We are so happy to have our sweet girls home with us, safe and sound! It was a long, emotional journey to get them both home, but we did it and we are enjoying starting our life as a family of FIVE! Here's the story...or some of it, at least!
First, here's my last belly picture- 34 1/2 weeks WHOA!
On Saturday the 14th, late at night, I started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions. I gave it some time before calling Dr. D, but once they started to get more frequent and a bit more uncomfortable, I finally called. He said to get to L&D so they could monitor me to see whats going on. We got there about 2am on Sunday morning and they hooked me up to the monitors. Sure enough...contractions. Shortly after we got there, Dr. D arrived to check on me and after he gave me Procardia to see if the contractions would calm down, he wanted me to stay overnight for more monitoring. All day Sunday, my contractions calmed down but then overnight Sunday, they picked back up and it was Monday morning, that Dr. D came in and said we just need to deliver the babies, asap. It all happened so darn quick..within an hour, I was wheeled back to the OR and soon after that, my babies were born!
Tyler came to visit me on Sunday while they were monitoring me...so sweet!
Nervous Mama waiting to hear the crying babies...
Miss Audrey Cate came first! We didn't get a picture of Miss Delaney- she had to be rushed off to the NICU. Right after she let out a good scream, she stopped breathing. Scariest moment of my life. I remember looking over to my right, seeing her in a covered incubator as they were wheeling her off. The neonatologist, Dr. Hilliard, came over to me to explain what was going on and I just remember my heart pounding out of my chest as I tried to hold back tears. He was so sweet and kept telling me that she'll be ok and that I need to remember it wasn't my fault that this happened to Delaney. He was very comforting to a scared to death Mommy!
Daddy & Audrey in recovery
Mommy & Audrey doing skin to skin in recovery...Heaven!
We're missing Miss Delaney :-(
Audrey Cate
Here's Miss Delaney Lynn in the NICU. She had oxygen for the first day, an IV for the first 5 days and all of the heart & oxygen monitors the whole 9 days she was in the NICU. It was horrible to see her like that, but I know she was in the BEST hands...those nurses are nothing less than incredible in there!
Had to throw in a picture of the view from my room!
first skin to skin with Delaney...3 days old.
Daddy & Audrey
Audrey
Tyler giving sister Audrey a smooch!
Little Audrey doing the car seat challenge in the nursery. Any baby born before 36 weeks has to do this test- they hook up the baby to all of the monitors and buckle them in to their car seat for 90 minutes to make sure they don't react naughty to being in the seat.
Proud Grammie & Delaney
My sweet Delaney and her Snoedel. The volunteer ladies at Hoag sew these little dolls and give them to the NICU babies. The purpose is for the mother to cuddle the doll to get her scent on it and then give it to the baby in the NICU so they can smell Mommy. So sweet!
Another visit to the NICU.
Mommy, Daddy & Audrey cuddling in Mommy's hospital bed watching late night TV.
Friday, May 20- Mommy & Audrey going home. The most heartbreaking thing in the world was to leave sweet Delaney in the NICU while we were discharged. Horrible.
We took these pictures before Audrey & I were discharged.
Visit to the NICU- on Saturday, May 21, Delaney had to have a feeding tube inserted through her nose to her tummy to help her eat. She wasn't finishing her bottle so this was necessary for her to learn how to fill her tummy up. Hoag's requirement is once the feeding tube is inserted, the baby has to complete 16 bottle feedings on her own, without being gavage fed, in order to be discharged. This took until Wednesday May 25 for Delaney to get this down!
Miss Delaney was moved from an Isolette to an open bassinet on Friday, May 20. As the nurses say, she graduated!
Tyler & little sister Audrey
Mommy & Delaney
This is exactly how we would leave sweet Delaney whenever we left the NICU to go home. We would arrange to be at the NICU during her feeding times (2,5,8,11-around the clock) because it was best we didn't hold her & talk to her while she was trying to sleep in between feedings. The nurses wanted her to save her energy for her bottle feedings. While we were there, we would check her temperature, change her diaper and feed her. Once we were ready to go, we'd swaddle her back up and lay her back in her bassinet with her Snoedle. The whole NICU experience was so humbling. There were babies in there that were 1-2lbs and had very serious problems. It was heartbreaking to see the parents of those babies there to visit everyday knowing they have months of NICU visits ahead of them. On one hand I was so heartbroken that sweet Delaney had to even be in there, but on the other hand, I was so grateful that her situation was pretty minor. that being said, I HATED leaving her there...it was such an unnatural feeling as a mother.
Mommy, Tyler & Audrey
Delaney's last bottle feed in the NICU! Yay!!
On Delaney's discharge day, she did the car seat challenge, too!
Heading home with BOTH of our sweet babies! Such a happy day for the Kaufmans!
All buckled up!
We're home! Our first picture as a family of 5!!
Very proud big brother and his two little sisters!
We're so in love with these 3 little munchkins! :-)
Miss Audrey Cate came first! We didn't get a picture of Miss Delaney- she had to be rushed off to the NICU. Right after she let out a good scream, she stopped breathing. Scariest moment of my life. I remember looking over to my right, seeing her in a covered incubator as they were wheeling her off. The neonatologist, Dr. Hilliard, came over to me to explain what was going on and I just remember my heart pounding out of my chest as I tried to hold back tears. He was so sweet and kept telling me that she'll be ok and that I need to remember it wasn't my fault that this happened to Delaney. He was very comforting to a scared to death Mommy!
Daddy & Audrey in recovery
Mommy & Audrey doing skin to skin in recovery...Heaven!
We're missing Miss Delaney :-(
Audrey Cate
Here's Miss Delaney Lynn in the NICU. She had oxygen for the first day, an IV for the first 5 days and all of the heart & oxygen monitors the whole 9 days she was in the NICU. It was horrible to see her like that, but I know she was in the BEST hands...those nurses are nothing less than incredible in there!
Had to throw in a picture of the view from my room!
first skin to skin with Delaney...3 days old.
Daddy & Audrey
Audrey
Tyler giving sister Audrey a smooch!
Little Audrey doing the car seat challenge in the nursery. Any baby born before 36 weeks has to do this test- they hook up the baby to all of the monitors and buckle them in to their car seat for 90 minutes to make sure they don't react naughty to being in the seat.
Proud Grammie & Delaney
My sweet Delaney and her Snoedel. The volunteer ladies at Hoag sew these little dolls and give them to the NICU babies. The purpose is for the mother to cuddle the doll to get her scent on it and then give it to the baby in the NICU so they can smell Mommy. So sweet!
Another visit to the NICU.
Mommy, Daddy & Audrey cuddling in Mommy's hospital bed watching late night TV.
Friday, May 20- Mommy & Audrey going home. The most heartbreaking thing in the world was to leave sweet Delaney in the NICU while we were discharged. Horrible.
We took these pictures before Audrey & I were discharged.
Visit to the NICU- on Saturday, May 21, Delaney had to have a feeding tube inserted through her nose to her tummy to help her eat. She wasn't finishing her bottle so this was necessary for her to learn how to fill her tummy up. Hoag's requirement is once the feeding tube is inserted, the baby has to complete 16 bottle feedings on her own, without being gavage fed, in order to be discharged. This took until Wednesday May 25 for Delaney to get this down!
Miss Delaney was moved from an Isolette to an open bassinet on Friday, May 20. As the nurses say, she graduated!
Tyler & little sister Audrey
Mommy & Delaney
This is exactly how we would leave sweet Delaney whenever we left the NICU to go home. We would arrange to be at the NICU during her feeding times (2,5,8,11-around the clock) because it was best we didn't hold her & talk to her while she was trying to sleep in between feedings. The nurses wanted her to save her energy for her bottle feedings. While we were there, we would check her temperature, change her diaper and feed her. Once we were ready to go, we'd swaddle her back up and lay her back in her bassinet with her Snoedle. The whole NICU experience was so humbling. There were babies in there that were 1-2lbs and had very serious problems. It was heartbreaking to see the parents of those babies there to visit everyday knowing they have months of NICU visits ahead of them. On one hand I was so heartbroken that sweet Delaney had to even be in there, but on the other hand, I was so grateful that her situation was pretty minor. that being said, I HATED leaving her there...it was such an unnatural feeling as a mother.
Mommy, Tyler & Audrey
Delaney's last bottle feed in the NICU! Yay!!
On Delaney's discharge day, she did the car seat challenge, too!
Heading home with BOTH of our sweet babies! Such a happy day for the Kaufmans!
All buckled up!
We're home! Our first picture as a family of 5!!
Very proud big brother and his two little sisters!
We're so in love with these 3 little munchkins! :-)Just a few random things I wanted to "jot down"...just so I'll remember them...
Delaney weighed 5 lbs 9 oz when discharged on 5/25/11
Audrey weighed 4 lbs 10 oz when discharged on 5/20/11
Our favorite NICU nurses- Jane, Tricia, Ann and Angela. They were the BEST!
Our favorite Mother/Baby nurse- Danielle. She was SO sweet and more importantly, she loved our little Audrey. She was so excited when I would ask her to take her to the nursery so I could get some sleep. She played with Audrey's hair and gave her first (and last!) mohawk! ha!
While Delaney was in the NICU, we knew 2 other families in there, too. The Hewitts had twin boys a couple of weeks before our girls were born and they needed some NICU attention and the Shewards' nephews were in there, too.
2 comments:
Wow Karen, you certainly do not have boring delivery stories!!! It is so great to hear the girls are doing well. Tyler looks so proud and he will have his hands full protecting his sisters from here on out. Congrats :)
ohh myyy goodness!! Congrats!! They are beautiful!! Congrats on your new family of 5!! So exciting! :)
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