IV free!

I went to visit Willa on Saturday and noticed something was missing.  It took me a second to figure it out, but then it hit me.  Her IV was gone!  Yay!  This means she is getting all her nutrition and medication orally.  No more poking!  The nurse came over to give me an update on how she was doing and told me her weight - 1 lb 12 oz.  I couldn't believe it!  I made her repeat it and double check to be sure that was correct.  It was; Willa gained 3 oz in a day.  Wow!  We are very anxious for the day she hits 2 lbs!  Her feeds are up to 15 mL every 3 hours. They are also fortifying the milk to give her some extra calories to help her put on the weight.  They also upped her time on nasal cannula from 3 hours to 6 hours.  So she is on a 6 hour rotation between the cannula and CPAP.  She is now 13 1/4 inches long.
As I mentioned in my previous post, she has found her hands.  While it is cute to see her starting to use them more, it is a pain for the nurses.  She has now pulled out her OG tube (the tube going down her mouth to her tummy to feed her) twice now!  This has caused her to start vomiting and gets her pretty worked up and she starts having bradys like crazy.  Willa's hands have been "taken away" from her from the time being.  They don't make baby mittens small enough for her hands so they found the smallest ones they could find and have tied them on with ribbon.  Hopefully this prevents any more tube pulling.
Grandpa Jimmy and Grandma Net brought Great Grandma Marshall to meet Willa for the first time on Sunday.  It was so good to see them all again.  Willa and Dad got to take a 3 hour nap later that day.  Willa was also very busy getting Halloween cards made out to her other NICU neighbors, but she got it done just in time :)

Changing and Growing!

Each time we go see Willa I swear she gets bigger and looks different.  I went to see her yesterday which was day 24 of her NICU stay and she was just getting ready to be switch to nasal cannula from her CPAP.  I was able to change her diaper which is getting a little easier to do, but is still a struggle with all the wires and tubes to manuever around.  The nurses sent me home with one of her diapers (unused of course) to keep for her baby book.  I thought I'd compare it to a size one diaper which is for babies 8-14 lbs.  Quite a big difference here.  The little diaper is still very big on her.

As of Thursday night, Willa is up to 1 lb 9 oz.  On Thursday morning they started doing sprinting again with Willa's oxygen devices.  She is doing 3 hours on nasal cannula and then 6 on CPAP.  She is doing very well with that.  We like it when she is on the nasal cannula because you can see her face so much better!  Her feeds are now at 13 ml's every 3 hours.  I was able to hold her for an hour and a half.  She is definitely getting stronger - she picked her head up off my chest and turned her head the opposite direction.  The nurse gave her a paci to see if she would take and she started sucking!  That is great!  She has also found her hands.  She will put them in her mouth which the nurse says is a baby's way of trying to calm herself.  She is also tugging at her nasal cannula and feeding tube.  Here is her latest picture right after they switched her over to nasal cannula.

William's lab results

After William was born we gave the doctor permission to take some cells from him and sent to the lab to see if they could detemine if there was a medical condition that caused his passing.  The results came back that there was no genetic or medical reason behind his passing.  They tested all his chromosomes.  They were unable to get results on chromosomes 13, 15, 16, 21 (down syndrome), and 22.  So if there was something wrong with those chromosomes, we will never know.  We got the testing done more to know if there was something that was genetic and could arise in future pregnancies than to know what went wrong with William.  So I guess the news that there was nothing medically wrong is good news.  It was just all in God's plan.

Starting to make some progress

After having to stop Willa's feedings because of her bloody stool, she was able to start back up again when her x-ray and lab came back as normal.  She had to start all over so it was back to only 2 ml every 3 hours and working her way back up again.  And even though she stopped her feedings she grew!  She was up to 1 lb 8 oz  and 12 3/4 inches long on Saturday the 22nd.  Willa's blood cultures that were drawn on the 19th never grew anything so that means the staph infection is gone.  The last dose of antibiotics is today.  She is back down to 1 lb 7 oz which is crazy because she is now up to 9 ml of milk every 3 hours and she got 14 ml of blood over the last two days.  One of these days she is going to go through a growth spurt!  She is still on CPAP at anywhere from 23-30% oxygen.  I'm hoping once she gains a little more weight she will be strong enough to try the nasal cannula again.
Mitch and I went and saw her yesterday for about 4 hours.  I was able to hold her for over 2 hours.  Nothing beats that!  Willa got her first story book from one of my high school classmates so we took that to her and Mitch started reading it to her while I held her.  Mitch said she kept smiling at him.  Not sure that she is capable of smiling at this point but that is ok :)  Willa also got a picture that cousins Kiley and Layla colored for her so we hung that up on her wall.  
Everyday we get more and more cards in the mail.  Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, gifts, and prayers!  We are so blessed!

Eh...it was a so, so week

Willa's infection is a staph infection in her blood.  It sounds scary but the doctors assure me that the antibiotics they have her on will treat it.  It's just a waiting game to see if the blood cultures grow each time they take them.  As of tonight the cultures they drew on the 19th have not grown anything yet.  Yay!  This bug may be gone finally.  If that is the case we can get a PICC line in soon so the IV's can stop.  I think Willa has had at least 5 different IV's since the infection was first discovered.  Poor girl :(
Her feedings were going well and she was up to 7 mL.  That is until Thursday.  We got a call at the house Thursday night from the doctor.  They only call when something is wrong.  So of course Mom panicked.  The doctor assured me everything was fine with her.  She had a bit of blood in her stool that day so they were concerned.  They decided to stop her feedings for a day.  She had x-rays taken of her abdomen and blood drawn for tests Thursday night and Friday morning.  There were no signs of any wrong from the x-rays and the blood tests and she has good bowel sounds and a nice soft tummy. 
Willa has been off the nasal cannula since she threw a fit on her two week birthday on the 18th.  They decided to try her back on the nasal cannula today (the 21st) for 3 hours and then back to the CPAP for 6 hours (they call this sprinting).  She did very well for the first few minutes then she kept having A's & B's.  I'm so glad the nurse was close.  Willa got very pale and and was really struggling to take a breath.  The nurse kept the oxygen mask next to her until the respitory therapist could come and switch her back to the CPAP.  It was definitely a scary moment.
Now some good news; Willa gained an ounce this week.  She is now up to 1 lb 7 oz.  Hopefully everything is ok with her tummy so she can get back to feeds again and gain some weight.  And in case you missed it, I got the best picture of miss Willa before she threw her fit today.  I love my girl!

A little inspiration...

I came across this today...

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation.

As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.

"Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew.

Marjorie Forrest, daughter.Patron Saint, Celia.

Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God.

"Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."

"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.

I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother.

You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own.

She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."

"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive.

Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.

She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.

She will never take for granted a spoken word.

She will never consider a step ordinary.

When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.

I will permit her to see clearly the things I see ignorance, cruelty, prejudice and allow her to rise above them.

She will never be alone.

I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

Willa's first 2 weeks

Time is going fast which is good!  Willa is two weeks old today and is doing well.  I'll go ahead and summarize her first two weeks to get everyone up to date.  I hope to do better at posting regular updates at least a couple times a week.

Day 1 - Happy Birthday!  Willa was taken to the NICU and put on the ventilator.  Mitch and I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with her that day.
Day 2 - Still on the ventilator and started light therapy for jaundice.
Day 3 - The cardiologist did an echocardiogram of Willa's heart and that showed her PDA valve was still open.  Started on medication to get that valve to close.  This medication does not allow Willa to have any breastmilk feedings until the last dose is given.  So she will be given lipids and TPN (basically an energy drink or gatorade) to keep her body functioning and getting the necessary nutrients.  She was able to come off the ventilator and she was ready!  She helped the nurses pull the tube out!  She is now on CPAP.
Day 4 - Willa had a scan of her brain and that came back negative for any bleeding.  She has had a few episodes of apnea (where she forgets to breathe) and bradycardia (where her heart rate drops very low).  The nurses had to get in her isolette and rub her back to stimulate her to remember to breathe!
Day 5 - First poopy diaper! Yay!  We got word that the medication that was given to her to close the PDA valve worked.  She was able to start out on some breast milk feedings starting with just 1 ml every 3 hours.  Her current weight is 1 lb 5 oz. Not bad for going 5 days without food!
Day 6 - Willa had a blood transfusion today to help replace the blood that is drawn.  She just can't replace it fast enough.  Her oxygen levels on the CPAP were in the 20's.  Room air that you and I breathe is 21% so she is doing very well.  The doctors decided to give her a try on nasal cannula and rotate back to CPAP every 6 hours.  So far she is tolerating that very well.  Still having a few apnea and brady episodes, but that is pretty normal at this point still.
Day 7 - We were able to hold Willa for the first time!  We did kangaroo care - Willa lays on Mitch and I's bare chest so we can provide her with adequate body heat and so she can hear our hearts beating; all very soothing to a preemie.  She liked the kangaroo care so well, the nurse had to turn her oxygen all the way down to room air.  She is now up to 2 ml's every 3 hours for her feedings.  There was some concern about the circulation in her legs because her big toe on her right foot turned purple.  They ordered an ultrasound of Willa's legs to be sure there was no blockage.
Day 8 - The cardiologist came to get a better look at Willa's legs.  She is just too tiny to see much on the scans they do.  They don't see anything wrong with the circulation in her legs so they are just going to watch them.  Her big toe is now back to pink.  The cardiologist double checked her PDA valve after he checked her legs and the darn PDA valve opened back up.  They started her on the medication again.  So its off the breastmilk feedings again until that medication is done.
Day 9 - It was a pretty uneventful day and that is not a bad thing. :)  I got to hold Willa for about an hour.
Day 10 - Today was a busy day for Willa.  It started out with some nice quiet kangaroo care in the morning with Mom.  She had a couple episodes of brady while I was holding her, but just a little rub on her back and she was back up again.  Then the nurse said she needed another blood transfusion.  Her lab also showed she had an infection, but she is not acting sick.  They are starting her on antibiotics to take care of any infection that is attacking.  The IV site in her umbilical cord was removed since that can be a source of infection.  They tried multiple times to get an IV in elsewhere and didn't have much luck.  Poor thing was poked so many times that day :(
Day 11 - They checked her PDA valve and it is almost closed.  So they think it will close on its own.  They finally got an IV in her right arm.  Mom got to help change Willa's diaper today.  Still need to work on that :)
Day 12 - They thought Willa was ready to be on nasal cannula for 12 hours and CPAP for 6 hours so they are going to give that a try.  She was able to start back on feedings today - 1 ml every 3 hours. 
Day 13 - Willa is now up to 2 ml's every 3 hours and is tolerating that very well.  She got pretty tired being on the nasal cannula for 12 hours so they are switching her back to the 6 hour rotation between nasal cannula and CPAP.  They drew some more blood to run cultures to check on the infection.  Dad was able to kangaroo with Willa for about an hour.  The IV in her right arm started leaking so it was moved to her right leg.
Day 14 - Up to 3 ml's every 3 hours now.  Her IV had to be moved AGAIN!  It started leaking, so it is now in her left arm.  They won't put an IV in her left leg since that leg had a weak pulse to begin with.  She is still having a few brady episodes every now and then.  Most of the time she is able to pull herself back out of it on her own though.
Day 15 - Willa is being a little lazy today.  She did not want to be on the nasal cannula.  She kept having brady episodes where the nurse would have to get in the isolette and stimulate her.  They switched her back to CPAP and she quit the brady fits.  Little stinker!  The blood cultures came back positive for infection so they are going to continue with the antibiotics.  She is still weighing in at 1 lb 6 oz.  She did gain 10 grams over night so maybe soon we can reach the 2 lb mark!

Service for William

Today was the service for William.  We decided to have a private graveside service for family.  Ironically, it is also National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.  I was definitely not looking forward to this day.  We weren't able to go see Willa because we had to bury her brother.  Although it still is hard to get over the loss of William, it was good to finally have some closure that he is now in heaven and watching over his sister.

Little Angels

When God calls little children

To dwell with Him above,

Our mortals sometimes question

The wisdom of His love.

For no heartache compares with

The death of one small child

Who does so much to make our world

Seem wonderful and mild.

Perhaps God attires of calling

The aged to His fold,

So He picks a rosebud

Before it can grow old.

God knows how much we need them,

And so He takes but a few

To make the land of Heaven

More beautiful to view.

Believing this is difficult

Still somehow we must try,

The saddest word mankind knows

Will always be "Goodbye".

So when a little child departs

We who are left behind

Must realize God loves children,

Angels are hard to find.



Willa's Delivery

I had been having contractions since I left the hospital Saturday.  They were not painful and there was no change in how I was progressing so I was sent home.  By Monday evening, they had started to hurt a bit nothing that was unbearable and I was able to sleep most of the night.  Waking up only a few time.  Tuesday morning I called my maternal fetal medicine specialist to tell him my contractions had started hurting morning and he said unless they were getting stronger or closer or my water broke, I didn't need to come to the hospital yet.  He said just listen to your body and if you feel like you need to come in, then do! 
I had an appointment with my OB that afternoon at 2:20 so I just figured I would wait until then and let my OB assess how I was doing.  We got in to our appointment and my OB checked me and said she was sending me to the hospital.  My OB's office is at the Via Christi St. Teresa and I needed to deliver the babies at Via Christi St. Joseph.  I was sent up to labor and delivery at St. Teresa to be stabilized - I didn't realize I wasn't stable.  I was then given the magnesium sulfate once again to calm contractions that had started picking up after being checked.  I was transported via ambulance from St. Teresa to St. Joseph.
Once at St. Joseph, I was taken up to labor and delivery where one of my OB's partners came in to assess me.  She checked me again and ordered a sonogram to see how baby B was positioned.  My water broke moments later.  My maternal fetal medicine specialist came in a few minutes after that and performed the sonogram.  Baby B was breech which meant c-section.  Before I knew it, Mitch was putting on scrubs and I was being wheeled back in to the OR.  Things moved very quickly.  For those who think it hurts like hell when they put the needle in - it doesn't!  Getting and IV is much worse in my opinion!
Willa was born at 5:13 pm and she was taken immediately to another room to get her hooked up to a ventilator and assessed.  Mitch was able to leave and go see her briefly.  She even let out a few little squeals for him.  She weighed 1 lb 6.4 oz and was 12 inches long.
My contractions had pushed baby A too far down to deliver through the c-section so the baby was deliver vaginally after my c-section was completed.  Baby A was 5.7 oz and was 8 inches long.  Baby A was a boy.  This was a total shock to us, as we were expecting a girl.  So it was very emotional for both of us because all along we thought it would be so cool to have a boy and a girl for our twins.
I was taken to a recovery room and we were able to hold our baby boy.  We named him William Robert.  The nurses took some pictures of his hands and feet.  The chaplain came in and baptized him.  I am so glad we took the opportunity to see him and say goodbye.
I was in the recovery room for a good 2 hours before I was wheeled over to NICU to see Willa for the first time.  She was so small and had tubes and wires all over her.  She does have very big feet and long fingers and a cute little nose :) I just couldn't believe that was my baby!
Once I was in my room my family came in - my mom, dad, 3 sisters, Mitch's mom, and Grandma Dolly.  Each took their turn going in to see Willa with Mitch. 
We did not expect to have a baby that day, but I'm so glad for her to be here and know she had wonderful nurses and doctors watching over and caring for her everyday.

Well bedrest has begun and hasn't been too rough yet.  We left the hospital around 3:15 on Saturday afternoon.  Before we left, I was having contractions 2-3 minutes apart.  They didn't hurt, but it freaked everyone out.  Mitch and Katrina had just got to the hospital and saw the monitor.  A couple minutes later I had the nurse and doctor in to check on me, but since they weren't painful they weren't overly concerned.  I did think that this would hurt my chances for being dismissed. The contractions slowed down thank goodness.  I had several exams before I left the hospital.  There were no changes from when I was admitted.  Which was good.  I did have a fFn (fetal fibronectin) test done.  This test determines if a protein exists that helps determine if delivery is close.  My test came back positive.  Had the test been negative, that would mean I have a 95% chance that delivery will not occur within 2 weeks.  Since my test came back positive, it doesn't necessarily mean I have a 95% chance that delivery will occur within 2 weeks.  It means more that there is a higher likelihood that it can occur.  I go to my regular OB doctor tomorrow (10/4) and then back to my maternal fetal medicine specialist on (10/5). 
We have been so blessed to have our friends volunteer to bring meals and help out with whatever we need.  Thank you's go out to all who have been praying.  Keep sending them up!