The boys are now 1 month old!
The overall big picture is going well for the boys. They are all eating and growing. They look just beautiful and you can tell they are recognizing mom and dads voices. They all have their eyes open and look around occassionally during the day especially when you talk to them. That is one of my favorite times to just watch their eyes and think ahead to when they are 3 and running around the farm playing. Also, you will see from the pictures that the boys are now getting some fat on them!
Dylan:
weight: 1310 grams (2.88 pounds)
length: 38 cm (14.96 inches)
The one that started out strugglings so hard to breath is now doing the best of the three. He's off the ventilator and nearly breathing room air (which is 21% oxygen). He's getting full feeds and weighs almost three pounds! He's very active and loves to try to kick the tubes and and pull his nose tube out. He even squirms out of his bed. They put them in a little cushion and then wrap them in to make them feel more secure, as they were in the womb. He eventually wiggles his way out of it. You can see him put his hands at his chest (when he's on his tummy) and he's already getting some 'crawling' motions going.
Hunter:
weight: 1310 grams (2.88 pounds)
length: 37.5 gram (14.37 inches)
He's also eating and growing. He and Dylan weigh the same and are both nearly 3 pounds. The infection from two weeks ago really was a step back for him but he's overall doing well. We got good news that his PDA (hole in the top of the heart) has gone from very large to moderate so surgery is not urgent. Still might be an option but it's a good sign to see the PDA closing. Since the infection he's been on the ventilator to breath - we've been trying to wean him down to lower and lower settings but after weeks on the ventilator he has shown development of Chronic Lung Disease. Sounds terrible but it's very common for preemies. The ventilator keeps them breathing and alive but .... it also damages the lungs. It just wears and stretches out the lungs. We hope that the lung damage doesn't get worse. This is a condition that requires patience because it makes it harder for the baby to breath and makes them more dependent on the ventilator. So, it's a slow weaning process. The damage will heal over time. Hunter looks good and seems to reall like having his dad hold his hand and his mom to hold his feet.
Matthew:
weight: 1090 grams (2.4 pounds)
length: 35 cm (13.78 inches)
Also eating and growing well. Looking at the overall growth trends - he's done the remarkable. He started at 1 3/4 pounds and he's nearly 2 1/3 pounds. This is remarkable because his food increase was so much smaller than the other two boys because the doctors wanted to be cautious due to his heart. he's now getting full feeds (which means that he's getting the full amount estimated for his weight). This weekend he was doing very very well and then Monday morning he hit a road bump. He may have gotten another infection (still waiting on test results) but he's got alot of secretions (mucus) in his throat and lungs. This makes it very very hard to breath and he has to be suctioned alot. He (like Hunter) is still on the ventilator and he also has shown development of chronic lung disease. So, this latest development of having so much secretion and a possible infection doesn't help him. It is still something that can be overcome. The good news is that his heart is very strong and while he has the two holes in his heart (PDA and VSD) - he's been doing so well the doctors do not see it urgent to do any surgery. We are meeting with the top heart surgeon today on Hunter and Matthew and hopefully determine our game plan. They say PDA surgery is very common and not as scary as it sounds.... (but as a mom anytime you are told they are going to make an incision in your baby it is obviously stressfull...haha)
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So, overall the fact that they have all grown so much in their first month is fantastic. The Preemie roller coaster ride will not be perfect so you have to focus on the big picture that they are growing and eating and there will be roadbumps that the boys will overcome.
I wanted to just share and set expectations for everyone. Preemies have very weak immune systems and they often take 1-2 years to develop strong immune systems. Due to this, it is so critical to keep illness away from them. We want to show them off more than anything and have visitors but it is not a good idea because more people means more opportunity for exposure (now and even later when they are home). Just be sure and let us know if you are sick or if you have been around someone sick to try not to expose us or the three boys so none of us get sick. Infection and illness are very very serious and can be deadly to preemies born before 30 weeks.
Thank you for your love and support and all the prayers and well wishes. It means the world to us and the boys.
love,
Kim
PS. More good news.... we had two healthy foals born this weekend. Two colts by King Arthur out of our Contender mare. One more foal on the way, which I think is due in May.
