One - week later....

Well, it's been a week since the girls got sick and they seem to be rallying - all of them. I wasn't able to go in today as big-sister Jennifer stayed home with me today but reports from the day nurses were all positive. 

Tonight, Grandma Margaret whose been visiting for the past few days, and I went to see for ourselves how well the 3 were doing. Caitlyn and Heather were deep in slumber and scrumptiously cute....Emily was quite wakeful and happy to have her Mama sit and chat with her and assist the nurse with the nightly activities. She has the biggest eyes that hold quite a sparkle and very long fingers that eagerly pull at any tube they can grasp. She was quick to fall asleep after being fed, and Mama and Grandma Margaret left feeling content. 

All three of the girls had their noses swabbed again for viruses - hopefully these will come back negative - if that is the case, they will come off of isolation and once again we can have some cuddles. Caitlyn and Heather have been taken off all of the antibiotics and antivirals today and Emily will hopefully follow suit tomorrow. There is one test pending before her antiviral can be stopped. So...again today was a step forward. 

Papa Jeremy will likely be going to the hospital to see the threesome tomorrow - he is feeling better. 

This will bode well for all of you following as well as I can assure you there will be many more cute pictures to look at!! 

Until tomorrow....

Jan

--

Pictures are worth a thousand words...

Ok, I promised pictures and I'm good on my promise....

First however, let me offer the day's end update. 

No sooner had I put a period at the end of the last post than the medical Fellow sought me out to inform me that both Heather and Emily needed yet another spinal tap. As a nurse, I understood the reasoning behind the decision to re-poke the girls -- as a parent, I wanted to scream and steal the girls away from the hospital and never subject them to any more painful procedures.

Alas, the procedures went smoothly and the (hopefully) final results will be back tomorrow or Saturday. The good news is that Caitlyn's spinal tap results all came back negative, although the full implications of this result are not yet clear. We still need to wait for final results for Heather and Emily. The medical fellow reassured me tonight that the prognosis for premature babies who were well initially, prior to contracting any viral illness is quite good. So...we're tentatively breathing a small sigh of relief.

The girls - all three - delighted me with wakefulness and energetic movement. Caitlyn again was a champion on her soother and seems to have passed her skill on to her sister Heather. Emily was exhausted from all her activities today; however, we did steal some glances at each other before she ventured into her dreams. 

Another day closer to bringing those three home to their big sister who still requests each day that "they sleep at home tonight?"

Goodnight....

Enjoy the few pictures....Jer really needs to return so the picture quality improves...

Jan

Caitlyn enjoying a much needed rest...

Emily with her tape mustache...

Heather also with her tape mustache...

Gram-by-gram...

I realize it's breaking form to be reporting on the girls so early in the day -- there are many more hours left however, I felt it was important to lighten the mood up.

The girls are all doing very well today - again showing signs of increased energy and spunk.

Heather has been taken off her C-pap and put back on the nasal prong air flow - this just helps encourage her to breath by blowing air in her nose. So far so good and she is tolerating the change very well. She has surprised me this morning by reaching her original birth weight! She continues to gain weight and by tonight should surpass her original weight - how great is that!

Caitlyn is right on the heels of Heather and is grams away from attaining her original birth weight. She continues to inch forward in health and is showing great signs of feeling better.

Emily is unchanged for now - but that is a positive. She is having great naps and showing lots of energy when she is awake. Unfortunately, both Heather and Emily will likely need to have some more virus testing today but, this is minor compared to actually letting the virus get ahead of them again and making them unwell.

As promised, I did bring the camera today and will endeavour to put up the pictures later tonight when I'm back at home...

Have a great day - I think we're going to here....

Jan
--

Let's call it a WIN...

First, let me say thanks to all of you have been following along with us so closely. I feel badly that all you're getting is my version of things; however, hopefully, Papa Jeremy will be back in the action soon enough. Secondly, I realize that all of you would probably like to see some pictures of these sweet girls that you have been reading all about. I blame it on my "hormone head" as I keep forgetting to take the camera with me....rest assured, that each day these girls get cuter and cuter. I promise to take the camera tomorrow....I promise to take the camera tomorrow...I promise to take the camera tomorrow....

Today we'd like to think of as a "win" of a day. The girls are all showing more signs of increased energy and vitality. Emily again is the most vocal of the three right now, making it known to the nurses that she is not happy with all of the pokes and prods that go along with making sure she is ok. I left her tonight looking very snug - lying on her tummy having a very sweet dream. She is back to getting some milk and tolerating it very well so hopefully all will continue in this direction.

Heather continues to need the breathing support however this was down-graded today from "sipap" to "c-pap". She seems to be holding her own with this although still is experiencing the odd heartrate and oxygen dips. Again, this likely is more typical of needing to grow out of it. She too was much more energetic tonight compared to last night, kicking, squirming and even giving some small cries. She and I had some brief moments together as I practised my skills on changing her diaper and other nightly ablutions - after which she was exhausted and fell right to sleep.

Caitlyn was very restful today and seemed to sleep much of the day. Tonight, however, she was wide awake, (hopefully this is not a trend that continues over the next year(s)!), when I went in and we had a nice "cuddle" while the nurse changed her bedding. The cuddle needed to occur inside her isolette; however, for the Mama, it was sheer bliss to hold this beautiful life in my hands once again. After being settled, she showed great skill in sucking on her soother and eventually put herself to sleep.

So, we wait for the results of the spinal fluid cultures taken last night and hope that they come back negative... In the mean time, we can sleep soundly tonight knowing that today was a good day and the girls are all doing well. 

As for their Papa....he too is feeling better and will hopefully be back on the scene in days. He misses his girls and is very eager to lay eyes (and hands) and each of them again. 

Today's score? Girls 3 - Germs O

Until tomorrow.....

Jan

Thanks

I just wanted to throw up a quick post after Jan's to thank all of you who are following along here for your support, patience, understanding, and thoughts and prayers. I'm sorry that we do not have the time or energy in the moment to respond to each one, but please know that we are reviewing and absorbing them.


Cheers,
Jer

Melt-down number.....

What I learned this evening is that having a melt-down in front of the entire medical team of doctors and nurses, although quite embarrassing, can in fact be quite liberating....they want to give you more information so that you can understand what they are thinking and planning, in hopes, I'm sure at least in part, that you stop crying. This as opposed to pre-meltdown in which you feel completely in the dark and no one tells you anything.....


Ahhhh...


Should I start with the good news or bad news....well, news is all relative I guess, depending on who is reading it. Overall, I think I can say the girls all had a great day - Emily and Caitlyn were full of vim and vigor, kicking and sucking and squirming like they are meant to. Heather, although slow to start, also showed increased signs of energy kicking her blanket off numerous times and moving around increasingly into the afternoon hours. I left the hospital this afternoon feeling elevated and full of increased hope that we have seen the worst of this infection. 


On my nightly return to say goodnight and have one last look in on the girls I was met by one of the nurses asking - "oh, did anyone call you at home?".... Of course, my mind was racing, and no, we had not received a call to let us know that the girls are now on isolation - which means when we want to touch or hold them we need to put on a full length gown, a mask and gloves - not exactly very nurturing... All this because of the now confirmed suspicion that they have a viral infection. In addition, they all were subject to yet another poke in the back to take some fluid from their spine to test for yet more infections. All this to 3 little girls who really should not even be born yet.....who said the early bird gets the worm? These are rotten worms these girls are getting...


So, sadly, all of their vim and vigor was taken up with all of the pokes and prodding that occurred in the short time I was home for dinner. Tonight, all three are exhausted. Hopefully, we will gain greater insight tomorrow into exactly what has caused so much difficulty -- or at least once the results of the spinal cultures come back. 


What I know is that this is only a fraction of the worry that both Jeremy and I will have as we continue our venture into parenting four girls....we better brace ourselves for what is yet to come. 


good night - sleep well, I know I will. 


Jan

Two-weeks old....

April 26-2010 -- 22:00

Today marks the girls' 2-week milestone - if there is such a thing. It's been a long 2-weeks that have flown by. It seemed everything was going swimmingly - perhaps too much so and, with all of the changes recently, the past few days have seemed like weeks in themselves. 

Thank you to all for the encouraging blog comments, emails and phone-calls - truly these keep our spirits up and our hopes buoyed. We hold steadfast in the knowledge that these girls are strong and from the start were healthy - this bodes well for them now. This small family seems vulnerable right now but as many of you have offered, all of this will be behind us soon and the girls will be coming home. 

Today came with some ups and downs - - 

Emily had her breathing tube removed this morning and all-in-all has been doing very well. She is showing much more pluck today - letting the nurses know that she is not happy if they are poking around at her - great sign! We gazed at each other briefly while she was awake and held fingers - I'm not sure who was comforting whom but I think we both benefited in the end. She was also started back on milk today - a very small amount but at least it's a start.

Heather had a bit of a set-back again today. She was again experiencing some breathing difficulties and her oxygen levels were dipping to dangerous levels too frequently. She was put back on to "C-pap" but eventually needed to be bumped up to a higher level of breathing support called "Sipap". This seems to have stabilized her for now and she will continue to be observed for further problems. She is pretty tired and in need of rest.

Caitlyn continues to plod slowly forward again today showing more energy. She continues to gain some weight which, for me, is very encouraging. All of the girls continue on their antibiotics for now to fight off whatever bug they might have until further specialist tell us that it is not necessary.

Papa Jeremy continues to hold vigil from a distance at home - I think this is in part one of the most difficult parts of this for all of us. This too will pass and we will be able to venture together to support the girls and each other. 

Jennifer continues to delight us all with her antics and conversation. Her favourite expressions at the moment are..... "well actually...." and " just two minutes...ok?" - which inevitably leave us both in stitches. She and Jer went on a very cathartic bike ride tonight in the evening sun - and both returned somewhat renewed. She is eager for her baby sisters to come home - each day asking -- they sleep here tonight?

So...we go forward in faith and love waiting for what tomorrow has in store...

Jan
--

Day-by-day.....

Well, today is a new day and the girls are all showing signs of slow recovery. 

Caitlyn is in her element today despite having what seems to be all the signs of meningitis like her sisters. She was very active today making her way repeatedly down to the bottom of her isolette, to all of the nurses' amazement. She finally started to gain weight today -- Yay -- which may account for much of her increased energy today...

 Caitlyn having a snooze...

Emily held her own over night and during the day today. She will likely be extubated tomorrow however, the team is cautious for now as they do not want to have to put the breathing tube back in once it is removed. She too is showing some signs of greater energy however, she is still pretty pooped out. She has been taken off of any food by mouth for now, until she is a bit stronger - hopefully in the next couple of days she will get back on the milk that can help fight some of the bugs.

Emily - prior to her intubation.

Heather seems to be plodding along - she too had signs of more energy today, however,  is still very tired and restful. She gave me some beautiful smiles tonight and graced me by opening her eyes when I was visiting her. 

 Heather - getting her evening snack...

All in all, the girls are all doing as well as possible given the circumstances. We'll wait until tomorrow to get the results of their cultures to see exactly what kind of infection they have...if possible. 

For now, we will all collapse - exhausted but encouraged. 
Tomorrow is another day....


Jan
--

Stranger in a strange land

If you haven't already read Jan's Saturday post, please read it below. It's a bit beyond me now to repeat the details. Suffice to say that Jan has shouldered the worst of a tough, tough day today. She went in to see Emily intubated and transferred away from her siblings, back a critical care bed in the Level III (most acute) side of the nursery. We had obviously hoped none of the girls would ever have to experience intubation, but I guess you can resign yourself to it if you feel it is the right way to help them in the moment. I guess we just wish the need had never arisen, but that's crying over spilt milk at this point. Emily's transfer back to Level III is a reflection of the seriousness of her situation, as Jan reflects in her posting.

I spent most of my day in doctor's offices, radiologists office and pharmacies. Exactly what is wrong with me it is hard to say, but I've been put on antibiotics to address any possibility of ongoing bronchitis or pneumonia (I have to think that that last one is a pretty remote possibility). The NICU staff are more worried about the possibility of me having a tummy bug. Anyways, I rushed a CD with a picture of my chest x-ray on it back to the doctor's office only to learn that it crashed the GP's computer as soon as he put it in. He was not amused, to say the least, and wasn't able to read the x-ray. I guess I will wait to hear on Tuesday if there is anything troubling in the radiologist's report. 

Although I am feeling a bit better tonight, it is especially frustrating that I can't be there with the girls (and Jan), to at least talk to them and let them hear my voice, never mind hold them and comfort them. And what really aches is knowing that they are small, and sick and vulnerable, and there is nothing I can do to protect them. I don't think I've ever felt quite so useless. I've been saying, tritely, that these girls are going to have their ups and downs, but I perhaps naively assumed that we'd never slide this far, this fast.

This is tough.

Jer

The Roller Coaster

Grandpa Bill and I last left the girls last night and all was well - in fact, they had all been moved to the "lower" risk section of the ICU. We both left feeling good and confident in the strength of these three girls and the slow but steady progress they have made to date. 

What a difference a day makes....

Unfortunately, Emily had a significant set-back today - she was experiencing quite a few apneic (slow breathing) and bradycardic (slow heart rate) episodes today which were linked to her oxygen levels dropping to unsafe levels. Despite some solid efforts on the part of the doctor's, nurses and respiratory therapists to get her stabilized using the C-Pap machine (helps give air pressure to her lungs), they needed to resort to intubating her (putting a breathing tube into her lungs). Once they did this, she became very settled and her breathing problems resolved quickly. In addition to the breathing tube, they also took precautions with respect to infections. They have taken a number of blood samples and also some fluid from her spine to check for more serious infections. At this time the greatest risk is meningitis (an infection in the brain). We're hoping that this is not the case however, if it is, the doctor's feel that they caught this before it got really serious. So.... today has not been a terrific day to say the least. What gives us hope and fortitude is knowing that these girls are strong and have shown us that they have some pluck - I'm sure they get that from me! 

Because Emily and Heather have been mimicking each other's symptoms for days, the doctors have decided to go ahead and check Heather for any infections as well. She too will have the same blood work and spinal fluid check as Emily and both girls will be put on antibiotics. Emily has been started already on these and will likely remain on treatment for up to 3 weeks. Heather will be put on antibiotics as a precaution for now and then decisions as to how long she will remain on the medication will be determined once the blood cultures are back. That takes up to 48 hours so we're in for some nail-biting over the next days.

On a positive note...well, Caitlyn is showing signs of increased activity today and was more than eager to suck on her soother when given the opportunity. She definitely has her own issues to deal with - she is a bit slow to gain weight and I guess there is still the risk that she too might sucumb to similar ails as Emily and Heather. As a precaution, the medical team has decided to go ahead and investigate her (Caitlyn) as well for any infection. She was just getting her spine poke when Grandpa Bill and I left for the night tonight at 10pm.  For now, we look for the positives and take the set-backs in stride. These are all fairly common for pre-mature babies; however, when they are yours, it makes it all the more difficult to accept that in your heart. 

Anyway, after many tears and hugs, we all plod forward. Grandpa Bill and Grandma Pat will likely (reluctantly) make their way home tomorrow barring foul weather. In typical Calgary fashion we are experiencing a Spring snow storm. My friend Jen also left today after a week of helping us out which we were all very grateful for and have few words to express our appreciation. 

So...we sit and wait, hold vigil, pray, cry, and chat sweet nothings into the ears of these very sweet girls. I left the hospital this evening at 6 pm feeling very helpless however, returned home to a very vibrant and energy-filled 2 year old. Jennifer is a bright light in the storm. She is full of love and cuddles and is so good for our soul(s). Looking at her makes me realise that we have to have faith as I recall just 2 years ago we were feeling equally vulnerable and helpless as we watched Jennifer struggle through her pre-mature trials. 

Thank you to all again for your your support and well-wishes - we are truly blessed and feel thankful for all that we have in family, friends and love.

- Jan

Friday Eve

(Heather with an unfortunate haircut, but seeking out her Papa's voice with inquisitive eyes)

Our friend Jen Robertson has been visiting and providing us with a ton of support this week, which has been fantastic. It is great to not only be able to visit with her, but have her basically do everything around here. Okay, I'm exaggerating... a bit. She has really taken on so much and it has made a big difference in being able to get us out to the hospital to spend time with the babes.


In addition, my work colleagues have plied me with a couple of absolutely delicious meals, which has, again, made getting Jennifer to bed and getting to the hospital at a reasonable time possible. Even then, the days have been long.

(Emily aglow from her oxygen saturation sensor)

A shortage of rest (and perhaps accumulated exhaustion) have not been gentle on us. I have unfortunately being showing all the signs of coming down with some kind of stomach bug. It feels like it might be a mild flu, because I'm also getting a bit of chest congestion. The long and short of it has been that I have not really been able to visit the girls in the hospital for the last few nights. Given the vulnerability of all the kids in the NICU to infection, it would be irresponsible to risk taking anything (or anybody) infectious in there. Besides, the nurses in there would kick your ass. I have to console myself with reports from my wife and, by phone, from the NICU nurses, and focus on getting some rest and putting this bug (if it is a bug) behind me. It's a true curse for a father so eager to be with his new daughters.

:(

(An earlier picture of Heather, with that uncomfortable looking scalp IV)

All of which to say that the following brief update is second-hand news. Heather went on CPAP briefly, but came off of it (was it yesterday, today?) and seems to be doing well. Emily has had a couple of spells that make me wonder whether or not she may be going back on CPAP as well, but that's just speculation on my part. The nurses attending to all of the girls feel that they are a bit on the low energy / lethargic side at the moment; however, it seems that all blood tests have come back negative and there is no sign of infection. The medical staff have stopped worrying about it so much, but are keeping a close eye on things. My father-in-law, Bill (the retired pediatrician) feels that this is probably just a phase they are going through. In my mind, that kind of makes sense, given that they have had a fairly exhausting week, for 30 week, 3.5 pound baby girls, what with all the needle pokes (exhausting crying), changes, probes, exams, etc.


Janet is off visiting the girls tonight, so I hope to have more to report (and a few more pictures) in the next day or so.


The number one question I am getting asked these days is: can you tell them apart? Well, they are young babies and all bear a striking resemblance to each other at this stage, but we are fairly confident that none of them are identical. Heather seems to have darker hair (and, at the moment, a funky haircut because of two intravenous lines they had to put on opposite sides of her head) than Emily and Heather. Emily and Heather look quite a bit alike in my book, at the moment, but I'm sure that, with time, we'll begin to observe some differences. In the meantime, the nurses suggest that we paint their toe-nails with different colour polish when the come home, just in case!

Updates are us

So, you've been missing the daily update calls on Heather, Emily and Caitlyn? Here is your opportunity to read all about it. We'll do our best to put up a daily wrap of the latest news on how our three baby girls are faring as they weather their first days bravely in this new world.

In case you missed the news, let's rewind a bit. At ~4:00am on Tuesday, April 13th 2010, Janet gave birth to three little angels. They came early, at 30 weeks, but from the get-go they showed true Fraser pluck (actually, one could equally say that their fighting spirit is due to their obstinate Carr genes, but I digress...). They were all a hair shy of being 3 and a half pounds, which is a pretty good weight considering they were triplets and were born so early:

in fact, they were in the 90th percentile for weight at their gestational age (nice parental boasting, eh?). There is no question that Mom did a fantastic job of hosting these lovely babies!

The girls' names are:
Caitlyn Laura Carr Fraser,

Emily Edith Carr Fraser and Heather Elizabeth

Carr Fraser. The middle names of Laura, Edith and Elizabeth originated from my Great-

Grandmother - Edith and her two sisters whom all lived to healthy ages. We thought it was fitting to bestow such auspicious names on our three new girls, and to let them know a little bit about from whence they come!

The girls have been in the Foothills Neonatal Intensive Care Unit since they were born, getting top grade care around the clock from teams of highly qualified neonatologists, nurses, respiratory therapists and other medical professionals. We have been touched by their dedication and concern for the wellbeing of the girls, and their kind and considerate manner in the way they relate to us. Needless to say, the girls are faring quite well, although there is no question that they are challenged with some of the common complications of prematurity faced by many children of their gestational age. They will have their ups and their downs but, overall, there is considerable progress all around.

,

The latest setbacks are concern about the possibility of infection with Caitlyn and Heather going back onto CPAP (moderate respiratory assistance). Caitlyn and/or Emily may go back onto CPAP at some point. They are all getting caffeine to help them deal with spells of bradycardias (temporarily slowed heartrate) and apneas (temporary cessation of breathing). These spells sound dreadful, but are relatively common in children whose central nervous systems are not yet fully developed, as is the case with many premature babies. All things considered, Mama and Papa are coping well the asystoles they are experiencing when the girls have bradycardias and apneas! All babies have enjoyed nice cuddles with Mama and Grandpa Bill, the latter of whom (obviously!) has come to visit them.

Mama came home from the hospital over the last weekend and is tired, but feeling well, and is happy with the girls' progress, not to mention the opportunity to be with her eldest.

Speaking of which, "big sister" Jennifer is thrilled with the arrival of her three little sisters, but she has not yet met them. When we asked her whether she would like to go to the hospital this weekend and meet her sisters, Jennifer positively vibrated with excitement, and said "YES!" most emphatically!

Anyways, thank you to everybody for your thoughts and congratulations. Your support means so much to us and if we haven't taken the time (yet) to thank you in person, please accept this temporary, stand-in, group thanks for everything!!!

Cheers,
Jeremy