No no no...don't be silly...we did NOT even once think that about our two little angels we shared a room with tonight. I know you think I'm being sarcastic, but I'm really not! We did, however, think that more than once about the annoying as all get out monitors! It is incredibly difficult to get any sleep when it seems like every five minutes (sometimes it was more like 30 seconds) one of the monitors would start dinging. Eight out of ten times it was dinging because it failed to pick up a good signal and the other couple of times it was because their breathing rate dropped a few points below some magic cutoff number for about 5 seconds. The beeping is incessant and is about enough to make you mad. I'm sure that there will be times when we feel lost without all the data the monitor provides, but I think it will also be a huge relief.
I'd heard both rave reviews and "avoid if you can" reviews about sleeping in the demo room here in Danville. I think we now understand where both are coming from. The best part about it is that we are so close to the babies all night. It would be even better if Ellie could be in the room too, but she's only about 30 feet from the room so it's still pretty convenient. Obviously, the worst part is the monitors! The room is really quite small and the pull-out couch is none too comfy and when it's out the room is even tinier. It is tricky to find room for our stuff plus the boppy, our twin nursing pillow, the pump, etc. Staying here this soon after Michelle's surgery probably wasn't the best idea because the pull out is pretty low to the ground and hard for her to get in and out of. The demo room can't really simulate being home because you have people checking on you all the time, and of course, in our case, we're short a baby! =) But all in all, I still think it was an okay experience and it was nice to get to share the same bed and not have to go so far to nurse. We are going to have to get creative about how we manage this system from the Ronald McDonald house starting tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe we'll divide and conquer, where I do the 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. feedings and Michelle takes over for 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. feedings. But first we have to figure out how one of us can feed all three or decide to add in bottle feeding at this point. It's a tough call because we're a little nervous to add bottles into the mix when they're all still getting established with breast feeding. So I think we're going to talk it over with the lactation consultants tomorrow to get their input.
Here's one quick pic of our "glow in the dark" baby Avery wearing her light therapy wallaby blanket
I'd heard both rave reviews and "avoid if you can" reviews about sleeping in the demo room here in Danville. I think we now understand where both are coming from. The best part about it is that we are so close to the babies all night. It would be even better if Ellie could be in the room too, but she's only about 30 feet from the room so it's still pretty convenient. Obviously, the worst part is the monitors! The room is really quite small and the pull-out couch is none too comfy and when it's out the room is even tinier. It is tricky to find room for our stuff plus the boppy, our twin nursing pillow, the pump, etc. Staying here this soon after Michelle's surgery probably wasn't the best idea because the pull out is pretty low to the ground and hard for her to get in and out of. The demo room can't really simulate being home because you have people checking on you all the time, and of course, in our case, we're short a baby! =) But all in all, I still think it was an okay experience and it was nice to get to share the same bed and not have to go so far to nurse. We are going to have to get creative about how we manage this system from the Ronald McDonald house starting tomorrow. I'm thinking maybe we'll divide and conquer, where I do the 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. feedings and Michelle takes over for 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. feedings. But first we have to figure out how one of us can feed all three or decide to add in bottle feeding at this point. It's a tough call because we're a little nervous to add bottles into the mix when they're all still getting established with breast feeding. So I think we're going to talk it over with the lactation consultants tomorrow to get their input.
Here's one quick pic of our "glow in the dark" baby Avery wearing her light therapy wallaby blanket
Avery is adorable as a night light!! Her biliruben count will settle down soon. The monitor madness must be just that--madness. Happy to hear Michelle is officially no longer a patient!! I know it's hard to be patient with everything but you two are doing beautifully. And those supplemental feedings are just bridging a gap for now. Filling up those tiny bellies is sooo important. Your posts and pictures are so much fun for me and John to share. Hugs to all of you!!
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