Girls Pluggin' Along

Little Abby sound asleep.

Abby and Claire are now two and a half weeks old. They seem to be steadily improving day by day (unlike the BYU football team). As of their two week birth day, Abby was 4 lbs 3 oz (3 lbs 8 oz at birth) and Claire was 4 lbs even (3 lbs 5 oz at birth). They have both been tolerating full feedings, which means that they no longer get any of their nutrition through an IV. They started breast feeding a couple of days ago and are doing great at it. They have told us that for the week or two they are pretty much just practicing and to not expect them to actually do much feeding. The quantity of breast milk that they are getting is 37 cc's every three hours. They weigh the girls before feeding to see how much they got from Kasey and how much they still need through their feeding tubes. So far they have got from 2 to 18 cc's per feeding. Abby and Claire have also moved into the less intensive care portion of the NICU. They have also moved to a crib that does not assist them with their body temperature (holding their temperature on their own is a key step in being able to come home).

Here are the criteria that Abby and Claire need to meet in order to come home:

1. Maintain body temperature on their own - check


2. Maintain their oxygen levels and heart rate without assistance - they have had a little bit of trouble with this. They were having several episodes a day (normal for premature babies) but in the last few days they have had only one or two each.


3. Receive all of their nourishment from Kasey for a full 24 hours

Based on their progress, I would guess that they are still two or three weeks from coming home.

Kasey and I have mixed feelings about having them at the hospital. We obviously want the girls to come home but we are incredibly grateful for the advancement in health care that is taking care of them. Accommodating the babies needs is brutal at times. Kasey needs to be at the hospital to feed them twice every day. It takes her an hour of drive time and a couple hours of with the girls each visit. Morgan and Jake are acting up because they are being passed around much more than we would like. My evenings are filled with time taking care of the kids and helping around the house. A nurse mentioned a possibility that would be awful - one of the girls coming home before the other. So far they are pretty much progressing at the same rate, so hopefully that will not be an issue.

We are very grateful for all of the help that we have received from family and friends. So far all of the babysitting has been handled by family. We are trying to keep the number of places that they kids go to a minimum so that they have a little stability. The ward has kept us stocked with dinners, which seem to come at the most optimal times. Thank you for all of your offers of help and encouragement. Please keep Abby and Claire's healthy return home in your prayers.

Claire on the left, Abby on the right. I underestimated how cute it would be to have twins. They are always looking at each other and cuddling. The other night when Abby left to feed, Claire started getting upset that her sister was gone. Very sweet to see them together.