Babies are growing

As the saying goes, no news is good news. We went to visit last night and for the most part everything is going great. Nicholas is getting better every day. He is out of the woods as far as the the N.E.C. is concerned. They are still holding his food for another few days just to be on the safe side.

Eva's belly looked big last night, so they decided to hold her food again for a few days just to be safe. The on call doctor said that most likely, the tummy was big because she hadn't had a big poop all day, and they increased her oxygen levels, which could have caused more air in the tummy.

We will go see them again tommorrow night!

I can't wait.

a Good Report

Tonight was the first night Matt and I left the hospital in good spirits. Both of the babies were actually doing wonderful tonight. Nicholas' X-ray showed great improvement this morning. He had to get a blood transfusion, but it was explained that it is very normal for premature babies to need transfusions, and nothing serious.

Eva has not only made it back to her birthweight, but gone four ounces above. Nicholas is only 4 oz away from his birthweight.

Both babies were alert, moving, and happy!!

Keep praying, everyone!!

Getting better every day

Our report from the hospital was good this morning. Nicholas is still stable, and not actively getting any worse, which is a very good sign. Eva of course is just cruising on through. The nurse told us yesterday that she went to peek in on her and she had pulled her feeding tube out and was swinging it around as if to say "feed me please". She started back on breast milk today. She gets 2 ml's every four hours.

Nicholas isn't eating right now, but hopefully soon he will be able to eat again.

We have decided that trying to go to the hospital every day was getting to be to much on us financially and emotionally. The kids at home were getting shuffled so much from place to place and we decided they needed some sense of normalcy. Therefore, we have decided to go every other day. This way, we only need babysitters for Monday's and Wednesday's.

I know alot of people have been asking what they can do to help us. I'm always shy about asking for help, but it gets to the point that we start to realize that we can't do this alone. Some things that would really help out our family:

1. Prayers, first and foremost: The babies I don't think would be doing as well as they are without the prayers of our family and friends. They are truly miracles of God.

2. Recipes for quick and easy dinners would be great. It is so hard to try to plan meals, feed Matt and I, and the kids, and get to the hospital. If you have any easy recipes that are quick and easy to throw together, please send them my way.

3. Babysitting Volunteers for Monday's and Wednesday's. I always hate calling and asking people to babysit, because I hate to feel like I am burdening people. However, any family members who want to volunteer, it would really make me feel better, and not like I am constantly bugging people.

4. Prepaid gas cards: We are struggling financially, especially with me being out of work for a month and a half. The gas going back and forth to the hospital is killing us right now.

5. Pictures of family to hang on the babies incubators. The nurses told me that alot of the babies grow bigger and stronger faster by having pictures of their families taped to their incubators. Also, pictures colored and drawn by cousins can be taped as well. Noelle has drawn a few and they are taped up, but if any cousins want to draw them pictures, I would be glad to take them up to the hospital.

6. Visitors: The babies, although to small to be held, thrive from hearing the voices of diffrent family members and friends. Anytime anyone wants to visit, just let Matt and I know. We would be glad to take you up to visit them. Unfortunetly, no children under 16 are allowed in right now.

Again, thank you guys so much for the continued support and prayers. We hope someday we can repay the kindness you all have shown us.

update on Nicholas

We just got back from the hospital not to long ago. We got the information on Nicholas. Although he is by no means out of the woods yet, his condition is not worsening, which is a very good sign. He looks great, is pink, and active. The surgeon came in and had a look at him. He said that at this moment he does not meet any of the criteria that would require surgery. His belly is getting softer, and smaller. Those are good signs. Also, in his X-rays, he is not showing any signs of further stretching, but rather staying stable. The next two days are going to be a tell tale sign of whether or not he will be completely out of the woods. However, from the look of it, it seems that the antibiotics are doing their job, and the surgeon said he has only a mild case of a condition that could be alot worse. Let's all thank God for that.

prayers answered yet again!!

A big huge Thank You to all who have been praying for Nicholas. We got a call at 3:30 in the morning letting us know that the threat of surgery was gone. His X-ray at midnight showed much improvement which means that the antibiotics are healing the infection enough that he is going to be ok.


They did however have to put him back on the respirator for a few days. The enlarged tummy is pushing up on his lungs causing him to have trouble breathing on his own.

However, once again, God has blessed us and lifted us from a major problem to a little one.

Thank you Jesus.

Nicholas

Nicholas is in need of everyone's prayers. This morning they took an X-ray of his stomach and noticed a little spot of concern. They decided to watch it closely and do another x-ray at noon. After that x-ray, the doctor called and informed me that there was a place of concern in his intestines and that they decided to keep him off foods and start antibiotics for seven days. When we got to the hospital tonight around 7, they did another x-ray, and the doctor on call came to talk to us.

he has a condition called NEC. Basically what happened is that his intestines were not mature enough yet to handle the milk and started to grow an infection. There is a spot on his bowel that has started to stretch very thin and has a high likelyhood of tearing. Should this happen, he will have to be rushed into emergency surgery.

We are hoping and praying that the antibiotics will get in him and stop the infection before this happens, but the doctor said that in his experience, it is very a high likelyhood that he will have to have the surgery. Please pray for little Nicholas. Please pray that he will be OK and that his little body will not have to go through surgery.

Thanks,
Mommy

Almost two weeks old

Everyone should be happy to know that Eva's tummy is much better now. She will be starting on breastmilk again sometime today. The doctor's don't really have an explination as to why it healed itself, but I think all of the prayers may have somthing to do with it.

Both babies are almost back to their birthweight. When this whole experience started, I was scared, and nervous, and a bucket of emotions. But, as each day goes by, and my sweet babies grow bigger and stronger, I know now that they will be coming home very soon.

Another day, another report

The babies looked really good last night. Nicholas was wide awake and very alert. I got to hold him for about 15 minutes, but he got to comfortable and started forgetting to breathe which was dropping his heart rate. This of course meant he had to go back to his incubator.

Daddy got tho hold Eva and sh was very alert. She was staring up at him and even gave a few smiles. She didn't have any breathing issues and was doing wonderful. Her tummy is still enlarged, so they are holding her feedings again today. She did hHave a rather large bowel movement last night which helped. We are just really hoping right now that the problem fixes itself and she doesn't have to have surgery.

Nicholas is now taking two ounces of breastmilk every 3 hours which is wonderful. In a few weeks they should start working with him on taking a bottle, and then he can move to breastfeeding.
He had to go ba ck under the blue lights today because his biliruben levels were up again, but hopefully he won't be under for long.

We did get a couple of really good pictures last night and I'll try to post some later.

Eva

I got a call from the doctor today. She said that she was a little concerned about Eva. She hasn't been digesting her food very well. She also hasn't been having bowl movements as regularly as she should be. They did an x-ray and saw what could possibly be a small bowel obstruction. They have decided to hold her feedings for the next 48 hours and start her on antibiotics. They will do a follow up x-ray just to make sure everything is ok.

The doctor says that she is skeptical if it is a true bowel obstruction because Eva is very pink and happy. She is very alert and does not look or act sick.

Please pray that she will be just fine and can return to eating her yummy mommy milk very soon.

Pictures

The first picture is Eva wearing a dress that the nurses made. The second one is of me holding Nicholas for the first time. It was hard to get pictures of Nicholas because he had more tubes, but they have been removed now, so we should get some good pictures tommorrow.

Day 10 of NICU

Eva and Nicholas are doing great. Nicholas was taken off of his IV fluids and surviving purly from mommy's milk. Eva will start weaning off her IV fluids today. Matthew and I have been to visit them every day, but we decided to take a break today. The other children need some time with mommy and daddy so we are going to spend the evening with them.

Eva has a little dress that the nurses in the NICU put on her. She looks quite adorable.

Nicholas hates getting his diaper changed and tries to cry, but it comes out sounding more like a kitty cat meow.

Eva is quite the rebel. She likes to scoot herself down until her blanket is over her head. The nurses think she may try to escape soon. Yesterday, she felt she wasn't getting enough attention so she pulled her iv out of her hand. She is quite the trouble maker for only being 3 pounds.

Matthew and I are so grateful for the family's support during this difficult time. The babysitting offers, and prayers are certainly helping.

Welcome

Nicholas and Eva Foster came into this world on July 11, 2009, two months too early. They weighed in at a whopping 3 pounds each.

I started this blog as a way for family to follow our journey through the NICU.

Please feel free to check in often to see how the little guys are doing.