Best Gift EVER!

Ragnar & Magnus

Nursing Update

We are fast approaching the 12-month nursing mark.  We've had so many ups and downs with nursing, but overall, I've been pleased with it.  I've been able to give my boys a great start and many antibodies.  I am planning on nursing until they are ready to wean on their own.  I had hoped that would be around the 18 month or 24-month mark.  We are currently nursing at wake-up, after each nap and at bedtime.  Occasionally there is an overnight feed around 3 or 4 AM, but that is very rare these days.

I am afraid that Magnus may be starting to wean.  He is on another nursing strike.  This is his third one since the start of November.  The first strike I attributed to a disruption in his routine when my youngest sister visited for a week.  His strike lasted 3 1/2 days and then he slowly came back to the breast.  During that time and for a week after I ended up using a rented hospital grade pump to pump for him and keep my supply up.  The second strike was at the start of him getting hand-foot-and-mouth disease about 2 weeks ago.  He didn't nurse for 1 1/2 days.  He slowly came back to the breast and seemed to be doing fine with nursing.  The latest strike started Saturday night.  He has eaten at the breast both Sunday AM and Monday AM, but won't nurse any other times.  My freezer stash is almost depleted, and I can't seem to find time to pump during the days when they are awake to make up for using the freezer stash.  Only time will tell if Magnus is done, but it still makes me sad that we won't have that cuddle time built in each day.  Luckily, we are very close to the 1-year mark, and he can start having cow's milk. 

Ragnar loves all the extra breast-feeding time.  I've been having him nurse on both sides (normally they each just nurse on one side per feed then switch to the other side on the next feed) and he has enjoyed the extra milk.  He never refuses the breast and uses it as a comforter as well.  He nursed MORE during his bout of hand-foot-and-mouth disease even though he had MANY more sores in his mouth than Magnus did.

I'm happy that my boys are both growing well and are healthy.  But at the same time, I am sad that they are fast approaching toddlerhood and leaving babyhood behind them.  I've loved all the baby times and I'm sure I'll love the toddler times too, but it's hard to see them go.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a lovely first Thanksgiving with our boys.  They thoroughly enjoyed their meals.  Magnus' favorites were the roast squash, yams & apples, sausage dressing and monkey bread.  Ragnar's favorites were the smoked turkey, roast squash, sausage dressing and monkey bread.  They both loved their mini pumpkin pies too. 

Ragnar & Magnus - Thanksgiving 2011

10 Months Old

Ragnar & Magnus

Where has the time gone? Magnus and Ragnar are 10 months old. They are amazing. They are wonderful. They bring such joy to my life. They are curious and into everything they can get their little hands on. They are big eaters and are enjoying eating everything we eat. We did baby-led weaning with them, and I'm surprised by how much they eat and how well they are able to maneuver food into their mouth either with their hands or spoons. They love watching each other play and many days I hear them laughing and cooing at each other over the baby monitor during nap time. More than once, I have walked in to get them after a nap, and they are holding hands through their crib rails. Magnus has 8 teeth now and Ragnar has 2. Magnus definitely has curly hair, and Ragnar has straight hair that is wavy when wet. They both have amazing, piercing blue eyes. Their personalities are very well defined and very different. Magnus tends to observe and then dive into situations. Ragnar dives into most situations right away with both hands and both feet! I am so excited for the upcoming holiday season and to see the boys' reactions to all of our holiday traditions. I am so thankful for these boys and for the opportunity I have been given to be their Mama.

9 Months Old!

My babies are 9 months old!  They have been out in the world with us longer than they were in the womb at this point.  They are amazing, sweet, rambunctious, adorable, lovable boys.  Our days are filled with noise and fun and nights are full of cuddles and kisses before bedtime.  They are growing like weeds and are in size 6-month clothes (some 9-month sleepers) and are a few inches away from outgrowing their infant car seats.

Ragnar:
weight- 15 lbs. 14 oz
height- 28.2 inches

Magnus:
weight- 16 lbs. 12 oz
height- 27 3/4 inches

Busy!

My days with the babies are so busy that I haven't had time to update this blog.  Our days are filled with lots of activities.  We read books, play with toys, they crawl and try to get into everything!  We usually have a neighborhood walk each day and also an outing of some sort.  I've been tempted to try our local library story time for infants but haven't made it to one yet.  Magnus and Ragnar bring so much joy to my life!  They are laughing and "talking" so much as well as interacting with each other.  We have been taking photos of them each week and it's fun to look back at them and see how quickly they are changing.  Here are some recent pictures of them in their fuzzy bear buntings.

Magnus & Ragnar - 8 1/2 months

Magnus - 8 1/2 months

Ragnar - 8 1/2 months

Quick Update

Wow!  Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time.  No real excuse, other than life has been busy. :)  
Magnus and Ragnar are wonderful.  They are doing well.  Magnus is very inquisitive and loves to watch what Ragnar does and then mimic it.  He also loves reading books and turning the pages on his own.  Ragnar is my mover & shaker!  He army crawls at an amazing speed and is into EVERYTHING!  We will need to really "twin proof" soon.

We had our first road trip/family vacation last week.  We spent a week back in our hometown visiting family and going to hubby's 20-year high school reunion.  The road trip went ok- it took us 16 LONG hours to get there (normally takes 13), and we had to stop every 3 hours for diapers/feeds/stretching.  The drive home took 17 HOURS!  Waaaaaay too long.  Next year we will break the drive up over two days.  Magnus and Ragnar had a lot of firsts on our trip- first zoo trip, first carousel ride, first time in kiddie pool, and LOTS of first foods.  We had a blast sharing our hometown favorites with them.

Nursing Goal

I've made it to my second nursing goal- nursing for 6 months.  Nursing has become much easier.  The boys latch themselves, eat and then pop off when they are done.  We still have hurdles, like teething, biting and fighting with each other when tandem nursing, but we are getting through them.  My next short-term goal is to make it to their 1st birthday.  Originally this was my long-term goal, but I'm now hoping to nurse them until they wean themselves.

6 Months Old

My babies are 6 months old!  I can't believe how fast the time has gone.  They are so much fun and are learning so much every day. 

Magnus - 6 Months

Magnus has 2 teeth now and "talks" all the time.  He is still more of an observer and cautious before jumping into something new.  He has started having a bit of stranger anxiety and is very much a Mama's boy.  He loves to snuggle and cuddle.

Ragnar- 6 Months

Ragnar is my mover & shaker!  The boy can't seem to hold still.  He does everything very passionately.  He "talks" a lot and rolls/scoots all over the house.  He too has a bit of stranger anxiety and freaks out when I leave the room.  He is my kisser.  He loves to give big kisses and will pull you in for them if you get close.

On the home front... won't say much here as I'm not sure who of my family and friends still read the blog.  Things with hubby have been hard as of late and we are working on them.  I have hope that it will resolve and we will get past it all and hopefully get back to where we use to be.

NIP

We were out at low tide on Saturday, and we had a great time.  After walking around the beach, the babies were both hungry, so I decided to feed them before we headed home.  We haven't nursed in public very often and I haven't figured out a way to tandem nurse in public.  But we are starting to get out more, which means we are getting a lot of practice nursing in public.  Because it was raining, I nursed them one at a time in the front seat of the car (instead of out on the beach) and papa watched the other baby.  He got this cute picture of the 3 or us and I just had to share.  It makes my heart happy. :)

Magnus, Mama & Ragnar

A Year Ago

A year ago, we had just found out we were expecting twins.  I was full of all sorts of emotions: excitement, fear, concern, elation, but most of all shock.  The past year was filled with so many highs and lows.  It all culminated in the birth of my amazing sons.  Today is their 5-month birthday.  I am amazed that they are growing so fast.  They visibly learn something new each day and are changing in looks each week as well.  Although it is very difficult to be a stay-at-home mom at times, I am so very grateful that we are blessed enough that I am able to be home with them.  Even on my most sleep deprived nights, I remind myself how blessed and lucky we are to have two healthy children.  Love you my babies!

Magnus- 5 months old

Ragnar - 5 months old

Magnus & Ragnar - 5 months old

Sleep Update

I’ve been implementing our new sleep plan for over a month now and have seen some positive results. We are in the midst of a major sleep regression (have been for the past week), but other than that things are showing improvement.


1. Bedtime. Routine will slightly be modified to boob, bath, book and then put in bed drowsy but awake. We will allow slight fussing/crying for no more than 5 minutes after being put in their respective co-sleeper and pack n play. (Still sleep in our room- planning to do this until at least 6 months old.) After 5 minutes, we’ll return to the room and soothe/calm the child that is crying and leave again. Why 5 minutes? That’s about all the crying I can handle at this point. Plus, I hope that it will help them figure out how to fall asleep on their own.

Results: tried the new routine and the bath woke them up when it was done after the feeding, so we went back to the bath, boob, book routine. They are both falling asleep on their own when put down at bedtime now. Ragnar still wakes up 30-45 minutes after being put to bed. We sometimes let him fuss/cry and then soothe and other times soothe right way (we’re very inconsistent with it) depending on how fussy Magnus was during the day and if he’ll be awoken by the fussing.

2. Night waking. I believe that both Magnus and Ragnar are capable of going longer than 2 hours without being nursed. I KNOW they are capable of it. If it has been less than 3 hours since eating, I plan on soothing them back to sleep without nursing them. If they are still fussy/crying and not calmed, then I’ll nurse them. But I won’t automatically assume that they need food each time they wake at night.

Results: This worked beautifully up until last week. Last week they started waking and screaming until being fed. Some nights they are up every 2 hours, other nights every hour and then one random night last week they only got up once. I don’t know if we’ve hit a growth spurt, they are coming down with something or it’s just teething. They both have two bottom teeth that are visible beneath the gum line, so it could be that.

3. Naps. I think our problem is that I’m keeping them awake too long during the day. I’ll keep a better eye on the clock and on Magnus & Ragnar to see when they are showing tired signals. I’ll try to keep them to napping every 2 hours or so for now. I will put both of them down for naps IN THEIR CRIBS each naptime. I will employ the 5-minute cry method and then soothe them. If one falls asleep and the other does not then I’ll keep trying to soothe and get that child to sleep, but if after 1 hour the child isn’t asleep, I’ll get him up and play with him until he shows tired signals.

Results: I’ve had GREAT success with naps. They are still taking short naps, but most days they are coordinated. Our routine is that they are up for about 1 ½ hours and then the sleep for 45 minutes to 1 1 /2 hours and then up again for 1 ½ hours etc. The one day that naps get thrown for a loop is Sunday, which is when we are at church for 3 hours in the morning, so they don’t get a great nap or nap at the same time. I’ve also been paying attention to their tired signals and trying to put them down for naps at the start of it, which has helped them both fall asleep more quickly.

I'm hopeful that if I stick to the sleep plan/strategies that have worked then my boys will become better sleepers both during the day and the night.

4 Months Old!

Happy 4-month birthday to my sweet boys: Magnus & Ragnar!  We had our 4-month-old well baby check today and here are their stats:

Magnus- 12 lbs. 15 oz and 24.6"
Ragnar- 12 lbs. 3.5 oz and 24.8"

They are growing up so fast!  They "talk" all of the time and are noticing each other more and more.  They hold hands while they nurse and smile at each other across the nursing pillow.  (Which can get messy if they have a mouth full of milk!)  Ragnar has rolled once from tummy to back and Magnus is REALLY close to rolling from back to tummy.  I love seeing how much they learn every day.  They are both sleeping much better at night, and the daytime naps are SLOWLY getting better and more coordinated.

They are so precious to us.  We feel very blessed to be their parents.  Love them so much!

Magnus

Magnus

Ragnar

Ragnar

Magnus & Ragnar

Sleep

Sleep is a rare commodity for me these days. My sons are getting bigger and sleeping less. Actually, they are still sleeping quite a lot. Just not at the same time. When they were newborns, they slept all the time and consequently slept at the same time. My main concern was WAKING them for their nursing sessions. They were SO hard to keep awake for those early nursing sessions. Looking back at that time now, I’m shocked that we WOKE them to eat. My boys are champion eaters now and NEVER need to be woken for food.

As we approach their 4 month birthday I am starting to contemplate a new sleep plan. I had always thought that with a consistent bedtime and naptime routine that they would sleep and sleep at.the.same.time. However, this is not the case. I’ve read 4 different sleep strategy books at this point and I’m trying to piece together something that will work for Magnus, for Ragnar and for Mama & Papa. I’m in new territory here. As a former nanny and child care professional I have done my share of sleep training. The majority of my sleep training was done with toddlers, but I did have a hand in sleep training an infant as well. I’ve been trying to remember all of my “tricks” for nap training and hoping that it will apply for bedtime sleep as well.

There seem to be a couple of issues we are dealing with that I need to address and resolve.
1. Bedtime. From the day we came home from the hospital we have had a bedtime routine in place. We are consistent. Our routine is: bath, boob, book (read by Papa while they are nursing) then put in bed awake but drowsy. Many nights one or both boys will fall asleep at the boob and sleep through the story to be put in bed asleep. This is the problem- they are asleep and then about 30-45 minutes later awake and cry and cry and are hard to soothe back to sleep. Last night Ragnar was inconsolable. He was held/soothed/patted/rubbed/rocked by my husband for 2 hours. Hubby then went to bed and handed him off to me. I nursed/rocked/patted/held him for an additional hour and he finally fell asleep. This is after he had fallen asleep during the bedtime routine. Magnus generally is soothed back to sleep easily after he wakes up.
2. Night waking. Both Magnus and Ragnar are sleeping for longer stretches at night. At their 2 month appointment my pediatrician suggested that I stop waking them to eat at the same time at night. Generally this is great but, every once in a while it is a pain in the butt. Why? Because I will feed one that wakes to eat, get him burped and back to sleep and just be drifting off to sleep when the other baby will wake to eat. I repeat the feeding, burping, soothing and falling to sleep for me and then baby number 1 will wake to eat again. They do this tag-team approach and it results in very poor sleep for Mama.
3. Naps. In general Magnus is a morning napper and Ragnar is an afternoon napper. This results is Ragnar being cranky in the morning (from tiredness) and Magnus being cranky in the afternoon (from tiredness). Both of them are cranky in the early evening. My hunch is that it is because they are not getting enough sleep during the day. Also, I’ve been pretty inconsistent with napping them in their cribs. I generally let them sleep in their swing, bouncy seat or when I’m desperate in their carseats on a drive or walk. I would love for them both to take naps at the same time during the day in their room in their cribs, but this rarely happens.

After reading the latest sleep book that I’ve purchased I’ve come up with a plan of sorts. Magnus and Ragnar have very different temperaments and I will most likely need to modify the plan as we go along to fit each of them individually, but in general we’ll try to stick to a similar plan.
1. Bedtime. Routine will slightly be modified to boob, bath, book and then put in bed drowsy but awake. We will allow slight fussing/crying for no more than 5 minutes after being put in their respective co-sleeper and pack n play. (Still sleep in our room- planning to do this until at least 6 months old.) After 5 minutes we’ll return to the room and soothe/calm the child that is crying and leave again. Why 5 minutes? That’s about all the crying I can handle at this point. Plus, I hope that it will help them figure out how to fall asleep on their own.
2. Night waking. I believe that both Magnus and Ragnar are capable of going longer than 2 hours without being nursed. I KNOW they are capable of it. If it has been less than 3 hours since eating I plan on soothing them back to sleep without nursing them. If they are still fussy/crying and not calmed then I’ll nurse them. But, I won’t automatically assume that they need food each time they wake at night.
3. Naps. I think our problem is that I’m keeping them awake too long during the day. I’ll keep a better eye on the clock and on Magnus & Ragnar to see when they are showing tired signals. I’ll try to keep them to napping every 2 hours or so for now. I will put both of them down for naps IN THEIR CRIBS each naptime. I will employ the 5 minute cry method and then soothe them. If one falls asleep and the other does not then I’ll keep trying to soothe and get that child to sleep, but if after 1 hour the child isn’t asleep I’ll get him up and play with him until he shows tired signals.

I am also currently keeping a sleep log for Magnus and Ragnar. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to see times when I can stretch their awake or sleep times to get them on the same schedule during the day. I also want to know how much sleep they are actually getting and then adjust bedtimes and naptimes accordingly. Will my plan work? Who knows… but I’ll give it my best shot.

Breastfeeding pt 2

I've made it to my 2nd short-term breastfeeding goal.  I have officially breastfed both of my children for 12 weeks now.  It has become easier to do.  I've even been able to nurse in public.  (Although it is one child at a time- not tandem) The cuddly moments are still few and far between, but they are there.  It is feeling less like a full-time job and is becoming more enjoyable.  I believe this is due to the fact that they are nursing less at night which allows me to get more sleep.  My next short-term breastfeeding goal is to make it to 6 months.

Add it up

• 11 years trying to conceive
• 12 donor sperm IUI cycles
            4 undedicated/unmonitored other than OPK’s
            6 clomid/monitored
            2 inject meds/monitored
• 6 donor sperm ICI cycles at home
• 1 diagnostic laparoscopy surgery
• 3 HSG’s
• 2 years of acupuncture & traditional Chinese medicine
• Countless blood draws/tests
• 2 fertility clinics
• 4 IVF’s
• 2 Egg retrievals
• 2 Embryo transfers
• 1 miscarriage
• 1 long and high-risk pregnancy

All for these gorgeous, amazing, perfect sons. They were SO worth the wait.

Magnus

Ragnar

IF?

At my 6-week post-partum check-up my OB said something to me that made me really question part of who I thought I was. After the pleasantries she said “You are a fertile, reproductive being. We need to discuss birth control.” Of course I don’t need birth control because of hubby being sterile. I reminded her of that and the appointment continued.

But it made me think. Am I a “fertile, reproductive being” just because I’ve now delivered two healthy babies? I still think of myself as infertile. I still identify with the infertility community. I’m finding it hard to integrate into the “fertile” world.

Initially when we thought that hubby’s zero sperm count was our only problem I still felt like I was fertile. However, after the many years, tests, procedures, surgeries, IUI’s and IVF’s I know that I’m sub-fertile. I made a home of sorts for myself within the infertile community. I was never officially diagnosed as having diminished ovarian reserve because my blood work never supported that diagnosis. My RE did state on more than one occasion that my low antral follicle count would suggest that diagnosis though. My ovaries were hammered with the highest doses of medications and yet produced few, low quality eggs. I’m forever grateful that a few of those imperfect eggs were able to yield gorgeous embryos; three embryos that implanted and two that hung on and became my sons that I was privileged to birth.

I think that for me, I will always feel infertile. It makes me sad at times, but overall, it just is part of who I am. I know that I won’t be able to get pregnant on my own but will need IVF if we tried to conceive again. I know there won’t be an “oops” baby for me. I’m ok with that. I’ve made peace with it. My infertility resolved itself in the form of my two amazing, perfect, beautiful sons. But I’m still infertile. The world at large now looks at me and sees “fertile, reproductive being.” I don’t see it. I feel a bit like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I feel like I need to explain myself when people comment on my fertility. Will I always feel this way? I don’t know. I just know that the years we struggled with infertility have changed me, changed us. We are a stronger couple because of the struggles. We were blessed in that we turned to each other and leaned on each other through all of the heartache and difficulties. I am a stronger woman, and I feel a better mom because of my infertility struggles. I am wiser and calmer as a mom than I would have been 11 years ago when we started trying to conceive. I am grateful for every moment with my precious boys. I don’t know that I would have cherished them as much as I do now if I hadn’t had to work so hard to get them here. Infertility is hard and we pushed through it, but it has made me a better person in so many ways. In a strange way I am grateful for my infertility as I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without having experienced it.

2 Months Old

Wow!  The past 2 months have flown by.  I can't believe my little ones have been with us for 8 weeks now.  They are growing and changing so much every day.  I'm getting lots of smiles, giggles and coos when they see me or their papa.  So much fun!

Ragnar & Magnus

Ragnar & Magnus

Breastfeeding

I read a great book while pregnant - Mother Multiples. In the book it stated that to accomplish something you need to set short-term reachable goals as well as long term goals. They suggested that short-term and long-term goals be set in regard to breastfeeding.

Well- I've made my first short-term goal of breastfeeding for at least 6 weeks. I'm really proud of myself. It has been hard at times and a lot of the time I don't enjoy it, but I've stuck it out. I'm now going to set a goal of nursing for another 6 weeks. My long-term goal is 1 year.

While learning to breastfeed, we've encountered the following:

• low milk supply (while waiting for milk to come in) which necessitated the introduction of formula
• finger feeding
• SNS feeding at the breast
• gavage tube (while in the NICU)
• nipple shield use
• supplemental bottles of formula
• supplemental bottles of formula/expressed breast milk
• supplemental bottles of expressed breast milk
• too fast of let-down/choking episodes
• tandem nursing
• fenugreek supplements (for mom)

I am really lucky that at this point both boys are being exclusively nursed. I am still pumping at night after feeds and sometimes during the day with the hospital pump that we rented. I use this milk in a "top off" bottle that we give them after they nurse at bedtime. I am also freezing a lot of this milk. I'm hoping that when the rental period is done this time (in March) that I will feel comfortable returning the pump. The kiddos seem to have mastered nursing and are usually done with a feeding session between 10-25 minutes. They are both gaining appropriately, and the pediatrician is happy with their current weights.

Breastfeeding is not what I thought it would be. In the beginning it was tough. Really, really tough. The mechanics of it have gotten better, but I still don't have a lot of "cuddly" moments while nursing. For the most part our nursing sessions are just feeding sessions. I'm hoping as we all get more accustomed to tandem nursing that it will become more enjoyable and feel less like a chore. I am committed to giving my babies breast milk as I know it is the best for them. I'm glad they can get it at the breast now as it makes my life a lot easier.

1 Month

I can't believe that my guys have been here for 4 weeks!  Time has really gone by fast and much of last month is a blur to me.  There have been so many firsts and so many hours of loving and getting to know my little ones.  Here are some pictures DH took of them at one month.

Ragnar & Magnus

Ragnar & Magnus

Magnus

Magnus

 

Magnus (and Mortimer)

Ragnar

Ragnar

Ragnar (and Elwood)

NICU

A few hours after their birth on Sunday the 2nd, both Magnus and Ragnar had their blood sugar tested. This was something we knew would happen as I had gestational diabetes for the last month of the pregnancy. Ragnar's blood work was fine- a bit low, but still in the normal range. Magnus was below where they wanted to see him, so a NICU nurse was called to our room to evaluate. She immediately wanted to take him to the NICU, but we asked to try and feed him again and see how he responded. After giving him the colostrum I had pumped prior to giving birth and feeding him colostrum from after the birth, he was retested and the level had dropped again. At this point our pediatrician was called and she suggested he go to the NICU for observation. I was heartbroken, but DH went with him and I knew he was in good hands.

Magnus in NICU

During the observation it was discovered that Magnus was unable to regulate his temperature. He had stayed warm on me because we were doing skin-to-skin. When removed from mama and put in a crib, his temp plummeted. Once at the NICU his blood sugar had climbed back up to 45 - it was low but in an approved range. He was put in an incubator under a heat lamp while his blood sugar continued to be monitored. 30 minutes later his sugar was back down to 30. During this time the doctors insisted we put in an IV, but DH worked with them to try to get some high calorie formula into his system to see if it would come back up again. Unfortunately, it dropped even further to 16. At that point it became critical that it be brought up and feeding wasn't doing it. It was agreed to put in an IV and after trying several sites they ended up running it into the large vein in the crook of his arm in the interest of getting it run quickly. They had to strap a board to his arm to keep it straight and prevent him from pulling out or damaging the IV. They gave him glucose and got his blood sugar back up. He was admitted to the NICU and our pediatrician turned care over to the neonatologists on call in the NICU. Over the next few hours his glucose IV was adjusted, and he had repeated heel sticks to measure his blood sugar. I was allowed to get out of bed and come to the NICU to see him 6 hours post-surgery. He looked so fragile in the incubator, and I prayed that his little body would adjust quickly and begin to regulate the blood sugar and temp on its own.

Magnus in the incubator

DH stayed overnight in Magnus' room. Magnus had blood sugar tested every 3 hours. On Monday I was able to visit every 3 hours to give them the colostrum/milk I had pumped for him. The Dr would try to lower the IV fluids when Magnus had a good blood sugar number, but inevitably it would have to be raised again after a low test. By the end of Monday Magnus was able to regulate his body heat and was put in a regular crib. 

Magnus and Ragnar sharing a crib in the NICU during a visit (you can see Magnus' boarded arm up top)

DH once again stayed overnight with Magnus. Tuesday morning Ragnar and I were discharged from the hospital and we packed our stuff and headed over to the NICU to stay with Magnus. The nurses there were great and helped us get set up. They even brought in another crib for Ragnar. The IV line that was placed continued to get jostled as Magnus moved and a new line was suggested. They finally found a spot on his head and got a line going. This looked awful but was so much more comfortable for Magnus. We continued the rollercoaster of good blood sugar numbers, followed by the lowering of the glucose in the IV, followed by low numbers, followed by the raising of the glucose in the IV. With the IV line in his head, I was allowed to nurse Magnus. This seemed to be going well. We did several weigh-feed-weigh sessions that showed he was indeed getting milk.



Magnus with his scalp IV

We were together as a family in the NICU on Tuesday night. Magnus continued to get heel sticks and tests every 3 hours. His poor feet were covered in bruises. His arms and hands were covered in bruises from the numerous times they attempted IV lines. I felt so awful for him. But through it all, he had such a peace about him and was such a trooper.

Wednesday was much of the same as Tuesday. Formula was introduced in the form of a gavage line. I now was allowed to nurse him and then they would give him formula through the tube directly into his stomach. The food did not seem to make a difference in his blood sugar levels.

Thursday my mom arrived, and DH was able to spend the night at home and get a good night sleep while she stayed with us in the NICU. Overnight Magnus' blood sugar tests were great, and it was decided to continue lowering the glucose in the IV until he was down to none. After he had 2 great tests with no glucose they removed his IV line. HOORAY! At that point he was no longer nursing effectively and usually only ate 2-4mL per nursing session. Because of this he was not immediately discharged.

On Friday morning our nurse told us that if we could get Magnus to prove he could eat 40-50mL in a feeding that she would go to the Dr and fight for us to get discharged. We decided to follow her advice and began feeding Magnus pumped milk and formula via a bottle. He took to the bottle pretty quickly. During the day we also had his hearing tested (perfect) and he had his car seat test (perfect.) After 4 feedings on the bottle the neonatologist stopped by and told us we could leave. YES!

When DH heard the news, he started packing. He and mom took all of our stuff down to the car and came back for me and the babies. Our nurse was surprised at how quickly we were ready to leave, but we just wanted our family to be home! She escorted us out of the hospital and the boys had their first car ride. They both promptly fell asleep in the back seat-- as did I.


Ragnar (blue hat) & Magnus (red hat) in going home outfits



Ragnar (blue hat) & Magnus (red hat) all ready to go home

EDD & Birth Story

Today is my boys' EDD.  Obviously, we didn't make it that far... but it's a good day to reflect on their birth.  We had scheduled the c-section a few weeks prior to the date and only told my parents about it ahead of time to avoid needing to call and update folks right away.  We arrived at the hospital on 1-2-11 at 9 AM for check-in.  They took us up to our room and started the paperwork.  Our doula, Kate, arrived and helped lighten the mood as I was very nervous.  The nurse I had assigned to me, Elizabeth, was great.  She was upbeat and kind.  She was able to get my IV started after only 2 attempts.  The anesthesiologist was running late for my 10:30 c-section because he was placing an epidural.  He finally showed up at 10:20 and then ordered some blood work done (because of my PIH) before he would place the spinal.  My nurse attempted to draw the blood, but due to not drinking for 12+ hours I was dehydrated and she couldn't find a vein easily.  She then called the phlebotomist in, and she drew the blood and they sent it for testing.  At this point it was after 11 and my Dr was very antsy.  She poked her head in and cracked some jokes and told us she would track down the test results so we could get "this party started."  The tests came back fine, and I was told all the risks of the spinal and told how it would be administered.  I was EXTREMELY nervous about the spinal.  Of the whole c-section surgery, that was what I was most nervous about... a needle going into my back.  I'm FINE with needles- I did all of my IVF injects except the IMs by myself and had all the blood draws- with no problems.  But the thought of a needle in my spine- YIKES!!  My hubby, doula and the Dr's helped calm my nerves.  We all walked to the elevator and went to the OR.  It was cold in there.  They had DH and my doula gown up and wait outside while they positioned me on the table.  I sat on the edge trying to curl around my enormous belly to push my lower back out enough for the spinal.  DH and my doula came in, and I clung to my hubby.  He said calming things in my ear as the Dr attempted the spinal.  The numbing shots were fine- just a small pinch.  Then he tried to place the spinal.  I felt sharp zinging pain down the left side.  He tried again- pain on the right.  They repositioned me and tried again, and again.  I was hyperventilating by this point.  Finally on the 5th attempt it was placed and I was laid down, a drape place and I was sobbing.  DH tried calming me, but I was in full-blown panic attack mode at this point.  Finally, he got through to me and I calmed down.  They tested to see if I could feel anything, and I couldn't so the surgery started.  I felt some tugging and a lot of pressure, and I heard "here they come" and "oh, he has his hand in his brother's mouth!"  and then I heard the most beautiful sound- my son crying.  My Dr held him up to the window in the drape for me to see and then he was whisked away to the warming table and the NICU nurses to be checked out.  Before I could turn back, my other son was held up to the window for me to see and then taken to the table as well.  They both had great APGAR scores at 1 and 5 minutes.  My doula and DH brought the babies to me and we did skin-to-skin which was heavenly.  Magnus tried to nurse right away, and Ragnar just cuddled on me.  After I was all sewn up, we were all wheeled to the room again and were able to get to know each other for a few hours.  Then Magnus' blood sugar took a dive, and he was sent to the NICU for observation... but that's for another post.  Here are a few pics of my babies:

Operating Room family pic

Ragnar

Magnus

They are here!

A quick update from the hospital...

Our boys were delivered via c-section this past Sunday, Jan 2nd.  (This was 37w1d) Magnus Alvin weighed 5 lbs. 5 oz and was 18 1/3" long.  Ragnar Ludwig weighed 6 lbs. 0 oz and was 19" long.  Both boys are gorgeous and perfect.  Magnus has had some issues with his blood sugars and was admitted to the NICU approximately 4 hours post birth and is still there.  Ragnar and I were both discharged from the hospital Tuesday.  Luckily, our hospital has private NICU rooms, so we have moved in with Magnus in his NICU room. 

Time is flying and a blur right now.  Once we are home, I'll do a better birth story post and have the patience and time to upload pictures.  For now, we are all together and I am loving, loving, loving my little men.