It's March! Wow! It is in like a lion!
This morning I have a new, and wonderful nurse, Christina.
After talking to her and consulting with lactation we decided to try a Nipple Shield. The first feeding went well, but no better than any other. We'll continue to experiment.
Uncle Garrett & Aunt Kayla came down from the cities to meet their newest niece and nephew. They were overwhelmed with love, and how small Mollie and William are. As they left they said, "Thanks for having twins."
Our daycare provider, Amy DeSantiago, stopped by with ice cream. I think she just needed an excuse to come and love on babies:) She has been amazing through this time. I appreciate the stability she's able to provide Caleb and the generosity of her time and talents to our family.
Today I have been pumping larger volumes more consistently, until the 1:00 pumping. It was drastically less, which lead me to believe.... I Need a Nap!
About 2:00pm, Mollie and Willam took baths in the nursery under warmers. It was toasty. I was actually a bit too toasty. I got out their clean new outfits and put them at the foot of each bassinet. As I was wiping Mollie's bottom during her diaper change she decided to poop. Lesson learned,...put clean clothes at the head of the bassinet:) This was the first bath I got to give and they just laid there and enjoyed it.
I took a nap. Wonderful nap! Mollie and William stayed in the warm nursery after their bath and I got an uninterrupted 2 hour nap. Then I got up to pump and was still able to rest.
My parents, Oma & Grandpa, then came to quick have some snuggles. My step dad currently is the interim pastor in Walnut Grove so he drives there Saturday afternoons.
Josh & Caleb came with gifts for Mollie and William from Caleb. He had picked out a giraffe and bear at Cabelas. Caleb seems to be really enjoying his Daddy time!
6:30 feeding was only ok. They rebounded for the 9:30 feedings though. They nursed volumes at least back in the teens (mL).
At 7:30 Nana and Papa came to say goodbye since they will be gone for a week to Indianapolis for Papa's job. They gave lots of snuggles and Nana kisses.
Going to do just a tube feeding at 12:30 and 3:30am to really let babies rest, and me too. I just have to get up during those times to pump and then I can go back to bed.
The reality has set in a bit for me and we are likely here next week. I hope we're home by next weekend, but Mollie and William are still getting a majority of their food/ calories during the tube feeding. We have a lot of stamina to build up. The good thing is my supply is nearly matching their demand, therefore they are close to exclusively getting breast milk.
This stay would be more difficult if W & M health was more complicated (heart or lungs), but since we're just focused on weight and feedings, I can help and see the end, instead of long term complications.
I long to unite our family at home and feel like a family of 5, but this stage is necessary. It will come.
Sunday:
They gained weight again. Mollie gained 42 grams, weighing 5 lbs 3.1 oz. William gained 18 grams, weighing 5 lbs 5.1oz.
Well the 6:30am feeding was ok but not as good as we would have hoped after letting them rest so long. So the nurses consulted with one another and the pediatrician. The new plan is to rest them, just do an NG feeding-no nursing, every other feeding. So we will weigh them, nurse, weigh again to see how much they ate, supplement through the NG until they get a total of 50mL. Then 3 hours later we would do skin to skin holding only while they are fed all 50mL through their NG tube. I felt this wasn't necessarily a step back, but a great way to propel us forward. We were just concerned that we were wearing them out. Dr Benson will continue to follow the twins, but the hospital pediatricians will be here daily to help make decisions and write orders.
Josh's friend, Bill, and his family came to visit at about 11:30am. They have two sons, their first born, Aaron, being Caleb's age. Caleb and Josh were here too, so Caleb got to play with Aaron. They were adorable together.
After the 12:30 feeding time I took an awesome nap. I got up to pump and do skin to skin with Mollie and Caleb at 4:00. I got a 2 hour nap. Wow! I'm really enjoying the skin to skin time! So fun!
Tonight the Oscars were on TV, so my mom and sister, Lauren, brought supper for an Oscar Party. They even brought sparkling grape juice. For supper they brought tator tot hot dish, sautéed vegetables, and a fruit platter. They also brought triscuits, cheese curds, and hummus. Lauren knows how to put on a party:)
I just did our 9:30pm skin to skin time and then pumped. Mollie and William will come back to my room for the 12:30 feeding. For now I have time to quick update the blog and then sleep for about an hour.
Its was a really great weekend with fabulous nurses. I am really blessed. Mollie and William are growing. They are starting to be a little more alert right before the next feeding, showing they have a little more energy. Mollie is squeaking to be held, and William makes adorable faces and wrinkles up his forehead.
I love getting to know them and falling more in love each minute.
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