Blake and Bennett Are Here!

Blake and Bennett were born yesterday (3/23/11).  Blake was born at 3:18am and Bennett was born at 3:19am.  Since Sunday evening I had been having contractions, but there were too far apart for them to say that I was in labor and the babies looked great on the monitor.  Tuesday evening the contractions started getting worse, but they still told me "it's normal".  I had taken 2 vicodin and all it did was make me sleepy and in pain.  Our nurse, Sara, called the doctor on call about 2am and all he wanted me to do was take 2 more vicodin and then he would do lab work in the morning.  After another hour of contractions and 2 more vicodin later, I had had enough.  There was no way I could stay in that kind of pain for another 10 days.  Fortunately there was a labor and delivery nurse on the floor that night and she came to check to see if I was dialated, which by the way is the most painful experience ever.  She discovered that I was dialated to 4cm and then the fun began!

I was in a labor and delivery room by 2:30am and in the OR by 3am.  I decided to do a general anesthia C-Section because of the issues I have had with spinal leaks in the past, so unfortunately Jason was unable to be in the delivery room.  They told us both babies came out crying and looked good on their way to the NICU.  Jason got to see them in the hallway as they left the OR.

Blake did wonderful and only needed to be hooked up to bubble CPAP (provides gentle pressure to help keep his lungs open) and a small amount of additional oxygen.

Bennett was on bubble CPAP at first, but then needed to be put on a high frequency ventalator.  When I saw him for the first time he was on the ventalator and they could only get his oxygen saturation level to 78% (100% is perfect).  He had a pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and they had to place a chest tube.  His blood pressure kept falling so they had to start him on dopamine to help raise it.  He also has IV lines into his umbilical cord, which is why we can't hold him yet.  His face was a little smushed from his position in utero and his right arm has a contracture and he can't straighten it out past 45 degrees.  We talked with the neonatologist and he said they were going to start him on Nitric Oxide to hopefully help increase his oxygen level.  When we went back to the NICU later in the afternoon he was more stable and his oxygen level had increased to 98%.  I have worked around many babies and kids hooked up to all of these machines and medications, but it so hard to see when it is your own.  I feel like we worked so hard to get him to 32 weeks and I just keep praying that they will keep him going so his little lungs can develop and he can get off all of the machines.  I don't care how long he has to stay in the NICU as long as I get to take him home someday.

I talked to both of their nurses in the NICU this morning and both are doing well.  Blake was moved to a lower acuity unit and is not needing extra oxygen added to his bubble CPAP.  They feed him 5cc (1teaspoon) of donor breast milk every 3 hours.  The nurse told me this morning that his residual drawback (the amount of milk left in his stomach from the last feeding) was 5cc's, meaning that he isn't digesting his food.  Currently they are truning him on his right side after feeding to help with this.  Bennett's nurse told me that they were able to decrease his oxygen level to 51% from 85% yesterday.  They tried to turn his dopamine down to 10 from 11 last night, but his blood pressure fell and they had to turn it back up.  He still is on the high frequency vent and nitric oxide, but is stable.  She also mentioned that they are not sure if he has a open PDA (a hole in the heart that normally closes at birth).

I am hoping to go down and see them again in a few hours and hopefully Jason will get to hold Blake for the first time today!

Here are a few pictures of my sweet boys!!!

Blake

Me holding Blake for the first time!  It was the best feeling in the world!  He is so tiny (4 pounds 1 ounce) it was like holding nothing.  He has such a quiet cry and truns bright red when you mess with him, but once I was holding him he was calm and just held on to my finger.  It made my heart melt!

Proud Mom and Dad with Blake.

Blake.  His face is a little swollen from the bubble CPAP and the tight hat he has to wear to heep the CPAP on.  I haven't seen him with his hat off, but they say he has a ton of dark hair!

The first time I saw Bennett.  I couldn't see much because I was in bed and his bed wouldn't lower down far enough.

Blake

Blake

The first time I saw Blake!

Bennett

Blake Edward Warner, 4 pounds 1 ounce, 17 inches long

 

Bennett Owen Warner, 3 pounds 8 ounces, 16 inches long