Day 3

Marcos and Sofia were released from the hospital after their 98 day stay in the NICU.

We are so thankful for this day and our little miracles. Leaving Carlos behind was tough but I feel good about all the nurses that take care of him. I know he is getting excellent care and plenty of cuddles. Taking them out of those doors was so surreal. I kept thinking they are breathing outside air, and breathing on their own! My little fighters have surprised us all!

The days are once again starting to blurr altogether...I don't want to miss the small stuff or not be able to remember anything. I will try to blog at least once a week.

Finally an update

Today the triplets are 96 days old. How I wish I could have had the time and energy to blog about everything they have been through...but since we cannot turn back time, I will start with today.

They will soon be home! We can see the end to the NICU journey, and we are getting things ready.
We have 3 cribs, 2 swings, 2 car seats (yes, we need one more) a new mini van! lots and lots of clothes, diapers, blankets, hats, bibs and so much more. Mom and dad are working on the room, putting curtains up and washing and cleaning as much as we can. We still cannot believe how generous people have been. We are so thankful for every gift, whether its new or used. We are grateful for everything that has been given to us!

This past week:
Tuesday: Lemonade party for Big Sister's Kinder class
Wednesday: First day of Kinder!!

 
Thursday: Sofia's eye laser surgery
Friday: The boys' hernia surgery. The surgeries kept getting pushed back and the boys were starving. It was so hard, the IV fluids started around 6am and the surgeries were not until early evening. They could not eat all day long. Thankfully, our nurses did a great job in holding and trying to comfort them.

All the surgeries went well. Sofia recovered very quickly, while the boys are still a bit sleepy.

On this 96th day, I am missing my babies. I stayed home from the hospital to finish organizing their room. I think we are ready! No nursing today but lots of pumping. Mama's pumping about 45 oz of breast milk a day!!! and I need more!!

2 weeks ago

My babies are 2 weeks old or 27 weeks 2 days.

Sofia is doing great. She is getting a little bit of breastmilk every 3 hours now. She has not had to go back on the ventilator since she got off. Her nurses and doctors often call her a rock star.
I did not like hearing that her blood pressure dropped this morning for about three minutes and then cameback up on its own. They are watching it closely. I held her again. I hummed "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and later found out it was a little louder than what I thought. She whimpers when they take her away.

Daddy held Marcos today.

And Carlos continues to have more desats than his siblings. Funny how these medical terms are now part of our everyday vocabulary. He is still on Dopamine and steroids to lower his blood pressure. They are trying to wean him but its been a couple of days. Hopefully tomorrow we can spend some time holding him. I feel so bad, like I'm neglecting him.

All three are getting another sonogram of their heart tomorrow.
How I wish all three of their PDA's showed up completely closed...

As for me, this completes day 3 of no crying.

Our first entry…

The first time I held one of my babies, I was scared out of my mind. Sofia was first. She was five day old. I was afraid to hurt her little body, but I did just fine. Sofia is the smallest but the strongest. At birth, she only weighed 1 lb 2.3 oz. She was the last one to be born but she was the first one I was allowed to hold. At 9 days old, the doctors decided to take her breathing tube out. It was painful to watch. I heard her whimper for the first time. I cried. I wanted to help her but I couldn’t. I felt so helpless. I was afraid she would stop breathing. It’s been over 24 hours and the tube is still out. Today, Sofia is the first one to get some of mama’s milk through a feeding tube. I also took Sofia’s temperature for the first time and changed her diaper.

Marcos was second to be held. Weighing more than his sister, 1 lb 4.8 oz. He did not handle it as well as his sister and the team of nurses had to take him off my chest and put him back in his isolette. I was sad. A few days later we tried again, and it was a bit more successful. He was the next one to be extubated. Deep down, I knew he wasn't ready but his doctors wanted to try. He struggled. I could see his little chest and stomach move up and down. It hurt to watch. During these moments, I cannot stop my thoughts. I failed my little guys. I have asked myself a million times, why? This is not the way it was supposed to be. I was so confident that this would not happen, not this early, but we must accept God's plan.

Today I held Carlos for the first time, 9 days after he was born. Carlos weighed less than his brother, 1 lb 4.1 oz. First to be born, and last to be held. It's getting a little bit easier to have a team of nurses around me disconnecting and reconnecting all the lines and tubes that are on their little bodies. Today I tried so hard to ignore the beeping noises from all the machines surrounding his brother and sister. Today, Carlos and I took our first nap together. I felt stronger.

All three babies have a large PDA. An open heart valve that usually closes during a baby's first few hours of life. All three got 2 rounds of indomethacin, a medication to help close it but it did not work. The boys' PDA is larger than Sofia's and there is a possibility of heart surgery, especially for Carlos. Today I did not cry when I found out Carlos's blood pressure continued to drop and the medication was increased. Today was a good day.