You Know You Have a Preemie When...

Cooper in his "big boy" clothes!

So this is probably true for mom's of all newborns, but especially with preemies...You know you have a preemie when the most exciting part of your day is when your baby poops!  After several days, Kinley finally pooped today (without any "help"!)  With all of the tummy issues she has been having, this was very exciting and a good sign.  Sandy was back today and she decided to give Kinley until about 3:30 this afternoon before she was going to request a suppository to help her out.  At 3:15, we went to check her diaper and we both did a happy dance!  

Her residuals have remained about the same (3-4 cc's) even though they have increased her feeds.  In the best circumstances, we would love to see 0, but we'll take it for now and hope they decrease and she continues to keep things moving!   Again, your continued prayers are so very appreciated!

We finally got around to taking up Cooper some real baby clothes yesterday and he looked so cute in his onesie!  He looks like a newborn now and just keeps packing on the weight!  I joked today that he will outgrow his preemie clothes by next week, but I think that may actually happen, and we will be thrilled if it does!  It looks like he may even be able to start trying out a bottle in another week or two.  

Overall, today was out best day of the week yet, and we hope and pray that tomorrow will be even better!

More Updates

I have come to accept that most likely, for the rest of my life, Kinley is going to stress her momma out more than either of our other 2 children!  We got some more good news yesterday, but we still have a few concerns as well.  First, her echocardiogram came back normal and overall they were very pleased with the improved function of her heart.  For this, we are very grateful!  Yesterday morning they ran some labs and her potassium was low as well as her hemoglobin and hematocrit.  They gave her some potassium through her IV and into her fluids.  She also got another blood transfusion.  We still do not know for sure if this was the cause of her lower resting heart rate, but it seems to be a little bit higher right now.  

Our other concern right now is still her tummy and feeding issues.  Overnight, she seemed to do well and did not have many residuals (left over milk in her tummy after feedings); however, she did have some after her 9:00 feed this morning.  They re-fed it, and so far she seems to be digesting it.  We really, really want her to do better with these feedings and tolerate them well so they can start to increase the amounts and she can grow!  Please say lots of prayers that her tummy will "normalize" and she can get back to regular feeds quickly.  

They decided to try Cooper off of his nasal cannula today, and while he did okay for a little bit, they decided to put him back on because he was having too many dips in his heart rate and desaturations.  The good news is that even on the cannula, he is on the lowest amount of oxygen they can give him, so he is requiring only a tiny bit of support.  

Please keep the prayers coming our way, we thank God every day for each of you!

Good News for Kinley (But Keep on Prayin'!)

First off, as always, thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers!  Kinley did have some positive news today...the best of which being that she was extubated this morning and is now back on CPAP.  Her extubation went well, and her oxygen saturations have looked pretty good so far.  Her resting heart rate however has been running on the lower side ever since her "episode" yesterday evening.  It is not dangerously low, but is not quite normal for a baby her gestational age.  Our doctors were very honest with us and admitted that they are a little confused by this and cannot pinpoint a cause.  They consulted with cardiology who came out to look at her and they are not overly concerned.  Her EKG was normal and her circulation looks good.  She is also behaving very appropriately and got more than a little ticked off each time she was being "messed with" today, which is a positive sign.  They also did a brain ultrasound today to rule out neurology issues and, praise God, it also came back normal.    They will do an echocardiogram tomorrow to 1. follow up on her PDA ligation, and 2. check for any other signs that could explain her lower heart rate.  While we are very pleased that there are no "glaring" issues right now, we also want to be sure we are not missing anything.  Please pray that this is just a minor issue that will resolve quickly so Kinley can continue to improve and grow, and her Mommy, Daddy, and the rest of her family and friends can breathe a little easier!  

As far as her belly issues go, they stopped feeds completely last night and she is still currently on IV fluids and nutrition.  They basically started all over again with trophic feeds of breast milk today of just 3 mLs per feeding.  They are going to increase her feedings very slowly in hopes that her tummy just needs more time to adjust.  Please also pray for this concern as well.  

Cooper is having fewer dips in the heart rate and desaturations every day and is now over 4 pounds!  We are so thankful for how well he is doing and continue to pray for him to keep it up.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have great news for both babies...thank you again!

More Prayers Needed for Kinley

I will keep this update short and sweet but Kinley needs more prayers right now.  This afternoon, she had a pretty significant bradycardia and desaturation episode...enough that she had to be bagged for a few minutes, but thankfully they were able to stabilize her.  They did another x-ray of her abdomen that showed that her breathing tube and feeding tube were not in the optimal position, so they are hoping that this explains her episode.  Her abdomen was also more distended than they would like, so they are holding her feeds for now and starting IV nutrition.  We are trying very hard to stay positive, but it is hard seeing our sweet girl have to jump over so many hurdles and we are ready for her to start getting better and bigger.  Please say some extra prayers for Kinley and for our family!  

Cooper is still doing great and is behaving so our doctors can take extra special care of his sister.  Thank you so much for your prayers!

Weekend Update

Look Mom and Dad...no CPAP!

Cooper ready to eat again!

It's been a busy few days for the Murphy family.  Cooper is still doing fairly well, though he has started to have a few more As and Bs and oxygen desaturations since he went off CPAP.  Right now, they seem to be occurring either during or soon after his feedings.  It could be that he may have a little bit of reflux, or something else, so for now they are going to keep an extra close eye on him.  He is just getting bigger and bigger and now weighs 3 pounds 14 ounces!  Prayers that his As and Bs will improve and that he can stay off of CPAP.

Kinley has had an interesting few days.  On Friday morning, she decided to extubate herself (pull out her own breathing tube)!  At first, she did fine and her heart rate and oxygen saturation were acceptable, so they thought they would try to put her back on CPAP.  Unfortunately, she just wasn't ready and got very tired pretty quickly, so they had to re-intubate her.  Her airway was also a little swollen, so before they proceed with a "planned" extubation, they will give her some steroids decrease the swelling and try to help things go a little more smoothly.  

Kinley also started to have some tummy issues last night.  The nurse noticed that her belly was pretty bloated so they did an x-ray that showed a moderate amount of gas in her belly.  They said that this is common after surgery, especially after having morphine because it can slow down the digestive tract and keep things from moving along as they should.  To help with this, they decreased her feedings, and she seems to have shown a little bit of improvement.  She is now completely off of pain meds, so hopefully, they will be able to very gradually increase her feeds back up and she can get back to a normal tummy soon.  The tummy issues could prolong her extubation plans a little bit, because they will not give her steroids until all of those issues are under control.  They will re-assess her this afternoon/evening and decide on the best course of action to take from here.  We are hoping she will be back on CPAP by somewhere around Tuesday.  Please pray for these issues to resolve and for her next extubation to be planned out well and smooth!

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers! 

A Milestone Day

Kinley has gotten LOTS of attention lately, so today, for a change, I am going to start with Cooper.  Cooper had a very big day today!!  Early this afternoon, they took him off of CPAP, so he is breathing completely on his own with a nasal cannula for a little extra oxygen.  The only "dips" he has had in his heart rate have been during feedings...so far he has be doing an awesome job and we are so proud of him!  There is always a chance he may need to go back on CPAP for a little while, but even if he does, this is a huge step for him.  He LOVES not having the prongs in his nose and the tubes pulling on his face all of the time.  We really got a chance to see what he looks like today and I have to say, he is his father's son!  I am hoping to post pictures of him in his new "home" in the next day or two.  I got to hold him for a few minutes today and it was so wonderful to be able to cuddle closer with him!  

Cooper also got to move from his covered isolette to an open "big boy" crib today!  He gets to wear clothes now and be swaddled, which he also loves.  In addition, he graduated to "regular" preemie sized diapers...real Pampers!  It was so great to see him handle all of these changes so well and was just what we needed after such a challenging week.  Thank you for all of your prayers for Cooper, we just know he will keep this up!

Kinley is still recovering and improving since her surgery on Tuesday.  Her heart ultrasound after her procedure showed a completely closed duct with no blood flow through it.  Her heart is having to work differently to adjust to the change, so she is still getting used to that.  So far, the doctors have told us everything she has shown us since the surgery is typical and what they expect to see after a PDA ligation.  In the next day or so, she should be starting to show us some real improvement.

Initially, they had her on pain meds every 4 hours, but today changed her to every 6, and then to "as needed".  If you're like me, you may be wondering how one is to know when such a young baby needs pain meds.  Basically, they watch her heart rate and her oxygen saturation very carefully, especially when they are "messing" with her to change her diaper, reposition her, or assess her.  Usually, if she is in pain, she will desaturate, or drop her oxygen levels and her heart rate will increase.  You can also actually get a really good idea by just looking at her.  It is pretty apparent if she is resting comfortably or not.  Our nurse for the past two days, Bridgette (another favorite), has been very good about making sure Kinley gets her pain meds when she needs them.  Interestingly enough, Bridgette was Sandy's preceptor (trainer) when she moved to Texas Children's and I truly believe they are two of the best nurses in the hospital!  We love it when they don't work on the same day, because it means we get to have each of them, and they both have been a huge blessing!

Because Kinley is still on pain meds, she is still intubated with a breathing tube.  The pain medication is very sedating and can cause her to forget to breathe.  We are hopeful that tomorrow her pain levels will have decreased enough to be able to extubate her and get her back on CPAP.

Another big thing we will be watching closely is how Kinley tolerates her feeds over the next few days.  They started her back on very small amounts breast milk this afternoon, and will increase the amount over the next few days as longs as she is tolerating them.  In the meantime, she is getting IV fluids to keep her hydrated.  

Overall, it has been a very good day.  All of your prayers have made a huge impact!  Please pray for Kinley to continue to recover well and for Cooper to keep up all of his great "work".  As always, thank you!

Successful Surgery for Kinley

It has definitely been a long day for our family, but a very successful one as well.  Kinley had her PDA ligation surgery this afternoon and is doing great!  We had a wonderful cardiothoracic surgeon and he said it went as well as it could have gone.  Her duct was large (as they expected), which confirmed that they made the right decision.  They next few days could be a little rough for her as she adjusts to the new flow in her heart, but we have every reason to believe that she will continue to do great and really start growing and improving after she recovers.  They are keeping an eye on her aorta, which showed a possible slight "narrowing" on her echo this morning, but don't suspect that it should cause any major problems.  We were incredibly blessed that Sandy, our favorite primary nurse, was here today and she was a tremendous help in keeping us calm!  We talked several times today about how fortunate we are to be at one of the best hospitals and working with some of the top doctors in the country, it truly is incredible!  We are truly amazed and thankful for God's grace and goodness and we could definitely feel all of the prayers today!  

Cooper also did a great job today.  Sandy was sure he knew what was going on and was extra quiet today so they could focus on his sister.  He is continuing to grow and weighed in at 3 pounds, 9 ounces today!!!  It's very interesting how you can already see the differences in both of their personalities already.  Even new doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists that spend 5 minutes with them comment on how laid back he is and how feisty she is!  As Brian loves to tell Kinley, "be more like your brothers and less like your mother!"  

Again, thank you so much for all of the extra prayers and support today, we love you all!

Surgery for Kinley on Tuesday

This afternoon we finally found out that Kinley's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.  She is the second surgery scheduled for our particular surgeon, so we do not have an exact time, but I will post more information as soon as we know.  I spoke with the cardiac surgeon who will be performing her procedure this afternoon, and he seemed very positive and confident about the surgery.  We will definitely be nervous tomorrow, but we have been praying for all of our doctors to make the right decisions and feel confident that this is what is best for Kinley.  To prepare for the surgery, Kinley will stop her feeds tonight and receive fluids through her IV.  She will also have another blood transfusion to make sure she has enough red blood cells for the surgery.  Please pray for Kinley, all of the doctors and surgeons, and our family as we face these next few days.

On another note, Cooper is still doing great and getting bigger everyday!  Please say prayers that he will continue to be a "good" boy!

PDA Surgery Planned

We got to speak with the doctors about Kinley's heart ultrasound she had done yesterday, and it still shows a large PDA.  Our current physician, Dr. Premkumar consulted with our previous attending, Dr. Mandy to make the decision regarding whether or not to do surgery, because Dr. Mandy will be back with us in September. (Yay!)  Both doctors agreed that she needs to have the surgery done to ligate, or close her duct, and it will be sometime next week.  We don't know a specific day yet, but are hoping it will be earlier in the week.  While we are very concerned about our little girl and know it will be a tough few days, we are hopeful that this surgery is exactly what she needs and will help her do much better afterward.

We do not have many more details at this time, but once the surgery is scheduled will learn more and I will share what we know.  In the meantime, Kinley is still stable, and both she and Cooper had a good day today. Please start praying for a successful surgery!  Thank you!

Quick Update

Thank you all so much for your prayers for Kinley, they are helping!  She did have a much better day today and seems to have stabilized some, though she did still have a few As and Bs.  There were not nearly as many as yesterday though, so we are hoping that she will have a good night tonight.  They decided to do an ultrasound of her heart today, but unfortunately, we did not get the report back in time today for them to make a decision about the surgery.  So right now, we do not know too much information.  Hopefully tomorrow morning we will know more and the doctors can make the best decision for Kinley.

I did get to hold Cooper today for a few hours and of course that helped a lot!  He had another good day and hopefully he too, will have a good night!

Please keep the prayers up, I will update as soon as I know more!

Prayers for Kinley

Since I posted this morning, we have continued to have a day full of ups and downs.  Kinley responded well to her blood transfusion and her red blood cell count is up, but she has continued to have numerous As and Bs throughout the day that have frequently required stimulation.  Unfortunately, these do not follow her normal pattern and have caught the attention of our doctors.  It is very tricky with NICU babies to pinpoint the cause of these problems because there are so many variables.  The first, is her anemia; they did treat it today and it was in many terms successful, but giving a blood transfusion also increases blood volume which can put additional stress on the heart.  They also did a chest x-ray that showed 'hazy lungs", which means she has some fluid on her lungs that is also most likely because of additional blood volume.  The second variable is her PDA.  Her heart is already having to work harder than normal, and bringing on more blood volume could have triggered her episodes today.  We do not know for sure if this is the case; it could be that the PDA itself is finally taking its toll and she is now getting tired and starting to show more symptoms.  The third most common possibility is infection.  They did a CBC earlier today, and given the results, do not feel that infection is very likely right now and are holding off on a sepsis work up for now.

So where does that leave us?  At this point, our attending feels that most likely all of her issues today are more than likely from her PDA.  They are going to watch her very closely tonight and then tomorrow during rounds will start strongly discussing whether surgery to close her duct is necessary at this point.  I have very mixed emotions about this.  Part of me wants to hope that this is her problem and just get the surgery over with believing that it will do its job and take care of the majority of her issues. The other part of me knows that any surgery, especially heart surgery carries its own set of risks and really wants her to get better on her own.  Sandy and I talked a lot today and luckily, she has seen many babies get this surgery and do just fine.  Most of the time, they thrive afterward.  One bit of encouraging information was that they actually did PDA surgery today on a baby down the hall, who was only one week old and was born at 24 weeks, and so far, he is doing great.  Of course, when I talked to our attending today, he had to tell me that with all surgeries, especially heart surgeries, they have to weigh the benefits and the risks.  I keep having to remind myself that he definitely tends to stay on the conservative side and has to tell me these things.  Again, for the most part, both babies have had a relatively smooth stay so far, and it is very hard when we experience these bumps.  

Please, please pray for Kinley as well as our doctors to make the best decisions when it comes to her care.  Please also pray for Cooper to continue to do so well!  Brian and I (as well as the rest of our family) would also appreciate prayers for strength and peace.  We will keep you updated!

Phones That Go "Ring" in the Night

Nobody ever wants to receive a 2:00am phone call about their kids, but I always assumed I would have until at least the teen years to look forward to such things.  So, you can imagine my panic when the phone rang last night at 1:30 in the morning and I saw on my phone that it was Texas Children's.  It was our resident calling to tell me that Kinley had had a major A and B episode that lasted quite longer than her normal ones and that they wanted to go ahead and do a blood transfusion.  Luckily, we had talked about this during rounds on Monday and Tuesday, so we had prepared ourselves for this possibility and knew most of the details about the procedure.  Here is how our week has unfolded so far: 

On Monday, Kinley had some labs run that showed that she was anemic.  This is very common in preemies.  The good news was that her body was trying to make up for it by producing more red blood cells, so the doctor wanted to give her a chance to make more on her own.  On Tuesday during rounds, they noted that she had not gained any weight so they decided if on Wednesday (today) she was still not gaining as much weight as they liked, then they would do a blood transfusion at that time.  But of course, Kinley had other plans and told us that she needed one sooner.  After they called us, they gave her some blood early in the morning from about 3:00am to 5:00am and so far she is doing well.  Her color has already improved and she looks more pink.  She also has not had any major A and B episodes. 

At this time, they are checking her hemoglobin and hematocrit to see if she will need more blood.  They are also giving her a diuretic to help her get rid of some of the extra fluid she now has from the extra blood volume.   More than likely, her body was just working too hard to keep up with everything and hopefully the red blood cells will allow her to rest a little bit.  We are praying that she will have a much easier time after today. 

Cooper is still doing great and continuing to get bigger.  He is still eating well and pretty content most of the time.  He had another Occupational Therapy assessment and the therapist said he looked awesome!  We are so happy that we do not have anything more to report on him and pray that he will stay on this path!

No News is Good News

Our favorite nurse, Sandy!

I apologize for not posting much this week, but in the NICU world, no news is good news, and luckily, we have not had much new news to report. 

Both Cooper and Kinley are doing well.  Kinley has been steadily increasing her feeds this week and has done well.  Tuesday, she gave us a little bit of a scare because she kept spitting up her food back into her feeding tube, but on Wednesday she had her favorite nurse (Sandy) back and has done much better since then.   It truly amazes me that both babies do so much better when Sandy is our nurse.  She knows them so well now, and knows just what they need when they start "misbehaving".  Even our doctors commented on it and we all wish we could have her every day!

Tonight, Kinley will get her PICC line taken out and will be strictly on breast milk.  She has done a great job gaining weight this week and last night weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces.  Kinley and I did some Kangaroo time today and she loved it!  Her stats looked awesome the whole time she was on my chest and she usually sleeps really well after snuggling with Mommy!  On Monday, they will run several labs on her to check things like electrolytes and hemoglobin. Until then, we are hoping she will continue to tolerate her feeds well and praying for a quiet weekend.

Cooper is doing great!  He is maintaing his feedings and is just focusing on getting bigger!  Today, he weighed 2 pounds, 14 ounces and they are very pleased with his progress!  It won't be long before we have a 3 pound baby!  For the most part, Copper is a laid back little boy like his older brother, but he does not like all of the tubes or the CPAP prongs in his nose.  He has been known to pull out his feeding tube on multiple occasions, and has to have his hands held down when the nurses and respiratory therapists are working on his CPAP.  Cooper also got to do some Kangaroo time with me this week and loved it as well!  Feeling their tiny hands and feet against my neck and chest has quickly become one of my favorite things!  

As always, thank you for your unceasing prayers.  I know I say it every time, but we are so blessed and thankful for all of you!

Learning to Love Mondays

So there are not many people who truly look forward to Monday mornings, but over the past few weeks I have found myself feeling quite relieved when Monday morning rolls around.  First of all, Kinley and Cooper's birthday was on a Monday, so every Monday marks another week, which means today they are 2 weeks old!  Second, the Medical Center and the hospital are a little too still and quiet for me during the weekend, and while I don't love the traffic, I much prefer the hustle and bustle that Monday mornings and other weekdays bring with them!

As for the twins:

Kinley is in the process of increasing her feeds and trying to catch up with her brother.  She is up to 100 mLs per day (Cooper is at 150), and other than a little spit up is tolerating them well.  She continues to have a few As and Bs each day but they resolve quickly and on their own most of the time.  She is still on CPAP and is doing well at 21 percent oxygen, which is right where we want her!  As long as she stays the same and continues to tolerate her feeds, she will probably not have another ultrasound of her heart for another week or two.  

Cooper is also doing well and now is just maintaining his amount of feeds at 150 mLs per day.  I got to hold him for the first time on Saturday while Brian got to hold Kinley for the first time.  I held him again this afternoon and he did great both times!  He will also remain on his CPAP at 21% oxygen for another few weeks until his lungs mature a little bit more.  He also has had a few As and Bs but they have also mostly taken care of themselves and his heart rate comes back up pretty quickly.  

As I hope you can tell, all of your prayers are working so please keep them up!  Brian occasionally has to remind me that this is a marathon and not a sprint, but so far Kinley and Cooper (and most of the time me and Brian) seem to be keeping pace.  

New Month, New Team

With this post, I plan to update you on the babies, and then, if you care to read on, share a little bit of the in's and out's of the everyday drama in the NICU with the NICU medical team.  It gives me just a little bit else to talk about!

Update First

First, an update on each of the babies!  Cooper continues to do well.  He is continuing to slowly increase his feeds and seems to be tolerating them well.  He is trying to catch back up to his birth weight and weighed in last night at 2 pounds, 6.8 ounces.  They actually considered trying to take him off of CPAP today, but decided he wasn't quite ready and will give him a little more time.  Other than that, we have no real changes, which is great!

Kinley got her 4th and 5th doses of indomethacin that we were hoping would treat her PDA and close her duct.  Unfortunately, her echo yesterday showed that her duct is still open.  Her doctors have decided that for now, they will keep a close eye on her and repeat ultrasounds every week or so to see if it may close on its own.  Our doctor really doesn't want to jump to surgery, and as long as it doesn't seem to be placing her body under too much stress, they will wait.  So far, she is handling it well, so we are praying that she can hang in there and it will close on its own.  Kinley finally got to start true trophic (beginning) feeds yesterday and she is also tolerating those well.  Kinley had surpassed her birthweight and is now 1 pound, 13.6 ounces.

Both babies have had a few A's and B's, but they have been minimal and are not anything too unusual.

"Goodbye" and "Hello"

On the first of each month, the Texas Children's NICU rotates teams.  This means that on Tuesday we had to say "goodbye" to our initial team of doctors: Dr. Mandy, Dr. Lohmann, and Dr. Lui, who had been with us since the moments Cooper and Kinley were born.  I know we were only "with them" for 9 days, but it certainly seemed much longer and we had definitely developed a positive relationship with all of them, especially our attending Dr. Mandy.  

We were however, happy to meet our new team that we will be with for the month of August.  Our main team consists of an attending neonatologist (Dr. Premkumar), a neonatology fellow (Dr. Umbriaco), and a pediatric resident (who for now, shall remain nameless).  We also work with respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners and pharmacists.  


For those of you who care and may be interested in this sort of thing like I am...

Texas Children's is a teaching hospital associated with Baylor College of Medicine and the structure is as follows:

An attending is a full-blown, completed-all-schooling-needed, neonatologist.  They are the ones who are really "in charge" and make final decisions on the babies medical care.  They are also the teachers and professors of the fellows and residents.

A fellow is a doctor, who has completed medical school and a residency in a certain branch of medicine who has then decided to sub-specialize even further.  For example, an internal medicine doctor may choose to specialize in cardiology.  Or, in this case, a person who has completed a residency in pediatrics chooses to then specialize in neonatology.

A resident, is student who has finished medical school, and is now completing training for their specific branch of medicine, in our case, pediatrics.  They will complete multiple rotations in many different areas of pediatrics such as private practice, oncology, emergency medicine, PICU, NICU etc.

Am I in a Grey's Anatomy Episode?

Because this is a teaching hospital, the resident always starts the rounds by providing a medical history, latest lab results, and any new information since the previous day.  He/she will then make recommendations that the fellow and attending neonatologist will either agree or disagree with.  If you watch Grey's Anatomy, then you have a pretty good idea what I'm talking about...it can be very dramatic.  

Let me just say that the first "round" with our new team and new resident was very dramatic, and I hate to say it, but a little entertaining to watch.  (Like I said, Grey's Anatomy in real life!)  It was the poor resident's first day on her NICU rotation and it was very evident that she was very nervous!  I must tell you, my heart hurt for the poor girl, and even Nurse Sandy admitted that there were multiple times she wanted to jump in and save her.  By no means at all am I claiming to have more knowledge than a medical doctor, but there were points in the conversation, that I think even I would have been better able to answer some of the questions the attending was asking. It didn't help that she was stumbling over her words and unsure about Cooper and Kinley's numbers on their labs and such.  As the nurse, Rachel, Brian, and I were dissecting the whole conversation after they finished, Sandy did say that we would be amazed at her progress over the month, so I am looking forward to watching her "grow" as well!  I can only imagine how much pressure these residents are under, but thank God there are people like her willing to go through what must seem like hell, because that's how we get great doctors! I'm sure she will become a better doctor because of her experiences and we will be silently cheering her on.  

As Always...

I know I get repetitive, but I will never stop thanking you for your prayers and asking you to continue them.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Little Diva and Super Cooper

Let me preface this by saying that we still consider today a good day overall.   However, Kinley seems to want ALL the attention!  We got Kinley's heart ultrasound results back and it showed that she does still have PDA or an open duct.  They are going to try 2 more doses of the indomethacin.  There is usually about a 60% chance of this medication working, and our doctor thought it would be worth a try since she handled the first 3 doses ok.  If the medicine does not work, we have 2 options.  They will either wait it out a little longer to see if it closes, or consider surgically closing it.  Of course it sounds very scary to talk about any sort of heart surgery on our sweet baby girl who is not even 2 pounds, but we have been assured that this is a very common procedure.  The procedure itself is not considered open heart and can actually be done at her bedside.  They kind of just change our room into a mini-OR.  Optimally, Kinley's duct will close on it's own and we will not have to consider the surgery, but if we do, we know again that we are in the best hands.  Otherwise, Kinley had another good and fairly quiet day.  


Cooper is still hanging out and doing well.  He tolerated increased feedings and has not had to have an IV or PICC line in because he is getting plenty of fluids from the breast milk.  The doctors and nurses have told us since the beginning that usually, girls do better than boys in the NICU, but Cooper is determined to prove them wrong!  We are proud of him for staying so strong and are cheering him on to keep going and growing!!


I am always thanking God for each day we make it through another NICU day.  It is so easy to become overwhelmed, anxious, and sometimes even feel sorry for yourself (why me?, why my babies?), but in the grand scheme of things our babies are looking great!  Today they had to move the baby next door to us to the west tower.  Of course, we do not know his name or his story, but we do know that babies are moved to the west tower because of a chronic conditions, or the need for a big surgical procedure.  It certainly reminded to be grateful that so far, big picture wise, Cooper and Kinley are doing well.  One doctor even told me today, "I know for you these babies are small, but for us they are big!"  Our goal is to remain as boring as possible to all of the doctors!  So as we thank God for another good day and pray for Kinley's duct to close, we will also pray for the sweet baby next door, and all of our other neighbors in the NICU who we may not know, but still care so much about.