36 Weeks

Weight: 5 lbs. 15 oz.

Length: 18 inches

36 weeks gestationally

Kell is slowly weaning down on his oxygen. He's gone from oscillating ventilation right after birth, to ventilator, to CPAP, back to vent, back to CPAP, back to vent, to high flow cannula, to 1 liter low flow cannula, to an even lower flow (1/32 of a liter) cannula with a portable tank. I'm so proud of my little champion!

Aunt Pati came to help us work on our nesting list. We had planned on doing so many projects before the twins came but I was so sick throughout my short pregnancy that I just didn't have the energy to complete any of my projects. Obviously, I haven't been tackling the projects since the early arrival of the boys so Nan (as the kids call her) came over to paint our living room, hallway, and hall bathroom. Micah and I are so grateful for her generosity, she is so awesome!

Last night, Pati and I had a chance to chat after the kids went to bed. She asked me questions about what my days look like and I thought maybe other people might be wondering too.

So here is a week in the life of this NICU mama...

Mon. - Wed. Asher has preschool from 12:45-3:45 so typically two of those days Mike (Micah's dad) picks Asher up at 9 and takes him to his house until it's time to go to school. Mike was picking him up at the hospital because Asher said he wanted to see Keller, but lately Ash hasn't wanted to leave and Mike has had to carry him out of the hospital crying for his mama. I think he just doesn't like the idea of leaving Keller alone with me. He's not ready to share my heart with him. So now Mike is picking him up at the house. On the days Mike gets Ash I stay at the hospital until I have to head back to the Valley to pick up Ash. On the days I have Ash, we typically are at the hospital till noon. We admire Keller, play games, do little learning activities I find on Pinterest, read books, and eat snacks. (Ash can't be in this room without at least two snacks.) I don't hold Keller on these days because there just isn't enough of me to go around. Asher needs help with things and gets jealous of Keller. This does not make for a nice cuddle with Kell and it's not good for him to be jostled around a lot by having to put him back in his crib every two seconds.

Thurs. My friend, Lyndsey, watches Asher so I can be here to attend rounds (the weekly meeting with Keller's team) and spend the day focusing in on Keller's care.

Fri. varies sometimes I set up play dates for the boys, or just Ash & I come for the morning, or Gray, Ash, & I come for the afternoon.

When I am here alone I get the update from the morning and the night before. I check on Kell's comfort and either adjust him or more likely pick him up and cuddle. At 11:20 the nurse comes in for his cares which include check his temp., change his diaper, weigh him to get his pre nursing weight. Sometimes I do the temp and the diaper changes, but a lot of the time now that I am nursing I get ready for our nursing session while the nurse takes care of the cares. At 11:30, I nurse him from anywhere to 10-15 minutes. He gets weighed again (yesterday he nursed his personal best at 32cc which is over 1/2 of his 50cc feeding. Today's 11:30 feeding was at 24cc) to measure how much he has eaten and then gets the rest through his feeding tube. I hold him during his tube feeding and once he's done eating he gets swaddled and goes down for a nap while I pump. After I pump, I measure the milk, put the milk in the fridge, clean the pump parts, and then grab Kell for more cuddles until 2:30 when I nurse him again, pump, and then after that I usually have to jet out of here to get to Ash on time.

After I get Asher, we head home to meet Gray off the bus and then it's homework, pumping, dinner, pumping, family time, pumping, bedtime, pumping, quick clean-up, pumping, time with Micah, pumping, bedtime for  us, pumping, sleep a little, pumping, sleep a little more, pumping, wake up, pumping, get ready for the day, pumping, head off to the hospital. So that's pretty much what my days look like only with a cotton wrapped brain that has the attention span of a gnat. I keep promising Micah that I'll be back to my regular crazy self someday, fingers crossed that it is sooner than later.

Lots of Love,
Shelly