Update

All three kids had their eyes checked today. All three got a good report and seem to have "normal" preemie vision. They will all be rechecked in two weeks.

Andrew has avoided being put back on the ventilator-that is good news. The x-rays of his stomach are getting better each time. That is also a positive sign. We met with the doctor last night to discuss the brain issues. His ultrasound showed that the bleeding has not been reabsorbed. There is a very good possibility that he will require a shunt to relieve the pressure. However, we are still in a wait and see time. We are praying that God will cause the bleeding to absorb and that spinal fluid will be able to drain on its own. We are also praying that his feeding issues are due to an immature stomach and not an intestinal blockage or issue.

Matthew and Anna Kate are both on compression feeds. So, instead of being fed continuously through a tube, they are now being fed through a tube over shorter periods of time. Matthew just started and is being fed over a two hour period and Anna Kate is down to one hour. This is in preparation for getting their bodies ready for bottle feeding. Matthew also had his PIC line taken out and his IV removed. So, they are both making great progress!

Andrew

We just got a call that Andrew is not having a good day. His stomach is enlarged which could be due to a few things. He may have an intestinal problem and they are doing x-rays frequently and have a surgeon on stand by who is looking at the films in case it gets worse. It is possible that he simply wasn't ready for the amount of feeding he was getting and that the issue will resolve on its own. That is our prayer. Because of those issues he isn't breathing well. They had taken him off CPAP yesterday and can't put him back on it because it can cause air to build up in his stomach. So, they will probably have to put him back on the ventilator. On top of all of that, his head got larger over night, so they are doing the head ultrasound today and think they will need to do a spinal tap to relieve pressure from the brain. So, he has a lot going on right now. Please pray for God's strength for me and Brent and that these issues would resolve without further complication.

Andrew

Making Progress

We are happy to report that Andrew has had a negative culture for the past three days. So, it looks like the infection is gone. They are going to continue to treat with antibiotics for another seven days. Both boys are progressing with their feedings and are getting three CPAP breaks each day. The doctor said she hasn't heard a murmur on any of the kids over the last few days. So, that is wonderful news! Anna Kate has started compression feeding and is doing well. We have had clothes on her a few times and they are getting her out of her incubator a little bit each day. Andrew's head size has been stable and it still feels soft. They will re-scan his head on Wednesday. All three kids will have an eye exam on Tuesday.

Continue to pray for:
Matthew-to tolerate his feedings and CPAP breaks well and that his PDA will remain closed
Andrew-that the bleeding will reabsorb, and that he will tolerate his feedings and CPAP breaks
Anna Kate-that her compression feeds will go well, that she will gain weight.

A Good Report

Today I received some positive news about each of the kids. Matthew has been being treated for his PDA (the opening outside the heart). It had gotten bigger again and lots of blood was going through it. While he was being treated over the last two days, they had stopped feeding him milk. The recent medication worked to a degree and the opening has gotten smaller. So, they started feeding him again. The doctors are going to watch it and see how he does. He has had all of the courses of medication that he can, and if it reopens, it will have to be closed surgically. He has continued to grow and is now over 3lbs!

Andrew came off the ventilator today and is back on C-PAP. They also changed his antibiotics to help fight the infection. However, both boys are anemic and they treat that with a blood transfusion. So, both boys had that done today.

The tiny princess of the group is doing great! Today, she came off the photo therapy and off the CPAP. She is breathing on her own. Let's pray that continues! She is also up to her max on continuous feeding and they will start feeding her over a shorter period of time soon.

We appreciate the cards, e-mails, and facebook notes. I apologize that I have not responded to most of them. Please know we read them and they are an encouragement to us. Many of you have asked how you can pray for each child specifically. As of today, here are some needs:

Matthew-that his PDA will close and he will tolerate his feeding.

Andrew-that the bleeding in his head will be absorbed and not increase and that his infection will go away.

Anna Kate-that she will continue to do well with her respiration and feeding and will put weight on. She also has a different muscular issue with her heart that we hope will close as she grows.

Update on Andrew

The doctor met with me this evening and went over the results of Andrew's second brain ultrasound. The bleeding has gotten worse. It has gone from a grade 2 to a grade 3 and is still on both sides of his brain. The doctor said we are in a waiting game right now. They will redo the scan in another week. Please pray that we will see a significant decrease next week.

Regarding his infection, he does seem to be responding to the antibiotics. They will do another blood work up tomorrow to confirm that the antibiotics are working. But, he seems to be feeling better and was breathing more on his own today. So, that is some good news.

Pray for Andrew

Well, as my mother said when she was here, it looks like Andrew may be the Drama King! When they did the kid's cranial scans, Andrew had a slight brain bleed. The doctors said it was a grade 2 on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the worst. The nurses and doctors said the thought it would reabsorb itself. They planned on rechecking him today.

I got a call this morning asking permission to do a spinal tap on Andrew. They think he has an infection, but don't know where it is. So, they have run a bunch of tests and are starting him on antibiotics. Once they get the results back, they hope to be able to fine tune the medication. He was having difficulty breathing, so they put him back on the vent.

Matthew is tolerating his feeding well, and they are talking about taking him off his IV very soon. He is putting on weight and doing well on the CPAP machine. He is taking 2 hour sprint off it each day. He and his brother are on light therapy.

Anna Kate is also tolerating her feeding well. At present, she is off light therapy. She hasn't gained any weight in the last few days, but the doctors aren't worried.

Overall, everything so far has been in the range of normal problems for babies that small. I am just praying the can find the infection and treat it quickly.

Thank you for your support and prayers!