The Bell boys are back together!! Hallelujah, God is good!
Here is the latest on the strongest and toughest "little" boys we know!
Cannon first!
Cannon has been moved to a nasal cannula and stays on very low oxygen which is great! One step closer to breathing without any help! He has been doing so well! He loves the sound of mine and Shawn's voice and gives us the sweetest smiles when we talk to him. You can truly tell that he feels so much better! On his feeds he is now rotating every other feed with breast milk and a special formula called Enfaport. After his thoracic duct surgery they started him on the Enaport. That formula was made special for babies who had Chyleothorax to help prevent the reoccurrence of it. They wanted to keep him on that for a while to make sure that the leaking would not reoccur! So far it has not...woohoo!! So that is why they are rotating the feeds with breast milk to slowly ween him off of it. They have also backed off the tapping of his reservoir because he does not need it to be tapped every day! As long as his fontenel feels soft and his head circumference stays the same there is no reason to tap every day. He did have another eye exam and they said he did have mild ROP (rentinopathy of prematurity) which is disorganized growth of retinal blood vessels which may result in scarring and retinal detachment. The Dr. that checked him was not concerned at the time and would recheck in two weeks. If it were to get worse he would have to have the medicine that they inject into the vessels to stop the growth of those vessels. It is less invasive than laser surgery. ROP is very common in preemie babies that have had to stay on a higher percentage of oxygen. Cannon was on the ventilator longer than Braxton due to all his surgeries in the beginning. So we too will pray through this for The Lord to stop the growth of the vessels so that sweet Cann man will have great vision! Other than that Cannon is a new baby and getting better every day! He now weighs 4 lbs 4 oz.
Sleepy boy!
Now the Brax man...without any oxygen support!!
We are so proud of Braxton for being able to completely breathe on his own! Look at that sweet face! He continues to get stronger every day! He is now at Memorial Herman with Cannon right next to him. We decided to have Braxton moved there because we want Cannon to be able to stay at Herman with his neuro specialist. Also, at Texas Woman's they told us that Braxton's PDA was moderate to large and the left side of his heart was enlarging and would need surgery soon. So when he got to Herman they did another echocardiogram and said that his PDA is small and his heart is normal size and does not need surgery at this time. They said he is not showing signs that he needs it fixed. He would be requiring a lot of oxygen, have bad blood pressure and would not be tolerating his feeds well and that's the opposite of what he's doing. They will continue to monitor it because it could still close on its own which would be so wonderful! Sometimes doing surgery when it's not needed can cause more harm. They have weened his feeds from a continuous feed to every 3 hours. They are hoping to try bottle feeding this week! Please pray for a smooth transition into that. It's seem like a simple task but for a preemie to remember to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time is A LOT!! Braxton also had his second eye exam and everything looks good! Just has another recheck in two weeks. He now weighs 4 lbs 8 oz.
Those pictures were before his oxygen was taken off.
Pictures of the boys first meeting are at the end!
Getting the boys back together was also special because I was finally able to hold my sweet boys at the same time! It was the most incredible feeling in the world and I wish I could find the right words to describe it but if you're a mommy then you know exactly what I mean. Of course, holding each boy individually was wonderful and special. I felt like I was able to bond with them separately but holding them together was a different feeling. I had been waiting for this moment since the Dr. told us it was twins! It was the most powerful moment I have had with my boys so far and one I will never ever forget! While holding them, I looked down and was overcome with so many emotions. Happiness... I was over joyed with happiness to finally be able to hold the sweet blessings that God created for Shawn and I! I had been praying for them my whole life and was so happy to finally meet the babies I had prayed for for so long. Sadness... I was saddened because I knew at some point I would have to put them back in their beds and again leave them for another night. Hoping and praying that they will remember me and know who I am so that we will have a connection when we are able to finally go home. Guilt... As I looked down at them and see their tubes and wires and hear the monitors beeping, only made my guilt stronger for not being able to carry them to term. Being proud... Looking down at my beautiful boys and knowing that we brought these two lives into the world makes me one proud mommy. Also, proud of how tough and strong they already are and what they have overcome so early in life. Content... Sitting there with each boy on my chest had a calming affect over me. For that moment we were normal and the boys were just napping on mommy's chest! I truly could have sat there for days! Every nurse that walked in was brought to tears and said that I looked like I was in heaven and I truly was!
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