Two week appt

The last two weeks have flown by. Andy has been off the last two weeks and will head back to work on Monday. I'm so glad it worked out for him to take the time off. Ryan and Avery are doing great and are both good eaters and sleepers. We had their two week appointment today and Ryan weighed 4lbs 15 1/2 oz and Avery weighed 4lbs 13 3/4oz. They are both above their birth weights, which is good. They want us to come back in two more weeks to check again on their weights.

1st Pediatrician visit

We all survived our first night home. Our pediatrician, Dr. Middlemist, wanted us to go in the day after we were released from the hospital for a check up. We had a 9:30am appt. This was going to be interesting. I woke up a few minutes before the 8am feed. We finished feeding them and then had to change our clothes and get the babies in their car seats to get to the Dr. on time. We were actually only a few minutes late, which I don't think was bad. We actually ran into the Carlsons in the parking lot on the way into the office. They were the ones that had recommended Dr. Middlemist.

The Dr. thought they both looked great and just wanted us to focus on feeding them every 3 hrs. Ryan weighed 4lbs 6 1/2 oz and Avery weighed 4lbs 7 3/4oz.

Andy and Avery at the Dr.'s office




Amy and Ryan at the Dr's office

Going Home

We decided to stay four nights since I was on the magnesium for a day and the babies were in the NICU for two nights. Andy went to the Lone Tree fire station on Monday to get help with installing the car seats. They were very helpful - thank goodness! Tuesday was a busy day as I had to get my staples out, Ryan needed to get his circumcision, and they both needed to pass the car seat test since they were under 5 pounds. We decided that since we were on a feeding schedule we would wait to be discharged after the 2pm feed. It was close to 4pm by the time we got discharged and everything in the car. It was cold and snowy and we still had to stop to pick up the rental pump. We got home just in time to do the 5pm feed. The Adams were nice enough to bring us dinner and wine that night as we hadn't even figured out what we were going to do. They are so sweet! Raleigh did get to meet Ryan and Avery and did a lot of sniffing. With all the changes in the house, I think she had a feeling something was changing.

Family Photo - Ready to go home

Day Three

Since I was so glad to be able to spend time with the babies, I got up at 2am and headed over to the NICU to help with a feeding. The nurses are so nice and caring. I was still in some pain from the c-section, but the medicine helped!
Both Andy and I went to the 8am and 11am feeding. Since they were both doing so well, they were released out of the NICU after the 11am feeding and they got to go in the room with us. We got to keep the cute little hats, but had to surrender the preemie clothes and use the hospital shirts. The little shirts were humongous and we also used them as pants - it looked pretty funny. They also were in the bunting to keep them warm.
It was great that they were already on a schedule. Our neighbors, the Adams, stopped by that afternoon to meet Avery and Ryan and also give us an update on how Raleigh was doing. Andy ran home that day to get the car seats and bases since we needed to get that done before we could go home!

Avery and Ryan

Day Two

I didn't get much rest as I had a nurse in every hour to check on me and the blood pressure cuff went off frequently. I don't think Andy slept too well either. Andy got up at 8am to head to the NICU for the feeding. It was hard on me not to be abe to go.

I finally was able to get some food around noon - some chicken broth and sorbet and juice! That made me feel a little better. After lunch, I heard I would be able to get off the IV by 4pm or so. I couldn't wait. It took forever for them to get everything off of me, including the dressing from the c-section. It was probably 5pm by the time they had me stand up. I had been lying down since the c-section so I was in a lot of pain. They got me cleaned up and Andy moved our stuff to a post partum room. Around 6pm, they wheeled me to the NICU. I hadn't seen the babies since the previous night, but Andy would take pictures and show them to me. It was so good to see the them and hold them. They were so cute in their preemie outfis and knitted hats.

Our room was just short distance from the NICU, so we went to our room to get settled and order some room service. Then, we headed over at 8pm for my first feed. Andy was already a pro at this point and showed me how to change their diapers, take their tempature, and feed them. It was all new to me because they were so tiny! I had met with a lactation consultant earlier that day and started pumping, but for now they were on formula.

Birth Day!

The day started out with me taking the jug o' urine to Sky Ridge hospital to drop off at the lab. Then, Andy met me at Littleton hospital for my specialist appt at 10:30. The Dr thought the fluid was still low in the baby boy's sac. She took my blood pressure and was really concerned. She called my ob to discuss with her and came back and told us we needed to head over to Sky Ridge for delivery. I was somewhat in shock. We knew we probably wouldn't make it to the scheduled c-section on 2/25, but thought we had until at least until next week before we would deliver. We had planned to work on packing our bags over the weekend and getting the car bases installed. Since we had two cars at Littleton hospital and no bags packed, we decided to run home and drop a car off and pack our bags. Since I had a fruit smoothie around 9:30, we couldn't deliver right away anyhow. We quickly packed our bags and called our neighbors as they were going to watch Raleigh while we were in the hospital. We were at Sky Ridge hosptial by 12:30. What a morning! The next few hours involved getting me ready for the c-section. I met with the anesthesiologist and they decided we would go in for the c-section around 4pm. My Dr. wasn't on call that day, so Dr. Dix was going to perform the c-section. She said due to the high blood pressure, there was a high chance I would have to be on a Magnesium Sulfate IV for 24 hours to prevent seizures or stroke. Also, since I was delivering right at 35 weeks, the babies would have to go to the NICU, so the neonatoligst came to visit us. He was supposed to be going to Swedish hospital for a preview of their new NICU that afternoon, but we took priority! We headed into the OR at 4pm. There weren't as many people in the OR as I thought there would be. I recieved my spinal from the anesthesiologist and he sat behind me and Andy was right next to me. At one point, I asked if they had started yet, and the anesthesiologist said that was a good sign since I didn't feel anything and that they were almost to the babies. Ryan came out first at 4:21pm and Avery came out at 4:22pm. It was wonderful to hear their cries and that it was a boy and a girl. After the nurses did what they needed to do, Andy was able to hold them and put them next to me so I could give them each a kiss and get a photo. Andy went with the babies while they finished sewing me up. They called down to tell us that Ryan was 4lbs 8oz and 17 inches and Avery was 4lbs 12oz and 17.5 inches and they were both doing well. As soon as I delivered, my blood pressure was back down. I was hoping that meant I wouldn't have to do the magnesium sulfate IV, but that wasn't the case. Since I had to be on the IV and have hourly monitoring by a nurse, I would stay in a Labor & Delivery room. They had me hooked up to the IV, blood pressure monitor, oxygen monitor, oxygen mask, catheter, and cuffs on my calfs to prevent blood clotting. I wasn't going anywhere! Since the babies had to be in the NICU and I had to be hooked up to all the stuff, I wasn't able to be with Ryan and Avery. That was the hardest part. The NICU wanted to get the babies on a 3 hr feeding schedule starting at 8pm. Andy went over to do the feeding. Andy knew how upset I was not to be able to be with the babies, so the NICU nurse and Andy brought them down to my room so I could hold them for a few minutes. I was pretty out of it from the magnesium, but it was great to see them. Avery needed oxygen for a few hours, but other than that they were both doing great and did well taking the bottle. They told us they would probably be in the NICU for our entire stay, but they thought they would be able to go home with us. That was great news!!

34 1/2 week Doc appt

I had a non-stress test last Thursday and on Tuesday and the babies were active and responding how they should be responding. I have been at home this week and taking it easy. I have been to the pool almost every day the past week or so. Today, I had my regular ob appointment. The ultrasound went fine, but my blood pressure was high so they took it again. I think it was 150/90 or so both times. The dr. decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery to get some blood work done and moniter my blood pressure. My dr's office is at the hospital, so I had to go down to admissions and then up to the 2nd floor. The concern was that I have signs of preeclampsia. I stayed for 2 hours at the hospital and was released after my blood work came back okay. They did send me home with a jug to do a 24 hour urine test to check for protein in my urine. I think I gave Andy a scare when I said I was in the Labor and Delivery ward! I was glad to be going home and would definitely be taking it easy. My next appt is with the specialist on Friday to check the amniotic fluid levels.

Super Bowl Sunday

We didn't take many belly shots, but wanted to make sure to capture one before I delivered. This is at 34 weeks. Towards the end of the pregnancy, I had about every symptom possible - heartburn, snoring, swelling, carpel tunnel. At least I'm only doing this once!

Today, we had a tour of the hospital at 3pm on Super Bowl Sunday. It was helpful and we seemed to have the most questions. The hospital is only 5 years old and has a nice Labor and Delivery floor. We then headed over to the Baumgartners for the Super Bowl. It was a fun time and good to see everyone, but only stayed through half time as I didn't want to over do it. Glad we made it home in time to watch the exciting ending. So much for a boring game!