They introduced milk to the Twinners over the weekend. Deacon seemed to digest it pretty well, however Avigail was having some issues. Her stomach was really swollen so they sucked everything out of her tummy (using a syringe attached to the feeding tube), including the air. They are going to keep her on the sugar water/vitamins for now, given through her PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter - intravenous access). They will try feeding her my milk again in a couple of days.
They have both had RDS (respiratory distress syndrome) In RDS, their immature lungs don't produce enough surfactant. Surfactant allows the inner surface of the lungs to expand properly when when they make the change from womb to breathing air after birth. They were both given artificial surfactant at birth.
On Friday, we were able to be "hands-on" with Avigail and Deacon. This involves taking their temperatures, diaper change, weighing and changing out their bedding. They each have set care times, so we try to make sure we're there for them. Otherwise, we feel pretty helpless as there's not much else we can do right now other than admire them.
We're hoping in the next week or two, we can get them out of their incubators and start "kangaroo care" (holding skin-to-skin).
Everyone at Swedish has been amazing. It is comforting to know that they are in such good care.
Avigail
Avigail already does the "Johnson thumb hold"
Deacon resting
