start trying to bottle feed!  When they start bottle feeding they have a physical therapist do it because it's an extreme stressor for the babies.  They're not used to having to work for their food so it's difficult at first.  They also don't bottle feed at every feeding.  To start out with, Timothy will be bottle fed once every 12 hours.  The physical therapist gave Timothy his first bottle today at his 2pm feeding.  She had to stimulate him several times because he kept forgetting to breathe but said that this is normal since he's still pretty young (33 weeks).  So, he's got the hang of the sucking and swallowing...now he just has to remember to breathe! =)  Seriously, the physical therapist said he did a great job for his first time and gave him an A!   When they do his next bottle feeding they'll blow some oxygen in his face during the feeding to help remind him to breathe.  She said this should make the feeding easier for him.  After the feeding Timothy was completely exhausted!  All morning he'd been fussy but once the feeding was over he crashed! 

Some things they look at in determining when babies are released to go home include weight and the ability to bottle feed (among other things).  The fact that Timothy now weighs 4 lbs and is starting to bottle feed means he's getting closer to going home.  It's exciting!  We're so glad he did well today taking his bottle and hope he progresses quickly!

Sorry I'm not updating as often, but there's very little going on lately.  Most days when we show up we just watch them sleep the whole time!  Of course, I'm not complaining.  We're glad things have slowed down because it means things are going better! =)  Anyway, here's what's going on with Timothy.

On Monday he had his eye exam and on Tuesday he had a head ultrasound.  Both tests came back fine.  They will re-check his eyes in six months to make sure things are still developing like they should.  In other news...they now have Timothy on vitamins with extra iron (just to make sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs), he is eating 32 mL every 3 hours (just over an ounce for each feeding), and he weighs 3 lbs 12 ounces.  Today Timothy and Elizabeth were in an open crib together, which means they're able to regulate their own temperatures.  They will try to start bottle feeding them sometime next week.  Timothy is still dropping his oxygen saturation occassionally but they keep telling us that's normal and he should grow out of it eventually.  Overall, he's making great progress and for that we are thankful!                                                                                   



 

The past several days have been fairly uneventful for Timothy (which is good!).  On Friday when we went to see him, Timothy was very active and had his eyes wide open most of the time.  He kept trying to suck on his fingers but couldn't quite get the hang of it.  They gave him a pacifier and he loved it!  He's starting to develop the ability (and desire) to suck which means they should let us try to start bottle feeding him soon! 

Saturday we showed up to find all 3 babies in the same room!  Timothy is still sharing an isolette with Elizabeth but now Mary is in the room with them, which we LOVE!  Timothy was calmer Saturday, mostly sleeping while we were there.  Since all 3 are in the same room, we were able to hold all three at once.  It made me a little nervous (I think I was worried I might drop one!) but it was also really awesome! 

Today was pretty much the same as Saturday...Timothy was mostly sleeping while we were there.  He is up to 29 mL of food every 3 hours.  30 mL is the same as an ounce, so he's just shy of getting an ounce of milk at each feeding.  His weight, as of today, is 3 lbs 5.8 ounces.  He's still dropping his oxygen saturation occassionally but always brings himself back up pretty quickly.  They say this is normal and he should eventually grow out of it.                                                                      

We've been enjoying visits from various family members this week, so I haven't been able to update as much as I usually do.  Timothy has been doing really well.  On Tuesday he was having a few episodes where he dropped his oxygen saturation so they moved him back to the intensive area of the NICU (where he was before).  They didn't have to put him on oxygen but wanted him in that area just in case they had to.  Paul got to change Timothy's diaper and check his temp for the first time Tuesday. 

On Wednesday we arrived to find Timothy and Elizabeth sharing the same isolette.  The nurse said as long as they behave that they'll get to stay together like that.  Timothy was still dropping his oxygen saturation occassionally, but nothing bad.  He was up to 3 lbs 2 ounces and was eating 27 mL every 3 hours. 

Today was similar to Wednesday.  Timothy was still in clothes and sharing an isolette with Elizabeth.  We got to help change his diaper and check his temperature and Paul got to hold him.  His weight is now up to 3 pounds 5.4 ounces and he's eating 28 mL every 3 hours. 

It's a lot of fun seeing Timothy and Elizabeth together!  They're right up on top of each other so they have a tendency to hit each other and grab each other's clothes and wires (it's really cute!).  Hopefully these breathing episodes will subside and they'll be able to move back to the grower pod soon!

The updates for Timothy and Elizabeth are similar, so I'm just going to put them both in one post.

Timothy is still doing well.  He is up to 2 lbs 15.5 ounces (just shy of 3 pounds) and they're now feeding him 26 mL (just over 5 teaspoons) every 3 hours. 

Elizabeth is also doing well.  She is up to 2 lbs 9.9 ounces and is now getting 24 mL of food (just under 5 teaspoons) every 3 hours.

Both of them have had a few breathing episodes this morning where their oxygen saturation dropped just below 90%, so they're keeping an eye on that.  If it continues to be a problem they'll put oxygen in their isolettes to help out.  If that happens, they'll have to move them out of the grower pod and back to the front part of the unit where they were before.  They put both Timothy and Elizabeth on their stomachs earlier and that has seemed to help with the breathing issues.  Hopefully things will continue to go ok and they'll get to stay back here in the grower pod! =)    

So, when we showed up this evening we were surprised to find Timothy and Elizabeth's room empty.  It turns out they'd been moved to the "grower pod".  Basically, it's a different area of the NICU where they put babies who are just trying to grow and put on weight.  The room is a little smaller, but it has a TV so that's nice!  It's also a lot quieter back in that area...no alarms going off constantly like before.  The only thing I don't like about it is that they're no longer near Mary.  But, it's good for them because it shows that they're doing really well and now the only concern is getting them up in weight. 

Timothy is completely off of oxygen now and is doing really well with that.  He is still being fed 25 mL every 3 hours.  Paul and I both got to hold him tonight, so that was fun! Nothing else has really changed with him (except the new room).  He is doing great!                                                                        

Not a whole lot to report with Timothy.  They have increased the amount he's being fed to 25 mL every 3 hours (that's about 5 teaspoons every feeding).  They tried taking him off of oxygen yesterday, but his saturation kept dropping below 90%, so they decided to put him back on a small amount of oxygen.  This time, instead of using a canula (the tube in his nose) they are pumping the oxygen straight into his isolette.  According to the doctor this is better for him.  His weight is up to 2 lbs 11.8 ounces, so he's about 3 ounces above his birth weight.  He's still in clothes and loving it!  They didn't have any blankets on him today and the nurse said he was wiggling all around the isolette.  When we were there, he was way down at the bottom just hanging out.  Overall, still doing really well!