Hospital Pic Link!

I don't have any new pics to post. We have been too busy to take pics! Ha! Ha! And yes, we are seriously sleep deprived!!!!!! But I know it will pass quickly and it is all worth it.
Here is the link to the hospital pic. I hope it works.
http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=3Y2H7D5E1Z

We are Finally ALL HOME!!!

Can you believe it? Finally, almost a month after they were born everybody is home. Natalie did come home on Saturday and things have been pretty smooth but wow what a difference adding another makes. Last night was a long night. Chet took the first feeding although I did get up for a few minutes. Somebody was kind of fussy all night. They sound just alike. So until I got up to look I couldn't tell who it was fussing. They took turns. I am exhausted this morning! But thrilled we are all home. We have a busy few weeks ahead of us. They have about 8 or 9 doctors appointments between the two of them. I don't know how we are going to pull that off. I am supposed to have a recheck this week also but I don't see it happening. I just want to stay home with them for a few days and rest and get to know each other. We only took a couple of pics last night when we first got home but I will post more later.
Thanks for your comments, emails and especially your prayers!
MAGGIE IS ON THE LEFT AND NATALIE IS ON THE RIGHT.

Rough Week...

I don't have time to reply personally to all of your emails right now but I want to thank you all who sent them to me.

I ended up in the hospital Tuesday. I was there visiting the girls and was leaving to take a break and by the time I got to my car I was out of it. I sat in my car for 3 hours going in and out of conciousness before Chet called and all I could do was cry. He finally figured out where I was and got the emergency room personal to come and get me. I had a fever of 103.7! I was full of infection because of the mastitis and dehydrated. They admitted me and pumped me full of IV fluids and antibiotics and thank God, lots of good drugs! I have never in my life been in so much pain! I was pretty much out of it for about two days. My girls were supposed to come home Thursday but the docs were so good to work with us and kept them until today. My doc wasn't going to release me until today but I begged to come home yesterday afternoon and he relented with strict orders and precautions. I am feeling much better. Still having a lot of breast pain and trying to dry up this milk!! No more nursing for me, I am done with it. It about killed me, literally. I envy those that can do it but I gave it my best shot and my docs even agreed it was time to stop. Thank God my Mom is here or I don't know what we would have done. She has been a big help this week.

And best of all..........my girls come home today!!!!!! I will post pics as soon as I can and a link to the hospital nurseryweb so you can see their pics taken at the hospital.
Scratch that, the doc just called and Maggie lost weight for the 2nd day in a row and can't come home today. I am crushed.
I'll update as soon as I can. Please continue to remember us in your prayers and thank you all so much that are praying for us.

2 weeks old...

Good news!
Maggie was checked out by a cardiologist and had an echocardiagram. It looks like she has a small Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). It is the most common heart problem in preemie's. Before birth there is a passageway from one blood vessel to another instead of through the lungs. The passageway should close soon after birth but with preemie's often takes longer and with some babies requires surgery. Maggie's should close on it's own with time. They think this could be the cause of the high blood pressure. Today though, her BP has been significantly lower all day! Yay! Hopefully we have crossed that hurdle too.

Both girls have been eating by bottle almost every feed for the last 24 hours and are doing very well. The wonderful nurse/lactation consultant caring for the girls today helped me nurse both girls successfully this afternoon. It was great! The mastitis has had me down all week. I have been very sick! I still don't have much energy but feel much better than I did.

As of last night, Natalie weighs 5.1 and Maggie 5.4!! If they don't get to come home soon they won't get to wear any of the preemie clothes we have for them! The nurse did say today that she bets they will be home within a week. I pray she is right.

After I nursed both girls today I held them both next to one another. Maggie was fussy and as soon as Natalie was next to her she quieted down. She kept looking at Natalie like "Hey, I know you!" We didn't have the camera with us!!! Darn!! They do look different when you look at them side by side but I think it is just that Natalie has a more narrow head, just a preemie look. Maggie is rounder in the head and face and just looks like a little baby. If you have seen many preemie babies then you know what I mean. I bet they really start to look alike in the next couple of weeks since they are getting so close in weight. I will take some more pics this week and post them.

Thank you all for your prayers!! and don't stop yet!!

We need your prayers....

Yesterday while at the hospital I started chilling really bad and then spiked a temp of 103! I felt like I had been hit by a train. Turns out I have mastitis(a breast infection). The docs insist that I stay home and in bed for a day or so. I am taking an anibiotic. Please pray that this clears up quickly and that I have a better milk supply afterward.

My favorite NICU doc called this morning to insist I stay home and in bed and keep pumping for my girls. But she also delivered a little bad and scary news. Maggie has been having intermittent high blood pressure. She says she isn't too worried about it yet and will keep a close watch on it but that if it continues they will call in a cardiologist and get her on some medication because they don't want her heart working so hard. Her heart sounds fine and it is probably just a preemie issue but Chet and I are scared to death nonetheless. Please continue to pray for our precious girls and for Mom and Dad's sanity. We are both sick with worry.

There is a little good news...both girls took their bottles pretty good yesterday. Maggie took all but 10 cc's and Natalie took about 25 cc's. That is much better than they have been doing!

Thank you and I will update as soon as there is any new news.

Quick Update!

Natalie lost her umbilical cord!! A real bellybutton!! Maggie's will be off soon if not today. Maggie is in an open bassinet and holding her temp well. I have been bottle feeding the last few days and I think the girls are finally figuring it out. I can't wait to see how they do today. Natalie is back to her birthweight and Maggie is only 2 ozs. away from hers. The docs up their milk amounts a little every day. They are both on the prilosec now but still spitting up quite a bit. Hopefully it will get better in a few more days. That's about all there is to tell right now. Please continue to pray for out girls!

One week old today!!

Sorry it has been so long but I literally have not had time or felt much like sitting at the computer.
The girls are doing great! No IV's and no oxygen. Natalie is in an open bassinett and trying her darndest to nurse good twice a day. They did start her on Prilosec today for the reflux and she already seems a little better. They are both gaining some weight thank goodness. They were looking pretty scrawny for a few days but much better now. Maggie is still in the isolette because she cannot steadily maintain her temperature but she isn't far behind her sister. They are so beautiful! Big sis got to hold Maggie today for the first time. She was thrilled. I got to hold them both at the same time a few days ago and I was thrilled!! Here are just a few other pics also. Daddy and Natalie, the stork in the yard thanks to some good friends!! and Maggie giving us some of her sleepy smiles!! I need to go and pump now but I will post more as soon as I can. Thank you all so much for your comments!!! I really enjoy reading them.

Mixed emotions..going home..

First off let me correct the pictures in the previous posts, please excuse my painkiller induced fog....Maggie is on my right with the hat on and Natalie is on my left.

No new pics right now but I will post more later.

Today is going home day for Mom. I have been crying on and off since midnight. I am so homesick but leaving my girls here is very emotional. I like being able to walk down the hall in the middle of the night to see them. I know once I get home and in a routine it will be easier but it is so hard right now.

They both had a little setback yesterday. Their heartrates kept dropping so they put their oxygen back on and then started them on caffeine neither of which helped. It seems to be a feeding issue. They have reflux. So they now have a thickener added to my milk or the formula and it is put into their gastric tube via a timed pump. Twice a day they are either bottle or breastfed or at least attempted. Nursing was so awesome!! There mouths are so tiny they can't hardly do it but they sure did try. I will nurse them today at 3 and then go home. Pray for me.

I will give more updates later and pictures.
Thank you all for you kind comments and for thinking of and praying for out family!

I got to hold both girls at once!!

What an awesome moment! I was surrounded by all my girls!! Yes, I cried again!! Maggie is on my left and Natalie my right. Maggie has on the hat. She was checking out her Momma in the first pic!! Oh thank you God my cup runneth over!! I am in love!!!

Update...

The first pic is me and Natalie and I was crying, I just couldn't help it I was so happy to hold them. The 2nd I am feeding Maggie and the last is Daddy and Maggie.

Both girls of course lost a few ozs but are already going back up. They had their 1st feeds today thru the gastric tube and then this afternoon I got to bottle feed both of them!! It felt so good to have my babies in my arms. I got very emotional as you can see from the pic. My milk isn't in yet but I have a little colostrum that they are mixing w/formula for now. Neither one of them took much from the bottle so they were given the rest thru the gastric tubes but they did great for their first time. I am so in love with these babies!! There are no words to describe my feelings.
I was feeling great last night and this morning but I think I over did it today and I had a rough afternoon. Chet made me get in the bed for a few hours and I am feeling better now but still need to take it easy. We just took some breast milk to the NICU and told the girls good night, so I will try to get some sleep now. Yes Kim, Thank GOD for PAINKILLERS!!! Thanks for your comments. Pam thank you too. It is always nice to hear from someone from the momo boards!

Natalie and Maggie are here!!

They were born @ 9:22 and 9:23. First Natalie came out weighing in at 4lbs 11 ozs and 16 and a half inches long. Then Maggie quickly followed weighing 5 lbs 11ozs and 16 inches long. They are both in the NICU to stay warm and Maggie is having a little breathing problem but they are both on oxygen only. If Natalie continues doing so well she will completely be off of it tomorrow. Maggie wasn't doing too good when she was born and it seemed like forever before she started crying. Natalie was crying before they even got her out of me!! They are so beautiful! They look a lot alike but the 6 oz. weight difference makes a big difference and right now it makes it easier to tell who is who. I got to hold Natalie around 6 tonight and I was in heaven. They still won't let us hold Maggie because of her breathing issues and she doesn't need to be stimulated. I pray she is doing much better tomorrow and we get to hold them both.

I only slept 3 hours last night and it is catching up with me. Although part of that could be because of the great painkillers they are giving me. I have been up 3 times today and each time it gets a little easier.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I am going to attempt to post some pics. Here is one pic. I will write more and post more pics later but I am going to see my girls again in a few minutes and then I am going to try to sleep for a while.