Multi-tasking

This multi-tasking thing is hard, especially when I’m sleep-deprived! Right now, I’m trying to type, eat a ham sandwich, drink a glass of water, figure out how much longer I have at home before I need to start driving back to the hospital, calculate if the girls have enough milk stored up at the hospital prior to their next feeding, plan what I can accomplish in the nursery before I leave, and I don’t even have any crying babies here to distract me! I’ve never felt so pressed for time, or so productive. Every little thing I can do for the girls feels like a triumph, since I can only do so much while they’re hospitalized! I’ve also been blessed to be able to use my mom as another set of hands – she’s been invaluable with grocery shopping, laundry, milk-ferrying, bottle-holding, and so much more.

The girls are doing very well – I can’t thank you enough for all your prayers and expressions of congratulations. Jim and I are falling more and more in love every day. We find ourselves beaming with pride and amusement when they point their little toes or lick their little lips or grab their little ears. They’re taking part of their feedings by nursing, part by bottle, and part by feeding tubes. The problem with nursing and bottle-feedings is that the girls get too tired, too quickly, and then use up too many precious calories. We need them to hang on to those calories so they can start gaining weight, which will in turn help to regulate their body temperatures (a very important criteria for discharge).

Please pray that they continue to get stronger and take more and more feedings by nursing, that they start packing on the pounds (or at least, the ounces!), and that Susanna doesn’t have any more apnea episodes where she “forgets” to breathe. They can’t discharge her until she has seven consecutive days without apnea – and frankly, I’m quite glad. I’m already fretting that she will stop breathing on my watch, and I won’t have any monitors at home to alert me when it happens! Apnea is very common in premature babies, though, so we are confident she will outgrow this tendency quickly.

Well, I better sign off – I have to be careful not to expend too many calories myself – I need every one for energy right now! Thank you again for your calls, e-mails, letters, and prayers. I apologize for not being able to respond individually, but time is tight when I’m at the hospital it takes 30-45 minutes to feed Susanna, and then 30-45 minutes to feed Rebecca, and then it’s time to pump and start the whole process over again! What a glorious cycle of life!