I don't know where to start! I'll start by saying how in love I am with our girls! They melt my heart e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y. It's amazing how big they are getting and they are only 7 weeks old! They were weighed last week at 6 weeks: 8lbs 10 oz and 9lbs 5 oz. So why the 6 week weigh-in? Sera had tested positive for cystic fibrosis in her newborn screening. I was a mess after the news, but the doctor assured me that most tests have a false positive. She told me NOT to google it and just have her re-tested along with her sister. What did I do then? I googled the crap out of it! I started to feel a little better once I saw (with my google search) that both sides have to be carriers of the disease, and I was pretty sure our clinic tested for this disease. Even if you have two carriers, only 1 in 4 will have an offspring with cystic fibrosis. Still, I couldn't help but worry until I got the results. The second screening showed that both girls were fine and nothing tested positive. Thank goodness!
Despite the small scare, it has been a roller coaster of fun. Sera has already spit up her formula all over Matilda, and DH and I just laughed. Maybe the laughing was due to lack of sleep. Things seem so much funnier when you're tired. I love all their grunts and interesting noises. Sometimes their noises and facial expressions are in response to my questions, so I think they are. I once said out loud, "who wants to eat first?" Matilda literally raised her hand! (no joke) I take photos of them daily and I usually get a hand over the face, as if they are saying, "that's enough, Mom!"
Did I mention how in love our daughter is with them? The first weeks were rough. Our six year old wanted to pick out their clothes everyday. Problem: I wanted to pick out their outfits too! :) I did give our daughter numerous opportunities to pick out their clothes, and I am happy to say that she only asks to pick out their clothes maybe once every couple of days now. She tells me constantly that her two favorite girls are her 2 sisters. She says good morning and goodnight to them everyday. It really is sweet. I love seeing the sisterly love. I hope it lasts forever!
There have been many challenges in these short 7 weeks. Breastfeeding was the first. The girls had problems with latching in the first couple days and Matilda had to be in the nursery for 24 hour observation with a tube going into her stomach and an iv in her little arm. In the end, she was fine and healthy. I tried pumping in the hospital, but with someone coming into the room every 15 minutes, it was difficult to get on a schedule. When we got home, pumping was even more difficult with trying to recover from the c-section (I was in a lot of pain for about a week) and then trying to care for the babies. I either had time to pump or time to sleep, and I often chose sleep! DH tried to help out as much as possible, but bottle feeding two and then pumping was not working out well. And, then when DH went back to work after a week at home with me, I couldn't do it. I'd cry because I wanted to breastfeed or at least pump, and I was so exhausted. So, that was the end of breastfeeding. I was sad, but I had to let go of the fact that it wasn't going to happen. I tried my best and that's all I could have done.
The next challenge was acid reflux. Sera had some huge spit ups once we got home and I noticed that she was getting more and more irritable. She'd arched her back and act really uncomfortable. She'd scream out of nowhere at times. Based on her symptoms, I knew she had acid reflux like our six year old DD had. I called her doctor and told her what I thought. She agreed and put her on a medication right away. She appeared to be doing better while on the medication, but I'm not totally convinced that she's feeling okay after feedings. The doctor said we might have to switch her dosage (frequency) or try a different type of medication. Not sure what we'll try next, but it just breaks my heart to see Sera upset.
Our most recent challenge is Mommy (that's me :-)) is feeling under the weather, and to top it off, I think the girls are sick too. They have a slight fever tonight and I'm hoping they are better by tomorrow. They have been sleeping a lot today; however, they still seem to have their appetite, which is good. DH had off work today, so he let me sleep 8 hours straight last night! What a sweetheart he was!
Speaking of sweethearts, here's my girls at 6 weeks.
