From the NICU to Special Care

Immediately after birth, the boys were taken to the NICU.  We knew this was going to be the case since I was only 33 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  And, I really cannot say enough good things about the NICU at Dallas Presby.  Wow.  Those nurses and doctors did a phenomenal job taking care of our boys for the first  seven days of their lives.  I'd also like to add that our experience has been anything but a typical NICU stay, and we're grateful for that.  We sincerely appreciate everyone who prayed and is still praying for our sweet boys.  We understand not everyone has such a positive experience with premature babies.  We are certainly thankful for our healthy and thriving babies!!!

They started off with some breathing support called a cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) but were quickly taken off since they showed enough strength to breathe on their own.  Thank goodness because we weren't allowed to hold them while they were on these machines.  They were given IV fluids while in the NICU for added nutrients and electrolytes and a feeding tube (about the size of a piece of spaghetti) was inserted so they would be sure to receive all their calories even though they weren't mature enough to eat by mouth yet.

Colt - one day old and on a cpap

Luke - one day old and on a cpap

Luke also had one days worth of phototherapy treatment since his bilirubin level was high enough.

Luke receiving Phototherapy.  Check out that adorable little nose peeking out!!

While on the cpap, they were in an open bed so they could easily be monitored, but as soon as they were taken off, they were moved into a warming bed called an Isolette.  This seemed like a step in the wrong direction, but I quickly learned it was not.  In order for our boys to continue to grow like they were in utero, they needed to be in a simulated environment.  So, the Isolette helps regulate their body temperature and it's dark and quiet in there.

After progressing without any complications the first week, the doctors made the decision that they were ready to move to the special care nursery.  They would have moved on Tuesday, but there wasn't a twin room available, so they moved on Wednesday when one opened up.  I had some concerns about them moving to the new nursery since our experience in the NICU had been so positive.   I had them pictured at the end of a long dark hallway in a room of their own with someone coming in once a day to make sure they were still semi-alive.  Crazy, I know.  Instead, I found that this new nursery, which is a step down from the NICU, is anything but hands-off.

I have described the Special Care nursery at Dallas Presby to a few people like a baby hotel on crack.  That's probably a terrible analogy, especially since I know nothing about crack, but all of my initial concerns quickly vanished when I visited the boys for the first time.  Parents are invited to stay with their baby (or babies in our case) so they can play an active part in their care.  I'm hoping to be able to do that at some point, but since we also have Jack to care for (and he isn't allowed into this nursery either) it makes spending nights away a bit complicated.

Colt's side of the room.
That's the Isolette you see covered up so it remains dark.  

The living quarters of the room.
There is another couch / bed like this on Colt's side of the room.

Luke's side of the room.

Looking towards the front door.
There is a full bath in the room and just outside the door is the nurse's station.  

This is the in-room computer and nurse's station where all information is recorded for both boys.   

Close-up of Colt's side

Close-up of Luke's side

So, the big question is "When will the boys get to come home?"  Hmmm... that's pretty tough to answer.  They don't have to meet an age or weight requirement, but here are a few things they DO have to master before getting to come home.

1.  They have to maintain their own body temperature in an open crib

2.  They have to go 5 days straight without any Bradys (heart rate drops that require a nurse's attention)

3.  They have to take 8 full feedings for 2 days straight either through bottle, breast or a combination of the two.

So, they're probably a few days away from leaving the Isolette and trying an open crib.  The nurses have slowly been dropping the temperature on the Isolette and the boys have done great on maintaining their own temperature, so I see that happening fairly soon.  And while I was visiting them earlier today, we did some practice feeding with a  bottle.  Apparently, this is such a taxing task that it just wipes them out afterwards.  Colt took 5 ml of his 45 ml feed and acted like he was totally spent!  Luke only took 2 ml of his 45 ml feed and began drifting back to sleep.  And, no worries... whatever they didn't take through the bottle is given through the tube, so they aren't missing any nutrition.  I've been assured that with time and maturity, they will get the hang of it and become little pros.  But, you can see that we have a ways to go before they'll be ready to take 8 full feedings for 2 days straight!  But, everyday we're seeing progress.  

I'll try to keep everyone posted about their progress and any changes we see coming.  :)  Thank you all for reading and checking in on our sweet boys.