Friends of NICU

Hope everyone is well.  Raechel and I had a chance to go to a fundraiser for the Friends of NICU over the weekend.  It was a nice chance for us to get out while the boys are in the good hands of the nursing staff, and also obviously a worthy cause.  The charity was started 6 years ago by a couple who, like us, had twins at just over 30 weeks.  They support in-need families who have babies in the NICU, primarily by providing nearby housing and/or gas cards for transport to local hospitals for families who don’t live close by.  They actually have provided a couple of RVs that sit outside the Family Birthing Center so that families can visit their kids whenever they like, 24/7.  Health-wise, it allows the parents to provide the skin-to-skin contact that helps improve the babies’ health.  Very tangible in terms of how the funds are spent and the benefit provided.  They had a family speak from Chico (about two hours north) and how meaningful it was to them that, instead of initially visiting their baby 1-2 days a week, they were able to spend every day for their remaining 5 weeks with their child. 

 

Point being, the event got Raechel and I discussing how we could contribute further to the NICU cause.  Due to the generosity of everyone already, we have plenty of infant clothing, toys, supplies, etc., for the boys for this Christmas.  If you were planning on buying presents for them this Christmas, we’d love you dedicate those funds towards a donation to the charity.  To donate, the method of payment is as follows…

 

Mailing Address: Friends of NICU, PO Box 6242, Folsom, CA 95763

Paypal Address: purkis@friendsofnicu.com

 

 

For more info on Friends of NICU, visit: 

http://friendsofnicu.com/blog/our-mission/

Rae and David at the Celebration of Miracles Event

Visiting the Frick Twins

Raechel and I just wanted to send a quick note of heads-up that as of late we are limiting visitation for the boys in the NICU.  We wanted to share a little background as to why. 

Henry and Jameson are still at only 35 weeks of gestational development.  We have to remember that had they followed the normal pregnancy timeline, they would still be in the womb for more than another month, removed from light, touch, and surrounded by fluid to help mute all the noise.  Right now, the best thing for them is uninterrupted sleep and bonding time with Mom.  For premature babies like Henry and Jameson, sleep is essential for growth, brain development, learning, and memory.  Visitors bring distraction and can overly stimulate our growing boys.  Disturbances in sleep can cause exhaustion, damage to the developing body, dysfunction of the immune system resulting in susceptibility to infection, and serious stress and agitation.  Also, their immune system is immature, and the risk of a visitor bringing in a virus or other illness is extremely scary and not worth the risk to their health.  That’s particularly the case given we’re coming upon the peak of flu season.  Several of our Neonatologists have met with us to stress importance of sleep for the next few months and to keep visitor counts to the bare minimum.  Since we will be measuring their development based on their original Dec due date, we plan to wait until early February to extend invitations for visitors in our home or introduce them into environments with a broader set of people.  It doesn’t mean there won’t be exceptions to the rule, but we’ll choose those time and places depending on the circumstances and our doctor’s recommendations.  It’s not an easy decision, but one that is the best interests of Jameson and Henry’s short- and long-term health. 

 

We appreciate all the support and hope this background provides some perspective and understanding.  If this has sparked additional interest in learning about preemies, I have a lengthy text book anyone is welcome to borrow  ;)  We’re happy to keep everyone updated as frequently as we can, and address any questions you might have.

Henry and Jameson: One Month Old!

We are very pleased and proud parents to announce that our boys have reached their 1 month birthday!  It's difficult to have the proper perspective of the last month because we're still in the midst of our NICU experience, but a milestone like this provides a chance to reflect.  I think the overwhelming feelings are that of being grateful and humble.  It's a recurrent theme for how we feel about our nurses, our families and support system, and toward our boys.  To that end, today we had the opportunity to say thanks in prayer with Father Matthew of nearby St. Joseph Morello, who was kind enough to join us and bestow a blessing upon Henry and Jameson.  It was a special moment as we were joined by Raechel's mother and sister, as well as our favorite nurse Mary who also belongs to Fr. Matthew's parish.  And to that point on gratefulness, to everyone that has reached out to us, sent a gift or even just a quick email, we say thank you.

A quick funny anecdote about the experience...Fr. Matthew requested to the nurses some sterilized water that he could bless as holy water.  One of the nurses reached into a drawer and pulled out some Similac sterilized water which fit the bill.  We kept the rest as a just in case of emergency.  It is Halloween after all :)

One other quick story...one of my best friends, Steve Bueche, got married last weekend.  Months ago I had told Steve that I couldn't picture a scenario where I would be able to make it to the wedding given our projected birth date.  With the boys arriving early, I still didn't think it was an option.  But with the boys stable and in good hands, and along with the encouragement of my wife, I decided at the last minute to go.  It was hard, but I'm glad I did.  It was a special weekend to share with Steve and his wife Colin.  At a few different moments, people asked me if it was hard to be away.  It was; there were a lot of moments of worry and stress, and generally feeling like a terrible father for being away.  At the same time, I felt like Henry and Jameson were in good hands.  I think it's because trust is such a huge part of the NICU process that I could actually make the trip.  And if there is anyone I would make the trip for, it's Steve.  He's a great person and friend, and such a role model that he and Colin will be godparents to Jameson.

We are 1 Month Old!!! Henry (left) and Jameson (right)

Jameson (left) and Henry (right)

Frick Family with Father Matthew

Henry as Thing 1 and Jameson as Thing 2 for Hallween

Henry at 4 weeks with his bunny

Jameson at 4 weeks with his giraffe

Frick Twins: Bath Time

Mom and Dad got to experience bathing the boys this week. A little easier than we anticipated. The nurse showed us how to keep them loosely bundled so they feel their boundaries and safe; and kept a heater above to keep them warm.  Here are a few pictures and a video!

Rae bathing Henry

Dave drying Jameson

Dave washing Jameson's hair

 

Frick Twins: Feeding

One of the check marks the boys need to earn is feeding on their own - bottle or breast.  While the boys are practicing both, we are learning this is something the boys must be developmentally ready to coordinate sucking with breathing and swallowing. Every day is different for Jameson and Henry. Two nights ago, the boys took a bottle for the night nurse (20 ml for Henry, 15 ml for Jameson), then completed the rest of their feeding via NG tube. Yesterday however, both boys stopped breathing with the bottle, turned blue (which no mother wants to see that!) and took a little longer than normal to catch their breath again. As one nurse shared: In the NICU, it is a lot of 2 steps forward, 1 step back... 

 

Dad giving Henry a bottle for the first time

Burping Henry

Milk Face

Frick Twins: Week 3, Development Week 34

Something that Raechel and I have noticed of late is how quickly time is flying. I've heard parents say something along those lines about their own kids for years, and I can vouch for that fact based on first hand experience.

Since our last update, the boys have made good progress. They have maintained their temperature on their own since moving to isolettes. They've started doing a little bottle feeding, which is really fun to participate in and witness. And as of today, they've each gained 1lb since birth.

They aren't without their challenges as we found out today they'll be supplementing Henry with some vitamins due to his blood being anemic, or low on red blood cells. Nothing too concerning and very common at this point in his development, but they do outline what the scenarios would look like if things get worse, which could extend all the way to a transfusion. Very unlikely at this point that it would reach that point, but it's an example of one of those things floating out there that seems to make your shoulders a little more tense and sleep a little less sound. Looking forward to the day when the boys are home, healthy, growing, and that stress goes away. But again, I've heard from experienced parents that feeling never disappears :)

Henry

 

Jameson

Frick Twins: Isolette Graduation

Last night the boys graduated from Isolette incubators to open cribs. They are now able to regulate their own body temperature and sleep in just PJs and a swaddle blanket. They are both adjusting to all the new sounds of the NICU that were muffled before in the isolettes. 

Jameson had a rough day breathing on Friday and was given a nasal cannula again to provide assistance. We also cut back on visitors to keep the noise down and any outside germs away. Since then, he is much more comfortable. 

The boys wore their new Notre Dame caps last Saturday and proved to be good luck for the fighting Irish! ND beat USC 14-10. Thank you Frick Family for the little caps.