No homecoming today

Doctors decided Gabe was not ready to come home today after a couple small events/episodes overnight.  Coupled with knowing the boys will never see Coach Tressel walk the sidelines, a sad day all around. 

On the bright side, after a couple of very bad days, Cayden had a better night. He was put on antibiotics last night to help hm fight whatever has him not feeling well. 



Cayden, mom this morning



Mixed Results

Cayden had his butt hooked up to oxygen again yesterday to promote healing (and just a little laughter I suppose).  I imagine this picture will get pulled out at opportune times in the future (prom, wedding, etc.).   I think he is destined to be class clown.  Cayden is still on oxygen for breathing as well, as he is struggling with some central apneas.  He began taking caffeine Saturday again to help with that.  He will need to be off the caffeine, and have the apneas end (as well as meet other milestones) to be discharged.  It would appear he will be at MVH for a few weeks yet. 

Wait....what?

Ryleigh is doing fine. Some feedings she does really well, others she is tired and needs more of the gavage.   She doesnt have the butt problems that the boys do though.  I think her plan is to hang out a little while yet to make sure Cayden is ok and has company.

Picture of a picture

And there is Gabe.....He was moved to open air yesterday with the thought he may be able to come home tomorrow (Monday).  However, he had a breathing event mid-afternoon that could impact that plan.  It will depend on how things go between now and Monday.

Free at last....free at last

The Latest

Gabe is acting like he wants to get the heck out of the hospital.  He had his feeding tube removed Thursday so now every meal is on his own.  He nursed for 18 minutes at his 1100 am feeding.  Later in the day, his 40 cc bottle was not enough and dad had to give him an extra 10cc's.  If he keeps eating well this weekend, his next move is to a crib to see if he can maintain his temperature outside of the incubator....then, finally, he would be on his way home to begin ruining Austin's summer.

Ryleigh is doing fine.  She has some episodes from time to time, and still gets some of her feedings via gavage. 

Baby Cayden is still on oxygen.  He is very snotty and is having to be suctioned pretty frequently.   They pulled something out of his nose today that would have made an 80 year old man.....living in the desert...with a bad cold.....proud.

Today's weights -

Gabe and Cayden - 4lb and 14.5 oz
Ryleigh - 4lb and 13.5 oz

Gabe without his feeding tube

Court's New Ride

We did in fact pick up Courtney's new van last Friday.  She has been enjoying driving it this week....her first week back behind the wheel.  I am sad to report that multiple readers thought we really bought a yellow 1970 something van as pictured below.  I am happy to report the people in question were Courtney's family and friends.

The Bad and the Good

A quick recap of various events of the last few days -

Gabe and Cayden both have very sore butts which has them upset.  They have been hanging out in their incubators with their diapers undone, and at times, oxygen being blown on to their posteriors to help them heal.  Ryleigh is a lady and has not participated in such nonsense.

Unfortunately, Cayden had to go back on oxygen yesterday because he was having too many "events" i.e. forgetting to breathe.  At this point, they are not indicating an underlying problem....maybe just exhaustion from the bottle and nurse feedings this week.   Plus, he has a cold and is little nose is plugged at times.  While on oxygen, he can only gavage feed.  Definitely a setback, but hopefully only temporary.

There was talk about Gabe having his feeding tube taken out soon which would mean every meal would be bottle or breast.  This would be a major step forward.

Courtney and I took a CPR class for babies yesterday at the hospital. See link below if you want to learn.
Infant CPR Instructions

Sorry for the lack of updates, very busy at work, etc.  I will try to catch up more this weekend.

The babies will be three weeks old tomorrow and reach 35 weeks on Thursday.  Today marked a milestone as they were each able to nurse for 20 minutes at the 11:00am feeding and therefore did not require a gavage feeding.  Mom was very proud.  A few hours later, at the 2:00pm feeding from Dad, Cayden was able to take all of his 40 cc's via bottle with no gavage, and Gabe and Ryleigh took approximately 33 of the 40 ccs.  No predictions from anyone in the know, but as someone that definitely does not know....I'd expect at least one of the babies will be home by June 1. 

Cayden and Ryleigh - 4lbs, 9 ozs....Gabe 4lbs, 7 ozs
They are all at least 17 3/4 inches...with Ryleigh just a hair taller than the boys.

Update

The trips did well this weekend.  Mom and dad were able to administer a number of the breast/bottle feedings, respectively.  They are up to 40cc's of milk per feeding.  A few times over the weekend they were able to take their complete feeding via bottle....other times they only took a portion and had to finish via gavage.  Courtney was able to take turns nursing each of them at different times and they continue to improve.  Courtney continues to recover and feels better each day.  She even drove to the hospital on Sunday.  Her mom and dad were in town today to help with Austin and see the babies.




Court and Cayden



Nana and Gabe

 

A few pics the nurses took at the Sat Nite Dance Party

Pushing the Limits (Milk and Otherwise)

Court was able to come home yesterday after a three night stay at the hospital where she began nursing this week.  All the babies were able to nurse for periods of time. Yesterday afternoon also marked the first time they took a bottle.  Each bottle or breastfeeding is still being supplemented with a gavage feeding.  For example, Gabe at his 2:00 took 17 of his 37 cc's from a bottle with the rest via gavage.  Many times they are just too tired to non-gavage feed for more than a few minutes.  Try to imagine being ripped from your bed at 200am (after weeks of softly receiving milk into your stomach via tube), having a breast or bottle shoved into your mouth and being told to work for your food.... 

A milestone in order to come home is the ability for all feedings to be either breast or bottle.  We will not be able to administer gavage feedings at home.  After accomplishing that, they will have to sleep in a crib for a few days, and finally then they will be subject to release.  

The babies receive feedings and assessments every three hours....800, 1100, 200 and 500 am and pm. Assessments include temperature and vitals check, diaper changes, a check via syringe of how much of the last meal is undigested in the stomach, and multiple other steps.  The NICU nurses try to involve us in the assessment steps, so we have already taken temperature and changed diapers many times. 

The babies will enjoy a milk buffet this weekend - breast, bottle and gavage....hopefully an increasing amount of breast/bottle.    I wonder if Golden Coral would be more popular with the younger generations if they offered something similar.  Depends on the waitresses I suppose.   Just a thought...... (Is this thing on??)

We were able to pick up our new Honda Odyssey last night and Courtney even drove for the frst time in a couple months.  She picked up right where she left off.   I will not comment if that is a good or bad thing.  Austin liked mommy's "new truck."   The night ended with Austin and mom playing outside on the swingset while dad mowed the yard.  Austin loves to watch dad mow the grass, and this was the first time I had been able to this year.  Thanks to my dad and jay for handling the first several cuts.

 

Tomorrow is the Day !!

Tomorrow marks a monumental day in our lives.  It is a day we have talked about, planned for and finally after much waiting and anticipation it is here.  I never thought it would happen, but at last it will.  Tomorrow afternoon, I will drive to Miami Valley Hospital to pick up Courtney....... and......then...... we will drive to Voss Honda to pick up our new mini-van.   

Flashback to 5-3-11 - a very quick 64 minutes

I never had a chance to post how things unfolded on May 3rd when the trips were born.

Courtney called and awoke me from my REM sleep at 12:11 a.m. to tell me her water had broke and that I should come to the hospital, if convenient.  I quickly recognized her sarcasm and called my aunt who lives a mile or two away to come over and watch Austin.

Miami valley hospital is 25 miles away with a slight additional detour for construction.
It was also raining very, very heavily that night and the last five miles of the drive is heavy construction with many pot holes.  i parked my car in the garage, walked into the hospital and took the elevator up to the second floor after checking in at the desk.

Someone handed me a full set of scrubs to put on, including what seemed like size 8 footies to cover size 13 feet.   I felt like a participant in a bad skit at a minor league baseball game.  Next i was directed into the delivery room and to a chair next to courtney.   At 1:15am cayden was born.   From dead sleep in Troy to dad of four in 64 minutes in Dayton. 

Dr. Glover, one of the docs from the high risk group Courtney was seeing, was on call and delivered the trips.  She also delivered Austin and said that it was the first time she had delivered 4+ kids for one family. 
Gabe's water broke setting the whole chain of events in place.  Dr. Glover commented on the amazing wide-eyed looks that Cayden and Ryleigh gave her as they stared up from the womb just prior to being delivered. 

31 nights

According to my calculations, tonight will mark Courtney's 31st night sleeping at a hospital in the last 53 weeks,  as follows -

8 nights in May 2010 for Austin's surgery
1 night in March 2011 for issues pre-trips
3 nights in mid- April for issues pre-trips
17 nights in late April to mid-May for pre and post trips
2 nights so far in mid-May as the trips begin nursing

We are lucky that everything turned out okay in both instances, the number of nights just struck me as sort of amazing when you add them all up.   Her next time complaining about the above will be the first time. 
Austin and the trips are lucky to have such an amazing mom. 

Anyway, nursing is going okay.  It takes so much energy for a little four pounder to nurse that even a few minutes at a time is an accomplishment and good progress.  Overall, Gabe has been doing the best.  This is no surprise if you watch that boy work a pacifier. 

Current weights:
Cayden 4 and 3.5oz
Ryleigh  4 and 3oz
Gabe 4 and 2oz

I took Austin to MVH tonight to eat dinner and spend a little time with his mom between feedings.  Hopefully Courtney will be able to come home on Friday.

Oh yeah, the babies were moved to the infamous triplets room yesterday, so they are now back together again, albeit in separate incubators.

The Week Ahead

The babi3s weigh as follows -

Ryleigh 4 lbs

Cayden 4 lbs, 1/4 oz

Gabe 4 lbs, 1 oz

Tomorrow begins an important date in the trips journey home, Courtney will begin a 72 hour stay at the hospital Tuesday afternoon to begin trying to breastfeed.  They ask mothers to stay for three days so they can work with the babies at every meal in what is sure to be a difficult process.  If anyone can figure out a way to breastfeed three babies, Courtney can.

The following video, while entirely inappropriate, will hopefully set the tone for a great week for mom and babies (for my tech challenged followers, hit the play button...and turn the volume down if in an office)-

Weekend Update

Courtney's sisters who both live out of state were in town for a visit this weekend, so the trips were able to meet the rest of their aunts.  Kelly lives in Naples, FL while Abby resides in an exotic locale too, Terre Haute, Indiana.   They both seemed to like the babies....we figured they would.....but you never know.

Updated aunt rankings to be released later this week. 




Abby from Terre Haute, and Gabe

 

Kelly and Ryleigh

Kelly and Austin racing tractors and cars

Progress

All the kids now exceed their birth weights by a few ounces which is great.
Everyone is still doing really well.

Cayden and Ryleigh have shown signs of wanting to breastfeed, so some time this week that process will begin.  Courtney will need to stay at the hospital for 72 hours when it does. 

Having some computer problems, so I will get some pictures up later tonight or tomorrow of the weekend happenings and discuss in more detail.

FAQ's, part ii

Some questions we hear a lot and the related answers -

When will they come home?  Unsure.  They don't like to set expectations because of the uncertainties that surround preemies.  They tell you to plan on original due date (July 1)....but 36 weeks (first week of June) seems closer to what happens in practice if no issues arise. 

What will indicate they are ready?  They need to be able to maintain their own body temperature, nurse or eat from a bottle, and sleep in an open air crib.  They are currently in a climate controlled incubator and receive gavage feedings. 

What is a gavage feeding?   Thanks for asking.  I like to educate our readership.  Because babies younger than a gestational age of 34 weeks do not usually have the coordination to suck and swallow, they must be fed by some means other than the breast.  Gavage feeding is where a small, narrow tube is inserted through the infant's nostril and is placed down the throat, esophagus, and into the baby's stomach. This allows for the baby to get the nutrition it needs from breastmilk prior to developing the strength or coordination to breast or bottle feed.  Courtney and I (and visitors) have been able to administer many of these feedings.

What did Austin think when he met them?   N/A.  The rules in the NICU are pretty strict.  Children under three are not allowed.  In fact, the only children allowed are siblings.  Austin has not met them yet, and likely won't until they come home.  Introducing the trips to Austin and their new home will be like some sort of weird Animal Planet episode I imagine....like introducing some lower form of animal life to a lion.  The video camera will be rolling.....and we will try to post footage here.   Stay tuned.

Are you guys getting any sleep?   Yes.  On weekdays, Courtney spends the middle of the day at MVH and I go later in the afternoon.  More time will be spent on weekends.  We both try to be home to put Austin to bed.  I sleep like Cayden after a gavage feeding....Courtney sleeps intermittenly between getting up every 2-3 hours to pump milk for the triplets. They have the best possible care, so sleeping at the hospital or spending every waking hour there is senseless.  They sleep 20+ hours a day, so they are not sitting around wondering where mom and dad are. 

Are they together?   They are in different rooms, but side to side.  This is nice because when we get bored with one, we can pop in on the next.  There is a triplets room where they could be together soon.  We are waiting on it to open up.  I have been hovering just outside trying to urge the other triplets to go home, but to no avail so far.

"No Baby Gabe?"

Austin has taken to adding a "no" in front of the babies names as we practice them.

Mom - "Austin, can you say Baby Gabe (or Ryleigh, or Cayden)"
Austin - "No Baby Gabe"
I do not have a psychology degree, but I am guessing this is not a positive trend.....

Cayden update

I should share that the doctors are no longer detecting the murmur in Cayde's heart.  It would appear that his heart has closed on its own.  Good job Cayden.

First Smile (not really)

Aunts Kathy/Leslie insist this was a smile from Ryleigh, and the first smile at that.

I disagree....if this was a smile, then the explosion in Gabe's pants 15 minutes later was his first word.   

Aunts and Uncles

The babi3s met 60% of their aunts and an uncle the last two days.  Rave reviews all around.   

Informal poll was taken afterwards and the five aunts were rated as follows by the trips -
1st place tie- Carrie/Leslie/Kathy
Last place (MIA) - Abby/Kelly

Last place will have an opportunity to climb up the rankings this weekend when they make their initial visit.

Take a look at the pics below....as baby Cayden cries himself to sleep wondering why no one wants to hold him.

AUNT KATHY AND GABE

AUNT LESLIE AND RYLEIGH

AUNT CARRIE AND RYLEIGH

UNCLE JAY AND GABE

Moving Day

The triplets were moved from the second floor NICU to first floor NICU Monday afternoon.

There is not a big difference between the two floors, but they keep the more critical condition babies on the second floor, so it is a good sign that they were moved.   All the nurses keep indicating they are doing very well.

They are regaining the weight they lost after they were born and now weigh in as follows:

Cayden  3 lbs, 10 ounces
Gabe 3 lbs, 7 ounces
Ryleigh 3 lbs, 8 ounces.

Court was able to spend 3-4 hours at the hospital during the middle of the day and I went down late afternoon.   We each were able to feed them and hold them. 

Should find out more about the echo on Cayden today that was performed Monday.

The nurses gave Court refrigerator magnets with a picture of each baby.  We used these last night to practice names with Austin.  He is catching on to names quick, and seems very proud to say "baby sister!" when we show Ryleigh's picture. 

Great Mother's Day !



Gabe, Ryleigh and Cayden





CAYDEN, RYLEIGH, GABE

GABE

CAYDEN

RYLEIGH

Happy Mother's Day

Courtney,

Happy Mother's Day.  You are an amazing mom to our four (!) kids. 

I remember all the sacrifices you made during Austin's pregnancy because of your related health problems.  You never complained once about the strict diet you had to observe, only focusing on what was best for Austin.  You happily endured weekly ultrasounds so they could closely monitor his condition.  When 40 weeks came, and given the option to deliver and provide some relief to yourself, you said no, why not wait longer if that is best for the baby.  I remember all the pain of breastfeeding the first few weeks, and you never giving up, because it was best for Austin.  A year later, you stayed at the hospital the entire time Austin was in for his surgery in May 2010, eight long days and nights at the hospital.  The whole time your only concern was his comfort and helping him get better. 

Then there is the triplets.....from the moment we both shed tears on December 13, 2010 when the ultrasound technician told us that we were having 1,2,3 babies, your focus has been on carrying them and bringing them into the world healthy and as far along as possible.  You did all of this while taking care of Austin, taking care of me, and succeeding at your incredibly stressful career.   So much was asked of you, and you did it all with a smile, and with never a complaint.  Finally, when your 5 foot 1 inch body couldn't take anymore, you happily checked in and out of the hospital several times, knowing it was the best place for the babies to continue to grow.   You spent many nights alone in the hospital, I'm sure scared and lonely, but choosing to send me home so Austin could have his dad put him to bed and wake him up in the morning, and also so that dad could get a good night of sleep.  

In my wildest dreams I never imagined I would have four kids, but I am happy I do, and blessed that you will be by my side raising them with me.

Happy Mother's Day

Love,
Jon (and Austin, Cayden, Gabe + Ryleigh)

HOME

We made it home last night around 6:30pm and was able to spend some time with Austin before bed.  He seemed happy to have mom and dad back together with him again.  He wouldn't fall asleep in his bed until I went up to lay with him (which he never does).  I think he just wanted to make sure we werent going anywhere in the middle of the night, again. 

Courtney is doing okay.  Still on frequent pain medication but getting better each day and doing a grear job satisyfing all the babies milk needs.  She got a good night of sleep.

Oh yeah......the triplets. 
Gabriel was removed from the lights yesterday.  Cayden and Ryleigh also improved and will be removed soon from the lights.  C&R also had their IV's removed after they had taken them out on their own multiple times.   With the lights and IV's gone, we can get back to holding and bonding with them. 

Yesterday was preemie reunion at MVH.  Over 1000 people (former preemies and family members) were scheduled to return to the hospital where they spent the first few weeks/months of their life for a bi-annual get together.  Preemies from recent years, as well as preemies that are now adults, return each reunion.  I'm sure it is something we will be doing in the future as certainly there is a strong bond with the doctors/nurses that are taking care of your kids 24/7.

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.

Something the NICU nurses put together.......

Austin Update

Big brother Austin is hanging in there and been a very good boy considering everything he has been through the last 6 weeks.  He is smart as a whip and is great at naming the colors, identifying the alphabet, and counting to five (or should I say counting to two, and then four through five).   As a sort of small protest, it appears he is not onboard with the number three and usually refuses to say it preferring to move on to four.  Hmmm.....

He loves dogs, big trucks, police cars and diggers and dumpers.  He also repeats everything anyone says...everything. 

He is going through a growth spurt and has had an insatiable appetite at supper recently.

We love our little boy and can't wait to reunite with him this weekend. 

Under the Lights

Another good day for the trips.  Although they all spent the day sunning themselves under the lights to stave off jaundice and some guy named Billy Ruebens, they ate well and seemed to progress.  The NICU nurses keep commenting and are amazed how they each are experiencing things at the same time, moreso than most multiples they see.  They each had a need to be put under the lights at the same time.....they each had to begin caffeine treatments at the same time for apneas.... and Courtney and I saw something firsthand that seemed a little amazing today along the same lines.  We were spending time with Gabriel when he had an event that set off an alarm...i believe it was a severe drop in his oxygen (or desat)....less than two minutes later we could hear an alarm from Ryleigh's room for the same issue.   Once they settled down, and we made our way to Cayden's room around the corner, we saw on his monitor that he had the same issue within a minute of the other two.  Now, having an event such as the above is not rare, and is expected in preemies (they each might have 5-10 a day), but having them coordinated at the exact same time, while mom and dad were there, seemed rather amazing to us. 

Court seems to be doing better, and even did a little walking today.  She spends much of her day pumping and making sure the babies have plenty of milk to drink through their feeding tubes.   It looks like Saturday evening could be when Courtney heads home.

Here is a good picture of Ryleigh sunning herself in the lights.

Guest Blogger Ryleigh

Hello world!  Wow, what a week !   I am doing well.  Mom and dad fielded questions as to why I looked to be in more distress than the boys in the intial pictures.  It was all just timing.  I already had my CPAP when dad got the first good picture of me.  Gabe got his CPAP later so dad snapped the soccer kick picture of him pre-CPAP.   And then there is Cayden, he caused a fuss and was not breathing on his own, so they had to use a breathing tube right away, which while not ideal, makes for a more photogenic picture.  But don't worry about me, I was right there even with my brothers today getting my CPAP out.  I am breathing on my own and doing quite well.   To be honest, I consider myself more advanced...what with writing this blog on Day 2 of my life, while my brothers occupy their time blowing spit bubbles.  

Talk to you later. 

PS:  Big Brother Austin, be prepared, i'm coming for your toys very soon. 

Day 2 A.B.

Babies are doing well, and mom is working her way through the recovery process today. 
Court and I were able to each hold one of the boys for the very first time during a feeding.
Pictorial evidence follows.

MOM AND CAYDEN

DAD AND GABE

Timing is the only thing that prevented us from doing the same with Ryleigh.  We should be able to hold her later today.

Triplets Galore

Text messages from Sunday morning....

*************
Courtney:  I got the scoop on the other triplets. All three of us mothers are in the hospital now.  One is at 24 weeks and should go home in a few days.....one is at 35 weeks and scheduled to deliver Tuesday.

Jon:  You know what needs done.
**************

I pretty much figured May 3rd was the date the minute I found out Court was going to have some competition.

Quick Update - Mom and Babies

Courtney is doing much better this evening.  She just finished her IV and is free of wires now.  She had some serious pain this afternoon, but that has reduced some.  She was able to visit with the babies in NICU via wheelchair for 45 minutes around 5:00pm.  She has not really slept yet, so hopefully a good night of sleep awaits (hopefully shortly, because I cannot stomach Dancing with the Stars).   

The babies are doing well.  Cayden had his breathing tube removed around 6:00 and joined his baby brother and baby sister with a CPAP.   CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and is a type of respiratory support used in pediatric patients. In premature babies, CPAP is delivered through a set of nasal prongs or through a small mask that fits snugly over a baby’s nose. 

Each baby had a few bouts of apnea during the day.  The apneas are basically when they stop breathing because they forget to.  This can be caused because the brain is not fully developed in preemies.  It is common, and there is a good chance we will be dealing with this a lot in the days that follow.  They received caffeine to assist with the apneas. 

All grandparents, the great grandmothers, and Courtney's brother were able to visit with the babies today.

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Introducing.........

Cayden John Stangel
Born at 1:15am
16 1/2 inches
3 lbs, 13 ounces

Little Brother - Gabriel "Gabe" Ronald Stangel 
1:16am
17 inches
3 lbs, 9 ounces





















and, their sister, Ryleigh Marie Stangel
born at 1:17am
17 1/4 inches
3 pounds 8.8 ounces

















Babies are in the NICU and doing well so far in their first four hours.   Mom is doing awesome and is an amazing woman.  Send her a congratulatory text at 513.256.3640 if inclined.    

Updates and details to follow throughout the day as time permits.

May 3, 2011 - Blessed

Day 12 - Test(s) Day

Courtney had an NST today.  NST is short for Non-Stress Test.  The Non-Stress test is a simple, non-invasive test performed in pregnancies over 28 weeks gestation. The test is named “non-stress” because no stress is placed on the fetus during the test.  The test involves attaching one belt to the mother’s abdomen to measure fetal heart rate and another belt to measure contractions. Movement, heart rate and “reactivity” of heart rate to movement is measured for 20-30 minutes. The results were good and the babies are doing fine.

Later on, about 6:00pm, Courtney and I both had an ST administered.  ST is short for Stress Test.  The Stress Test involves bringing a soon to be two year old to the hospital to eat supper, in a small room, with many distractions. 

Although stressful, it was good to eat together as a family.  We are all well and happy that 32 weeks will be here in a few days. 

Day 11 - All's Quiet

Courtney had a number of visitors today - two co-workers, and three college friends and their families.
She was happy to see so many people today, and should sleep well tonight. 
There is an NST appointment some time tomorrow, which she is anxious about, because these tests usually lead to contractions. Austin and dad will be heading to the hospital tomorrow after work.

Picture of the First Communion girl (our niece Ella) below......