6/7

There is another family, or couple, that we have met a few weeks ago.  They have triplets that were born a few weeks earlier than our boys...so they have been here about 3 weeks longer than us. They have 2 girls and 1 boy that were born at 24 weeks gestation and have had a rough time so far.  The 2 girls both had pretty large brain bleeds and it was thought they would need a cranial shunt to drain excess fluid putting excess pressure on the brain.  All 3 of them have had a very hard time breathing, as all preemies do.  Then just a couple nights ago one of the little girls coded and quit breathing and her heart stopped.  they performed cpr on her for a little over 10 min.  and gave her 3 shots of epinephrine.  Finally she came back but could only hang on for a few hours...then she passed away.  I can't imagine their pain.

Apparently she had an infection that had been raging through her tiny body and eventually won.  Now just yesterday their boys condition has worsened.  He is now on an oscillator type breathing machine and also has developed an infection.  Possibly NEC.  Hopefully they have caught it early and it will respond to treatment. 

I laid awake the past 2 nights just thinking about them and our boys and all the possibilities, similarities, and differences.  Their babies are now 34 weeks, 4 weeks older than our boys, and still...by far not out of the woods....they are deep in the thick of it.  Their babies will have severe disabilities throughout life and will need lifelong extensive care.  Made me realize that the effects of a premature birth sometimes don't end when you leave the NICU.

It really humbles me to see them and think of their situation.  The two situations they are in are my worst nightmare.  It hits closer to home when I see it all unfold right across the room, and realize those babies are 3-4 weeks older than ours.  It's a sharp stick of reality of life in the NICU.  Everyone talks of only the positive...because they're all deathly afraid of what tomorrow can bring, praying it never will.

On the bright side our boys do not have their PICC lines in or and IVs with direct access to their blood stream.  But we still have the risk of infection in the backs of our minds....and a lot of time left in the NICU.

I apologise to my family for not being able to focus on anything back at home right now.

8 pm Weights

NIK - 1150 grams (lost 20 grams)
Jake - 1210 grams (gained 10 grams)