Days 8-10 in the NICU

These have been eventful days!! Well as eventful as "baby steps" can be. Ruby started doing FULL nursings which means she doesn't need additional supplements after I nurse her. She has been on Stage 1 nursing which is twice in a 24 hour period and Thursday was moved to Stage 2 which is 4 nursings in a 24 hour period. This is very exciting, but also makes for crazy days going to the hospital for a morning feeding and an afternoon and nighttime feeding-then I usually have them give her a bottle so I don't have to make a 2 a.m. trip, which she is also taking. She also was able to have her nasal cannula out since she is breathing room air on her own without ANY additional oxygen.

(The tube shown is her feeding tube for the other times of day that she eats)

Miss Maggie has been about 2 days behind Ruby and has been doing Stage 1 feedings until this morning when she was moved to Stage 2. She also went off the additional oxygen assistance this morning at 2 a.m. and hasn't had to have any help since then. She is also just on room air and doing great. Then tonight she ripped out her feeding tube--she is pretty fiesty :)--and they decided to try a modified Stage 3 and still keep her on the 3 hr feeding schedule but solely from nursing and bottles of breast milk, as long as she does ok and it doesn't wear her out too much. Otherwise the tube has to be put back in and she'll be supplemented that way. So we'll see tomorrow how the middle of tonight goes. I still need to get a pic of her without her tubes but didn't have my camera tonight, so I'll get it tomorrow. The nurses told me that they are definitely getting close to coming home and it could be as soon as the first of next week, possibly Monday? We don't want to get hopes up too much because we know anything can happen and they could have a set back, but it definitely seems like they are getting close. We are maintaining body temperature, breathing with no assistance, gaining weight, and now starting full feedings . As soon as nursing and bottles are the sole source of their eating and they are waking up to demand a feeding (for 24-48 hours), they can come home. YAY!!! We are getting close.

Maggie's first hospital outfit and snuggles with Daddy