OK, so my sister told me about this caramel popcorn recipe - I was a little timid about making it, b/c I hate making stuff that creates a sticky mess...but it sounded so good this afternoon that I decided to just go for it. OH MY GOSH, I cannot stop eating it!!!! It is seriously addictive. Here's the recipe:
Grandma Paula's Caramel Corn
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 qts popped corn
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Over medium heat, combine first 4 ingredients - bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Stir well. Pour over 8 quarts popped corn. Stir to coat well. Bake in large roaster or pan for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to dry/cool.
It would also be good with some nuts added in - mmm...some almonds and cashews...yum!
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Two months old already!!
Wow, I just realized I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks...oops! Sorry 'bout that! I can hardly believe it - the girls are 2 months old already! It's a surreal feeling - at the same time, it feels both as though they just got here and as if they've been here forever! I can honestly say I have never been so exhausted in my life, nor have I ever felt so strong...it's amazing how you are given the grace and strength you need, when you need it. Before the girls were here, I couldn't imagine how I was going to handle a 2-yr old and twins; never imagined one of the twins would have special needs! I am definitely relying more on my faith than ever before in my life, and I often recite one of my favorite scriptures - "My grace is sufficient for you."
Makayla weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz last Friday 2/22 (was 5 lbs, 6 oz at birth). She is finally on the regular growth chart, though still only at the 5th %ile - but ON the chart, nonetheless!! She is so snuggly and sweet, though she is by far the needier of the two as far as needing to be held and comforted. She has really bad reflux, which so far is not really responding to the meds, so she cries a LOT. I feel so bad when I can't comfort her...it's very sad. She is BFing really well and loves to be worn in the sling. She's a funny combination of Darrell and me - her features are so me - looks exactly like I did as a baby; but her skin is so much darker than mine. She's just precious - and SO much hair - it just keeps getting thicker and curlier - so cute.
Mackenzie has had a really hard time with feeding and gaining weight. She was 4 lbs, 2 oz when she came home from the NICU on Jan 26; a month later, she's only 5 lbs, 2 oz (she was 2 lbs, 15 oz at birth). She actually went the entire week last week (Fri-Fri) without gaining even an ounce, so I was glad to see on Wednesday that she had gained a couple since Friday. She's still not even on the preemie growth chart, let alone the regular one! We're still not entirely sure why she hates eating so much, but her feedings are pretty traumatic for all involved - she just screams and flails and pushes the bottle away...etc etc. The doc put her on reflux medication in case that is the problem, and we met with an Occupational Therapist this yesterday. They gave us some calming techniques to try, and a new bottle to try. They would like to see her weekly for 6 months - but we have to wait for insurance approval. It truly breaks my heart b/c she cries b/c she's hungry, but then she cries when we give her the bottle...it's a catch 22. She is just as cute as can be, and amazingly strong...holds her head up so well, rolls over from her stomach to her back...it's so funny to watch her, just this teeny tiny thing with so much spunk!
Anthony is so in-love with his baby sisters. He calls them "mister 'Kayla" and "mister Kenzie." Mister is his way of combining "My" and "sister" - how cute is that?! I've tried, fruitlessly, to explain to him that mister means a boy, but he just shakes his head and laughs at me...LOL. He also keeps up a running commentary for me on what's happening with the girls - "Mama, Kenzie's crying." "Mama, Kayla's hungry AGAIN." "Mama, Kayla spit out her binky." "Mama, Kenzie spit up milk from her nose." (When she spits up, b/c of her palate, sometimes it comes out her nose - really gross!) And it's hysterical listening to him talk to them the same way I do - he's a little parrot. "What's the problem, mister Kenzie?" I always tell the girls, "I know, honey, I know..." when they're upset abut something. Now Anthony says it..."I know, baby girl, I know.
I had family here helping out until this past Saturday, when my mom left. Monday, Darrell went to work and it was my first day alone with all 3 kids. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but by the time he got home, I was definitely ready for a break. So I told him I needed a steaming hot bubble bath and a glass of wine. He said to go ahead. Of course, before the water was even finished running, Makayla was awake and hungry - so my steaming hot bubble bath with wine became a luke-warm bath with a nursing baby!! LOL - at least I got a bath! Darrell's been off the rest of this week - but come next week, he's back to work full time, and I'm on my own. I do have a friend lined up to come over on Tuesday for a few hours to help out.
On Wednesdays, I've been going to a breastfeeding group, which I really enjoy. But I've been just taking one baby pretty much, other than the time my sister went with and we took both of them. So when I told the other moms and the leader - a lactation consultant - that this week I would be on my own with all 3, so I didn't think I'd make it to group, they all insisted that I bring them all along. OMG - can you imagine what that would be like?? I am so scared to try it, but I guess I'm gonna have to figure it out sooner or later, so depending on how I feel that morning, and on how everyone's temperments are that morning, I may give it a try.
I have my tubal ligation scheduled for Friday, March 14th. This shop's closed!!! A good friend is flying in from San Francisco to help out with the kids and for a visit that weekend. Yay!
I don't know what we're doing for Anthony's 3rd birthday on the 17th. Since he's no longer in daycare, he doesn't have a bunch of friends to invite to a party. I have several friends with kids near his age, so maybe we'll all just have a picnic at the park or something like that.
Makayla weighed 8 lbs, 9 oz last Friday 2/22 (was 5 lbs, 6 oz at birth). She is finally on the regular growth chart, though still only at the 5th %ile - but ON the chart, nonetheless!! She is so snuggly and sweet, though she is by far the needier of the two as far as needing to be held and comforted. She has really bad reflux, which so far is not really responding to the meds, so she cries a LOT. I feel so bad when I can't comfort her...it's very sad. She is BFing really well and loves to be worn in the sling. She's a funny combination of Darrell and me - her features are so me - looks exactly like I did as a baby; but her skin is so much darker than mine. She's just precious - and SO much hair - it just keeps getting thicker and curlier - so cute.
Mackenzie has had a really hard time with feeding and gaining weight. She was 4 lbs, 2 oz when she came home from the NICU on Jan 26; a month later, she's only 5 lbs, 2 oz (she was 2 lbs, 15 oz at birth). She actually went the entire week last week (Fri-Fri) without gaining even an ounce, so I was glad to see on Wednesday that she had gained a couple since Friday. She's still not even on the preemie growth chart, let alone the regular one! We're still not entirely sure why she hates eating so much, but her feedings are pretty traumatic for all involved - she just screams and flails and pushes the bottle away...etc etc. The doc put her on reflux medication in case that is the problem, and we met with an Occupational Therapist this yesterday. They gave us some calming techniques to try, and a new bottle to try. They would like to see her weekly for 6 months - but we have to wait for insurance approval. It truly breaks my heart b/c she cries b/c she's hungry, but then she cries when we give her the bottle...it's a catch 22. She is just as cute as can be, and amazingly strong...holds her head up so well, rolls over from her stomach to her back...it's so funny to watch her, just this teeny tiny thing with so much spunk!
Anthony is so in-love with his baby sisters. He calls them "mister 'Kayla" and "mister Kenzie." Mister is his way of combining "My" and "sister" - how cute is that?! I've tried, fruitlessly, to explain to him that mister means a boy, but he just shakes his head and laughs at me...LOL. He also keeps up a running commentary for me on what's happening with the girls - "Mama, Kenzie's crying." "Mama, Kayla's hungry AGAIN." "Mama, Kayla spit out her binky." "Mama, Kenzie spit up milk from her nose." (When she spits up, b/c of her palate, sometimes it comes out her nose - really gross!) And it's hysterical listening to him talk to them the same way I do - he's a little parrot. "What's the problem, mister Kenzie?" I always tell the girls, "I know, honey, I know..." when they're upset abut something. Now Anthony says it..."I know, baby girl, I know.
I had family here helping out until this past Saturday, when my mom left. Monday, Darrell went to work and it was my first day alone with all 3 kids. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but by the time he got home, I was definitely ready for a break. So I told him I needed a steaming hot bubble bath and a glass of wine. He said to go ahead. Of course, before the water was even finished running, Makayla was awake and hungry - so my steaming hot bubble bath with wine became a luke-warm bath with a nursing baby!! LOL - at least I got a bath! Darrell's been off the rest of this week - but come next week, he's back to work full time, and I'm on my own. I do have a friend lined up to come over on Tuesday for a few hours to help out.
On Wednesdays, I've been going to a breastfeeding group, which I really enjoy. But I've been just taking one baby pretty much, other than the time my sister went with and we took both of them. So when I told the other moms and the leader - a lactation consultant - that this week I would be on my own with all 3, so I didn't think I'd make it to group, they all insisted that I bring them all along. OMG - can you imagine what that would be like?? I am so scared to try it, but I guess I'm gonna have to figure it out sooner or later, so depending on how I feel that morning, and on how everyone's temperments are that morning, I may give it a try.
I have my tubal ligation scheduled for Friday, March 14th. This shop's closed!!! A good friend is flying in from San Francisco to help out with the kids and for a visit that weekend. Yay!
I don't know what we're doing for Anthony's 3rd birthday on the 17th. Since he's no longer in daycare, he doesn't have a bunch of friends to invite to a party. I have several friends with kids near his age, so maybe we'll all just have a picnic at the park or something like that.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sorry so long between updates!!
Things are a tad busy around here, as you can imagine. We took the girls to an appointment with a neonatologist at Kaiser - Riverside last week, at their high risk clinic. Makayla's now on Reglan for her reflux, and I have seen some improvement, though she still seems to have some discomfort. She weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz - quite the little cuddly chub! The doc wasn't concerned about her apnea alarms, and actually, she hasn't had any more alarms since she's been on the Reglan - which makes me think the apnea episodes may have been related to the reflux.
Mackenzie's giving us some problems in the feeding and growing department, though. She only weighed 4 lbs, 5 oz, which meant she had only gained 1 oz in the 8 days since her previous appt...not good!! She seems to have developed a major aversion to eating - at least from the bottle. She just screams and tenses her whole body and arches her back and pushes the bottle away with her arms and shakes her head back and forth - as many ways of saying "NO!" as she can possibly come up with! It's quite frustrating for her and for whomever is feeding her! She demonstrated for us while we were in with the doctor, so he didn't have to just imagine what we were describing.
Anyway, the doc put in a referral for the craniofacial team (that's who will treat her cleft issues) and for occupational therapy (to help with feeding and with sensory issues). The OT referral hasn't gone through yet, but her appointment with the craniofacial team is this Friday in Fontana. The nurse from the team called yesterday and gave us a few tips on feeding, so we've been trying those out - some of them seem to help. She's also going to bring some different bottles/nipples for us to try on Friday. I also met with a lactation consultant yesterday - she got to witness and experience firsthand what happens during feedings - we have her sympathy! She gave me a supplemental nursing system to try out with Mackenzie - it's basically a bottle filled with breastmilk hanging from my shirt, with a small, thin tube that I tape to my breast - so when she latches on, the tube also goes in her mouth and give her extra milk. We had a little success with it yesterday - will continue to try, since she really enjoys breastfeeding. We tried to do a pre-nursing and post-nursing weigh-in for her, to see how much milk she's able to get, but the scale where we met was not very accurate, so it didn't really work. I'm going to see her again tomorrow at a place that has a much more accurate scale, so we'll try again. She's also been weighed on that scale before, a couple weeks ago, so it will be an accurate measurement of how much she's gained in that time.
So between Makayla wanting to nurse every couple hours, and the feedings with Mackenzie being so time-consuming and stressful - seems like feeding is about all we have time for around here!!!
Both girls have a well-baby check-up with the pediatrician this Saturday and will get their first round of shots - yikes! Here's to hoping they don't both get all fussy and miserable afterwards! Will definitely be pre-dosing them with Tylenol!! It's bad enough when one baby is fussy after shots - can't imagine it multiplied!
Anthony is just thoroughly enjoying his baby sisters. He loves to touch them and kiss them - and wants to be really really helpful. So helpful that he tried to pick up Makayla out of the swing a couple days ago when she was fussing. Yeah, gonna have to keep an eye on that!! ;)
Mackenzie's giving us some problems in the feeding and growing department, though. She only weighed 4 lbs, 5 oz, which meant she had only gained 1 oz in the 8 days since her previous appt...not good!! She seems to have developed a major aversion to eating - at least from the bottle. She just screams and tenses her whole body and arches her back and pushes the bottle away with her arms and shakes her head back and forth - as many ways of saying "NO!" as she can possibly come up with! It's quite frustrating for her and for whomever is feeding her! She demonstrated for us while we were in with the doctor, so he didn't have to just imagine what we were describing.
Anyway, the doc put in a referral for the craniofacial team (that's who will treat her cleft issues) and for occupational therapy (to help with feeding and with sensory issues). The OT referral hasn't gone through yet, but her appointment with the craniofacial team is this Friday in Fontana. The nurse from the team called yesterday and gave us a few tips on feeding, so we've been trying those out - some of them seem to help. She's also going to bring some different bottles/nipples for us to try on Friday. I also met with a lactation consultant yesterday - she got to witness and experience firsthand what happens during feedings - we have her sympathy! She gave me a supplemental nursing system to try out with Mackenzie - it's basically a bottle filled with breastmilk hanging from my shirt, with a small, thin tube that I tape to my breast - so when she latches on, the tube also goes in her mouth and give her extra milk. We had a little success with it yesterday - will continue to try, since she really enjoys breastfeeding. We tried to do a pre-nursing and post-nursing weigh-in for her, to see how much milk she's able to get, but the scale where we met was not very accurate, so it didn't really work. I'm going to see her again tomorrow at a place that has a much more accurate scale, so we'll try again. She's also been weighed on that scale before, a couple weeks ago, so it will be an accurate measurement of how much she's gained in that time.
So between Makayla wanting to nurse every couple hours, and the feedings with Mackenzie being so time-consuming and stressful - seems like feeding is about all we have time for around here!!!
Both girls have a well-baby check-up with the pediatrician this Saturday and will get their first round of shots - yikes! Here's to hoping they don't both get all fussy and miserable afterwards! Will definitely be pre-dosing them with Tylenol!! It's bad enough when one baby is fussy after shots - can't imagine it multiplied!
Anthony is just thoroughly enjoying his baby sisters. He loves to touch them and kiss them - and wants to be really really helpful. So helpful that he tried to pick up Makayla out of the swing a couple days ago when she was fussing. Yeah, gonna have to keep an eye on that!! ;)
Monday, February 04, 2008
Pictures galore and an update
My sister Karen and her 18-month old daughter Emma came for an impromptu visit last week. They arrived on Sunday, and then my mom arrived on Tuesday. As you can imagine, it was a full house - but we had a blast, and got lots of great pictures.
The girls are growing so fast (well, at least Makayla is!). Mackenzie had a doctor's appointment last week, and she's grown almost 4 inches since she was born. She weighed 4 lbs, 4 oz...still has a ways to go to catch up!! Makayla weighed 6 lbs, 11 oz at the breastfeeding clinic last week!! She's chunking-up quite nicely! Both girls will see the neonatologist this week, so hopefully there will be some more gain! Mackenzie will also have another cranial ultrasound, to check on her brain bleed.
The girls are growing so fast (well, at least Makayla is!). Mackenzie had a doctor's appointment last week, and she's grown almost 4 inches since she was born. She weighed 4 lbs, 4 oz...still has a ways to go to catch up!! Makayla weighed 6 lbs, 11 oz at the breastfeeding clinic last week!! She's chunking-up quite nicely! Both girls will see the neonatologist this week, so hopefully there will be some more gain! Mackenzie will also have another cranial ultrasound, to check on her brain bleed.
Mackenzie's biggest issue right now is she doesn't particularly care to eat. She'd go 6 hours between feedings if we let her!! And each feeding is a challenge - first to get her to accept the bottle, then to get her to eat enough. It's a constant battle - and I don't want feedings to become a source of angst for her!! She does love to breastfeed, but she can't suck well and can't latch well, so basically I have to kind of hold my nipple in her mouth and essentially hand-express milk into her mouth. She doesn't seem to mind, but I have no way of knowing how much she's actually getting, so I don't feel comfortable letting her just BF for all her feedings. The doc is not going to be very happy with mommy and daddy if she hasn't gained much!!
Makayla's two biggest issues right now are her apnea and reflux. The first couple weeks she was home, her apnea alarm NEVER went off - only her low heartrate alarm did. But for the last week and a half or so, she has been setting off her apnea alarm a LOT - yesterday I think it went off at least a dozen times; that said, she never had any color change (like she did the one day when she was purple around her mouth a little over a week ago). And her reflux is getting worse by the day, it seems. She can't stand to be laid flat, she cries in pain when she spits up, she is bothered when she gets the hiccups, and she wants to nurse constantly - I think b/c the sucking soothes her discomfort. We're going to discuss this with the neonatologist on Wednesday.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Together at last
Just hanging out in our Boppy together.
Mmm...a great thing about being a twin...if you can't find your OWN fingers, just suck on your sister's!!!
And this pretty much sums up the difference in their personalities!!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Reunited, and it feels so good...
She's home!!!! We finally have both of our girls at home with us!! This afternoon I finally got to hold BOTH of my girls at the same time - for the first time!
Mackenzie came with an apnea monitor, on caffeine and iron. She had a cranial ultrasound yesterday, and her brain bleed has grown, but it's still only a Grade I. She'll have to go for another u/s in 2 weeks, and we're praying it will be GONE. A home health nurse is coming on Sunday, she'll see the pediatrician on Tuesday, and both girls will see the neonatologist in Riverside on 2/6.
Ok, gotta run - both girls are demanding attention!!
Mackenzie came with an apnea monitor, on caffeine and iron. She had a cranial ultrasound yesterday, and her brain bleed has grown, but it's still only a Grade I. She'll have to go for another u/s in 2 weeks, and we're praying it will be GONE. A home health nurse is coming on Sunday, she'll see the pediatrician on Tuesday, and both girls will see the neonatologist in Riverside on 2/6.
Ok, gotta run - both girls are demanding attention!!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Love this...
I stole this off the signature of one of the ladies on the cleft lip/palate board...
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain."
Doing lots and lots of dancing around here!!!!
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning to dance in the rain."
Doing lots and lots of dancing around here!!!!
Our grower/feeder is growing and feeding!!
In the NICU, when a baby is pretty much stable, but just needs more time to learn how to eat and to grow, they are referred to as a "grower/feeder." That's basically what Mackenzie's been for a while now. I talked to her nurse this morning, and she officially hit 4 lbs today!!!! YAY!! AND they removed her feeding tube, as she has been able to take all of her milk by bottle in her alotted time. Another big YAY!! I asked if the docs have mentioned discharge yet, and they hadn't done rounds yet for today. I'll call back later and see if any orders were written. When they order her hearing screen and pneumogram (to check for apnea and bradycardia spells), we'll know we're close - discharge is usually only a day or two away when they order those.
I saw my doctor today regarding my abdominal and back pain. The nausea is gone, but I'm still having quite a bit of pain, mostly in my back now (under my right shoulder blade), and it's much worse after I eat. I can't take a deep breath at all, it hurts so bad. She had me come in for labs yesterday, and had those results in time for my appointment. Initially she thought maybe I just had a bad GI bug, but after we talked, she said it does sound like a gallbladder problem. A couple of my liver function tests were abnormal, which can indicate a gallbladder problem. She is sending me for a HIDA scan, which is apparently the "gold standard" test for gallbladder problems - LOL I have to stay away from the babies for a certain number of hours afterwards b/c they will inject me with a radioactive substance for the test! That probably won't be until next week sometime. Anyway, the doc said if it does show a problem with the gallbladder, she'll refer me to a surgeon to have it taken out, since I've had repeated "attacks" of this kind of pain. If it's not my gallbladder, we'll look at GI issues - I was scheduled for an upper GI/endoscopy last summer, but cancelled it due to the pregnancy. So there could be some reflux or ulcer issues going on.
I just found out this afternoon that I have to take Makayla to Riverside tomorrow for her Synagis shot - apparently they only give them 2 days/month, and today and tomorrow are the days for this month. If I didn't take her, she would have a lapse in protection from RSV before the February shot. It's a darn good thing I followed up on it after my appt today, b/c they were supposed to call us but never did!! I'm praying my daycare provider will let Anthony come tomorrow, so I don't have to drag him along with me. She has her first follow-up appt with the neonatologist on Feb 6. Hopefully we'll be able to get Mackenzie's scheduled for the same time.
Oh, and here's an UGH for ya...Anthony's been going to daycare part time - 3 days/week - for several months. Basically since I got put on bedrest during the pregnancy. Anyway, yesterday the daycare provider called and said she doesn't want to do part-time care anymore, so now we have to find a new daycare for him. Yes, because we needed one more thing on our plates to deal with right now. Thank God my mom's coming back, b/c there's just no way I can manage two babies and two apnea monitors and a toddler, while taking the twins to all their appointments and such. Darrell's planning to take off the last half of February, I think, so that will help too.
I saw my doctor today regarding my abdominal and back pain. The nausea is gone, but I'm still having quite a bit of pain, mostly in my back now (under my right shoulder blade), and it's much worse after I eat. I can't take a deep breath at all, it hurts so bad. She had me come in for labs yesterday, and had those results in time for my appointment. Initially she thought maybe I just had a bad GI bug, but after we talked, she said it does sound like a gallbladder problem. A couple of my liver function tests were abnormal, which can indicate a gallbladder problem. She is sending me for a HIDA scan, which is apparently the "gold standard" test for gallbladder problems - LOL I have to stay away from the babies for a certain number of hours afterwards b/c they will inject me with a radioactive substance for the test! That probably won't be until next week sometime. Anyway, the doc said if it does show a problem with the gallbladder, she'll refer me to a surgeon to have it taken out, since I've had repeated "attacks" of this kind of pain. If it's not my gallbladder, we'll look at GI issues - I was scheduled for an upper GI/endoscopy last summer, but cancelled it due to the pregnancy. So there could be some reflux or ulcer issues going on.
I just found out this afternoon that I have to take Makayla to Riverside tomorrow for her Synagis shot - apparently they only give them 2 days/month, and today and tomorrow are the days for this month. If I didn't take her, she would have a lapse in protection from RSV before the February shot. It's a darn good thing I followed up on it after my appt today, b/c they were supposed to call us but never did!! I'm praying my daycare provider will let Anthony come tomorrow, so I don't have to drag him along with me. She has her first follow-up appt with the neonatologist on Feb 6. Hopefully we'll be able to get Mackenzie's scheduled for the same time.
Oh, and here's an UGH for ya...Anthony's been going to daycare part time - 3 days/week - for several months. Basically since I got put on bedrest during the pregnancy. Anyway, yesterday the daycare provider called and said she doesn't want to do part-time care anymore, so now we have to find a new daycare for him. Yes, because we needed one more thing on our plates to deal with right now. Thank God my mom's coming back, b/c there's just no way I can manage two babies and two apnea monitors and a toddler, while taking the twins to all their appointments and such. Darrell's planning to take off the last half of February, I think, so that will help too.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
No time for mommy to get sick!!
Well, last night I ended up taking an ambulance ride to the hospital. About 4:00 p.m. yesterday, I was home alone with Anthony and Makayla, while Darrell visited Mackenzie in the NICU. I had just eaten a pear, and I suddenly had severe stomach pain and nausea. I thought I was coming down with a GI bug or something. I took some nausea medicine in the hopes it would help - I HATE throwing up!! Alas, it didn't work and I proceeded to lose everything I had eaten the entire day. The pain got progressively worse and moved over to the right side and wrapped around my back. I left Darrell a couple messages asking him to please come home, and when he called me back, I told him I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital, the pain was so unbearable. He called some friends to come over, not knowing if he was going to have to take me or what. By the time he and they got here, there was no way I could sit up for a car ride anywhere, and Darrell had to call an ambulance. I'm telling you, the pain was as bad as labor!! You know it's got to be bad for me to be willing to go to JFK hospital (it's the closest but also the most ghetto and busiest).
So when I got there, they did some labs, gave me some nausea medicine and pain medicine - which made the pain bearable but did NOT take it away - and did an abdominal ultrasound. They assumed it was my gallbladder. I figured it wasn't, since this is the 3rd or 4th time over the past couple years I've had an attack like this (though this was by far the worst), and they always think it's my gallbladder, but they never find any stones. So, of course, once again, no stones...so they sent me home without an explanation for the pain. The Dilaudid held me for the night, but today, the pain is bad again. I ate half a piece of dry toast and a cup of chicken broth, and it made the pain worse.
So my thoughts are that it's either an ulcer/reflux issues with radiating pain (brought on by the 800-mg motrins I've been taking since delivery!), or I'm wondering if you can have gallbladder issues without actually having stones. At any rate, I've called the doctor and am waiting for a call back regarding getting an appointment to be seen. Fortunately, Anthony's done a good job of entertaining himself today, and he'll be in daycare the rest of the week. I think he's currently re-enacting last night's drama - he's playing with his fire engine!! (You know, of course, when you call for an ambulance, they feel it necessary to send a fire engine as well!)
So prayers for mommy's tummy would be appreciated!!
And, yay, my mom's coming back a week from today!!!!
So when I got there, they did some labs, gave me some nausea medicine and pain medicine - which made the pain bearable but did NOT take it away - and did an abdominal ultrasound. They assumed it was my gallbladder. I figured it wasn't, since this is the 3rd or 4th time over the past couple years I've had an attack like this (though this was by far the worst), and they always think it's my gallbladder, but they never find any stones. So, of course, once again, no stones...so they sent me home without an explanation for the pain. The Dilaudid held me for the night, but today, the pain is bad again. I ate half a piece of dry toast and a cup of chicken broth, and it made the pain worse.
So my thoughts are that it's either an ulcer/reflux issues with radiating pain (brought on by the 800-mg motrins I've been taking since delivery!), or I'm wondering if you can have gallbladder issues without actually having stones. At any rate, I've called the doctor and am waiting for a call back regarding getting an appointment to be seen. Fortunately, Anthony's done a good job of entertaining himself today, and he'll be in daycare the rest of the week. I think he's currently re-enacting last night's drama - he's playing with his fire engine!! (You know, of course, when you call for an ambulance, they feel it necessary to send a fire engine as well!)
So prayers for mommy's tummy would be appreciated!!
And, yay, my mom's coming back a week from today!!!!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Update on the girls
Sorry it's been so long since I updated...life's been a little busy around here!
Makayla's doing great here at home. She's up to 6 lbs even, as of yesterday, nursing like crazy. She loves her swing (sleeps there a lot) and loves to be held. And praise God, the second test for CAH (from the newborn screening) came back negative!!!!! Yay!! She has been having alarms for bradycardia (low heart rate) on her apnea monitor, mostly during and after feedings. And always at night, for some reason. Anyway, the neonatologist said he's not concerned, as it's normal for this to happen during feedings and because she's not turning blue when it happens. I'm still waiting to hear from the Kaiser neonatologist regarding setting up an appointment for Makayla for follow-up. He'll be the one monitoring her for apnea, bradycardia, Synagis shots, etc - all of the preemie issues.
We saw the geneticist yesterday, regarding getting the girls tested for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (the neuromuscular condition I have). Each child has a 50% chance of having it. The doc, however, does not want to test the girls at this point, b/c he feels children shouldn't be "labeled" unnecessarily, and basically said that if/when they develop symptoms, then they could be tested. Darrell sort of agreed with the doctor. I was frustrated with this, though I understand his reasoning - but I wonder if he has children of his own! He said we have enough on our plates right now and that we didn't need this to worry about too...does he think that just because we don't have a positive test, that I won't worry about it???? At least if we did the test, there would be a 50% chance I'd be relieved of this worry...whereas without the test, I'll continue to wonder and worry. Anyway, he did say we could do the test anytime, so if I'm still thinking about it and worrying about it in a couple months, after things have settled down, then we'll revisit the issue.
I went and fed Mackenzie today for her 11:30 feeding. She's doing much better with the breastfeeding now...a combination of having more energy, being more alert, and her growing - so her mouth is a bit bigger! She nursed for about 45 minutes. She's in an open bassinet now - graduated from the incubator. She's up to 3 lbs, 11.5 oz - YAY!! She's nippling every feed now, though they still sometimes have to gavage whatever she hasn't finished in 30 minutes. They are adding Human Milk Fortifier to her breastmilk, to help her gain weight. But we're getting closer to discharge!!! I'm guessing maybe another week to 10 days??? Oh, and her newborn screening came back completely fine!! I was upset last Friday, b/c when I went in, I was looking at her chart and discovered that on 1/1/08, they did a cranial ultrasound and found a Grade I brain bleed, and no one ever told us. However, I talked with the doctor a few days ago, and he said Grade I's are very subjective - what one doc says is a Gr I bleed, another doc might say is nothing. He said it's not associated with any long term problems at all, so I was relieved.
We had a nice surprise on Monday - Darrell's work group threw us a baby shower! We got a double stroller, baby bathtub and toys, and lots of adorable clothes...and diapers...always good. It was really nice to see everyone - I hadn't seen most of them in quite a while.
Makayla's doing great here at home. She's up to 6 lbs even, as of yesterday, nursing like crazy. She loves her swing (sleeps there a lot) and loves to be held. And praise God, the second test for CAH (from the newborn screening) came back negative!!!!! Yay!! She has been having alarms for bradycardia (low heart rate) on her apnea monitor, mostly during and after feedings. And always at night, for some reason. Anyway, the neonatologist said he's not concerned, as it's normal for this to happen during feedings and because she's not turning blue when it happens. I'm still waiting to hear from the Kaiser neonatologist regarding setting up an appointment for Makayla for follow-up. He'll be the one monitoring her for apnea, bradycardia, Synagis shots, etc - all of the preemie issues.
We saw the geneticist yesterday, regarding getting the girls tested for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (the neuromuscular condition I have). Each child has a 50% chance of having it. The doc, however, does not want to test the girls at this point, b/c he feels children shouldn't be "labeled" unnecessarily, and basically said that if/when they develop symptoms, then they could be tested. Darrell sort of agreed with the doctor. I was frustrated with this, though I understand his reasoning - but I wonder if he has children of his own! He said we have enough on our plates right now and that we didn't need this to worry about too...does he think that just because we don't have a positive test, that I won't worry about it???? At least if we did the test, there would be a 50% chance I'd be relieved of this worry...whereas without the test, I'll continue to wonder and worry. Anyway, he did say we could do the test anytime, so if I'm still thinking about it and worrying about it in a couple months, after things have settled down, then we'll revisit the issue.
I went and fed Mackenzie today for her 11:30 feeding. She's doing much better with the breastfeeding now...a combination of having more energy, being more alert, and her growing - so her mouth is a bit bigger! She nursed for about 45 minutes. She's in an open bassinet now - graduated from the incubator. She's up to 3 lbs, 11.5 oz - YAY!! She's nippling every feed now, though they still sometimes have to gavage whatever she hasn't finished in 30 minutes. They are adding Human Milk Fortifier to her breastmilk, to help her gain weight. But we're getting closer to discharge!!! I'm guessing maybe another week to 10 days??? Oh, and her newborn screening came back completely fine!! I was upset last Friday, b/c when I went in, I was looking at her chart and discovered that on 1/1/08, they did a cranial ultrasound and found a Grade I brain bleed, and no one ever told us. However, I talked with the doctor a few days ago, and he said Grade I's are very subjective - what one doc says is a Gr I bleed, another doc might say is nothing. He said it's not associated with any long term problems at all, so I was relieved.
We had a nice surprise on Monday - Darrell's work group threw us a baby shower! We got a double stroller, baby bathtub and toys, and lots of adorable clothes...and diapers...always good. It was really nice to see everyone - I hadn't seen most of them in quite a while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
