The Dirty The Dreaded RSV!

Well, it's official. It is now RSV season. We are SO thankful our babies have been SUPER healthy since being discharged from the hospital and we don't feel the need to be strict this year when it comes to RSV. The babies did not qualify for synagis this year (the monthly shots they received last year to help protect them against RSV) which is bitttersweet... boo they don't get the extra protection but yay because they don't neeeeeed the extra protection this year!

Although we are not asking as much as last year from our visitors, we are asking that you keep from coming over if you are/have been sick within the last week or have someone who is in your household who has been. Also, upon entering our house we ask that you wash and sanitize your hands. We (THANK GOD!) are not doing "lockdown" this year and still plan on attending church and other small outings as long as the babies are healthy.

To other moms of newborns (preemie OR full-term), moms of multiples, or anyone unfamiliar with RSV I encourage you to CLICK HERE to check out the blog I wrote last year explaining what RSV is and additional links with more in depth info on the nasty virus. The more aware we are, the healthier all babies will be!

See the RSV trends for YOUR state by clicking HERE!

Here's to a happy healthy season!

F R E E D O M

At last, we are FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Lockdown is OVER! We had planned on waiting until the beginning of May but with this beautiful weather and the RSV trends dropping dramatically we are now out and about and IT. FEELS. GOOD! I have never been so excited about summertime before in my life. This time of year I am usually dreading the upcoming Texas heat. This year I am looking forward to SO much after being in the house for nearly a year swimming, parks, play dates, swimming, church, vacations, and did I mention I love to swim?!

We are learning quickly getting out with four babies for long periods of time isn't the easiest thing to do. I usually pack enough for our appointment and we are gone for a few hours. Bret and I are now finding ourselves thinking about how our outings are going to affect the babies and the strict (but necessary) schedule they have been on since coming home. "How much milk to we bring? Will there be extra hands to help? We won't have our quad table, how will we feed them? Will the restaurant have 4 highchairs available? Will they be able to nap not at home (no is the answer to that one!)? Do we take the stroller or the choo choo? Is this person's clean, organized, trinket-filled house REALLY ready to welcome 1 year old quads?" The list goes on. We have become so good at knowing the in's and out's and the do's and don'ts and the tricks to making everyday life easier with quads but this..... is a whole new ballgame (for us and the babies) and I hope we can quickly adjust. I find myself saying over and over that I will not let the fact that we have four babies keep us from doing the things we enjoy. It's very different but it's our new normal. I know the days are numbered BUT the babies have yet to make a scene (besides the obvious) at a public place and are still in awe at seeing new people and places. Here are a few pics of a few of our latest outings!

Brody at On The Border

Kylee

Church in the choo choo

Korbin Lee

My little B

The Grams and the Broman

Last but not least, 2 proud parents and 4 well behaved babies at Pasados!

Hope you are all having a great week! Also - this weekend is our walk for March for Babies. Thank you SO much to those of you who helped us reach our goal! For those of you who may want to contribute or walk with us click here!

All Aboard!

This RSV lockdown thing is not fun, but we're trying to make the best of it. Last week we had fairly good weather in our area but it was a bit to windy to take the babies for a walk and the weekend was nasty and rainy outside. We brought in the choo choo wagon to see how the babies fit now that they're a tad bigger than when we purchased it and they loved it. We ended up lugging them all around the house in it, which was a task considering the size of the wagon and the size of our house. I was amazed at how much they enjoyed it and looked around as if they were in a new world!

Brody leading the pack!

As they came down the hall I jumped out and scared each one. There's what... a foot and a half between each of them and yet each time I jumped out it was like the first time! Love this one of Korbin peeking around the corner anticipating Monster-Mommy!

Just a few more months to go.... until then we will continue to look for unique ways to entertain ourselves at home!

RSV

If you have been following our blog for a while you have probably seen these three little letters come up a number of times - RSV. If you are not aware of RSV you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had it by the age of two. For full term babies, RSV is usually not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be severe. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks are the the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, and other sometimes fatal complications. Our babies were born premature with lung issues, are multiples, and had low birth weights; these are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications.

Starting October first through the end of April we will be on whats called in the preemie world, "RSV Lockdown". That's 7 months of no church, shopping, going out to eat, or taking the babies to other crowded areas.... sounds crazy I know... but for the most part that's the way it has been since the babies have come home. We will only be taking the babies to necessary doctors appts during the RSV season. But Heather, your babies are 7 months old now and they are fat and healthy?! True, and we want them to stay that way. It was just a few short months ago they were fighting to live. They do look like big "normal" healthy babies now, but their lungs have a lot of catching up to do. Can’t they fight it off and build up their immune system? Kids need to get sick, right?! The simple answer is NO. Since our babies were pre-term, they did not acquire the necessary immunities to fight off infection.

Here's a brief explanation I found at http://www.rsvprotection.com/

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a very common virus. RSV usually causes mild cold-like symptoms in adults and children. But premature babies or those with lung or heart problems have a high risk of getting very sick if they catch RSV early in life. This is because premature babies do not have fully developed lungs. Also, because they were born early, they may not have received virus-fighting substances (called antibodies) from their mothers that help them fight off RSV and other viruses. Each year, an estimated 125,000 infants in the United States are hospitalized with severe RSV, the leading cause of infant hospitalization. Severe RSV infections may cause up to 500 infants deaths annually in the United States.

I encourage you to research more on RSV to get a clear understanding of it and its potential danger. Here are a few other helpful links I have found:

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/rsv.htm

http://www.preemiecare.org/

http://preemies.about.com/od/preemiehealthproblems/a/RSVinPreemies.htm

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/12/17/hm.rsv/?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

To hep prevent RSV we pretty much expect the same as always from friends and family. We ask that you do not bring over children, don't visit if you have been/have been around someone who is sick within the past 2 weeks... regardless of how much you want to see and miss the babies! When visiting we ask that you wear freshly washed clothing or bring a change of clothes to change into. You will also be asked to wash and sanitize your hands upon arrival. If Bret and I feel like someone visiting has symptoms of a cold or other sickness, we will ask you to leave. The babies will also be receiving monthly Synagis shots during the RSV season. The shots are designed to help protect preemies and other high risk babies from severe RSV.

Are we over protective parents? Absolutely. We have every right and reason to be. Our goal is to make it through this and the next RSV seasons without the babies contracting RSV or any other serious illness. Their lungs are still very fragile until they are 2-years-old. Please understand that we do not mean to offend anyone, just simply to provide an explanation. We hope you understand, and we appreciate your help keeping our babies safe. We ask that you continue to keep our precious babies in your prayers that we may make it through this season as fat and healthy as ever :)