While anal, scheduled, NICU nurse mommy is all about schedules.... we are quickly learning at our house what the letters ISH mean!! We attempt to feed on a 9:30, 1:30, 5:30 schedule around the clock. But sometimes they are so sound asleep (or I'm so sound asleep) or one or the other of them takes forever to eat or burp, & we get on more of an ...ish schedule!! I'm also trying to treat them a little more like newborns & less like NICU babies & let them ad lib on their feeding volumes a little bit more. In the NICU they HAVE TO eat certain minimum amounts. We are averaging more than their minimums were in the NICU, but its hard for me to take it in stride when someone has a few "wimpy" feedings. Actually, I think its harder for daddy to not be so regimined. Thats all he knows is NICU regimines! I don't think I would make a good breast feeding mom though... I like to see the numbers of who ate what when. Pump & bottles are good for us. I just want to make sure everyone gains good weight! It makes me nervous. I need a scale at home....or maybe that would make me more nutso!!?? Who knows? We are still mixing our 22 calorie formula & breast milk 1:1, so we are getting the benefits of breast milk & plenty of extra calories. I bought a Dr. Browns formula pitcher & we just mix up a batch of 1/2 formula & 1/2 breast milk and pour bottles out of there until its gone. Wash it. Then make a new batch. I think it that saves us time over mixing 3 bottles every 4 hours as we go. I actually would like another pitcher because we fill the thing to the very top to get us through 24 hours already! So far the pumping is not too bad. I've finally gotten to the point where my boobs remind me to pump if I forget or get busy. I wish I was getting more milk than I am... but to be doing half breast milk for my triplets & stashing some away is pretty acceptable I think. I have it figured out that I can pump & feed at the same time if the need be. Though I prefer to do them each seperately & they both go more smoothly & successfully if done seperately. Actually one day I was pumping, feeding Hayden & talking to my mom on the phone all at the same time. I think I will become a super-duper-multi-tasker!! I talked to a lady who has twins who said, she could set her twins in their boppys on either side of her... feed them both AND pump at the same time & be back to bed in 30 mins! DAMN!! Maybe someday I will be that good!!
With all of this ...ish scheduling, we are trying to work on a daily schedule & learn night time vs daytime. After our 9:30am ish feeding we all get up for the day. We either have tummy time if awake or sleep in our swings or bouncy seats or have snuggle time. After our 1:30ish afternoon feeding, its "nap time" (even though they slept all morning in a swing or being held). Sometimes I let them nap together. SIDS... yes I've heard of it & the co-bedding no-nos. Thats why we do it when I am awake, & I can neurotically check on them!! I think they get benefits from their together time too!! If Jeff is at work, he gets home in time for the 5:30ish feed. Then we have "awake" time in the evening, before heading to bed, in their own cribs, after the 9:30ish evening feed. However Olivia is on her mommy & grandma's schedule. She thinks 11pm is the time to wake up & play. Pumping times coincide with feedings. I should be pumping more often, but hey I'm just proud to be doing it at all. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm not about to give it up yet! As for showering & eating... well we're still trying to figure out where exactly that fits in. It works nice when Jeff is at home, but I'm trying to figure out where I will sneak in a shower when I'm home by myself! Throw in a few loads of laundry & a few sinks full of bottles to wash.... and that is our day in a nutshell! Jealous??
But they still sleep a lot, being preemies, which makes it easier. When they start being more awake & requiring more attention, our lifes will get more difficult! I keep telling Jeff it is going to get worse, before it gets better!! But so far.... so good!
Here is a run down of this week in pictures:
We are so excited to be home together!! (The day Logan came home)
Logan, Olivia & Hayden on Logan's first day home.
Their faces are so different shaped. Hayden (blue hat) has a very round face. Olivia (pink hat) has a square face. Logan (green hat) has an oval face. They have similarities, but are very different from each other.
But they are all so darn cute aren't they???
Mommy lets us take our naps together. (But she checks on us VERY often)
Awake time...Snuggled in the boppy. Hayden of course was crying!
We discovered this week that tap water for the formula did not go over well with him! So now we are buying bottled water for our formula!!
Tessa trying to calm down the troops! She LOVES LOVES LOVES her babies!!
I think she really thinks they are HER babies. She does SO good with them. She just gets a little too excited when OTHER people come to visit.
The Christmas Blizzard has overtaken our patio furniture.
Drifts almost to the top of the fence.
The view out our back door.
Good thing we had no where to go!!
I waited until ALL of the babies were home to take off my hospital baby ID bands. I wore those puppies for 6 weeks!!
I cut them off Christmas morning as my gift to myself!
(Cheesy, yeah, yeah, I know!)
Logan & Livi love to swing
Logan's 1st bath night at home.
All snuggled in my new towel!
One of the rounds of bottle washing for the day.
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