Friday, September 25, 2009

Updates from 9/21/09 - 9/25/09

Sorry for the delay in updating you this week...

Monday and Tuesday: Another "first"...Nick held Norah and I held Olivia...in the triplet room together! We got to enjoy that moment together whereas before we were always separated in their different rooms.

Wednesday: Our girls' 1 month birthday!!! This was such a special day. Olivia's central line was taken out. I visited during the afternoon and got to hold Norah and Olivia together! (They got to touch each other and hear each others voices for the first time since birth!) I had to text daddy a picture of this while he was at work but Grandma Susan visited just in time to get to see them together.
Norah Joann

Olivia Rose
Thursday: I arrived during the morning to find to find out that Allie again pulled her vent tube out. She's really not helping herself get better. This is the 2nd time she has done this and then they have to put it back in. We visited last night and filled their drawers with preemie jammies and blankets for the nurses to use. Right now only Olivia and Norah are dressed and they look so darn cute. Olivia had a follow up spinal tap which was totally fine. She also had to receive some blood due to her low red blood cell count.

Baby weights: Allie is 3 lbs 6 oz, Norah is 3 lbs 10 oz and Olivia is 3 lbs 10.5 oz! All have gained 1 lb. since birth!!! These girls are gaining well and staying pretty close in size.

Friday: Today I got to hold Olivia and Norah together AGAIN. Awww...such a wonderful feeling but it will be even better when Allie is in my arms too. When I was leaving, they were working on getting Miss Allie moved to her sister's room. It will be SO great to have them all in one room.

Mommy holding Norah and Olivia TOGETHER...with their eyes open!

Sisters holding hands...touching for the 1st time!


Sweet girls...can't wait to have Allie in this picture too!

Please pray for their follow up head ultrasounds on Monday.

Much love,
Stacie

9/21/09 - Update

We received a call at 11 pm last night that poor little Allie had to go back on the ventilator. We just want to cry. This is the 4th time that little girl has been intubated. We just wish she were strong enough to stay off. We were so excited that this was the longest she has lasted without the vent. They removed it at 11 am on Friday. Her airways are too inflamed which is causing her to work very hard to breath and causing the squeaky noise. Please pray for her airways specifically to heal very quickly. Putting the tube back in last night does not help the airway situation but it does give her a little break from working so hard.

Norah and Olivia were doing well yesterday. I enjoyed about 5 hrs. with my girls yesterday excluding Allie because we were letting her rest all day hoping that would keep her calm enough to stay off the vent. Norah and Olivia are now big enough to dress so we are taking some preemie jammies up to them tonight. Exciting! They also weighed the same yesterday at 3 lbs. 6 oz. Oh...what an experience. I don't think Nick and I will ever forget these days.

9/18/09 - A BIG DAY FOR ALLIE!

Hello ~ Today they are going to try (for a 3rd time) to get Allie off the ventilator. I got to hold her for the first time last night and we had a little pep talk. I know she can do it. So please pray that if and when they remove it she can handle the changes and STAY off. The last two times it's been taken out she has done great for a few hours but then struggled enough that they had to put it back (which is very hard on her). (Mommy holding Allie for the 1st time!)

Olivia has been moved back to the triplet room (Norah's room). So they are together again! Olivia's settings on the nasal cannula have been lowered and she is doing fantastic. (No bradys, no drop in oxygen, etc.) It's like once she got over her infection she decided to challenge Norah to prove she can be stronger. They have even dressed her in a little hospital shirt and talked about moving her from the isolette to a crib!

Norah hit 3 lbs a few nights ago (she was the last one to hit that mark) and is now at 3 lbs 3 oz. Olivia was 3 lbs. 6 oz. last night and Allie was 3 lbs 2 oz. Allie has almost gained a who pound since birth. She started at 2 lbs. 5 oz. (our smallest).

All girls got held yesterday! First time for that. Norah and Olivia are almost on 1 oz. of milk per feeding! I know it doesn't seem like much but considering what they started on...this is huge. These two are so alert when they are awake. Both will try to focus on your face and actually respond to our voices. This melts my heart. We are thankful for the wonderful progress this week! We are praying for Allie to be strong enough to stay off the ventilator so that she can eventually be back with her sisters in the triplet room. We continue to pray for each of them and their development. They are growing stronger everyday.

Thank you for your faithful prayers for our girls!

9/16/09 update on girls...

All girls are at or over 3 lbs. as of today and all are on mommy's milk!!! Grow, grow, grow!

All girls have been on "room air" most of this week (meaning they need no additional oxygen). Today two of them were on very minimal oxygen but doing so well.

Olivia - what can I say about this girl? She started feeling better and has taken off! On Sunday they started her steroid with hopes of removing her vent this week. They removed the vent on Monday and she did fantastic without it. So Monday she was on the SiPAP. By our visit Tuesday evening she was already on the high flow nasal cannula...the same thing that Norah has been on. She's around 3 lbs. 11 oz. They actually had her dressed in a little hospital shirt last night and were discussing that she might be moved to a crib (out of her isolette) later this week. And gave her a big girl pacifier. HOLY COW...this little girl is growing up! So proud of you Olivia!!!

Allie - is still on the vent. They are getting a little dark blood out of her tummy and believe she might have a stress ulcer from the vent, meds, etc. so they started her on Zantac today. Hopefully that will make her feel better. Otherwise, she is staying right at 3 lbs. She's comfortable and enjoying mommy's milk.

Norah - when she wakes up she is a very alert little girl. She tries so hard to focus on whoever is talking to her. WE LOVE IT. She officially hit 3 lbs last night...yea!!! She was the final one to hit that mark. They are starting to think she might have a little reflux which might be the reason for her bradys (but she's still doing really well on the nasal cannula). They may be putting her on some meds for this...but not sure of that yet.

We have so much to be thankful for! Thank you for your prayers! We love you all.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Daddy holds Olivia for the 1st time!

Last night, Sept 14th, Nick got to hold his Miss Olivia for the very first time. She's not little compared to her sisters. On the 14th she was weighing a whopping 3 lbs. 13 oz. but she's also retaining a lot of fluid. She was removed from the ventilator earlier that day and was a ROCK STAR on her SiPAP machine. (This is what is strapped around her nose. She's breathing on her own. It just gives her a puff of air if she forgets to breath on her own.)

I think she was very happy to have that vent out. This little one is a fighter and has come a LONG way since her terrible infection that made her so sick. You all have said very special prayers for this little girl. It's amazing to see how far she has come! God is so good.


Daddy loves you sweet girl!

Sweet Norah!

So here is Norah's big debut! Last night while visiting she was WIDE AWAKE and so alert. We got some really great time with her as she tried to focus on our faces. In these pictures she weighs 2 lbs. 14 oz. She was 2 lbs. 9 oz. at birth. She's only on the nasal cannula (tube in her nose). At the moment, she has made the biggest improvements since birth.

Sweet girl at 3 weeks


Norah's 1st set of footprints

Ryan starts preschool!

On September 4th Ryan started his first day of preschool at Noblesville United Methodist Church. He just goes one day a week but is LOVING it.

Ryan's open house to find his classroom and meet his teacher

Meeting Mrs. D


1st Day of Preschool picture
We love you Ryan and can't believe how grown up you are!
Love,
Mom, Dad, Norah, Allie & Olivia

Monday, September 14, 2009

Happy 3 weeks baby girls!!!

Well, the girls are now 3 weeks old as of yesterday! (Also 31 weeks gestation!) Nurses say around 33 weeks they start watching for signs from the baby that she is ready to really feed so we are anxious for that time to come. We've had several positive days and of course a few curve balls thrown in here and there.

We arrived at the hospital yesterday morning to find out that feisty little Allie decided she didn't want her ventilator in anymore. She pulled it out! So the doctor decided it was time (again) to see if she could do it on her own. She looked so comfortable while we were there. Unfortunately by late yesterday afternoon we received a call from the hospital (which are never good calls) that they had to put her back on the vent. This is the 2nd time in a week that it was removed and put back in. Today they suctioned 4 ml of blood from her tummy which is probably from some bleeding (she swallowed) when the tube was put back in yesterday but they are watching her closely to make sure the bleeding isn't coming from anywhere else or being caused by anything else. Pray that isn't the case.

We are praising God that the 2nd dose of medicine on Olivia made her PDA smaller! So they are saying it went from "moderate" to "small". Allie's is also small and didn't require any treatment. So, for now, they are thrilled with how she responded to the medicine and are going to see if it will close on its own. (For now, NO SURGERY!!!) She also finished her antibiotic (for the staph infection) yesterday. They have started her back on breast milk and caffeine. If I haven't mentioned the caffeine before...each girl gets a dose every morning. It stimulates a part of their brain that helps remind them to breath. They will get this until closer to coming home. (Why did I avoid Starbucks while I was pregnant? ha ha) They also started Olivia on a steroid yesterday in hopes of pulling her vent later this week. Nick was visiting over lunch today and the nurse said they were pulling the vent TODAY! Nick went to give Olivia a pep talk about it being her "big day" when she decided to drop her heart rate significantly. SO...now they are waiting again and not pulling the vent today. SEE WHAT WE MEAN? THINGS CHANGE MOMENT BY MOMENT. It's exhausting.

Norah is doing fantastic on her nasal cannula. Her nurse put her feeding tube in her nose yesterday so you can almost see her whole beautiful little face. Other than some bradys...she is really doing well. Not gaining as much weight as her sisters but she's really strong and doing well. (If you recall they tested her for an infection early last week but that did come back negative...thank goodness.)

Their weights are all between 2 lbs 14 oz and 3 lbs 9 oz.

Other prayer requests: My uncle did have surgery on Thurs. and his upper left lobe of his lung was removed. Please continue to pray for him, his wife and two daughters. This is a stressful time for all of them and our family. He has a long recovery ahead. Also pray for my Grandma Jean and Grandpa Jack. Grandma is still hospitalized down here and we aren't sure what the hold up is in getting her moved closer to home and settled in the nursing home. Grandpa needs her closer. I started on antibiotics yesterday for the beginning of mastitis, which is super painful. Finally, Ryan has a little bug. He threw up early Sat. morning and then again today. I hope he gets over this quickly (if it is the flu). I certainly don't want to take any "bugs" up to the hospital around the girls. They are too weak to handle outside germs and infections.

We appreciate all of your continued prayers! ~ Stacie

9/9/09 update on Allie, Norah and Olivia

After several uneventful and calm days in the NICU we had a change of pace today. Here is the latest information on the girls.

Norah - Today her CBC indicates an elevated white blood cell count which suggests an infection. They took a culture which will take 48 hours but have started her on two antibiotics (the ones her sisters have been on) to help treat whatever infection she has as early as possible. Her nurse today started thinking something was going on b/c she was having long pauses in between breaths and more frequent drops in heart rate. Let's pray for a very quick and uneventful recovery for Miss Norah. She's done SO well but I guess needed a little extra attention from mommy & daddy.

Olivia - Unfortunately the PDA around her heart has not closed with the medicine. It is still considered moderate. It did not shrink or close at all. They decided it might be best to try the medicine again so starting tonight she will get 1 dose every 12 hours again for 36 hrs. PLEASE PRAY that this works miracles within her little body and that her PDA closes by Friday. They will do another echo on Friday and then make a decision from there. Surgery is a strong possibility if it doesn't close with the 2nd dose of medicine. The PDA on some children is small enough that it doesn't bother the baby and can eventually close on its own but her behavior is showing signs that she is bothered by the PDA and requiring more help from the ventilator and more oxygen. Olivia now weighs 3 lbs 7 oz (our biggest girl) but this is a lot of water weight from her IV fluids. Since being sick she has not been on breast milk.

Allie - HUGE SUCCESS...our littlest peanut at birth hit 3 lbs today! A true 3 lbs b/c she is receiving breast milk and a calorie fortifier. She is still getting over her infection but doing well. She received a blood transfusion last night. Her color is good. She was wide eyed during our visit! She has the biggest round eyes. She stares at the ventilator parts that hang over her head. It's cute!!!

Also, we would appreciate if you could keep my Uncle David and family in your prayers. He is having emergency surgery tomorrow morning at 7 am. The surgery will be on his left lung and pulmonary artery. He needs lots of prayers right now. My Grandma Jean & Grandpa Jack also need our prayers. Grandma has been living with Alzheimer's for 10 yrs. The day I was discharged from Comm. North, she was admitted on their psych floor. They are trying to get her moved to a nursing home in Grant Co. (close to Grandpa) but there have been several set backs. Grandpa is anxious to get her close to him.

Thank you for all the prayers!!!
Nick & Stacie Vetor

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Baby Girls are 2 WEEKS OLD!

Happy 2 Weeks!!! The last 2 weeks have had a lot of ups and downs. This is an exhausting time for me and Nick. Here is an update with some changes both good and bad in the past day or so.

Olivia - needs special prayer again for a PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus) found with her heart. This is a condition in which a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus fails to close normally in an infant soon after birth. The condition leads to abnormal blood flow between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Before birth, the ductus arteriosus allows blood to bypass the baby's lungs by connecting the pulmonary arteries (which supply blood to the lungs) with the aorta (which supplies blood to the body). Soon after the infant is born and the lungs fill with air, this blood vessel is no longer needed. It will usually close within a couple of days. If the ductus arteriosus does not close, there will be abnormal blood circulation between the heart and lungs. The condition is more common in premature infants.

Allie and Olivia have both had echocardiograms for this situation but Allie's is very small (and they believe/hope it will close on its own). Olivia's is considered "moderate" so they want to treat it immediately with 3 doses of a medication that is administered every 12 hours for 36 hours. We found out this afternoon around 1 pm and they were waiting for the pharmacy to send up the meds. So let's pray that within 36 hours they see a significant change!

They also believe Olivia has a slight pneumonia. They are still suctioning a lot of thick junk out of her lungs. Poor girl. BUT I did get to hold her for the first time yesterday for over an hour (skin to skin). She was perfect and we both LOVED the special time together.

Allie - thankfully she is responding very well to her antibiotic. (Thanks to lots of prayer!) Her culture was suggestive of staph but the newer blood draws have been negative. Her foot is looking better every day. They found a new, little blister on her hand today but aren't too concerned. Nick got to hold her skin to skin yesterday. This was the first time he held any of the girls and this was also the first time Allie had been held. (Daddy beat me to it!) I was so excited for both of them to have that very special time together. After their time together Allie was wide awake. I would say the first time we both felt like one of the girls was really trying to pay attention to what was going on around her and focusing on us talking to her. SO SWEET! She has HUGE round eyes.

Yesterday Allie and Norah were started on 1 tsp of Neosure, which is the formula they will most likely be on for the 1st year, for each feeding. They add this to the breast milk to add calories. Both are tolerating it very well.

Norah - continues to be feisty and do well. Nick and I witnessed a little "fit" today. She was crying (which we don't see in any of the girls much at all), kicking her legs and arms everywhere. We think she was hungry b/c it was just about time for her scheduled feed.

Thank you for the prayers! Thank you to our friends and family who have been so patient and understanding with us these past few weeks. We can't always return every phone call and email as quickly as we would like. On top of trying to be there for the girls as much as possible, we are also trying to have some quality family time just the 3 of us this weekend, which has been very nice. We are trying to live a somewhat normal life for Ryan's sake but it's just very difficult to do so. We appreciate all of you! Thanks to those who have said they look forward to the updates. We don't want to overwhelm anyone with emails but it's the best way to keep everyone posted and continue to ask for your prayers about specific situations. As you can see, things change all the time. Much love,Stacie

Update on 9/4/09 - Allie, Norah and Olivia

Hello ~

Allie needs some special prayers. Her night time nurse noticed some blisters on her right foot around 3 am this morning. (This was after her white blood cell count was a little high last evening). They immediately started her on some antibiotics. They have had an infectious disease doctor and dermatologist visit her this morning. Trying to figure out what is going on. Thankfully, because someone ordered a special order, they received news quickly that she also has a staph infection. Her cultures will take 48 hours (like Olivia's) to tell us where it is specifically. Olivia's was in the blood. Just an FYI ~ staph is something we all carry on our bodies. They can easily carry it on their little bodies as well. Hospital acquired staph is not uncommon. Anyway, her little foot looks so sore and while I was there visiting the neonatologist and nurse noticed several new blisters. I pray that they caught this even faster than Olivia's b/c Allie doesn't yet have a fever and it looks like her white blood cells are trying to fight the infection. Our team of NICU professionals are ALL OVER IT and taking wonderful care of our babies! Let's just pray those little blisters start to go away in the next 24 hours.

Good news! Allie is on 22 ml of milk today! Getting close to 1 oz. very quickly.

Norah has had many bradys (heart rate drops below 80 bpm) since yesterday but is still doing well. She had a chest xray today that wasn't real good. I hope she isn't getting sick like her sisters. Their immune systems are so immature. Please pray a special prayer for her too. Norah is on 23 ml of milk today! Yea!!!

Olivia is doing well. Today they started her back on breast milk at 7 ml!!! Now she should start gaining like her sisters. They took out one of her IV lines. She's been active, opening her eyes and looks SO MUCH BETTER than this past weekend. (Maybe I'll get to hold her soon?!) So that is the latest.

We are worried about Allie right now and a bit worried that Norah might also be showing signs on an illness too. Your prayers are being heard so don't give up...continue to pray for these miracle little girls!

Have a Happy Labor Day Weekend. Be safe! Stacie

9/3/09 Update on our girls!

We are celebrating today! The head ultrasound results were NORMAL on all girls!

Allie now weighs the most when she was our smallest at birth. Norah and Olivia are close behind but Olivia's weight is mostly fluid since she was sick and hasn't been on breast milk (just IV fluids). Last night I got to hold Norah skin to skin, which was amazing. I held her for over an hour. She was so content and happy (so was mommy). We are waiting for that special moment with Allie and Olivia. I changed her poopy diaper today and Nick got a wet one from Olivia!

Allie's white blood cell count was a little elevated so let's start praying now that there is NO infection. We'll hopefully know more about that this evening when we visit. As you can imagine we have a lot of stress and worries in our life right now but we know that our faith will keep us going. There are lots of emotions running around. Could you, each day, pray for peace as we wait for new test results, watch but don't get to hold our girls, travel back and forth, learn to trust God & the hospital staff in new ways, try not to let our anxiety steal the joy from this amazing miracle, wonder about our future (ha) and theirs and all this while trying to heal from surgery/bed rest/pregnancy, return to a full time job and take care of Ryan at home. These days seem so long and the waiting is grueling at times, but hopefully these days will pass quickly and before we know it our Norah, Olivia and Allie will be home with us!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

PRAISES, PRAISES on 9/1/09!

We have LOTS OF PRAISES tonight! Your faithful prayers are being heard. Olivia has made a huge improvement from the past 3 days! We cannot thank you enough for your prayers...God is SO good and we are SO blessed with family and friends who pray for our children. We visited tonight and found out that they removed her from the oscillator this afternoon and she is back on the regular ventilator (room air only, no oxygen). She is responding to the antibiotic b/c the cultures from her infection are coming back neg. however she will be on this antibiotic for 14 days. (Let's pray for no long term effects from the antibiotic.) Her lungs are still being suctioned but her x rays have improved! (Yea!) She's not being sedated right now and looks so much better to us.

Norah and Allie are doing great too! Norah's feedings are up to 12 ml every 3 hours and Allie is on 11 ml every 3 hours...that keeps increasing almost every day. 30 ml = 1 oz. (Crazy that they don't require that much food yet but I'm keeping their little freezers full of milk!)

Tomorrow morning (Wed. - Day 10) each of them will have their head ultrasounds. This is a routine procedure for preemies and normally done between 7-10 days of birth. Their doctor doesn't expect to find anything (based on their prior 10 days of life) but PLEASE pray for great results for each of them ~ Allie, Norah and Olivia. They are looking for brain bleeds b/c their little vessels are immature still at this stage. Pray, pray, pray.

So that is the latest! Finally feels like a "good" day. We know we will have many ups and downs and we'll need you praying for us all along the way.

Thank you, Nick and Stacie

8/31/09 Update on Allie, Norah and Olivia




(Gifts and posters on shelves in each of their rooms)

These past few days have been emotionally and physically hard for us. We are back home. It's so hard leaving the girls at the hospital and feeling like we are just moving on. Ryan has missed us so much and won't let us out of his sight. I think he's afraid we'll be gone for a long time again. Nick went back to work...his wonderful co-workers helped keep up on his work while he was away so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed when he returned...what a blessing! Now our NICU visits are pretty limited to evenings.

We continue to worry about Olivia's infection and all the things going on in her little body. They believe it is some type of staph infection in her blood. We know so many of you are praying for her and praying for a miracle to get rid of this infection quickly. Please continue. They are still waiting for the cultures to come back to tell them exactly what is going on. Her left lung collapsed, which they are treating and watching closely. They are suctioning lots of secretions off her lungs. These nurses are amazing and we know she is in the best hands. One of her doctors shared with us last evening that on Sunday she felt strongly about putting Olivia on a 3rd antibiotic, one she hadn't been using, and when the first cultures came back, this was actually the antibiotic she needed. God is good! They can treat it more specifically when the new cultures come back today or tomorrow.
With Norah and Allie no news is good news! They are behaving for their nurses. It's hard for me to get too excited about how they are doing. I feel like my guard is up so that if/when a set back happens it won't be too shocking or upsetting. Not that we are being negative but the nurses and doctors have prepared us that each baby will have set backs here and there. They have both been handling their breast milk very well and their feedings were increased. Norah is back to her birth weight and Allie is 2 oz over her birth weight...so exciting to us!

Again, thank you for praying for our family and adding us to so many prayer chains!
Love, The Vetor Family

Allie, Norah and Olivia - Happy 1 Week Bday

Happy 1 week birthday baby girls!!!

Olivia - Thank you for heavy duty prayers for Miss Olivia. Yesterday was by far the hardest "NICU" day yet. We are on 3 different roller coasters for 3 different precious babies. Olivia does have an infection that made her pretty critical yesterday. She remains on the oscillator again today and probably for the next several days. She is still slightly sedated. Her blood gases are a bit better today (praise). She will most likely receive more blood tonight. They are discussing a permanent IV line called a "PIC line" being put in on Tues or Wed. She will remain on antibiotics for awhile. Please continue your special prayers for her. Her guardian angels are working hard! (Picture attached of her on Day 5 before she got sick...she opened her eyes while we were talking to her.)
Allie - They did reduce her ventilator settings yesterday to make her work a little harder at breathing on her own. Today they had to increase them a bit so not to make her too tired. She remains stable and is doing well. Continue to pray for her to make positive steps forward. (Enjoy the attached picture of her looking like a little drama queen with her tiny arm up over her forehead...too funny.)
Norah - I GOT TO HOLD HER LAST NIGHT FOR 15 MINUTES! What an unexpected blessing on a very hard day! Norah did OK on the VapoTherm yesterday but because that was being switched every 6 hours she got a little tired. Today she is only on the CYPAP to allow her a day to rest. Her face is a little puffy mainly from the CYPAP equipment that is pretty tight on her face.

Love you all! We feel your prayers for us and our little girls. We are checking out of here tonight and hoping to get life back to some kind of normal starting tomorrow. Pray for Nick as he returns to work (with many worries on his mind), pray for Ryan as he adjusts to us being back home as well as our frequent trips to visit the girls in the evenings and not being at home and please pray that I can balance my mommy duties and worries between Ry's needs and the girls. Running back and forth will be exhausting. God has shown us many miracles in this journey. His hand is watching over all of us.
Love,Stacie & Nick