30 Weeks Gestation

Maybe we have said it more than once, but we never know what the day will bring in the NICU! 

Liam Josiah:

After hearing about how Liam's lung disease was significantly impacting him last week, we were extremely surprised to come into the NICU on Friday and hear that the plan was to extubate our oldest baby boy. The doctors and respiratory therapists explained that they wanted to give CPAP a try even though there was a possibility that Liam was maybe not quite ready. "The baby is the boss" is the saying we have heard more than once. Liam would show us if he was ready or not. So at 2 in the afternoon they took his tube out and put him on CPAP. After 20 hours of repositioning his little body and changing many different settings on the ventilator, Liam was reintubated. Although we were disappointed, we were happy that physically appeared well throughout it all. We are back to square one and the doctors have given Liam a few days to rest before a new plan is drafted. The healthcare professionals will decide whether Liam's PDA needs to be surgically fixed or whether a round of steroids might be an option. While they are the professionals, as parents we also have to weigh in on the decisions and give our consent. This is because of all the risks that either option entails. Right now, they are leaning heavily towards heart surgery within the coming week.

On Sunday, Jodi finally had a successful snuggle with our precious baby boy. He continues to grow well.

Taylor Joy: 

Our little sweetie continues to do well. Her oxygen levels hover in the 20s (remember that 21% is what you and I are breathing). She has been having more of the pressures and settings weaned down as well. It's still a ways in the future, but after CPAP there are still a few other forms of breathing support that babies generally still need. 

Taylor has also been giving her parents some great cuddles lately. She is still the smallest but growing well!

Malachi John:

As you may recall, Malachi started his second round of steroids to improve his lungs this past week. As of Monday night, he is nearly finished the steroids. While he is nowhere near coming off his breathing tube, he has definitely improved from the steroids. As parents we were disappointed that he was not near being extubated but the healthcare team assured us that the steroids improved Malachi's lungs pretty much as they were expecting. We will be meeting with the doctors in the next few days to decide on what the next steps for Malachi might be. We are very hesitant to put him on a third dose of steroids but there are not many options for our little man in terms of interventions that can improve his lungs. 

In the meantime, coming off of his steroids will hopefully mean that Malachi can start to grow more quickly again. Growing bigger for all of our triplets means developing and getting stronger because their breast milk is being fortified with lots of good stuff like protein, vitamins, and minerals to help them develop. We love to watch them and see the changes in each of our babies. Looking back on the pictures of their sticky red skin and bony little bodies, we are thankful to see the improvements they have made so far.

We want to again express our thanks to everyone for their cards, emails, texts, messages, care packages, and comments. We feel so uplifted by the communion of saints. 

Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."