ANDREW was born first at 10:15 am weighing in at 5 lbs. 4 oz. and was 17 3/4 in. long and has dark brown hair. When he was first introduced into this world he gave a good cry. This brought tears to our eyes as we heard him. ANDREW was the baby that was at one time not expected to live. We felt overwhelmed to know that he is an answer to many prayers and a miracle to us! Soon after being weighed, cleaned up, and held by Daddy nurses took him to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or NICU. There they attempted to put a vacuum tube down into his stomach to clean it out but weren't able to do so. The tube would only go down an inch or two and stop. It was soon discovered that through x-rays that he had what is called Tracheo Esophageal Fistula (EAF) which means that Andrew's esophagus was attached to his trachea a few inches up from his stomach. He also had an Esophageal Atreasia-where the upper part of his esophagus didn't connect with the lower part and just ends in a sack. So basically he was breathing into his stomach, so his stomach and small intestines filled with air. We were given this information by a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Kogut. She said his defect would require immediate surgery so that ANDREW could eat and take in food. Otherwise, he would not live long. Surgery was scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:00. Due to his labored breathing soon after birth ANDREW was put on a ventilator. One good thing that we are happy about was Andrew peed and pooped- signs that his kidneys are functioning and damage may not be as severe as had been expected. An ultrasound was done and when the urologist came to our room that evening she said he's got good renal tissue but she still wants another ultrasound the next day because the pictures weren't as good as she'd hoped. We think he is adorable! We are very proud parents! (PICTURE: Andrew at the end of day #1 in the NICU)
AARON was born at 10:17 a.m. weighting in at 4 lbs. 10 oz. and was 17 3/4 in long. Aaron has light brown hair. Aaron also came out crying which made us very reassured he was alive and breathing. AFter his initial assessment and weighing by the nurses he was bundled up and presented to Daddy, along with his brother, to hold for a quick photo opportunity. (This is the only time ANDREW's been held by his parents). His first few hours went very well which pleased us. AARON had a feeding tube put in him and nurses started him on very low doses of formula-- not more than 10 CC every 3 hours. He was put in a warmer in the NICU to help him maintain his body temperature. It was some time in the late evening or early morning that he was put into an incubator, or isolette. At first, AARON was not next to Andrew in the NICU. AARON has always been breathing well on his own whereas ANDREW has always had a ventilator from the very beginning.. Soon after AARON was born he had lots of tubes and wires placed on him to help monitor his vitals- heart monitor, respiration, pulse ox (to monitor oxygen levels), blood pressure, an IV, and a feeding tube in his mouth. Despite all this, AARON is adorable!! (PICTURE: Aaron on day #1 in the NICU)
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