Tuesday, March 31, 2009
As Seen In the London Free Press Today
MCCULLOCH, Mya Isabel - Peacefully in her parent's arms at St. Joseph's Hospital, London on Sunday, March 29, 2009. After fighting for 17 days Baby Mya began the next chapter of her life by becoming her sister's guardian angel. Beloved infant daughter of Lindsay (Bauer) and Craig McCulloch of Lucan and twin sister of Alyssa Grace Isabel. Dear granddaughter of Sheila and Doug Bauer of Brussels, Wendy and Rick McGregor of Arkona and Doug and Rose McCulloch of Belmont; and great- granddaughter of Frank and Isobel Burke of Brussels, Charles and Margaret Stuart of London and Jack and Dorothy McCulloch of Dorchester. Niece of Adam Bauer of Brussels and Dale and Cathy McCulloch of Belmont and cousin of Hailey. Sadly, Mya did not have the opportunity to get to know all of her extended family. Visitation will be held at the HASKETT FUNERAL HOME, 223 Main Street, Lucan on Thursday evening 7-9 PM. The funeral service will be held at Lucan United Church, 142 Main Street, Lucan on Friday, April 3rd at 11 AM with Rev. David Woodall officiating. Interment St. James Cemetery, Clandeboye. Donations to St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation "NICU" would be appreciated by the family. Condolences may be forwarded though www.haskettfh.com
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saying Goodbye
Hi all,
I realize it has been several days since we last posted on here - I apologize for that. Lindsay and I made a very heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to Mya earlier tonight. We were taken to a private room with a couch where Mya was unhooked from the ventilator and given to us. We were given the opportunity to give her a warm bath, dress her, and sit together as a family until Mya was ready to take her last breath. She went very peacefully in both of our arms.
We are tenatively planning for visitation on Wednesday, followed by a funeral on Thursday. I will make sure finalized details are posted on here as soon as we have them.
While we are incredibly distraught that we have lost our little girl, at the same time, we are also thankful knowing she is no longer in pain and has become Alyssa's little guardian angel.
I realize it has been several days since we last posted on here - I apologize for that. Lindsay and I made a very heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to Mya earlier tonight. We were taken to a private room with a couch where Mya was unhooked from the ventilator and given to us. We were given the opportunity to give her a warm bath, dress her, and sit together as a family until Mya was ready to take her last breath. She went very peacefully in both of our arms.
We are tenatively planning for visitation on Wednesday, followed by a funeral on Thursday. I will make sure finalized details are posted on here as soon as we have them.
While we are incredibly distraught that we have lost our little girl, at the same time, we are also thankful knowing she is no longer in pain and has become Alyssa's little guardian angel.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Mya
I’m not exactly sure how to best communicate this, so I will do my best. We had an extremely difficult afternoon today. We met with the staff physician of the Sick Kids NICU regarding Mya’s situation. We went into this meeting with a lot of confusion as we had received vastly different information from different doctors. The doctor quickly put everything back into perspective, and basically, Mya does have PVL.
Factoring in the quality of life Mya will have with PVL, and the tedious pain and suffering she will endure throughout the multiple heart surgeries (in which the doctors are not very confident that she can even survive), Lindsay and I (along with the recommendation of the doctors) have made a very emotional decision to pursue a non-aggressive treatment approach going forward.
What this will mean is that both girls are being transported back to London tomorrow (2 separate medical teams in 2 different ambulances). They will be at St. Joe’s, which will allow us to be in a more comfortable surrounding closer to home and with both girls together. We will use this opportunity to have a professional photographer come in for some family portraits, have the babies baptized, and allow for some visiting time. When we are ready, we will have the CPAP removed from Mya and taken off the heart medication, and allow nature to take its course. Once this happens, we have been given anywhere from hours to several days.
We will communicate on here when the best time will be for people to visit. If you can hold off on phone calls tonight, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for understanding.
-Craig & Lindsay
Factoring in the quality of life Mya will have with PVL, and the tedious pain and suffering she will endure throughout the multiple heart surgeries (in which the doctors are not very confident that she can even survive), Lindsay and I (along with the recommendation of the doctors) have made a very emotional decision to pursue a non-aggressive treatment approach going forward.
What this will mean is that both girls are being transported back to London tomorrow (2 separate medical teams in 2 different ambulances). They will be at St. Joe’s, which will allow us to be in a more comfortable surrounding closer to home and with both girls together. We will use this opportunity to have a professional photographer come in for some family portraits, have the babies baptized, and allow for some visiting time. When we are ready, we will have the CPAP removed from Mya and taken off the heart medication, and allow nature to take its course. Once this happens, we have been given anywhere from hours to several days.
We will communicate on here when the best time will be for people to visit. If you can hold off on phone calls tonight, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for understanding.
-Craig & Lindsay
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Daddy holding Alyssa
Craig had the joy of holding Alyssa for the first time since the night she was born. I had been hogging all the holds to help my milk come in. He got to hold on to her while I got to feed her (well, really just hold the syringe). We stick the soother in her mouth while she eats so that she associates sucking while eating.
Before Craig could hold her, I changed her diaper and took her temperature. She didn't scream or cry at all when I changed her diaper. We put the soother in and she decided to grab hold of it in the mean time. She loves to put her hand up to her ear and play with her face.
Sunday Visits
Mom and Dad, Nana and Papa and Steve came up for a visit today to see Alyssa and Mya. Dale also came for a visit and hung out with Craig for the better part of the day while I took people in to see the girls.
Visiting Mya...
Visiting Mya...
Visiting Alyssa...
In the Ronald McDonald House
Hi all,
We have finally secured a room in the Ronald McDonald House. It is located on the north side of Gerrard St, just East of Yonge St. About a 10 minute walk from the hospitals. We are being charged $15 per night. Our room consists of 2 double beds, a little bar fridge, cable tv, dvd player, closet, bathroom, pooper, shower, and wireless internet access! There is a common kitchen that we share with 5 other families...fridge, stove, bbq, the works. Milk is donated free each week, and cans of pop are 25 cents! There are so many things here that are donated from generous companies. We are very fortunate to stay here.
Our phone number here is 416-977-0458, Ext 5510. There is an answering machine in the room, so please leave a message if no one answers. There is a phone in the common room that provides us with free long distance calls!
As always, I can be reached on my blackberry via text messaging (519-902-4195) or email (cmcculloch14@hotmail.com), so if you are planning on visiting, please drop me a line and I will let you know how the day is shaping up.
Thanks for all the comments, well wishes, and prayers. They mean the world to us.
-Craig
We have finally secured a room in the Ronald McDonald House. It is located on the north side of Gerrard St, just East of Yonge St. About a 10 minute walk from the hospitals. We are being charged $15 per night. Our room consists of 2 double beds, a little bar fridge, cable tv, dvd player, closet, bathroom, pooper, shower, and wireless internet access! There is a common kitchen that we share with 5 other families...fridge, stove, bbq, the works. Milk is donated free each week, and cans of pop are 25 cents! There are so many things here that are donated from generous companies. We are very fortunate to stay here.
Our phone number here is 416-977-0458, Ext 5510. There is an answering machine in the room, so please leave a message if no one answers. There is a phone in the common room that provides us with free long distance calls!
As always, I can be reached on my blackberry via text messaging (519-902-4195) or email (cmcculloch14@hotmail.com), so if you are planning on visiting, please drop me a line and I will let you know how the day is shaping up.
Thanks for all the comments, well wishes, and prayers. They mean the world to us.
-Craig
Friday, March 20, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS!
Today is Alyssa and Mya's one week birthday. Alyssa was sleeping when I took their one week old photo.
Lindsay taking Alyssa's temperature. She was quite warm because when she's on her stomach she wiggles herself down into a tiny ball!
Changing Alyssa's diaper for the first time. She didn't scream at all! Hopefully it's a good indication of what's to come!
Mya looks blue because she's under the UV light for her jaundice. She's rocking it out in her cool shades! She also looks different than Alyssa becuase she is quite swollen, mostly from the fluids that are going through her system.
Lindsay taking Alyssa's temperature. She was quite warm because when she's on her stomach she wiggles herself down into a tiny ball!
Changing Alyssa's diaper for the first time. She didn't scream at all! Hopefully it's a good indication of what's to come!1 Week After Birth
Hi all,
Today was a busy one! We went to see Mya at Sick Kids first. The first thing we immediately noticed was that her breathing tube was out! I guess they decided to pull it out to see how she would take it, and so far, so good! Mom and I will be going back for a quick visit tonight, so hopefully the tube will be out - she sure looks a lot more comfortable without it. The head ultrasound that was supposed to happen on Monday ended up happening today. The wife and I (Hi Lois!!!!!) spoke with a doctor about it, and they basically told us that nothing has changed from the first one. However, this was a different doctor than the one that originally broke the news to us on Tuesday. Man, did she ever have a different perspective on things. While Mya's situation with her brain is still very grave, she certainly put things into perspective. There is still bleeding in the brain that will almost definitely lead to some kind of learning difficulties, but the other issue (that the doctor on Tuesday said was a certainty) is definitely not the case. In laymans terms, basically the ultrasound is picking up a brightness that is hinting at the existense of a cyst (which we never knew about), but it has not been confirmed that this cyst exists. This won't become conclusive for about another 4 weeks or so. They gave us a 50-70% chance that this cyst will be evident and everything else we were told on Tuesday would be true. However, that leaves us with a 30-50% chance that this 'brightness' will turn out to be nothing....while not great percentages, certainly better than the 0% we were given on Tuesday. We were also originally told that next week we were going to have some "difficult" decisions to make regarding some ethical issues on performing the heart surgery on Mya, as this would worsen the brain issues. I mentioned this to the doctor today, and she said there is no way that can even be talked about right now until everything is for certain.
As things stand right now, we simply have to take things one day at a time. However, the news and outlook regarding Mya certainly looks better than it did before! From Sick Kids, we were off to Mt. Sinai to see Alyssa. This girl of ours is eating like a pig and pooping like one! She is her daddy's little girl. As of tonight, they have bumped her up to 18ml of breast milk every 2 hours, taken her OFF the IV, AND also graduated her to the Level II nursery!!! For those of you who don't know the difference between the Level III and Level II, the Level II consists of more stable babies, where there is one nurse to approximately every 3 to 4 babies. In the Level III, we have one nurse to one baby. Alyssa's next steps are to master the sucking and swallowing lessons. Once she has her PhD in this, she will be ready to head home with Mom & Dad! We were given a best-case scenario of 4-6 weeks.
All in all, a good day in Toronto for the McCulloch family! Who knows what tomorrow will bring...stay tuned!
Love Lindsay & Craig
Today was a busy one! We went to see Mya at Sick Kids first. The first thing we immediately noticed was that her breathing tube was out! I guess they decided to pull it out to see how she would take it, and so far, so good! Mom and I will be going back for a quick visit tonight, so hopefully the tube will be out - she sure looks a lot more comfortable without it. The head ultrasound that was supposed to happen on Monday ended up happening today. The wife and I (Hi Lois!!!!!) spoke with a doctor about it, and they basically told us that nothing has changed from the first one. However, this was a different doctor than the one that originally broke the news to us on Tuesday. Man, did she ever have a different perspective on things. While Mya's situation with her brain is still very grave, she certainly put things into perspective. There is still bleeding in the brain that will almost definitely lead to some kind of learning difficulties, but the other issue (that the doctor on Tuesday said was a certainty) is definitely not the case. In laymans terms, basically the ultrasound is picking up a brightness that is hinting at the existense of a cyst (which we never knew about), but it has not been confirmed that this cyst exists. This won't become conclusive for about another 4 weeks or so. They gave us a 50-70% chance that this cyst will be evident and everything else we were told on Tuesday would be true. However, that leaves us with a 30-50% chance that this 'brightness' will turn out to be nothing....while not great percentages, certainly better than the 0% we were given on Tuesday. We were also originally told that next week we were going to have some "difficult" decisions to make regarding some ethical issues on performing the heart surgery on Mya, as this would worsen the brain issues. I mentioned this to the doctor today, and she said there is no way that can even be talked about right now until everything is for certain.
As things stand right now, we simply have to take things one day at a time. However, the news and outlook regarding Mya certainly looks better than it did before! From Sick Kids, we were off to Mt. Sinai to see Alyssa. This girl of ours is eating like a pig and pooping like one! She is her daddy's little girl. As of tonight, they have bumped her up to 18ml of breast milk every 2 hours, taken her OFF the IV, AND also graduated her to the Level II nursery!!! For those of you who don't know the difference between the Level III and Level II, the Level II consists of more stable babies, where there is one nurse to approximately every 3 to 4 babies. In the Level III, we have one nurse to one baby. Alyssa's next steps are to master the sucking and swallowing lessons. Once she has her PhD in this, she will be ready to head home with Mom & Dad! We were given a best-case scenario of 4-6 weeks.
All in all, a good day in Toronto for the McCulloch family! Who knows what tomorrow will bring...stay tuned!
Love Lindsay & Craig
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I had my staples removed the previous night. They used a tool similar to that of a school staple remover. There was a couple times during the night when I had woken Craig to help me up but then he’d fall back asleep. So, after a couple of times I decided to take the 7 minutes and very carefully get myself up. Besides, he looked so peaceful sleeping there.
Whenever I went to the NICU to drop off the milk I brought the camera. Here are little videos of Alyssa.
Take note of how massive her diaper is on her. These are the newborn diapers.
The next time I came in she had her soother in. She gets a few good sucks and then rests for a few seconds.
Now at 6am she is wide awake. They had to take a blood sample so I had the honour of trying to keep her calm. I had one hand cupped on her head (preemies like this, makes them feel secure) and the other trying to keep her arms down so she doesn’t scare herself and keep the soother in at the same time. She didn’t even flinch when the nurse had to prick her tiny foot. This is her afterwards, a happy go lucky baby. That green thing in her mouth is a soother. The smallest they come!!
I love the videos! Soon we'll get some of Mya.
Love Lindsay
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I figured it was about time we added some more recent photos on here! A lot has happened this week and we don’t have Internet in our room, so it makes it more difficult to add photos, but we have some good one’s to add. So sit back, and enjoy :)
Mya
We got to do Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin) with Alyssa while she was being fed. Craig had the honours of holding her breast milk in what is called ‘bolus’ feeding. Basically it is milk that goes directly into her stomach via gravity. So long as she can do this, she doesn’t have to go on ‘continuous’ feed which is a machine that continually puts food into her system. She is doing incredibly well with her feeding and is up to full feeds. I’m so proud of her accomplishments, especially for a 29-weeker!
She laid there and stared at her daddy the whole time. I was able to put my pinky finger in her mouth and she gave it 5 good sucks and would rest. I hope this means transitioning to breast feeding will be a breeze.
Mya
Kangaroo Care with Alyssa
Playing peek-a-boo.
We got to do Kangaroo Care (skin-to-skin) with Alyssa while she was being fed. Craig had the honours of holding her breast milk in what is called ‘bolus’ feeding. Basically it is milk that goes directly into her stomach via gravity. So long as she can do this, she doesn’t have to go on ‘continuous’ feed which is a machine that continually puts food into her system. She is doing incredibly well with her feeding and is up to full feeds. I’m so proud of her accomplishments, especially for a 29-weeker!
She laid there and stared at her daddy the whole time. I was able to put my pinky finger in her mouth and she gave it 5 good sucks and would rest. I hope this means transitioning to breast feeding will be a breeze.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
An update from mom on delivery
Craig has done such an excellent job keeping everyone up to date, but I thought some might like to hear from me.
We just figured out that we have Internet access in the lobby at the Delta and I have about 30 minutes before I have to pump again to update everyone. I would love to give you Friday the 13th from my persepctive.
After my nurse checked the girls at 615am I started having some pains at about 6:30am. They were similar to the pains I had had a few weeks ago before I found out that my cervix had opened up, and I just thought they were ligament pains. The only difference was that they were close to every 6 or 7 minutes and lasted about 30 seconds. So I got up around 8 and wanted to be showered and had my breakfast eaten before my ultrasound at nine. The nurse put on the NST because of what I said was going on and this is my nurse Rose that I will forever hold dear to my heart. She knew I was a tad concerned so did it to make me happy. Well the pains showed up every 3 minutes. Just as she took the thingys off, the resident popped in for her morning rounds. She casually asked the question I was asked every morning. Any bleeding, leaking, contractions? I said, I think I'm having contractions and showed her the strip. She looked at the nurse with her and said get me some gloves, we're going to check your cervix. I freaked a little on her because I know checking my cervix will irritate it even more. She looked up and said, we're going to have to do an emergency c-section. You're between 6-7cm. I said that can't be...I'm not in any pain!! I kept trying to move on my own and they finally had to yell at me to stop moving and let them do everything for me. It was starting to get hectac!
Everyone was really good and supportive (with the exception of a few OR nurses who had to be reminded by me that it was 'just' a c-section) even though I was totally on my own. I was upset only because I know Craig wanted to be there to help me through it, but I was good. The worst part I think was the spinal. The first needle they used wasn't long enough so they had to try again and then couldn't find a fluid pocket. Oh man, that was painful. But I got through it, and the girls were born at 11:20 and 11:21. Craig made it in at 11:45 just as they were cleaning up. At the end of the surgery before everything was stapled the nurses were counting equipment and they lost a clamp. It was a big joke because I told Dr. Seward, do what you gotta do, I don't want the clamp in me. He leaned over the curtain and said, are you sure you don't want to set off metal detectors every time you go into an airport? They literally spent 5 minutes looking for the clamp, moving blankets, double checking the placenta, and finally found it under a container! I remember at one point saying to the anestesiologist, "ok, I'm done." I was bored, they were taking so long to put everything back together! I guess it was major surgery! lol
I then went to the recovery room where the feeling started to come back to my toes. Mom and Dad were there, and Doug and Rose popped their head in. It was such a crazy morning, but I have two beautiful girls for it. They will both have a long road ahead of them, but they will be met with love and support wherever they go!
Craig has been such an amazing husband, and this entire experience has brought us closer and closer together. I couldn't imagine going through this with someone else. He has been so strong and so sensitive when I've needed him to be. He has handled the news of Mya incredibly well.
Love,
Lindsay
We just figured out that we have Internet access in the lobby at the Delta and I have about 30 minutes before I have to pump again to update everyone. I would love to give you Friday the 13th from my persepctive.
After my nurse checked the girls at 615am I started having some pains at about 6:30am. They were similar to the pains I had had a few weeks ago before I found out that my cervix had opened up, and I just thought they were ligament pains. The only difference was that they were close to every 6 or 7 minutes and lasted about 30 seconds. So I got up around 8 and wanted to be showered and had my breakfast eaten before my ultrasound at nine. The nurse put on the NST because of what I said was going on and this is my nurse Rose that I will forever hold dear to my heart. She knew I was a tad concerned so did it to make me happy. Well the pains showed up every 3 minutes. Just as she took the thingys off, the resident popped in for her morning rounds. She casually asked the question I was asked every morning. Any bleeding, leaking, contractions? I said, I think I'm having contractions and showed her the strip. She looked at the nurse with her and said get me some gloves, we're going to check your cervix. I freaked a little on her because I know checking my cervix will irritate it even more. She looked up and said, we're going to have to do an emergency c-section. You're between 6-7cm. I said that can't be...I'm not in any pain!! I kept trying to move on my own and they finally had to yell at me to stop moving and let them do everything for me. It was starting to get hectac!
Everyone was really good and supportive (with the exception of a few OR nurses who had to be reminded by me that it was 'just' a c-section) even though I was totally on my own. I was upset only because I know Craig wanted to be there to help me through it, but I was good. The worst part I think was the spinal. The first needle they used wasn't long enough so they had to try again and then couldn't find a fluid pocket. Oh man, that was painful. But I got through it, and the girls were born at 11:20 and 11:21. Craig made it in at 11:45 just as they were cleaning up. At the end of the surgery before everything was stapled the nurses were counting equipment and they lost a clamp. It was a big joke because I told Dr. Seward, do what you gotta do, I don't want the clamp in me. He leaned over the curtain and said, are you sure you don't want to set off metal detectors every time you go into an airport? They literally spent 5 minutes looking for the clamp, moving blankets, double checking the placenta, and finally found it under a container! I remember at one point saying to the anestesiologist, "ok, I'm done." I was bored, they were taking so long to put everything back together! I guess it was major surgery! lol
I then went to the recovery room where the feeling started to come back to my toes. Mom and Dad were there, and Doug and Rose popped their head in. It was such a crazy morning, but I have two beautiful girls for it. They will both have a long road ahead of them, but they will be met with love and support wherever they go!
Craig has been such an amazing husband, and this entire experience has brought us closer and closer together. I couldn't imagine going through this with someone else. He has been so strong and so sensitive when I've needed him to be. He has handled the news of Mya incredibly well.
Love,
Lindsay
Update
Hi,
I know it has been quite a few days since we have last updated the blog, however, we are on limited internet access since Lindsay has been discharged from the hospital.
For some updates: Alyssa is simply thriving. She has gone from 2ml of breast milk every 3 hours to 10 ml every 2!! She has her Daddy's appetite!
As for Mya, we had a very emotional day yesterday. Some doctors from the NICU team at Sick Kids came down to talk to us. They took us into a private room, and shared with us the results of a brain scan they did on her the previous day. The doctors unfortunately did not have very good news to share with us. She has two major issues. The first is a Bilateral Intraventricular Hemorrage, and the other is a Periventricular Leukomalacia. As we are still trying to get a good grasp on exactly what these things are, I would suggest you take the time to research it yourself as it is very difficult to explain. The doctors told us that she can't tell us not to be concerned about these issues, because they are very serious concerns. While we have to wait until they do another brain scan next week before some more difficult conversations are held, what we got from them is Mya is very likely not just going to have vision problems, or hearing problems, she is likely going to have the whole bag of tricks - a loss of vision, hearing, speech, motor functions...
This has been difficult news for us to deal with and come to terms with, but we are getting better each day. Another thing they have thrown out there is the big heart surgery that Mya is working towards is also very likely going to worsen her brain issues.
We will update with more when we have more concrete information. Until then, the most we can ask from anyone is to include Mya in their prayers each night.
Thanks all,
-Craig
I know it has been quite a few days since we have last updated the blog, however, we are on limited internet access since Lindsay has been discharged from the hospital.
For some updates: Alyssa is simply thriving. She has gone from 2ml of breast milk every 3 hours to 10 ml every 2!! She has her Daddy's appetite!
As for Mya, we had a very emotional day yesterday. Some doctors from the NICU team at Sick Kids came down to talk to us. They took us into a private room, and shared with us the results of a brain scan they did on her the previous day. The doctors unfortunately did not have very good news to share with us. She has two major issues. The first is a Bilateral Intraventricular Hemorrage, and the other is a Periventricular Leukomalacia. As we are still trying to get a good grasp on exactly what these things are, I would suggest you take the time to research it yourself as it is very difficult to explain. The doctors told us that she can't tell us not to be concerned about these issues, because they are very serious concerns. While we have to wait until they do another brain scan next week before some more difficult conversations are held, what we got from them is Mya is very likely not just going to have vision problems, or hearing problems, she is likely going to have the whole bag of tricks - a loss of vision, hearing, speech, motor functions...
This has been difficult news for us to deal with and come to terms with, but we are getting better each day. Another thing they have thrown out there is the big heart surgery that Mya is working towards is also very likely going to worsen her brain issues.
We will update with more when we have more concrete information. Until then, the most we can ask from anyone is to include Mya in their prayers each night.
Thanks all,
-Craig
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
This & That
Hi all,
Lindsay is in the process of being discharged this morning. That being said, reaching us will be a little difficult. As always, you can email either one of us (Lindsay's is novab@hotmail.com and mine is cmcculloch14@hotmail.com), and we will get back to you as soon as we have a chance. We will be heading to the Delta Chelsea today for a few days until there is a vacancy at the Ronald McDonald House. I will let everyone know what our room phone number is once we're settled in (sorry for the constant changing of phone numbers...welcome to our world!).
A quick update on Mya...she is undergoing a procedure this afternoon to have a PICC line inserted into her. As I am pressed for time trying to get all of Lindsay's crap out of the hospital, here is a link that will help explain the procedure a bit better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripherally_inserted_central_catheter
Cheers all!
-Craig
Lindsay is in the process of being discharged this morning. That being said, reaching us will be a little difficult. As always, you can email either one of us (Lindsay's is novab@hotmail.com and mine is cmcculloch14@hotmail.com), and we will get back to you as soon as we have a chance. We will be heading to the Delta Chelsea today for a few days until there is a vacancy at the Ronald McDonald House. I will let everyone know what our room phone number is once we're settled in (sorry for the constant changing of phone numbers...welcome to our world!).
A quick update on Mya...she is undergoing a procedure this afternoon to have a PICC line inserted into her. As I am pressed for time trying to get all of Lindsay's crap out of the hospital, here is a link that will help explain the procedure a bit better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripherally_inserted_central_catheter
Cheers all!
-Craig
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Yet Another Phone Number!!
Hi all,
Lindsay's new room number is (416)586-4800 Ext. 2728. Lindsay has slid over a bed and now has a window spot. She will likely be discharged on Tuesday, and at which time we will hopefully be moving to the Ronald McDonald House. We are currently on the waiting list there, so if there is not yet availability by the time Tuesday rolls around, then we will stay in a hotel within a close walking distance to the hospitals.
Today was a good, but busy day, as we had a lot of visitors! We spent a good amount of time with Mya today - she is looking really good. They are going to start feeding her formula and breast milk soon via her feeding tube - they are just waiting for her to stabilize a bit more. Lindsay is hopefully going to help give her a bath tomorrow, and also hold her for the first time if all goes well! Alyssa is also doing very well. Her weight continues to go down a bit, but that is expected and normal. She had 2 "spells" last night. What this essentially means is she stopped breathing on 2 occasions. The first time, the nurse had to flick her a few times until she caught on again. The second time she corrected things herself. This is typical of a 29 weeker, however, the nurses are keeping an eye on things. As one nurse told us during our late night visit last night, everyone that looks after Alyssa in the NICU forgets that she is only 29 weeks because she is so much bigger than a typical 29-weeker! Lindsay also had another great Kangaroo Care with Alyssa tonight, and this time had her on her chest for over an hour! Alyssa was sucking frantically on Lindsay's pinkie finger!
Lindsay and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the well-wishes! It means a great deal to us!
-Lindsay & Craig
Lindsay's new room number is (416)586-4800 Ext. 2728. Lindsay has slid over a bed and now has a window spot. She will likely be discharged on Tuesday, and at which time we will hopefully be moving to the Ronald McDonald House. We are currently on the waiting list there, so if there is not yet availability by the time Tuesday rolls around, then we will stay in a hotel within a close walking distance to the hospitals.
Today was a good, but busy day, as we had a lot of visitors! We spent a good amount of time with Mya today - she is looking really good. They are going to start feeding her formula and breast milk soon via her feeding tube - they are just waiting for her to stabilize a bit more. Lindsay is hopefully going to help give her a bath tomorrow, and also hold her for the first time if all goes well! Alyssa is also doing very well. Her weight continues to go down a bit, but that is expected and normal. She had 2 "spells" last night. What this essentially means is she stopped breathing on 2 occasions. The first time, the nurse had to flick her a few times until she caught on again. The second time she corrected things herself. This is typical of a 29 weeker, however, the nurses are keeping an eye on things. As one nurse told us during our late night visit last night, everyone that looks after Alyssa in the NICU forgets that she is only 29 weeks because she is so much bigger than a typical 29-weeker! Lindsay also had another great Kangaroo Care with Alyssa tonight, and this time had her on her chest for over an hour! Alyssa was sucking frantically on Lindsay's pinkie finger!
Lindsay and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the well-wishes! It means a great deal to us!
-Lindsay & Craig
An Update on Mya
Lindsay and I were at Sick Kids for several hours yesterday morning visiting with Mya and talking to one of her doctors. Her first night on Planet Earth was a bit of a rough one with some breathing issues, but she seems stable now. They are hoping that she will continue to improve her breathing over the weekend, and by Monday, they might try to take the breathing tube out and see how she handles things without it. The cardiac team is meeting on Monday morning to discuss the best course of action with Mya. From what I understand at this point, Mya needs to reach a weight of between 4.5 to 5lbs before this surgery can be done, as it is a double bypass surgery. We were told that if they attempted this surgery on her today, she would essentially not make it as her lungs wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure. They anticipate she will reach this weight, hopefully, by early May. In the meantime, their plan is to take things day by day, try to keep her stable, and hope she can grow a bit.
There is another option that is being tossed around as a short-term solution, but our impression is that it is not likely. They are talking about doing a smaller, temporary surgery next week that will allow her to come off the medication that is keeping the heart duct open until she is big enough to survive the main event. The impression we got, however, is they aren’t too keen on this option, as the risks associated with the temporary surgery are not beneficial enough to outweigh the risks associated with remaining on the medication long-term. However, this surgery might have to happen if she isn’t able to tolerate the medication. A lot of what if’s right now…the next few days will reveal a lot.
Mya is in this for the long haul. As Mom said yesterday after seeing Mya, she looks like a very happy & content little girl. The best and only thing we can do right now is take it one day at a time and pray!
There is another option that is being tossed around as a short-term solution, but our impression is that it is not likely. They are talking about doing a smaller, temporary surgery next week that will allow her to come off the medication that is keeping the heart duct open until she is big enough to survive the main event. The impression we got, however, is they aren’t too keen on this option, as the risks associated with the temporary surgery are not beneficial enough to outweigh the risks associated with remaining on the medication long-term. However, this surgery might have to happen if she isn’t able to tolerate the medication. A lot of what if’s right now…the next few days will reveal a lot.
Mya is in this for the long haul. As Mom said yesterday after seeing Mya, she looks like a very happy & content little girl. The best and only thing we can do right now is take it one day at a time and pray!
Kangaroo Care!!!!
Around 5:30 yesterday afternoon, Lindsay and I went back to the NICU to see Alyssa. Lindsay was given the opportunity for some Kangaroo Care time, which basically means that the baby lies in her diaper on Lindsay's bare chest. The direct skin-to-skin contact allows for bonding time between Mom and baby, helps calm the baby down because she can hear Mom's heartbeat, keeps the baby warm, and also helps stimulate the breast milk in Lindsay.
Just prior to arriving at the NICU, Lindsay had had a busy day and was in quite a bit of pain. She was determined to get there, however, and once she was settled in with Alyssa, you could immediately see her pain had disappeared!
Lindsay is able to do this once a day while Alyssa remains in the Level III NICU. I can guarantee you, she won't be missing a day!!
-Craig
Just prior to arriving at the NICU, Lindsay had had a busy day and was in quite a bit of pain. She was determined to get there, however, and once she was settled in with Alyssa, you could immediately see her pain had disappeared!
Lindsay is able to do this once a day while Alyssa remains in the Level III NICU. I can guarantee you, she won't be missing a day!!
-Craig
Saturday, March 14, 2009
An Unexpected Arrival!!!!
Yesterday morning started off innocently enough. I had gone up to Brussels on Thursday night to see the dogs (and the in-laws too, of course…). Lindsay sent me a text message saying she was having some kind of pains, however, they were nothing to be concerned about as they were only “ligament pains” and not contractions. Nonetheless, I thought it would be best to start moving and get back to Toronto. I was on the road by 10am. Not 15 minutes after hitting the asphalt, I get 2 text messages from Lindsay (I know, I text message when I drive…but I’m a McCulloch, therefore, I’m an expert driver – that’s why there’s 2 lanes – gives me more room to swerve around while texting). Her messages essentially said, “You need to get here now”, followed by, “I’m gone. Love you.” Let’s just say it was amazing to see how fast people got the hell out of the way when they could see a SUV barreling up behind them with 4-ways going and a fat guy leaning on the horn…
Meanwhile, back in the hospital…
Turns out those “ligament pains” were actually contractions, even though Lindsay didn’t feel like she was in much pain. The nurses called in a resident to check her cervix, and found she was 6cm dilated. Lindsay was quickly informed she would be having an emergency c-section. During the trip to labour & delivery, Lindsay was thinking they were jumping the gun awfully fast! However, once she arrived in the OR, another cervix check revealed that she was now 9cm dilated, and the membrane was showing!
Around 11:20 (while I was driving on the shoulder of the Gardiner Expressway, cursing at people) Alyssa Grace and Mya Isabel were born. Alyssa came first, and came out with a hearty scream. Lindsay was able to take a look at her before she was taken out of the room. Mya, because of her heart issue, was taken right away, but they worked on both babies in the same room for awhile.
I arrived just before 12, as Lindsay was about to be taken out of the OR – I was told she was quite the trooper and did an amazing job. Within several hours, we had quite the collection of family (and one special friend!) loitering in the hospital halls! Dad and Rose, Doug & Sheila, Dustin, Nancy, Mom, and Dale were all here! Once Alyssa was settled in to the NICU here, I was able to bring everyone in for a quick peek (and a lot of picture taking!). No one was able to see Mya, unfortunately, as she was taken over to Sick Kids around 5pm. I went over later that night, and Dustin came along and was able to get some pictures as well.
Alyssa is doing amazing! She is breathing 100% on her own, and has a tiny little feeding tube in her mouth. She has started to take a little bit of Mom’s breast milk this morning. As of this morning, Alyssa is down 40g from her original birth weight, which is natural and expected.
Mya is also doing well. Shortly after birth she was given medication to keep her heart duct open until surgery. One side effect of this medication is it causes some breathing issues. A breathing tube was inserted in Mya’s nose in case she “forgets” to breathe. This is just room air though, no oxygen yet!
I was able to hold Alyssa around 10pm last night for a short while. What an amazing feeling that was!
Alyssa is in the NICU at Mt. Sinai, while Mya is in the Critical Cardiac Care Unit (CCCU) at Sick Kids. The rules are quite different between the two hospitals. In the NICU at Mt. Sinai, Mom & Dad have 24/7 access to see and touch Alyssa. We are also able to bring in 2 people at a time into the NICU, however, hospital policy doesn’t allow anyone to touch the baby. In the CCCU at Sick Kids, Mom & Dad again have 24/7 access to see & touch Mya. Here, however, we are only allowed to bring in Grandparents to see and touch Mya, along with 2 other people (which will obviously be Dale and Adam).
Another post is coming soon with some updates on Mya…
-Craig
Meanwhile, back in the hospital…
Turns out those “ligament pains” were actually contractions, even though Lindsay didn’t feel like she was in much pain. The nurses called in a resident to check her cervix, and found she was 6cm dilated. Lindsay was quickly informed she would be having an emergency c-section. During the trip to labour & delivery, Lindsay was thinking they were jumping the gun awfully fast! However, once she arrived in the OR, another cervix check revealed that she was now 9cm dilated, and the membrane was showing!
Around 11:20 (while I was driving on the shoulder of the Gardiner Expressway, cursing at people) Alyssa Grace and Mya Isabel were born. Alyssa came first, and came out with a hearty scream. Lindsay was able to take a look at her before she was taken out of the room. Mya, because of her heart issue, was taken right away, but they worked on both babies in the same room for awhile.
I arrived just before 12, as Lindsay was about to be taken out of the OR – I was told she was quite the trooper and did an amazing job. Within several hours, we had quite the collection of family (and one special friend!) loitering in the hospital halls! Dad and Rose, Doug & Sheila, Dustin, Nancy, Mom, and Dale were all here! Once Alyssa was settled in to the NICU here, I was able to bring everyone in for a quick peek (and a lot of picture taking!). No one was able to see Mya, unfortunately, as she was taken over to Sick Kids around 5pm. I went over later that night, and Dustin came along and was able to get some pictures as well.
Alyssa is doing amazing! She is breathing 100% on her own, and has a tiny little feeding tube in her mouth. She has started to take a little bit of Mom’s breast milk this morning. As of this morning, Alyssa is down 40g from her original birth weight, which is natural and expected.
Mya is also doing well. Shortly after birth she was given medication to keep her heart duct open until surgery. One side effect of this medication is it causes some breathing issues. A breathing tube was inserted in Mya’s nose in case she “forgets” to breathe. This is just room air though, no oxygen yet!
I was able to hold Alyssa around 10pm last night for a short while. What an amazing feeling that was!
Alyssa is in the NICU at Mt. Sinai, while Mya is in the Critical Cardiac Care Unit (CCCU) at Sick Kids. The rules are quite different between the two hospitals. In the NICU at Mt. Sinai, Mom & Dad have 24/7 access to see and touch Alyssa. We are also able to bring in 2 people at a time into the NICU, however, hospital policy doesn’t allow anyone to touch the baby. In the CCCU at Sick Kids, Mom & Dad again have 24/7 access to see & touch Mya. Here, however, we are only allowed to bring in Grandparents to see and touch Mya, along with 2 other people (which will obviously be Dale and Adam).
Another post is coming soon with some updates on Mya…
-Craig
Friday, March 13, 2009
Introducing.....
Alyssa Grace
(Formerly known as "Twin A"), weighing in at 2lbs, 14oz
and...
Mya Isabel
(Formerly known as "Twin B"), weighing in at 3lbs, 4oz
Both babies and Mom are doing great!
Pictures are below...More details to follow!
-Craig
P.S. Lindsay has a new phone number - (416)586-4800 Ext. 7149
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