Clagett Triplets: The Life and Times of Brooke Brynn Lexi

Back to the NICU

Last week we packed everyone up and headed back to the University of Maryland for the girls' NICU follow up appointment. It was an emotional day to say the least. It brought back so many memories, some good and some not so good. The many trips to Baltimore in the car with a brown bag for mommy who could not stop getting sick, the nerves each trip about what the doctors would see in the sonograms, the constant worrying if everything would be ok in the end. This trip to Baltimore was different because everything is ok and this trip involved lots of crying. The crying is ok because we have three beautiful babies who beat the odds and are happy and healthy.

At the appointment the girls saw a neonatalogist, a developmental pediatrician and a physical therapist. They are almost five months but they evaluate them based on their adjusted age of three months. (this is because they were seven weeks early). Any appointment with three babies is not easy; it is loud and usually exhausting. We ended up being there over four hours which was a really long time for the three of them. Brooke, Lexi and Brynn each have some small problems to overcome which is somewhat overwhelming because each small problem means more appointments and more time. But I try to remind myself that each problem is small and can be fixed.

Brynn: 13 pounds (she still likes to eat!!) Brynn is still struggling with problems with torticollis, which is tightening of the muscles on one side of her neck. This pulls the head toward one shoulder, limiting neck mobility. As a result of this, she has developed a flat spot on one side of her head. This probably started in the womb with limited space to move. The doctors in the NICU are recommending a DOC band which is like a helmet for her head. She is also getting physical therapy at home one time per week and we are looking into outpatient physical therapy as well. Brynn also has some tightening in her feet and ankles which she is getting therapy for and may need to have splints made to wear at night. Developmentally she is doing great. She passed all the three month tests.

Lexi- 11 pounds 8 ounces (she is still the smallest). Lexi seems to be the one who always gets by with the least amount of issues. She had the most at birth and I guess decided she was not going to let that happen again. She is still the strongest and also is becoming the most strong willed. She still only has two moods -  really happy or really unhappy. They were pleased with her progress in the NICU. She is the only one still anemic and has to stay on her iron and vitamins, but other than that she is great.

Brooke- 12 pounds 10 ounces. Brooke has the same problems with the torticollis as Brynn but I think is a little bit worse than Brynn. The doctors also recommended a DOC band for her head. She is also getting weekly in home physical therapy and we are looking into outpatient therapy. Brooke has some tightening in her hands which may require splints made to wear at night. Otherwise she is perfect, which mommy already knew!

For babies born seven weeks early, they are doing well and growing, growing, growing. Mommy and Daddy just need about 10 more hours in each day to get everything done.

Brynn and Brooke have started to sleep through the night here and there. Lexi is still up and loves to wake everyone else up including Hannah. One night last week all four girls were screaming at 1am! What is still to come...

The start of RSV shots each month until March

A visit to the pulmonologist to hopefully discontinue using the monitors

Monthly appointments with their GI doctor

Weekly in home physical therapy

Hopefully outpatient physical therapy

A visit to cranial technology for a DOC band assessment

Hopefully more sleepy nights!!

Soy, Shots and Stuff

It has been a while since my last post. Life has been keeping us really,really busy. Last week Hannah went to Hopkins for a food challenge of soy. It did not go well. She drank a soy milkshake at 9:00am and a little after 11:00am started to have an allergic reaction. She was thankfully already hooked up to an IV so the fluids and meds started going into her very quickly. She threw up over 20 times and became very unresponsive. It is so difficult to watch her go through these episodes. It has been so long since her last reaction and we were making such strides forward. She started responding to us again about 2:00pm by shaking her head yes and no and then around 4:00pm was doing a little better. We brought her home that evening and she was just like a limp rag doll. Her skin was almost gray in color. It took her two days to recover and get over all of the steriods that they pumped into her body. Anyone that lives with food allergies on a daily basis can understand how terrifing a disability it really is. To know that something as simple as food (that is everywhere) can make you that sick is so scary. It was even more difficult as a parent to know that you drove her there and fed her something that made her that sick. It also hit us when she started getting sick that we have three other little ones to worry about now. Thankfully Liz was taking care of them with JuJu and they  both stayed with the girls until we returned home. Poor Liz worked a 13+ hour day. Thanks LIZ!!!

Thursday of last week the girls went for their four month appointments and shots. They each got four shots and one oral vaccination. The appointment went well for the girls. They are growing and getting so big. ..

Brynn:  12 pounds (she loves her bottles!) She is the observer of the group. She loves to sit and watch and take everything in. She still likes her own space and would prefer her sisters stay out of it. She has the biggest smile and loves to snuggle. When I told the doctor she was the only one not cooing she started immediately The doctor picked her up and she cooed at her. She proved mommy wrong. 

Lexi: 10 pounds 11 ounces ....She is still the smallest but the strongest and the loudest. She is an all or nothing kind of girl. She only has two moods..very happy or very unhappy! She loves to makes noises at people now and loves to kick and play on the floor. She is more active and much stronger than her sisters. She and Hannah have bonded. I forsee Lexi getting into lots of trouble with her big sister really soon.

Brooke: 11 pounds 10 ounces She is the quiet one. She can entertain herself longer and can relax more than the other two. She loves to be close to her sisters and play with them on the floor.

I will say that we are getting faster at transporting everyone. Liz went with me to the doctor and we did a great job. I think that I'm getting more relaxed taking them out and getting a better system of getting in and out and to and from the car. 

We had a fussy couple of days after the shots but survived. Other than that life is just busy. Hannah is in school in the mornings but I feel like no sooner do I put her on the bus than its time to get her off the bus. It goes by really fast. As far as a schedule for the girls goes, I'm working on one. Up to this point the schedule has been survival. So looking back I guess that schedule has served us well because we have.