Queen of the Juggle

Babies are 3 weeks old! It’s been a short 3 weeks, but sometimes seem long…the nights are long, but the days fly. The boys are changing and getting bigger every day. We still miss little Gary while he finishes antibiotics via IV at Spring Valley Hospital. They tell us if all goes well, he’ll be home on Friday. I can’t wait!

Ben and Ryan are eating well and we and the babies are up every 3 hours to feed to help these little guys grow. They are all over 4.5 lbs. and growing! They have a little chub in their cheeks and are starting to see more meat on their legs and body. They are still so very small, but wow, much bigger than when they were born.

Our home looks like a baby village, stuff everywhere, but it’s all good. We have our first pediatrician appointment on Tuesday. I have lots of questions. We are also learning that RSV (a respiratory virus) season is coming and our boys will need an extra set of immunizations for that :(. Poor little guys, poked and prodded in their young life. In any case, we may have to limit their exposure too. Not sure. We also are anxious to see how much weight they’ve gained.

Sleep is still interesting, we are still looking for a pattern that will work for us. Sometimes Chip lets me sleep and sometimes I let him sleep. We manage to work it out, but I’d like a firm “schedule”. My type A persona rears it’s ugly head!!! I’m trying to let go of so much planning and let it be. The goal is to enjoy these boys and watch them flourish. Hard to keep that in mind at 2 a.m., but then when the sun rises, it’s all so much better. Especially after a good cup of coffee to help me wake up. Chip is super daddy already! He was initiated a couple of days ago with a diaper that leaked and was all over! He handled it like a trooper as I understand it. I was visiting Gary, so I wasn’t home to help.

I am working on thank you notes for the wonderful gifts from people. Thank you all in advance for all the thoughtful gifts, emails and phone calls. As soon as I can, we’ll send off a note to everyone as well.

I am trying to write as much as I can about what is happening daily with the babies before I forget! So it may not be the most interesting read, but I know I’ll want to remember it later.

Birth Day – Level III NICU Nursery at Summerlin – Mommy went to the nursery after getting up and around. Ben and Ryan were being taken care of by one nurse and Gary was being cared for by another. It was strange, but it was explained that if all 3 babies are together, it could be too much for one nurse, especially if they were very sick babies. Our babies were doing great. Right away on room air, no need for ventilators or oxygen which is very common with preemies. The babies were given IVs and started on TPN and Lipids to help them grow. Gary and Ryan were put in isolettes, but little Ben was in an open heated bed because Summerlin was so busy. They didn’t have an isolette. Dr. Litner was in the NICU with them all the first day.

1 Day Old – We visited the babies early in the day and then I went back to my room. The NICU let us know that Pic lines were going to be put in the babies. For them it’s very good, because it’s one access point rather than sticking them multiple times for blood and IVs in babies don’t last very long. This was difficult for me because we, with Grandma and Grandpa wanted to go to the NICU and see the boys, but they told us repeatedly to call later, come later, they were working on getting them in. I could just envision them screaming in pain while the doctors are trying to work. My Mom and Dad came to the hospital too and we all waited together. Emotions had set in already for me and I was tired from the surgery, but so wanted to see our boys. I wept for no particular reason, just had to let it out. All the babes lost weight from birth, anywhere from a 4 to 8 ounce range. Finally mom and dad left to go back to our house and I tried to manage with the pain and emotion until late in the night. Finally at almost 9 p.m. we went back to the NICU and the babies were exhausted! It made me cry to see them look so limp. They were so tired and had been over stimulated. The babies were being given 2 cc of 20 calorie preemie formula through their feeding tubes every 3 hours.

2 Days Old – Babies were moved to the level II NICU because they are continuing to do great! We had a great nurse, Lisa, in the NICU. She put tie dyed onesies on the babies that she had made. All three babies were in a space all together, which was really nice too. The formula went up to 5 ccs per feeding and we also got to try bottle feeding for the first time. Daddy Chip got a lesson on how to change diapers and he did great!

3 Days Old – Nurse Maria in the day, Albina at night. We also saw Mary Beth, an occupational therapist who talked to us about feeding and how preemies can or cannot eat. We learned that to burp our little guys we rub their back or head, not pat them. 10 cc per feeding. Ben and Ryan spent a day and night each under the photo lights for slight jaundice (9 on the scale of measure, but 20 to 30 is the risky measure). Met nurse practitioner Dana who is caring for them. This day was the most emotional for me. Very emotional, but it’s all for good reasons. I just found myself weeping off and on all day.

4 Days Old – Z’ Marsha was the day nurse at Summerlin The babies Left Summerlin, and went to Spring Valley via ambulance with 3 nurses. Daddy went to Spring Valley at 8 p.m. to see where babies were and how we needed to visit and meet the staff. Daddy was unhappy with nurse Sina, but took charge and made the situation as good as could be. Levels were still low for Gary, so he did not yet need the lights.

5 Days Old – Nurse Rachelle, I left Summerlin and went home to sleep. Went to Spring Valley to visit and met Dr. Cruz. All 3 babies are together in a private room. The NICU at Spring Valley was much quieter than Summerlin. I wasn’t sure we made the right decision, but would give it a chance. It was supposed to be run just like Summerlin. I needed more sleep and went home to mull over whether the boys were in good hands.

6 Days Old – Nurse Deb, mom and dad came to feed/hold with us. Feedings moved up to 20 cc each, 20 cal formula. We just held our babies and enjoyed the quiet. Grandma and Grandpa came to the NICU as well.

7 Days Old – Nurse Rachelle for the day, Barb at night, Ben’s pic line removed. All babies almost back at birth weight. Gary is moved from the isolette into an open crib! Continued progress is amazing! We are so pleased. We went to the hospital twice for bottle feedings at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. There was a lot of spit up. I didn’t like the faster flow nipples at all. Gary spit up all over himself. Mommy was impatient with staff and how they handled things. Daddy Chip was also frustrated about all the directions he was getting. It was a hard day. We are learning that we need to use our voice to express our issues or things will not change. It’s a fine line when the people are taking care of our babies.

8 Days Old – Nurse Grace in the day, Barb at night, Ryan’s pic line was removed. 33 cc per feed for Ryan on , 30 cc feed for Ben but 22 cal formula, and 30 cc for Gary but staying on 20 cal formula. Gary also needed to get a slow tube feeding to determine whether or not he has reflux or is not ready for more formula. I also asked today that the nurses use only the low flow preemie nipple. They were using another that I feel is the reason they had some heavy spit up going on. Me and daddy went to the hospital for 11 a.m. and 8 a.m. bottle feeds.

9 Days Old – Boys are doing good. Ben and Ryan are both at 33 ccs. They are nippling very well and the preemie nipples are working well too. Gary is back in an isolette because he lost 1.5 ounces in the open air and all the babies need to continue to gain weight and not expend too much energy keeping warm.

10 Days Old – Blood found in Gary’s stool at night and was sent to the lab for a culture. He seemed like his normal self, and he finally drank a bottle almost all the way like his brothers. Ben and Ryan are clipping along. All babies are still on room air, and are doing fine in the Isolettes. All weights continue to go up.

11 Days Old – Dr. Aputia called and indicated that our little Gary has an infection and is sick with something they aren’t sure of and has been taken off of all formula. We also had to wear a protective gown and gloves to touch him. I was having an emotional day and didn’t like that I couldn’t touch our son except with gloves. I decided that I would not touch the other 2 boys, but just give little Gary hugs and love. He seemed more pale than normal and lethargic, but not super sick. Antibiotics are being given via IV and the PICC line Many tests are being done. Ryan was given a bottle feed every other feed rather just twice a day. They are up to 35 cc’s of formula per feeding. Ben has been doing as well as Ryan and we hope it will continue.

12 Days Old – Gary is sick and has been treated with antibiotics. Both Chip and I are forced to wear protective gowns and gloves to handle Gary. It’s too much for me to take. I hate it. It has been a tough 24 hours. He looked so limp, but still fighting. He is a trooper and has been taken off of all feedings and seems to be content without them. Ben and Ryan continue to do well. We keep our fingers crossed each day for more positive things for Gary, as well as Ben and Ryan’s continued success.

13 Days Old – Gary is still sick and has been transferred back to Summerlin hospital where they were born. It has been a really long day of lots of information related to Gary an his blood infection. We also learned today that test results from 2 days ago were not flagged for review and weren’t seen by the doctor as high priority. Not the fault of the doctor, but of the lab. Dr. Aputia was not happy and may be suspended on our behalf for freaking out on the lab. Gary has a “gram negative” bacterial infection. Both of us are very fearful of what the bacteria could do and want to wipe it out as soon as possible. Antibiotics are treating the bacteria, whatever it is. Belinda is the transport nurse who is also taking care of him. We go visit after the transport. The NICU is crowded with sick and premature babies. I worry that he may catch something else being there. The theory is that bacteria somehow got in the PICC line, but no one is sure.

14 Days Old – Ben and Ryan are still at Spring Valley but are co-bedding in the same crib! All feedings are on bottle feeds. The best part of today was that Ben and Ryan got to meet their sisters! Kaitlyn and Gillian were allowed in the NICU for an hour. Both girls held the babies and we took pictures and video. Gary is at Summerlin in the level III NICU. Lisa, our favorite nurse is his nurse. He needs a 3rd platelet transfusion to fight the bacteria. The atmosphere at Summerlin is colder than we remember and we wonder if we’ve made the right decision. Nicole is the night nurse and does not treat Gary the way we’d like. I have a very hard time with her gruff ways and get emotional. She shoves a pacifier in his mouth. I ask about test results and Nicole brings the charge nurse to tell us that she has no results in the computer. We still anxiously await the lab results of what the bacteria is. Gary is more feisty now and cries more.

15 Days Old – Gary is still in Level III NICU at Summerlin. Lisa is his nurse again. I am still disturbed at the prior night staff and talk to Lisa about it. She says she’ll talk to to the charge nurse. Lisa says that Nicole indicated that Gary “cries all the time” and thank goodness Lisa had taken care of him before and knew he wasn’t like that. This further stirred my anger/resentment because anyone who was fighting infection and being poked and prodded would not be happy. I was encouraged by his increased crying that he was getting better. When we went to see Gary, he had several wires unhooked and only had 1 IV remaining. It was a wonderful surprise that he would be moved to the level II NICU! We learn that the bacteria in his blood is Klebsiella and is 2nd in being dangerous only to E. Coli, which had been the theory of what he was trying to fight prior to really finding out what the bacteria was. Gary is improving with his color and doing better. Lisa told us he would have a lumbar puncture to find out if the bacteria had traveled to the brain. I was hoping this was not another invasive procedure, but it needed to be confirmed. Gary did well, according to the night nurse. I was so relieved.

16 Days Old – We found out that Ben and Ryan will come home tomorrow when we go for the morning feeding at Spring Valley, and before we go to Summerlin to see Gary. We are so excited, but sure wish Gary could come home with his brothers. Both Chip and I really looking forward to our boys coming home, but miss Gary too. It is a relief that will not have to go between 2 hospitals.

17 Days Old – We see Gary first at Summerlin today. He continues to get better. We are happy with the treatment of antibiotics, but are sad he has so many IV sticks. Ben and Ryan get to come home! Ben weighs 4 lbs., 2 oz., and Ryan weighs in at 4lbs., 7 oz. It takes awhile to check out of Spring Valley, but we finally get the boys packed up in the minivan and head home. It is bittersweet without Gary. Chip will go see Gary in the evening so I can be home with the other boys. Kari and my mom and dad are here to help and we work quickly to get things in order. We have a lot of stuff, but none of it is organized. I’m sure it will be interesting the first few days to iron out the kinks and get a routine down.

18 Days Old – My mom and dad leave today since my dad has some appointments in Reno. It is hard to see them leave, but they will be back soon. The weekend of October 26 for sure. Kari is here to help and it’s good to know we have an extra set of hands. I’m so happy the boys were home for a day before they left. The first night was tiring, but we are keeping the 3 hour schedule for feeds. Ryan doesn’t like the Avent nipples. I worry he’ll lose weight. Ben, our littlest guy is so adaptable and took right to the other nipples. He takes to the new bottles no problem. I go up to Summerlin to see Gary in the morning with Kari and he’s doing well, but I am stunned to see an IV in his head. I learn later that his little veins are being taxed by the IVs that need to be replaced every couple of days. I worry about what part of his little body will be poked next. I am very emotional about him being in the NICU. Dr. Cruz wants to transport Gary back to Spring Valley because he seems to be doing very well as far as the bacterial infection in his blood. There are so many babies at Summerlin that I’m happy to get Gary over to Spring Valley where it’s not as busy and we know all the staff. Gary’s condition weighs heavy on my mind. I’m so grateful that we don’t have more complex problems, but will worry until he can come home. It’s so hard to leave him there.

19 Days Old – Today Dr. Cruz called to ask us to come to Summerlin as soon as we can to sign the release to move Gary back to Spring Valley. Somehow it doesn’t work out today due to lack of staff at Summerlin. There are babies everywhere over at Summerlin. Gary is having trouble with severe spitting up, which may be reflux. We aren’t sure yet. After each feeding, he projectiles some of his food. Sometimes it’s a lot of what he’s eaten. Doctors are watching him closely. The nurse today, Sybil about drove me nuts. Everything I did and every way I did it was wrong…I just smile and nod and know that our baby will be out of here soon….OMG! The nurses tend to be less compassionate than I would like, but I guess it must get that way when you do the same thing day in and day out. Ben and Ryan are doing great and had their first bath tonight! Daddy and Kari got it on video, but we didn’t take any still photos. We will next time. There are so small, wiggly and slippery, I was hoping we could get through it without injuring anyone! Both boys enjoyed it and all was fine. We bathed them in the little tub they give you from the hospital. It was really fun!

20 Days Old – Gary went back to Spring Valley. I signed the papers and Summerlin Hospital apologized for not making it work yesterday. I followed them over and he seems quiet and content to be out of the noise of the busiest NICU in town. There are only 3 babies and Gary at Spring Valley! Very quiet. Gary is still having issues with the formula staying down, but it’s getting better when we take burp breaks more often. Ben and Ryan continue to do well at home. Chip and I are tired, we haven’t found our rhythm yet. Kari is awesome and doing whatever needs to be done, which is a huge help! The girls came home after spending the week with their dad. It is so cute! They hover over the boys and want to hold and feed them. I helped Kaitlyn feed Ben on the boppy pillow. The hardest part is balancing getting both girls involved and still communicate that the babies are small and that we have to be gentle and careful with them. So far though, the girls are doing great with it. Chip and I both told them that there will be plenty of feedings and diapers to change as the next few months come and go. I think maybe there is no concept of what is to come. Especially when all 3 boys are home.

21 Days Old – 3 weeks! These boys are 3 weeks old today! Gary is doing well, still working on the spitting up formula problems. Hopefully it will not last too long. The nurse mentioned it may be a side effect of the antibiotics or perhaps reflux, which I am learning is common with preemies. They took a belly X-Ray which turned out to be fine. I went to the hospital this morning to see Gary. He looks so good. His bright eyes are beginning to focus on faces and he seems to look at me with such intensity. He is such a sweetie…it is painful to leave. The bright side is that Daddy will be back to do a feeding at 8:30 p.m. Ben and Gary have enjoyed a whole day with their sisters. They have been fed and diapered by both big sisters. Kaitlyn and Gillian are both really enjoying being big sisters.

We arrived at 6 a.m. at Labor and Delivery at Summerlin hospital. The staff there asked us to wait until 6:30. So we sat in the waiting room and watched TV and joked a little bit. At 6:30 we were directed to triage to find the babies on the monitor and start my IV and asked tons of questions. I was tired because I hadn’t slept much the night before because I was both excited and fearful. Excited the boys would be here, but scared of having a c-section. So right away, I learned that I had “done it wrong” because I had 3 sips of water and did not know that it’s not a good idea to eat or drink anything 8 hours before major surgery. The nurse asked me “haven’t you ever had surgery before?”. Nope, never. So I was shaken up because the anesthesiologist ultimately made the decision and opted for an epidural instead of a spinal block for the c-section. So my first nurse encounter wasn’t very fun and I began to cry. Then nurses Nina and Stephanie came in and took great care of me. Dr. Biscoff is also my hero for putting in a great epidural and talking me through so much. It really made things easier. Also, Dr. Bohman, my favorite doc stopped by and and eased my fears before cutting me open. My parents had come in from Winnemucca the night before, so it was very meaningful to have them there. They came up to the hospital at 8 a.m. and we were rolling into the O/R about 45 minutes later. Mom and Dad stayed in the waiting room, but I’m sure it wasn’t very long.

Very soon I was in the O/R and nice and numb. Chip was at my head and was doing a great job being supportive. I was having a bit of a difficult time keeping my emotional composure, but was so ready for the boys to be brought into the world. Chip said they were starting and I didn’t even know it! The next thing I knew, I heard Dr. Bohman say “10 seconds until first baby” and then I heard a beautiful cry. I started to cry too. Then more crying came from both me and the babies as each baby came out. There were 17 people in the delivery room when the boys were born, including Dr. Litner, the head of Pediatrics for Valley Hospitals as well as several nurse practitioners and nurses. It seemed like forever before I saw a doctor and or nurse come over to show me the babies. They were beautiful! WOW! It was all over in 15 minutes. I’m fairly certain that it took much longer to sew me up. Dr. Bohman did a fantastic job.

Chip, now a proud papa, and mom and dad went off with the boys to the Level III NICU. Soon they were back with me in recovery before heading to my room. Several people were in and out of the room and it was nice to see so many friendly faces. I really wanted to go to the NICU that night, but just didn’t have the strength until much later.

Chip did a fantastic job with the videos and pictures. How he supported me, watched the boys, and took pictures and videos. Mom took a ton of great pics too! Once in my room, I was tired and slept some. Mom and Chip called family. There was a nice hum of activity. It was so good to hear all the kind words and congratulations to our family. We never realized we had so many that cared about us! It was amazing. Both photos and movies with instructions on how to download them can be found via the links below:
Here is the main photo link:
http://www.metaforge.net/personal/publish/1%20McVey%20Babies%20Due%2010-25-07/BIRTHDAY/

And here is a link to a page that gives some info about the movies:
http://www.metaforge.net/personal/publish/1%20McVey%20Babies%20Due%2010-25-07/BIRTHDAY/1%20-%20README.html

The movies are very large. Please use the .avi files to watch smaller and quicker videos.

My nurse for the first 2 days was Andi, who was really laid back and helped manage the pain. I didn’t realize that it would be a longer stay than I wanted, but I tried to just take it all in and sleep. I wanted to sleep, but with all the excitement I just couldn’t. Also, the pain had set in. The doctor had prescribed Percocet and I had a terrible reaction. After changing to Loratab, things were much better.

I spoke to lots of friends and family and hope I was coherent because I genuinely thought I was really with it.

Chip and I finally talked that night and it was a conversation I’ll never forget. His smile was so bright with happiness and pride. Both of us had tears in our eyes, knowing that this is what we’ve been wanting for 3 long years. It had not always been an easy road and we were so close to giving up. His love for his sons very clear and apparent. We agreed that it was one of the most amazing moments we’ve ever shared. That we have this family of seven now that we are so proud of. The overwhelming emotion of love for these new little lives almost didn’t need words. We are so happy and feel so fortunate to have been blessed with these babies.

Daddy Chip bedded down next to me on a rollaway bed provided by the hospital. I’m sure it was uncomfortable. Despite his feet hanging over the end and being pretty uncomfortable, he stayed every night with me which was great because the nights are the hardest and the staff is the worst at night, except for Nurse Mona who was fabulous.

Overall, hospitals are no fun. Bad food and even worse service! If Chip wasn’t there to help me to the bathroom and take care of me DAILY, I think it would have been 100 times worse! I must say the whole healthcare industry really scares me. I ended up staying at the hospital for 5 days and needed a blood transfusion – they gave me 2 units of blood. I was severely anemic and when they tested my hemoglobin, it was 6.2. The average persons hemoglobin is about 14. I felt like crap, but thought it was just the fact that they cut me open. My doctor said I didn’t lose a lot of blood, but somehow became anemic. They said I could go home after the transfusion, which took like 6 hours. I thought I would never get out of there. I was done at around 5 a.m. and Chip and I left as soon as we could after that! We arrived at our house about 6:30 a.m. Mom had put the couch bed out, so we dropped there and got some sleep.

Well, it’s labor day weekend and here we are….not laboring, but still on the sofa with babies in the belly. Very good for them, very old for me, so that’s the same story. We are still monitoring twice a week and it looks “beautiful” according to my perinatologist. No contractions, heartbeats are strong and consistent and there is plenty of water (needs to be 2 cm or more) around each baby. Baby A is laying along the bottom, still has his head in my pelvic bone on the right side. Baby B is our flip flopper, but is vertex (up and down) on the right and baby C is like a crescent on the upper left side. They now roll a lot verses kicking. Each appointment I get scanned with ultrasound, but they don’t measure or give us pictures anymore since the goal is to see fluid and movement. My blood pressure has been slowing increasing from the 120’s to the 130’s, but no one is concerned about it at this point. Yesterday’s was 135/64. This seems to be in the normal range, so the buns continue to bake in the oven. I’m still having a lot of trouble sleeping and up a lot in the bathroom, but that’s every pregnant woman. So, pretty much no new news other than my back hurts and my feet/hands continue to swell, which are hard to stand on. I did have the same issues when I was pregnant with the girls, so it’s no surprise. I think I wore slippers the last month or so. The good news is that if we can stretch to 34 or 35 weeks we can deliver closer to home at San Martin (maybe) hospital or Siena, which would be nice. The other great thing is that every day the boys are inside saves them about 2 in the NICU, which is why I hang on for more time despite the daily difficulties I have. I am hovering at gaining anywhere from 33 to 36 pounds and apparently it’s fattening up the babies which is all good. I step on the scale every day. One day it’s more, one day it’s less.

We received some beautiful afghans from the Harrah’s Reno hotel crew as well as some really nice blankets made with lots ‘o love from Celia and Fred Colvin in Alaska. In addition, we received the “duo” stroller (we are going with 2 of them since we usually have more than one of us going somewhere at a time) that Bunny and Bill had ordered for us. Laura Besiada also gave us 2 dressers that will save few bucks. I’m sorry to see her move to Florida, but appreciate that we don’t have to buy more furniture. I think we’ll change the drawer pulls to something boy and we’ll be good to go. So the nursery is coming together and we’ve taken a true inventory of the things we have which is now posted in the “Updated list of baby items” right behind this post. The only things we didn’t account for are some used clothing I bought for both newborn and preemie on ebay. There’s just too many of one of this and that it would take forever to list. Thank you to everyone for your generosity and kindness. We cannot find the words to express just how much it means to us to not have to do it alone.

We are continuing to put our budget together and figure that we will use 1 can of formula and 20 or so preemie diapers per day, which is $27.00 per DAY for babies, not counting anything else. Hopefully when they get a little bigger we can buy larger diapers at Costco for much less. So….life is going to change for us big time in a financial way. I think Chip worries the most about that. Both of us are looking at it from every angle often to ensure we are accounting for everything. 3 kids at once along with 2 others is VERY scary.

The girls are back in school this week. Kaitlyn started 6th grade at the middle school which is a whole new experience and makes me feel old! She’s loving all the options and new things. Her biggest thing has been no more uniforms. This year she picked her own clothes. I carried the checkbook and the girls pushed me in a wheelchair at the mall. Totally uncool, but that’s what it took to school shop this year. Gillian began 3rd grade and now has the elementary school to herself. She’s still in uniforms and had fun picking new clothes too. The girls are also both busy with gymnastics, girl scouts and Gillian started fall soccer in the last couple of weeks. Don’t even ask how we’re going to do all the running when the boys come. Their dad has been really helpful, so hopefully that will continue. Both girls are really excited…we all are excited. We are seeing the girls become more independent and helping us around the house. I can’t believe how big they are, but it makes me proud that they can pitch in where needed. Today they are going to help Chip put the duo stroller together. They have all the pieces laid out and ready to go as soon as Chip is done watching the Michigan game (first of the season, against Appalachian State). They’ve helped me keep count of the baby stuff too and were awesome at putting the nursery stuff together from Abby (THANK YOU ABBY).

Happy 26th Anniversary to my mom and dad on August 31, can’t believe it’s been a year since the big party. 🙂

IF WE GO INTO LABOR….the plan right now is to call one person from each side of the family and then have them get information out. If my mom isn’t here already, we’ll call her, but if she’s here, we’ll plan to call Kristy on my side and Bunny on Chip’s side to pass the word on. I’m putting together a list of people to call/email when the big event happens. If you want us to add you to our email list, please let me know via email at sherri@metaforge.net

I’ll try to post on Tuesday, but if not, I’ll post on Thursday, which will be 33 weeks….WOO HOO!