With Lucy, as with Connor, I had Intrauterine Growth Restriction. This is a condition in which the unborn baby is smaller than it should be because it is not growing at a normal rate inside the womb. Clearly our babies have been smaller with a combined weight of seven pounds six ounces. One of the risks: hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). With a blood sugar of 25, Connor had an IV placed and was started on Dextrose 10% at eight ML per hour. Prior to every feed, his blood sugar was tested and if it was above 60, we were able to decrease the IV dextrose by one ML/hour. Over the next three days he would be above sixty and then below sixty at alternating feeds. It was slow progress, but still moving in the right direction.
Friday at his evening feed, Connor finally latched. We started offering breastfeeding at each meal, then following up with a bottle with fortified breast milk. If I was not at the hospital, the nurse would offer his feed in a bottle and whatever he could not finish would be through his NG tube. His eating skills were improving greatly. By Saturday afternoon his blood sugars had stabilized at 70 and we were able to decrease the IV fluids to 2 Ml/hr. The doctor decided to leave the IV at 2 ML/hr overnight and by Sunday morning it was stopped.
Sunday morning we spoke with the neonatologist and formed a new plan. We would allow him to breastfeed and then offer only 10-15 ML of fortified milk after. We needed to see if he could maintain his blood sugar without giving him a specified amount of milk. Sunday we hit a huge milestone. Connor consumed all but one feed by mouth and did three of those feeds by breastfeeding all while maintaining sugars over 60. We are so proud of his progress.
Today, we adjusted the plan slightly. First, the NG tube is coming out. HOORAY! Only seven days with that tube, it's a miracle! Next, we are not measuring any intake. Lastly, we will only take blood sugars every six hours. If we maintain this with some good weight gain, we can possibly head home by the end of this week.
We want to thank everyone for the prayers. They worked and we are getting a hang of this whole eating thing. As much as we love that Connor's sugars are above 60, we really would be more comfortable with them in the 80's. So prayers that his body can adjust as we alter his feeds would be much appreciated.
Pictures to follow when I get some time to download!
Monday, April 18, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Lucy is a big sister
We'll start with Lucy's last cardio appointment....yes, I was supposed to update awhile ago but things just happen. In any case, her appointment was great. She sat through the entire echo without much fussing. A total bonus. The results were even better. Her heart function is strong, the aorta is wide open and the leaky valve (one of the defects that doesn't get much attention) is barely leaking. Dr. Husayni was also happy with her hydration and eating. At the time she was four months off the tube. We got another three month pass and will be back in May.
Day care has done wonders for her personality and her independence. She has exploded in self play and is really starting to express herself (sometimes in a slightly bossy tone). We are also working on manners, specifically please. Although right now she thinks 'saying please' will get whatever she wants faster. Always a work in progress.
On to our early arrival. About 5 weeks ago, at 31 weeks, we had a routine ultrasound that was showing very low fluid around the baby. Dr. Sklar sent me to the hospital for a NST test. All was good but we scheduled a follow-up with the MFM team at Loyola. During the appointment, they found two cysts on the umbilical cord. The doctor didn't seem too concerned but recommended we start weekly bio-physicals to keep an eye on everything. The next four weeks we normal. Growth and movement were good.
Fast forward to Tuesday April 12th. I was back at Loyola for an ultrasound to check blood flow through the umbilical cord, plus growth and fluid. After the ultrasound, the MFM doctor comes into the room and says 'The fluid around the baby is really low. I have a call into your doctor, but I am recommending delivery.' I verified she meant today and, yup, bust into tears. Not because I wasn't ready to have the baby, but because it was not exactly when we planned. I left Loyola and drove directly to Elmhurst Hospital making calls to set up arrangements for Lucy. I was up to Labor and Delivery by 11:30 am and Mike arrived about an hour later after getting Lucy settled with our great friend Kate. I was hooked up to monitors and we awaited a plan, which would end up being a c-section delivery at 3:30 pm. We were in the operating room by 3:50 pm and Connor was officially out by 4:21 pm (weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 inches long)
The neonatologist was there waiting to evaluate. Luckily he was mostly healthy and did not need to be placed in the NICU. Unfortunately, his blood sugar was low, so he was going to the specialty nursery to be monitored. We did get some skin to skin time while I was in recovery. How different from our first delivery. Connor's blood sugar was 25 (normal is about 80). He was started on IV glucose and having his blood sugar tested every three hours. They did not increase as expected so the DREADED NG TUBE was placed to start getting formula in his belly to help raise those sugars. As much as we wanted to be able to leave with Connor, it will not be the case. He will stay in the specialty nursery until we can remove the NG tube, maintain his sugars and he can eat on his own.
Our current plan is to fortify his formula so we can decrease the glucose and remove the IV. While we do this we are working on his feedings. I pump about 15 minutes before his mealtime and then we try to get him to latch and eat a little. As of now he has been to sleepy to eat, but has taken a couple of sucks here and there. The nurses are telling us this is completely normal. We hope to see some progress in the next couple days and can put together a plan to go home!
Grandpa, Grandma and Lucy came to visit on Wednesday. No children are allowed in the specialty nursery, so only Grandma and Grandpa were able to meet Connor. Lucy will have to wait. Even though she busted in the room saying 'meet baby brother Connor'.
If we could ask for prayers that Connor can raise his blood sugar levels with the added calories and that he gets the hang of this whole eating thing. WHOA! Deja vu. I am pretty sure somewhere in this blog, I wrote that before. We will continue to update and thank all for the prayers.
Day care has done wonders for her personality and her independence. She has exploded in self play and is really starting to express herself (sometimes in a slightly bossy tone). We are also working on manners, specifically please. Although right now she thinks 'saying please' will get whatever she wants faster. Always a work in progress.
On to our early arrival. About 5 weeks ago, at 31 weeks, we had a routine ultrasound that was showing very low fluid around the baby. Dr. Sklar sent me to the hospital for a NST test. All was good but we scheduled a follow-up with the MFM team at Loyola. During the appointment, they found two cysts on the umbilical cord. The doctor didn't seem too concerned but recommended we start weekly bio-physicals to keep an eye on everything. The next four weeks we normal. Growth and movement were good.
Fast forward to Tuesday April 12th. I was back at Loyola for an ultrasound to check blood flow through the umbilical cord, plus growth and fluid. After the ultrasound, the MFM doctor comes into the room and says 'The fluid around the baby is really low. I have a call into your doctor, but I am recommending delivery.' I verified she meant today and, yup, bust into tears. Not because I wasn't ready to have the baby, but because it was not exactly when we planned. I left Loyola and drove directly to Elmhurst Hospital making calls to set up arrangements for Lucy. I was up to Labor and Delivery by 11:30 am and Mike arrived about an hour later after getting Lucy settled with our great friend Kate. I was hooked up to monitors and we awaited a plan, which would end up being a c-section delivery at 3:30 pm. We were in the operating room by 3:50 pm and Connor was officially out by 4:21 pm (weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 inches long)
Our current plan is to fortify his formula so we can decrease the glucose and remove the IV. While we do this we are working on his feedings. I pump about 15 minutes before his mealtime and then we try to get him to latch and eat a little. As of now he has been to sleepy to eat, but has taken a couple of sucks here and there. The nurses are telling us this is completely normal. We hope to see some progress in the next couple days and can put together a plan to go home!
Grandpa, Grandma and Lucy came to visit on Wednesday. No children are allowed in the specialty nursery, so only Grandma and Grandpa were able to meet Connor. Lucy will have to wait. Even though she busted in the room saying 'meet baby brother Connor'.
If we could ask for prayers that Connor can raise his blood sugar levels with the added calories and that he gets the hang of this whole eating thing. WHOA! Deja vu. I am pretty sure somewhere in this blog, I wrote that before. We will continue to update and thank all for the prayers.
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