Home in sight

Just a quick update on a busy day.

Clarification - although Grady was discharged he is still here in the NICU with us. If he left, he wouldn't be able to come back for infection control reasons and with Carrie feeding, it would just be impossible to split them up.

Our big news of the day is that Ella is being discharged this evening between 5 and 6. The doctor came in to do a check up this morning and said he had no issues with letting her go!! We are so excited to go home. Carrie hasn't been there since the 18th!!

Today we are doing vaccinations, pictures, discharge paperwork etc. We'll post pictures before we leave.

Thanks to everyone for prayers and support. God is faithful and all things work to his glory.

Stephen

Grady is ours!!!

The big news of the day is that Grady was discharged today. He is off all of the wires and everything!! He is sooooo cute and we're enjoying every moment with him. He is still on the reflux medicine and Dr Waziri said he'll probably be on it for up to 6 months. We have an appointment on Friday to see the pediatrician and we'll see what he says.

His sister had a good x-ray. The chest tube was removed yesterday and there are no signs of repercussions. She will be weened from the oxygen and hopefully off the cannula tomorrow or Wednesday. Her IV is out and off the antibiotics. She's still on the monitors but we're getting closer. She had a echo cardiogram today - Dr Waziri ordered it because he heard a murmur in her little heart. Dr Chandra will review it and we'll see what he says on Friday.

Today is the first day that they have indicated a discharge date for her - this Thursday is what we are hoping. THings have been sort of crazy here today. Last night we both got hardly any sleep as they are on different feeding schedules (hopefully soon to be corrected) We spend about 2 hours nursing and then an hour off and we're back at it again. Definitely a two person operation. We've been filling out paperwork today for his discharge, getting prescriptions, nursing and more diapers than I can count......

I hope to post some more pictures soon.

Thanks for everyone dropping in and sending stuff. We really feel blessed to bring our babies into a loving world.

Stephen

More Pictures

Ella and Grady reunite after a week apart.

Cuddling....

Close up (Grady on the left/ Ella on the right)

Mamma and baby time

Family photo!!

What a good start to the weekend.

Grady is only on the monitors and some medicine for his reflux. They still want to keep an eye on him even though he is stable. He is feeding like a champ almost back to his birth weight. Last night they weighed him in at 5lbs 13 1/2 oz. The doctor said that they would discharge him 'soon' - we're interpreting that as early next week...... with no defined date.

Ella is also doing good. The doctor ordered that her chest tube be clamped and then a 24 hour observation period starts. If she does good on her x-ray, they will take out the tube tomorrow.... keeping our fingers crossed. He indicated that mid week would be her discharge if she continues to do good. She is still on antibiotics for the pneumoia though but does not have fluids being pumped into her anymore. Mom has been able to feed her and was able to hold both at the same time.

They are both in the same crib too. That is a big relief and they are so cute cuddling together. It is interesting how much they look alike, especially from the nose up.

Mamma is doing good. Still in some pain from the surgery and emotional that her babies are still here. She really hasn't been able to talk to anyone on the phone so please don't be discouraged if she hasn't called back. The emotions from the week are still pretty relevant. We are taking visitors in the lobby if you want to stop by but have to be sensitive on people coming back. There is RVS going around. This is bad virus infection that could be fatal to babies. There is another baby here in the unit that has it and there are numerous infections in the peds. floor.

A great update for all of us. Thanks for faithful prayers. God gives us the desires of our hearts and this is ours. Hopefully we can bring our babies home soon!!

Stephen

Happy 1 week birthday Grady and Ella

Yesterday was a slow day around here. Not too much excitement. Grady is now off of the O2 and Ella has moved to 45 ml of milk (still alternating bottle and feeding tube). They are sleeping good right now. The Doc came in this morning to review Ella's x-ray. He said that the pneumo has decreased to about the size of a quarter. Good news from yesterday.

Mommy is tired. She is sleeping as well. There wasn't much sleep on Wednesday night so our nurse took extra care last night to make sure that Carrie napped between feedings. She slept for an hour this morning too.

Please pray for our nurse last night. She was such a sweetheart but has a heavy heart. Her husband died 4 years ago shortly after a miscarriage. They had only been married for 11 months. She shared her testimony with us and had a great conversation.

We are just taking this one day at a time. I told the nurse they should have a sign that says 'we'll know more tomorrow'. We are taking an infant CPR class tomorrow. In light of Grady's chameleon trick, we thought it would be a good idea.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. We can feel the blanket love of Christ surrounding us during this time.

I'll try and write more this afternoon.

Stephen

Big steps for little people

Daddy with Grady


Ella's first bottle



Ella bonding with Carrie

Yesterday was a great day. Updates on all are good.





We started the day with the usual x-ray and lab work. Dr. Wazuri came in around 11 to take a look at them both. He said that the results were positive. He felt that her progress overnight was great and order the removal of the C-PAP. This is the breathing device that helps to keep her lungs expanded. Usually this is a stepped down removal but her breathing had improved to the point that she didn't need it!! She is still on the cannula - a small tube that issues O2 to the nasal area. She had some increased pneumo areas on her right side so he ordered another x-ray this evening at six. he also said that she can begin oral feeding (by bottle) starting at 3 per day. the rest is by IV and her feeding tube. She looks so good with the C-PAP off. A much happier baby. The 6 o'clock x-ray showed that there is no increase in the pneumo and her medial sternum is centered back in her chest. The air had misaligned it putting pressure on her heart as well. All great news. The chest tube is still in and she has to lay on her right side to help with that. No holding today which was hard.





Grady is doing good. He's a squeaker and sounds like a little mouse. He is still on a cannula as well but they are moving in the direction of weening and hopefully removal of that by tomorrow???? Fingers are crossed. He is finally nursing well and is comfortable with his role in the process. He was lazy for the first few days making it quite stressful at times.





Mamma had a painful day. We had given the prescriptions to Diane Tuesday night when they were here. It was about 11 when e realized that the pain meds were wearing off. She was able to bring them up last tonight and get them filled for us.





A lack of sleep is really getting to us both. We want to be up with them but it is quickly wearing us out. Maybe tomorrow we will leave for a little bit. The window in our room is quite drafty and I've been taking notes on the layout and functionality of the unit. I'll have to have a talk with the firm that designed this building...... and give them a few pointers from the patients perspective.





We really feel blessed to be lifted up by everyone's prayers. Thanks so much for the encouragement and support.

Hope all is well with everyone else.

Dad

Progress!!

Grady with mamma....


Ella with mamma


Daddy's first feeding with Grady...


Snuggle time with daddy

What a great day. This morning the doctor came in to talk with us after the lab and x-rays. Everything is the same as yesterday for the most part with some progress.

Ella's labs were a little better so they have begun the process of weening her off the oxygen. This is a long process, reducing only percents at a time. At 1:33 AM on Wednesday, she is at 44%. She was at 50% this morning. They will continue until she is at 'room' O2 levels (22%) and then ween her off of the other functions of her breathing tube. The tube giver her a small amount of pressure at the beginning and end of each breath plus an additional 15 breaths per minute. Each of those will be reduced slowly and one at a time. Reducing them too quickly will result in regression and the pneumo will be back at it's original state. She is now taking feedings every three hours in lieu of 4. They are only at 6 ml because she isn't able to digest more than that. She is still on the IV feeding tubes and will be for a while. Carrie was able to hold her this evening. The first time since her birth. It was a very emotional time for both of us. The staff was great as it took 30 minutes to move all of the tubes and wires to get her to Carrie's chest. A delicate process.

Grady is doing good. He is no longer in the warmer bed. They have taken that bed out and returned him to a bassinets. Just knowing that he's no longer in the 'bubble' is progress to me. He is showing some signs of Jaundice, a high level of billy ruben in the blood that is usually removed by the liver. They will monitor him closely as the next few days that number will peak. If it gets too high there is a special blanket that will reduce those levels. We have been able to hold him today after feedings. He's still on the O2 and IV's. Both babies are still on antibiotics. It's great to be able to bond with the babies again.

Carrie is doing good. She was officially discharged today. Tom and Diane came up and helped me clean out the room. The NICU room is a sterile environment so we had to select what things we could bring with. We weren't able to take any of the flowers or food with us. (thanks to those that sent them) Carrie and I want to share the joy they brought us so we donated the flowers to the OB unit with instructions to give them to moms who didn't have a daddy with her. The real pain from the c-section is setting in now that she is off the hospital meds. Definantly tender and has a hard time getting up and down sometimes. She doesn't complain - signs of mother hood! Babies needs over mine.

The staff is phenomenal here. They know the pain and emotions that we are going through and try to explain every detail to us as well as involve us actively in their care. I was able to snuggle with Grady tonight. Skin to skin is very therapeutic to preemies (and for daddies!!)

We're still one day at a time but there were some big moments today. Sorry that I didn't get this out sooner. The posts are such an encouragement. Thank you to all.

Daddy

Monday 1.21.08

Another day, another update.

Carrie is doing ok. She's still in a lot of pain and emotional. in light of our situation. There is comfort in seeing both of the babies at the same time rather than going back and forth between ends of the unit. They plan on discharging her tomorrow. She can 'stay' in the LDRP room till midnight so it gives us a place to have all of our stuff until we move to the NICU.

Grady is stable after last night's scare. They have him on an IV along with the other monitors. He's on some O2 as a precaution but the nurse said that he would be weening off soon. Carrie was able to feed and hold him this afternoon. Big steps in the NICU. The x-ray and lab results indicate that he is a 'septic' baby. This means that he has a whole body infection which was probably the cause of yesterday's code. His breathing is good and he loves to listen to our voices.

Ella is breathing so much better today. The chest tube has alleviated so much pressure from her lungs. The respiration rate has decreases but still spikes sporadically. She is being naughty and pulling out her nose tube and has a healthy scream. They put in a feeding tube to supplement the lipids and electrolytes from the IV. That is great news since its a step toward oral feedings. They were able to give her some of Carries milk, again great news.

Overall, we are still day by day. They will continue to do daily x-rays and bi-daily lab work to monitor their conditions. Our nurse Wendy indicated that Grady will probably be here for 10 - 14 days. They said that I would be able to stay with Carrie in the NICU room which is a relief too. Leaving my family overnight would have been extremely difficult.

Thank you to everyone for prayers and support. It means so much to us. Carrie appreciates the emails and comments to the blog. It is hard for her to talk on the phone with people, so written communication is best right now.

If anything changes I will update again

Proud daddy

A few more thoughts

We talked to one of the nurse's tonight and she thinks that he might have been choking on some spit up. Praise the lord that he wasn't sleeping in the corner of our room and was with the nurse's in the nursery.

Please continue to lift our family up in prayer. We feed blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who care for us so much.


Stephen

Miracle

Tonight, I was rocked to the core. It was about 11:3o Sunday evening- Carrie and I were getting back from visiting Ella in the NICU and were going to the nursery to take Grady back to our room. The nurse encouraged us to leave him there since Carrie was planning on sleeping and I was going to go into the office to wrap up a few loose ends. We decided that was ok and went back to our room. Carrie got into bed and I got ready to leave. I thought it would be a good idea to stop by the nurse's station to make sure the nurse knew that I had left. She came out from the nursery with some bad news. Grady had coded- he stopped breathing and his heart stopped. They did CPR and a swarm of people were around him. (This was within ten minutes from when we last saw him) She took me into him, he was blue and had just started to breath on his own. The NICU nurses came and admitted him next to his sister. He stabilized within the hour and is doing fine. They have administered O2 and IVs but is doing ok. They have done some x-rays and lab work to see what is going on. We will know more tomorrow when the doctors come in.

His cries are so difficult to hear. We were just getting used to comforting them..... Now we can only touch his hand through the incubator.

This whole experience brought me to my knees. My faith in Christ is the only thing that I had to lean on. Carrie is doing ok although shaken up as well. What a solid rock during this helping me deal with everything. We are bunkering down tonight in the NICU as long as we can since we aren't Sleep really doesn't seem that important......

God sometimes uses hard circumstances to mold our reliance on him.

We'll post more when we know more.

World's proudest and most tired dad....

One day at a time

Quick update on where things are at. Grady is doing fine and has a healthy cry. He has lost some weight and Dr Chandra is going to evaluate him tomorrow. There is a small possibility that he will go the NICU to get a feeding tube to help him out for a few days... (Mom is trying hard to prevent this) Ella is doing better. Dr Waziri reviewed her x-rays this morning. She has a portion of her lung that is deflated and has pneumothorax, a condition in which a pocket of air has escaped from tiny holes in her lungs and air is still trapped in her chest cavity. He inserted a chest tube to help alleviate some of the pressure and help her breath. There was positive signs from her x-ray later today showing progress. She has pneumonia that we are treating as well. She still has the c-pap which is a breathing tube in her little nose. The doc has reduced her from 100% O2 down to 50% O2 this evening. (good news) We are probably looking at least a 10 day stay for Ella.

Carrie is recovering fine. The pain is very real at times but the staff is quick to help or issue pain meds. The emotions are intense. We want to be at two places at once. Carrie hasn't been able to visit her very frequently because of feedings with Grady and her own recovery. We both desparetly want to hold her but are told it will be at least a few days.

Right now, the plan is day by day. Grady and Carrie have a chance to get discharged tomorrow but will know more later. With Ella still in the NICU, we will transition into her room. Grady can only be back there if he has never left the hospital for infection control reasons. There is only one parent allowed to stay overnight which logically would be Carrie. A hard transition for a new family being separated. It will be challenging for the next few days but we are confident that we serve a sovereign God. His plans are greater than mine and sometimes, as hard as it may seem, I just need to accept that.

I will try and update as we get news. Thank you for everyone's prayers and support. If anyone would like to visit, please call before hand to check in.

Proudest dad!!!

Contact.....

Feel free to contact us by phone 319-404-8819 or Carrie's cell 319-290-5678. We'd love to hear from everyone. We'll be checking email too.

Our two bundles of joy!!

Proud new dad writing..... On Friday, Janurary 18th - Grady James and Ella Beth were born to the Mulligan Family. Grady was born at 4:24 pm, 6lbs 3 oz, 19 1/2 inches long and Ella was born at 4:26, 6lbs 11oz, 19 inches long. The c-section was a sucess and the birth was amazing! Both of the babies returned to the room with mom for recovery. We enjoyed greetings by grandma and grandpa Gatto. Ella's oxygen level was of concern so after an hour in the room, the nurse's admitted her to the NICU. She is breathing sparatically which is causing her low O2 levels. They have done some chest x-rays and lab work to determine the cause. She had a small spot on the x-ray of her lungs they think is an air sack that was deflated during the birth. They also believe that she inhaled some fluids then too. The NICU doctor will be in today to do a diagnosis and we'll go from there. Our nurse's tell us that the recovery is up to Ella and she'll be the one to dictate when she gets out. They said it could be tomorrow or two weeks. We're just going day by day trusting that God is holding her since we can't.

The pediatrician came in and saw Grady this morning. He is doing great and learning to nurse. Carrie is getting a taste of the pain from the surgery since the spinal is wearing off. The staff is great here and taking good care of us.

Sorry - no pictures, I don't have the cord to camera. Trust me, they are the most beautiful babies I've ever seen.

I'll try and update everyone again tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers.

Stephen and Carrie

Update

We just wanted to let everyone know that there are no babies yet! I had my 36 week appointment last week which confirmed I will be having a c-section, as baby A is still breech. My doctor still wanted to let the babies stay in without scheduling anything yet, despite their 6lb 9 0z. weight status - yes, EACH. The good news is that if I don't go into labor in the next few days, the c-section will be scheduled for sometime between 37 1/2 and 38 weeks. So the end (I guess really the beginning) is near! Despite all of my discomforts, I have to continually remind myself that God is blessing us with being able to carry them this long; for this reason I'll hopefully deliver two healthy babies! We feel incredibly blessed, and can't wait for our new family members to arrive.......soon :)