Both babies are now 2 pounds 10 ounces! They seem to be growing more and changing more each day. Both draw up the sides of their mouths and seem to smile. Both can pick up their head and turn it with some effort from side to side. Both can tuck their little legs under them when placed on their bellies and push with their toes. So sweet - I sit at their incubators and smile a big silly smile everyday now. I smile until my cheeks hurt just thinking of all of their progress.
Then I say, "Thank you." Thanks to all of the doctors, nurses and hospital staff whose careful efforts have brought us so far. Thanks to our church for such amazing spiritual and emotional support. Thanks to our family and friends - those friends who are as close as family and those we've never even met. Thank you. We are truly blessed, privileged and just plain lucky to have made it so far. May the progress continue.
Love,
Heather
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Fat days make me smile!
Yay for both of our little ones having a fat day!! They are BOTH 2 pounds 9 ounces today! We could barely believe that little David is not so little anymore compared to his once much bigger sister. Mary Louise gained 41 grams today and David gained 60. Of course he is not burning quite as many calories as he still has vent support and is not moved quite as much. He has been started on the human milk fortifier and microlipids. The concoction seems to be working for him. Mary Louise continues to maintain her oxygen saturation while on room air (21% oxygen) at 1 liter. We are very excited about her progress there.
I haven't spoken to the doctor yet to see what his thoughts are on David's weight and the possibility of trying to extubate him again. Of course we don't want to try anything prematurely.
To recap...Mary Louise was born at 1 pound 6 ounces and is now 2 pounds 9 ounces. David was born at 14 ounces and is now 2 pounds 9 ounces. That deserves a WOWEE!
We hope and pray that their progress continues on in a positive direction as we truly enjoy this moment.
Love,
Heather
P.S. I once again forgot that darn camera in the NICU - I need to put a bell on it or something! I'll get it this afternoon or tomorrow - more photos coming - I promise!
I haven't spoken to the doctor yet to see what his thoughts are on David's weight and the possibility of trying to extubate him again. Of course we don't want to try anything prematurely.
To recap...Mary Louise was born at 1 pound 6 ounces and is now 2 pounds 9 ounces. David was born at 14 ounces and is now 2 pounds 9 ounces. That deserves a WOWEE!
We hope and pray that their progress continues on in a positive direction as we truly enjoy this moment.
Love,
Heather
P.S. I once again forgot that darn camera in the NICU - I need to put a bell on it or something! I'll get it this afternoon or tomorrow - more photos coming - I promise!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Almost 7 weeks old
Sunday will be 7 weeks since the babies were delivered. My what we've all been through and how far we've come.
Unfortunately, Mary Louise dropped 14 grams today. She looks beautiful all the same though. David gained a bit and is now 2 pounds 6 ounces. Mary Louise is 2 pounds 7.9 ounces. Our little guy is incredibly determined to catch up to his (older by 2 whole minutes) sister.
Both babies truly look amazing. The only change today was to David's pressure. His vent pressure was decreased slightly which is good. He had some trouble today with apnea but recovered nicely with minimal stimulation.
lucky lucky lucky - each and every moment.
We have had a nice lot of family visitors today - and will this weekend. My Uncle Charles and Aunt Millie were driving through and said hello. Sean (my youngest brother) and Jolie (Brent's sister) are visiting for a day or 2 as well. So we are busy and having a nice visit with all of them. It's especially nice for me as I was a little out of sorts post delivery and honestly don't remember much of their previous visits! HA!
More news tomorrow. Also, they are having another eye exam on Monday I think - if not Monday, then Tuesday. Anyhow, they are checking for further development of their eyes and ensuring that all is still ok (please please please).
Love,
Heather
Unfortunately, Mary Louise dropped 14 grams today. She looks beautiful all the same though. David gained a bit and is now 2 pounds 6 ounces. Mary Louise is 2 pounds 7.9 ounces. Our little guy is incredibly determined to catch up to his (older by 2 whole minutes) sister.
Both babies truly look amazing. The only change today was to David's pressure. His vent pressure was decreased slightly which is good. He had some trouble today with apnea but recovered nicely with minimal stimulation.
lucky lucky lucky - each and every moment.
We have had a nice lot of family visitors today - and will this weekend. My Uncle Charles and Aunt Millie were driving through and said hello. Sean (my youngest brother) and Jolie (Brent's sister) are visiting for a day or 2 as well. So we are busy and having a nice visit with all of them. It's especially nice for me as I was a little out of sorts post delivery and honestly don't remember much of their previous visits! HA!
More news tomorrow. Also, they are having another eye exam on Monday I think - if not Monday, then Tuesday. Anyhow, they are checking for further development of their eyes and ensuring that all is still ok (please please please).
Love,
Heather
Thursday, June 4, 2009
growing and growing
Both David and Mary Louise put on weight today! Mary Louise gained an overly modest 8 grams which doesn't yet get her over the 2 pound 8 ounce hump, but it's a gain all the same. David is now 2 pounds 5 ounces and gained somewhere around 28 to 30 grams (I can't remember that exact number.) So, he did very well with weight gain today.
Mary Louise is down to 1 liter on O2 at 21% most of the time - they increase the percentage during holding time and bath time but otherwise she tolerates the 21% well. (21% is considered room air). Technically, she could tolerate a regular nasal cannula now rather than the vapotherm but the nurse said that sometimes they leave them on very low vapotherm settings until they can tolerate no oxygen supplementation altogether as the vapotherm oxygen is warmed and humidified and dries the sinuses less. The physical therapy group will start to see her tomorrow for range of motion exercise to ensure proper muscle and joint development.
David is not quite ready for physical therapy. He continues to desat some with too much contact - though he is much much better than last week and is continuing to improve each day. He is tolerating the low vent settings beautifully and hopefully will grow enough over the weekend to give extubation another go sometime next week. We'll see though - we're just so very excited about all of the progress he's made.
I spoke with the nurse for awhile today about long term care. I know I'm early but my mind does much better if I can process things and ask tons of questions and research everything before having to go through it. (I've been called "obnoxiously inquisitive"- I just always have to know why - about everything.) Anyhow, we will most likely have a minimum of home health visiting 2 or possibly 3 times a week - sometimes they come just to check the weight of the babies. They will also come to give the monthly Synergist vaccinations during RSV season so that we don't have to bring the babies to the doctor for that and expose them to more germs and illnesses. We will have to attend monthly appointments at the perinatologist's office as well and see physical and occupational therapists there to help the babies develop and catch up in developmental skills that are appropriate for their age. The nurses also started to talk to me about ways we can prevent RSV and other illnesses in the babies once home as their immune systems are and will be underdeveloped and their lungs already damaged from all of the ventilation and supplemental oxygen needed now. In short - we must keep them inside - only allow healthy adults to visit, and practice constant and meticulous hand hygiene. Makes sense.
Anyhow, it was nice to have a "so when they are at home, what do I do" conversation - even though the nurse kept reminding me how far we have to go and that anything can happen at any time.
Another happy day.
Love, Heather
P.S. Mary Louise got to wear her sass!y new hat from Ma Mere today - looked fantastic on her and kept her very warm while I held her. Sweet baby girl.
Mary Louise is down to 1 liter on O2 at 21% most of the time - they increase the percentage during holding time and bath time but otherwise she tolerates the 21% well. (21% is considered room air). Technically, she could tolerate a regular nasal cannula now rather than the vapotherm but the nurse said that sometimes they leave them on very low vapotherm settings until they can tolerate no oxygen supplementation altogether as the vapotherm oxygen is warmed and humidified and dries the sinuses less. The physical therapy group will start to see her tomorrow for range of motion exercise to ensure proper muscle and joint development.
David is not quite ready for physical therapy. He continues to desat some with too much contact - though he is much much better than last week and is continuing to improve each day. He is tolerating the low vent settings beautifully and hopefully will grow enough over the weekend to give extubation another go sometime next week. We'll see though - we're just so very excited about all of the progress he's made.
I spoke with the nurse for awhile today about long term care. I know I'm early but my mind does much better if I can process things and ask tons of questions and research everything before having to go through it. (I've been called "obnoxiously inquisitive"- I just always have to know why - about everything.) Anyhow, we will most likely have a minimum of home health visiting 2 or possibly 3 times a week - sometimes they come just to check the weight of the babies. They will also come to give the monthly Synergist vaccinations during RSV season so that we don't have to bring the babies to the doctor for that and expose them to more germs and illnesses. We will have to attend monthly appointments at the perinatologist's office as well and see physical and occupational therapists there to help the babies develop and catch up in developmental skills that are appropriate for their age. The nurses also started to talk to me about ways we can prevent RSV and other illnesses in the babies once home as their immune systems are and will be underdeveloped and their lungs already damaged from all of the ventilation and supplemental oxygen needed now. In short - we must keep them inside - only allow healthy adults to visit, and practice constant and meticulous hand hygiene. Makes sense.
Anyhow, it was nice to have a "so when they are at home, what do I do" conversation - even though the nurse kept reminding me how far we have to go and that anything can happen at any time.
Another happy day.
Love, Heather
P.S. Mary Louise got to wear her sass!y new hat from Ma Mere today - looked fantastic on her and kept her very warm while I held her. Sweet baby girl.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
look Mom! No IV's!!
A big HOORAY for our little ones as they are officially free from IV's! We haven't seen David little foot in ages! They are both doing well. Both tolerating their full feedings well. Mary Louise put on 8 grams of weight this evening. They had not weighed David just yet when we went there. He is doing well though - they were able to decrease the rate on his vent once again. He is now back down to a mere 10 which means he is doing most of the breathing work on his own once more. He seems to be tolerating it very well - sleeping soundly. He also seems much less agitated since his feedings became substantial. Full bellies seem to make happy babies!
David has also graduated to the larger sized diapers! He also floats in them but were are excited all the same to see our little peanut out growing his oh so tiny diapers in exchange for just plain smalls.
Way to go babies! Keep up the determination! We are so very proud of them.
Love,
Heather
David has also graduated to the larger sized diapers! He also floats in them but were are excited all the same to see our little peanut out growing his oh so tiny diapers in exchange for just plain smalls.
Way to go babies! Keep up the determination! We are so very proud of them.
Love,
Heather
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Amazing!
The doctor said today that the babies were "doing very well" and are "amazing". I actually teared up when he said it - he just smiled. It meant so much to hear him say that - the man who does not gush - and gives all news in a straightforward, incredibly honest manner. I totally believed him.
David's medications were all changed to PO preparations this evening. (They will all be given by mouth). Most exciting is that they will remove his PICC line tonight!! (That is his central line access). The IV is sure to follow! It will be wonderful to see him minus the 2 IV tubes - and no IV access is always a HUGE plus. (Greatly reduces risk for infection). His feedings were increased so he is now at full feeding status. He is not gaining enough weight currently (same as Mary Louise) but they will give him another day or 2 prior to supplementing his breast milk. He is now 2 pounds 5 ounces. They were also able to reduce his rate on the vent once more. His CO2 has remained low (which is a good thing - it means his breathing is effective) so they will reduce his rate as long as it does not increase. Blood gases are done via heel stick throughout the day to check his CO2 reading as well as other values. YAY for our little peanut for tolerating all of this so well.
Mary Louise had her first bath with Mom and Dad tonight! We actually ended up watching mostly as the nurse gave us lessons on the most efficient and effective bathing methods. There is always a huge worry about her getting cold so the bath must be as quick as possible. She seemed to enjoy it overall though-especially the warm water over her belly part. Her weight is increasing very slowly - again not as much as needed but it is going in the right direction all the same. She gained 4 more grams this evening. She is now 2 pounds 8 ounces. She has also graduated to what I affectionately call the "big girl" preemie diapers. The tiny ones she was wearing were getting a bit tight around the waist so the nurse switched her to the larger size. (I think these go up to 4 pounds or so.) They are quite big on her but not ridiculous so we were excited to see her floating around in them.
Of course we have photos of all of it which will be posted sometime soon.
I've gotten a couple of questions since yesterday...
1. Are you still pumping? ABSOLUTELY! I feel lucky to be able to produce anything at all and diligently pump every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day and night. The mastitis is slowly clearing and I have 2 days of antibiotics left. I would love to breastfeed when the babies are ready, but they may still need supplements and increased calories even when they go home, so, I will at least continue to pump if breast feeding remains out of reach.
2. Why isn't Brent doing kangaroo care in the photos? He knows he can if he wants to. Many times, he gets home from work, washes up a bit and we head to the hospital so he just doesn't have the right kind of shirt on. At any rate, it isn't because he's not allowed - he just hasn't done it just yet.
Those are the only 2 I think. Hope everyone is doing well. We are "AMAZING!" and doing "very well".
Love, Heather
David's medications were all changed to PO preparations this evening. (They will all be given by mouth). Most exciting is that they will remove his PICC line tonight!! (That is his central line access). The IV is sure to follow! It will be wonderful to see him minus the 2 IV tubes - and no IV access is always a HUGE plus. (Greatly reduces risk for infection). His feedings were increased so he is now at full feeding status. He is not gaining enough weight currently (same as Mary Louise) but they will give him another day or 2 prior to supplementing his breast milk. He is now 2 pounds 5 ounces. They were also able to reduce his rate on the vent once more. His CO2 has remained low (which is a good thing - it means his breathing is effective) so they will reduce his rate as long as it does not increase. Blood gases are done via heel stick throughout the day to check his CO2 reading as well as other values. YAY for our little peanut for tolerating all of this so well.
Mary Louise had her first bath with Mom and Dad tonight! We actually ended up watching mostly as the nurse gave us lessons on the most efficient and effective bathing methods. There is always a huge worry about her getting cold so the bath must be as quick as possible. She seemed to enjoy it overall though-especially the warm water over her belly part. Her weight is increasing very slowly - again not as much as needed but it is going in the right direction all the same. She gained 4 more grams this evening. She is now 2 pounds 8 ounces. She has also graduated to what I affectionately call the "big girl" preemie diapers. The tiny ones she was wearing were getting a bit tight around the waist so the nurse switched her to the larger size. (I think these go up to 4 pounds or so.) They are quite big on her but not ridiculous so we were excited to see her floating around in them.
Of course we have photos of all of it which will be posted sometime soon.
I've gotten a couple of questions since yesterday...
1. Are you still pumping? ABSOLUTELY! I feel lucky to be able to produce anything at all and diligently pump every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day and night. The mastitis is slowly clearing and I have 2 days of antibiotics left. I would love to breastfeed when the babies are ready, but they may still need supplements and increased calories even when they go home, so, I will at least continue to pump if breast feeding remains out of reach.
2. Why isn't Brent doing kangaroo care in the photos? He knows he can if he wants to. Many times, he gets home from work, washes up a bit and we head to the hospital so he just doesn't have the right kind of shirt on. At any rate, it isn't because he's not allowed - he just hasn't done it just yet.
Those are the only 2 I think. Hope everyone is doing well. We are "AMAZING!" and doing "very well".
Love, Heather
Monday, June 1, 2009
Financial questions answered
We (Brent and I) have received some questions about, well, finances. As it's always an uncomfortable issue for me to discuss, I've avoided it until I had all of the information I needed. So, I'll attempt to answer them here...
1. Is there a way we could just donate money to help the babies? We have started a donation account for the babies at Capital One Bank. Any money we have received or will receive for them will be put into the account and used to pay for supplies and medical expenses or anything else the babies may need. The account is under Mary Louise and David's names and checks can be either brought to any Capital One Branch, mailed to a Capital One branch, or mailed to us for us to deposit. Checks may be written to Mary Louise LeBlanc and David LeBlanc Benefit, or to the LeBlanc Triplets Benefit. All donations are tax deductible. If mailing a check, your canceled check will serve as the receipt. The address and phone number of the Capital One branch closest to us is as follows:
372 Sam Houston Jones Parkway
Lake Charles, LA 70611
(337)494-3376
Please email me at heatherbowe@gmail.com for our home address. Also, please let me know if there is any trouble in donating to the account. I've already accessed it once and didn't have trouble so I'm hoping this goes smoothly.
2. Are you registered anywhere? Yes, we've updated our registries at Target and Babies-R-Us. They will be active until the end of the year from what I understand. They can be accessed using Heather LeBlanc or Brent LeBlanc in Lake Charles Louisiana
3. This wasn't asked of us, but a golf tournament benefiting the babies is scheduled to be held at Kosati Pines golf course in Kinder, LA. Brent is the superintendent there and his fellow co-workers, the GM of the course and many many friends in the business have been incredibly compassionate and generous to us to arrange such an event. It will be hosted by Kosati Pines at Coushatta and sponsored by The Golf States and Louisiana-Mississippi chapters of the Golf Course Superintendents Association Of America.
All monies made will be put into the donation (benefit) account mentioned above. Coushatta Casino has also provided rooms at their Inn at a discounted rate for participants. The tournament is on Tuesday June 30th with a 1:30pm shotgun start and the deadline to sign up is on Friday June 26th at 5pm. The field is limited to the first 144 players and anyone is invited to participate.
Please email me at heatherbowe@gmail.com with any questions or for a copy of the flier with complete information.
4. What ever happened with the Medicaid supplement program? HA! what a racket! We've explored all suggested avenues and made some progress. David and Mary Louise now have social security benefits and should have Medicaid supplement while in the hospital since they've been approved for SSI. The catch is that we couldn't get (Medicaid) coverage for Kuylen's care as he passed away at the end of April and we applied for coverage in May. They would not back cover him because we had not applied during April (woops - how silly of me to have them at the end of the month right?). We pay attention to all comments posted and are so thankful that other preemie parents have been so willing to help. If there are any suggestions on our situation with Kuylen, please let me know.
I think that just about covers it. The babies did well today. I think I have arranged for us to help with Mary Louise's bath tomorrow which I am very excited about. I noticed that her hair looked a bit fluffy today and asked if she was now getting "real baths". Her nurse said that as she doesn't have all the wires connected to her anymore that yes, they can give her real baths now. I will call tomorrow to see if I can arrange a time for us to go and assist. YAY! She gained 13 grams today. A step in the right direction. She is now 2 pounds 7 ounces. Her next big milestone is weaning from her oxygen - specifically the vapotherm used to humidify it.
David is also doing well. They are concentrating on weight gain and waiting for him to put on a bit prior to taking him off the vent. They are weaning him from the vent as much as possible (very slowly). His cultures have come back negative and his antibiotics we discontinued today. His weight was the same today as yesterday so he is steady at 2 pounds 3 ounces. He slept so soundly today while we were there - not agitated at all which was WONDERFUL to see. He is up to 17 mls with feedings now and progressing and tolerating very well with it all.
What precious little troopers they both are!!
Oh!! The most exciting news of the day....drumroll please...they had eye exams today and they both did well!!! They are still very immature and will need another exam in 2 weeks and maybe one or 2 more after that, but, so far, so good!! The nurse said that Mary Louise's eyes were marginally worse than David's but they both seemed pretty good and he didn't see any obvious problems! YAY!
Sleep well my little ones, you are so loved.
goodnight (it's very late as I'm writing this)
Heather
1. Is there a way we could just donate money to help the babies? We have started a donation account for the babies at Capital One Bank. Any money we have received or will receive for them will be put into the account and used to pay for supplies and medical expenses or anything else the babies may need. The account is under Mary Louise and David's names and checks can be either brought to any Capital One Branch, mailed to a Capital One branch, or mailed to us for us to deposit. Checks may be written to Mary Louise LeBlanc and David LeBlanc Benefit, or to the LeBlanc Triplets Benefit. All donations are tax deductible. If mailing a check, your canceled check will serve as the receipt. The address and phone number of the Capital One branch closest to us is as follows:
372 Sam Houston Jones Parkway
Lake Charles, LA 70611
(337)494-3376
Please email me at heatherbowe@gmail.com for our home address. Also, please let me know if there is any trouble in donating to the account. I've already accessed it once and didn't have trouble so I'm hoping this goes smoothly.
2. Are you registered anywhere? Yes, we've updated our registries at Target and Babies-R-Us. They will be active until the end of the year from what I understand. They can be accessed using Heather LeBlanc or Brent LeBlanc in Lake Charles Louisiana
3. This wasn't asked of us, but a golf tournament benefiting the babies is scheduled to be held at Kosati Pines golf course in Kinder, LA. Brent is the superintendent there and his fellow co-workers, the GM of the course and many many friends in the business have been incredibly compassionate and generous to us to arrange such an event. It will be hosted by Kosati Pines at Coushatta and sponsored by The Golf States and Louisiana-Mississippi chapters of the Golf Course Superintendents Association Of America.
All monies made will be put into the donation (benefit) account mentioned above. Coushatta Casino has also provided rooms at their Inn at a discounted rate for participants. The tournament is on Tuesday June 30th with a 1:30pm shotgun start and the deadline to sign up is on Friday June 26th at 5pm. The field is limited to the first 144 players and anyone is invited to participate.
Please email me at heatherbowe@gmail.com with any questions or for a copy of the flier with complete information.
4. What ever happened with the Medicaid supplement program? HA! what a racket! We've explored all suggested avenues and made some progress. David and Mary Louise now have social security benefits and should have Medicaid supplement while in the hospital since they've been approved for SSI. The catch is that we couldn't get (Medicaid) coverage for Kuylen's care as he passed away at the end of April and we applied for coverage in May. They would not back cover him because we had not applied during April (woops - how silly of me to have them at the end of the month right?). We pay attention to all comments posted and are so thankful that other preemie parents have been so willing to help. If there are any suggestions on our situation with Kuylen, please let me know.
I think that just about covers it. The babies did well today. I think I have arranged for us to help with Mary Louise's bath tomorrow which I am very excited about. I noticed that her hair looked a bit fluffy today and asked if she was now getting "real baths". Her nurse said that as she doesn't have all the wires connected to her anymore that yes, they can give her real baths now. I will call tomorrow to see if I can arrange a time for us to go and assist. YAY! She gained 13 grams today. A step in the right direction. She is now 2 pounds 7 ounces. Her next big milestone is weaning from her oxygen - specifically the vapotherm used to humidify it.
David is also doing well. They are concentrating on weight gain and waiting for him to put on a bit prior to taking him off the vent. They are weaning him from the vent as much as possible (very slowly). His cultures have come back negative and his antibiotics we discontinued today. His weight was the same today as yesterday so he is steady at 2 pounds 3 ounces. He slept so soundly today while we were there - not agitated at all which was WONDERFUL to see. He is up to 17 mls with feedings now and progressing and tolerating very well with it all.
What precious little troopers they both are!!
Oh!! The most exciting news of the day....drumroll please...they had eye exams today and they both did well!!! They are still very immature and will need another exam in 2 weeks and maybe one or 2 more after that, but, so far, so good!! The nurse said that Mary Louise's eyes were marginally worse than David's but they both seemed pretty good and he didn't see any obvious problems! YAY!
Sleep well my little ones, you are so loved.
goodnight (it's very late as I'm writing this)
Heather
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