I am a very inquisitive person. I have probably asked a hundred different times to a hundred different nurses "How long would the typical baby in our situation expect to remain in the NICU?" The nurses have held the company line and always responded with "I really can't tell you because every baby is different". This was until today, when our favorite nurse told us that she was going on vacation and wouldn't be back until July 2nd. She said that she doubts the kids will be there when she gets back. I know it isn't as strong as the word "prediction" insinuates, but we'll take it. It was the first crack in their armor...now we just have to keep chipping away.
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Caution - the following paragraph has the word "nipple" in it. If you don't feel comfortable with that type of language, please feel free to skip down
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During one of our pumping visits with a nurse, we were asking what the appropriate suction power should be. She told us that we probably didn't need to go higher than the medium strength. Then she proceeded to tell us the story of a former patient the nurses dubbed "nipples of steel" (NOS). When they first brought in the commercial strength Medela pump, NOS immediately cranked it up to the highest setting. The nurse quickly told her that this would cause unnecessary discomfort and she could lower the setting. NOS retorted that she had prepared for the pumping/breast feeding experience by rubbing her nipples with a tooth brush for the last 4 months to "toughen them up". The nurse said NOS needs to stop listening to her grandma's advise on breast feeding and that there have been many advances in the last 80 years on this topic.
After reading this, Emily wanted me to clarify that she is not NOS and she has never adopted the practice of tooth brushing her nipples.
*********end of paragraph that uses the word nipple*********
Now to the boys....They did well on their first day of getting bottle fed three times a day. There were no major spit up. We did come in to see them wearing socks as mittens. This is because they've learned how to scratch themselves around their faces and also the art of pulling out the NG tubes that go down their noses to their stomachs.
We met with Dr. Levy today and he said that the boys will likely be increased to 4 bottle feeds per day (half way to the goal of 8 per day). He also reassured us that we shouldn't be worried about the 24 hour surveillance of Caleb's heart. They just want to have a base line so that for future visits to the cardiologist, they can compare and check for progress in the amount of PAC's. He told us he is very pleased with their progress and said their doing great.
We both got a lot of rest today and it made our day a lot more enjoyable. Thank you all so much for your prayers. It is wonderful to know the body of Christ is making their requests known before God on our behalf. It is overwhelming to think that 12 days ago I thought that I might lose my wife and both my children and now I might have them all home and healthy in a few weeks. We have a wonderful God!!
Another thing I haven't mentioned is how wonderful it has been for Emily to provide all the nourishment these boys need. As most couples are, we were nervous about her milk coming in or the thought of nursing twins. Not only has Emily's milk come in, the nursing staff in the NICU has asked us for the second time this week to stop bringing in so much because our area of the freezer is full. I can't explain it, but when you are unable to bring your children home, there is a special connection to know that Emily is providing for them in this way. We feel like it is the one thing we can do for them.
After reading this, Emily wanted me to clarify that she is not NOS and she has never adopted the practice of tooth brushing her nipples.
*********end of paragraph that uses the word nipple*********
Now to the boys....They did well on their first day of getting bottle fed three times a day. There were no major spit up. We did come in to see them wearing socks as mittens. This is because they've learned how to scratch themselves around their faces and also the art of pulling out the NG tubes that go down their noses to their stomachs.
We met with Dr. Levy today and he said that the boys will likely be increased to 4 bottle feeds per day (half way to the goal of 8 per day). He also reassured us that we shouldn't be worried about the 24 hour surveillance of Caleb's heart. They just want to have a base line so that for future visits to the cardiologist, they can compare and check for progress in the amount of PAC's. He told us he is very pleased with their progress and said their doing great.
We both got a lot of rest today and it made our day a lot more enjoyable. Thank you all so much for your prayers. It is wonderful to know the body of Christ is making their requests known before God on our behalf. It is overwhelming to think that 12 days ago I thought that I might lose my wife and both my children and now I might have them all home and healthy in a few weeks. We have a wonderful God!!
Another thing I haven't mentioned is how wonderful it has been for Emily to provide all the nourishment these boys need. As most couples are, we were nervous about her milk coming in or the thought of nursing twins. Not only has Emily's milk come in, the nursing staff in the NICU has asked us for the second time this week to stop bringing in so much because our area of the freezer is full. I can't explain it, but when you are unable to bring your children home, there is a special connection to know that Emily is providing for them in this way. We feel like it is the one thing we can do for them.
Three generations of Bates' men hanging out in the NICU 
Matthew is attempting to proselytize the other babies in the NICU with his Noah's ark jammies.
Another three generations of Bates (but only two originals)
2 comments:
That nipple story is too funny. So happy to hear how well the boys are doing and that all the liquid gold is flowing ;)
i was dying laughing at the nipple story, and especially the warning...but, the last sentence in the post actually made me laugh some water out of my nose.
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