Derek Holding Katelyn. He is very gentle and he loves to hold her.
Another shot of Derek and Katelyn.
Brandon in a hat.
Mom and Dad holding Brandon.Today Brandon and Katleyn are two months old. It’s weird to have two kids that are both two months old but yet we've spent so little time with them, compared to most parents with two month old babies. In some ways it feels like we have been traveling back and forth from hospitals for a year now but it still is strange to have babies this age that havn’t been home yet. I’m still not used to the idea that I now have four kids.
Katelyn’s big step this week is that the doctors added a fourth feeding. This fourth feeding was her first bottle feeding. The doctors also wanted to space these feeding out so that she alternates being feed through a tube and eating on her own. (They can regulate the amount of milk she is getting every feeding much better through the tube than they can we she nurses.) What this means is that we have much less flexibility in the times we need to be at the hospital. Amy needs to be at there to feed Katelyn three times a day but they have to be spaced out properly. This means that she is there at 7:00 am,1:00 pm, 7:00 pm and then the bottle feeding happens again at 1:00 am. She then needs to fit a trip up to Salt Lake to feed Brandon once a day. This can easily be over a three hour trip.
The exciting thing for me is that I got to give Katelyn her first bottle. That sounds easy but I wasn’t as good at it as I expected. The nurse didn’t seem to agree with me but I think all the problems were with the bottle and not me. After all, I couldn’t be that bad, could I. The milk seemed to flow out of the nipple pretty fast. I sprayed milk all over her face just by lifting the bottle to her mouth. I then needed to tilt the bottle down when she wasn’t sucking and tilt it up when she began to suck. It came out so fast that she dribbled a lot of it down her chin. The nurse kept telling me it was typical of a baby’s first bottle. They still need to learn how to drink out of a bottle even if they have been nursing for a while. However, I still felt responsible for the messy job. I’m sure my feeling of responsibility was also enhanced because the nurse kept correcting me when I wouldn’t tilt the bottle at the right times. In the end she ate well and she was very happy and content.
Katelyn has been very fussy after feedings. Well, fussy is an understatement. She screams. The doctors have reduced and then discontinued her vitamins. They have also given her a couple of different medication to help with gas. Amy has been put on a strict diet. So far something has seemed to help but she certainly isn’t content all of the time yet. However, her she has improved so it doesn’t seem to get in the way of a good feeding like it has in the past.
In addition to getting to the point where Katleyn is eating well we need to do several things before she can come home. Amy will need to spend a couple of 12 hour periods at the hospital making sure that she can feed Katelyn “on demand” and that everything goes well. In addition, just before she goes home we will need to spend a 12 hour (or 24 – I can’t remember) “rooming in” at the hospital to make sure that we know how to use all of the monitors and equipment and we can take care of her without any help.
Brandon took a big step this week. They moved him to a crib. There was a little bit of debate because some of the nurses felt he was still a little small to be in a crib. However the doctor was insistent. They started by turning off the warming of the isolette and watched is temperature. They also watched his growth. He did really well and he constantly grew over a period of a couple of days. Because he was doing so well they moved him to a crib. He seems to be doing really well and he looks good. One of the interesting things is that Katelyn is still in her isolette. It is turned off and she is maintaining her body temperature but she isn’t in a crib yet. They won’t move her until she gets a little bigger but she is still a lot bigger than Brandon.
Brandon is also beginning to nurse but he is still just practicing. He doesn’t get enough milk to be considered a feeding but he is showing good sings of learning to suck. We have got to hold him a lot more since he has been taken off the ventilator. He loves to be held and we can’t wait to get a chance to spoil him.
His eyes stayed the same this week. The doctors are quick to tell us that this isn’t a guarantee that they won’t get worse later but for now this is really good news.
Katelyn’s big step this week is that the doctors added a fourth feeding. This fourth feeding was her first bottle feeding. The doctors also wanted to space these feeding out so that she alternates being feed through a tube and eating on her own. (They can regulate the amount of milk she is getting every feeding much better through the tube than they can we she nurses.) What this means is that we have much less flexibility in the times we need to be at the hospital. Amy needs to be at there to feed Katelyn three times a day but they have to be spaced out properly. This means that she is there at 7:00 am,1:00 pm, 7:00 pm and then the bottle feeding happens again at 1:00 am. She then needs to fit a trip up to Salt Lake to feed Brandon once a day. This can easily be over a three hour trip.
The exciting thing for me is that I got to give Katelyn her first bottle. That sounds easy but I wasn’t as good at it as I expected. The nurse didn’t seem to agree with me but I think all the problems were with the bottle and not me. After all, I couldn’t be that bad, could I. The milk seemed to flow out of the nipple pretty fast. I sprayed milk all over her face just by lifting the bottle to her mouth. I then needed to tilt the bottle down when she wasn’t sucking and tilt it up when she began to suck. It came out so fast that she dribbled a lot of it down her chin. The nurse kept telling me it was typical of a baby’s first bottle. They still need to learn how to drink out of a bottle even if they have been nursing for a while. However, I still felt responsible for the messy job. I’m sure my feeling of responsibility was also enhanced because the nurse kept correcting me when I wouldn’t tilt the bottle at the right times. In the end she ate well and she was very happy and content.
Katelyn has been very fussy after feedings. Well, fussy is an understatement. She screams. The doctors have reduced and then discontinued her vitamins. They have also given her a couple of different medication to help with gas. Amy has been put on a strict diet. So far something has seemed to help but she certainly isn’t content all of the time yet. However, her she has improved so it doesn’t seem to get in the way of a good feeding like it has in the past.
In addition to getting to the point where Katleyn is eating well we need to do several things before she can come home. Amy will need to spend a couple of 12 hour periods at the hospital making sure that she can feed Katelyn “on demand” and that everything goes well. In addition, just before she goes home we will need to spend a 12 hour (or 24 – I can’t remember) “rooming in” at the hospital to make sure that we know how to use all of the monitors and equipment and we can take care of her without any help.
Brandon took a big step this week. They moved him to a crib. There was a little bit of debate because some of the nurses felt he was still a little small to be in a crib. However the doctor was insistent. They started by turning off the warming of the isolette and watched is temperature. They also watched his growth. He did really well and he constantly grew over a period of a couple of days. Because he was doing so well they moved him to a crib. He seems to be doing really well and he looks good. One of the interesting things is that Katelyn is still in her isolette. It is turned off and she is maintaining her body temperature but she isn’t in a crib yet. They won’t move her until she gets a little bigger but she is still a lot bigger than Brandon.
Brandon is also beginning to nurse but he is still just practicing. He doesn’t get enough milk to be considered a feeding but he is showing good sings of learning to suck. We have got to hold him a lot more since he has been taken off the ventilator. He loves to be held and we can’t wait to get a chance to spoil him.
His eyes stayed the same this week. The doctors are quick to tell us that this isn’t a guarantee that they won’t get worse later but for now this is really good news.
3 comments:
They are growing! Thanks for doing this to keep us all updated Brent! We miss you guys!!
We'll come visit Utah sometime again soon hopefully and give you guys a call!
Katie Matteson
Katie - It is so great to hear from you. We miss you guys too. Blake and Derek still talk about Dominic all the time. I hope to see you soon!
Amy
Amy - I just learned of your blog and am so glad to be able to read of the babies' progress. They are so sweet and precious! You and Brent look amazing considering this test you've been given. My thoughts and prayers are you all of you often. Take care,
Tracy Freeland
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