The Routine

Fun with babies!

 2:30
 5:30
 8:30
11:30
AM & PM

Our lives for the last nine days have been chunked into little segments that revolve around these times.  Feedings for the girls happen every three hours.  Katy takes one, I take the other.  We're getting to know most of the staff here.  We get a lot more Hellos in the hallways and have seen some nurses for three night shifts in a row who have then had off for four or five days who return refreshed to work and seem like old friends.

More fun with babies!

For the last couple of days, the strategy with Zora has been to not try to breast or bottle feed her at each feeding because the doctors thought it was tiring her out.  So now at one feeding, Katy breast or bottle feeds, and then at the next one, I feed her through the NG (nasogastric feeding tube through her nose).  She has started to respond to this by increasing the amount of food she's been taking in and finally by gaining a little weight.  Wednesday night we were told that she had gained 1 ounce that day and then last night, we were told, it was 50 grams, then tonight 2 more ounces (30 grams = 1 ounce).  So, we're heading in the right direction.  It sounds like she needs to continue gaining weight and then after a few more days of that, she will have to continue gaining weight without the use of the NG tube.   So we still have a little ways to go.

Celebrating the Phillies' opening day win

Noemi has been doing alright.  Until early afternoon, she had strung a handful of feedings together where she was taking in less and less - which was worrisome.  But the last few feedings, she has perked back up and started eating more again. 

One of the big issues in our stay at the hospital has been that Noemi really needs to go see her pediatrician.  Typically, I've learned, new parents are supposed to take newborns in for a checkup around day 3 and then again day 14.  Because she's been discharged from this hospital, she can't be seen by pediatricians here - even though the place is crawling with them.  To get Noemi to our pediatrician, we'd, of course, have to take her off this floor, which would mean that she wouldn't be allowed back in the same room that Zora is in - the NYI (intermediate nursery).  We've been trying to problem-solve with the doctors here. They've mostly been very understanding.  Today, though, a doctor that I hadn't met before who has jurisdiction over the NYI this week, said that she is going to need to go see her pediatrician on Monday or Tuesday - even if that means leaving.  Hm...  Not, what we wanted to hear.  Our pediatrician has been wonderful - calling to check in on Noemi and us.  Being supportive over the phone.  So today I called asking if there was a chance that she does house calls and could come up here sometime soon to check out Noemi.  Her assistant, who I talked to first wouldn't say either way, but Dr. Suzanne Holbrook called back mid-afternoon today and said that she'd be happy to come up tomorrow.  Which is a great relief for us.

Baby cart/Shopping cart

Who knows how long we'll be here in the 2:30-5:30-8:30-11:30 routine.  Gina has started the Meal Train back up - we originally put it on hold when we realized that we would be in the hospital for a few days - waiting til we got out of here.  We've had friends bring some dishes by, which has been wonderful.  The hospital cafeteria food isn't bad, just not all that healthy nor does it vary very much.  Yesterday we decided that we should reboot the Meal Train, so it begins again on Saturday.  Yay!