Snow day? What snow day?

Published by Kerry | Filed under Uncategorized

It certainly isn’t as bad out there as what everyone thought it would be, and nothing could keep me away from spending time with the boys this morning!  A few pics from our morning time together…and then I have some pretty exciting news!

The three of us staring at each other in wonder

Our boys, 38 days old

A hungry Wes wishing I would take my shirt off

This morning, I was told by both the neonatologist and our primary daytime nurse that we should go out on a date this weekend, as we will likely have BOTH BOYS HOME BY NEXT WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  How amazing is that?  Apparently the bradycardias that Wes is still having when he eats aren’t that big of a deal now that we know what to do once they happen (take away his bottle, stimulate him to get him to start breathing, and if that doesn’t work, bump up his O2 a little bit).  Both Max and Wes will likely come home on oxygen, which won’t be a big deal since we’re used to all of the tubes.  The doctors and nurses are mainly waiting for both of them to take all of their feedings from bottles (as opposed to their feeding tubes), and then they should be good to come home where they belong.  OMG, FINALLY!!!!!

When I told Jeff the news, I think he was in shock.  As am I.  I think we’re both a little bit freaked out that the boys will be home so soon after being under the care of the hospital for the last 5 1/2 weeks.  But we’re also so ridiculously excited that we can barely stand it.  Nesting is kicking in full force, and we will likely spend the rest of this “snow day” (since Jeff’s off work) getting everything 100% ready for them to come home.

Now for a few notes for friends and family -

Once the boys are home, Jeff and I are asking that no friends or family come over to visit for the first week we are all home.  This is going to be a bit of a difficult transition (especially for Max and Wes, but for Jeff and I as well), and we want it to be as stress-free and smooth as possible.  Not to mention we have had ZERO privacy with our new family since the boys have been born, and I think we really need and deserve that after all we’ve been through.  Once we have that first week together, we would love visitors, but please call or email one of us first, don’t just show up.  The NICU nurses have suggested that we mimic the boys’ schedules that they’ve had since birth, which is why we don’t want unexpected visitors during times when the boys aren’t awake. 

Also, we won’t be allowing any children to come over to our house until RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) season is over (the end of April).  Kiddos spread the virus faster than adults do, and if either one of our boys caught it, it could lead to pneumonia, bronchiolitis, or even death.  Max and Wes were born early, are multiples, and had low birth weights; which are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications.  Everyone who comes over must be germ or symptom-free from any illness, fever, etc for at least a week.  Don’t be offended if we ask you to wash your hands the minute you walk in the door (and periodically throughout your visit) as RSV is spread very easily through physical contact, in the air via a cough or sneeze, or by touching an infected object.  The virus can live as long as 6 hours on hands (or bodies) and 12 hours on objects. 

If any of you have questions/concerns about any of the above, please let Jeff and I know.  And we’ll keep you posted on a coming-home date (when we get one) – YAY!!!!

Kerry