Madison and Kaitlyn hit the 4 week marker today (would have been the 28 week gestational milestone).
Madison had surgery around 1:30pm this afternoon, and a clamp was used to close her PDA valve. Her blood pressure dropped a bit low during recovery, so they are treating that with medication. She has a chest tube in which will help handle drainage, and it should be able to come out in a couple days. Mom and Dad were both at Mott during the surgery. Dad will stay in Ann Arbor, and Mom will return to Lansing tonight to check in on Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn had a bit of a rough night last night with some 'dsat' and heart rate issues. After a blood transfusion (she and Madison both get these periodically), her levels stabilized. They did determine that there is an infection in her PIC line and were again concerned about infection elsewhere. They performed a lumbar puncture (aka: spinal tap) on her this afternoon. Initial results do not show anything concerning with the white blood cells, but they won't have final results for a few days. A heart echo was also performed on Kaitlyn, and this revealed that her PDA valve has now also re-opened. She only had one round of the medication (Indicin) to close hers after birth, but the doctors are still debating how best to approach this for Kaitlyn. With the existing infection (for which she is being treated with antibiotics), she is not a candidate for the surgical procedure at this time.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Madison's turn for the ambulance ride
Tests today revealed that Madison's PDA valve has re-opened. Rather than treating her with medication for a 3rd round (which affects kidney functioning), doctors have decided to surgically close the valve. Madison was transported to Mott this evening and will undergo surgery on Friday. If all goes well, she will spend a few days at Mott and then be returned to Sparrow. Please keep Madison in your prayers, as well as Mom and Dad.
Kaitlyn latest photos
Kaitlyn while she was at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Kaitlyn (Baby "B") after her return to Sparrow - she's being kept in an isolation room for a number of days before moving back into a room with others.
Diaper changes by Mom and Dad
While Kaitlyn was in Ann Arbor, Daddy got to change two of her diapers. No pics from this, but there will surely be more opportunities in the future.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sisters under the same roof again!
Good news - Kaitlyn was transported back to Sparrow Hospital this morning! She had been doing well over the last couple of days with the breast milk feedings, so the decision was made to go ahead and return her to Sparrow. They continue to watch her belly, but there no longer seems to be a concern about NEC. Kaitlyn's levels dropped a bit once she reached Sparrow, but they adjusted settings and stabilized her. She will be kept in an isolation room for a period of time until they are confident that no germs were transported back with her, but Mom and Dad will be able to visit her wearing gowns and gloves (until she is moved from isolation). The spot next to Madison is still occupied, but the NICU staff indicated they would try to free up a spot so that Kaitlyn can eventually move into the same room with Madison. Latest report on Kaitlyn's weight was 1 lb. 9 oz.
Madison also got some good news today (in addition to her sister returning) - she has been taken off the oscillating ventilator and put back on a regular one. This means she will be able to resume breast milk feedings. Since she had been given medication to help close her PDA valve, Madison had some slow down of her kidney functioning and apparently has been retaining some fluid. Latest report on her weight was 2 lb. 1 oz., but this is expected to drop some more as the diretic medication helps move fluid through her.
Mommy and Daddy are finally back together and able to visit both of their girls under one roof.
Madison also got some good news today (in addition to her sister returning) - she has been taken off the oscillating ventilator and put back on a regular one. This means she will be able to resume breast milk feedings. Since she had been given medication to help close her PDA valve, Madison had some slow down of her kidney functioning and apparently has been retaining some fluid. Latest report on her weight was 2 lb. 1 oz., but this is expected to drop some more as the diretic medication helps move fluid through her.
Mommy and Daddy are finally back together and able to visit both of their girls under one roof.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Kaitlyn's return temporarily on hold
Kaitlyn was not moved back to Sparrow on Monday, as was hoped. On Sunday, she needed to get another dose of blood pressure medication and also restart an antibiotic. On the positive side, they were able to re-start her feedings Monday. If she proves able to handle the feedings and can stay stabilized throughout the week, there is a possibility she might be transported back to Sparrow by the weekend. Mommy made a trip to visit Kaitlyn on Sunday, and Daddy remains in Ann Arbor with her.
Madison had a heart echo on Monday morning, and it revealed that her PDA valve is now closed. The medication to close the valve did have some impact on Madison's kidneys, but their functioning is starting to show improvement. Please continue to pray that these valves remain closed on both girls. Madison was put on an oscillating ventilator Sunday night, and chest x-rays Tuesday showed some improvement. She also experienced a drop in blood pressure and was put on the same medication as her sister - hopefully just short-term. In the process of running some tests to check for any infection, a "bug" was found in Madison's PIC line. She was started on an antibiotic to treat it, and she will get further monitoring in follow up days. A new tenant has moved into the isolette next to Madison since Kaitlyn did not return on Monday, but hopefully it will open up again so the sisters can eventually be side-by-side. Mommy reported that Madison looked like she was feeling better on Tuesday and was very alert.
Madison had a heart echo on Monday morning, and it revealed that her PDA valve is now closed. The medication to close the valve did have some impact on Madison's kidneys, but their functioning is starting to show improvement. Please continue to pray that these valves remain closed on both girls. Madison was put on an oscillating ventilator Sunday night, and chest x-rays Tuesday showed some improvement. She also experienced a drop in blood pressure and was put on the same medication as her sister - hopefully just short-term. In the process of running some tests to check for any infection, a "bug" was found in Madison's PIC line. She was started on an antibiotic to treat it, and she will get further monitoring in follow up days. A new tenant has moved into the isolette next to Madison since Kaitlyn did not return on Monday, but hopefully it will open up again so the sisters can eventually be side-by-side. Mommy reported that Madison looked like she was feeling better on Tuesday and was very alert.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Sisters hopefully to soon be re-united
Madison awaits the return of her sister to Sparrow
The isolette next to Madison has a yellow sticky note on it that says the space is being held for Rowley baby B. Kaitlyn (baby B) is still in Ann Arbor. She has been fairly stable, and she was started on breast milk feedings Saturday. Her blood pressure was a little low on Sunday, so the feedings were suspended while they started her back on blood pressure medication. Everyone is praying that she will remain stable enough to go ahead and be transported back to Sparrow on Monday. Mommy returned to Lansing on Friday, and Daddy has been staying in Ann Arbor since then.
Madison continues to be fairly stable, but a heart echo revealed that her PDA valve did re-open. She was started on another dose of medication to help close the valve, and they will re-check it on Monday afternoon. Madison is now up to 1 lb 11 oz.
Friday, May 16, 2008
2 weeks old on May 16
Kaitlin and Madison turn two weeks old on their daddy's birthday! Also on this date their birth announcement finally appeared in the Lansing State Journal.
Madison is doing well and has hit the 1 lb. 10 oz. marker for her weight. Earlier in the week, the doctors thought her PDA valve may have re-opened, but after further examination, they believe it is closed. Her head ultrasound this week did reveal that she had a a grade 1 interventricular hemorrhage (bleeding near the ventricles of the brain). This is quite common in premature babies and many times will clear up with minimal to no complications at all (like a bruise that reabsorbs into the body). The doctors are really not too worried about it but will do a follow up head ultrasound when she is 30 days old.
Kaitlyn is still at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. It has been a hectic few days for Mom and Dad. Dad spent the night in Ann Arbor Monday and Tuesday nights at the Ronald McDonald house. Mom came down to Ann Arbor Tuesday so Dad could return to Lansing for work, and she is spending Wednesday and Thursday nights there. A surgeon examined Kaitlyn after she arrived on Monday and was not 100% certain that it was the NEC condition, but they would keep her, watch her closely, and run tests. Some of the levels the doctors were initially concerned about started to show improvement. She had a rough day on Wednesday with various levels "all over the place," and her blood pressure dropped quite low. They ran a full work-up on Kaitlyn, including a lumbar pucture (aka: spinal tap), to look for any sort of infection. They also did a heart echo which confirmed that her PDA valve was closed (some good news in all the comotion). By Wednesday evening, her levels started stabilizing, and she finally started to look comfortable. She had a good night Wednesday with no major episodes, and Thursday was a fairly stable day while the nurses tweaked medication to stabilize her blood pressure. Kaitlyn is just a few grams shy of 1 lb 8 oz. As of Thursday afternoon, the test cultures were still negative, so please continue to pray that the results of these tests do not change. Mom and Dad will be inquiring with the the doctors tomorrow on the continued plan for Kaitlyn and any projection for a return date to Sparrow.
Madison is doing well and has hit the 1 lb. 10 oz. marker for her weight. Earlier in the week, the doctors thought her PDA valve may have re-opened, but after further examination, they believe it is closed. Her head ultrasound this week did reveal that she had a a grade 1 interventricular hemorrhage (bleeding near the ventricles of the brain). This is quite common in premature babies and many times will clear up with minimal to no complications at all (like a bruise that reabsorbs into the body). The doctors are really not too worried about it but will do a follow up head ultrasound when she is 30 days old.
Kaitlyn is still at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. It has been a hectic few days for Mom and Dad. Dad spent the night in Ann Arbor Monday and Tuesday nights at the Ronald McDonald house. Mom came down to Ann Arbor Tuesday so Dad could return to Lansing for work, and she is spending Wednesday and Thursday nights there. A surgeon examined Kaitlyn after she arrived on Monday and was not 100% certain that it was the NEC condition, but they would keep her, watch her closely, and run tests. Some of the levels the doctors were initially concerned about started to show improvement. She had a rough day on Wednesday with various levels "all over the place," and her blood pressure dropped quite low. They ran a full work-up on Kaitlyn, including a lumbar pucture (aka: spinal tap), to look for any sort of infection. They also did a heart echo which confirmed that her PDA valve was closed (some good news in all the comotion). By Wednesday evening, her levels started stabilizing, and she finally started to look comfortable. She had a good night Wednesday with no major episodes, and Thursday was a fairly stable day while the nurses tweaked medication to stabilize her blood pressure. Kaitlyn is just a few grams shy of 1 lb 8 oz. As of Thursday afternoon, the test cultures were still negative, so please continue to pray that the results of these tests do not change. Mom and Dad will be inquiring with the the doctors tomorrow on the continued plan for Kaitlyn and any projection for a return date to Sparrow.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Kaitlyn moves to Mott Children's Hospital
Kaitlyn had been giving the doctors and nurses a little trouble the last few days getting some of her levels stabilized. Her tummy has been a little distended - the nurses describe it as "loopy." The doctors were concerned about it being a condition called NEC ("neck")...it stands for Necrotizing Enterocolitis - a serious inflamatory bowel disease, most common in pre-term babies. After some lab results came back and did not show improvement, Kaitlyn's doctor decided they needed to transport her down to Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. This condition could clear up itself, or there are other things that could come from it. One thing could be surgery, and that is why they wanted to proactively move her to a facility that has neonatal surgeons. Sparrow has the Regional NICU, but they don't have neonatal surgeons since some changes last year.
Before Kaitlyn was transported to Ann Arbor, the hospital chaplain came up and baptized both girls, with Mom and Dad present.
The ambulance transport was scheduled to take place about 5:00pm. Kaitlyn had a team of two EMTs, a resident neonatal doctor, a neonatal nurse, and a respiratory therapist accompany her. Daddy decided he would drive down to Ann Arbor to be there when the ambulance arrived (about an hour drive). A hospital social worker arranged to have a room reserved for Mom and Dad at the Ronald McDonald house (across from the hospital) for the duration of Kaitlyn's stay. Kaitlyn arrived at Mott around 7:00pm. Daddy reported that she was settled into her new temporary home and looked like she was resting nicely. He decided to spend the night at the hospital, and Mommy stayed in Lansing with Madison but will go down to visit Kaitlyn tomorrow morning. Kaitlyn's stay could be as minimal as a couple weeks, but it could also be longer. Then she will be transported back to Sparrow.
Before Kaitlyn was transported to Ann Arbor, the hospital chaplain came up and baptized both girls, with Mom and Dad present.
The ambulance transport was scheduled to take place about 5:00pm. Kaitlyn had a team of two EMTs, a resident neonatal doctor, a neonatal nurse, and a respiratory therapist accompany her. Daddy decided he would drive down to Ann Arbor to be there when the ambulance arrived (about an hour drive). A hospital social worker arranged to have a room reserved for Mom and Dad at the Ronald McDonald house (across from the hospital) for the duration of Kaitlyn's stay. Kaitlyn arrived at Mott around 7:00pm. Daddy reported that she was settled into her new temporary home and looked like she was resting nicely. He decided to spend the night at the hospital, and Mommy stayed in Lansing with Madison but will go down to visit Kaitlyn tomorrow morning. Kaitlyn's stay could be as minimal as a couple weeks, but it could also be longer. Then she will be transported back to Sparrow.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
First Mother's Day
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tiny but perfect
The girls are very small, but they are beautiful and look perfect.
Kaitlyn - morning of May 3
Madison - morning of May 3
Madison under the billy lights on May 4
Kaitlyn under the billy lights
Kaitlyn - morning of May 3
Madison - morning of May 3
Madison under the billy lights on May 4
Kaitlyn under the billy lights
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Baby girls arrive early
Keri's pregnancy with Madison and Kaitlyn was a very rare and special type of identical twin pregnancy called Monoamniotic Monochorionic (aka: Mo-Mo or Mono-Mono). With identical twins, normally an amniotic membrane is present that separates the twins. In Mo-Mo twins, this membrane is not present.
Keri's original due date was August 22, 2008. Her doctor planned to take the girls early by c-section on July 2 (approx. 32 weeks).
To everone's surprise, the girls had other plans. At Keri's doctor's appointment on the morning of May 2, Dr. Roth identified symptoms of cord compression and decided an emergency c-section was necessary.
At 10:51am, Madison Elizabeth and Kaitlyn Anne entered the world at the very early age of 24 weeks. Madison weighed in at a hefty 1 lb. 8 oz., and Kaitlyn was close behind at 1 lb. 7 oz. Both girls were 12 inches long.
Madison Elizabeth
Kaitlyn Anne
Keri's original due date was August 22, 2008. Her doctor planned to take the girls early by c-section on July 2 (approx. 32 weeks).
To everone's surprise, the girls had other plans. At Keri's doctor's appointment on the morning of May 2, Dr. Roth identified symptoms of cord compression and decided an emergency c-section was necessary.
At 10:51am, Madison Elizabeth and Kaitlyn Anne entered the world at the very early age of 24 weeks. Madison weighed in at a hefty 1 lb. 8 oz., and Kaitlyn was close behind at 1 lb. 7 oz. Both girls were 12 inches long.
Madison Elizabeth
Kaitlyn Anne
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