A lot of hits here are people looking for updates on the Masche and Morrison Sextuplets. The Masche family updated their web site last week. It's on the newsletter link (left side of the page). They have new photos of the babies as well, if you're curious. In the photos, I see that the babies are still in incubators - no surprise, given the sizes listed in the newsletter. They're growing, but still small. They have feeding tubes and monitors, and according to the newsletter, Cole will need some sort of surgery on his colon - no details given. The family requests that the pictures not be forwarded, but they've been very generous in posting pictures on their web site and it must have enormous bandwidth to still be up at this point. They expect to start bringing home the most stable babies in 2-3 weeks, or shortly before what would have been the due date for a singleton pregnancy. The Maches have huge challenges ahead even if the babies have no developmental delays or other issues related to prematurity.
I haven't found any updates on the remaining Morrison Sextuplets, but their photographer friend had posted a short note on July 5th stating that there would be an update soon from the family. Your best bet for news about them will probably be the Morrison6 web site. I'm sure both families will appreciate your ongoing prayers.
Showing posts with label Multiple birth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Multiple birth. Show all posts
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Enlightenment?
A commenter on a previous post asks questions. We've never had quints or sextuplets in our NICU, but I have talked to moms of quads who were offered the choice and opted not to reduce.
I, too, am an NICU RN. I don't understand, but I am open to listening, to those--docs, fertility specialists, OR parents--who think that having 6 babies at one time is a good idea.
The mom of the 30-weekers was in trouble after the birth because she had such a large increase in blood volume to support that pregnancy . . . The kids, even at 30 weeks, are still at risk for developmental delays, learning disabilities, and more.
What would entice someone to take such risks? Please enlighten me.
I don't believe that ANYONE thinks having 6 babies at once is a good idea. People want one baby, maybe two. They find that the less risky forms of intervention either don't work (clomid), are out of their price range (IVF), or violate religious precepts (IVF and/or IUI). They opt for one of the follicle stimulating drugs, perhaps with intrauterine insemination, and find that they are pregnant with way more babies than they'd planned for.
If they choose not to selectively reduce, they may lose all the babies -- or the babies may have multiple challenges as a result of prematurity. If they choose to selectively reduce, they may lose all the babies (miscarriage is one of the risks) or the babies may be born very premature as a complication of the selective reduction. Odds of carrying to term do increase with reduction, but there are no guarantees. Either choice is perilous and heart-wrenching.
There is also the religious objection to selective reduction. If you believe, as I do, that life begins at conception, then choosing to reduce may not be an option. I couldn't do it and neither could the moms of quads with whom I've spoken. Some people do make this choice, in spite of their religious beliefs, because they fear that all the babies will die if they do not.
The reason you hear so much about "miracle pregnancies" and "gifts from God" is that the people who decide to reduce almost always decide to maintain their privacy. I understand that choice - although if they were willing to share their experiences, anonymously or otherwise, it might help people to realize just how big a problem there is with the current state of infertility treatment. Women shouldn't have to make the sorts of choices presented by a higher order pregnancy.
Those who choose not to reduce for religious reasons cannot spend their days worrying. They have to hope that their babies will survive -- and possibly thrive. They must rely on their faith to get them through a very challenging experience.
If anyone would like to share their experiences anonymously, they can email me at tiggersdontjump at gmail dot com. Tell me how much or little you would like shared. I am willing to post a composite or actual experiences.
I, too, am an NICU RN. I don't understand, but I am open to listening, to those--docs, fertility specialists, OR parents--who think that having 6 babies at one time is a good idea.
The mom of the 30-weekers was in trouble after the birth because she had such a large increase in blood volume to support that pregnancy . . . The kids, even at 30 weeks, are still at risk for developmental delays, learning disabilities, and more.
What would entice someone to take such risks? Please enlighten me.
I don't believe that ANYONE thinks having 6 babies at once is a good idea. People want one baby, maybe two. They find that the less risky forms of intervention either don't work (clomid), are out of their price range (IVF), or violate religious precepts (IVF and/or IUI). They opt for one of the follicle stimulating drugs, perhaps with intrauterine insemination, and find that they are pregnant with way more babies than they'd planned for.
If they choose not to selectively reduce, they may lose all the babies -- or the babies may have multiple challenges as a result of prematurity. If they choose to selectively reduce, they may lose all the babies (miscarriage is one of the risks) or the babies may be born very premature as a complication of the selective reduction. Odds of carrying to term do increase with reduction, but there are no guarantees. Either choice is perilous and heart-wrenching.
There is also the religious objection to selective reduction. If you believe, as I do, that life begins at conception, then choosing to reduce may not be an option. I couldn't do it and neither could the moms of quads with whom I've spoken. Some people do make this choice, in spite of their religious beliefs, because they fear that all the babies will die if they do not.
The reason you hear so much about "miracle pregnancies" and "gifts from God" is that the people who decide to reduce almost always decide to maintain their privacy. I understand that choice - although if they were willing to share their experiences, anonymously or otherwise, it might help people to realize just how big a problem there is with the current state of infertility treatment. Women shouldn't have to make the sorts of choices presented by a higher order pregnancy.
Those who choose not to reduce for religious reasons cannot spend their days worrying. They have to hope that their babies will survive -- and possibly thrive. They must rely on their faith to get them through a very challenging experience.
If anyone would like to share their experiences anonymously, they can email me at tiggersdontjump at gmail dot com. Tell me how much or little you would like shared. I am willing to post a composite or actual experiences.
Friday, June 10, 2005
One, two, three......four, five!
I work in a level 3+ NICU. We do nearly everything the largest NICU's do except some of the more complex surgeries and ECMO. We're not one of the biggest ones, our average census is 12. On any given day, we have anywhere from 3 to 23 babies actually in the NICU. Life is painfully boring at times, and a frantic whirlwind of activity at others. Fortunately, we have several staff members who are willing to come in at a moment's notice when it starts hitting the fan. Oh, and thank God for agency nurses who'll do that too!
On a recent night, we started the shift with 11 babies and 5 nurses. The board in the birthing center was full, and I was the lucky person in charge. It was looking like an average, reasonably steady night. Looks can be deceiving. The outgoing charge nurse mentioned that the only apparent "threat", the mom of the triplets had been having a few more contractions, but the perinatologist was hoping to get her quieted down again. He'd been able to do that for 6 weeks, so we weren't too worried. Everyone else in the birthing center was either full term or delivered already.
I made out the patient assignments and the phone started ringing as I tried to get 8pm cares done on my patients.
First, the nursing supervisor: Did we want an extra nurse for night shift? One of the agencies had called to offer us one. There was one nurse from the pediatrics unit available to relieve the evening shift nurse in the step-down room with the bigger babies, but nobody else if the triplets came. It was Memorial Day weekend, so only one of the nurses willing to come in on short notice was in town and not already working. I asked the agency nurse's name and immediately agreed to add her to the staffing pattern.
Moments after the nursing supervisor hung up, the birthing center called. We had an hour to get ready. Triplets. 28 weeks.
We've done this enough that we have it pretty much down to a science, but it's always an adrenaline rush. The admission warmers had been set up for days. The respiratory equipment was in place, and we knew who we needed to call. The back-up nurse quickly agreed to come in and even arranged for a secretary to come with her. She arrived just in time to check her admission bed and get her gown, cap, mask, booties, and gloves on and head over to the OR with the rest of the team: 2 more nurses, 3 respiratory therapists, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 neonatologist, and 2 pediatric residents. Once we were in place, the OB started and we very quickly had the babies stabilized and ready for transfer.
We have 3 transport isolettes, but we prefer to use our lightest one for trips around the corner from the OR to the NICU. As charge nurse, I had shuttle duty. That was my aerobic exercise for the night, or so I thought. The triplets were quickly settled into place, lines inserted, and respiratory support in place. They were started on CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure, to help keep the lungs expanded and ease breathing. The remaining staff adjusted assignments to cover the other babies. Things were looking good. Did I mention that looks can be deceiving?
The evening nurse offered to stay over a couple of hours if we needed her, but the triplets had been settled in so quickly that it didn't appear necessary -- until she tried to walk out the door. I caught the call from the birthing center just as she walked past me. Another patient had just arrived, 34+ weeks, in very active labor, 4-5 cm dilated and the first baby was breech. We had about 30 minutes to set up for that delivery. I interrupted the report to shout at her receding back "Please don't go!"
Did I mention that I love my co-workers? She stayed. Until 5.
At 34 weeks, babies can be practically ready for the well-baby nursery - or they can be quite sick and need full ventilator support. More commonly, they're in the middle. They just need CPAP. We had used the last of our older machines for the triplets and there was no time to rent, so we quickly got approval to bring out two new machines we'd just been oriented on - a couple of days ahead of schedule. Kudos to our respiratory therapy department for having them ready!
That delivery went smoothly, and thanks to the additional staff, we made it through the night. A week later, all 5 babies were doing well, but the census had expanded to 18. This could be a long summer, but I certainly won't be bored.
On a recent night, we started the shift with 11 babies and 5 nurses. The board in the birthing center was full, and I was the lucky person in charge. It was looking like an average, reasonably steady night. Looks can be deceiving. The outgoing charge nurse mentioned that the only apparent "threat", the mom of the triplets had been having a few more contractions, but the perinatologist was hoping to get her quieted down again. He'd been able to do that for 6 weeks, so we weren't too worried. Everyone else in the birthing center was either full term or delivered already.
I made out the patient assignments and the phone started ringing as I tried to get 8pm cares done on my patients.
First, the nursing supervisor: Did we want an extra nurse for night shift? One of the agencies had called to offer us one. There was one nurse from the pediatrics unit available to relieve the evening shift nurse in the step-down room with the bigger babies, but nobody else if the triplets came. It was Memorial Day weekend, so only one of the nurses willing to come in on short notice was in town and not already working. I asked the agency nurse's name and immediately agreed to add her to the staffing pattern.
Moments after the nursing supervisor hung up, the birthing center called. We had an hour to get ready. Triplets. 28 weeks.
We've done this enough that we have it pretty much down to a science, but it's always an adrenaline rush. The admission warmers had been set up for days. The respiratory equipment was in place, and we knew who we needed to call. The back-up nurse quickly agreed to come in and even arranged for a secretary to come with her. She arrived just in time to check her admission bed and get her gown, cap, mask, booties, and gloves on and head over to the OR with the rest of the team: 2 more nurses, 3 respiratory therapists, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 neonatologist, and 2 pediatric residents. Once we were in place, the OB started and we very quickly had the babies stabilized and ready for transfer.
We have 3 transport isolettes, but we prefer to use our lightest one for trips around the corner from the OR to the NICU. As charge nurse, I had shuttle duty. That was my aerobic exercise for the night, or so I thought. The triplets were quickly settled into place, lines inserted, and respiratory support in place. They were started on CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure, to help keep the lungs expanded and ease breathing. The remaining staff adjusted assignments to cover the other babies. Things were looking good. Did I mention that looks can be deceiving?
The evening nurse offered to stay over a couple of hours if we needed her, but the triplets had been settled in so quickly that it didn't appear necessary -- until she tried to walk out the door. I caught the call from the birthing center just as she walked past me. Another patient had just arrived, 34+ weeks, in very active labor, 4-5 cm dilated and the first baby was breech. We had about 30 minutes to set up for that delivery. I interrupted the report to shout at her receding back "Please don't go!"
Did I mention that I love my co-workers? She stayed. Until 5.
At 34 weeks, babies can be practically ready for the well-baby nursery - or they can be quite sick and need full ventilator support. More commonly, they're in the middle. They just need CPAP. We had used the last of our older machines for the triplets and there was no time to rent, so we quickly got approval to bring out two new machines we'd just been oriented on - a couple of days ahead of schedule. Kudos to our respiratory therapy department for having them ready!
That delivery went smoothly, and thanks to the additional staff, we made it through the night. A week later, all 5 babies were doing well, but the census had expanded to 18. This could be a long summer, but I certainly won't be bored.
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