I know I never blog on the weekends. But in the hospital, every day feels just like the one before.
We were really hoping to be able to go home this weekend, but the girls aren’t gaining as much weight as the Dr wants. They managed to escape many of the inflictions that many 35 weekers have, but they’re just lazy eaters! We keep telling them not to worry about their figures, but it’s not helping. 🙂
Today they’re both getting a tiny GN tube down their noses to help them gain a little weight and strength to go home… hopefully in the next few days! We’re so close! The tube is no big deal really. It’ll just make them look a little sicker than they really are, but that’s a small price to pay! The most important thing is that they’re healthy and hefty!
Each afternoon, the girls get to have a playdate in each others’ bassinet. It’s the MOST adorable thing to watch them look at each other and touch each others’ face. The interaction is priceless, and we feel it’s necessary for them to keep their twin-bond.
Nick and I spend every moment at the hospital, escaping only a couple times in the last 8 days. If we’re not feeding them (every 3 hours) we’re either watching them sleep (kinda creepy, I know), or talking about them, or thinking about them… or pumping. I could write an entire post about the adventures of pumping, but I’m sure all three of our readers wouldn’t appreciate the details of my nipple dysfunction. We’re I’m still working on it though! Things are looking up! (While my boobs are unmistakably looking DOWN)
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Congratulations! I have been following your blog for about 10 months but this is my first comment. So happy for your family, my husband and I had fertility problems as well and conceived our son via IUI and were pleasantly surprised to have our second son 17 months later. Being a twin my self, your daughters will have best friends forever with each other. I wish the best for you all you deserve it. You daughters are beautiful and I look forward to many more wonderful updates.
I am looking forward to seeing pictures of you and the girls in their own room.
Our little boys both had to have feeding tubes as well and they also decided when they were finished with them!! (they both pulled them out and shortly there after came home) I remember the many days we spent with them in the NICU but to be honest it was the best “intro to Motherhood” I could have ever gotten and made being a new mother to not just one but two babies so much better! so soak it up and before you know it they will be home!!!
Congratulations! I hope they get to come home soon. Our little girl has been home about 2 weeks after being in the NICU for over 2 months. It is not a fun place to be. Hope the pumping is going well. After pumping for 2 months for her, I would say my biggest advice is work really hard to relax and drink a beer every evening. No joke. The hops in beer has majorly helped my supply. The days I don’t have a beer, I notice I definite drop in my milk. I stopped drinking beer for awhile and thought my supply was drying up, switched back to beer and no problems since then. Hope they start nursing consistently for you. It’s way easier and simpler than pumping.
Don’t give up! It took me almost 2 months to breastfeed ( I was cracked, blistered, bleeding) my LO who was born at 34 weeks, she wouldn’t latch so I had to pump and pump and supplement. Supplementing as her dr suggested really hindered my supply and it took me those two months of pumping every 2 hours to get everything on track. But lansinoh and use it, just don’t give up! I promise it will get easier!! It just takes time! So proud of you, its the best for your babes! Beautiful girls! Good job momma!
So glad to hear the girls are doing well. Having NICU babies is definetly a rollercoaster ride in the beginning. I have been in your shoes and know exactly what it is like. My daughter was 5 weeks early as well and spent 12 days in the NICU. Mostly to gain weight. I was strictly breastfeeding and pumping. They also had the GN tube in and would supplement her with breastmilk when she was too lazy and tired to nurse. We then started feeding her breastmilk in a bottle as she could eat it faster and it didn’t take as much work. That was the trick and two days of successful weight gaining and then we got to go home. I went back to solely nursing at home and nursed for over a year. Breastfeeding is such a great bonding with your daughters and with pumping just remember you are the ONLY one that can provide this for them and it is so beneficial especially for NICU babies. There is NOTHING better. Good Luck to you guys. Hope you get to go home soon. Thanks for letting us all be apart of your wonderful miracle. Lets the rest of us know there is hope for us!
I’m sorry to hear about the girls up north. 🙂
Beth, I’m so happy for both of u and the girls are just perfect and beautiful. May many more joyful days comes your way and family. Congratulation!
They are so adorable, congrats you guys. Have nipple problems try using the shield … it works wonders.
I am so Happy for you guys and the girls! I can’t wait to see them sometime! I have to give you tons of credit for breast feeding and pumping. I didn’t try it and I wish I would have because we had a hard time finding a good formula for our little guy. At least the brest milk would have been a perfect match for him. Maybe next time : ) Have fun and enjoy every minute with your little ones!
They are beautiful and will catch onto the gloriousness that is eating, soon! Hang in there mom and dad.
Hope u’re gonna go home quickly and start the adventure….yay 🙂 sending you lots of love from little country named Slovenia***
so happy for you guys!!!!! i can’t wait to hold them!!!! yesterday at the Mtown library i was looking at their books they had for sale for $1, and one of them was about the cool things about twins! i totally thought of you guys 🙂 good job with the pumping btw! not the most enjoyable, but breastmilk is soooooooooooooo good for them! will you be able to breastfeed after they leave the hospital or stick with pumping? praying for you guys!!! love their names too! 🙂
aww that is so cute they have a playdate! PRaying your little babies get to come home soon!! Gain weight babies gain weight!!!
It’s great that your girls are doing so well! The GN tube is no big deal at all and it will go away quickly. The girls may hate it though and try to pull it out but they usually secure it pretty well with the tape 🙂
Pumping was a pain in the butt for me as well but it was easier for me physically than actually breastfeeding my twins. I only breastfed for two months though. We all got sick and it’s crazy how fast you can dry up!
Bassinet playdates are soo important for twins! Before the whole SIDS craze, NICUs actually used to keep twins in the same bassinet at all times, but then they found out that it can possibly slightly increase the risk of SIDS so they stopped.
Our twins also had playdates and it was absolutely amazing how well my son’s stats got when he was next to his sister!