The Next Thing

The boys had echocardiograms today to look at their hearts. (This is a non-invasive procedure, like an ultrasound -- although apparently Matthew was not amused by it and let them know about it!) There's a heart valve that's open in newborns and usually closes in the first few days of life, but often does not close on its own in preemies. My understanding is that this condition (patent ductus arteriosus or PDA) isn't necessarily serious in and of itself (it's basically a heart murmur), but it can contribute to respiratory problems. It turns out that in both boys, the valve hasn't yet closed.

The first line of treatment for this is to give them "baby ibuprofen" (indocin) for three days. Because the medicine can also constrict blood flow to the intestines, they also stop feeding the babies while the treatment is going on. While this sounds awful (or at least it did to me -- my poor little babies not getting their supper!), they're going to be on IV fluids the whole time, which provide nutrition, glucose, and so on -- so while they probably won't gain any weight during that time, they don't expect them to lose much either. The nurses also say that at this age, they probably won't even notice the missing feeds, so it won't cause them the kind of distress it would cause an adult or older baby. (And speaking as someone who was recently on IV fluids, I can say they do a surprisingly good job of keeping blood sugar levels high enough that you don't feel especially hungry.)

We didn't hold the boys today because we figured they had been through enough commotion with the echocardiogram, and James is still on the bili lights. But they were doing well (and keeping up the good pooping work -- the nurse said tonight that James was "pooping big time!")