Day 75

Tomorrow the triplets are 36 weeks gestation. We are noticing more and more that the triplets are starting to look like newborn babies, even though they have 4 more weeks until they are technically full term babies. Taylor is especially starting to get chubbier like a newborn. However, they are all still small at just over 4 pounds and in preemie-sized clothes.

Liam Josiah:

Liam continues to do well breathing on CPAP. This past week he actually caught up to Taylor's settings but this lasted about half a day as he couldn't quite handle it. He is sometimes not needing any oxygen and breathing room air, which we are also excited about. 

In the past few weeks, Liam developed jaundice and the healthcare team was starting to do some investigations. In the middle of these tests, it was determined that Liam had a urinary tract infection and had to go on IV antibiotics again. He has a few more days of these antibiotics before his IV can come out. 

The testing continues to determine the source of the jaundice, and will continue into this coming week. He has been put on some medication to try bring down the jaundice levels as well. On Friday night, the doctors called us that one of the tests came back showing some issues with Liam's metabolism. The gastrointestinal team was called to investigate and they immediately rushed some urine and blood samples to Toronto and Ottawa to test for a potential disease. We were told not to google the disease (which we couldn't spell or even pronounce so we would not have been able to anyways) because the potential disease is very significant. Liam's was also immediately put on special formula mixed with breast milk and remains on it. We were very thankful when preliminary test results on Saturday showed that Liam most likely does not have the disease. We are still waiting for more results that should be in Monday or Tuesday. 

The questions still remain, though, what the jaundice and metabolic issues are with Liam. There is still the possibility (which we pray to be the case) that it is all simply because of his prematurity, multiple infections, multiple antibiotic rounds, and all the IV nutrition he was given when he could not have breast milk. Hopefully we can have some answers this week. 

Another relatively small issue is that Liam has a stomach hernia that has been getting bigger. Hernias are common in premature babies since their little bodies should not have to be eating, crying, feeling pain, and all that comes with being outside the womb. Our little man will need surgery before he comes home but this could still be weeks in advance yet.

Taylor Joy:

Sleeping, eating, and growing has been on Taylor's agenda this past week and she's been doing it all very well. Her CPAP has come down to lower settings again and we are trying not to get too excited about when she might come off of her CPAP... because it still could be weeks away. Taylor is still our feisty little sweetheart, and can show that she is very upset in a short amount of time. We have been noticing, however, that as parents we are able to provide more comfort to our triplets. When they are crying and upset, they immediately become calm when they are placed on our chest. This makes us so happy! 

One of the hardest things here in the NICU is how we cannot be there for our babies the way we want to be. We aren't allowed to pick them up without a nurse, and it has to be at specific times when we are allowed to. We generally can't take them out when they are in the middle of a feed, which are over 1.5 or 2 hours every 3 hours. If they are sleeping, we have to leave them alone so that they can grow as much as possible. It's sometimes hard to feel like good parents or that we are even making a difference in their little lives. We try very hard to plan around their specific feeds and schedules (such as ultrasounds, eye exams, x-rays, etc.) so that we can hold all three babies in one day and bond as much as possible. We can't wait for the day when we can scoop them up and kiss them all over without having to carefully plan with a nurse. However, this has really made us treasure each time we get to hold them and we feel as though we will never take the cuddles and "normal parenting" for granted!

Malachi John:

Our smallest sweetie is still hanging on to his CPAP ventilation. We have had multiple times this past week where he was nearly put back on his breathing tube. Today, too, the doctors warned us that he may be intubated sometime today. It is emotionally difficult to always be worried about whether or not he will be intubated. Although Malachi is on an oscillator which gives him little puffs of air all the time, he often tries hard to breathe above the machine. This may be because he is not able to get the gas exchange he needs. It also is likely why he is not gaining weight as quickly as he should be, as he is working so hard. Chin straps and soothers have also been used on Malachi to try keep the high air pressures from leaking out his mouth rather than pushing into his lungs. 

As we start this new week, we again look to the LORD for our help and our strength through all the ups and downs. Psalm 121 reminds us to lift our eyes to Him!