Yesterday

Part of my own recovery has been catching up on things left undone while I was struggling just to do what no one else could or would do, so I'm a day behind with the twins.

Yesterday the report was simply that they had been placed under ultraviolet light, a therapy which is sometimes necessary for newborns, including full-term, normal birth-weight babies. The purpose of this therapy is to help break down a yellow pigment in the skin, called bilirubin, which is normally removed from red blood cells by the mature liver.

In full-term infants, this process takes about two weeks. I'll have to do a little research on the prognosis for preemies like our little ones. When I find out, I'll post an update here.

LPK
LiveJournal
1.24.2012 (a)

Today

Just learned that Sarah will be coming home today - without the twins. I know that will be hard on her, as will traveling back and forth for feeding and child-parent bonding. I've told her to set up a schedule that will work best for her and we'll help with the travel.

I think my notion of what Sarah might be like as a parent began to take shape when she was in the second grade and her teacher told us, with tears in her eyes, that when asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, Sarah was the only one in her class who responded, "I want to be a mommy."

Nothing I've seen, through this long and challenging pregnancy, has changed my view that she'll be one of those who is dedicated, heart and soul, to her kids. So, yeah, we'll be doing our best to help her to be just that.

My wife, who tries to visit each night before her shift on another unit at the hospital, says that Layla, who is now being allowed to nurse at the same intervals as her more robust twin, is a voracious little feeder. And that there's just something about her that suggests that, of the two, she's gonna be the little instigator.

To that I could only reply, "Takes one to know one." Because, as a kid, my wife was legendary for dragging her older siblings into all sorts of misadventures in the old eastside neighborhood where they grew up. For Layla, it may well be that her very survival has been due to her ability to thrive as the feisty little underdog.

And, as we all know, that can be an asset later on in life as well...

LPK
LiveJournal
1.24.2012 (b)