31 Weeks: 49 Days of Life
Today marks 7 weeks with our Mighty 3 and it is hard to believe that we will be celebrating the two-month mark soon. This past week has been one of growth for Maggie, Max and Miller and some much needed time to sit and reflect for us.
Our biggest praise this week has been learning that the babies are moving out of the "critical phase" and into the "stable phase". When we heard that we just wanted it repeated over and over again. This doesn't mean that the babies are completely out of the woods yet but they are making great progress which we will explain later in the post.
God continues to move in people's hearts and He has continued to answer prayers. This week we have had friends come and spend their time with us and pray with us. We can not express enough how these prayers have not only helped our babies but us as well. We have even received generous gifts from fellow NICU families that felt God moving in them after hearing about our three. God is on the move and he deserves ALL the praise for bringing Maggie, Max and Miller this far.
All three responded to the DART protocol to help with lung development. The ten days finished yesterday. Max showed the most improvement as he moved to the bubble CPAP and hangs around 50% oxygen. Maggie started off strong but her infection set her back. However, we do not know the doctor's plans for restarting her DART yet. Miller still struggled to show progress but he went from 100% oxygen on the conventional to 80% oxygen on the NIV. Miller needs prayers. There is no talk currently about a second round but it's still not out of the question. Please pray for no developmental delays from the protocol, however, after seeing their progress, Ryan and I feel that we made the right decision.
Maggie
What we learned about Maggie this week is that she does what she wants when she wants to (like her mom). She decided that she had enough of her oxygen tube and when her nurse looked in her osselet, she was holding it in her hand! She had pulled it out herself! The doctors decided to try her on the NIV on Friday and as of today, she has been put on the CPAP. She is still on antibiotics but the infection numbers are going down. The nurses have put her on a second antibiotic until Wednesday. Maggie and her brother's main focus is still to gain weight. They have all been put on plus 8 calorie feeds to jumpstart their weight gain. Maggie Gail seems to like it... she is up to 2 lbs 10 oz! Our little girl is growing!
Above: Maggie after bathtime (on conventional vent)
Above: Miss Maggie and her paci. She loves it! (on CPAP)
Max
Max continues to be our comeback kid. He has had a good, stable week and has taken the lead respiratory wise. Max was put on the bubble CPAP early in the week and was the first of his siblings to do so! He has been doing very well on it and all the doctors and nurses are amazed by him. He was even weaned off morphine completely and is much more active and alert. Abby and I gave him a "bubble bath" and he loved to have his mom rub his back. He did great. Max is doing well on the increased calorie feeds and is in a race with his sister to 3 pounds. Max currently weighs in at 2 lbs 9 oz. Max is a testament to God's wonder.
Above: Max saying "hello!" better than Adele (CPAP)
Above: Bathtime for Max with a clean face!
Miller
Miller man has been hard at work getting his lungs stronger. An x-ray showed that he had been aspirating, which is when food enters the lungs and doesn't get out. The doctors and nurses decided to put him on a continuous feed to see of that helps him. Initially, he seemed to be improving on his oxygen. Unfortunately, his carbon dioxide began to climb and the little guy couldn't get it back down. So the respiratory therapists and the doctors decided to try him on the NIV. That was on Sunday and he is still on it today and his carbon dioxide numbers have improved some. Abby held him Sunday night and he enjoyed it. We are all praying that he likes it and continues to be a rockstar. We also learned that his PDA had reopened. For now, the doctors will just watch it and as of now more medication or surgery have not been mentioned. Miller is not getting feeds right now because he needs to concentrate on his breathing. He is still in the lead though, he weighs 2 lb 15 oz!
Above: Miller man and mom (bless Miller, we didn't take many photos of him this week, next week!)
Prayer Requests
All babies will stay on Non-invasive breathing machine (CPAP or NIV)
Continued weight gain
Pray against infection
Max's brain bleed will disappear
Miller's PDA closes
Maintaining body temperature
Guard our minds against fear and anxiety
The song below has brought us peace this week. Please read the lyrics and thank the God who gives us hope.
I Have This Hope
As I walk this great unknown Questions come and questions go Was there purpose for the pain? Did I cry these tears in vain?
I don't want to live in fear I want to trust that You are near Trust Your grace can be seen In both triumph and tragedy
I have this hope In the depth of my soul In the flood or the fire You're with me and You won't let go
But sometimes my faith feels thin Like the night will never end Will You catch every tear Or will You just leave me here?
But I have this hope In the depth of my soul In the flood or the fire You're with me and You won't let go
So, whatever happens I will not be afraid Cause You are closer than this breath that I take You calm…
-Ryan and Abby