Home At Last




Antheny & Ashley Are Excited To Finally Have Them Home



WE ARE GOING HOME!!

The nurse finally came in and she is letting us go home!!  WE are sooo excited!!  Now I just have to figure out how I am going to carry 2 car seats, 2 monitors, and 2 oxygen tanks!....  I really didn't think of all that until now!! hahaha...

24 Hour On Demand - Results

Last night we attempted the last step of the NICU "Protocalls".  Since the babies were on monitors they actually put us in a room with the babies as if we were at home so that we can learn how all of the monitors worked and so that we could experience it.  Kyle and I loved it because we "ALMOST" felt like we were at home.  We felt like we actually had babies...  We didn't really have to work to hard on getting them to eat more so that they would gain weight because they ate WAY more than they were supposed to.  We weighed them at 2 AM.  Valera had only gained 5 grams and Kilee gained alot.  I was very surprized that Valera didn't gain more than she did so I am a little worried that they won't let us go home until she shows more weight gain.  We will have to wait for the Pediatrician nurses to do their rounds this morning...

We will be waiting inpatiently!!!

24 Hour Request Results

So, I felt like things were going really well.  Valera has been eating her whole feedings and then some.  She is eating from a bottle so we are able to see how much she is getting.  Kilee is nursing and its hard to see how much she is getting beacuase we dont weigh them every time any more.  They just weigh them after the test to see if they gain or loose weight but she has been nursing for the same amount of time that she did when we were weighing them every feeding.  Anyway, with that being said.  I went to do a feeding this morning and the nurse said that they had lost weight.  Kilee lost 70 grams and Valera lost some where around 50 grams. 

One of the reasons they lost weight is because they arent getting the extra calories every 3 hours.  Especially Kilee.  They can loose weight when they have to use more energy but I am really confused with all of it especially with Valera.  She was eating more than she was supposed to. I can see how Kilee will loose weight because she is just getting my milk.  No other extra calories like she was before.  I was discussing these things with the nurse and her and I went to talk to the pediatrician to see what she thought about all of it.  She said that she would let us still move to the next step but we will need to watch their weight close and that she cant promise that we will go home tomorrow.

I am pretty sad about the whole deal.  It seems like you takse 1 Step forward and 3 steps back sometimes.  Just pray that they gain some weight today. 

The next step we will be putting us in a room with the babies hooked up to the monitors and oxygen that they will be going home on. 

We will be working hard to get them to eat extra tonight....

12 Hour Test Results - Moving to the 24 Hour Request!! :)

Kilee and Valera passed the 12 hour test!  We will be starting the 24 hour request today!  If we pass we will then move to the other 24 hour test called "On Demand".  Once we do that and pass we can go home!  If everything goes perfect we will possibly be home on Sunday Afternoon.

We will just keep on Praying and hope they dont get to tired and start giving in on us.....

12 Hour Request

Yesterday Kilee started on the 12 hr request and Valera was on 4 feedings.  Valera had failed her 4 feedings before I even left in the afternoon.

When I came in This morning they told me that Kilee didnt do well on her last feeding of the test and if she passed she probably barely passed.  Valera had also already failed her first feeding of the day for today.  They have been giving Valera her 2 bottles in the night when I wasn't here.  I noticed that she is doing better with bottles so when I arrived this morning I asked them to give me a bottle to see how she does.  She ended up eating her whole feeding and then some! 

I told the nurses that I wanted to start feeding her bottles so that we can get her out of here sooner.  I can work on the nursing at home.  It takes so much of their energy to nurse and Valera just isnt up to it yet.  Since we have changed to bottles she has been going to town and eating every single drop every time!  I was pretty sad that Valera had already failed for the day plus I had to wait for the Pediatrician to come in and let me know if they were going to let Kilee pass. 

When she came in I was surprized because she decided to move Valera up to the 12 hour request and keep Kilee on the 12 hour request so that they can hopefully go home together.  I was okay with that and pretty excited. 

We will let you know how the 12 hour test goes!! :)

We Have Moved Up On Feedings!! :)

 

We found the twins laying the same way today.  It has been interesting to see them interact with each other.  Anyway, here is an update.  I thought I would share this photo as well.

Today we started the day with Kilee on 4 feedings and Valera on 3 feedings.   They both failed their very first feeding of the day which means they still do the feedings throughout the day to give them practice but they have to start the "TESTING" over again tomorrow. 

I was pretty frustrated but then the charge nurse was doing rounds and decided to move them both up a level.  I was pretty shocked and excited.

So now Kilee is on the 12 hour test and Valera is on 4 feedings. 

The 12 hour test is where we do a first feeding and the 12 hour test starts.  Then we only feed her when she wakes up and wants to be fed.  She can’t go over 4 hours without waking up and if she waits 4 hours she has to eat her full feeding, if she wakes up any time between the 3 hours she can eat just the 75%.  It’s pretty confusing.  We do that for 12 hours, then they give her a 12 hour resting period and do the rest of her feedings through the tube.  If she passes they will move on to the 24 hour test.

 We started Kilee's test around 1pm.  On her 2nd feeding she failed.  We decided to give her the 12 hour rest and start it again tomorrow morning at 4:30 am. so I could go home in the afternoon.  That made it so that it wouldn’t be as crazy and give me more resting time.  Otherwise I would have been at the hospital till 2 or 3am and then have to be back at 7am to feed Valera. 

I will let you all know how the feedings go tomorrow.  It is going to be a crazy day!!

Progress On Feedings

Well we are going on our 18th day being here in the NICU.  The girls are still very healthy and doing well.  They have finally caught on to the eating thing I think, now it's just gaining the energy to pass the tests and process that we have to go through. 

On Saturday Kilee moved to 3 feedings and passed it with flying colors.  She pretty much ate her full feedings.  On Sunday we were able to attempt 4 feedings.  She did really well and passed 3 out of 4 feedings.  The 3rd feeding she ended up getting the hickups and we ran out of time so she wasn't able to finish.  That means that we will have to start over with 4 feedings again today.  I think she would have passed if she wouldnt have gotten the hickups..  If she passes today we will move on to the 12 hour test tomorrow!   


Valera has been going up and down on the amounts she has been able to eat but Saturday and Sunday she almost ate her 75% and is finaly consistantly going up little by little.  They said that we could attempt doing 3 feedings today.  She likes to take more time and rest alot in between.  She also doesn't extract as much milk as Kilee does so we are getting there.

I feel like we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnle!!  I will keep you posted...  Wish us luck!

A Sister Bonding Day!! :)

We caught the twins having a bonding moment today!  We thought we would share it. 

Big sister Ashley was also able to hold Kilee for the first time.   

Kilee couldn't quit looking at her so there was alot of sister bonding time today! :)



Good Bye To the IV's

We were finally able to take all of the IV's out of both of the twins last night because they are able to get all of the liquides they need through the feeding tubes..  All they have now is the feeding tube and the heart monitors of course...  That means they are able to sleep together now.  So, as you can see, they have graduated to a monkey bar bed and they can sleep together!  We are pretty excited!!

The Steps We Have To Take To Get Home!!!

We are working hard to learn how to eat.  They are fed every 3 hours through the feeding tubes but I attempt nursing them 2 times a day.  The 2 feedings need to be spread apart over a 6 hour period so they aren't back to back because they will get to tired.  So, I hang out at the hospital all day so I am not driving back and forth. 

The twins are fed a certain amount based off of their body weight and when they nurse they have to eat at least 75% of what they would get through the feeding tube.  If they do that during both feedings, they can move to 3 feedings a day.  Those feedings will also be spread out.  Once they get 75% at each of thoes feedings, they will then move to 4 feedings per day.  After they accomplish the 4 feedings, they will then do a 12 hour request, then a 24 hour request, and then something called "On Demand".  The 12 and 24 hour tests are back to back feedings.  The "On Demand" is similar to the 24 hour request but they pull out the feeding tubes to make sure they are capable of doing it on their own.  Once they pass that, they can go home.  This sounds like a long process and it can be.  Sometimes when certain babies get to their 4 feedings they can get through the rest really quick but it just depends on the baby..  I have talked to a few moms and there are some who have done the 24 hour test 5 times and fail and they have to go back to doing 4 feedings a day. 

They say that babies do not understand how to suck, swallow, and breath until at least 36-37 weeks and twins are 2 weeks behind a single baby that is born.  So our twins were born at 34 1/2 weeks.  Development wise they would only be 32 1/2 weeks. 

I am hoping that our little munchkins will catch on fast and pass it with flying colors when the time comes....

Staring In IHC Commercial

We were approached by a couple of IHC Employees over marketing here at the hospital yesterday.  They said that they were choosing two families to be in their new IHC commercial.  They asked if we would be apart of it.  Kyle and I wasn't to excited about us being in it but we were very excited to show off the twins.  Today was the commercial shoot and they had us just do what we normally do with the twins when we go in to see them.  Nothing was really staged so it was more of just a real natural thing which made it really nice.  It was quite intersting and fun as well.  We will also get all of the footage and photo's so it was very worth it.  They said the commercial should air around the end of May some time...  I will keep you posted when we hear the channel and date that it will air on TV.

Born On April 28th 2011

They were born at 34 1/2 weeks and are in NICU but they are healthy and doing well.  In the beginning they had a few issues with glucos levels and Jaundice but eventually they got it under control.  That is something that is common in most babies who are born early. 

We are truly blessed and can't wait to take them home.  I will update their progress to keep you all up to date!

Valera Lou Hogan born on 4/28 at 9:15 pm. 5 lbs 1 oz. (pink bow)

Kilee Lou Hogan born on 4/28 at 9:12 pm 4 lbs 14 oz. (green bow)