Here is a picture of the little diapers our girls wear. They are so tiny. They fit in the palm of my hand.
Here is a picture of the girls bedding.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Diaper change
We visited the girls this evening. They are still behaving and were having a good night. We had a good night at the NICU as well. We were delighted when Ashlyn's nurse asked us if we wanted to change her diaper. She had a wet and dirty diaper. It was the first time we have gotten to do this and we were so excited! Who knew changing a diaper would be so exciting! I have to admit I was nervous about doing it since she is so small and fragile, but it went well and she tolerated it well. I'm sure we will get lots more opportunities to change their diapers. We will become pros. We were also told that it is our responsibility to wash their little bedding and linens. For each girl their was a bag of their dirty laundry waiting for us. I will be washing them tomorrow. I look forward to washing them. It feels great getting to do something for them. There hasn't been much I could do for them up to this point so this is great.
Here is a picture of the little diapers our girls wear. They are so tiny. They fit in the palm of my hand.
Here is a picture of the girls bedding.
Here is a picture of the little diapers our girls wear. They are so tiny. They fit in the palm of my hand.
Here is a picture of the girls bedding.
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I am glad to hear that the girls are doing well. I remember the feeling of being allowed to do new things with my little boy. It was always so exciting to get to help in some form of his care. And a diaper change was a biggie! You all are always in my prayers!
ReplyDeleteMissy
We still have our NICU bedding as well. It reminds us of how small they were. Congrats on the diaper change!
ReplyDeleteAstrid
Oh, I remember those diaper and bedding like it was yesterday and today my girls are 15 months old. Hang in there, this dirty bumpy road will just be a phase you look back on in a year or so. Praying for you and the little girlies.
ReplyDeleteKristi in Arkansas
Thank you for sharing the great news! I can immagine how good it feels to actively participate. The girls are lucky to have you as parents and soon they will enjoy your company at home. I continue to admire your inspiring faith. Rachel, Ashlyn, and Haley are blessed to have the opportunity to grow under your guidance. Lucky girls! Congratulations mom and dad! You continue in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteWith love,
Claudia
You are probably already doing this but I would suggest taking your camera and take lots of pictures in the NICU. Of the nursing staff, the girls in their beds, the machinery, their rows of pacifiers lined up on the window sill. Anythign that catches your eye. Those pictures will be invaluable when your girls get bigger and you will want to be reminded of the goodness of God and the girls will want to see what it was like!!!
ReplyDeletei guess you know you have a huge family now --we all love you and are so happy for every little step! its great that they are involving you -bet you never thought laundry would be such a blessing.
ReplyDeletelove, Erma
How exciting! I'm so glad that you will be able to do their laundry. I know it will make you feel better to be doing things for them. Their little diapers are so small. One day you will look back and hardly be able to remember these days!
ReplyDeleteThat is exciting. I remember changing my tiny ones little diapers too. I am suprised you have to was their bedding. We did not have to do that. As for those tiny diapers, make sure you keep a few for their baby books. You will not believe how tiny they were when they are older. Also, you may want to hold onto a couple for when they are older to play with (for their dolls). They will get a kick of using their tiny diapers :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments above... save the tiny stuff they use now - diapers, pacifiers (every time one landed on the floor it had to be tossed, so we would just put it in our pockets to save for either Connor's future use or his baby box), blood pressure cuffs, etc. It's so amazing to look back at that stuff, even now, 8 months after his birth, and marvel at how far he's (we've) come!
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I changed my Ashlyn's diaper. She was 2 pounds and so small. I was so happy that the nurses allowed me to do it. Babies with the name of Ashlyn are fighters. It was 21 years ago since I changed that diaper and tomorrow she is leaving me for her last year of college :(
ReplyDeleteI truly beleive the more you touch her and the more you hold her and she feels your love, the better she will get. Mark my words :)
I saved everything. I even have the leads I braided together(so he wouldn't get tangled in them). Take and sleep with one of blankets to place near them while they sleep. Infants have a keen sense of smell and will be comforted by the smell of their mother.
ReplyDeleteYay for diaper changes! That's wonderful to be so close to them too. I can tell it's just killing you guys to just want to help out how ever you can. I bet you were more excited than you've ever been to do laundry too! I think that would be good to have it come from your home. It might have some of your own personal scent in it and maybe the girls will be comforted by it. Good luck! We are praying for the girls (and you both) everyday!
ReplyDeleteI apologize in advance that this will be long - I looked for an email to email you directly, but didn't see one.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm so glad the girls are doing well today. One day at a time...
As a the mother of 26.1 twins, I agree with taking lots of pictures and keeping a few of those tiny diapers and various other mementos.
As for pictures - as a mother of multiples, here's my advice - get each baby a distinctive stuffed animal. Make sure the animal is in every picture. That way, you will know which baby it is. I PROMISE you will have no idea when you go back and look at pictures months from now. This is also a nice way to mark their growth - as the animal seems smaller as they get bigger:-) You may also want take a simple blanket (or even decorative cloth diaper) and cut it to size to cover them from neck to toe (probably about 8in by 3 in) and take a picture. When you look back at that little blanket and that picture, you will be amazed. It will also be a great way to help make their size real to the girls as they grow up.
My other advice is to label pictures ASAP. Although you may be able to tell them apart now, two months from now, as you get used to their current features, the older pictures will look all the same. We also made sure to take a good picture every week on their birthday day (day of the week they were born), so we could later look at them in succession and see how much they grew and changed each week. I continued this their first year by taking pictures every 15th of the month.
Also, take some pictures with your wedding ring around their arms. Again, a wonderful reference to their size.
part two:
ReplyDeleteThis may all sound very strange if you've never had a preemie baby, but when you think about the "first pics" parents take of their children, you will understand that a preemie parent shouldn't have to wait to "be" a parent. Most parents take dozens of pictures, if not hundreds now with digital, of their child those first few weeks and month - first bath, first bottle, first time on a walk, first etc. You should capture all your babies' firsts, too. You will have the same firsts above, but they will look different: First bath by a nurse in a little pink bucket, first bottle by the speech therapist; Other firsts might include first day off vent, first day off CPAP, first day without IV's, and the best first ever - first day you hold your babies.
We actually took pictures just about every day. By the time they came home 4.5 months later, we had nearly 2500 pictures and probably hours of short videos. I wouldn't delete a single one.
We also kept a written journal to keep their stats when we saw them and when we called the NICU. It was also helpful for writing down what the doctor said, and for writing down questions you want to ask. With multiples, you quickly realize you can't remember who was doing what so recording it is essential. I also recorded who came to see the babies and gifts and cards received. There's no way I could have remembered all of it or kept up with little scraps of paper. I carried it with me everywhere so it was always there if I needed to write something down.
It truly is an up and down journey - especially the first few weeks, and really, the first two months. Cling to hope, focus on the positives, and try not to worry about the negatives. Hopefully your doctors are good about telling you what is typical and what is really concerning. One trick is to ask them when they tell you something, "on a scale of 1-10, how worried should I be about that right NOW?"
BTW, I don't think it is unusual for babies to act up when their parents arrive. After hearing from nurses that our girls had been steady and still all day, we'd show up and their sats would go all over the place, scaring us silly. We'd sometimes leave more anxious than when we'd arrive. Who knows, maybe it's their way of saying "hello".
Be sure to take care of yourselves and let the people around you help you in whatever way they offer: food, laundry, house cleaning, etc. Share your babies with everyone you can - invite visitors to see them (if allowed), carry pictures in your wallet, send out pictures with thank you cards. Don't feel like you have to wait to be a proud parent.
I hope my advice is helpful and presumptuous:-) You and your babies are in the hearts and minds and prayers of many. Thank you for sharing them with us all.
Johelen
www.natandabby.blogspot.com
ps - I can't believe they make you do their laundry! But, I can completely understand that it will be the best load of laundry you ever do:-)
ReplyDeleteJohelen
I remember those tiny diapers and their tiny little bedding. Our hospital did not have us wash it but I wish they had because then I would have felt a little more connected when we were apart.
ReplyDeleteI saved everything from our girls and I know some day they will love to hear the stories about everything and probably laugh at their silly mom.
We continue to offer prayers on your behalf and pray the girls continue to thrive.
Your beautiful family continues to inspire!!! I'm so moved by the connection you have already established with your precious babies. Ashlyn, Hayley, and Rachel are amazing and I know their angel siblings above are guarding closely. And yes, get used to that laundry... my 3 little girls keep me busy with all the clothes and linens so I know what you are in for!!! And it is amazing how much more fun baby laundry can be! LOL More positive thoughts and prayers are coming your way!
ReplyDeleteWay to go, girls!!! Keep on growing and growing.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the laundry!
Virginia
I remember the first time I changed my preemie twins diapers - how exciting poop can be! Blessing to all of you.
ReplyDeleteMy son was also in the NICU and I can't tell you how excited I was to change his diaper and feed him myself for the first time. The diaper was a complete blow-out and gave us all a good laugh (as he did manage to destroy the bedding too). These little steps are going to get bigger soon. Don't worry...you will be elbow deep in poop and happy as can be(and you will be talking about it with all of your friends and family too).
ReplyDeleteI wanted my little one to know I was there so I wore and old tshirt and milked on it to leave near him so he could smell me. I am not sure if they are allowed anything like that in their cribs, but it may be another way for you to let them know you are there even when you do have to be away for a short time. You are all in our prayers each day.
God bless you both and a double blessing upon those sweet little girls. I wish parents everywhere who complained about changing a diaper could truly appreciate what a privilege this humble task can be when the child to whom it belongs is so precious and so rare. I've really enjoyed following your 'blog and look forward to the day you are able to post photos of the babies. We don't know them, but we love them just the same!
ReplyDelete