Tuesday, February 12, 2013

3 weeks and we've come so far!

Both girls are growing at a great rate!  Today Kathryn weighs 5lb 3oz, and Anna weighs 2lbs 10oz.  They have both come a long way in the past 3 weeks, as today marks the day they are 3 weeks old.  Anna looks tiny in her outfit, but I promise she is growing!  :)




Kathryn is starting to eat more regularly from bottles, which is a sign she is developing.  Sam likes to appoint himself as the "best bottle feeder ever!"  He says he has the magic touch!  However, today Kathryn took bottles from Sam as well as me, so I guess we are both bottle champs today!  :)  Kathryn sometimes nurses, but that is more challenging for her at this stage in development.  But each days it seems, she continues to get stronger.

Proud Papa

Dad the Bottle Feeding Champ

Anna is growing a lot, and her body is starting to fill out with a little fat.  She is getting a little fat in her cheeks and she is starting to look a little more like her sister.

Anna is a carrier for the bacteria MRSA.  MRSA effects 30 to 40% of the current population, but most people do not know they carry the bacteria.  It is spread through human contact.  In order to protect the other babies in the NICU from contracting MRSA, we have to wear gowns and gloves when we visit Anna.  She is in isolation.  However, we have been cleared to continue Kangaroo care 2 times a day, so she continues to get the same amount of human contact on a daily basis.  MRSA is a concern for the hospitals because they do not want to spread it to the other patients.  Anna, at this point in time is only a carrier, so it does not have an effect on her. 




At this point of our care in the NICU, we continue to monitor how much the girls are eating and the progress of their weight gain.  Once Anna is big enough, they will change her out of her isolette bed and into a crib like her sister.

The biggest obstacle for both girls at this point in time is learning how to eat.  They will be 36 weeks gestational age on Wednesday, so it is still early in the developmental stage for them to be able to eat independently.

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