Saturday, May 30th Visit

Today Brandon and Colin are 3 days old and we went to visit them around 3pm, but we were asked to wait in the Ronald McDonald Family Room while they finished inserting PICC lines into the boys. We were told yesterday they were going to do that sometime today because their veins are very fragile and there are only so many places they can stick them for regular IVs (and little Colin had a problem with the IV in his right ankle which was all swollen up on Friday). The PICC line is a small catheter that they thread through a vein in an arm or leg all the way up to near their heart (using Xray) and it is more permanent that a regular IV (it can be used for weeks, without having to stick them every time). It is a very delicate procedure and they must be extremely careful so as to not introduce an infection, which is why they asked us to wait outside. After an hour of waiting though I became extremely nervous and got a bit teary. Then Bill called back to their pod for an update and he was told that Colin's was in, that they were just finishing Brandon's and that everything was fine. At that point we decided to run to the nearby mall and grab a bite to eat, to try and take our minds off of things.

When we returned all was well and nurse Diana told us that the PICC line insertions went very smooth for both boys. Phew! She said they were also both given a dose of caffeine earlier for a little stimulation. Being so premature it is not uncommon for them to experience "spells", which is a spell of Bradychardia where basically they stop breathing for a few seconds. Usually they just gently tap the bottom of their foot or their arm and they snap out of it. However, while we were there Brandon had a spell (which they are alerted to by an alarm) that lasted close to 30 seconds and Diana actually had to pick him up and jostle him around a bit and he finally started breathing again...to say that was an unnerving sight is an understatement! She said that if he wouldn't have responded they would have put oxygen on him, that they have other methods to get them to respond, but they always like to start with physical stimulation which usually works. I know the nurses say these spells are very common in premies but it is something I will never be used to! Can't wait for them to get big and strong enough to not have to worry about those spells anymore. Brandon and Colin are both still receiving phototherapy as well. They were originally started on that to help break up the meconium still in their bellies, but Brandon has also developed a bit of jaundice so it is treating that too. Lastly, both boys were laid on their bellies for a bit tonight too, which they seemed to enjoy. If you haven't noticed these two little guys seem to do everything together. Two NICU nurses commented that so far practically every treatment they have done for one they have also done for the other (even placing their PICC lines in the same locations), when in reality most twins rarely behave the same way and get different treatments. Even their heartbeat rates are very similar, which is why when I was on hospital bedrest the nurses had a devil of a time trying to decide if they had two different babies/heart beats on the fetal monitor or just one. So even though they are fraternal twins they are doing their best to behave like identical twins :)

Since Brandon had some spells earlier and we didn't want to do anything to agitate him, we decided that my "Kangaroo care" time would be spent with Colin this evening. Kangaroo Care is where they lay your baby on your chest for some skin-to-skin time to encourage bonding. Little Colin seemed so awkard as we tried to delicately position him on my chest while trying to keep him detangled from his tubes and wires, but once we got him situated he seemed quite content and was like a little angel on my chest for those 25 minutes. I'm looking forward to some Kangaroo cuddle time with Brandon tomorrow.

There was one other good thing that happened while at NICU this evening, but for anybody that turns to stone at the talk of breastfeeding please stop reading the blog now :-p I have been pumping religiously for the past 2 days with little success, save for a few drops here and there of "liquid gold" (aka colostrum, the most nutrient rich milk). But while there I borrowed the NICU's pump, pulled the curtain around Brandon and Colin's station and gave it another try. And all I can say is EUREKA!! :D I was elated because that stuff is sooooo beneficial for babies, premies especially. Hopefully the success will continue and you will all hear me mooing from Blacksburg :) Also, I promise we're going to upload pictures soon, but honestly its been hard to find enough time in the day lately (especially after lengthy posts like this one). On that note, good night all!