Not much to report today.

I held each baby for about an hour and both did very well.

CJ is continuing to do well with his bottle feedings and is up to 4 bottles a day.

CJ weighed in tonight at 4 lb. 3.9 ounces.

Savannah had a good day and did not have any major desaturations in a 24 hour period.

Savannah weighed in at 4 lbs 10.8 ounces.

I have been getting a lot of questions about some of the medical terms I have been using. I thought it may be helpful to give you the definitions of the ones that I most often use.

Bradycardia - Excessively slow heart rate. Usually transient and often associated with apnea and desaturation.

CBC (Complete Blood Count) - A blood test analyzing the number and type of white blood cells, the concentration of hemoglobin, the percentage of blood volume consisting of red blood cells (hematocrit), and the number of platelets

CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) - Used for the treatment of lung disease or breathing difficulty that is not severe enough to require an endotracheal tube and ventilator. CPAP is the application of continuously pressurized air and oxygen to the airways and lungs via small tubes placed in the nostrils or a soft mask placed over the nose. These tubes fit tighter to the nostrils than those of a nasal cannula. CPAP keeps lungs partially inflated between breaths, which makes breathing easier.

Desaturation - A drop in the blood oxygen level, generally detected by a pulse oximeter. Often associated with apnea and bradycardia.

Nasal Cannula - Short, thin tubes placed into the nostrils, through which oxygen is administered. Used in cases of mild or chronic lung disease which are not severe enough to require use of CPAP or a ventilator.

Apnea - Lack of air movement into the lungs. This can be due either to an infant not trying to take breaths (central apnea), or an obstruction of the airway causing air flow to cease despite the infant making attempts to breathe (obstructive apnea). Both the central and obstructive types of apnea are very common in premature infants. Central apnea in prematures is referred to as "apnea of prematurity", and is often treated with caffeine.

Savannah made it about a day on nasal cannula. She had a really bad apnea episode Saturday night and the nurses had to work very hard to resuscitate her so she is back on CPAP again.
They did a lot of blood work on her to see if there are any reasons for her continued struggles with apnea and bradys but they came up empty. All the tests say she should be fine, well, she isn't and although one of the Dr's said to not worry or be concerned, we are worried and concerned. Even her nurses seem a bit concerned. Please continue to pray for our little miracles and maybe a little prayer for Jen and I when you get the chance.

CJ finally hit his 4 lb milestone last night.

Savannah now weighs 4lbs 7.8 ounces.

CJ: The big news for CJ is that he is now in a crib in the intermediate nursery. He is doing very well with his bottles feedings and is currently taking 3/4 bottles a day. He will need to get up to 8 bottles a day. He is just a few ounces away from his 4 lb. milestone. Hopefully he will hit 4 lbs. tonight.

Savannah: They took her off the C.P.A.P on Friday to see how she would do. She is currently still off C.P.A.P, but is still having some significant Brady/Apnea episodes so we are not sure how long they will keep her on the Nasal Canula. It was nice to finally see her cute little face. The doctors are running some more blood tests in the morning to see if her blood count drop more and to see what the number is for her producing her own blood. Hopefully she will be able to stay on the Nasal Canula. They also moved Savannah into a crib like her brother. However, she is still in intensive care while CJ is in the intermediate nursery. Hopefully they will be together again soon.