4 Months Old
Today marks 4 months of life for our Mighty Three! We have missed updating you the past two weeks and we will share why in "our thoughts.”
FAQ
How old are they now?
They are 123 days old! The due date was September 3rd. The easiest way to understand how their developmental milestones will be measured is to think of Sept 3 as their starting point, or zero on a number line. We are now in the "positives.” When people ask their age now, I would respond 4 months actual, 1.5 weeks corrected.
When will they come home?
The target date is still Halloween, but hopefully sooner!
What do they need to be able to "do" before they come home?
Take all 8 bottle feeds each day for two consecutive days.
On low flow nasal cannula below .5L or no respiratory support
Off all medications
No bradycardias for five days
No breathing episodes or apnea spells for 72 hours
Be able to sit in a car seat for 90 minutes without dropping stats
Maggie
Maggie has truly become an alert baby. She is wide awake when you are reading or talking to her. She has become obsessed with her paci. She still doesn't really cry, but if she does it is still muffled because of how long she was on the vent. I never thought I would want to hear a baby cry, but now it reminds me how far they've come. She has also developed quite the dramatic personality! (wonder where she gets that from J )
Maggie weighs 7lb 4oz and is on 24 calorie feeds. She is still requiring more calories than the boys, but is steadily gaining weight. Maggie has been the overachiever when bottle feeding and is now taking 5 out of her 8 bottles a day! She wakes up ready to eat like her momma. Maggie is on .5 liters of oxygen and is at 21%! 21% is the lowest you can go!! Hopefully, the doctors are going to allow Maggie to try NO respiratory support this weekend! This is HUGE! Being able to bring Maggie home without oxygen would be an answered prayer.
Max
Max is finally showing interest in waking up and looking around. He lets us know when he wants to be held or isn't happy because he has found his cry! He loves to be burped and has turned into quite the gassy baby J Max loves to snuggle and enjoys the time he gets in his swing.
Max weighs 7lb 10oz and is on 22 calorie feeds. Max took his first full bottle yesterday and today has taken two full bottles! Max originally struggled with staying awake bottle feeding, but is showing more interest in the past two weeks. Max is on .5 liters of oxygen and is at 30%. The doctors have prepared us that Max will, more than likely, come home on oxygen, but this baby has proved the doctors wrong time and time again. Please join us in praying that Max will NOT come home on oxygen. A physical therapist is working with Max on his head shape. He wears a hat several hours a day to help with a flat spot on his head. He should have another cranial ultrasound next week to update us on his brain bleed. Please pray the bleed has been fully absorbed. Max's eyes also look great! His ROP disease has regressed from stage 3 to stage 1 since the eye injections. The doctor is really pleased with his progress. He will also have another eye exam next week.
Miller
Miller is the funniest baby. He has a different facial expression every five seconds. I can never get a good picture of this kid, because he always looks like he is pooping (which is mostly true). Just like Max, he has proven to be quite the gas machine. Miller loves tummy time and snuggles with anyone who will hold him.
Miller weighs a whopping 8lb 4oz and is on 22 calorie feeds. This boy is a linebacker. Believe it or not, Miller has struggled the most with bottle feeding. He hasn't mastered the swallow or what to do with his tongue, however, he did take his first full bottle today! Progress! Miller is OFF RESPIRATORY SUPPORT. I repeat, he is OFF RESPIRATORY SUPPORT. Jesus is healing Miller's little lungs right before our eyes! He has officially been off for 24 hours. We are hopeful! Miller has struggled with his blood pressure in the past two weeks. He has been consistently having high blood pressure. The doctors started him on medication to help lower it. Miller also got great news about his eyes! He is now in stage 1 for his ROP disease. His blood vessels have shown great improvement over the past 6 weeks. He will have another eye exam next week to follow up.
Abby's Thoughts
I haven't personally blogged in 4 weeks. Ryan wrote the last update and the post before that was written by my parents and the past two weeks we have been silent. We have gotten a lot of people asking why or if something was wrong. The past 4 weeks have been AMAZING with the babies. I truly feel like their mom now and there's no denying my love for them. I also finally feel the connection every mom talks about that I prayed for, for so long. I haven't felt like sharing, because it was something else "to do.” For the past 4 weeks my house has been a wreck, I'm behind in my grad school course, I haven't really hung out with friends, or gone out of my way to do anything but be with the babies. The past 4 weeks have been me grieving my short pregnancy, our journey, and just honestly needing time to be by myself. I haven't been angry or depressed, just needing a lot of space. In that 4 weeks, I feel that the Lord allowed a lot of healing and intimacy with Him. His love is extravagant and His friendship is intimate. I needed that reminder as this journey has been long. It's amazing that in times of "space" or "silence" in my life is when I find myself leaning into the Lord more. YOUR encouraging words, cards, scripture text, podcast emails, etc. have given me words to help calm my fears and feelings. They have lifted me up out of the bed on my hardest days and built a solid foundation for me to stand on. The Lord has started to reveal many "lessons" to me and thoughts about this journey, but now is not the time to share. One day it will be, and I can't wait to see how God will continue to use this journey. To Him be the Glory and the Honor forever. AMEN!
Ryan's Thoughts
The past two weeks have truly been filled with God's wonder and might. Maggie, Max and Miller have all made extraordinary strides. From Maggie crushing bottle feeding, Max gaining weight like a beast and Miller being the first to cross the no respiratory support finish line. I am one proud daddy. Seeing God's hand in bringing our 3 along is worthy of praise. Four months ago we were living minute by minute and could hardly breathe at times. Tears were plentiful as we didn't know what the next hour might bring. As a father, one of the hardest things to see is your children hurting and not being able to ease their pain. I leaned on God to ease that pain. I know that the Lord has spoken to me and eased my own pain in seeing them hurt. He placed me right where my kids needed me... in their hospital room praying for them, crying for them and holding them. Today there are more happy tears than sad. All three have their own personality and temperament. But, you can see the love in their eyes and God's presence in them. I love these three with every fiber of my being and I know the Lord loves them 1,000 times more. Amen.
Prayer Request and THANKS
Prayers for Max's brain bleed to absorb
Prayers for Max and Miller's eyes
Thanks for the THOUSANDS of prayers we have received
Thanks for the cards, gifts and time people have blessed us with
Prayers for every baby and their families in the NICU
Prayers for oxygen requirements and respiratory support
September is NICU awareness month and today is NICU nurse appreciation day. A big shout out to the entire NICU team. They are amazing!
From the bottom of our hearts, we are grateful for you!
-Ryan and Abby