The little roos

Boy were Dad and I surprised to see that neither girls needs their IVs any more. This is such a good thing on many levels. First, it simply means that they are needing less help to maintain their nutrition and hydration. This also means that Dad and I can get in some serious Kangaroo time.

"Kangaroo care is a way of holding a preterm or full term infant so that there is skin-to-skin contact between the infant and the person holding it. The baby, wearing only a diaper, is held against the parent's bare chest. Kangaroo care for preterm infants is typically practiced for two to three hours per day over an extended time period in early infancy. With babies who are medically stable, there is no maximum duration for kangaroo care, some parents may keep their babies in-arms for many hours per day.
The label kangaroo care was chosen to describe this strategy because the method is similar to how a kangaroo is carried by its mother. It is estimated that more than 200 neonatal intensive care units practice kangaroo care today compared to less than 70 in the early 1990s. One recent survey found that 82 percent of neonatal intensive care units use kangaroo care in the United States today.
Researchers have found that the close physical contact with the parent can help to stabilize the preterm infant's heartbeat, temperature, and breathing. Preterm infants often have difficulty coordinating their breathing and heart rate. Researchers also have found that mothers who use kangaroo care often have more success with breastfeeding and improve their milk supply. Further, researchers have found that preterm infants who experience kangaroo care have longer periods of sleep, gain more weight, decrease their crying, have longer periods of alertness, and earlier hospital discharge. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_care

Dad and I went up the visit them last night and had a wonderful time. We got to kangaroo and it is really starting to feel like they are mine. A simple thing like cleaning the sleep out of Addison's eyes made me feel like a mom. It is truly the little things. I cannot wait to change my first diaper. I hope that I can hold the same desire after they come home, but somehow I think that will be very different. Dad took today off work to take care of me and to visit them again. I cannot wait. I will fill you in on any exciting news.

(Addison on left, Evageline on right)

Days since the Evangeline and Addison were born, one week.

Number of diapers changed so far-0 (how many new moms can say that :o)