The triplets (Jude, Piper, & Quinn) are getting close to four weeks old, and are getting more adorable by the day. So says their smitten grandma!
All three have been gaining weight nicely during their time in the NICU at the local hospital. At three weeks old, Jude was a little over 5 lbs. and Piper & Quinn each weighed around 6 lbs.
It's not their weight or how long they've already been in the NICU that determines the length of hospital stay for the babies, though. The goal to reach before they can come home is managing full oral feeds every 3 hours over a period of 48 consecutive hours. Drinking a bottle or nursing takes a lot of strength and perseverance when you're a preemie. It's so easy to peter out early or to even sleep through feeding time.
Piper was the first one to meet the requirements, and she was discharged from the hospital to come home on Wednesday of this past week. Yay! Quinn will probably be the next one home; he can manage at least 24 hours of great feeding schedule. And Jude will no doubt be close on Quinn's heels, as he follows the example of his brother and sister.
Big Brother Seth was very happy to welcome his baby sister home. Piper is the one he'd chosen to help out with the most, even before the triplets were born. But he did say that when he gets tired of taking care of her, Mommy & Daddy will take over for him. (Rolin says Seth probably figures it's wise not to overcommit...)
I got to hold Piper (our first granddaughter!) for the first time this week. I went to Rolin & Joy's place to be with Seth while Joy took Piper to the hospital for a weight check, and while Joy made last-minute preparations to leave, I snuggled the wee one in her cozy pink sleeper. It was an absolute delight!
Eva
Eleanor
The twins (Eleanor & Eva) are 2.5 weeks old, and they are the tiniest-but-sweetest humans I have ever seen. They are living in their NICU rooms next door to each other in a Pittsburgh hospital, where they will be for quite some time yet, given their early start in life outside the womb. Both girls have been gaining weight, and are climbing toward 3 lbs. This is good progress considering they had even dipped a bit below their birth weights of 2 lbs. 4 oz and 2 lbs. 13 oz.
Eleanor, the donor twin (in the Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome scenario) and the smallest at birth, had been progressing very well, with fewer challenges than Eva, the recipient twin. Until a few days ago, when breathing became harder for her than it had been. Testing revealed that a valve in Eleanor's heart has not closed as it should since birth, causing less blood to pass through her lungs than necessary for receiving sufficient oxygen.
It is not uncommon for this to happen in preemies, but it is something that the doctors are working on to resolve. Hopefully the treatment of giving Eleanor Tylenol will help to constrict the valve, and further measures will not be needed. (Please, Jesus!)
Eva has had some good days this week, after a pretty rough time with respiratory challenges. When she started having trouble breathing, she was put on an oscillator, a type of ventilator which gave little bursts of air to assist her breathing. Then she developed pneumothorax (I think I'm spelling that right), which basically means that air pockets formed around her lungs.
Eventually, Eva needed two chest tubes tubes inserted - one on each side of her chest - to help remove the air and allow her lungs to heal. Then she had further difficulty when she got an infection in her lungs. With so many tubes and wires connected to her, bacteria had prime opportunity to enter her body and grow. After being on antibiotics for several days, Eva's condition improved greatly. (Thank you, Jesus!)
Finally on Tuesday of this past week Eva was stable enough that Carlin and Kayleen were allowed to hold her for the first time. What a huge gift! In the last few days, Carlins have been able to snuggle both girls for long periods of time. This time of bonding and nurturing is so needful and precious. It warms my heart to hear of it.
We eagerly anticipate and gladly receive every bit of news regarding the twins and triplets. Our feelings tend to rise and fall, depending on the contents of the updates; many are the prayers that have ascended on behalf of our beloved little people and their parents. I suspect this kind of prayer life will be ongoing for us grandparents.
We're excited to go visit the triplets and hold them after all three are home. And now that we're back from our Thailand trip, we're planning another trip to Pittsburgh soon. I can hardly wait to see the twins and touch them again! How soon do you think NICU rules allow for grandparents actually holding their granddarlin's?
I dream of times I can spend with my grandies in the future, and I think about what all I might be privileged to teach them. Right now, though, I feel like they are the ones teaching me. About love and about prayer. What a privileged student I am!
