Monday, September 27, 2010

Brandon and Chase Johnson


Dear Family and Friends,

The last few days have been filled with unbelievable joy, and overwhelming concern as our precious little boys were born. Amy was induced on Wednesday at about noon, and the doctors broke her water about an hour later, hoping that it would help labor progress faster. On Thursday morning Chase and Brandon were born at 10:30 and 11:15 am, respectively. Our muscle man Chase weighed 6 lbs 13 ounces. About 15 minutes after he was born, he was taken to the NICU. He looked quite pale, and did not cry after birth. The nurses and doctors who attended to him worked with such great skill, that we knew everything would be ok, whatever was going on. They allowed us to see him, and Grandma Hall tried to get a few pictures before he was taken to his new room. Mommy was so happy to be able to see him, and touch his leg before he left. His skin was so soft and sweet. After 45 minutes of more pushing, our sweet baby Brandon was born, weighing in at a sturdy 7 lbs 13 ounces. (You do the math) J We both cried with such great joy knowing that both our baby boys are here. Amy, now exhausted, was taken back to her room to recover for a bit. She struggled to stay awake as people came in with congratulations. Soon Matt joined her, obviously very upset. With tears in his eyes, and the NICU nurse at his side, they explained what was going on with our newest additions. Brandon was doing great, but needed a bit of attention because his blood sugar was low, but was taken to the NICU mostly for precaution. Before their birth, Amy had a fever that started around 6:30 am on Thursday. The doctors wanted to make sure neither baby had contracted the fever, or anything else, so off to the NICU they went. Chase’s water was broken nearly a full day before he was born and he had a long delivery. When he came out he was not responding well and was not pinking up like he should have. It was apparent that he had been deprived of oxygen. In order to minimize any amount of damage the doctors put our little hockey player on ice; well kinda. They used a cooling pad that he laid on to bring his core temperature down to 92° F. This would slow his metabolic rate down and minimize any brain damage that may occur. Again this has all been done to preemptively attack any problems. He needed to lay on the pad for 72 hours, and then over a 6 hour period they brought his temperature back up to the 98.6 that it should be. Over the 72 hours he was very closely monitored and kept as comfortable as he could have been. Every time we went down to see him, he was just as content as he could be. At the beginning he needed a little help breathing so they had a tube under his nose with room air making breathing easier. He didn’t need that for too long. J Sunday night we went down to hold him for the first time! We were sooo excited. Amy cried at the thought of holding him, and when she was actually able to, the tears were freely flowing! He was doing great. A strong little guy. Tuesday, Chase will receive an MRI to see if there was any brain damage from the lack of oxygen. As of Monday night he has fed a couple times and has been taken off most of his IV's. He is only receiving a glucose IV to make sure his blood sugar levels stay up.

Within 2 hours of coming up to our new room, Brandon joined us. Matt had the honor of giving him his first bath (We have footage) J He got passed around to all his grandparents and a couple aunts. About 8:30 to 9 pm, we heard that he was being taken back down to the NICU because his body temperature had fallen and his blood sugar had plummeted to a mere 14. The healthy amount is about 70 or above. With everything that had gone on Thursday this was very difficult to handle. Seeing our son Chase connected to all sorts of machines and having wires running all over the place was a nightmare we never imagined. Knowing that Brandon was doing well lifted our spirits. Then to see him back in the NICU was devastating. Brandon was put on an IV and was receiving help to maintain his blood sugar level. They would check his levels every few ours before feedings and as long as he showed improvement, they would bring the dosage down a little at a time. On Sunday morning he was taken off the IV and as of Sunday night he has maintained his blood sugar levels. Amy was able to start feeding Brandon on Friday. He is a quick learner.

Both boys have been on an antibiotic since Thursday. Again they put them on it as a preemptive measure to attack any problems. When they were born, early examinations showed that the boys appeared to be fighting something that may have been an infection. That is mostly why they are on the antibiotics. They will be on them for 7 days. The tests (blood cultures) that have been done, and as of Sunday night have come back negative! If there was any infection, it would have reared its ugly head by now.

We are doing great. We are still at the hospital doing a hotel stay so we can be as close as possible to the boys. Thursday was one of the longest and most trying days of our lives, but at the same time one of the most incredible. We had a lot of information dumped on us over a very short amount of time. It was very overwhelming, but we knew our families were right there by our side to help bear the burden. We have constantly talked about how lucky we are to have the families we do. Whether here in Utah, Arizona, Iowa or wherever, we have felt the great love and concern from our family. We love you guys and are so grateful for your encouraging words and many prayers on ours and the boys behalf.

We are equally grateful to our friends. We know that you too have sent your concerns for us and the boys to heaven. We feel your love and compassion for us. We also want to publicly thank our new friends here at IMC, the doctors and nurses who have worked to make sure that mom and babies were kept healthy and happy. We are so grateful for your knowledge and skill. We will post any updates, but for now are happy to report they are both doing tremendously well. They were placed in the same room this afternoon so they can hang out again. As all goes well, they will get to come home on Friday. Here’s to a speedy recovery! We love you Brandon and Chase! You are the joy of our lives!!!


Brandon snacking on his fingers

Matt holding BOTH Boys

Matt and Chase

Amy and Chase

Brandon snoozing

Chase with a very happy grin to be warm and less tubes



25 comments:

Rebecca A said...

Oh my goodness! Amy, you are gorgeous and your boys are absolutely adorable! I'll keep you guys in my prayers. I'm so excited you have those two precious babies!

Andrea said...

Been waiting for your post. Mark and I have been praying for your little family. We love you and will continue to pray for a strong, healthy recovery for everyone.

Rosie said...

oh my! They are sooooo handsome! I'm so happy that they are doing well. I'll keep you in my prayers. Motherhood is the best blessing anyone could ask for :)

holli said...

Congratulations you cute family! Amy, you seriously look fabulous!!!! Can't wait to meet these special boys!

Kami said...

Congratulations!! They are so cute and handsome!!! You guys are very lucky. I understand the stresses and heartaches of hearing of your babies having problems... its very hard. I know the feeling. My prayers are with you and your little men. They are blessed to have such strong and wonderful parents.

:: ashley :: said...

you are both amazing! I am so proud of you and I will keep your sweet babies in my prayers. sending all my love!!

Dave and Lizzie said...

So glad everything working out. Such beautiful boys you have! Oh my goodness.. I am so happy for you and I will be praying for you and your little ones.

Unknown said...

They are so handsome! Hang in there, can't wait to get you home!

KIC said...

Love the pictures of your beautiful Chase and Brandon! We are so happy they are here. Can't wait until you get to come home. You are in our prayers. Love you guys!

Jess said...

You guys are in our thoughts and prayers. They are absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to meet them! Hang in there and please let us know if we can do anything to help! We love you guys!

Kayla said...

They are so cute! Congratulations! I will pray for their continued health and progress!

Trent and Janel Lyman said...

ah man, what an entrance in to this world! I'm so sorry you've had to endure this. I pray that all will be well with your sweet little angels! Congratulations, they are beautiful!

Melissa Davis said...

Amy, they are beautiful!!! That picture of you and Chase you are just radiant. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Get those babies home!

laura jayne said...

your boys are so adorable!! congratulations to you both! here's a virtual hug for you all, and dont forget, I love your face off!! :)

-Danica- said...

Congrats! They really are SO adorable and I am so happy that they are doing better. We are praying for you guys!

caitlin said...

Yay! Congrats! They are adorable! What cute names too! You are a champ for doing it naturally. Hope all went well. I can't wait to meet them. Let me know if you need anything mama!

Muffin said...

wow! you look great amy! And those boys.... uh....ADORABLE!!! Love their little chubby faces! I'm so excited for the four of you! You're in our prayers! Can't wait to meet them in person!

McCall B. said...

Amy, I'm so amazed at your strength, both physical and emotional! What a long labor and journey this has been for you guys. Your little critters are adorable and I have faith that all will be well with them.
Welcome to motherhood, it's quite an experience!

CassieU said...

It'll all be but a memory soon enough. Enjoy the time you have to rest while you can. Enjoy. And again, well done Amy.

Megan Olsen said...

I am so glad that the boys are doing better and they are just beautiful, if you need anything Amy or Matt please call me or facebook me I'd be happy to help.
Many prayers and loves.

Megan Olsen

Nancy said...

I'm so glad to hear things are going well. You know I love you all and I've been praying like crazy for you guys. Eva prayed for you last night, and it was soooo cute! Can't wait to see you guys soon! Love ya!

Anonymous said...

So happy for you guys! What a wonderful adventure you are about to embark on and you will handle it tremendously well. Congratulations on your new arrivals!

Rhonda said...

Congratulations!! I know this is all so hard to take in the last few days. I hope you know how much you are loved and how we all wish you the best! Keep your spirts up! They are beautiful!!!

Lindsay said...

They are beautiful, Matt and Amy! I love them so much already! We're praying that all goes well!

Gina said...

Amy. So happy you have your boys...and now the journey begins. I know how hard the NICU can be. For some reason, no matter how many times you are told to prepare for a stay in the hospital with your babies, it still comes as a shock and is hard when you are actually there. I will pray for strength for you and your boys. I hope they come home soon. Oh, and WELCOME TO THE MOST AWESOME CLUB OF ALL---THE TWIN MOM CLUB!!! It's the best.