Digressing

Difficult day. Babies are struggling to keep heart rates where they are suppose to be. Keaton has not had a heart rate drop for two weeks and this morning before we went in he had one. I assume it is because he is warn out from having to bottle feed every three hours and not just relying on the tube in his nose. Then after the bath today I fed him and he had two heart rate drops. Nurses say it is just from exhaustion but they don't think they are pushing him too hard by requiring him to do so much back-to back.

McKenna has been taken off the oxygen monitors. They have been saying that she is having sat drops throughout the day, so we were surprised by this decision, but the nurse explained her sat drops are due to heart rate drops. Supposedly as she matures the heart rate drops will decrease and eventually go away all together. We are a nervous wreck while we wait to see if they are going to go away.

McKenna is now receiving bottle feedings every other feeding. She chugs her bottles down really quickly and struggles to breathe after it because of how fast she drinks. Nurse tonight said to pull the bottle away throughout the feeding to remind her to breathe and catch up on it. Of course doing that causes her to fling her arms and start crying. Poor girl must think we are going to starve her.

McKenna is up to 3 lb 2 oz today. She still looks pale to me, but nurses think she is pink. She still has the eye gunk too.

It's bath day on Tuesdays, so I was really excited to give them their baths today. Grandma Dana came over and watched so she could see them awake for more than fifteen seconds. They did well. McKenna cried a few times, but the pacifier really seems to calm her. Keaton did really well with the bath and loves to have his head washed. He turns his head side-to-side while water is poured on him.

Keaton took a full bottle from me tonight - finally. He hasn't been eating his full bottles since the incubator heat was turned off. This morning when feeding him Grandma Dana was talking to him and said, "Your Grandma's here" and right then he got the biggest smile on his face. Of course it was probably gas smiles, but perfect timing.

So, looking back over this entry it doesn't sound like digressing or like things were that bad today. I think it is just frustrating and scary that Keaton had heart drops throughout the day, and that McKenna keeps having them. We worry about taking them home and that happening. Of course they would be on heart monitors but it would still be worrisome.

Prayer requests: Heart rates (no more drops for either of them, and for McKenna's to not be so high), healing of MRSA infection in Keaton, protection from infection in McKenna, healing of eye bacteria in McKenna, growth and weight gain, help with feedings and taking all that they are suppose to, overall organ protection, brain development, hearing, blood count increases to prevent transfusions and anything else you think is important for them. We are so grateful for your prayers! Can't thank you enough!