Better Late Than Never... 1st Birthday Pics

Sorry these are late friends! Enjoy the pictures.

Preemie Parent Conference This Sunday!

This is just a friendly reminder to my fellow NICU/Preemie Parents out there about the upcoming Parent Conference. It is this Sunday.  I will be attending and I hope to see you there. Check out the website for information about the different sessions offered. They also sound pretty interesting. http://www.preemiestoday.org/pages/2013_conference.php

Sleep Study and ABR Test Results

Abigail's sleep study went well. My husband Dan took her Sunday night. The study was at Mt. Washington Pediatric  Hospital in Baltimore. They had to arrive at 8:30 PM and the study was over at about 5:30 AM the next morning. She was hooked up to several leads during the study.  I honesty have no idea how she was able to sleep through all of it. She only woke up once around 2, but was able to go back to sleep. She is such a trooper! 

It is our hope that she will pass her sleep study so she can be off of her oxygen for good. She is currently only using it at night time. The nurse that administered the test said she did great and she thought she didn't need oxygen. Just like with any test we now have to wait around for the results. Hopefully the doctor calls us back with good news. Keep your fingers crossed! I will post the results once we find out more info.

Now on to Elizabeth. Elizabeth had an ABR test done today. It's a brain response test that checks hearing. Elizabeth did not pass her hearing test in the NICU. She has been followed by an Audiologist at Hopkins since her discharge and they have done several test in their office to check on her hearing. Her Audiologist was worried about her hearing in her left ear. The test takes about an hour to complete and you have to be under full anesthesia. 

The results were good. Her hearing in her right ear is normal. Her hearing in her left is a just below the normal range. As I expected her small amount of hearing loss is related to her cerebral palsy on her left side. 

This has been some week and it's only Tuesday! Tomorrow Abigail has an appointment with her pulmonary doctor and Thursday they get their first dose of the RSV vaccine and the flu booster. 

The first pic is of Abigail getting her sleep study and the second pic is of Elizabeth in the recovery room after her ABR test. My little girls are so strong! 

Oh the crazy life of micro preemies! 

Kangaroo Care

This time last year I was looking forward to the time I could do kangaroo care with Abigail and Elizabeth. I would see other moms doing it and I couldn't wait. The kangaroo hold is a safe way for moms to hold their preemie babies. The baby is placed on the chest on direct skin. The baby only wears a diaper so they can feel your skin. It is a wonderful time for a mom to bond with her baby, but it is also beneficial for the baby. The skin-to-skin helps comfort the baby and can even help with stabilizing their heart rate and breathing patterns. Elizabeth was about 3 weeks old before I could hold her and Abigail was about 6. I can still remember the first time I got to do the kangaroo hold with them. I was nervous because they were so small, but it also felt amazing to hold them for the first time.  

I encourage any new preemie/NICU moms to take part in kangaroo care. If is a great way to help you feel connected to your baby and you are giving something special to your baby that only you can give.  At times it can feel like there isn't much you can do for them because the nurses do so much, but kangaroo care is something special you can do.

Holding Elizabeth for the first time

Holding Abigail for the first time 

I recently heard...

In the last few weeks I had two different friends of mine tell me that they have a friend that just had a baby born premature. One of those babies was born at 3 pounds. My heart hurts when I hear these stories because I know what is ahead for those parents. 

I pray for those who are experiencing the life in the NICU. It is a hard road. Just remember to take one day at a time. 

Our Visit to the Orthopedic

This week the girls went to a new doctor. They had an appointment with the orthopedic at Kennedy Kreiger.  Liz will be getting an orthotic for her leg. The orthotic is called an APO. It will help to keep her foot flat because when she stands she points her toes on her left side due to her CP.  She will also continue to wear her hand brace. The doctor also ordered a hip X-ray. He said people with CP have an increased risk of their hip popping out of socket.  Her hip looks great now, but they wanted a baseline for the future. She will get another X-ray of her hip in 6 months. I am taking Liz on Friday to get fitted for her orthotic so more pictures to come.  Abigail looked great. The doctor was impressed that she can grab things with her feet and can bring it up to her hands. Silly girl! She has monkey feet! 

This brings our doctor total to...8 doctors. 

An on a side note the girls RSV vaccine is in so they will be getting that this week.  :) 

One Foot Two Foot...

One of the girls NICU nurses made this cute Halloween card for me when the girls were in the hospital. It was left by Elizabeth's bedside for me to find as a surprise.  The girls were only a few days old when it was done. You can tell how little they were from the size of their feet. 

I made a new picture with their footprints this year to go along with their lady bug themed birthday. 

Check out how big their feet got in one year! Abigail is 4 pounds smaller than Elizabeth, but her feet are just as big. :) 

*Pictures from their birthday party are coming. I am a little behind... sorry friends!