5 Weeks Old Today

It's hard to believe that Colin and Brandon are 5 weeks old today. To my surprise the past 5 weeks seem to have flown by. I think it helps that I have a set schedule for my NICU visits.

As of last night Brandon weighs 4 lb 3.2 oz and Colin weighs 4 lb 3.3 oz. They have been in a weight gaining race from the start! And they put the boys in open cribs today around lunch time. I just checked their temperatures at 3pm and 4pm and they were both 97.8 degrees, which is pretty good. Since we take their temperature under their arms their true core temperature is usually a degree higher than the under arm reading, so its within range. Hopefully they will maintain good temperatures and not have to go back in their isolettes! I am going to bring in some sleepers tomorrow (the kind with legs) to help keep them warm, which their nurse suggested.

Dr. Sinha (our favorite doctor) came by to explain yesterday's iron blood tests, known as a "retic test" because it measures their reticulocyte counts. Reticulocytes are red blood cells that carry oxygen and are made by the bone marrow and released into the blood. A normal count (I assume for an adult) is 1 to 2, and the boys' counts were 8.9 and 6.8, which was very good because it shows that they are generating lots of blood cells which will carry plenty of oxygen, something little babies' bodies are much more efficient at than adults. So for this reason he is not going to order blood transfusions. He said some doctors live and die by the numbers and that given that their iron levels are low (counts of 22 and 23) that they would still order a transfusion, but Dr. Sinha says he is a minimalist and that studies have shown that if 1000 babies with low iron but high retic counts are given a transfusion and 1000 other babies with low iron and a high retic counts are not given a transfusion, that the percentages of anemia in both groups are still the same, but the only difference is that the babies who got the transfusion were introduced to possible complications from the transfusion. Anyway, what he said made sense to me even if I can't really explain it well :) He also said that even though he isn't ordering a transfusion now that there is still the possibility that 2 months down the road they could be severely anemic and need a transfusion then (hopefully that won't be the case though!). But I did ask him if the boys needed a transfusion down the road if Bill or myself could donate the blood used and he said absolutely, that its called "donor directed transfusions." So at least we have that option if its ever needed.

I think I'll go downstairs to Java The Hut and grab a small cup of coffee now before their next care time :)