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2000-01 Journal

September 27, 2000
Took the IV out, and put in a tiny little one on my hand. Also took out the catheter, and made me walk around. The nursery brought the babies into my room in the morning, and they were with me from then on. Was a bit difficult feeding them and changing them, but I'm glad I was able to start so early, to get more practice in at the hospital. Troy's uncle and aunts and parents came to see us. They brought me a beautiful basket of flowers. Was moved into a private room, so Troy could stay the night with us.

September 28, 2000
Babies passed their hearing tests. The lactation consultant came to talk to me about the proper way to breastfeed. Babies were checked several times, and they look good. Dr. Gilson came to see us.

September 29, 2000
The staples were taken out today. The babies lost a bit, which is usual. Brendan still looks jaundiced, so we were told to place him in indirect sunlight each day, and to make sure that he is still pooping out seedy yellowy stuff. My vitals were good, and so were the babies'. I was given Percocet for pain, as well as Motrin, and some vitamins. Babies and I went home. Brendan's discharge weight was 3 lb 9 oz, down from 3 lb 12.7 oz. Cade's discharge weight was 4 lb 8 oz, down from 4 lb 11.3 oz. They both had jaundice (bilirubin) present, Brendan more than Cade, so we were instructed to leave them in indirect sunlight for 10-15 minutes 3-4 times a day.

September 30, 2000
Follow-up appointment at UNM Pediatric Clinic to have the jaundice looked at. Brendan weighed 3 lb 14 oz, and Cade weighed 4 lb 8 oz still. The doctor looked them over and said they looked good, except for the jaundice. Gave us the same instructions about indirect sunlight.

October 6, 2000
WIC appointment. Both the babies got on WIC, so they will get Enfamil if I switch to formula feeding. I got re-registered with WIC, as an "enhanced breast-feeder", meaning that I get extra stuff like peanut butter and tuna, and more cheese. They gave me a manual breast pump, and also issued an electric pump which isn't mine, but I can use it as long as I need it. Also had a Well Baby appointment at IHS. The doctor said the boys are doing well. Asked the doctor when we can start using bottles, and he thought we meant for formula, and just kept saying how breast milk is better, etc. Had to have the second PKU test done for both boys. The lab lady poked Brendan in his right hand and it bled well, but she did Cade in his right hand and it stopped bleeding so she had to switch to his left.

October 7, 2000
Brendan's umbilical cord came off! Took Cade to Urgent Care at UNM, because his eye had crusty stuff on it and was runny and puffy. The doctor said it sounded like he had a blocked tear duct, and to keep swabbing it with a warm wet cotton ball, and showed me a massage for under his eye. Ran into Dr. Gilson as we were leaving, and he said we were looking good.

October 8, 2000
Cade's umbilical cord came off! Went to the baby shower. The boys did not cry a single time, even though we were there for a few hours.

October 11, 2000
Cade's eye was not looking better, so Troy called the Call-a-Nurse at UNM, who said that it can last around six months or longer.

October 13, 2000
Appointment at IHS. Brendan weighed 4 lb 6.6 oz, and Cade weighed 5 lb 12.4 oz. Brendan is growing, but he's still going to be my little man for a while, and Cade is starting to fill out, with his chipmunk cheeks. Their skin is looking MUCH better. Side note: Cade is darker, like his Daddy, and Brendan is lighter, like his Momma. :) That includes hair color, too. Cade has black hair and Brendan's is dark brown. Asked the doctor about Brendan's runny poop, but he said that with breast-fed babies their stool is runnier, and it is not a problem that Cade's is still firmer.

October 16, 2000
Gramma C came to stay for three weeks to help out!

October 17, 2000
Found a freckle on Cade's tummy!

October 20, 2000
Was notified that Medicaid for Pregnancy Related services would be expiring, but Family Planning services would be taking over for the next two years.

October 23, 2000
Expected due date.

October 24, 2000
Dr. Green, who is the babies' pediatrician, sent out his nurse to come check up on us. Brendan weighed 5 lb 12 oz with clothes on, and Cade weighed 7 lb 5 oz with clothes on. As for me, she said the pain and hardness around the incision is just the muscles healing, but I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than a newborn for another month or so. She wasn't too sure about the gunk in Cade's eyes, because it didn't make sense for a blocked tear duct to be passed to his other eye too, but she said she'd talk to Dr. Green about it. She also encouraged me about nursing them, with Enfamil as a supplement in public, or when someone babysits. Apparently she and Dr. Green have had issues about that, but she said she wants to see him breastfeed, and then he can demand it from us women. She talked a little bit about contraceptives, and convinced me that an IUD is probably not the way to go. I'll probably go with the Depo Provera shot, which she can give me when she checks up on us here at home.

October 26, 2000
Brendan and Cade are one month old today!

October 27, 2000
Appointment at IHS. Boys are doing well. Had to have their first immunization for Hepatitis B. Poor babies. Brendan was first and he wailed for a minute and then fell asleep from the trauma. Cade screamed in pain when they first poked him, and then just cried and cried. I had to nurse him in order for him to be comforted enough to fall asleep. Brendan weighed 5 lb 10 oz naked, and Cade weighed 7 lb 3.8 oz naked. Dr. Green wrote a prescription for an ointment for Cade's eyes. Mom met both Alice, (my ultrasound-lady friend), and Dr. Petrakis.

October 30, 2000
Picked up Cade's Erythromycin. Also got the papers for the birth certificates notarized.

November 2, 2000
Nurse Deborah came again. She said that Cade's eye does look to be a blocked tear duct that is infected. She gave some suggestions for his congestion, but said that at such a young age, actually until about 4 months, his system isn't really developed all the way so congestion is to be expected. Her suggestions included steaming up the bathroom with hot water and sitting in there with him; propping his head up in his bassinet; getting a humidifier; cleaning out his mouth and nose regularly with the blue bulby thing.

November 4, 2000
Bought a warm mist humidifier.

November 6, 2000
Mom (Gramma) left us. :(

November 7, 2000
Nurse Deborah called to see how Cade's eye is doing; it looks nearly normal, thank mein Gott. (I think that is right, or close anyway.)

November 9, 2000
Had my 6-week checkup at IHS, but they did not do the pap smear because it's that time of the month. I have to go to UNM from now on, because IHS won't see me anymore since I'm not Native American, but the boys of course can be seen there. I need to get their CIB on file though, but the nurse did not think there was a time limit. I got my first Depo Provera shot, and can get them at UNM or anywhere because Medicaid covers that. Nurse Deborah, I think, will be doing those when she comes to check on the boys, though. Brendan is getting really congested too, poor baby. Cade's eye looks really good. He's still having problems digesting, although I only nurse him; he hasn't had formula since last week.

November 10, 2000
Called the Nurse Line because Cade's poop was all green, with bits of dark green stuff in it, and because he often seems to be in so much pain after eating. She said digestive problems are common in infants younger than 90 days, but since they're so young it's harder to diagnose. However, it usually resolves itself by 3 - 4 months. To soothe him, she suggested gently rocking him; taking him for an indoor/outdoor stroller ride; bathing in warm water with him. I also asked her about what I had read, that babies don't really find comfort in nursing, so it's not helpful to nurse them when they're crying for no apparent reason, or from pain. She said she'd always done that, but that I should pick and choose among the advice I get to see what I feel is best. Personally, I do think it soothes them. The nurse also said that during the first two years is when we build trust between us and the babies.

November 11, 2000
Happy Birthday Nana!!!

November 13, 2000
Heard both of the babies making sounds that weren't crying or pooping-grunting. Also gave Cade his first real bath, in a bathtub with me.

November 14, 2000
Cade lifted up his head from lying down on my chest and held it up for several seconds - all by himself! Rescheduled the boys weight check for tomorrow at noon. Also gave Brendan a bath in the tub with me. He pooped. So I had to empty out the tub and then rinse us off. He fussed a bit at first, so I just nursed him while I washed him, and he was fine. I don't think I'll be doing baths like that anymore, though, 'cause I don't know how to keep them from getting all cold.

November 15, 2000
Deborah came to visit today. The boys' congestion IS a cold. It's okay for Troy to handle them, but if he's gonna kiss them he needs to do it on the side of their head, and don't breathe in their face. She suggested folding a receiving blanket over into a triangle and tying it around the nose and mouth if he's gonna hold them and stuff. Also, when I get the cold, I should do the same. If Troy's gonna sneeze or cough he needs to go into the other room, and then wash his hands. Anyone who comes in here needs to wash their hands before touching them because this viral cold is going around everywhere, and they are carrying germs in here. I'm pretty germ-free 'cause I never go anywhere. If someone coughs into their hand, and then touches one of the boys' legs or something, they're probably safe because the bacteria is not gonna run up to their face, but it's better to be clean before touching a newborn, which they still are, when one is sick. Cade sneezed in my eye. She said our humidifier is good. Actually, she said she needs to replace hers so she asked where we got hers and said that she'll probably get one like it. She said she uses the warm mist ones too, although either would be fine, but the warm one seems to open up the bronchial tubes or whatever. About the green poop that Cade has sometimes, she said that since they were 36 weeks gestational, it makes sense that even for one or two more weeks he would be passing the stuff that he took in before he was born. She also said he just might be more colicky, although with breast-fed babies that's unusual. I may just need to give him extra attention at night, which is when he seems to be having the most trouble. I'm supposed to keep an eye on his stool, his fussiness after he eats, and how often he eats, for when we see Dr. Green next Friday. Also I need to be taking their temps, especially when they're sick like now. She said their color is real good, obviously they're gaining weight, they have good reflexes and all. Also, taking a bath with them is really good, but I may want to wait until Troy gets home and have him help out, and they only need a bath 1-2 times per week.

November 19, 2000
All my "stereo-strips" (SteriStrips) have fallen off. I am still bleeding, though. My "6-week" checkup is on the 20th of December or something. With IHS. We'll see if they'll see me or not. By today, Cade makes sighing noises once in a while, and Brendan does less often. They both will find me in the room with their eyes and look me right in mine as they cry. They look at us when we talk to them sometimes, and I was doing something with Cade on the bed the other day, and Troy walked in and Cade turned to look at him. It is cool to see them responding to outside stimuli. Brendan hasn't fit into his cute little white sleeper in a while now. They are still pretty congested, but we have a checkup on the first of December.

November 23, 2000
Babies' First Thanksgiving! Went over to Byron's place, where his parents and Chase were. The Grandma made dinner, and it was delicious. They really enjoyed seeing the babies. Cade fell asleep with the Grandpa rocking him, and the Grandma held Brendan most of the evening. We had a good time.

November 26, 2000
Went to the ER because I'd called the nurse the day before about the bleeding, and she suggested I should go in within 24 hours. The doctor said it was probably from the Depo Provera shot, but I didn't get to ask how long it would last, because he took off and a nurse came to draw blood to see if I'm anemic. We'd already been there three hours, and Renay paged with our baby emergency code, just as the nurse was drawing blood. Renay was babysitting the boys, but they were giving her a hard time 'cause Cade had already drank the milk I'd pumped and refused water, but he still wanted to eat, and Brendan was looking sad. So we left.

November 30, 2000
Okay, this is just an update of the past few days. I completely stopped bleeding. Yesterday I was holding Cade lengthwise on my knees, with his head in my hand, and I was looking straight in his eyes and singing to him. He started smiling all big and going "aaahhh" like he was trying to sing along. Then Brendan, who was lying next to me, whimpered. When I looked at him, he made a really sad face. I guess he felt left out. Brendan really likes sleeping on his tummy, which we only let him do when we are watching him. He can pick up his head and hold it up or switch sides. Cade holds his head up very well. They, especially Cade, smile a lot.

December 1, 2000
Today the boys had a check-up. Dr. Green said the boys are doing very well. They are still congested, but he said that's pretty common in babies, and gave us some nasal drops to give to them. He said their lungs sound really clear, so that's good. As for their weight, Brendan is in the tenth percentile, but factoring in that he was premature, he would be in the 25-50th percentile. Cade is in the 25-50th percentile but again, factoring in that he was a preemie, he'd be in the 75th percentile. Brendan is 21.5" long, and Cade is 22.5". They've both grown about 4", and almost tripled their birth weight. That was the good news. The bad news was that they needed to get four immunizations, two in each leg. I won't go into detail about that, suffice to say that they were given Tylenol for pain.

December 7, 2000
The boys make another noise besides their "aaahh". It's kind of a gurgling noise, and sounds really cute.

December 8, 2000
Had a WIC appointment. Got some Enfamil for the boys, although I won't be giving it to them yet.

December 10, 2000
Papa came to visit!

December 15, 2000
Grampa C left for home in Germany. We forgive him though. :) Anyway, we hope to see him for a very long time, starting next summer! He babysat the boys for about an hour while Troy and I went shopping. That was good. Apparently the boys were too. Thanks Dad!

December 25, 2000
The boys' First Christmas!

December 26, 2000
Brendan laughed! He laughed a couple times, while I was playing with him. Unfortunately Troy was at work though, so he didn't get to hear it. It was so cute, I just kept smiling and smiling and trying to make him laugh again. I paged Troy to let him know, and he got excited too. Cade hasn't laughed yet, but he "talks" a lot. In fact, he talks to his little friend on his swing, and gets upset when he doesn't talk back. It's really cute.

December 29, 2000
Had an appointment with Dr. Green, because we were a bit concerned about their hearing. He said they seem fine, but scheduled an audiology appointment anyway, because he doesn't want to second-guess the people who live with the boys (us). As for weight, they are in the 50th percentile. In fact, Cade has almost caught up to other (not preemie) babies his age. Cade is 23 1/2" long, and Brendan is 22 3/4".

September Photos  ~  Ki Music