Circumference, circumvent, circum-something

Hello again. It has been a few days. Yesterday was a fairly good day. Collin didn't desat too much and the girls did pretty well too. They were all a bit tired though. Collin did have his little boy surgery yesterday. He seemed to do pretty well with it.

Today has brought and will bring several more tests for the children. All of them passed their eye exams. They have followups in two weeks (that is normal). Collin had his red blood cell count done again. He was still low (even a bit lower than last time), but they did see that his count of young red blood cells was up (indicating that his bone marrow has started producing new red blood cells). On the previous test, they didn't see these young red blood cells. So hopefully in the next week or so we will see his red blood cell count go up. Collin and Anniston are going to have EKGs done to make sure they don't have PDAs (the lung bypass blood vessel that should close up after they are born).  Results for these should be available tomorrow.

Mom is still working on nursing the kiddos. The bottle feeds are going OK, but the kids have seemed to slow down a little bit (they seem to do very well at night but have more trouble finishing bottles during the day).

Thanks for all the pediatrician recommendations. Thanks for your continued prayers. The Lord continues to bless us daily.

JKABC

Feeder Growers

Hello again! The children are doing fine. The girls have been placed on a feeding minimum. They get 35 mL of feed and if they are still wanting more, they get more. Collin is getting his normal amount (40 mL). He is having some trouble keeping his blood oxygen level up all the time. We have been concerned about little Collin. The neonatal nurse practitioner assured us that all the things Collin is experiencing are normal for preemies and that he will outgrow them. Poor Collin has the disadvantage of being compared to two sisters who seem to be doing very well. We are bottle feeding or (Kristy is) nursing each of them at feeding times unless they seem too tired to feed that way. If they are too tired, they have the feed dropped down their feeding tube. If Anniston can keep up taking her bottles, they may take out her feeding tube in the next several days.

We are currently in the process of interviewing pediatricians. If anyone knows of a good pediatrician on the west side that they can recommend, please leave us the name in a post.

Please continue to pray for our little ones, especially Collin.

With love,
JKABC

Another weekend complete!

Just a quick update.  The bottle feeds and/or nursing continues.  All are doing fine with their feeds.  Bailey and Collin have finished some bottle feeds, but usually take partial bottles (the rest is fed to them through their feeding tube).  Anniston has been doing very well, especially the last two bottle feeds tonight.  She has finished them in 15 minutes and is still up and wanting more!  Mom is going to continue to nurse as she has the opportunity.  The kiddos will get bottles as long as they don't show signs that they are getting too tired.  All are gaining weight.  Collin is just over 4.5 pounds, Anniston is just over 4 pounds and Bailey is quickly approaching 4 pounds.  We are very happy with their progress.

JKABC

Bottle Feeding

Yesterday was a busy day with bottle feeding but Anniston, Bailey, & Collin showed us their stuff.  They all took well to the bottles.  

Collin has finished three full feedings as of 4:30 this morning.  They were offered bottles at every feeding (every three hours).  If they were tired they were tube fed.  They want to offer them bottles by cues (showing some sign of interest).  He was just full of energy yesterday.  He has amazed me with his strength.  The first feeding he finished about a third of his feeding and I (mom) and our nurse was telling him how proud we were of him and how good of a job he was doing and he was smiling from ear to ear.  He definitely enjoyed having an audience.  I guess so much that the next time he was determined to finish it all and he did it like a pro.  I am so proud of him.  

Bailey finished most of a feeding and made great attempts on all of the other offered feedings which was great.  Bailey has been very tired lately during the day and wide a wake at night for the most part.  I haven't noticed it much with the other two.  She was just out of it yesterday. Sometimes she would be fully awake in the beginning and it wouldn't take her long before she was asleep.  She did an awesome job though.  While she was feeding, she showed good control & good pacing.  She didn't seem to spit it out at all for the most part.  I am confident that if she was fully awake she would have done a tremendous job.  She has also had some gookies in her eyes and hasn't been quite herself.  She hasn't been running a temperature or anything but we are watching her to make sure she isn't coming down with something.  She may just be on the wrong schedule and getting her night and day mixed up or she may just be a sleeper.  We'll see.  

Anniston finished most of each of her feeds yesterday and completed a full one last night. Again, what an amazing accomplishment for a 34 weeker.  I am so proud of her.  She seems pretty comfortable with her bottle but we have a hard time creating that seal around her mouth to keep some of it from coming out.  Our nurse gave a great tip for this last night.  Collin does the same thing so we will try that on them to see if that helps them.  It really isn't anything they are doing it is just they are not getting a good seal around their mouth to get a good suck.  Even with this, they did a great job keeping up with it.  Anniston was our little all-star at the very first feeding yesterday.  

I am sure we will see improvement with the bottle feeding every day but I know their will also be times when they are just tired or just don't feel like taking some of the feedings.  They aren't use to having to work for the food so they will have to build up their strength.  We know it will take a little bit to get their stamina up to take full feeds orally.  This is a new thing for them and the docs have started them on  the bottle at the earliest they thought they could do it so we are proud of them for the first day of accomplishment.  We were truly amazed.

Thanks for everything.

JKABC

Another Step Forward

Today is yet another special day. I (mom) came in this morning to find out that we will be trying to bottle feed the babies today. Like Jason said, this is just another hurdle they will have to overcome before they are able to come home. I know we are all anxious to get them home and a lot of people want to know when but we don't know the time when they will be discharged. Each baby is different and we don't want to push them too hard. We will let you know as soon as we know that they are going home. That will be some exciting news that we will not be able to keep in. Each day is different and things can change in just a matter of minutes or even seconds. That is one thing we have learned here in the NICU. We just want to be patient with each one of them and we don't want to think that each one will accomplish certain goals at the same time. They are triplets but they all have their own time tables. Thanks for all of your enthusiasm in this regard.

Collin is continuing to do well with his feeds. The docs believe he has a reflux issue which is not uncommon with preemies or even term babies. He will probably eventually grow out of this. He has been taking his feedings very well. I am so proud of him. Several people have mentioned that he is a fighter and he is. I tell him and the girls how proud I am of them every day.

We have enjoyed spending time with the kiddos in their cribs. It is so much easier to see them and talk with them. We no longer have to peer through little holes in an isolette to see them. They are all too sweet. They are always giving us tons of smiles which helps us to know that they are feeling good. That makes the days so much more special and gives us the strength to get through each day in the NICU.

Thank you all for your continued prayer for Jason & I and also for Anniston, Bailey & Collin. We feel your prayers and we see the evidence of God in this place. Thank you so much. We will continue to keep you posted on their progress.

JKABC

Thursday

Howdy!  Not near as much exciting stuff to talk about today.  All three kids are still in their big kid cribs.  They seem to be maintaining temperatures pretty well.  Kristy is still continuing to work with each child to help them to nurse.  In the next several days, we will probably be introducing them to bottles.  Taking all their feeds from breast or bottle is a hurdle they have to pass before heading home.  They have a ways to go, but I am confident that they will be able to figure things out in relatively short order.  Today was somewhat different (we had three separate nurses for our 3 kids) since our day nurse Cathy had to head home for a family emergency.  Please pray for her and her family.

Thanks for your continued interest in our family!

JKABC

We are big kids now!

Greetings.  It has been a good day with the kiddos.  Each of them made a big step today!  Anniston and Bailey both graduated to their big kid cribs!  They have been maintaining their temperatures pretty well.  Little Collin got rid of his cannula today!  He seems to be doing very well with keeping his blood oxygen levels up without the extra flow of air.  We just want to praise God for these steps forward.  Each of the triplets has been working on nursing.  Anniston seems to show the most interest at this point.  I've seen Collin and Bailey practicing at the end of their feeds as they are falling asleep.  They are all growing and learning how to nurse.  It may not be as quickly as mom and dad would like, but they will get there soon.  We are meeting with a pediatrician tomorrow morning, so pray that that goes well.  Collin, Anniston and Bailey say hi!

JKABC

Tuesday

Hello all. The babies are doing fine. The girls are working on nursing. They are both doing better and better with it. Anniston has been having some Bradys lately. Bailey has been having some feed residuals. Nothing to be too concerned about for either of them; they should outgrow these issues. Collin is still on his cannula. They are talking about taking him off of it tomorrow to see how he does. The doctors seem to think he is struggling with some reflux issues (can see him sort of coughing during his feeds). They think he will outgrow this issue as well. Collin took a big step today--he moved to a big boy bed! We have to see if he can maintain his temperature, otherwise he will have to go back to the isolette. That's all for now. It's care time for the kiddos!

JKABC

Weekend Happenings

Greetings all.  We had a very busy Saturday and a relaxing Sunday.  At this point, the kids have been cleared on the holes in their hearts.  The doctors and nurses have heard murmurs from time to time on each of them.  This is pretty normal and their is nothing they would do about this anyway.  This condition should remedy itself as the kids get bigger.  We did get to take the girls out to meet for the first time outside the womb.  Anniston was rearing to play; Bailey slept through the whole thing.  They did hit each other in the face with their little hands.  It was cute.  Collin is still on his cannula and doing fine.  His oxygen desaturations seem less frequent and less critical.  We will talk with the doctors about it over the next several days.  All the babies are starting to try to nurse.  Their interest level and/or ability to nurse is not real high right now.  They will learn soon.  The only lines that are attached to our children are the feeding tubes and the heart/breathing/oxygen monitors (Collin has his cannula as well).  The girls have made some progress in gaining weight.  Collin has been in a holding pattern.  Pray that they all continue to grow, learn how to nurse and remember to breathe/maintain a consistent heartbeat (don't skip a beat every once in a while).  Thanks for your prayers, visits, calls, posts, cleaning and food.  You don't know how beneficial it is for us to be able to concentrate on the kids.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

JKABC

Friday Evening Update

Just a quick update. Collin seems to be doing better. We have just let him rest today. He is still on just a flow of air. No oxygen at this time. I did his care (diaper change, temp, etc...) and he seemed to respond well. His numbers looked good through it all. He also responded well to the feedings. He just seems to be doing better all around since the last post. The docs will repeat a white blood cell count tomorrow just in case the infection is in its early stages. They also sent a culture off so we will hear the results of that in a couple of days. The docs also mentioned that they had heard a murmur again. It is very faint which may be the PDA he had before. If they hear this tomorrow, they will do an ultrasound and depending on results they will come up with a plan of action.  They also have heard heart murmurs in the girls.  The nurse tonight said that Bailey's was the most apparent.  I don't know what their plan is for the girls.  Obviously they aren't as concerned with the girls because they are doing so well.  We will talk with the doctors in regards to them also so please pray for the girls too.

Some other good news. The girls have been moved next to each other.  The reason being that there is limited space in the NICU. They are getting another set of triplets and some other babies so they moved Bailey in with Anniston. We so wish that all of them could be together but only two can be at a station because of outlet space. We will try to get some pics of the girls together and post them on the website.

I think that is all for now. We will continue to keep a close eye on Collin. We don't know why he is having such a hard time without the help of some air flow and the docs will continue to try to figure it all out. We will keep you updated. Please keep praying for him and the girls too. 

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

JKABC

Friday Afternoon Update

It has been a couple of days since we have updated you on things. It has been a little busy here at the hospital. Some great news is that Collin is now at full feeds and I was able to start trying to nurse him yesterday. He showed great signs (he latched on, had a couple of sucks, etc....) but he was very tired during the first attempt so not too much activity. Jason mentioned that he had 13ml residual left from the prior feeding so he probably was very content and not very hungry at that time. We were thinking he would be hungry because that was the time when he would have been fed and were trying to nurse him before the feeding but with all of that residual, it probably wasn't a true attempt for him. They are telling me to try to nurse him 2-3 times a day. They are holding no expectations at this time. This is just to see what he does with it and if he is ready then he his. If not, we will just keep trying. No pressure. The girls will be on full feeds tomorrow so I will be able to attempt to nurse them tomorrow or Sunday.

On a little lower note, we are needing some prayer for Collin. He is doing fine overall but he is struggling just a little and, as a mom and dad, we want him to be as comfortable as possible and he isn't quite there yet. They had taken him off of the cannula and he was doing fine. Yesterday, however, he was working a little too hard again and they put him back on the cannula this morning. They had him on low oxygen and now he is off the oxygen and just on a flow of air to help him relax. His readings are looking good right now. Yesterday we could tell he was exhausted especially when I tried to nurse him. He was so tired he didn't wake up the whole time I was holding him. He seems to be doing well on the flow of air that he is getting. However, Jason tried to hold him earlier and he didn't do too well. He was struggling and was quite pale so we put him back in his isolet to let him rest. He seemed to be very comfortable after we did that. This is not typical Collin. They are running the same tests that they did before. They will look at his blood count and do a culture to see if he has an infection. They will also do a chest xray. Please pray for little Collin. We just want him to get well. It is hard to see him struggle and also very very hard to leave him at night or at all. Who knows we may stick around at night. We'll see. We will keep you posted on the test results.

Thanks for everything

JKABC

2 Weeks!

Morning Update:  I talked with the nurse early this morning and they ended up placing Collin back on the nasal cannula.  He is still having trouble maintaining his blood oxygen saturation.  I hope that this time they won't try to take him off of it too soon and then we have to go through this all again.  Collin has been working very hard to keep his vitals on target.  This can be seen by his lack of weight gain recently.  Hopefully this change will allow him to gain some weight and grow up.  

The girls are doing well and gaining weight.  They will be making some (positive) changes with them today as mentioned in the last post.  More to follow...

JKABC

Thursday #2

Late Update: The feedings for the girls got moved up to 21 mL for Anniston and 19 mL for Bailey. Both are now off of the lipids (fats) they were receiving intraveneously. Tomorrow they will transition off of the TPN (IV nutrients) to a sugar solution. If that goes OK, they will go completely off of IVs. Collin continues to have some blood oxygen desaturation issues. They often occur during feeding, but sometimes occur at random times. The kids still have Bradys (heart slows) from time to time, but they seem less frequent. Those need to disappear before we have a chance to go home. Kristy got to test nurse Collin. He did OK. We will try a few more times tomorrow. His feeds are up to 31 mL (just over an ounce). The kids look cute in their pants. It has been a hectic day and we are tired. Please continue to pray for our little ones.

Thanks,

JKABC

Wednesday Update

Just thought we would fill you on how the day has gone. It was sort of uneventful which we look at as good.

Feedings continue to go up. Collin is now at 28ml which is considered full feeds. I will start attempting to nurse him as soon as tomorrow. It will be some time this week otherwise. Anniston is increasing by 1ml per feed until she gets to 16mls and Bailey is increasing by 1ml per feed until she gets to 15mls. Bailey has had a lot of residual which means what is left in her stomach by the time of the next feeding. She had 9ml out of 13ml left in her tummy. They don't seem to be too worried about it. They said they can build up saliva, etc... and with that mixed with milk, it can look like a lot more than what it is.

Some funny moments we have experienced with Collin involve some rather loud hiccups which we videotaped. Also, he likes to fill his pants after you change him. Today I used three diapers and it isn't because I didn't wait a few minutes because I know this has become a regular thing. Today he just had a wet diaper. I changed it and waited for a couple of minutes. We were in the process of turning him on his stomach because he had just gotten a feeding and they digest better on their tummies. As I was placing him, I smelled it. I turned him back over and found that he filled his pants. I changed him again and just as I was closing the diaper it happened yet again. He has absolutely no problem in this area.

Other than that, like I said, not much of anything new to report. They are resting really well. They sleep most of the day.

We will keep you posted on anything new.

Thanks for everything.

JKABC

Tuesday Afternoon Update

The nurse practitioner updated me with a few things this afternoon so I thought I would fill you in on the latest. The babies, of course, have been growing pretty well. Collin is now weighing in at 4lb 4oz. Anniston is weighing in at 3lb 7oz and Bailey is weighing 3lb 5oz. They all look and are very healthy.

Their was an infant screening that was done a while back and the results have come back. Collin & Bailey's both came back as normal and Anniston's results came back abnormal with something that is not serious at all. They will continue to repeat these screenings throughout the time they are here and the nurse practitioner is confident that Anniston's results will turn to normal. It will just be something that will work itself out.

The kids also had a head scan done which is normal procedure. Again, they didn't expect anything to be wrong but it is procedure. All kiddos look good. They look for bleeding on the brain, etc....

Since the last update on feeds Collin is now going up 1ml each feeding until he gets to 24ml. They are going to fortify his milk to up the calories. Anniston & Bailey are going up each feed until they get to 12mls. There has been no decision to fortify the girls milk at this time. All of them are handling the feeds very well.

I also spoke with the nurse practitioner in regards to bottle or breast feeding and what the plan is in that regard. She said that they are waiting until they are on full feeds. Collin is very close to that and will be ready in a couple of days. The girls are a couple steps behind but it won't be long. They are thinking that they may wait for all of them to be on complete feeds before they start. They will also speak to the doctor to see if he wants to start them on a bottle to see if they have their suck/swallow reflex yet or take them straight to breast feeding. I am open to whatever is best for the babies.

Well, that is a lot of information and I am sure as soon I get back there, there will be more to tell. We will definitely keep you informed.

Thanks again for everything.

JKABC

Tuesday Morning Update

Today it is just mom here at the hospital for the first time. Jason went into work today just to get some things taken care of and then he will be done for atleast a little while. We don't know how much time exactly that he has but we will take all we can get for Jason to be able to be with the babies while they are in the NICU.
I miss him already. He has been so much help in so many ways to me, Anniston, Bailey & Collin. I am so proud of him for his strength & support as a husband, loving & gentleness for his babies and his emotional side that comes out at times. We both have grown a lot through this experience and we have also grown together as a couple in so many ways and I am so blessed to have these three babies and to have Jason standing beside me as my husband. I really couldn't ask for more.
As far as updates on the kids, Collin is now off of his cannula and doing quite well. Thanks for the prayers and support. The girls have been on caffiene to help with their heart rate dipping down at times. They have been self resolved up to this point which means their heart rate dips down for a second and immediately comes back up with out any stimulation. Collin also has had these. It is very normal for preemies. As they grow and mature this will eventually go away. This is just one of the things that needs to be resolved before they go home. They can't be having any of these episodes.
There isn't much of anything else to report. They are all resting well and growing as expected. We are just enjoying their little personalites. We have experienced a ton of little side-mouth smiles which are too cute. It is always nice to go home at night knowing that, when we leave, they are all snug & warm in their little blankets and fast asleep after Daddy reads them their nightly story and says a prayer for each one. Then we both whisper to them that we love them and good night.
We will continue to keep you updated on their progress as we find out more. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support. We feel them everyday as these babies continue to make great strides and continue to make steps until the day they are able to come home.

Also, just to let everyone know who is interested. The birth announcement for the triplets is in today's Indianapolis Star paper under Births, of course, and then under St. Vincent and it will be the only one under the triplets. I had to go around this morning and snag several for each kid's babybook and one for us so if you don't get one yourself and want a copy, call someone to keep it for you.

Thanks for everything.

JKABC

Monday #2

Lunchtime Update: The feeds are being increased across the board. The girls will be moving up to 7 mL feeds, Collin will be moving up to 18 mL feeds. We should begin to see some bulking up soon. Collin still has his canula on. They will be watching him to see if it is still necessary and, if not, take him off of it. Bailey has been sucking on the pacifier. Collin and Anniston are still thinking about it. Mom & Dad are looking forward to a dinner out this evening!

JKABC

Sunday

Late Night Update:  Collin is off the oxygen (using room air) but still is using the canula (for extra flow).  Rumor has it that the girls' feeds will be increased tomorrow.  Little Bailey seems to be getting upset (heart rate way up and crying) when feeding time is approaching.  I'm pretty sure she is hungry.  She is taking to the pacifier the best too.  I may have stated it before, but Bailey is the most vocal of our children (so far).  

Lunch Update: The girls are doing fine. Little Collin has a canula (tube in his nose to provide some extra pressure and oxygen) now so that he can rest a little more. He was working pretty hard last night to breathe. A chest x-ray this morning revealed a little cloudiness and his white blood cell count is up a little (maybe starting to fight off an infection???). He is doing fine and resting pretty well. Collin's feeds are being increased again up to 13 mL per feeding. He is eating pretty well. The gals are in a holding pattern for feeds until they confirm that all the digestive tract is working properly. It has been a fairly quiet day (and that's OK with us).

I finally was able to get our videos on our home computer. I may be able to get some of those on the site in the near future.

Thanks for keeping up-to-date!

JKABC

Saturday Continued....

The docs have informed us that Collin's feedings will be increased each time he feeds. He started out at 4 ml and will increase 1 ml each time he is fed (every 3 hours) until he reaches 9 ml. He will then stay on 9 ml for a little bit until they decide to change it again. As far as the girls, we haven't heard specifically what the plan is for their feedings. This requires a little more work from mama so pray that I can keep the food supply going. We were talking to a doctor the other day and he had mentioned to us that some men take hormones to try to help in feeding their babies. I am thinking this may be a good idea, especially in our case. What do you all think? Just kidding. Jason does enough for the babies and me that we will enjoy that for now.

Tonight is bath night! We just bathed Collin. Anniston is getting her bath right now. Bailey will be up next. We are videotaping the first baths. Check it out some time.

Other than that, I think everything else is going very well. Personalities are coming out and we are just enjoying our time with them. We will update you on anything else we find out this evening before we leave.

Bye for now and thanks for your continued prayers and encouraging words.

JKABC

Weekend begins

Lunchtime update: All the babies are doing well. They have all surpassed their birth weights as of last night. They are all just eating and trying to get bigger at this point. We will be talking to the nurse practitioner about (increasing tube) feedings today.

OK, so who looks like who? We placed our baby pictures on the site today.

JKABC

Friday Continued.....

It has been a good day today. I think Jason & I are feeling more and more like mommy and daddy each day that we are able to play a more active role in their care (changing diapers, taking temps, reading stories, loving on them, feedings, pumping, etc...).
As Jason mentioned, we were able to clothe them today. Last night we had fun picking out there little outfits to wear for the day and some extra for later. Anniston has already wet on herself while her mommy wasn't thinking to get a diaper ready before taking the other one out from underneath her. Just one of the many lessons to be learned in this journey called parenthood. We even brushed their hair today after clothing them. Grandma Bum, Great Grandma Bum & Aunt Phyllis came to visit this afternoon. Aunt Tracy came to visit early this evening & later tonight Gigi & Aunt Stephanie are coming to spend some time with the little ones. We are always so proud to take family & friends back to see each one of them and show them off with their ever changing personalities. Jason & I have noticed all of them smile a ton when we are holding them. I know people say they don't smile when they are that little but I do know one thing, they are definitely letting us know they are feeling pretty good hanging out in mommy & daddy's arms.
Anniston has had another dirty diaper since the last update so we feel she is doing well in that area. Well, Jason & Aunt Tracy just informed me that Bailey has also had a dirty diaper. Yeah Bailey! They do just enough for us to keep us on our toes but have always managed to pull through. Woohoo!!!
Well, I guess that is it so far this evening. I am sure there is still more to come. We will keep you posted.
Thanks to everyone for the encouraging comments and your prayers.

JKABC

1 Week!

Morning update: The babies are all doing well. Collin managed to fill his diaper pretty well last night. I don't think they will have to do the ultrasound this morning, but I haven't talked to the doctor yet. We are still waiting on the first dirty diapers for Anniston & Bailey. Everyone put on clothes last night and they are monitoring the kids to see if they can maintain their own body temperature. We should be able to put some of our clothes on them today! Our nurse Susan worked hard last night and made some signs and scrapbook pages for each of the triplets. Our little areas are starting to look more cozy. Kristy got the staples removed from her incision today. The incision looks good.

Afternoon update: Dirty diaper for Anniston. Bailey is still holding out on us. We will see what happened at this evening's care time (take temperature, change diaper, feed, etc). Sounds like they may increase their feeds tomorrow.

JKABC

Suntan lamps off

Short update: Everyone is doing well. They turned off the jaundice lights for Collin and Bailey. We're all just hanging out.

JKABC

Late night update:  Not too much going on.  The doctors only concern right now is Collin's kidneys.  He hasn't been urinating as much as they expect (since the treatment for the "hole in his heart").  If his wet diapers aren't better tonight, they will schedule an ultrasound for tomorrow morning.  Please pray for little Collin.

Kristy gets the staples out of her incision tomorrow.  Pray for her healing as well.

On a more mundane note, I think I have found a better route to the hospital with many fewer stoplights.  Yeah!  I hate 86th Street.

I'm sitting here getting the keyboard wet with tears looking at the pictures of our little ones.  I just can't believe that God has blessed us with such beautiful little ones.  I love them so much.  Time for bed.

JKABC

Wednesday Part II

We got great news back today. Collin and Bailey do not show signs of the "hole in the heart" anymore! The doctors were writing instructions to put them back on tummy feeds. We just want to praise God for this good news. Thank you for your faithful prayers.

JKABC

Wednesday

Today's update: We got here around 10:30 am. All of our babies are off of breathing assistance (and we hope they will stay that way). Little Bailey and Collin had the follow-up echoes today to check for their heart condition. We don't know the results yet. Little Anniston is the only one of our babies receiving belly feeds right now. If all goes well with the heart checks, Bailey and Collin should be back on belly feeds tonight. Momma is starting to be able to pump meals for the little ones so we are especially anxious to get them on belly feeds. They turned off Annistion's UV light. We'll see how the other two are doing later. I finally got to hold little Collin last night for 15-20 minutes. We are working on getting mom in today.

We finally got home last night a little after midnight. Boy was it windy and cold then. We had to go to CVS in Avon since the one in Danville isn't open 24 hrs. In the trip from the Avon CVS to our house, the temperature dropped 10 degrees! It took us a while to get settled in last night, but boy was it a big help to have everything clean and stocked. Thanks Carr's and Bumgardner's (and any that I may have omitted who helped out). I will update later with any new news.

JKABC

By popular demand, here is a small addition. The tummy feeds are provided by a tube down to the baby's stomach where they are fed formula or breast milk. All of our babies are currently also being fed intraveneously (IV). Collin and Bailey are only on IV feeds right now. Anniston is on a tummy feed (every 3 hours she gets 3 mL of mommy's milk) and IV feed (at a predetermined rate based on several factors). Collin had the IV removed from his umbilical cord yesterday. He now has a IV line in his arm like his sisters. Hope this answers some questions.

Tuesday

Just a short update. We found out last night late that both Collin and Bailey still have the "holes in their hearts". They have both been started on treatments of endomethycin. We should know tomorrow whether the first treatment was successful on either of them. Anniston is on tummy feeds, the other two are not right now because of the medicine they are on. All three are being fed intraveneously--Collin and Bailey have a higher rate since they aren't on tummy feeds right now. Collin is still on the CPAP and it sounded like they were going to remove his umbilical line (for feeds) today. We are looking forward to holding our little guy.

There was request for an update on Kristy. She is doing well. She is up and about. She is still on some pain meds but will be discharged from the hospital today. Mom is enjoying hanging out with her children. She is also learning the joys of pumping.

That's all for now. We have appreciated and continue to appreciate your prayers.

JKABC

Monday, Monday

Greetings. It has been a hectic day. Just lots of stuff coming together. I've never really seen so much information tossed at us that we need to understand/remember. Collin is still on CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). The girls are on room air. All three are on the light to reduce jaundice. The doctors ordered ultrasounds of Bailey and Collin's hearts. The results of Collin's exam are in and he will be starting some meds tonight (week long regimen) to help the hole in his heart heal up. Haven't heard back on Bailey. This hole is the normal hole that is present in utero. It most often heals up before babies are born. Our kids were born early so we will have to see if it closes by itself (or with a little help). Worst case is that the child will have to have a small surgery to close up the hole. I'm wondering if I'm seeing the beginnings of the personalities of Collin and Bailey. During the same ultrasound procedure, Bailey was extremely upset--heart rate 200+, arms and legs flailing and lots of crying. When Collin got his done, he was just fine with it. In fact, I'm almost certain he fell asleep. Please continue your prayers especially for little Collin's heart and maybe little Bailey's.

JKABC

End of Weekend

Hello! The babies are doing well. Baby Collin went back on the CPAP today. He was working very hard to breathe on his own. He seems to be pretty peaceful now. The gals are doing well and are both off of CPAP. They are also both on the UV light. Both of us were able to do kangaroo care (hold them skin to skin for a time period) with Anniston today. She was even starting her sucking reflex when she was on Kristy. A little later she took a pacifier and sucked on it for a while!

All the kids are on continuous feeds as well as getting some milk in their tummies every 3 hours. Their continuous feeds seem to be increasing daily. Kristy is working on pumping and is doing well.

Thanks for your continued prayers, visits, calls and posts.

JKABC

End of Day 1!

Update time again. The girls are still on their CPAPs. Collin is off of everything breathing related. Both Collin and Bailey are taking feeds in their tummies. Anniston has had a rough day. She has been uncomfortable but doing OK. She has cried a fair amount. Hopefully she will be able to get some good sleep tonight. I got to spend several minutes with both Collin and Anniston while they were awake and looking at me. What a blessing! It is so awesome to see them open their eyes and just stare. You have to wonder just what their little minds are thinking at this point. Our nurse Cathy has helped us get our blankets under Collin and Anniston. We will work on sneaking one under Bailey a little later hopefully. Kristy went off the mag at around noon today. She spent a lot of the afternoon in some significant pain. She was able to get some pain meds and some needed rest. She is feeling much better this evening. We've enjoyed visits many visits today! Hopefully tomorrow Kristy will be feeling better and be able to be up and around a lot more. Thanks for your prayers, visits, calls and blog comments!

Enjoy the baby photos. Sorry about the rotation issue with two of them. Post me a fix if you know how I can rotate these on the blogsite.

JKABC

The Day After

Hello all. Mom and babies are doing well. Kristy went off the magnesium today at around noon. We went up to visit the babies right after she went off the mag and Kristy realized how challenging getting up and around is going to be. She's currently resting in our new room. If you plan on visiting, come up to the 3rd floor, room 354 (it is just around the corner on the left). We said goodbye to our old standby room 247. The nurses are putting new lines in the girls' arms. They had even mentioned that the girls MIGHT get off the CPAP today. We'll see. In awe of God's miracle of life.

Jason

Update on babies

Greetings! We praise the Lord for our healthy little ones! Vitals: Bailey is 3 pounds, Anniston is 3 pounds 1 ounce, and Collin is 3 pounds 15 ounces. They are all right around 16" long. Collin started the day on the vent on some oxygen. He is currently having his vent removed and having the CPAP installed (great progress)! All the babies look good. I have changed all of their diapers at least once. So far only Anniston has tried to pee on me. Kristy and I are both pretty tired and ready for some rest. I'm going to go check on Collin to make sure that the CPAP installation went smoothly. Thank you so much for your visits and prayers. They have meant (and continue to mean) so much to us. We feel greatly loved! We praise our Lord for the miracle of life!

Jason

The Babies are Here

The Bumgardner triplets are here!

Collin Michael, Anniston Nicole and Bailey Michele were born this afternoon, in that order. All of the babies are doing well. The girls weighed in at about three pounds and are both on CPAP, receiving a little help breathing. The girls both have lots of hair! Collin is a little under four pounds. He's in need of a little more assistance so he's currently on a ventilator. All things considered, they're doing well.

Kristy is back in her room recovering and Jason is with her. They're treating her for the preeclampsia and she's expected to be just fine.

This is sure to be a busy and emotional time for the family. Jason and Kristy will update this blog with information about what is best regarding visits, how the babies are doing and how Kristy is recovering as things settle down a bit.

They certainly covet your prayers. They're proud parents of three beautiful babies!

Today is the day

Good morning. We were informed that today is the day for our babies to be born! We are excited and a little apprehensive. Kristy is progressing into severe preeclampsia. Her blood pressure is elevated and her kidneys are not functioning as well as the doctors would like. Having the babies should stop this condition though. We are scheduled for a noon delivery. Please pray for Kristy and babies. I will update this site with all the specifics after delivery.

Jason

Waiting on Babies

Hello again.  It has been some time since our last post.  I am happy to say we made it through the holidays without going to the hospital!  Yesterday (Wednesday), though, the doctors told us that Kristy needed to come to the hospital.  They had observed her blood pressure increasing and protein in her urine--all signs of preeclampsia.  They told us that Kristy will be staying at the hospital until the babies are born.  We didn't have any issues with contractions this time.  Kristy is in pretty good shape at this point other than the normal uncomfortableness associated with three babies in her belly.  The doctors have administered steroids to help develop the lungs of the babies.  The doctors aren't sure when the babies will come--it could be today, it could be several weeks.  They are watching several indicators right now.  If any of those exceed certain limits then we could be having babies pretty quickly.  The doctors are very confident that if the babies come (even today) that mom and babies would stand excellent chances of survival and healthiness.   Right now it is a balancing act of health of mother and health of babies.  Hopefully, the preeclampsia will hold off for a while and we can wait a bit (we are currently at 30 weeks, 6 days).  Please pray for our family as we go through this crucial stage leading up to birth.  We're excited to meet our little ones!  --JKABC