Way Back When-esday: March 2009

I was just reading http://mollyandluke.blogspot.com and it reminded me of when I took my twins home from the NICU after their bought with RSV.  Thomas had been admitted 1 week before Eva Rose and was supposed to come home on Friday after he had been in the hospital almost 3 weeks.  Thursday night we got a phone call that Thomas had a minor set back with some tachycardia so he wasn't able to come home the next day.  He stayed over the weekend and ended up coming home with his sister on Monday in a snow storm, just like when we left the hospital after they were born.  I thought it was pretty amazing that not only did they they ended up coming home together, but pretty much on their due date.  We had to have a visiting nurse to check their weights and their breathing.  They did awesome and the visiting nurse was able to discharge us after just a couple of weeks!

March 3, 2009

March 3, 2009

Amy

Way Back When-esday: RSV Twins

I'm joining along with Cheryl over at http://twinfatuation.blogspot.com for Way Back When-esday.

Just a little over 2 years ago my twins were discharged from the NICU at CHildren's Hospital Boston after their bout with RSV.  They both came home with me when I was discharged 5 days after their birth, but that didn't last long.  My son was admitted after being home for about 2 weeks and my daughter was admitted 1 week later.  My son was rushed from his 2 week doctor appointment when he declined to the point that the doctor called 911.  Luckily my older son who was drinking his formula from a glass bottle dropped it and it broke.  That delayed things to the point of my son declining at the doctors instead of in the car on the way to a local ER.  Thankfully he was only intubated for 24 hours, but was in the hospital for 3 weeks.  1 week later, we brought his sister to Children's ER and she was immediately brought back to a room from triage due to an episode of apnea while being triaged.  They tried to use a CPAP machine initially instead of intubating her, but it just wasn't giving her enough oxygen.  She was ultimately intubated and got an NG tube.  Unfortunately, unlike her brother she was intubated for 6 days until she decided she had had enough and pulled her tube out.  The next day she pulled her feeding tube out.  My son was supposed to be discharged on the next Friday, but he had a period of tachycardia the night before, so that delayed his discharge.  He ended up being discharged with his sister on Monday which pretty much ended up being their due date.  When I think back, I am almost sorry that they came home with me.  I sometimes wonder if they would have been better off staying in the hospital getting a little bigger and a littler stronger. Maybe then they wouldn't have gotten the RSV.  They say that sometimes kids who have RSV can end up with breathing problems later on.  So far, we have been really lucky and have only had 1 scare where we needed to bring my daughter to the ER for difficulty breathing.  Luckily, we were sent home with just an inhaler, which she really hasn't needed to use.  We have been extremely lucky with all 3 kids regarding illness.  Other then my daughter, we have only had to ring my older son to the ER 1 time just after the twins were born.  I am very thankful that my 3 children are healthy babies.  I hope they stay that way, though I still do get a little nervous when the twins get colds!

3 days before Thomas was admitted with RSV

At home the day after discharge in their preemie outfits that were still too big

The twins 3/9/2009

Thanks for looking at my way back when pictures!

Amy

Way Back When-esday:March for Babies

Saturday, here in Boston, is the March of Dimes March for Babies.  Since our twins were in the NICU with RSV when they were just weeks old, we have been invited to join the Children's Hospital team.  Unfortunately, I have not raised any money other than what I plan to donate myself, but that is another story.  It always amazes me to look at my kids and remember how small they were when they were first born.  Unfortunately, I was put on bed rest for about 3 months for fear of going into premature labor, had many doctors appointments, ultrasounds, and Non-stress tests, and a couple of scary times.  I was luckily given a steroid shot at week 28 to help ensure that the twins lungs would be more developed if I happened to deliver early.  I did end up delivering early, but was able to make it out of the scary danger zone.  I delivered my twins at 35 weeks at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA and they were just about 4 1/2 pounds each.  They were in a level 2 nursery and on monitors, but when I was discharged, they were able to come home with us.

Unfortunately, they ended up with RSV just a couple of weeks later (which I have probably written about way too much and won't bore people with more about RSV!).  They ended up at Children's and thankfully thrived while they were there.  I am absolutely one of the lucky ones with regards to how long I carried my twins, their size, their time at Mt Auburn and their time at Children's.  I owe so much to the great care that I received throughout my pregnancy from my OB at Fresh Pond Women's Health and my perinatologist at MGH west and the staff at Mt Auburn, as well as the twin's doctor and all the staff at Children's Hospital from the ER to the NICU. I know my donation won't be much this weekend, but I hope it helps other people that need to have their children in the NICU at Children's Hospital.

I decided that I would show pictures from when they were swaddled just a couple of days after they were born and show them now laying on those blankets that they were swaddled in.  Ok, so that was my plan, but unfortunately , after looking at pictures, I realized that i din't have any of them swaddled in these blankets.  Most likely, that is because they were always double swaddled at the hospital and the receiving blankets were always on the outside.  So I just included pictures from when they were at Mt Auburn just a couple of days old!

Eva Rose with Daddy 2 days old (most likely double swaddled)

Eva Rose laying on the blanket we used to swaddle her in almost 15 1/2 months old

Thomas being held by Daddy 2 days old (most likely double swaddled)

Thomas laying on the blanket we used to swaddle him in almost 15 1/2 months old

So my plan didn't work out like I wanted it to and you really can't see how small Thomas was, but I like the contrast between them being just a few days old and being almost 1 1/2 years old

Amy

Way Back When-esday

We just got our information about a celebration and remembrance day for Children's Hospital at the March of Dimes March for Babies Event in Boston.  It should be a fun time and we may get to see some people that took care of the twins while they were there.  I know that I have posted picture of the kids while they were in the NICU as well as their pictures soon after their birth, but I thought I would post them again along with their most current pictures.

The twins were born at 35 weeks and weighed in at about 4 1/2 pounds each.  We were psyched that they made it to 35 weeks since I was put on bed rest at 23 weeks in fear that I would go into labor.  At 35 weeks my restrictions were lessened and I was able to do more.  The day of their birth, I went for a regular OB visit and was told that there was a good chance that I would go into labor that weekend given how I was presenting.  My husband and I were prepared for that but were not prepared for the news at my non-stress test.  My blood pressure had spiked to 188/111 and my lab work was off.  Given how I presented that morning, the on-call OB decided that she would break my water and I would hopefully go into full blown labor soon after.  She decided to do a scan to make sure that baby B was not breech.  At my ultrasound appointment 2 days earlier, both babies had been head down, but that night baby B presented breech.  Since I had a C-secetion previously, I needed to have another.  Definitely disappointed since my goal with both pregnancies was to have a totally natural birth using only hypnotherapy as a way to deal with the pain and discomfort of labor.  Both babies were in the special care nursery, but only needed monitors not any help breathing.  They had a little trouble with the suck, swallow, breathe sequence ad we needed to watch them for that, but overall they were really healthy and did great and came home when I was discharged.

Eva Rose the day after birth

Thomas the day after birth

Unfortunately, 2 weeks after they were home Thomas was rushed to Children's via 911 from his doctors visit since he had an episode of apnea.  He was intubated for 24 hours then on oxygen and came home 3 weeks later.  Also unfortunately, his sister was admitted 1 week after he was for the same thing.  She was intubated for 6 days until she decided to pull her tube out.  Thankfully she was able to come home the same day as her brother.  The funny thing is that Thomas was scheduled to come home a few days before his sister, but had an episode where his heart rate dipped too low and they needed to monitor him longer.  Was this a twin thing so that he could come home with his sister?  Either way it was wonderful to have them both home at the same time.  Both twins ended up with RSV which is a very dangerous cold for babies this small.  Granted, there are plenty of children who were much sicker and sicker much longer, but any time your children are ill it is a scary thing!  the amazing thing is that the clothes they are wearing are preemie clothes and they are still too big even though both twins gained weight while in the NICU.

Eva Rose day of Discharge from the NICU

Thomas day of Discharge from the NICU

Now over a year later, the twins are doing great!  They are growing and meeting milestones.  They are a little slow at walking, but all in due time.  Eva Rose has started walking a little and is definitely the more adventurous of the two, as well as her older brother.  The twins are doing better at copying others and so is Michael.  I am really looking forward to attending this event and hoping to see any of the staff that took care of the twins.  The staff at Children's from the ER to the NICU were all so wonderful.  I can't say enough about the nursing staff, the doctors, the social workers, and everyone else that we worked with!

The twins on Easter/Opening day Red Sox

The 3 kids Easter/Opening day Red Sox

Thanks for reading about our story with the twins and looking at the pictures!

Amy

Way back When-esday

I'm joining in for way back When-esday.  Check out others at http://twinfatuation.blogspot.com/

Well this post is a little early, but I wanted to make sure that I got it in and I'm not sure I will have time tomorrow.  This time last year we were spending ours days at Children's Hospital in the NICU with both twins.  Thomas had already been in for 1 week and had already been weaned off the vent (thankfully it was only 24 hours).  Unfortunately he was still a very sick little guy.  He would be in the hospital for 2 more weeks due to RSV.  His sister was admitted 1 year ago today and was vented for 6 days when she decided to pull her tube out.  Soon after she pulled out her feeding tube also.  My feisty little girl new she was better and made sure that everyone knew it.

We were warned about RSV and took precautions, but unfortunately both twins ended up with RSV.  Thomas was rushed 911 from a routine MD appointment and was immediately vented.  It was probably the scariest day of my life.  We kept a close eye on Eva Rose since we knew that they had been sharing a crib and often slept facing each other.  The nursing staff at Children's were amazing.  The ER staff were so good at thoroughly explaining all that was going on.  There were 2 social workers in the room to support me and my husband.  Once Thomas was admitted to the NICU, the nurses and the doctors had to put up with us constantly asking questions often repeatedly.  They also had to deal with our continuous questions about how we would know how to bring in Eva Rose before she got too sick.  They were amazingly kind and supportive through all of this.  I know that this is their job, but not everyone does this well.  When we took Eva Rose in and she was admitted, it was both a blessing and a it was horrible.  We know knew that she was being closely monitored and well taken care of.  It was a major weight off our minds.  Now both twins were in the same room and they were safe.  By march 1st 2009 both came home together.  That was a major blessing (that they were both able to come home together).

Fast forward 1 year and the twins are doing amazing.  They are now at least 20 pounds if not more.  They only weighed 4 1/2 pounds at birth.  They have pretty much hit their developmental milestones right on target.  They are not walking yet, but are standing and letting go often.  They say mama and dada and clap their hands.  They have the best disposition, but both have tempers and can throw amazing temper tantrums.  Thomas is my little cuddle bug and Eva Rose is my little bully.  It is amazing to watch my 3 kids grow and change so much.

Through all of this, Michael was a champ.  He often came to the hospital once both twins had been admitted and behaved like a great little baby.  Again the nursing staff and the Child life staff were great with him too.  We are so happy to have healthy happy babies now!

This is how we knew both would end up with RSV

Thomas with just oxygen which was never in his nose

Eva Rose on the vent

Thomas and Eva Rose today

Sorry for the lengthy post, but this marks one of the major periods in my life!

Amy

On Having Preemies

I hope sotorrifictwins.blogspot.com doesn't mind that I'm stealing her idea for a blog post, but any support for preemies is good, right?  I am also a mom to preemie twins born 4 weeks and 3 days early, according to a later ultrasound time line (according to usual calculating, and I guess later ultrasound timelines aren't as accurate, I was 5 weeks  3 days early).  Does it matter?  In the long run not really, but being at least 35 weeks allowed me to deliver at Mt Auburn like I wished.  Unfortunately, I did not have the uncomplicated pregnancy like Sotorrific Twins.  I had been on bed rest since week 23 and got steroid shots at 28 weeks for help with the babies lung development.  Like Sotorrific Twins said, it is so important to have prenatal care.  I was at a routine ultrasound when the ultrasound tech and MD noticed that I had a short cervix placing me at risk for pre-term labor.  The MD immediately put me on bed rest after a trip to the hospital for initial monitoring.  I was also put on progesterone suppositories.  I was seen much more often for OB appointments and also for ultrasounds.  The initial goal was for me to make it to at least 28 weeks.  Those next 5 weeks were really scary, hoping and praying that my babies would be safe.  Once I hit 34 weeks, the ultrasound MD told us just how worried he was.

At that point, I was taken off strict bed rest but still had increased monitoring.  It was at a routine NST that I had found out I was having issues with pre-eclampsia again (I was on bed rest for 6 weeks with my 1st son).  At my OB appointment that morning my blood pressure was totally normal, no issues.  By 4 pm, my BP had spiked to 188/111 (I was also on BP meds) and blood work and urine showed that I was truly starting to have pre-eclampsia.  I was going to try to do a VBAC, but baby B was breech (he had been head down 2 days earlier).  I had already started to dilate and they were going to try to break my water, but no go since I had a breech baby.

The babies were born just before midnight via c-section and were amazingly healthy.  They were both about 4 1/2 pounds and really only needed to be watched for their ability to suck, swallow and breathe.  We were lucky enough to be able to have them come home with us after 5 days.  Unfortunately, their low birth weight, small size and premature status placed them at risk for RSV.  Really unfortunately, they came down with RSV when they were 2 and 3 weeks old.

Like Sotorrific Twins, I also worry about meeting milestones at the right mark, but so far there have not been any issues.  Because of their RSV, I tend to be a little more worried regarding respiratory issues, they are more at risk for issues due to RSV.  H1N1 as well as the regular flu, is also a worry because of their preemie status and RSV history.

Thankfully, RSV is the only issue that we have had related to their preemie status and even then once they were stablized, they just grew and grew and reached milestone after milestone.  Luckily my BP is now normal and I am no longer on BP meds.

Prenatal monitoring is so important to your baby's health and well being as well as your own.  Make sure that you take care of yourself and get monitored when you are pregnant.  As you can see even with close monitoring, there can be major issues, but they can be addressed quickly.

Amy

Milestones

It'a amazing how fast babies grow.  You don't realize it until you have your own and all of a sudden you realize that these babies are no the teeny little beings that they were when they were first born.  My oldest son is now 20 months and the twins are now 9 1/2 months.  Michael is so amazing to watch.  he has grown into such a little man.  He and the twins have such great personalities.  I am learning that Michael loves oldies.  He loves to move his arms and slap his legs to the beat of oldies 103.3.  One of the mom's in my twins group was asking about MD visits in the 1st year not including well baby visits, especially for preemies.  I remember going to the MD often for Michael since he wasn't gaining weight.  I wasn't able to breast feed and provide him enough calories.  Once we started him on formula, all was good.  Even though I felt like a failure, he was thriving.  He was not thriving on breast milk alone.  I realized all that mattered was that he thrived and grew strong!  He is now growing so big.  He eats pretty good, but loves to feed the dog and throw his food on the floor.  Hopefully, he'll start eating more and giving less to the dog!

Eva Rose and Thomas are now able to sit up on their own.  They are getting ready to stand.  They are already up on their knees and trying to get to their feet.  I actually had to move the shoulder straps in their car seat.  They are now at the top setting.  It made me think back to when they were first born.  They were 4 1/2 weeks early and each weighed about 4 1/2 pounds.  We weren't even sure if they were going to be able to use their car seat or need to use a car bed.  Luckily they did great with their car seat testing.  Unfortunately they ended up back in the hospital with RSV, but grew so big and strong after their hospitalization.  It's amazing how much they have grown.  We went to the MD Fri for a respiratory issue with Eva Rose and the MD was amazed at how much she has changed since her 6 month visit.  I can't wait for her to see the other 2 kids and her what she has to say about their growth!

I love watching the kids grow, change, and meet milestones.  It's amazing being a parent.  I love being the mom to 3 beautiful children and the wife to a fabulous man!

Life is crazy but I love it!
Amy

Cold/Flu/RSV Season

Ok, so I was officially wigged out yesterday!  There's been a slight cold/runny nose going through the house since the beginning of the month.  I was sick with a cold and fever and getting sick the beginning of the month and the kids have all had runny noses for the last week or so.  Yesterday, Eva Rose started coughing and sounding weezy and raspy when she was breathing, but seemed pretty much herself otherwise.  I finally had Tom look at her to see if I was imagining things, and he heard the same thing.  I called the MD, and given that she didn't seem in any distress, we decided to hold off til this morning for an appt.  Also the MD felt that since we had been through RSV last February, we knew what to look for with regards to respiratory distress.  Well, after the doctors office closed, she started retracting when breathing.  I was having flashbacks to the whole RSV situation.  My sister (nursing student) looked at her and confirmed what we knew needed to happen.  Off to children's hospital ER!  It's amazing how traumatized I was by their RSV history.  I was tearing up on the way to the hospital, telling the current symptoms, and just walking into the bak of the ER.  Ultimately, she was evaluated and given a nebulizer, x-ray, and inhaler.  Thankfully nothing serious, like RSV, but we still need to watch her (and Thomas also).  We now have an inhaler for Eva Rose if she weezes and can give it to Thomas if he needs it.  Unfortunately, given RSV history, the chances that the twins will have asthma type symptoms with colds are increased.  g\Given their history of RSV, we are also being strongly encouraged to give the kids especially the twins H1N1 vaccine as well as the seasonal flu vaccine.  Not thrilled about the vaccine (H1N1), but I don't want them to have superimposed issues on top of the flu.

I love being a parent, but hate these issues that go along with it!

Amy