Progress Report

Our babies turned 10 days old this morning. They are all still in the NICU, but they're all doing well. So is Jo Ann. Her recovery is going much better than I expected, guess I shouldn't be surprised. She's done remarkably well since the very beginning and she doesn't even complain all the time. Price is just getting over some issues with spitting up, so he's a little behind the curve with the weight gain. He doesn't seem to be 100% in love with the bottle thing just yet. On the other hand Carter is still the smallest, but he's closing fast. He's eating like a hostage; it's so hilarious to watch. His feeding schedule and amount has been bumped up to the same as Finn, who is the biggest. Preemies often have a little trouble with apnea of prematurity, or AOP, and unfortunately Finn is no exception. He had an apnic episode last week so his discharge was delayed for 5 days. He was supposed to come home today, but he had another one yesterday afternoon. So we start counting down all over again. The Dr.'s and nurses assure us this is normal and nothing to worry about, preterm babies usually outgrow it by week 35 or 36. But it's very nerve-racking for a parent. In a nutshell, the preemies' underdeveloped CNS occasionally 'forgets' to tell the lungs to continue breathing. If the breathing cessation lasts for 20 seconds, the respiration monitor sets off an alarm. The nurse then goes to the crib and taps the baby's feet and his breathing is restored. That's what is reported as an 'apnic episode', thereby delaying the baby's discharge. Anna Claire is quietly and steadily improving. Her progress, while not the quickest, seems to be the most consistent of all. It may be too soon to tell what these babies will be like, but it seems that their personalities are already emerging right before our eyes. I don't think Anna Claire is going to be outnumbered at all. In fact, we may need some more boys.