The Big Day...and beyond

As I write this I'm spending a night away from the hospital staying at my parents place in Abbotsford. Kristen's mom arrived today from Chicago and will stay over with her in the hospital tonight. My trip to pick her up from the airport.  It felt like freedom.  It was the first time I left the hospital grounds since arriving at 2 AM on Thursday, June 10. So, it was good to get out and to enjoy some warm, sunny weather.

As you can imagine it's been an exciting couple of days. We went to bed Wednesday night believing that we would make it through another day and fairly certain that we would make it until the day of our planned C-section on June 21. Everything was going well that night until around 1 AM. Dana woke up and started crying. I got up to see what was the matter. Kristen got up to use the bathroom. After I tucked Dana back in, I waited for my turn in the bathroom when Kristen called out in a groggy voice: "I think my water just broke." It had. Suddenly the wheels were set in motion. First I called my parents. My mom headed out right away to spend the rest of the night in our apartment and to take care of the girls. Next, we called the hospital and let them know we were on the way. By 2 AM we had arrived at Surrey Memorial. By 3 AM, Kristen was being prepped for surgery. At 4:02, part way into the surgery, we heard the doctor in the operating room say: "Baby coming to the surface." First, David arrived, announcing his presence with a very good set of lungs. Next came Isaac, who screamed the longest and the loudest of all three. Finally, came William, who also held his own with a good, solid cry.  Within a matter of just 5 or 6 minutes all three babies had been passed off to the staff in the NICU and were settling into their new incubators. When all was said and done, a total of 16 lbs, 6 oz of baby entered the world.

Now, three days in, things are going well for the boys. David (4 lbs, 14 oz) seems to be having the easiest time of all three. He's been taking formula through a feeding tube, but Kristen has also successfully nursed him. This morning, he was bottle fed for the first time and did quite well. He even finished off with a nice little burp.

Isaac (6 lbs) is currently on what is known as a CPAP (Continous Positive Airway Pressure). Though he's able to breath on his own, it's been a bit more difficult for him than for the other two boys. What the CPAP does is sends a continous stream of air through his nostrils into his lungs to ease the effort required to breath. Eventually, once his strength improves, he'll get taken off it.

 

William (5 lbs, 8 oz) is also doing well with his eating and breathing. His main problem is that he has a condition known as club foot. One of his feet is bent at a fairly uncomfortable looking angle. The reason is that it was a little crowded in utero. Due to lack of space, his foot must have gotten caught in a corner somewhere and bent a little as a result. So, on Monday, William is taking his first big trip. He'll be travelling with a nurse by ambulance to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster where he'll get a cast put on his leg by an orthopedic specialist. With all that said, club foot is correctable using a combination of casts and physio. They expect that William should have no trouble keeping up with his brothers.

A common question people have been asking us is: "how long will these little boys stay in the NICU." When the babies were first born, the doctor commented that he expected that they'd be in for 3-4 weeks. Beyond that, we don't know much. The sense we get is that a lot depends on how they progress as time goes on. We are also hoping that they can eventually be transferred from Surrey Memorial to Abbotsford Regional Hospital (which we've been told is a possibility). However, there's no word yet on when that may happen.

Kristen is doing well, overall. At this point, it sounds as if she will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow (Sunday). She's thankful the burden of all that baby has been lifted.  Yet, she's still quite sore and tired from the surgery, so we hope for good rest and healing for her in the days ahead.

Abigail and Dana have also gone to see their brothers a couple of times. They like visiting the NICU, but start getting fairly squirrely in there after a few minutes. Abigail was fairly disappointed that she wasn't able to hold one of the babies but we promised her that she would get lots of time with babies.

These past few days have been exhausting in many ways and yet a very special time in the life of our family. We are thankful for exceptional medical care (for Kristen and for the babies) and for the abundant blessing of new life that we have experienced.  Thanks to those of you who've been able to come by in person and see us. Thanks, also, to the many of you who have sent encouraging emails and continue to pray for us on an ongoing basis.