Category: NICU

Kali Mae

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ATTENTION WORLD: Watch out for this one.

Kali is far and away my pick for “most likely to get her own way”.  She possesses the lethal persuasion combination of a 10/10 rated puss-in-boots face and a 10/10 rated ability to throw an international-crisis-level temper-tantrum. With her ability to attack from any angle at a moments notice she will undoubtedly be a handful.

Speaking of handful, it was surreal the first time I held Kali, because she literally fit into one of my hands. I am in awe of life because of the incredible intricacies of the human body and how they are replicated to scale in infants. I could hold her in one hand, but she already had perfectly crafted fingernails (on her pinky too!), footprints, eyebrows, a heart, lungs, intestines, and even a little itty-bitty tongue! Absolutely incredible.

Ok. Enough from me. Pictures!!!

Quick Kali Status Update: Little Kali is doing very well right now and continues to grow. Currently she’s up to about 2.5 pounds. Please pray she continues to tolerate her feedings so she can gain weight, and that her lungs continue to strengthen so they can function on their own.

Until next time. Stay classy San Diego.

Lillian Grace

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Lillian Grace is one tough cookie. She has certainly had one of the more rough transitions to life outside of Mommy. This little love bug has faced breathing issues, a puncture in her lung, a brain bleed and an infection scare. But, she has conquered all of them! She is now leading the pack of ladies in growth and is one of the stronger breathers. You will notice below that she has fewer photos than the rest of the V-5. We did not want to bother her while she was healing, so we have some catching up to do now that she is well.

Little Lily has Daddy’s light hair, but Mommy’s nose. She is definitely a cutie like the rest! Our little Lily Bug is a great self-soother. Once you put on her little Lady Bug hat she is as happy as can be. She also cannot stand dirty diapers and she will let you know it. The minute she wets her drawers, she’s wailing. However, once you clean her up, she’s good to go.

If you click on an image, it will give you a full-screen slideshow of all the pictures.

We are so proud of Lillian and very thankful that God has granted her grace and has helped her to heal from her ailments. Please pray that His hand remains over Lillian and the rest of our Quints, so that they will continue to grow stronger and be able to return home together.

Isabella Marie

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Big sister, Isabella Marie, is the oldest girl but one of the smallest at birth. She is our “I don’t do drama” queen. This blonde Bella has very keen senses of hearing and sight. When the others’ start sounding their alarms, or she has had enough photos for one day the little hands go up and shield her little eyes and ears. Bella also takes the cake (literally) as our best eater and grower. She is tolerating 6 times as much milk as her siblings.  “Beautiful Marie” gets her looks from her Daddy with her light hair, long face and tendency to crinkle her forehead. We are excited to introduce you to our little Bella Bean.

If you click on an image, it will give you a full-screen slideshow of all the pictures.

Not pictured above:

  • When Daddy gets the camera too close or her neighboring brother causes a racket, little Bella flashes her hands Vogue-style until peace resounds. Her little spirit finger-spread has caught on in this NICU pod as her signature move.
  • Our big sis also knows how to grab your attention. She’ll hold her breath just long enough to get mom or dad to pay her a visit and then rebounds back to healthy limits.

We are so thankful that Bella has been the most well of the bunch, evading spontaneous ruptures and breathing issues.  Prayer requests for Isabella include her continued tolerance of her feedings, as well as, sustained growth and development.

Keep coming back to meet Lily, Kali and Ellie, too!

Baby Theo

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Theo is quite possibly, in our unbiased opinion, the cutest little infant baby-boy in the history of the world. It’s amazing how at just 31 weeks of age he is already showing quite a personality. It’s also amazing how much of a prototypical boy he can be at times. Here is a snapshot of  sweet little Theodore Joseph who has more than stolen mommy and daddy’s hearts. (If you click on an image, it will give you a full-screen slideshow of all the pictures).

 

Not pictured above:

  • In an unprecedented incident, during the night, Theo escaped out of his little bed, pulled himself across his isolette, and positioned himself right in front of one of the entry portholes. Apparently, he thinks he’s ready to go home :-)
  • We were photographing Theo and he felt the session was running a bit long. We kid you not, he looked right into the camera, conjured up an epic scowl for his little face, and then flipped us the bird. The picture was too obscene for this blog, but it was all captured in high-definition. We’re quite positive it will resurface in the years to come, accompanied by much laughter.
  • When Dad finally decided to jump in for one of Theo’s diaper changings, Theo made sure it was an unforgettable experience – if you catch our drift, literally :-) Welcome to fatherhood!

We hope you have enjoyed the pics and stories of our precious little Theo.

Please pray for his continued health, well being, and many smiles and blessings to come.

Stay tuned for photo galleries of all Theo’s little sisters!

The Quint’s First 2 Weeks

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The quint’s first 2 weeks outside of Mama have been quite active. Frank and I have truly gotten a crash course in what it is like to be NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) parents. The highs are very high, the lows are very low, and often times they occur within minutes of eachother. We have been blessed with the time away from work to spend 8-12 hours everyday buzzing around the NICU watching nurses, taking part in our little ones’ care and meeting with the multidisciplinary team. Our most recent post announced the arrival of the V5 and told the story of our 24 hour honeymoon with five seemingly happy and healthy babies. After day 2 however,  the honeymoon was over.

Here is a summary of some of the medical trials and tribulations our quints have experienced in their first weeks:

  • Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation (SIP): Two of our little ones had bowel perforations within the first 3 days. Both required emergent surgery, which they handled well. One of the SIP’s may have been caused by NEC, which they found in surgery. The other occurred higher in the small intestine, and the informed us that this may result in a feeding intolerance later on.
  • Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC): NEC is one of the most common GI diseases in newborns and preemies. It is when the bowel does not get adequate blood flow (Ischemia) and begins to die (Necrotize). Early and aggressive treatment is imperative because it can result in dire consequences – NEC is the second leading cause of death in premature infants. The good news for our quints, is that they did identify it early and were able to remove the affected portion completely.
  • Gastritis versus Bleeding ulcer: Inflammation of the stomach wall and ulcers can be common as the immature digestive track is learning how to work. One of our little girls experienced this and as a result we found blood in her gastric residual. This appears to be resolving with the help of Zantac.
  • Spontaneous Lung Perforation: One of our quints got a hole in their lung, which required emergent chest tube placement. Luckily, this incident resolved quickly.
  • Complication of PICC: PICC lines, or Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters, generally have limited complications. So, yet another rare event for one of our girls where her PICC moved from her heart to near her shoulder. This resulted in infiltration into her subcutaneous tissues and ultimately her lung. She became very swollen as her upper body filled with fluid. But, this tough cookie fought it hard and it appears to have resolved rather quickly.
  • Grade 2 Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH): Infants born before 30 weeks are at the highest risk for brain bleeds. Grades 1 and 2 have similar outcomes and typically resolve within a month. They do cause an increased risk of developmental delay but not much more than from being a high order multiple. We continue to pray for the health of our little one diagnosed with a Grade 2 IVH.
  • Apnea and Bradycardia: Apnea is a pause in regular breathing lasting more than 20 seconds and bradycardia is a drop in the heart rate. All of our quints have experienced this at some point. “A’s and B’s” are typically caused by an immature nervous system. The good news is that all of our children are learning to pull themselves out of these events without stimulation (aka rubbing their backs).
  • Respiration machines: All of our little ones had to be intubated after day 2, which was expected. Unfortunately, one of their endotracheal (ET) tubes moved too low and collapsed their little lung. This has since resolved. All of them are continuing to advance through the variety of machines, but I thought it was noteworthy to introduce inquiring minds of the different types.
    • Intubation with an endotracheal tube (ET tube) with a ventilator
    • Intubation with an ET tube and continuous oscillation
    • RAM cannula with NIPPV (Nasal Intermittent Positive Pressure Ventilation)
    • Nasal Cannula on CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
    • Nasal Cannula with higher concentration of oxygen than room air.

Needless to say, the first two weeks have been quite eventful. Although the events listed vary greatly in severity, it is difficult to watch our little ones experience any hardship. At the same time, it is certainly empowering to watch our children fight hard for life. Their resiliency is awe-inspiring! Today, we can say our little ones are collectively in the best health they have been since birth.  You will get to see and hear more about their progress and personalities in our posts over the next week or so.

Oh, and one more update for everyone. We learned that our insurance company has agreed to cover the quints birth and NICU stay for each of our children. They have also agreed to cover medical transport of our children back to a NICU in Madison once they are stable enough to bring back to Wisconsin. What an answer to prayer! We now are hoping that everyone will be healthy, and ready to be transported at the same time.

Thank you for praying along with us through both the euphoric highs and near-death lows on this wonderful roller-coaster of a journey,