Sunday, August 28, 2005
The boys and me
D.R. had his first night of overnight call since the boys were born last night. I have to say, we each had our share of anxiety about how it would go... and overall, it went really well. The babies woke up a little before 4:00 am Saturday morning and decided to maintain opposite sleeping schedules until midnight. The good thing is that I spent the majority of the day with one baby at a time (there were a few hours where both were awake, but they were happy and easy, so it was all good). The down side of opposite schedules, is that I didn't have a moment of down time the whole day! I was SO happy when both of them fell asleep around midnight and got a solid three hours of sleep until 3:00 when they needed to eat again. Our little Dex decided he needed a bit more attention and stayed awake with me until 5:00. Whew!! Needless to say, I was a bit tired today, but I learned that I definitely can handle this on my own when D.R.'s away.... I'll just REALLY look forward to him coming home the next day!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
The Drill Sergeant and the Peace Keeper
D.R. and I have been so amused with the developing personalities of these two little monkeys. The most recent difference we've noticed is their responses to waking up and hunger. Jax will wake suddenly from a peaceful slumber with a wail that commands, "WAKE UUUUUUP! I WANT TO EAT NOW!!!!" I feel guilty laughing at a crying baby, but he's SO dramatic about it and gives me about .5 seconds to respond before upping the volume! Dex, on the other hand, wakes slowly and quietly with a gentle whimper. It's as if he's saying, "Umm, excuse me. I hate to disturb you. But would you mind holding me and possibly feeding me, too? I'm getting a bit hungry." Their eating styles match their waking styles. Jax voraciously swallows everything he can, shaking his head back and forth and finishing abruptly several minutes later with milk covering his entire face. Dexter slowly and carefully eats over a longer period of time and finishes with a clean little face. I swear, if he could do it, he would reach for a cloth napkin and dab the corners of his mouth when he's done! It's SO funny!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Mama's Progress
Well, here I am almost three weeks past the delivery date and I am FINALLY beginning to feel a bit like myself again! To anyone who has emailed or called, THANK YOU and hopefully sometime in the near future I will be able to catch up on some personal correspondance! I consider myself lucky these days if I can grab a shower (though this usually means I have to wake up around 4:30 am to catch one before D.R. leaves for work!).
Though I'm not sure my body will ever completely be my own again, I'm feeling healthy and fitting into non-maternity clothes which is great. In the first week I lost a whopping 25 pounds and in the second week another 5 just came off. Losing 30 pounds of baby and water weight that quickly can make a HUGE difference in how you feel!! It's amazing!! I'm guessing the remaining weight will take a bit of work, so I'll give myself more time for that.
My biggest accomplishment, though, was tackling the first outing alone with the babies. I met by sister and parents for coffee yesterday and made the trip home all by myself. It feels good to know that I can handle this. It might not be something I want to try every day, mind you! Loading two munchkins into carseats and down several flights of stairs to the parking lot isn't the easiest thing to do... but it's possible!!
Though I'm not sure my body will ever completely be my own again, I'm feeling healthy and fitting into non-maternity clothes which is great. In the first week I lost a whopping 25 pounds and in the second week another 5 just came off. Losing 30 pounds of baby and water weight that quickly can make a HUGE difference in how you feel!! It's amazing!! I'm guessing the remaining weight will take a bit of work, so I'll give myself more time for that.
My biggest accomplishment, though, was tackling the first outing alone with the babies. I met by sister and parents for coffee yesterday and made the trip home all by myself. It feels good to know that I can handle this. It might not be something I want to try every day, mind you! Loading two munchkins into carseats and down several flights of stairs to the parking lot isn't the easiest thing to do... but it's possible!!
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Monday, August 15, 2005
Milestones of the first two weeks
This morning Dex, Jax, Sarah and I headed out for the grand excursion that was the first pediatric appointment. It was really special having Sarah there to share in it with us... the nurses and doctor got a kick out of the two sets of twins, too, which was a lot of fun. I was thrilled to discover that the boys have, in fact, regained their birth weight and they are as healthy as can be. We'll go back in two weeks for another weight check, but I'm sure it will be fine. They're both developing very healthy appetites and don't seem to be having any more problems eating.
I'm just amazed at how quickly the past two weeks have flown by! Every day seems to be a day of firsts for us. Just to list a few:
- First bath
- First family walk with the double stroller
- First fun ride in the baby swing (they will ONLY ride in the swing if they're placed in it side by side)
- First nap in the bouncy seat
- First smiles
- First fingernail trimming
- First time Jax discovers that sucking on Dex's toe will not, in fact, give him milk
- First time Dex discovers that sucking on Jax's nose will not, in fact, give him milk
- First diaper count.... we go through a minimum of 150 diapers a week. Crazy!!
- First time the babies held eye contact... so very exciting!
- First church service
- And now the first peds appointment
To top off the list of firsts... we finally made the brave decision to cut off the babies' hospital anklets indicating who is who. This decision was only made after careful examination led us to find the small freckle on Jax's right elbow. Whew! It's nice to know how to tell them apart. :)
I'm just amazed at how quickly the past two weeks have flown by! Every day seems to be a day of firsts for us. Just to list a few:
- First bath
- First family walk with the double stroller
- First fun ride in the baby swing (they will ONLY ride in the swing if they're placed in it side by side)
- First nap in the bouncy seat
- First smiles
- First fingernail trimming
- First time Jax discovers that sucking on Dex's toe will not, in fact, give him milk
- First time Dex discovers that sucking on Jax's nose will not, in fact, give him milk
- First diaper count.... we go through a minimum of 150 diapers a week. Crazy!!
- First time the babies held eye contact... so very exciting!
- First church service
- And now the first peds appointment
To top off the list of firsts... we finally made the brave decision to cut off the babies' hospital anklets indicating who is who. This decision was only made after careful examination led us to find the small freckle on Jax's right elbow. Whew! It's nice to know how to tell them apart. :)
Thursday, August 11, 2005
First week
We have had such an exciting first week with the boys. Routines are gradually being developed, personalities are being discovered and I am learning that the world will not, in fact, fall apart if one of the babies is crying... though it still breaks my heart.
My mom has been here, graciously helping me during the day and even getting up to help with night-time feedings, which make them go so much faster. She and D.R. do a great job of changing, rocking and handing the baby over to Mama. It's nice to have the help, right now, though I'm feeling more and more confident every day that I am up for this challenge of being alone all day with these two little tykes.
Jax has become quite the eater... with Dex slowly catching up. Mom brought a baby scale so we can monitor their weight gain and make sure that they're each getting what they need. Dex seems to be the more frail of the two, with Jax being the more demanding. I'm learning to balance these two little personalities.
Both boys are focusing more and will stare intently as we sing are speak to them. So fun to see this progress!! Every day is something new...
My mom has been here, graciously helping me during the day and even getting up to help with night-time feedings, which make them go so much faster. She and D.R. do a great job of changing, rocking and handing the baby over to Mama. It's nice to have the help, right now, though I'm feeling more and more confident every day that I am up for this challenge of being alone all day with these two little tykes.
Jax has become quite the eater... with Dex slowly catching up. Mom brought a baby scale so we can monitor their weight gain and make sure that they're each getting what they need. Dex seems to be the more frail of the two, with Jax being the more demanding. I'm learning to balance these two little personalities.
Both boys are focusing more and will stare intently as we sing are speak to them. So fun to see this progress!! Every day is something new...
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Our first few days
To continue the story of Dex and Jax...
We spent their first four days in the hospital, learning all about this new adventure. I discovered that recovering from a near-complete natural birth AND a c-section is not a stroll in the park... but made much easier by the site of two little munchkins with the softest skin EVER. D.R. learned that balancing a demanding residency with overnights at the hospital and the ever-present desire to be somewhere else (with two babies in his arms) is going to make this year even more challenging than he imagined. We also learned that the first few days in the lives of two low-birthweight babies has ups and downs very different than those of the babies who are quickly brought home following their birth.
By the end of the first day of their life, it was clear that Dex and Jax were struggling. They were extremely lethargic and were both very jaundiced. The poor little guys endured way too many blood tests from the bottoms of their tiny little feet, and their mama cried through every one. As a result of the jaundice, it was nearly impossible, at times, to wake them for feedings. We tried everything.... cold washcloths, light pinching, tickling... you name it, they slept through it. This was a bit frightening for both D.R. and me. The boys seemed to get tinier every single day, as well as more weak and more frail. Within a few days, they weights had dropped to nearly five pounds each. They were SO tiny in our arms.
After the first 24 hours, we began feeding them with eyedroppers. This required sticking one of our pinky fingers in their tiny mouths, while sliding the eyedropper in the side. This way, we could make sure they were getting nourishment, even if they slept through the feeding. I think this was one of the hardest things for me to accept. I had always imagined breast feeding my babies from day one... but since they were so tiny and having such difficulty sucking, I had to accept a change of plans. I don't think I slept more than a few minutes each night. I would wake as frequently as possible to pump as often as I could. In this way, I was able to start substituting a bit of colostrum for formula, which made me feel like I was providing something for the babies. I have to admit, I had some pretty emotional moments, when our weak little babies would be brought into me every two hours to be fed by an eyedropper and pumped milk. It just didn't feel right.
As a result of the jaundice, the boys spent 30 hours under the bilirubin lights. I was given no notice for this change. One minute I was holding my babies and the next moment, a nurse was entering my room telling me she was taking the babies to the nursery to be put under the lights until their condition improved. When she saw the startled and panicked look on my face, she gave me thirty minutes to cuddle with them and say a brief good-bye. In the next few hours, I made several trips to the nursery to stare at my babies through the window. The nurses ended up feeling so badly for me that they arranged to have both bili lights moved into my hospital room. THIS helped so much. In fact, we started calling the contraptions the babies' tanning booths. With their little eye-shades on they looked like miniature sun-bathers. Though they had to spend the majority of their time in the little boxes, I was allowed to take them out for feedings. It was at this time that we discovered that both have a very rare condition called Harlequin Color Change Syndrome. Though startling, at first, for both me and the nurses, we learned that this is a harmless syndrome that occurs in low-birthweight babies that causes them to change color down the middle of their bodies when exposed to sudden changes in temperature. Left side of bright red, right side was almost white. I have one photo I'll post of Dex... though it had almost faded by the time we took the shot. Our two little super-heroes... with their color-changing capabilities! We witnessed this event two times.
Whew!! I should stop for now. More to follow.
We spent their first four days in the hospital, learning all about this new adventure. I discovered that recovering from a near-complete natural birth AND a c-section is not a stroll in the park... but made much easier by the site of two little munchkins with the softest skin EVER. D.R. learned that balancing a demanding residency with overnights at the hospital and the ever-present desire to be somewhere else (with two babies in his arms) is going to make this year even more challenging than he imagined. We also learned that the first few days in the lives of two low-birthweight babies has ups and downs very different than those of the babies who are quickly brought home following their birth.
By the end of the first day of their life, it was clear that Dex and Jax were struggling. They were extremely lethargic and were both very jaundiced. The poor little guys endured way too many blood tests from the bottoms of their tiny little feet, and their mama cried through every one. As a result of the jaundice, it was nearly impossible, at times, to wake them for feedings. We tried everything.... cold washcloths, light pinching, tickling... you name it, they slept through it. This was a bit frightening for both D.R. and me. The boys seemed to get tinier every single day, as well as more weak and more frail. Within a few days, they weights had dropped to nearly five pounds each. They were SO tiny in our arms.
After the first 24 hours, we began feeding them with eyedroppers. This required sticking one of our pinky fingers in their tiny mouths, while sliding the eyedropper in the side. This way, we could make sure they were getting nourishment, even if they slept through the feeding. I think this was one of the hardest things for me to accept. I had always imagined breast feeding my babies from day one... but since they were so tiny and having such difficulty sucking, I had to accept a change of plans. I don't think I slept more than a few minutes each night. I would wake as frequently as possible to pump as often as I could. In this way, I was able to start substituting a bit of colostrum for formula, which made me feel like I was providing something for the babies. I have to admit, I had some pretty emotional moments, when our weak little babies would be brought into me every two hours to be fed by an eyedropper and pumped milk. It just didn't feel right.
As a result of the jaundice, the boys spent 30 hours under the bilirubin lights. I was given no notice for this change. One minute I was holding my babies and the next moment, a nurse was entering my room telling me she was taking the babies to the nursery to be put under the lights until their condition improved. When she saw the startled and panicked look on my face, she gave me thirty minutes to cuddle with them and say a brief good-bye. In the next few hours, I made several trips to the nursery to stare at my babies through the window. The nurses ended up feeling so badly for me that they arranged to have both bili lights moved into my hospital room. THIS helped so much. In fact, we started calling the contraptions the babies' tanning booths. With their little eye-shades on they looked like miniature sun-bathers. Though they had to spend the majority of their time in the little boxes, I was allowed to take them out for feedings. It was at this time that we discovered that both have a very rare condition called Harlequin Color Change Syndrome. Though startling, at first, for both me and the nurses, we learned that this is a harmless syndrome that occurs in low-birthweight babies that causes them to change color down the middle of their bodies when exposed to sudden changes in temperature. Left side of bright red, right side was almost white. I have one photo I'll post of Dex... though it had almost faded by the time we took the shot. Our two little super-heroes... with their color-changing capabilities! We witnessed this event two times.
Whew!! I should stop for now. More to follow.
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