Sundermann Twins

We're HOME!

2009-11-06T22:36:00.004-06:00

After two months in the NICU, I'm proud to write that we are finally home.

Our time in the NICU has been... Well.. Not bad. I mean, there were babies who we saw come in and leave during our time there, some of which were very sick. I can't imagine what those parents have to go through. Ours were so easy, and easy is good in the NICU.

I still wish we wouldn't have had to meet the doctors and nurses of the NICU in the first place. But we always knew it was a possiblity, and I'm glad we did have the quality docs and nurses that we did have. Everyone was so wonderful to us while we were there. Kelly, Becca and Alisha will always have a special place in our hearts, along with of course the many other nurses who helped along the way.

Also to the family and friends who have come to visit or send a simple email, thank you. It's been wonderful to know so many people are thinking of us.

Don't be strangers around our house. We know the real challenge is now just beginning, and I know we will welcome any and all help that we can get.

This is probably the end of this blog, as neither Gina nor I are big "bloggers" (so that's made it hard to sit down and keep this one up-to-date!). But I'll always keep updating the photos on our photo page, http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.sundermann so be sure to bookmark that and check back from time to time to see what the West Des Moines branch of the Sundermann Family Tree is up to.

"And that's the way it is."

Could this be it???

2009-11-05T18:24:00.002-06:00

Great news today... Cole looks to be coming home tomorrow!

We've had a feeling all week that he'd be coming home Friday, but haven't said much about it because we haven't wanted to jinx it... Superstitious, I know... But hey, after 2 months in the NICU, I'm going to do everything I can to get him home, even if that includes being a little superstitious.

I stopped in after work today and saw Cole for a few minutes, and Becca (another one of our excellent primary nurses) was there. She said "Well,I have some bad news." "WHAT??" I said, of course thinking Cole was going to have to stay another few days. At that moment, one of the other nurses came around the corner and said "Now, Becca, you can't say it like THAT!" with a smile on her face. So I knew it wasn't really bad news. Becca told me that Cole just had an eye checkup at 4:30 so he was awake and so she fed him then, so I couldn't feed him. That was her version of bad news. Heck... I'm alright with that!

So everything looks like he'll be coming home tomorrow. I'm only working a half-day so I can come home to watch Ben, Gina can go to the hospital to get Cole all checked out, and I'll drive back downtown with Ben so we can take a photo or two, and then load them up and come home.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Fun in the swing

2009-11-02T21:43:00.006-06:00

We put Ben in the swing for the first time today. He fit in the swing great and seemed to like it (or at least he didn't hate it!).

Cole continues to drop his heart rate about once a day during his feedings. Our nurse thinks it's still possible Cole could come home Friday though! I can't believe how big he's getting - he's going to outgrow newborn clothes before he even gets home!

We're ready for you to come home Cole!

2009-11-01T18:54:00.017-06:00

Now that Ben is home, the hospital room feels so empty! It's really weird to see only one crib in the room.
Ben has been home for almost a week now - time is already flying by! Last Tuesday, Ben hit 6 pounds and Friday he was 6 lbs 6 oz! He had his first doctor appointment Friday with the pediatrician - she said he looked great. He also got 3 shots - he didn't like them! We have been able to stay on the same eating schedule that he was on in the hospital. He eats at 3, 6, 9, and 12 morning and night. Right now, I'm setting my alarm to wake up for every feeding during the night. The pediatrician said eventually we'd go to feedings every 4 hours during the night - I'm looking forward to that!

Cole on the other hand, is still in the hospital. He has dropped his heart rate once a day the past few days into the 70's (140-160 is normal). The doctor doesn't believe there is anything wrong with his heart because he drops the heart rate during feedings. Instead, we think he still has an immature suck/swallow/breathe ability. This is something that newborns are able to do, but the boys are still 3 weeks premature and haven't perfected this action.

When we feed the boys we have to "pace" them. This means they swallow 3-4 times and then we take the bottle out of their mouth so they breathe 3-4 times. Ben is getting better at breathing while he eats, but he still needs some pacing.

I feel like we have a routine with Ben. Now, we need to get Cole home and have a new routine. We don't like having to go to the hospital to visit him, we want him here with us!

No Cole Today...

2009-10-29T18:51:00.004-05:00

Well sadly, we were unable to bring Cole home today. As I detailed in my post last night, he's having some issues with keeping his heart rate up while he's eating. So that earned him some more time in the hospital.

How long? Well, they are talking at least another week. The doctors still aren't too concerned about him, they still think he's doing fine, he just needs go grow and mature some more. Let's hope that's all.

This wouldn't be such a bummer, but since we can't bring Ben back into the NICU because of the Swine Flu, it really makes it kind of crummy.

It's hard not to feel a little bummed because of this. But we have to remember that really, we've had it pretty easy so far. Compared with some of the other complications and long bumpy roads that some NICU babies have, this has been a cakewalk. Everyone has always been impressed with how well the boys have done thus far. Remember, they were only 29 weeks, 2 days when we delivered. Their progress so far has been remarkable.

Maybe this is just our bump in the road.

Daycare

2009-10-29T10:29:00.002-05:00

So now that we almost have both of them home, it's time to think about what we're going to do with them when Gina goes back to work. As of now, we do have a spot reserved at a daycare center called Koalaty Time. We liked that place because it allows for flexible scheduling. (Other places charged a full week's rate even if you weren't there for all 5 days). And at around $200 per kid PER WEEK, you can see how that quickly adds up to a lot of cash. It's like buying another house. My mom offered to come help out a couple days a week, and Koalaty Time's flexible schedule would allow that to happen, so we could save a little money there.

But we'd really like an in-home day care. They are typically less expensive. Back in July, I called 38 in-home providers from the DHS website, and no one had openings. Many said it was simply too early to know if they'd have an opening for January, and that I should call back in November. Well, here we are, and I'm looking to start calling again.

But I thought I'd put the word out here... Does anyone know of an in-home provider in the Des Moines area? I would prefer them to be at least somewhere along the I-235 corridor, as I don't really want to be driving to Jordan Creek or the Fairgrounds to drop off the boys... But hey, if the price is right and they come recommended from a friend, I'm not going to be picky.

Email me if you know of anyone to recommend. carl.sundermann@gmail.com.

Almost...

2009-10-28T21:58:00.002-05:00

Gina and Ben had their first day at home together today. All things considered, it went pretty well. Ben is already on a schedule for eating, so it hasn't been too hard to keep him on time. So he pretty much eats, sleeps and poops. Repeat. I did lay in our bean bag in the living room (a LoveSac from Jordan Creek Mall, for those who haven't seen it) with Ben for about an hour tonight. We watched This Old House. Trying to teach Ben how fun home improvement projects are.

Cole is still in the hospital, and we still have hopes of bringing him home soon. In fact, earlier today, Gina called me to let me know they said he would be able to go home tomorrow.... But.............. When I went there after work we had a bit of an incident during his feeding. First, when we took his temperature before the feeding, he was cold at 97 degrees (usual range is 97.5 to 98.5). He didn't really wake up much for the feeding either. But the big issue was that partway through, he dropped his heart rate all the way down to 30 (normally it's in the 150 range), and wouldn't bring it back up. I had to move him around and pat his back to try to get him to "wake up" and bring it back up. Kelly was in the room with me at the time, so I wasn't too worried, but it was a little scary... There was a little blue-ness around his lips, so that was a little weird to see. In addition, he didn't quite take all of the milk in his bottle, so that's another strike against him.

So, because of that little stunt, he may have just earned himself another day or two in the hospital. Ben was mad when we told him.

They will evaluate how he does tonight with his overnight feedings. If he's doing okay, he may still get discharged tomorrow. But if they don't feel comfortable, they'll keep him for a couple more days.

It wouldn't be so bad, but we can't bring Ben back because of the Swine Flu stuff. So it just kind of sucks.

So close.... Keep your fingers crossed.

Ben is home! (...And swine flu sucks)

2009-10-27T20:01:00.006-05:00

Well here we are.... Home. We were finally able to take Ben home today. We're pretty excited. This was us just as we were getting ready to leave the hospital.

Now that we're home, Shelby hasn't acted any different... She just sniffs the car seat, but thats about it. Some people say they notice a change in their pets. Not Shelby. She's too clueless. I'd love to say this photo is of her guarding Ben... But it's not. She just happened to be laying there when I took the photo. She has no idea what's going on.

These next few days are going to be interesting. It's nice that we only have one to start to ease us into things. But... Because of the Swine Flu outbreak (yes, I'm calling it Swine Flu, not H1N1, you crazy pork people...) we are unable to bring Ben back to the hospital. So that means we either have to find a baby sitter for Ben while Gina and I go see Cole, OR just not see Cole at the same time. This is a new rule that went into effect on Monday as part of the Swine Flu precautions.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. I'm a little irritated at the hospital because you would think they would understand our situation and be a little more accomodating. I mean, it's not that we have a 2 year old who's going out and playing with other kids. We have a baby who's only contact is going to be us, in our house. And Gina and I both have the vaccine. For as great as Blank has been so far, this kind of put a downer on a day that was supposed to be pretty happy.

But, on the flip side, I do understand they are just trying to protect all of the other patients in the hospital, and specifically the other babies in the NICU. So it's hard to be mad at them for that. But it's just pretty disappointing that we can't be together as a family for the next few days until Cole is discharged.. And even then, they may not let us bring Ben back in for a "group photo". We talked with a manager about this tonight, and he's going to see what he can do... But I'm not holding my breath. Again, I know they are just trying to protect the other babies, so it's hard to be mad.

I guess I'm just mad at the Swine Flu.

Anyway, on happier thoughts, Ben is home, and this will be great. Gina's feeling good, so I am going in to work tomorrow. I thought about taking time off, but like I said in my post yesterday, there's not really a reason for me to take time off right now. It's not that Gina just had a baby and is still recovering.. She's feeling great, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to take time off and just sit around and stare at Ben all day. Now when Cole comes home, that will probably be different.

Keep your fingers crossed he comes home soon. I don't really want to be trying to split time between home and the hospital. It's probably going to only be a couple of days, but anything can happen. Come home soon, Cole!

Biggest news yet....

2009-10-26T17:20:00.006-05:00

So, other than the day we actually delivered the boys, we some big news today....

BEN COMES HOME TOMORROW!

And here's what he thinks about that:

So if you're reading this and are in disbelief, join the club. Kelly (our nurse) called Gina this morning to let us know the news. Gina in turn called me, to which I nearly dropped the phone. I mean, we knew it was getting close, but we didn't think it would be so early... But I guess I should be used to things happening early.

They've always told us it's rare that twins will go home on the same day. But, we always thought it would be Cole who goes home first. Cole has always been the bigger of the two. As of today, Cole is 6 pounds 3.3 oz. Ben is 5 pounds 14.7 oz. But, Ben is eating better, which essentially is why he's being discharged. He's still eating 8 times a day, but he's "eating till he's full." In other words, they don't measure his food. So that's why he gets to go home. (Keen observers will note that he no longer has the feeding tube in his nose in the photo above)

So Gina was back to work for a grand total of 5 days. And now, she's off again for another six weeks. (essentially using a combination of vacation time and time without pay under the FMLA.) I'm not sure what I'll be doing yet. I have a big project going on at work, so it's really poor timing. But... I'll work around all of that and get something figured out. Like Gina said, it's not like she just had the babies and is still weak from the birth. She's feeling good, so she might be able to be home a couple days by herself, especially since there's only one right now. And then I'll probably take some time when Cole comes home.

I'm writing this sitting in the boys' room at the hospital. When we get home, it's a little weird to know that this is the last night we'll be in our house without kids.

Stupid Swine Flu...

2009-10-25T15:01:00.004-05:00

Well, we got our swine flu vaccinations today. Yippee. I just kept telling myself it was for the boys, not for me.

We got there at about 9:30am. Doors were supposed to open at noon. It's a good thing we got there when we did.. The line was long, but not crazy. It was at the Varied Industries Building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The line went from the door, down the block, and halfway down the next block.

It wasn't long after we got there that the line doubled in size, wrapping all the way down the block we were on, turning and going back toward the Varied Ind. Building. So I was glad we got there when we did.

They began letting people in about 11:30 or so. When we got to the building, the line snaked around inside the building, so it moved pretty quickly.

We filled out the paper work, got our vaccine, and were on our way by 1:30p. While it wasn't the most exciting way to spend a Sunday morning... It could have been worse.

Not sure why they didn't have someone selling hot chocolate, apple cider or other fall goodies to people in line.... Could make a killing for some entrepreneur...

Keen observers will note that the time it took us from start to finish was approximately four hours- longer than Gina can go without pumping. So, while waiting in line, Gina politely excused herself to go back to our car to pump. Ahh... The life of a new mom.

Normally I don't get vaccinations, because I generally don't get sick. But this year, I got the regular flu and swine flu vaccine because of the boys. So if I get sick this year, I'm gonna be pretty angry!

Here's what you can do...

2009-10-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

Since the boys have been born, so many people have asked what they can do to help us. And so far, we really haven't needed much because the hospital has provided the care for the boys, food for Gina, and people to change the diapers (instead of me) :)

But now that we are so close to coming home, I know there's something anyone could do to help us out. And I'm not afraid to ask.

Bring us food.

Casseroles, pizza, chili, leftovers, whatever you have in the back of your fridge... We're not picky. Just no nuts. I'm allergic to nuts. And chocolate. I'm allergic to that too. But bring all the chocolate you want for Gina. I'm sure she'd enjoy.

Something we can freeze and bake at a later time is probably best. We have a deep freeze with a lot of extra room, so we won't pass on anything that comes our way.

It would really help out. Especially in these first couple of weeks.

There. I asked.

And speaking of things happening fast....

2009-10-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

Wow... So, apparently our boys are just going to be over-achievers.

They are doing so well that the docs have upped the number of times they can bottle or nurse to 5-6. Remembering that they eat 8 times a day, this means that over half of their feedings are by bottle/nursing. Once they take 7-8 times a day by bottle they are ready to go home. All indications are that they will be discharged mid next week! Yea, I sure wasn't expecting that when I got there this afternoon!

Now, don't get me wrong, this is pretty great, and I'm really excited... But just like when we went to the hospital back on Sept. 7, I feel like I'm being caught off-guard! I knew they would come home eventually, but it's not even November yet..... And until recently, they've been telling us to plan on our original due date of Nov. 22.

This weekend will be filled with many last-minute activities.... Finishing out our Target and Babies R Us registries, visiting some second hand stores to get more clothes, taking the infant CPR class, taking the NICU discharge class.... AND of course, standing in line for H1N1 shots. (Definately not looking forward to that last one...)

And so our last weekend alone in the house begins.

It's all happening so fast...

2009-10-22T18:30:00.002-05:00

For the longest time, there really wasn't much changing with the boys.... They were laying in their isolettes just growing. We'd take them out at night, hold them (while listening to a little Dave Matthews Band play in the background), talk, and just enjoy each other's company. (That was the week or so when we didn't post anything to the blog...) But now, with them gaining so much weight and eating so well, things seem to be progressing rapidly.

They just got cribs on Monday, and I think that was probably one of the most significant ways I've seen them change. It was really great to see them for the first time in a crib. They looked like real babies... And that was cool.

Now today, they have increased their bottle feedings from 2-3 times a day to 4 times a day.. Since they eat every three hours, this means they will be bottled or nursed every other feeding. This is big news, because this means they could be coming home in as little as a week, or as long as two weeks. I would not be surprised if we brought them home next weekend.

Wow, this is really happening.

Back to Work

2009-10-22T12:14:00.009-05:00

I had my 6 week check-up on Monday and my doctor agreed that I could return work. I was back to work on Tuesday. It's bittersweet to be back at work. The job site has changed so much in 6 weeks so I was excited to see the progress and everyone at work. I do miss being at the hospital though. I think about the boys quite often and wonder how they're doing - although I know that they're fine! I wanted to go back to work so that I could take another 6 weeks off when the boys come home. On Monday, our nurse thought they would be home in 2-3 weeks.

I just got a call today from our nurse asking us to bring in our car seats! This is a huge step!! The nurse will put the boys in the car seats to see how they react. Their heart rates and respirations will be monitored as well as their moods. If they cry the entire time, they may need another day or two before they're ready for the car seat. The boys are getting so close to coming home!!

I was at the hospital last night when our night nurse weighed Cole. He is now 6 lbs 2 oz!! I couldn't believe it! They weigh the babies wearing only their diapers. It's been a while since I've seen the boys without clothes - they have really gotten big (especially their little bellies!).

On Tuesday, the boys had hearing tests...they both passed! We weren't too worried since they tend to jump at some noises.

5 Pounds and Cribs!

2009-10-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

Both boys are now over 5 pounds! Ben weighs 5 lbs 6 oz and gets 45 mL of food. Cole weighs 5 lbs 11.6 oz and gets 47 mL. Ben hit five pounds on 10/16 and Cole hit five pounds on 10/13. Three weeks ago we were celebrating 4 pounds and now look at them! Their faces and bodies are filling out and are looking more like a full term newborns every day.

The boys are now in cribs! This is one of the last milestones before they go home. Under their swaddled blankets, they are wearing a sleep 'n play and a onesie to keep them warm. With the upgrade to the cribs, the doctors also approved the boys to bottle or nurse 3 times a day. I hadn't bottle fed either of them yet, so I bottle fed Cole for the first time tonight. There is a lot to watch for and a lot to do when bottle feeding preemies! Since the boys sometimes forget to breathe when they eat, we have to take small breaks to remind them to breathe. This is normal since they're still considered preemies at 35 weeks (this is their corrected age).

I was so excited to see the boys in cribs today! We are getting so close to bringing them home! The doctors and nurses in the NICU have been great and this is the best place for them right now. I know Shelby will be excited to have us at home a little more! We'll be home very soon!

Eye development

2009-10-15T20:11:00.002-05:00

So the eye doc came in today. Put on her funny head gear and crazy goggles and checked out the boys' eyes. Doc said "Yep, they're immature."

Of course, this is normal, considering we're just over 34 and a half weeks today. But as with other parts of their development, the doc was happy with their progress. The blood vessels are getting more developed and closer to the surface, which is good. They continue to have weekly checkups.

Gina's been working on getting them interested in nursing the last couple of days, with varied results. Again, the docs and nurses say this is normal, given their age. So the docs want to get them nursing or bottle feeding a couple times each day, but they don't do it more than that, because it's actually a lot of work for the boys to suck. Hopefully they keep growing so they are stronger, and continue to feed for longer, because that would mean we can take them home sooner.

It's our anniversary!

2009-10-14T08:10:00.005-05:00

Today is our anniversary. Three years ago we were married at Swan Lake State Park in our hometown of Carroll, Iowa. There's been a lot that's happened in that time, but never in my wildest dreams would I have expected TWIN boys three years later. I mean, one maybe, but two... At the same time??? I didn't sign up for that! But nevertheless, I'm more and more excited every day. It will be great to get them home, and I'm happy to be in this with Gina.

In honor of today, here's a look back at our wedding day, just three short years ago.

I love you, Gina. I love our boys, our dog, our house, and our life. I'm so excited to be in this with you.

The Next Step

2009-10-13T15:10:00.008-05:00

We got the official word Saturday that the boys could start nuzzling with me twice a day before their feedings! The hope is that they get interested in nursing (they don't have to get big quantities of milk). Ben got a great start yesterday - he was able to get 18 mL from me and then we supplemented with breast milk in his feeding tube. Ben continued today and got 10 mL. Cole's first attempt didn't yield a quantity of milk, but in his second attempt, he was able to get 8 mL. Cole has been pretty sleepy today, so he's been getting his food through the feeding tube.

Feeding is the next big step for the boys. Once they are eating on their own and signalling that they're hungry, is when the doctor will consider sending us home. Don't get too excited, though, we're still a few weeks away from going home. We have a lot of work in the next couple of weeks!

Cole hit five pounds today! He is 5 lbs 1.5 oz and gets 42 mL of food. Ben is 4 lb 12.4 oz and gets 40 mL of food.

Family Photo

2009-10-11T12:51:00.003-05:00

We took this photo of the boys yesterday. They are wearing some of their OWN clothes, not the hospital's clothes.

It's hard to call this a "Family Photo", since Shelby isn't in it.... But they won't let me bring her into the NICU, and they won't let me take the boys out of the NICU. Stupid rules. Sheesh. :)

Cole is now 4 pounds 13.8 oz. Ben is 4 pounds 9.2 oz. Boy, if they keep growing like this, we're going to have some big boys to feed! Who knows, they might be 7 pounds before they leave!

The boys are one month old!

2009-10-08T16:03:00.033-05:00

Wow, it's been more than a week since my last post...time is flying by!

Last Friday we moved to a different room. This time we moved because the NICU had new carpet installed in the hallways. We started in room 216 (the big room), moved to 218 (the tiny room), and now we're in 206. The room is bigger than 218 - we can actually get two recliners in our room without a major shift of everything!

The boys were one month old Wednesday! Our night nurse made this picture to celebrate.

And for Carl and myself, we celebrated by holding the boys and getting ice cream at Maggie Moos. We forgot to take a picture before we starting eating the ice cream - it was so good!

Ben had an uneventful one month birthday, but Cole had a big day. He got a transfusion of blood because his hemoglobin was low, which is pretty common in preemies. Hopefully his body will start producing enough hemoglobin so that he doesn't need another transfusion. He received 32 mL of blood (just over an ounce) by IV. Cole is now 4 lbs 13.5 oz and gets 40 mL of breast milk. Ben is 4 lbs 7.5 oz and gets 38 mL of breast milk. We were just celebrating the four pound milestone - pretty soon we'll be at 5 pounds!

4 Pounds!

2009-10-01T09:51:00.007-05:00

I had a great surprise this morning - both boys are above 4 pounds! Cole got to 4 pounds on Tuesday. He is now 4 lb 2.3 oz and gets 36 mL of breast milk. Ben is 4 lb 0.7 oz and gets 34 mL of breast milk. The boys hit their lowest weights 4-5 days after birth. Cole was 3 lb 2 oz and Ben was 3 lb 1 oz. It's hard to believe they're already 4 pounds!

Both of the boys are waking up on their own before most feedings and getting betting at sucking on the pacifier. They even try to get their fingers in their mouth! These are great development signs - the boys are getting closer to trying to eat on their own (no feeding tube!).

They've also started to smile! Ben has been smiling occasionally when we hold him and I just saw Cole smile a couple of times today. Their smiles are the cutest!!

Pictures!

2009-09-30T12:38:00.014-05:00

The boys were three weeks old Monday and to celebrate, our primary night nurse, Alisha, took this picture of the boys. I love seeing them together! We'll have lots more pictures like this once they're home!!

I finally took pictures of the boys' room:

There are a couple more pictures of the room in the photo gallery.

We got the Riesberg shower pictures on Picasa, so check those out! It was neat to have one shower when I was pregnant and one shower after the boys were born. A big thanks to both families for the great showers!

Are you comfy?

2009-09-28T16:08:00.012-05:00

When I got to the hospital this morning, our primary nurse, Kelly, mentioned she had taken a funny picture of Ben in the incubator. She was about to open the incubator when she saw this:

I'm convinced Ben is ready to be moved to a crib and this was his way of telling us! In reality, the boys won't be moved to a crib until they're about 4 lb 8 oz, can hold their temperature on their own, and have started bottle/breast feeding (we have a few more weeks to go).

In other news, Cole now weighs 3 lb 15.8 oz! I'm excited for both of them to be at 4 lb - it's a big milestone in my eyes. Also, Cole gets 34 mL of breast milk. Ben weighs 3 lb 14 oz and gets 32 mL.

My boys

2009-09-26T15:48:00.005-05:00

Me and the boys. Ben on the left, Cole on the right.

And yes, I know my tan lines rock.

Take the poll! How much will this cost?

2009-09-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

I added a poll to the left side of this blog... How much do you think our NICU bill will be? $100,000? $500,000?

Hooray for insurance, that's all I have to say.

We probably won't see the Explaination of Benefits page until after the boys are home, so I don't know when I'll be able to post the results.

Big move yesterday!

2009-09-23T16:28:00.008-05:00

We had a big day yesterday! We were moved to a different room! It's much smaller, but a positive move for the boys. The boys are stable enough that they don't need many monitors or much attention from nurses. Now, the big room is open for another set of multiples.

Cole's feeding tube was moved to his nose yesterday also. This will help in the future when we start breastfeeding and bottle feeding.

Sunday evening I got to give the boys a bath! It was so much fun to get them out of their beds, carry them, and give them a bath. They feel much more like babies when I am able to carry them without their monitors stuck to them. They still look so small, but they're really starting to fill out their skin! We'll post pictures of bath time soon.

Weights and feedings:
Cole - 3 lb 11.8 oz, 32 mL of breast milk

Ben - 3 lb 10 oz, 31 mL of breast milk

Two week anniversary!

2009-09-21T17:07:00.006-05:00

Today is the two week anniversary of the boys' being born! And since I'm pretty sure I've never really celebrated a "two week anniversary" before, I don't really know if that's cause for celebration or not... But you know what? Two weeks of these premature babies being healthy and happy? Well that certainly is something to celebrate.

It's been such an emotional two weeks. I was pretty nervous and scared when the doctor told us we were going to deliver that Monday morning.... Scared for Gina's safety, scared for the babies' safety... Even though the doctors were feeling confident that things would be okay, I still couldn't help but feel nervous about the whole thing.

But here we are, two weeks later. The outpouring of support has been wonderful. Thanks to everyone for your kind words and for keeping us in your thoughts. It certainly means a lot to both of us.

There's been a lot that's happened since the last time we posted... Saturday we had our Sundermann Baby Shower. There's some photos of this in the gallery. We had a lot of fun! Mom did a great job with planning this event. Thanks for throwing us a great party, Mom!

The boys are doing well. Both of them are taking 30 mL of milk now (that's 1 oz). They eat 8 times per 24 hour period. Ben was finally moved to a smaller isolette on Sunday, so they are both in the smaller ones now (Gina blogged about the two kinds a couple days ago). So that's exciting! Both are also of their oximeter monitors (the one that measures oxygen in the blood. So all they have now is the feeding tube to their stomachs, and the heart and respiration monitors.

They are filling out their skin more and more every day... They look great. They are both now ABOVE their birth weight! Keep growing boys, and happy two week anniversary!

Who's hungry?

2009-09-17T21:30:00.003-05:00

Blank Children's Hospital has a really cool thing for moms of babies in the NICU... Free food. Gina gets up to three meals per day, delivered to the room, for no charge. This is a service that Blank provides to all moms who are breastfeeding, rather than formula feeding. Since Gina is pumping away, she qualifies for this. I think this is a pretty cool program. In addition to saving us a lot of money over the next couple months in dining out dollars, Gina's eating healthy too. And a healthy Gina means lots of healthy breast milk for healthy growing boys.

I talked to one of the nurses a couple days ago to learn more about the program, and she said this is actually something that's new to the NICU in just the last few months. The idea for this program came from the evaluation surveys provided to parents at the end of their NICU stay. Some parents who were breast feeding didn't feel it was fair that they bought the groceries that moms ate and turned into milk, while the moms of Formula babies were provided with Formula by the hospital. Apparently the hospital agreed, and started this program. Kudos to Blank.

This of course leaves me to fend for myself while I'm there. Not a big deal, I guess... I'm not there as much as Gina is these days, since I have returned to work. It would be cool if they provided Dads a half price meal, though. Hmm. Maybe I'll make that suggestion on my evaluation form.

No real changes on the boys today. Still growing. Still eating. Still pooping. A lot.

Is it warm enough in there?

2009-09-16T14:15:00.022-05:00

Cole got a new bed last night! It's a smaller, older incubator, but it's the next step in the process. Once Ben is moved to the smaller bed, we'll be moved to a smaller room. The smaller room is good because it means the boys are growing and don't need as many monitors. Also, then the big rooms are open if there are another set of multiples who need the big room.

Ben's current incubator monitors his skin temperature and then adjusts the air temp in the incubator to keep him at a constant temp. Cole's new incubator is set at a constant temp and Cole's body adjusts to keep himself at a constant temp. The temp inside the incubators is 90-91 degrees - it really warms you up if your hands are in the incubator! We monitor Cole's temp by taking his temp every 3 hours at feedings. The boys don't like transitions when we take them out of the incubators to hold them. I don't blame them - I don't like getting out of my warm bed in the mornings either!

Cole's smaller incubator

Ben's big incubator

A quick update on weight and feedings:
Cole - 3 lb 6.4 oz, 29 mL of breast milk (goal is 30 mL for now)
Ben - 3 lb 5 oz, 23 mL of breast milk (goal is 28 mL for now)

Feeding goals are based on current weight. Once we get to the goal, we'll increase feedings at a slower pace than we have been (currently it's a 2 mL increase every 12 hours). 30 mL is one ounce.

2009-09-15T18:19:00.003-05:00

Big day for Mr. Ben today... He got his TPN stopped (extra nutrients) and pic line out today. This means that both boys only have the most basic of "wires" attached to them... The heart, respirations and pulse oximiter (oxygen in the blood). Other than that, all other cords are no more! That's pretty exciting, because it means everything is going well enough that they don't need much extra help, just monitoring.

They still do have feeding tubes in their mouths though. Those will still be there for a couple weeks until they have a sucking reflex to start breastfeeding. But Gina is still pumping, and is having great success. In fact, the supply is so good at the hospital they've had to put some in their freezer. So today the nurse said we can start freezing the milk we get at home, and they will just use what she pumps during the day while here to do the rest of the feeding. Good thing we bought a deep freeze a couple months ago!

There's a couple more photos in the photo gallery, so check those out. Here's a good one of Cole that I took of him with my wedding band.

The boys are wearing clothes!

2009-09-14T11:47:00.011-05:00

The boys are 7 days old today - this past week has flown by! When we got to the hospital today, the boys were wearing matching onesies - the first clothes they've had on! I even got to change Cole's outfit and put a onesie on Ben.

Cole now weighs 3 lb 5 oz! He got rid of his TPN (nutrients) and pic line today. Now he doesn't have a bunch of lines in is leg! If he needs an IV in the future, they'll put in a normal IV. The pic line saved the nurses from putting in an IV every day. Cole is getting 23 mL of breast milk now.

Ben is 3 lb 4 oz today. If Cole doesn't watch out, Ben will weigh more than him pretty soon! Ben's lipids were stopped today. If he continues to tolerate the breast milk, he will also get rid of the TPN soon. Ben is getting 19 mL of breast milk.

The boys continue to improve daily. The nurses and doctors are very happy with their progress this past week. Everyone comments on how big they are for being born at 29 weeks. I'm glad all of my peanut butter english muffins helped them grow! (I'm sure my Wellmark team understands!)

Video of the twins

2009-09-13T16:11:00.003-05:00

I have no idea if this is actually going to work or not... (You'd think with all the cool video toys I have access to, that I would be all about cool videos of the twins.... But no.. Why? I don't know.)

So, hopefully this posts, and you can see a little video of the kiddos. I'll hopefully have more, better video as we go along.

The boys are growing!

2009-09-13T11:20:00.011-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that this time last weekend we were sitting in Carroll and I still had a big belly. How things have changed! I am feeling better every day. I still have some pain, but I'm walking more and quicker each day.

Both of the boys' weights are up today - Cole is 3 lb 4 oz and Ben is 3 lb 2.5 oz! Cole is getting 19mL of breast milk at each feeding and Ben is getting 11mL.

The doctors have stopped the lipids (fats) for Cole and he will probably stop the TPN (extra nutrients) tomorrow. This means the pic line will come out when the TPN stops! We love getting rid of cords!

Ben still has the lipids and TPN. Once he gets more breast milk, he should be able to stop the IV's just like Cole.

Carl and I both held the boys yesterday at the same time. They don't make a noise when we hold them - they are so content!

Ben is off the nasal cannula

2009-09-12T13:45:00.001-05:00

This is good news! This means that both of them are breathing on their own, and it’s one less wire we have to work around when we hold them. They are still hooked up to the heart rate, respirations and blood oxygen monitors, but those are just monitoring their vitals.

They are still getting the TPN via their IV, which is an extra boost of nutrients in addition to the breast milk they are being fed. Cole’s weight today is down to 3lbs 2oz, and Ben is down to 3lb 1oz. This is normal, though, as babies lose weight in the first few days of life. They should be back to birth weight in a couple weeks.

They eat every three hours. Cole eats at 8, 11, 2, and 5 and Ben eats at 9, 12, 3 and 6. They take a syringe of breast milk and let gravity push it through a tube down their throats into their stomachs. (They don’t really know how to swallow and suck yet. That will come in a couple of weeks.) I think there is a photo of the syringe they use to feed with in the photo album.

They are increasing their amounts each day. I can’t remember how many milliliters each is getting, and I don’t really want to get up to go find out… So I’ll post that another time.

We are here…

2009-09-12T13:05:00.001-05:00

If you’re driving by Blank, but don’t have time to come in, at least give us a nod… This is our room’s window!

Wanna see us live? Check out Skype.

2009-09-11T18:09:00.001-05:00

Can’t make it to Des Moines to come see the newest Sundermanns? Then find us on Skype. My username is carlsunder. Any time I have my computer on at the hospital, I’m online on Skype. Check it out, we’d love to see you.

Ben and the nasal cannula

2009-09-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

Cole is now breathing 100% on his own, no nasal cannula attached. Ben however, still has it on, but it’s only pushing a little bit of room air. They tried to take it off this morning, and his heart rate was fine, but he started breathing hard. So they’ll wait a couple of days for that.

They are increasing the feedings by 2 ml per day, and starting to wean them off of the other nutrient IV lines. This is good.

Gina just finished kangarooing with Ben for an hour or so. I can tell she’s enjoying that time.

Catching up...

2009-09-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

Now that I have the big details of the delivery day out of the way, we can FINALLY start using this blog as I originally intended... I know people want to know what's happening with the twins, so I hope to post more updates to this as we go along over the next couple months. I hope the updates can me more"twitter-like" rather than long posts.

So if you would like to follow our progress over the next couple of months, feel free to check back on this site, or subscribe to the blog. We'll try to keep it updated, and post photos as well.

So the update as of right now... The babies are good. Cole and Ben are off of the ventilators and CPAP masks. This means they are breathing on their own. Ben has always been a little smaller and needed a little more help with his lung devlopment, so he is still on the nasal canula helping to give him a little more air. But this is just room air, not oxygen.

We were able to hold both Cole and Ben yesterday. In fact, two days ago (Wed), we were able to hold both of them for an hour and a half in the "kangaroo hold" This is basically a skin-to-skin hold that allows the baby to stay warm with the body heat of me or Gina, and lets them hear our heartbeats. The doctors and nurses are big proponents of the kangaroo hold, because it's a good bonding experience.

Gina is pumping and the babies are getting that breast milk by a tube that goes down their throat into their stomachs. They don't have the sucking reflexes yet, so we won't be able to breast feed for a couple more weeks, so until then, we'll pump and bring that to them.

Gina is officially discharged from the hospital, so last night was our first night at home. In fact, it's almost 11:00am, and we haven't even left yet. We're just getting ready to head to the hospital now, so we might have more updates later today. But as of right now, all is well... Just need to keep these babies growing!

Delivery Day Details

2009-09-09T00:18:00.000-05:00

Early Monday, Sept. 7 around midnight, Gina woke up with some lower abdominal pain. It got so bad that she woke me up around 12:45 and we decided to call the doc. Doc said to come in, so we went to the hospital. We got into the triage room, feeling alright, but still with the abdominal "pressure" as Gina was calling it. She wasn't feeling contractions, just pressure. Imagine our surprise when the doc says "Well... You're about 8 cm dilated. These babies are going to come tonight."

A whole host of emotions came to us at that time... Remember, we weren't due until November 22.... We were only 29 weeks pregnant. Thoughts about the babies' safety and thoughts about Gina's safety flooded my mind. I think we were both pretty scared at that point.

They wheeled Gina into one of the delivery rooms (well, "Suites" as they call them....) and brought in the ultrasound machine. It was about 3:30am now, and Gina was still feeling the constant pressure rather than contractions. They had given her some drugs to try to slow things down, and she was breathing appropriately. They wanted to keep the babies inside as long as they could to let the drugs start working. Both babies had been head down in all of the ultrasounds we'd had to this point, so we were planning on having a natural delivery, but have always been prepared for the fact that we may have to have a c-section. In fact, all twin deliveries, natural or c-section, take place in the c-section room, rather than the birthing suites just in case there is a complication. When they checked the babies with the ultrasound machine, they saw that one of them had flipped back over... So one was head up, one was head down.

In our "twins" class, we had learned that when one is head down (vertex) and the other is head up (breech), it IS possible to deliver naturally. They deliver the head down one first, then push on the belly to turn the other one around inside the uterus. However, with Gina only being 29 weeks, this is a much riskier way to deliver. Since we had no problems with doing a c-section, we said we would rather do that, and the doctor agreed. The NICU nurse came in to talk to us to let us know what to expect when they delivered.

Remembering that we left our house at 1am, having no idea we would be having the babies, we did not have our camera with us. This was a big deal for us, so we asked the doctor if I had any time to run home to get our camera. (a 20-25 minute round trip....) The doc was hesitant, but eventually agreed that I could run home. I left my cell number, and drove home. (There's really NO traffic on I-235 at 4am, by the way...) When I returned with the camera, I found Gina having more regular contractions. I watched on the monitors as the contractions would come and go. The doc came in a few minutes later and checked Gina and said it was time to go. It's about 4:30am now, and I had only been back for 15 minutes or so.

They gave me the booties, jumpsuit, and fun little hat and mask. We made our way to the c-section room. I had to wait outside while they prepped Gina with the epidural and made the incision. It was 5am. I know this because there was a clock right in front of me, but it felt like that clock didn't move. I felt like I was waiting outside forever.

When they finally let me in the room, I was greeted by a whole lot of people. It's amazing how many people were there. Each baby had 3 or 4 NICU nurses, there were 3 or 4 other nurses along the side wall, 3 or 4 people surrounding Gina for the surgery, the anestesiologist standing next to me at Gina's head, and a guy off to the side doing something. So there was probably 12-15 people in the room.

Gina was doing fine, and I held her hand during the operation, but I stood up and watched the whole thing. Blood guts and gore is one thing on TV, but it's quite amazing to see it happening right in front of you. I didn't feel woozy at all. I think I was so amazed at what was happening that I didn't even reallly process that I was looking at the INSIDE of Gina's body. Pretty wild.

The doc did her thing and soon enough, Baby A was born at 5:18am. It was SO FUN to hear "It's a boy!" from the doctor. (we did NOT find out the sexes before hand) Then came Baby B, and because this one was breech, it was a little harder for the doctor to get to. I will never forget how much she had to pull, yank, and otherwise struggle to get that baby out. Truth be told, I did start to visibly shake during this part. It's not that the blood was bothering me, but it was more that Gina was squirming on the table because she felt tremendous pressure combined with how much the doctor was YANKING on the baby to get him out. I had so many thoughts going through my head.... Is he breathing, is that okay to do, aren't they hurting him, aren't they hurting Gina.... It was all a little crazy. But it was never too much for me because I always knew that THEY are the doctors and THEY know what's going on. Gina and the babies are in good hands, so I tried my hardest to remember that.

After some more pulling, at 5:21am, Baby B was born. I made my way back and forth between the babies and Gina, taking photos of them on the camera, then bringing them over to show Gina. They continued to sew Gina back together, and once they babies were stable, they were ready to move them to NICU. I followed the babies to NICU, and stayed there for a while while they get Gina back together and moved to her recovery room. As the doctors checked over the babies, they were overall pleased with their development. They did have the babies on a ventilator to help them breathe, but that's pretty normal for a 29 week baby. I felt really good when the doctors said everything looks good, they just need to grow.

We called our parents around 9am. They were pretty excited, but nervous for us at the same time. They did come to Des Moines that day, and were able to see their (first) grandchildren.

What a day.

Welcome!

2009-09-08T23:28:00.000-05:00

Everyone wants to be updated about the twins... So I figured we should start a blog about it. So here it is. Thanks for dropping by! Keep checking back for updates, or subscribe via RSS so the updates come to you!