Greetings, all.
It is always amazing to enter the NICU and be surrounded by information about Elsa and Jonas. I can tell you their blood sugar and the subsequent medicine they would receive if it is outside of a specific range. I can watch on the monitors how many breathes each receives from the ventilator and what level of support the ventilator is providing. Hanging by their bedsides are several IVs and syringes filled with very specific amounts of vitamins, medicine, fats, milk, electrolytes, and more! Every four hours, or more when necessary, Elsa and Jonas have their blood gases measured. There is so much information that it is so easy to get distracted by the machines and the activity. When we see both of the babies looking around we hope that all the fuss outside will become a long forgotten memory. We do hope, and I think we really do believe, that they will remember the soft words, gentle caresses, and whispered prayers that we send through the isolette doors.
Elsa continues to have good days. She had a little bit of a hiccup yesterday and was moved back to the Drager ventilator. She has been fairly stable and continues to move down on the ventilator settings. Today, Elsa weighed in at 1 pound 9 ounces! The nurses have continued to monitor her heart for a slightly open artery that normally closes on its own with full term babies. Some times it sounds like it might be open and other times it is not noticeable. This is fairly common with premmies and they will continue to monitor.
Jonas has been stable the past two days. Today at 6:00pm, Jonas started to receive a small dose of steroids to help his lungs. This has been in the plans for several days and the doctors decided that now was the time to act. He is weighing in at two pounds now and based on his current stable responses with the ventilator it was the right time to try to help his lungs. We will know in the next couple of days if the steroids give him the extra strength his lungs need. He has been enjoying the 2 ml, yet more information that we see everyday:), of milk every hour and he is definitely getting bigger.
We continue to pray for Jonas and Elsa and our new friend Aiden for strength and healing. Aiden is a 24 weeker resting up between Elsa and Jonas's beds. The three of them enjoy keeping the nurses and doctors hopping! We pray they continue to feel our love and hope.
God Bless,
Dan & Mari & Jonas & Elsa
It is so good that both of your beautiful little ones are growing and resting well these days. Thank you for keeping us all up to date.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many of us--Legions-- watching, praying, paying close attention to your every descriptor. Your testimony is always clear. You allow us to feel the emotions of the NICU and the delicate touches and caresses given to Elsa and Jonas. You give us that reassurance that things are going well. Thank you, Dan and Mari. Thank you for allowing us into your personal lives and into the delicate lives of these precious souls-- being cared for by precious souls caretakers. You are indeed loved and remembered constantly in our prayers.
ReplyDeleteDon and Delores
These babies are amazing. They are like their parents, obviously, full of strength they never knew they had... In this rainy season, I hope you are doing ok getting to and from Tacoma...
ReplyDeleteWe read, watch and pray for all 4 of you, and will add your twins' new friend too!
-Monica and Rich
Good morning...just finished my morning devotions, and Elsa and Jonas are at the top of our prayer list. My ladies prayer group is also praying. So we're getting these little ones all prayed up for continued divine care. Thanks for filling us in so regularly, it helps to know how they're doing.
ReplyDeleteLove, Jane and Ralph