Greetings from the NICU. Well, here we are almost 8 weeks in. It seems like every day this week has been a day we have some laughs, shed some tears, and then start all over again. The girls continue to amaze, delight, confuse, worry, (and any other verb you want to throw in there) us, but every day we learn something new about who they are. 

We had a long week with Brenna.  Recovery from her PDA ligation has taken a little longer than we had anticipated. She hasn’t been herself; very swollen, easily agitated, and overall just not a happy camper. As if trying to recover from surgery wasn’t bad enough, the doctors discovered a small stress fracture in her left arm, just above the wrist. Babies usually get most of their calcium in the third trimesters, which we missed. And whatever she did get, she had to split three ways with her sisters. They have bumped up her calcium, and we just need to let it heal. The fractured wrist pared with the vent tube down her throat may explain why she’s been so cranky. Much to the relief of her mommy and daddy, her vent tube came out Saturday morning and she is back on Vapotherm (nose prongs) like her sisters. The first 3 hours we weren’t sure she was going to stay on it for long with some high CO2 levels, but we just needed to give her some time to adjust. Her color is looking very good, she’s tipping the scales at 3lbs 2oz,  and there is a night and day difference in her attitude. She seems like our sweet little Brenna again, we missed our little girl.  While she seems to be feeling okay, we've learned there may be some other issues that mis Brenna may be struggling with.  On Sunday, some routine tests came back and they suggested she may be getting an infection (a very scary word for such a little baby).  Preliminary cultures of her spinal fluid came back normal however we are still waiting for the blood and urine results.  Additionally, Brenna's tummy turned bright red early Monday morning.  X-rays were ordered and it appears her intestines aren't very happy right now.  We pray this isn't a return of her earlier stomach issues.  So again, Brenna has had the small amount of milk she was getting taken away until we can figure out what is going on.  Please pray for our tough little girl.  She has had to (and continues to) deal with far more than she deserves and mommy and daddy just want her to get a break from all the surgeries and illnesses so she can catch up with her sisters.  We will keep you posted on what we find out.  This tiny baby is absolutely amazing.

Brenna, now without vent tube!

I don’t know what to say about Anna and Lucy except WOW! During some of our conversations with nurses last week, it’s become apparent they are not acting like typical 25 week babies. Both girls have grown so much in such a short amount of time. Typically, once they hit 3lbs and are able to hold their body temperatures stable, they can move to cribs. Anna is weighing in at 3lbs even, Lucy at 2lbs 14, so they are both getting close. We’ve been dressing them in layers, and steadily decreasing the temperature in their beds to prepare them for jailbreak. Both girls are doing very well on their respiratory as well as feedings. Lucy has been given the go ahead to start nuzzling with Mommy to simulate breastfeeding, and so far she has done very well with it. She may have accidently got some of the “real deal” the other day. Feeding can be an issue with micro-preemie babies, so to see her interested already is a step in the right direction.

That’s where we stand for now. As always, all of your prayers are appreciated. Every time we sit down to write, something else comes up, so apologies on the gap between updates. There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day between diapers, feedings, doctors and everything else that goes on here. Until next time, God Bless.

In His name,

Brad, Angie, Anna, Brenna, and Lucy Kamps