Roller Coaster Ride

Looking back I feel so naïve. When Jared and Blake were first born everything seemed normal and fine. They were typical 31 and a half week old preemies that would just live and be cared for at the NICU until they reached their full term until we could bring them home. Little did I know that we were just boarding the wild NICU roller coaster ride.

The first 48 hours seemed pretty normal for the twins. Dave had to sign some consent forms to have an umbilical catheter type of device put in. They would administer a steroid to help the twins with lung development.

48 hrs after the birth more complications began. Here’s a list summarizing the issues the twins have or are dealing with this first week:

• Respiratory issues started first. Both of the twins had to go on ventilators. Their lungs were not only premature, but they were dealing with a bacterial or viral infection (most likely my flu).  The x-rays a week into it are still cloudy.
• Received antibiotics in case infection was bacterial
  
• Blood pressure issues. Both guys were given dopamine to regulate their blood pressure. Additionally they were give a blood transfusion to boost blood pressure and replenish blood levels. Additionally after that they were given fresh frozen plasma to stabilize their blood pressure. Jared is still dealing with blood pressure issues
  
• High Levels of CO2 – related respiratory issue, both guys are switched to oscillators that helps them take 100 quick short breaths per minute instead of normal breaths 
  
• Jaundice. Both have jaundice and are being treated with phototherapy. 
  
• Echocardiogram confirmed PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) – a duct in the heart that doesn’t close which is the most common heart disease for premies. Medicine was administered that helps the duct close. Jared’s opening closed after 1 round of medicine. Blake had 2 rounds of medicine and his has closed considerably but not fully. However, the doctor doesn’t feel surgery is needed at this time.
  
• Fluid problems - Blake is retaining his fluids causing him to appear a bit bloated. They are giving him a diuretic.  It's hard to find the balance w/ everything else going on.

At this point in time Blake is off the oscillator and the dopamine.  His blood pressure is fine and he is on the ventilator until his lungs improve.

Jared went off the oscillator to the ventilator but had to go back on it. His blood pressure is still problematic. 

So at this point our expectations for the 5-7 weeks Jared and Blake will stay in the NICU are more sobered. We anticipate hiccups and more challenges but hope for them to progress overall.  We just have to wait and give them more time to recover.  It pains us to see them in this condition at the start of their lives and accordingly will be spoiling them rotten when they come home!

Jared and Blake Have Landed

The twins were born one week ago today! I can’t really say if the first week has gone by slow or fast cause I feel somewhat frozen in time. It’s definitely been a busy week, so much has happened and our lives are forever changed…

First things first – our birth story. I contracted some nasty upper respiratory flu/sore throat bug Tuesday, Feb. 10th and was pretty much bedridden with a fever and chills for 3 days. I can’t tell you how many times I coughed and blew my nose. I must have used at least 1 roll of toilet paper a day. This is the worst flu I’d ever experienced and of course, I happened to be carrying twins. My poor body! My poor babies! By Friday, Feb 13th the flu wasn’t letting up and my body just said ‘no more’. Jared wasn’t having it either – he wanted out! I went to bed at 10pm and then 15 minutes later my water broke. Houston, we got a big problem!! Jared had ruptured his sack in protest of the flu.

I went to the bathroom and of course Dave was geeking out online. I said “I think my water broke.” His face turned pale – his laptop couldn’t help us now. I called my doctor, he said to go to the hospital to have it checked out. Dylan was sleeping – sick with the flu from hell too. We called our neighbor to baby sit – thank god she was home. She hurried over and soon we were on our way to El Camino Hospital – no birth plan, no suitcase, no camera, no nothing. The drive over felt like the “calm before the storm” though it was storming heavily outside.

We got to El Camino Labor and Delivery around 10:30pm. They set us up in the private room and made us wait. We watched some crappy TV. They said that it was a busy night – tons of deliveries, seems to happen with the stormy weather and Friday the 13ths.

11pm or so the nurse comes in and does a check. “Yep. You’re water broke.” She then goes on to tell us that the sack is only ruptured and that they have drugs that can forestall labor. She thinks I’ll just have to stay in the hospital for 2 weeks or so till I deliver. We start to feel relieved – 2 more weeks would mean 34 weeks. The twins would be pretty close to full term by then. Big sigh of relief. We call Dave’s brother to come down to relieve the baby sitter.

Next, I get an IV line and my doctor shows up. He says that the plan is to administer steroids to develop the babies lungs and give me drugs to stop the contractions. He hopes we can get 48 hours until delivery. Whoa, that’s a lot less than 2 weeks but still 48 hours would give us some time. At first the medicine seemed to work, the contractions were slowing down and weakening. Dave went home to take care of Dylan because he’d been waking up in the middle of the night from being sick.

For about 3-4 hours (after midnight), I thought we’d be okay. My doctor had just left my bedside and said he’d check back in a few hours. Then all of a sudden, the contractions started to creep back and became stronger and then more frequent. Within a matter of hour or so, I was in excruciating pain asking for pain relief. The nurse checked me out and I was 6cm dilated. They paged my doctor back to the hospital. The twins were coming out and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Epidural!!! I call Dave at 5:45am… he’s groggy but wakes up in an instant when I tell him its show time.

Dave gets to the hospital and within the hour I’m fully dilated. They wheel me into cesarean room just in case. It’s a madhouse… there are 10 people in the room – 6 NICU people (3 per baby), 2 nurses, an anesthesiologist and my doctor. It’s the complete opposite of when we delivered Dylan, where it was mainly one nurse and Dave.

The delivery goes smoothly. I push Jared out. They show him to me and then wheel him off to the NICU. 15 minutes later I push Blake out and they wheel him to the NICU too. The only speed bumps during the delivery were when my doctors cell phone rang and he wanted the nurse to try to help him answer it (Ladies and Gentlemen please power down your cell phones!) and dealing with the placenta afterwards.  Without going into too much detail, it was something out of an Aliens movie.  I’d rather forget.

An hour later, I’m eating bacon and eggs in the recovery room. Whoohoo! I’m also still fluish – boohoo! Dave goes to the NICU to check on Jared and Blake. My legs finally stop shaking from the adrenaline and the epidural. Quite an 11 hours we just had.