Brock Update

Brock didn't have the best of days. He has got a distended abdomen, which means he has alot of air and gas built up in his tummy. At this point they have ruled out an infection, but just to be safe they started him on antibiotics. They have an IV in his arm and his head, which he is receiving fluids in, because he is not getting his feeds at this point. He also has an Anderson Tube that goes through his mouth down into his tummy. This suctions air out of his tummy. They will take another xray tonight to make sure nothing has changed. Once the xray comes back normal, he can start on his feeds again. The poor little guy had a restless afternoon. I am pretty sure it was from being hungry. He hasn't had anything to eat since Tuesday morning. One good thing for him was that he was on room air only for most of the morning. The nurse had to turn his oxygen back on this afternoon though. That is improvement. We will take anything we can get. Aiden and Collin had good days today. I got to hold each of them for about an hour each. They were so comfy and cozy in my arms. I love to hold them and can't wait until it can be more than once a day for longer than an hour.

Video of Collin

Video of Brock

Brock's Not So Good Day

I spent most of my day at the hospital with the boys today. Aiden continues to do well. Last night he weighed in at 2 lbs. 14 oz. He is now getting 24 mL every 3 hours for his feeding. He is doing really good and is always so content.

Brock didn't have the best of days. When I got there this morning they had done an X-ray on his belly. When they measured it this morning his belly was hard and it measured about a 1/2 cm more than normal. Then this afternoon, it was still the same and when they checked his residual out of his feeding tube, there was some bile and a little blood. So the doctor order another X-ray and some blood work. She said sometimes between 2 and 3 weeks babies this little can get a gut infection called NEC. If Brock has that, he will have to have a 7 day round of antibiotics, and his feedings will stop during that time. So to rule out NEC they put in an IV to pump the fluids in and they put what they call an Anderson tube down his mouth and it helps get the gas and air out of his belly. After they got the IV in the nurse said he had a big bowel movement and alot of the gas has gone out of his belly. They will do another X-ray tonight and more bloodwork in the morning to check on things, but hopefully it is nothing but a lot of gas. Last night he weighed in at 2 lbs. 6 1/3 oz. so we don't want to stop feeding him because he is on the up hill climb.

Collin is still on the canule today. He is hardly getting any help from it, so hopefully tomorrow he can get rid of that. Last night he weighed in at 2 lbs. 10 2/3 oz. He is getting 23 mL per feed every 3 hours, so that is helping him in the weight gain. They are doing really well. I got to hold all of them today, so it was a pretty good day.

As long as Brock doesn't have an infection, we will be doing good. I don't need any set backs at this point. The longer I am away from home the more yard reconstruction Matt does. He called me last night and he was using the 4 wheeler to pull out some bushed in our front yard that he didn't like and that had a little dead in them. According to Paige, he pulled out a lot. I don't think I want to know what my front yard looks like. At least he went to the store to buy some plants tonight to replace what he had done.

This is a pretty cute shot of Collin. He always has the cutest little expressions and I was finally able to capture a smile. (Paige and Kayla - Collin misses you)

Looking Good

The boys are all doing so well. Last night (Sunday) I went in to see the boys with Matt's parents and Curt and Lisa came to visit as well (brother and sister-in-law). Matt's mom and I were able to hold all of the boys. We had Aiden and Collin out at the same time and they had their first picture taken together. I was wishing to get all three together, but that isn't possible yet. They have so many tubes and chords that they are hooked up to, so we can't get them next to each other. Soon though (I hope).

Today there were a few changes, but nothing bad. Aiden hasn't changed any. He still has the murmur but it is alot quieter today. That is a good sign. Brock was on the lights again today. They tested his levels this morning and he was at a 6. That is a lot higher than he has been. So he was on three different lights all at the same time. He was laying on a light blanket and then he had two other lights shining on him. Collin was back on the canula today. Last night he had gone down on his oxygen levels several times and he wasn't coming back up. They like them to be between 85 and 95 and he kept falling down to the low 80's, so they hooked him back up. Hopefully he will only be on it for a day or two. They are also doing well on the weight gains. Every Sunday night they also measure their heads and length. So below I put all of the new stats.

Thanks to everyone for all their wonderful support and comments. I just can't thank you enough for all of the support we are getting. We would never survive without all of our friends and family. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aiden

Thursday (24th) - 2 lbs. 12 oz.

Friday (25th) - 2 lb. 12 oz.

Sunday (27th) - 2 lb. 13 oz., Head - 10 1/2", Length - 15 3/4"

Brock

Thursday (24th) - 2 lb. 5 oz.

Friday (25th) - 2 lb. 4 oz.

Sunday (27th) - 2 lb. 5 oz., Head - 10 1/4", Length - 14 1/2"

Collin

Thursday (24th) - 2 lb. 8 oz.

Friday (25th) - 2 lb. 7 oz.

Sunday (27th) - 2 lb. 10 oz., Head - 10 1/4", Length - 15"

Aiden (left) and Collin (right) in their first picture together.

I think this is the cutest pose of Brock.

Wish I Were Home

Yesterday my dad came down to Utah to see his grandkids and to taxi Matt and the girls home. They had been away from home for over a month and were very anxious to get home. They called me when they got home last night and they were so excited. I am extremely jealous that they are at home in Idaho and that I am sweltering hot in Utah. Matt will get to play Mr. Mom this week and then they will be back for the weekend. They will be doing a lot of back and forth for awhile, but it will soon be over.

The little boys are doing really well. Aiden came off of the canule on Thursday. So him and Collin are breathing on their own. Brock hopefully isn't to far behind. They are all gaining weight. I am glad they aren't losing any more. Yesterday they all got new isolettes. They change them out every two weeks, so they were due. Aiden is the only one that got a different isolette. He doesn't have to be on the humidity any longer because his weight is high enough. Aiden's murmur is still there. Yesterday they said it was a little louder, but they were thinking it was louder because it is possibly starting to close. They also heard a little murmur on Brock yesterday. They aren't worried about it though and they aren't going to treat it because he is doing so well. Each day is a step towards going home. We are patiently counting the days and they just aren't passing fast enough. I need to be more patient, but after two months from being away from home, I can't hardly wait to head North.

I promised the girls I would try to post daily so they can see the pictures of their brothers. They are so very cute with them. The boys are very lucky to have such sweet older sisters. They are so cute and careful around them. Kayla is so cute to watch when she touches them. She is so gentle and she touches them with just one little finger. How precious all 5 of my children are. I am so lucky to be a mom. What better job in life.

Aiden - Notice the binky. It is a regular size binky, but since his head is so small, it looks gigantic.









Brock - Matt got to hold him and he looks so small in Matt's hands.





Collin - still the favorite brother. I am hoping they will soon decide they are all their favorites.

Good Ole' Boys

Sorry it has been so long since I put an update on. Life is just kind of hectic with all that is going on. With daily trips to and from the hospital and taking care of the girls, time goes by really fast.

The boys are all doing pretty well. All three boys got their PIC lines out this week. Tuesday Brock and Collin got theirs out and Aiden got his out on Wednesday. Also on Tuesday, Collin was taken totally off of his canule, which means that he is breathing completely on his own, without any help. He has been doing really well without it. The nurse had to put the oxygen back on for a couple of hours on Tuesday night, but since then he has been without. Aiden has been doing pretty well. He has had a few days where he drops on his O2 levels quite a bit and then he recovers on his own. He is really starting to look like a real baby. Although he is still very small, he has really good features. Brock is also doing really well. He was on the lights for a few days, but he is off of them now. He has been dropping a little weight, but is starting to gain again. Here is an update on all of their weights.


Aiden
Sunday 2 lbs. 10 1/2 oz.
Monday 2 lbs. 12 oz.
Tuesday 2 1bs. 13 oz.
Wednesday 2 lbs. 11 oz.




Brock
Sunday 2 lbs. 4 oz.
Monday 2 lbs. 3 oz.
Tuesday 2 lbs. 3 oz.
Wednesday 2 lbs. 1 1/2 oz.



Collin
Sunday 2 lbs. 8 oz.
Monday 2 lbs. 7 1/2 oz.
Tuesday 2 lbs. 8 oz.
Wednesday 2 lbs. 7 oz.

On Wednesday night, we took the girls to the Bountiful city parade. They always do their parade the day before the 24th. They had a really fun time catching lots of candy. Then we had a BBQ with all of Matt's family. Afterwards, we watched the fireworks from Matt's Mom and Dad's backyard. The girls absolutely loved them. They missed out on the 4th, so this was fun for them.


Thursday morning for the 24th, I took the girls up to Kaysville to my sister-in-laws. Her neighborhood had a kid parade. Paige got to drive one of those Barbie jeeps with Josh (her cousin) and Kayla rode in a wagon with some neighbor kids. Then they had a bunch of fun little carnival games for them. They had a really fun time. They are going home with Matt on Saturday, and they are really excited. They have been away from home for over 20 days, and they are homesick. They are wishing I could go with them, but I have to stay and be with the boys. This will all be over soon, then our family can all return to Rexburg and start this next adventure of our lives.

Too many Hospitals

Well our weekend didn't get off to the best start. Saturday morning Paige was crying uncontrollably for about 2 hours. She was complaining of pain in her abdomen. So after two hours, I decided we better take her to the doctor to see what was wrong. We started at an Urgent Care, but they said in case it was her appendix we better just go to the Emergency Room. So off we went. Once we got admitted and waited, she suddenly started feeling better. (of course) We found out there really was something wrong with her. She had a urinary tract infection. So we got her some meds and took her back to Grandma Nielsons.

Then we made the trek in to see the boys. They are doing so good. They are all still on the canules. They are down on almost the lowest level of that. They alternate being on the bellirubin lights and all of them have gotten increased feedings. When we were there this afternoon Aiden was getting 11mL every 3 hours, Brock 13 mL every 3 hours and Collin 13 mL every 3 hours. Aiden was spitting up quite a bit right before we left (reflux) so they were going to try and switch his feedings over to the pump. That will slowly drip his feedings in over a 30 minute period of time. Hopefully that will help the little guy.

One of the fun parts while being there when we visit is helping with their cares. They do cares every 3 hours. It consists of taking their temperatures, changing diapers, they get all their measurments taken, heartbeats listened to and their feedings. The only parts Matt and I get to do are the temperatures and the diaper changes. It is quite the experience changing the diapers. It feels like you might break the little guys when you lift them up. It is a fun way to get to participate, so we always try to make our visits around the care times.

They are slowly gaining weight. On Friday night Aiden weighed 2 lbs. 10 oz. and last night he weighed 2 lbs. 8 1/2 oz. Friday night Brock weighed 2 lbs. 1 1/2 oz. and he still weighed the same last night. Friday night Collin weighed 2 lbs. 8 1/2 oz. and Saturday night he weighed around 2 lbs. 5 oz. They are fluctuating around a little, but they are holding their own.

What precious little boys we have. It has been an experience in my life that I will never forget, but it is one I wouldn't trade for anything. To be blessed with 3 little boys all at one time is an experience that just makes me think every day, how lucky I am to have them come into our family. To add them to my two wonderful little girls, makes our family feel so complete now. I wouldn't trade this for anything.

The girls love to go visit their brothers. They also love to put their hands in the isoletes and touch them. This is their one on one time with Aiden.

Brock wearing his sunglasses (as the girls call them). They have to wear those over their eyes while they are under the lights.

Collin's diaper is always halfway off when go see him. He squirms around when he is on his belly and it makes his diaper fall off.

Triplet Update

The little guys are doing really good. When we went to see them yesterday, they had all been moved from room 1 to room 2 in the NICU. That is good. They are all doing so good. Once they moved to room 2, they were able to PIC lines in all of them, so hopefully that helps so they won't keep having to get IV's stuck in them.

Aiden is still only on the canule to help him breathe. They did an echo of his heart murmur after he finished his rounds of antibiotics, and the murmur went from moderate to large to small. At this point they aren't going to do anything else for it, because they are pretty sure it should close on its own. He is pretty much back to birth weight now. He weighed 2 lbs. 9 oz. yesterday.

Brock had a little murmur on his heart on Wednesday, but when they listened on Thursday, they weren't able to here it. So hopefully his is so small that it is pretty much closed on its own. He had lost some weight, but as of yesterday, he was back to his birth weight of 2 lbs. 2 oz. That is good. He is also still on the canule.

Collin is just so laid back all of the time. He never even cries when they put new IV's in. He is still on the canule and is doing really well. He has moments once and a while where he forgets to breathe, so his oxygen really drops. They watch that really closely. Yesterday he weighed in at 2 lbs. 3 1/2 oz. So they have all come around and are now continuing on the gaining of weight instead of losing weight. I just hope they can keep that up.

We continue to make our daily trips in to see them. When we went yesterday afternoon, we were able to help the nurse do the care for all of them. We took their temperatures and changed their diapers. Then we finally got the chance to hold all of our small, precious little boys. How amazing. They are so incredibly small it is hard to believe. Well they are one week old today, and I can't believe how fast the first week went. I just hope the weeks continue to fly by, so I can take my family home.

Paige had a big day yesterday. She lost her second tooth. Grandma Nielson helped her pull it out while we were gone. She was so very excited. The tooth fairy even found her at Grandma Nielson's.

I'm Free

Well today is the day that I am free of bed rest and this place. I have done my 4 weeks of bed rest time and I get to go to Bountiful today. It is somewhat bittersweet, because I have to leave my 3 little boys behind. It is hard when you don't get to take them home with you. I will be back daily to spend time with them. I am very anxious to be out of this place though, so it will feel good. I will hopefully be able to rest and get recovered so I am ready to conquer the task of all the daily rituals with my 3 little guys when they come home.

I will give you a baby update. Aiden is doing pretty good. They took him off of the CPAP machine this morning and he is breathing pretty much on his own with the assistance of a Canuale. He is almost done with his round of antibiotics for his heart murmur. Then they will do another ultrasound of his heart to see if it is gone. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it worked.

Brock is doing ok. They did an ultrasound on his stomach this morning. They said it is working to hard on the feedings and they were wondering if he may have a hole in his stomach. The ultrasound came back good this morning, so they will hold off on any more feedings all day. Tonight they will do another ultrasound of his stomach. If it still looks good, and there is no hole, they will continue to do small feedings and really watch it. Hopefully there is no hole, if there is, it requires surgery. So we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Collin is doing good. He is also off of the CPAP machine and on a Canuale. He is doing pretty good breathing on his own and is having no big problems. So we will keep it that way and hope that they all continue on the up and up on a daily basis.

Yesterday was meeting day for the girls. They finally got the chance to go in and see their brothers. They are only allowed in twice a week, 15 minutes each time. I had told them what to expect so they wouldn't be scared when they saw them. They were so excited and cute. They kept saying how little they were and they loved it. They were most excited to see Collin, because they both think Collin is their favorite. I am sure they will change their minds. I will try and keep you posted on any new developments and I will try and add some more pictures tomorrow.

2 Days Old

Well the babies are still doing pretty good. I will give you a brief update on each. They noticed a heart murmur on Aiden. So they did an ultrasound today on his heart. He has got a moderate heart murmur. That means that there is a blood vessel that connects the main vessel leading to the lungs to the main vessel of the body, called the PDA, that never closed. It usually has time to close by the time the babies reach 40 weeks, but since he was only 28 weeks, his didn't close. They also did an ultrasound on his brain to check for any brain bleeds and it looks good. His brain has to look good before they can give him the medication for the heart murmur. They are pretty positive that with this 48 hour round of antibiotics that it will close the PDA and that in turn will take care of the murmur. So we will keep our fingers crossed that it works. They were also able to take the light off of Aiden this morning and I think his color is looking real good.






Brock is doing pretty well. They took him off of the light this morning as well. I was able to change his diaper yesterday and take his temperature. That was kind of fun. They try to get us as parents as involved as possible. We were able to watch the nurse feed him tonight. They are only feeding them about 1/5 of a teaspoon every 6 hours right now. They have a little tube that is going into their stomachs and they put their food in a little syringe and it trickles down through their mouths into their tummies. Brock is having no big problems, and so we hope that will stay the same. There is a possibility that Brock and Collin could still get a murmur like Aiden, so that is something they watch on a daily basis.




Collin had to be intubated yesterday afternoon for his breathing. They were able to take him off of the intubator about 2 a.m. this morning. He is doing a lot better and is breathing with the CPAP machine. They also took the light off of him this morning.




So Aiden is probably having the most complications right now. They say they aren't big complications. They are common in premature babies and the nurses said not to worry ourselves. They see it all the time. We will try and keep you posted daily. This is the easiest way for me to keep a record of everything and then you can share in our daily adventures as well.

We've added 30 fingers and 30 toes

Well yesterday was the big day. I had gone in for an ultrasound yesterday morning and Baby B wasn't doing well. He had alot of reverse flow out of the umbilical chord and Baby A was almost getting to much. So my doctor decided to go ahead and schedule my C Section for the afternoon. They took me right over to Labor and Delivery and got me all hooked up to the monitors. Around 4:30 they took me back and did my spinal tap and then the excitement began.



Aiden Robert Nielson was born at 5:00 pm. He weighed 2 lbs. 10 oz. and was 15 inches long.





Brock Thomas Nielson was born at 5:01 pm. He weighed 2 lbs. 2 1/2 oz. and was 13 1/2 inches long.




Collin Matthew Nielson was born at 5:01 pm also. He weighed 2 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. and was 14 3/4 inches long.


The delivery went really well. I am feeling pretty good also. Matt got to go in around 6 p.m. last night and see the babies for the first time. Then he got to hurry and take in my parents and his parents really quick to see the little guys. Finally around 8:30 last night, I got my first peek at my cute little guys. What a moment. They are so very small, but they are so perfect as well. They are bigger that I had imagined they would be.


Aiden had to be intubated. He was only intubated for about 5 hours and then they put him on the CPAP machine. Then this morning they took him off of that and he is only on a Cannula now. That means he is pretty much breathing on his own with very little help. They have got the Bellyrubin light on him for Jondis and other than that, he is doing pretty good.


Brock had to be intubated last night around 10:30 p.m. He was only intubated for around 3 hours and now he is only on the CPAP machine. That means he is getting a little more help breathing than Aiden, but he is doing well. He is also under the Bellyrubin light, but doing well.


Collin did well breathing last night with only the CPAP machine. Today they may have to intubate him. He is trying to hard to breathe so they may intubate him so he can have a dose of Surfactant to help his lungs not have to try so hard to breathe. They other two have already had the Surfactant, so we will see if Collin has to as well. Collin is also under the Bellyrubin light, but doing good.


They are such perfect, cute little babies. For only being 28 weeks and 5 days, I think their sizes are pretty good. They doctors seem to be pretty positive, but each day is a different story. I will be released from the hospital on Tuesday, and we go to my in-laws in Bountiful. Then I will start my daily journey back and forth to visit the boys each day.


Thank you so much to all of our friends and family for all of your support and prayers through this experience of ours. You will never know how much they have been appreciated. We will continue to keep you posted.

They are Here!!!!

This is Liz, posting for Brook and Babies again. They will update more tomorrow, but I knew that you all would be excited to know that the babies are here. They arrived tonight at 5:01, 5:02, and 5:03. Baby A is 2lbs 10oz, Baby B is 2lbs 3oz, and Baby C is 2lbs 5oz. They are all named, but I will let Matt and Brook tell you what their names are. Brook is doing well and all the babies are good. They are all 3 in NICU and 2 of the babies are breathing on their own. The other is on a respirator, and is doing well. We are excited for the new arrivals!!!!! Brook can finally be more comfortable.

Just Another Day

Not to much has changed. I am still hanging out in the hospital doing bed rest. I have now been on bedrest for 4 weeks. I think these are the longest four weeks of my life. I mentioned in my last post that they were worried about Baby B. They did ultrasounds yesterday and today to check the blood flow through the umbilical chord. It isn't looking any worse, but it isn't getting better. So if we can stay about the same for a little longer I can keep baking these babies. I only have to get to 30 weeks now. That is less than 2 weeks. I can't believe I could have these babies in less than 2 weeks. This pregnancy has already seemed longer than 40 weeks and I am not even to 30 weeks.

Matt and I went on a tour of the NICU yesterday. Can I just say overwhelming and depressing. It was so sad to see all of those little babies hooked up to all those tubes and everything. I knew my babies would be in the NICU, but I didn't know how much it was going to affect me. I hope I can handle all this. They told me with the babies being born this early and with them being this small, my goal is to shoot for taking them home around their due date. That isn't until the end of September. That seems like an eternity away. That means I will be gone from home almost 4 whole months. I am so ready to be home it isn't even funny. I just hope the time goes fast and that everything turns out for the better and we can cross some of those weeks off of the time schedule. Thanks again to all of you for your comments and support. You will never know how much it means.

Our 4th of July

Things are still about the same. I am still in the hospital on bed rest. On Wednesday, they did a growth ultrasound and Baby A is weighing about 1 lb. 14 oz., Baby B is about 1 lb. 9 oz. and Baby C is about 2 lbs. They are concerned about Baby B. The doctor says his weight has leveled off and he isn't gaining like he should. She also said that he shows signs that he is under stress. So they will do some more ultrasounds on Monday to check the blood flow in the umbilical chord. The doctor said that we might not get past 30 weeks. That is only 2 more weeks, because tomorrow I will hit 28 weeks. I was hoping to get a few more weeks so they won't be in the NICU as long, but we will have to wait and see.

Yesterday was an out of normal holiday. I am used to doing the parade, cookouts and fireworks. Normal 4th of July stuff, but not this year. In the morning Matt took the girls to the movie "Wall-E." They thought that was great. In the afternoon they came in to see me for a while. Then Matt took them to ride the Trax (the train). The girls were so very excited. They rode it from the hospital all the way downtown to Temple Square. They walked around and played in the fountains. Kayla said they even got to make a wish. Then they rode back up to the hospital and hung with me until fireworks time. I got to go for a wheel chair ride up to what they call the bridge, where there a bunch of windows and you look out over the city. We were able to see several different fireworks shows going off. The girls thought it was great. It was a pretty fun day. Thanks to Matt the girls had a wonderful time. He is such a good Dad. I couldn't ask for a better husband.

Here are some pictures of the day yesterday. There is even one of me that Paige took all by herself and she is quite pleased with it. Enjoy.