Happenings of the Day

Each of the trips is now taking 16cc's of milk per feeding.  This is equal to a little more than a half an ounce.  They are fed every three hours.

They continue to be under the lights.  Gabriel has shown improvement and reduced bilirubin levels.  Ryleigh and Cayden are unchanged or slightly worse but that is not worrisome. 

Ryleigh has pooped several times and dad had the privilege of changing one of her poopy diapers today.  The boys are still waiting for their first bowel movement..... i slipped the sports section into their incubators this afternoon, so hopefully that will take care of things.

The major health news of the day is that a murmur in Cayden's heart was detected.  In technical terms he has patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).  About 15% of preemies born after 30 weeks experience this, so it is not uncommon.  It was detected through an echocardiogram. 

What Causes a Patent Ductus Arteriosus?

Before birth, a baby’s blood is oxygenated by the placenta, not the lungs. Because of this, the circulatory system of a fetus is very different from that of a newborn baby. A small amount of blood goes to the lungs to nourish them, but most of a fetus’s blood bypasses the lungs completely. Instead of going to the lungs, blood flows through the ductus arteriosus (a hole between the pulmonary artery and the aorta) and out to the rest of the body.  After birth, the baby begins to breathe and the lungs start to oxygenate the blood. When this happens, the PDA should close, allowing blood to flow freely to the lungs. However, when the ductus arteriosus does not close, deoxygenated blood flows through the PDA, into the aorta, and out to the body instead of going to the lungs to become oxygenated.

Since he is otherwise healthy, they are going to give it a few days to close on its own and do another echo on monday.  If not corrected at that time, they will try to treat with drugs. 

Courtney did some more walking today and appears set to come home tomorrow later in the day.  It will certainly be bittersweet to head home, while having to leave the kids behind while they grow a little more.  Of course we will be making multiple visits each and every day to be with them. 

 Picture of one of the babies (unidentified) under the lights with the mask they must wear to protect their eyes.