Alexander is now home! We are working hard here at the Wilson household, but it is a lot of fun! Alexander is on a schedule and that has made a huge difference. I am amazed, but I have actually been able to sleep some!
Isabel had her feedings restarted on Wednesday and tolerated them well. The doctors think she has an allergy to cow milk protein and that is what caused the extra gas pressure and bleeding. She is on regular breast milk now and doing great! They did a swallow study today and Isabel is having reflux up to her nose...ouch! She is such a little trooper ;) They are going to watch this and play it by ear. Thickeners were suggested, but they want to be careful with her little belly right now.
Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us!! It was so stressful coming home with a new baby AND leaving Isabel behind especially with so many issues. You are appreciated!
Love,
Greg and Susan
Friday, August 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Prayers for Isabel Please
Everyone please keep baby Isabel in your prayers. They were unable to resume feedings again today. She continues to have air in her tummy. Fortunately the blood is subsiding. The doctors ruled out several of the more concerning causes, but still are not positive what has caused this problem. The best guess is that she has an allergy or sensitivity to cow protein which is in the formula they had changed her to for discharge. I held her tonight and she is resting peacefully. She had been showing signs of hunger which the nurses say is a good sign. Please pray for our baby girl!
Alexander is still gaining weight and is set for discharge Thursday.
Love,
Susan and Greg
Alexander is still gaining weight and is set for discharge Thursday.
Love,
Susan and Greg
Monday, August 2, 2010
Changes
Well the echos and head scans looked good on both babies today. The plan is still for Alexander to go home Thursday. He is eating really well. The doctor decided to leave Alexander on straight breast milk versus taking a chance that he won't tolerate the supplement again. His growth curve looks good and even though he will not gain as much without the supplement, the doctor is pleased with the growth. We will continue to watch it over the next few days just to make sure.
Isabel was unable to have her swallow study. The doctor was concerned with the amount of blood in her stool and decided to hold off on putting barium in her tummy. They did and x ray and Isabel has a lot of air in her digestive tract. We had to stop all breast milk of any kind so her bowels can rest. She had an IV placed and is receiving fluids for the next couple of days. Please pray that she recovers quickly and can get back on her milk.
It seems we are being tested, but we know we can handle this with a little help from the big guy :)
Love,
Susan
Isabel was unable to have her swallow study. The doctor was concerned with the amount of blood in her stool and decided to hold off on putting barium in her tummy. They did and x ray and Isabel has a lot of air in her digestive tract. We had to stop all breast milk of any kind so her bowels can rest. She had an IV placed and is receiving fluids for the next couple of days. Please pray that she recovers quickly and can get back on her milk.
It seems we are being tested, but we know we can handle this with a little help from the big guy :)
Love,
Susan
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Big Week!
There are a lot of things happening this week, so I will break it down by baby :)
Alexander:
I am almost afraid to type this for fear that the "plan" will change, but Alexander is scheduled to come home on Thursday! We are supposed to room in on Wednesday night and provided everything goes well, we will be taking him home. This week is filled with tests. He has a head ultrasound tomorrow which is a routine procedure. They do not expect to find any bleeding since he didn't have it before. He is also having an echo cardiogram done to look at a heart murmur. Alexander has had this since birth and it has not created a problem, but they want to see how it has progressed. I am told he should grow out of it. On Wednesday a second eye exam will be done to check for retinopathy (also routine). One nagging problem is a small amount of blood in his stool. He was started on a 22 calorie formula to add to his breast milk for when we go home. The medical team is unsure if the bleeding is caused by the formula or if it is caused by something else. He is currently not being supplemented. This means he is getting less calories per ounce, so we pray that he will continue to gain weight without the added calories. If he loses, I'm not sure what the plan is. His weight today is 6 lbs 9 oz.
Isabel:
Isabel is also struggling with possible poor tolerance of the formula added to her milk. She is on straight breast milk for now as well. Isabel will also have the same tests that Alexander is having but she will also undergo a swallow study in the morning. She has been choking on her milk and been unable to recover as quickly as we would like. She has turned blue on us several times. Isabel will have barium added to her milk and a video xray will be able to tell the speech therapist how Isabel is handling the milk. We don't want it to go in her lungs. Until the study tomorrow, we decided it was best to feed her only through the tube to avoid milk ending up in her lungs. Our hope is that it's just prematurity which she will outgrow and eventually begin to pace herself better. Isabel is not going home this week :( We hope she is not more than a week or so behind her brother. Her weight today was 5 lbs 10 oz.
We pray that all tests will turn out positively for our sweet babies. They have been through so much and we are excited to finally be getting them home, but only if they are healthy and ready!
Please pray for a positive week and also for Greg and I as we bring Alexander home. We are not used to doing this baby stuff without the nurses there to back us up!
Love,
Susan
Alexander:
I am almost afraid to type this for fear that the "plan" will change, but Alexander is scheduled to come home on Thursday! We are supposed to room in on Wednesday night and provided everything goes well, we will be taking him home. This week is filled with tests. He has a head ultrasound tomorrow which is a routine procedure. They do not expect to find any bleeding since he didn't have it before. He is also having an echo cardiogram done to look at a heart murmur. Alexander has had this since birth and it has not created a problem, but they want to see how it has progressed. I am told he should grow out of it. On Wednesday a second eye exam will be done to check for retinopathy (also routine). One nagging problem is a small amount of blood in his stool. He was started on a 22 calorie formula to add to his breast milk for when we go home. The medical team is unsure if the bleeding is caused by the formula or if it is caused by something else. He is currently not being supplemented. This means he is getting less calories per ounce, so we pray that he will continue to gain weight without the added calories. If he loses, I'm not sure what the plan is. His weight today is 6 lbs 9 oz.
Isabel:
Isabel is also struggling with possible poor tolerance of the formula added to her milk. She is on straight breast milk for now as well. Isabel will also have the same tests that Alexander is having but she will also undergo a swallow study in the morning. She has been choking on her milk and been unable to recover as quickly as we would like. She has turned blue on us several times. Isabel will have barium added to her milk and a video xray will be able to tell the speech therapist how Isabel is handling the milk. We don't want it to go in her lungs. Until the study tomorrow, we decided it was best to feed her only through the tube to avoid milk ending up in her lungs. Our hope is that it's just prematurity which she will outgrow and eventually begin to pace herself better. Isabel is not going home this week :( We hope she is not more than a week or so behind her brother. Her weight today was 5 lbs 10 oz.
We pray that all tests will turn out positively for our sweet babies. They have been through so much and we are excited to finally be getting them home, but only if they are healthy and ready!
Please pray for a positive week and also for Greg and I as we bring Alexander home. We are not used to doing this baby stuff without the nurses there to back us up!
Love,
Susan
Monday, July 26, 2010
Getting Close....
Over the last several days, Isabel has given us a couple of scares. Several times she has turned blue during her feedings. This is NOT a fun feeling. She has struggled to coordinate her swallowing with breathing and the result has been choking and holding her breath. We had been very worried about her and her progress, but a couple of nights ago she really showed interest in feeding. She really attacked that bottle! Even though she was unable to take much, we were encouraged by how much she wanted to eat and knew it was time. Yesterday she turned a big corner. That sweet baby took 1 full bottle and 90% of another. Over night she took 3 half bottles and then another full bottle this morning. It was like she just finally "got it." Her current weight is 5 lbs 2 oz.
Alexander has taken every bottle that has been offered over the last 24 hours. He is doing great. They say it won't be long now until he can come home and Isabel is close too. I hope by the end of next week we will have at least one Little Wilson home with us! His current weight is 6 lbs 2 oz.
They have weaned them off there meds except for reflux medication and some vitamins. The day is getting closer and Greg and I have been preparing the house. Wednesday we will get the car seat installation inspected. We pray they will be home soon without complications. I am too excited for words!
Love,
Susan
Alexander has taken every bottle that has been offered over the last 24 hours. He is doing great. They say it won't be long now until he can come home and Isabel is close too. I hope by the end of next week we will have at least one Little Wilson home with us! His current weight is 6 lbs 2 oz.
They have weaned them off there meds except for reflux medication and some vitamins. The day is getting closer and Greg and I have been preparing the house. Wednesday we will get the car seat installation inspected. We pray they will be home soon without complications. I am too excited for words!
Love,
Susan
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday July 20
So, today was kind of a bummer for me. Last night I turned up with a fever. NICU rules don't allow you to visit until you have been fever free for 24 hours. While I appreciate this rule, It does mean not seeing the babies today. Greg will go tonight and work on feeding both babies with a bottle.
As of yesterday Alexander was 5 pounds 7.5 oz and Isabel was 4 pounds 10 oz. These babies are growing like weeds. I spoke with the babies' nurse this morning and they both had a great night. Alexander took 2 full feedings from the bottle and Isabel took 2 partial feedings from the bottle. I am hoping that one or both of them can come home in 2-3 weeks!
Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us with thoughts, prayers, dinner meals, gifts, and visits. we are truly blessed!
Love,
Susan
As of yesterday Alexander was 5 pounds 7.5 oz and Isabel was 4 pounds 10 oz. These babies are growing like weeds. I spoke with the babies' nurse this morning and they both had a great night. Alexander took 2 full feedings from the bottle and Isabel took 2 partial feedings from the bottle. I am hoping that one or both of them can come home in 2-3 weeks!
Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us with thoughts, prayers, dinner meals, gifts, and visits. we are truly blessed!
Love,
Susan
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