Twin Update!

Things are certainly looking up over here!
As of right now, both boys have had their IV's removed. They are now hooked up to only monitors which can only mean they are much more comfortable. We have been able to hold both boys now. We've been able to hold Dylan for several days now, but Trevor was still having trouble breathing. He wasn't on oxygen, but needed to be left alone so he could get stronger and therefore heal. I held Trevor for the first time yesterday. Trevor is spitting up some mucous, but I've been told not to worry about that. He was also the one that had been intubated, so that seems to be part of the reason for that.

They are drinking breast milk solely, hence the no IV situation. Dylan is up to 28 cc and Trevor is up to 34 cc. That equals about 1.5 oz. each. The milk supply is in full swing here so I pump every 3 hours and freeze it all. I then bring it to the NICU where they keep it frozen and thaw as needed.

They are pooping actual poops now, no more meconium. Trevor has some seriously LOUD explosions down yonder...amazing what comes out of someone so teeny. They have each gained about 2 oz.

Today was a fabulous day! I had an appt. with the lactation consultant to work with the babies and to see what they would do when exposed to the breast. I wasn't expecting much since they are only 9 days old, and technically only 35 weeks and 2 days. I was glad the LC was there to help out, because I feel as though I've forgotten everything when it comes to a newborn...but it turns out it truly IS like riding a bike. It didn't take Dylan long to figure out what he needed to do, but he would latch and suck maybe three times in a row and then unlatch. He'd then do it again, but would always have to establish the latch again. He did great, though. I didn't think I'd get either one to latch and actually be able to sustain it enough to get any milk. Dylan breast fed for about 40 minutes, which was 20 minutes longer than the LC and nurse expected. He got tired out so they continued to give him the rest of his milk through the feeding tube.

With Trevor, it took him about 20 minutes to figure out what the hell to do with this boob coming at his face. He didn't want to open his mouth at all and was just content with me smushing said boob in his face...lol. I know, I know, TMI. Oh well. You should've known this was going to get descriptive when you first read breast feed. Finally, he took it and latched and got milk out. Little stinker would not let go! He never lost his latch, and would suck about 10 times in a row, pause to breathe for 30 seconds or so, and then continue! I couldn't believe how well he did! Both of them really, really surprised me. I thought it was just going to be me with the beasts unleashed cajoling two little wiggling babies to get near them! I will now continue to breast feed them one time a day. Apparently all of this breast feeding and suck/swallow/breathe stuff takes a lot of energy and we don't want to wear them out.

What else....

Trevor is now wearing the latest onesie fashion, while Dylan is not wearing clothes yet, because he is still a little jaundiced and needs to be under the billi light. I have appointments on Sat. and Sunday with the occupational therapists to work on either breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding, which we also started a few days ago.

Such progress!!

As for me, I'm doing much better emotionally. Seeing the boys get better and make such big steps has made me calmer and a little more stable. That is a good thing, just ask Jeff.

Here are some pictures from the other night.

Dylan trying out his bottle for the first time. The velcro circles on the sides of his head hold his little "sunglasses" in place when he is under the Billi light for his jaundice.

Dylan zonked out after his feeding. Notice he's looking a little yellow. That's the jaundice.

Jeff holding Trevor

Awww...the nurse was posing us for pictures.

Trevor. The nurses put Jack Daniels in their feeding tubes to make the babies sleep better.

We have names!

You're probably thinking, finally!!!
It took us a while since they are in the NICU, but we finally made the decision!


Allow me to introduce...(drum roll, please)

Dylan Stuart Press (aka Baby A)

and...
Trevor Lee Press (aka Baby B)

Stuart is Jeff's middle name and Lee is my dad's middle name. Zachary's middle name is Michael, which is Jeff's dad's middle name.

I hope to get some better pictures soon. I will try to get some tomorrow...it's difficult because I don't want to use the flash inside the NICU.

We do have some good news that I wanted to share. Yesterday was a great day. I got to hold Dylan for the first time since giving birth! It's not as easy as it sounds. It took 2 nurses about 20 minutes to untangle all the cords and get him into position. I just sat in a chair with my arms ready and they placed him there. It was pretty awkward, but I was so incredibly happy! I could've stayed there all day. They only let him out of the isolette for about 15 minutes, though because they don't want him to get cold. His isolette is a toasty little spot.

Here's some pics...not good quality. They are from my phone, of course the batteries went dead on the camera.

He hung on to my finger the entire time and was just as content as could be. He didn't wiggle or get wound up, he just slept. I can't describe how wonderful this moment was for me.

They are both coming down in the amount of oxygen they need, which is great. I don't know if I said this is my last post, but Trevor was intubated a few days ago, but they extubated him and he's doing great, too. They both have a little jaundice (the least of our concerns) and they may be taken off their billi lights soon, which means their jaundice levels are stabilizing. Today, they started giving them my breast milk that I've been pumping. They have been getting their nutrients through IV up to this point, so it's great to know that my nipples being on fire is not all for nought. They are digesting it well and I think they will start plumping up now that they are getting the breast milk. Jeff visited them tonight and he said that I may be able to nipple feed them tomorrow. He thought that meant breastfeeding, but I think it means bottle feeding. They do all of their transitions very slowly.

So, all in all, two very good days. The nurse today was very comforting and said that she knows this is all very scary for me and it seems like they have major problems, but she see it every day and their problems aren't that huge. That made me feel so much better.

Oh Boy(s)!!!!!!!

As most of you know, I had the twins on Wednesday, July 22nd. What a whirlwind!

Here's the birth story:

I had my regularly scheduled OB appointment. I went in and asked her how to check to see if I was leaking amniotic fluid. I'd noticed some extra fluid down there and really, I thought I was peeing myself...which would not surprise me in the least! So, she checked me internally and said indeed I was leaking some fluid AND I was 3 cm dilated. Apparently Baby A's bag broke, but his head was so low it was blocking the leak. This can be dangerous. Very high risk of infection for both baby and mom. Luckily, we were both in the clear, so I have to be thankful for that.

So, as she's telling me I'm going to the hospital to start inducing and to have these babies, I look at her with my golf ball size eyes and say, (in my most sophisticated way) "Holy shit!" My Dr. says to me, "Sweetie, you can even say Holy fuck if you want."

I love my OB. Seriously.

So, Jeff says, "How long do you think we'll be there?"

It apparently was not registering AT ALL that we were having babies. He thought I was going to be monitored. SO, the Dr explained it to him and told me to get dressed so we can talk more outside. She leaves, I go to put on my clothes, I turn around and Jeff had started to FLIP OUT. He's crying, he's bent over at the waist, practically hyperventilating. I, however am eerily calm. I go over and ask him what's going on, where are you at, are you alright?

He says, between sobs, "I'm not ready, I have so much to do, nothing is ready, it's too early..." etc. I calmly tell him that we have a job to do, there are no other options, and I needed him to pull himself together because I needed him now. Also, how lucky for him that he didn't need to be "ready" as I was the one giving birth and all he had to do was hold my leg. Ha!

He got himself together and off we went to the hospital. As we were walking towards the car, he called 3 or 4 people trying to find someone to pick up Zach at preschool. He was all over the place. He told all these people the same thing! So I took the phone away from him and handled that. I've never seen him so...scattered. And that really is an understatement.

We got to the hospital which is practically right next door to my OB's office. They gowned me up and at 11:30 gave me my epidural and started my Pitocin. The Pitocin makes you contract, therefore induces labor. My epi man was very cute and very good at what he does, thank goodness! I felt nothing! It was so great. Some people say, well you can't have to much epidural because then you can't tell how to push. I disagree. I don't need to feel how I'm pushing. How about I try it and you tell me if I'm doing it wrong. I will fix it. I don't want to FEEL it. And I didn't and I was happy. I think there were rainbows in my room, even.

It was time to push. I pushed probably 3 times and Baby A was out. I couldn't believe it!! I pushed for 1.5 hours with Zach, and the entire labor was 13 hours! This was unreal. Jeff went over to see them clean him up and while he did that they upped my Pitocin because my contractions had peetered out. I then needed to push to get Baby B to come down since he was higher. I can't tell you how much I didn't want a C-section. When they told me to push, I pushed like my life depended on it, so he wouldn't flip and go breech. If that happened, they would have to do an emergency C-section. Well, needless to say, I got him down there without flipping. It probably took 2 extra pushes to get him out, but boy did he fly out!! Good thing the Dr. was there to catch him! Baby A was born at 2:55pm, weighing in at 3lbs 11oz. Baby B was born at 3:12pm, weighing in at 4lbs 6oz. I don't remember the exact lengths but they were about 17 and 18 inches.

I held each of them for only a minute or so and then they took them to the NICU. I didn't realize at the time that that was the last time I would hold them for a while. I still haven't held them and today is Saturday. They have some respiratory issues and Baby A has a little jaundice. They are hooked up to lots of monitors and wires. It's very difficult to see them like that. They have IV's and last night they had to intubate Baby B to give him some surfactant. Surfactant is like lubrication in your lungs and most preemies need help getting some because of their age. Preemies also tend to do worse before they get better. The first 72 hours is crucial and after that it's more obvious how things will go. We hit 72 hours this afternoon. I talked to the Dr. this morning and they are both doing very well and Baby B responded very well to the surfactant.

When Jeff and I left the hospital yesterday, we both got to change a diaper! You would think we've never changed a dipe before! They are so little and fragile looking, with all these wires...it was tricky.

It's also very difficult. Not to be a total buzzkill but I never thought having babies in the NICU would be this hard. Of course, I was prepared for this since I found out I was having twins. But nothing really prepares you. The NICU itself is a big room with about 8-10 other babies who have their own problems. There are tons of people and each baby has at least one nurse, sometimes two. So it's a lot of rushing around and people and strangers. Then the monitors and the wires and the beeping...their heels are all marked up from the heel pricks. They have bruising from all the IV's. Their skin is raw from all the tape holding all the monitors in place. It's awful. I've been told that they need to use all their energy to help heal their problems. So, if I touch them and they get wound up, they're using that energy to be wound up, not to heal. Therefore, I feel like I shouldn't even touch them. But of course, I want to. It's all I can do not to grab them and make a run for the door! I feel like I haven't bonded with them. It's almost like being at the zoo and looking at some rare animal through glass. Some moments are harder than others. Morning seem to be more difficult for me. Nights are easier.

I'm pumping and will continue to do so. My milk hasn't come in yet but I think I'll feel much better when it does. At least I'll be contributing something.

As for names, yes we are close. It's taking us some time because we can't see their faces or hold them. I will let you know once it's solidified.

Ok some pics:

Got the epi. Feeling so great!

Jeff cutting the cord for Baby A

Baby A trying out his lungs
I think this is Baby B. It's hard to tell them apart in the pictures. They actually look very different, but it's all a blur at this moment. Baby A has dark blonde hair and Baby B has dark hair.
Baby A

Baby B. He looks more like Zach did. It's hard to tell until they gain a little more weight, though.

Zach's Big Boy Bedroom and THE Belly

We (Jeff) has been working on Zach's new big boy bedroom. As if he doesn't have enough to do, here I sit directing and criticizing his work. Lol. Oh well...he'll get over it. I'm the one baking humans.

We got new furniture and Jeff redid all the baseboards and casings. Our friend Berit, who is also my old painting partner, offered to help paint since I can't do it and I wouldn't allow Jeff to do it. Don't I sound like a dove? It was so nice of her to come over and give up her morning to do this for us and she did a great job!

The bedding I got at Target after looking online for probably 3 hours. Finally, after not finding anything I liked, I ran to Target on a whim and voila!

The room is still a work in progress. I may paint circles in accent colors to match the bedding where the green and blue walls meet. We'll see. The ceiling fan is being installed this weekend and my ottoman from my glider won't be there. Nor will the wooden folding chair. I can't wait to transfer Zach's closet over. Oh, that ugly floor lamp from when I was 16 won't be there, either.

And, of course, the little stinker. He loves his room. He calls the colors on his walls "rainbows" and always talk about his "big boy bed". I had transitioned him into his new bed a while ago, but then Jeff did that work on it and it longer than usual since he was working on it alone, so Zach went back into the crib. So, we are now doing the transition AGAIN, but last night he didn't get up when first put down, nor did he come out until 7:20am! I think he's learned in preschool that you have to stay in your cot? Maybe? Also, I got a new room darkening shade on his window and I think that helps a ton!

Oh gosh! I almost forgot the BELLY! This is today, I am 33 weeks and one day (but who's counting, right?)

As of last week, I am still measuring at 42 weeks. The fact that my tummy is sticking SO far out there, makes the fact that I have absolutely no ass very apparent. I take after my Dad in the dupa department.
And yes, I love that the flash is obscuring my face since I haven't taken a cute picture since January AND that I hadn't showered or brushed my teeth yet.

Random Thoughts

So, nothing really exciting to report. I have two Dr's appointments next week, and those should be telling. I'm 33 weeks yesterday, so next week I'll be 34 and that's the number they wanted me to get to. Still having contractions, but mostly in the evening time. I'm not too concerned, although they are getting to be a little more uncomfortable. It may be the fact that they're coupled with me generally being uncomfortable...who knows. I've stopped trying to figure this pregnancy out.

Some random thoughts:

Ok, so this bedrest thing S-U-C-K-S. Although, this morning I did have a thought. (Yes, only one). As I played a mindless, although highly addictive online game for over an hour on the computer, it occurred to me that I will never again have time to do this. At least not for 5 years. And by then "Bejeweled Blitz" on Facebook will be in the nostalgic trenches as "Pong" is. Also, I've done some nice online shopping. Never again will I have time to peruse the online aisles of Target. I'll be going to Target at 8 pm alone, when Jeff is home so I can clear my head and buy ammonia and socks. See, I'm trying to put a positive spin on this.

My eyes have gotten so bad, I have to have my reading glasses on when I'm at the computer. You may be thinking, "Wow, I never knew Jenn wore glasses..." Yeah, that's because I have had them since I was 6 months prego with Zach and have worn them maybe 10 times. At home. Alone. Glasses suck. Well, these babies are sucking the life out of my eyesight, my marked up legs and soon to be my ta-ta's. I went to the eye doctor about a month and a half ago and sure enough my eyes had changed...I now have a astigmatism and need new glasses again. LAME.

Jeff keeps telling me to make lists of things that need to get done. Poor Jeff. He is working so much and then has to come home and take care of me and Zach, who is going through a hard time with Momma being out of commission and him not understanding why. There are so many things that need to get done that I don't even know where to start. I need to get on that, though.

He's also been on me to pack my diaper bag because as he said last night, "You could go at any minute!" Ok, so that's not really true. I am fine. I am not a ticking time bomb, yet. My husband is a bit worried about me, as you can see. Every time I stand up he yells at me to sit down. I'm like, "I have to go to the bathroom." When I have a contraction, he stares at me the entire time, like he might see a little baby hand pop out from between my legs. Nervous Nelly, that one is. Jeesh!

What else, what else, what else....

I have become dyslexic and have to retype every 6th word because I transpose letters all the time. I've never read about this symptom of pregnancy in the baby books, but there it is.

Zach has been napping at preschool! Yay for that! He's been having a great time, although still cries at drop off. And in the morning when I talk about preschool he says, "No preschool!!" about 672 times. And then 387 more times in the car, so Jeff tells me. And when Jeff pulls into the parking lot he says, "More car!!!" I was able to pick him up from school the other day and he was having a great time running around in the hose, hanging with his friend Carley. BTW, Carley is on our list for names. I thought that was an eerie coincidence. So, he's been going from 8:30am until about 2:45pm. Oh, and he eats things he'd NEVER eat at home, like bologna sandwiches, spanish rice with meat...crazy. I sure hope this preschool doesn't screw anything up because I am loving it!!!!! I added an extra day this week, to which the teacher was totally fine with. Plus, it's only an extra $34! My friends pay $40 a day for daycare, and that's on the cheaper end! They let Zach come any three days...it's not a set M-W-F or anything. I can call anytime (and I have) and see how he's doing and they have never made me feel foolish. It's a block away....Oh! And he went pee pee in the potty there the other day! They encourage and help with potty training! We've been doing a little here at home. Keeping it light, though. We go pee pee before bath time usually, and he stands on his little stool and goes. Too cute. He of course has to massage his peen afterwards....they learn young.

Oh, and here's our list of names because people keep asking. The deal is if we both like the name it goes on the list. We have to come up with 2 girls names and 2 boys names, since we don't know the gender.
Girls:
Carley/Carly
Devon
Samantha

Boys:
Cameron
Trevor
Sawyer
Dylan
Nolan

We're still working on it, adding to it. I don't looove Trevor and Jeff doesn't looove Dylan. But at least we have a list!

Doctor Visits and Updates

I had an appointment with the specialist yesterday and my OB today. Woo-hoo, big week!! I even drove myself to yesterday's appointment! Such a big girl, I am. So the details:

My cervix looks great. It hasn't changed at all since the "excitement" as I like to call it. Looking really good. Both docs are very pleased. I'm still contracting, but no big deal. They have petered off and I still continue to take medication for them. My sugars are still off. That's bugging me in a major way. I'm getting to the point where I'm starving all the time and the protein and veggies I'm eating just aren't filling me up. The doc upped my meds for that and said that he'd rather up those so I can eat a little more variety. The problem is because of the bedrest and lack of movement, I'm not able to burn any of the food off, so the sugars are still high. Hopefully the upped meds will help. It's starting to get to me, quite frankly. I mean, how many salads can one person eat??? I'm over salads. For a snack just now, I ate a cucumber. Doesn't that sound delish? Blah.
The other weird thing is that I've lost 7 pounds since the "excitement". So you see, all that nonsense about exercising and weight training and jogging...it's all bullshit. All you have to do is sit on your ass all day and watch really crappy television. That's the new diet. Jokes aside, I was a bit concerned about this...I mean, who loses weight in the third trimester with twins? The docs didn't seem concerned. They just chalked it up to me eating so healthy. Also, I have zero swelling since I'm not in the heat and off my feet, so I bet that accounts for at least 2 pounds. In total, I've gained 23 pounds. 23 pounds!!!! I gained 40 total with Zach. It just seems crazy to me. I hope this means that I'll have an easy time getting to be a skinny bitch again (using Heather's phrase).
My brother called me the other day and said, "Hey, I hear you're as big as a house...heh, heh, heh..." I laughed and asked him who said that, mom or dad? He wouldn't tell. I am all belly. Especially now with the 7 pounds. So, I can understand that I look quite a bit out of proportion and front heavy. It's funny, though. People who have had babies somewhat recently all say that I don't look that big for twins...they're actually amazed when I tell them I have two in here. But, people who haven't had a baby (men) or who haven't had one in a loooooong time (my mom) think I'm as big as Greenland. My parents both get this look on their faces when they see my tummy...like, they're thinking to themselves, "Je-Sus-H-C-hrist." They both tend to wear their feelings on their sleeves. I just think it's funny....but it's a good thing I'm not THAT self conscious, Mom and Dad!!
The babies look good, but for the first time have a weight discrepancy. Not unusual for this stage of pregnancy the docs say. One is 3lbs.5oz. and one is 3lbs.15oz. The littler one also has a smaller abdomen...doc says it just means he/she is skinnier. Nothing to worry about for now. I'll be interested to see what they measure at my next u/s in 2 weeks. I asked if there is anything I can do to help them grow and the docs say to just stay on bedrest and keep them growing. Ok, will do. I saw on one of those Baby Story/Birth Day shows on TLC a 3lb.5oz. baby delivered and I realized I do NOT want that if I can help it. Teeny tiny little thing. No meat on it's bones...ugh. My OB said today that she thinks all that "excitement" a week ago was just a scare and I can probably do a little more...so that's good. I still have to have all the help we've scheduled with Zach, but at least I didn't feel guilty about doing a load of laundry today.

Fourth of July Fun

We had a great 4th of July here! Well, Jeff and Zach did. I was on the couch. Again. NOT having fun. But that's ok...babies cooked another day so that's a good thing.

Jeff took Zach down in the morning to the end of our street where they have the annual 4th of July parade. Our friends Robb and Pat and Rudy were in the parade, so they waited with baited breath for their arrival.

There were horses, balloons, fire trucks...BIG firetrucks as Zach later informed me. He had a great time! Of course, the best thing about the parade is the location! When it was over the boys just walked home. You can't beat that!

Some fireworks shows in our area got cancelled (money problems) so there were only two locations to see the shows. One was at Castaic Lake, where we used to live. Way too far and too many cars for 30 minute entertainment. Plus, parking would be a bear...something we never had to worry about when we lived there. The only other venue was by the mall, so the boys left around 8:15 to catch the 9:15 show. (I again stayed home. Yay for me.) Jeff got lucky with parking and set up the camping chair on a grassy area with about 100 other people. He said the place was crazy packed and he couldn't believe how many people were there. Zach brought his ball and played with a group of older kids. He also climbed a tree and basically ran amok. When the fireworks started he sat with Daddy and was mesmerized! He loved them, which we knew he would because we watched them in Hawaii and he loved it then!! Daddy and Zach had a great time, went to bed late and slept in this morning.

Patriotism at it's finest

First Day of Preschool

We were planning on starting Zach in preschool before the twins got here. Our pediatrician recommended we do this before their arrival so Zach doesn't think he's being pushed out of the house right when they get here. My strict bedrest excitement forced us to get on the ball and do it even sooner, which is fine. I looked at so many preschools. We chose this one because it was :
1. in our budget
2. one block away
3. flexible times. They don't offer half days, so I can utilize them from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm.
4. They have a nice, casual, laid back style, which is just fine for his age. I don't need him to learn physics just yet.
So, on this day I had a Doctor's appointment, so luckily (or unluckily) I was able to go on his very first day. Mind you, this is the first time I'd been out in almost a week.
Everything was going so well. As we drove there, Zach kept saying "preschool, yay!!" When we pulled into the parking lot he said, "preschool! Yay!" He got out of the car and ran to the gate. We signed him in and I walked him towards the toys. Some kids were already playing with the water table (his favorite!)

Marilyn, the teacher, giving me a rundown of how this will all pan out. My child not even noticing me. Busy with the water. Awesome!

OK, last pic with Daddy! He's doing so great! I can't believe how seamless this is going!



I don't have any pictures of what happened next, partly because it would have been cruel and unusual punishment to photograph my kid at that moment, as well as the fact that I was sobbing hysterically and was only thinking about what a horrible mommy I was.
When we turned to walk away, Zach started crying. Not just crying, but crying and screaming like someone was pulling his toenails out one by one. Marilyn the teacher was trying to comfort him, and he would push her away, screaming, "NO! NO!" while his face turned beat red and HUGE tears rolled down his sweet little face.
We had walked away by this time, but Jeff went back to comfort him. The teacher said that that was just prolonging everything and to just go. So we did. Ugh. It was awful. I sobbed hysterically for a good 15 minutes. Jeff called about an hour after the drop off and they said he cried for about 10 minutes and then aside from a few whimpers here and there, was just fine.
Today was day 2 and I'm happy to report that he only cried for a few minutes and then was fine. He was picked up by Uncle Pat at 11:45, so it was a good 3.5 hour day at preschool. He even ate some lunch there.
I hope that as the days go by we'll be able to even let him nap there, but that won't happen until he (I) feel comfortable.

Dr. Visit today

I had an appointment with my OB today. She wanted to see my blood sugar numbers and to check my cervix and all of that fun stuff. The good news is nothing has changed in a week. My cervix is the measurement it was, I still have 2 inches to go (effaced) before it would start dilating. That's good news. The babies are still looking great, and are still both head down. I'm going to hope that that's my light at the end of the tunnel and I can deliver these babes naturally and not a via a c-section. I'd really prefer not to go through that. And by naturally I do not mean no drugs....please. I don't understand the need to "feel what it's all about". I feel the need to be numb, thank you very much.
My sugars are still a little off, but she's still attributing that to the other meds I had at the hospital. It's frustrating because I'm unable to work any of the food off, so I can understand why they're still a little high.
The bad news is she still wants me on strict bedrest. She will allow me to walk around for 10 minutes after dinner. Not to the park...around the house. Yipee. I will try to contain my excitement.
So, that's the doctor news. It's like mission control over here trying to coordinate Zach care. Everyone is so darn helpful and we are so, so lucky to have such great friends and family. For example, our friends Kristin and Frank were here when Zach woke up from his nap and they took him to the bounce house place. He'll love that! And it's air conditioned...it's impossible to be outside inthe afternoon right now, it's around 90-98 degrees. We have morning shifts and afternoon shifts that need to be covered and with that includes the basic things, changing dipes, feeding, gathering snacks...all the simple basic things I usually do without thinking.
Poor Jeff (who has turned back into a very helpful husband and father), is so behind on work and has so much on his plate...he's pretty much a single father. Not fun for anyone.
My next appointment is next Tuesday with the specialist, so we'll see how things are going then.