May 27

The girls are getting so big! I really cannot believe it. Vivian is now 4 pounds 13 ounces, and Mary is 4 pounds 6 ounces. She is trying really hard to catch up to Vivian but just can't quite get there ;) They are going to town on the nursing, and we are starting 3 times per day today. The nurse practitioner said today that if they do well with that we could go up to 4-5 times per day in a couple days.

I am pretty much planning on camping out here until we go home, which I am anticipating in a few weeks. Maybe sooner if they really take off with nursing! I will definitely be missing Norah, but I feel like these next few weeks will be critical in establishing breastfeeding. In the long run it will give me much more time with Norah because I won't have to be pumping and giving bottles once we get them home. She is staying with Grandma and Grandpa this week, and I know will not be spoiled at all;)

They are still on oxygen, but only a very small amount. Today Mary is at 24% and Vivian is at 23%. They still go up and down a little bit, and this weekend seemed to require a little bit more than usual. They are down more today though, and a lot of it depends on how hard they work at nursing and how full they are. If their tummies are really full then they have a harder time breathing. I feel like they need some more time to grow just a LITTLE bit more lung tissue and then they will be done with the oxygen.

This morning Mary nursed so much that she had an 8 ml residual in her tummy when they checked before her 11 o'clock feeding. She has NEVER had that much left over! I knew she had eaten a lot hahaha.  Just more proof that they are getting all they need from nursing without us weighing them! So far the doctors have been ok with them not being weighed before and after because they are gaining weight and growing so well.

Okay, breastfeeding sidebar here, so if you aren't interested then just skip this paragraph;) The whole experience breastfeeding here has overall been very positive. I was warned that it was difficult to successfully breastfeed in the NICU, and it is challenging, but the staff has been so supportive of it. One thing that I truly believe is that babies are smarter than we give them credit for. A lot of times we get so focused on numbers, and then freak out when we don't know exactly how much they babies are eating when they breastfeed. But I have found that if I trust myself and my babies, everything goes much smoother. Mary and Vivian know how much they need, and they know how to get it. Some days they nurse for longer periods than others, and that's ok. They show that they are done by not latching back on, looking very sleepy, and having round tummies. They have plenty of wet and dirty diapers, and are appropriately gaining weight. This is how you know at home that your breastfed baby is getting enough. I am so thankful that they staff here is willing to go with these cues and signs and that they also trust me to tell them if I don't think they have gotten enough at a feeding. So much of breastfeeding comes down to being able to recognize your baby's small signs and cues in order to know if they are full or not. If they don't breastfeed, they get a set amount of breastmilk down their feeding tube which is calculated to their weight and age and how much they should need to eat. And this is what needs to happen in the NICU for them to get enough protein and nutrients and calories to grow. But if you think in terms of yourself, you don't eat the same exact amount every time you eat. Sometimes you eat more, sometimes less, depending on a variety of factors. You also don't eat at the exact same time every single day. That is why following your breastfed baby's hunger cues is so important.

Anyways, all that to say that the girls are ROCKSTARS at nursing. I am so proud of them! They may have to go home taking a couple bottles a day that have human milk fortifier in them to get some extra calories. Well, that's probably what the doctors will advise....we will see if that actually happens ;) If I get them home and they are gaining weight perfectly fine I plan on discontinuing the fortifier because it makes them super gassy and I don't think they will need it by the time they are full term. I am not a huge fan of that stuff anyways.

The doctors are also wanting to get them out of their isolettes, which are beds that have heaters in them and are closed off from the outside environment. While they are in isolettes they can be positioned on their tummies and on their sides, and the bed can be raised to prevent reflux, but once they go to an open crib they have to be flat on their backs at all times. I am in no hurry to get them out of their isolettes, and plan on asking to wait for that til the end of the week when they will be 36 weeks. We discussed it in our care conference and our primary nurses really feel that since they are doing so well in the isolettes we should keep up with that as long as we can. The doctors usually do have different ideas than the nurses ;)

So overall we are doing great, and I am starting to try and wrap my head around the idea that I will have 3 girls at home instead of 1 soon!!!

Viv is in green and Mary is in pink!