I've had a brief chat with the doctors yesterday. I didn't hear anything really unexpected. It's a premature birth and I understand there are certain risks that accompany it. Nonetheless, it's much scarier hearing a doctor say it than from reading it from a book.
1. Lungs not fully developed. So, they'll require a respirator for the time being.
2. Blood pressure is too low. This will be treated with medication.
3. Risk of multi-organ failure. The doctors will be monitoring the babies' urine & excretions. I've watched enough Grey's Anatomy to know that urine & excretions are indicative of liver health which is often the first to go in multi-organ failures...
4. Some preemies will suffer from brain swelling. It will often happen in the first 4-5 days, so these next few days are critical.
Anyway, today is Day 2 since birth and the boys are doing better than yesterday. Both have had their ventilators toned down, providing about 25% oxygen concentration (ambient air consists of 21%). They were at 100% right after birth and at about 50% yesterday.
On to the interesting stuff!
Here, mom is watching over Aidan. Each of them is inside a case enclosed with cling wrap. The hose on top is from a humidifier. This keeps the baby's environment warm and moist so that their delicate skin doesn't dry out.
Sorry, the moisture made it impossible to get a clear shot.
Here, mom is speaking to Ethan.
Ethan's cling wrap was recently replaced which made getting clear shots much easier. Here, we see him open his eyes for the first time. (Opening of the eyes doesn't actually have any significant meaning physiologically. But it did help us, as parents, form a psychological bond to the child.)
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