First Firsts

One of the greatest things about having a newborn, besides the bombardment of free samples, is having a whole new set of milestones to achieve. With twins, we have two new sets of milestones to look for. No more sitting around waiting for Abbie’s first words when we want something new; we just have to look at the twins and chances are good that at any given time one of them is doing something for the first time.

Yesterday Tory wore clothes for the first time. This was the first time either has worn more clothing than a tiny diaper and a blanket. The bile lights that may or may not bear down on them from day to day prevent them from wearing clothing. When those lights are off, the kids are free to wear clothing, but most nurses don’t bother dressing them since clothes interfere with diaper changes and the various pokes and prods the babies must endure. The nurses have enough to do between changing IVs, figuring out why the vital sign monitors are beeping, and hearing lectures on blood gasses.

The twins’ nurse yesterday must have been exceptionally ambitious because when I arrived to hold one, I found Tory’s bile lights off and a sleeper on his body. It was an adorable outfit, tiny and decorated with even tinier farm animals. The outfit was yellow, which unfortunately matched the jaundice showing in his eyes. I was fairly certain he would be back under the bile lights soon,* but since no bile lights meant few time limits on holding him, Ellie and I held him as much as we could, enjoying his tiny features, his tiny outfit, and its color coordination with his skin. Later that day he achieved another first: Peeing through his first outfit.

Otherwise everyone is doing great. Ian’s weight is 3 lbs, 11 ozs, up four ounces from birth. He must be pigging out on the lipids they’re pumping into him. Tory’s weight is 4 lbs, down seven ounces from birth, but up a little from his low point. They’re both being tube fed 16ccs of breast milk every three hours and tolerating those feedings very well as they ratchet up. Hopefully they’ll try bottle-feeding next week. Both are completely off oxygen.

The most troubling thing is Tory has experienced a few apneatic spells, which are periods where he forgets to breathe. These spells are extremely common among preemies, and they usually snap out of it with a little stimulus like a puff of air. Tory isn’t experiencing an alarming number of these spells, but enough that the hospital has put him on a stimulant, i.e. caffeine, to keep him alert. It’s doing a great job and he hasn’t had any spells since starting the caffeine, but now the hospital is reluctant to take him off the caffeine meaning we almost certainly won’t be able to take him home before mid-December. That’s about a week later than we originally hoped, and a week later than his brother could come home if he keeps doing well, not having spells, and packing an ounce a day onto his frame.

Now we just have a waiting game, hoping everyone continues doing well, and watching for more firsts. Like this first I experienced a couple days ago:



* He was back under the bile lights today. Ian is still under the lights. Maybe both will be off again tomorrow.