The day I never thought would come...
...looks like it may arrive sooner than I expected!
Yesterday, ironically the day after I asked about when feeding tubes might start getting discussed, our team of residents have said they're planning to discharge the girls when they hit 40 weeks -- on Tuesday. Claire would come home on oxygen and a feeding tube, and Paige may also need a feeding tube, as well. Thankfully, the feeding tubes are just the NG tubes...which they'll teach us to use -- nothing surgical required (whew!). Our NICU has started sending babies home with the NG tubes in select cases, apparently. And, since we've been in the bottle training holding pattern for 3-4 weeks already, and the girls haven't needed medical intervention in weeks -- they feel comfortable sending them home -- where we'll continue to work on bottle feeding.
I'm not at all intimidated by the feeding tubes, but what does intimidate me is how Paige still chokes and stops breathing during bottle feeding -- however, no matter how many times she's done it over the past month, they've never had to use oxygen on her. And, the frequency and severity of her choking episodes are lessening -- so hopefully we're getting close to those ending. I'm getting less freaked out about it when she does it with me -- but, again, not having the monitors to really help me know where she is will be infinitely tougher.
We had a number of conversations about the reflux, and the doctors, as expected, take a very conservative approach to treatment for preemies -- particularly since the feeding tube makes it worse, and they've both shown that their reflux is improving....if only ever so slightly. So, we just need to give it more time -- and once they're done with the feeding tubes, that, too, should help. We'll see how that goes in the coming weeks, and open the conversation with our pediatrician next week, as well.
Wow. Excited and scared to death. As draining as being in the NICU day-in and day-out has been, it's certainly provided the ultimate new-parent safety net! Oh, man, we're certainly in final preparations mode now! 
Re: The day I never thought would come...
That's wonderful! Coming home day is both wonderful and terrifying. DD came home on oxygen and a monitor, but we were still scared of leaving the safety of the NICU.
In one sense, it helped us to remember that NICU parents get something most new parents don't: we get to meet and get to know our babies before having to have full-time care of them. We got to kind of slide into parenting.
Congrats on the big day.
Me: PCOS DH: Low everything (MFI)
Clomid with TI x 3 2010 BFN
Clomid+IUI+Ovidrel 2010 BFN
IVF w/ICSI #1 2011
9/8/11 Beta #1: 2082!! 9/19/11 Beta#2 34,689!! U/S 9/22/11 HR 127! 11/8/11 HR 150! 12/6/11 HR 136! 12/14/11 HR 139! Born at 26w2d on 2/4/2012! After 83 days in the NICU, Adalyn came home on 4/26/12!
FET 1 3/2013 BFN
FET 2 5/2013 BFN
thats great! Im so happy for you! I hope the girls make quick progress and you can get rid of those NG tubes quickly at home.
Like I said in your previous post. I had a severe choker and it was scary but in some ways I found it easier to be home without the monitors. I KNEW her and her habits and knew what her coloring, breathing, eyes etc all looked like during a normal choke and recovery. We just had to be super awake and alert and have all the lights on during her feeds to be sure that we could watch her closely.
Good luck! You will do great
www.virginiakkent.blogspot.com
I'm late on this, but congrats!! We are in Cincinnati too - our little guy was born last March at 32 weeks. So happy for you and your little family to be able to go home!! Enjoy