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| the tanner twins corner of the TCU - jane left and evelyn right |
massachusetts general hospital has three levels of care for the less-than-healthy baby. the sickest infants are cared for in the NICU. a baby that needs frequent monitoring, but who's condition is not as serious, is assigned to the special care unit. this portion of the hospital is an extension of the NICU. it is staffed with the same nurses and physicians, but in much tighter quarters. :) the hospital also has a transitional care unit (TCU) which is set up for one day observation of presumably minor conditions.
when the twins were born, both were in need of supplemental oxygen. evelyn's lung function was such that she needed to be on a CPAP machine, while jane only needed her oxygen delivered via nasal cannula. they also both were equip with feeding tubes to deliver nutrients while they were learning to feed, and beautiful isolettes to help them regulate their body temperatures.
research suggests that twins perform better when kept together, so the hospital worked hard to get the girls together, and to keep the girls together. both girls went to the NICU just after delivery. jane was in the level two area (still in the NICU, but the equivalent of the special care nursery), and evelyn was in the level three area (the place for the more critical cases). john spent the first day running back and forth between NICU rooms, while i recovered upstairs. within 24 hours of delivery, both girls had been placed in the same room of the NICU (level two).
now, less than a week later, the girls are moving (together) to the TCU. they are considered patients of the special care nursery, but the hospital is currently overflowing with NICU babies! for this reason, our girls will reside in the TCU until there is room in the special care nursery. we are sad to leave behind the large and spacious NICU rooms, but we are excited for the progress that's been made.
now on to ditching those IV's and feeding tubes!
research suggests that twins perform better when kept together, so the hospital worked hard to get the girls together, and to keep the girls together. both girls went to the NICU just after delivery. jane was in the level two area (still in the NICU, but the equivalent of the special care nursery), and evelyn was in the level three area (the place for the more critical cases). john spent the first day running back and forth between NICU rooms, while i recovered upstairs. within 24 hours of delivery, both girls had been placed in the same room of the NICU (level two).
now, less than a week later, the girls are moving (together) to the TCU. they are considered patients of the special care nursery, but the hospital is currently overflowing with NICU babies! for this reason, our girls will reside in the TCU until there is room in the special care nursery. we are sad to leave behind the large and spacious NICU rooms, but we are excited for the progress that's been made.
now on to ditching those IV's and feeding tubes!
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