Aiden & Jackson: Day 22: Hungry Boys

We've had people tell us that they could never do what we are doing. Our response, "we don't know any different." To us, this is normal child birth, nursing, and caring for our babies. Sounds weird, right? This truly is all we know, although we realize it is far from normal.

Today was a better day for both boys, and was another special day for mom. Aiden's CO2 levels have improved, although he received another blood transfusion today. He also had 3 bowel movements on HIS OWN today! Awesome! He passed his mecronium plug the other day, and we have a feeling it was preventing him from going, and the reason for giving back some of his feeds. I have a picture of the mecronium plug in the diaper, and I will try to post it here. Aiden's food also increased today and will continue to increase every 12 hours. He will be up to 4mls tonight! Aiden gained 30 grams today.

Jackson has improved considerably from yesterday, being on 80% O2 on the oscillating vent to being on "room air" which is 21% O2. We are hoping that he only spends another couple of days on the oscillator, and goes back to the conventional vent. The upper part of his left lung is still reopening, according to the chest x-rays. The results from Monday's echos were the same as before: Jackson's PDA is closed, and Aiden still has a tiny one. They will continue to be monitored. Jackson's weight did not change today, but his feeds are up to 12mls! He will hang out at 12mls for a bit to see how he handles them. They are also adding fortifier to his feeds to increase his calories. Guess how many calories it adds? 2! That's right, I said 2. Apparently it makes a difference. Both boys look bigger and more healthy than when they were born.

Mom got to kiss Jackson today! She was so thrilled, and I'm sure Jackson was too.

Pictures below.