Monday, May 17, 2010

Just a Tiny Update

Hehe. OK, so both of the little guys had a great day. Penelope is now on a device called a Vapotherm. It's essentially a heated and thoroughly humidified oxygen feed through a tiny nasal cannula. Frankly, that is absolutely amazing. She may very well wind up back on the CPAP but in the meantime she is enjoying a bit of time with a lot less bulk on her head. You can actually see her little face all the time now.

Isaak had a followup echocardiogram this evening to examine his Patent Ductus Arteriosus. The results reveal that he still has a small PDA. Yep, small. Previously it was classified as large so this is definite improvement. Little guy does not have any of the most concerning symptoms so the plan is to observe him and hope that A) It does not grow and B) It heals on its own. If symptoms worsen, the possibilities include another round of neoprofen treatment or, as mentioned before, surgery. He is still on SiPAP but is doing very well and is pretty much staying on room air concentrations. The transfusion really did wonders for these little guys. They will probably need another in a week or two, but it's really nice to visit them and not have constant monitor alarms going off.

Both babies are back on breast milk. Penny is up to 14ml and they have doubled the HMF in her feeds. This provides extra vitamins and calories and hopefully will spur additional weight gain. Isaak was already back up to 7ml this evening (remember that stopped his feeds for the neoprofen dosing) and will likely be bumped again tomorrow.

6 comments:

  1. HAPPY DANCE! What wonderfully, amazingly, shockingly strong and determined little ones. (And Neil, your pun was... well... it WAS, is all.)

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  2. YIPPEE!!! Nana and Papaw love hearing good news about the twins!! We're also VERY thankful for all the medical personnel taking care of them. We love and appreciate each one of them.

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  3. I shared the video where I volunteered of Penny, they loved it. Looking forward to hearing more good news. Love you guys so much and my little niece and nephew:) amanda

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  4. This is really good news! I thought the transfusions would give them a tremendous boost, but it's so nice to read that they have. A small PDA - what a huge change - excellent! I know it must be nerve wracking for you, but these are really positive steps.
    If you would like to connect with other parents of preemies, visit the March of Dimes community called Share Your Story: http://www.shareyourstory.org/ Lots of parents have found it very supportive.

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  5. Thinking of you all constantly! Brandi

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