My how things have changed....

Week 28 came with good news from both OB visits. The twins continue to do well during their non-stress tests and I passed my glucose test. Hooray for not having gestational diabetes! At the 28 week ultrasound we learned that Baby A weighed 2lbs, 9oz (a 7oz gain from the 26 week ultrasound) and Baby B weighed 2lbs, 8oz (a 9oz gain from the 26 week ultrasound) Their fluid levels still remain pretty equal and they are still very active.



Week 29 started out like any other week. OB visit scheduled for mid week for another non-stress test. This was all we had planned. The week started off with a HUGE ice storm on Monday evening that pretty much shut down the city. Schools and work were closed so we had the entire family at home. We survived all the togetherness on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday night, we (actually I) had a severe case of cabin fever. I convinced Justin that we had to go to the grocery to get more supplies, i.e. junk food and milk. Once we got out of our neighborhood, the roads weren't that bad at all. I had faith that I would be able to return to work on Thursday and leave Justin at home with the boys since school was once again cancelled.

Well, the twins had plans of their own. At about 10:15 on Wednesday night, my water broke. This was a brand new experience for me given that my two previous pregnancies were inductions, close to or past their due dates, not 11 weeks early. I called the OB on call and was told to head to the hospital to confirm.

We quickly packed a few things, got the boys up and ready and headed out. We dropped Jackson and Evan off with Grandma and headed to the hospital. Upon arrival, it was confirmed that my water had in fact broke. They immediately gave me a shot of something to stop contractions until they could get me all hooked up to an IV. By midnight, I was on an IV drip of Magnesium Sulfate and a broad spectrum antibiotic. I had also received my first dose of steroids to help strengthen the twins' lungs.

I had an ultrasound on Thursday to do a fluid measurement. Turns out Twin A is the stinker that broke free. Twin B's sack is still intact and he is swimming all around. Both boys are doing great; good heartbeats and adequate fluid levels.

I had my second steroid dose last night at midnight. So far, all is going well. I was able to get a shower today and was very thankful for that. I am able to get out of bed to go to the bathroom; another HUGE bonus in my mind.

They will stop the Magnesium tonight and see what happens. If the contractions stay minimal, the twins stay stable and there are no signs of infection then they get to stay put. If any one of those things change, the twins will be evicted.

According to all of the doctors we have seen, any additional day after the steroid injections is a HUGE plus. We spoke to the NICU doctor and she was very reassuring. One of the OB doctors has ordered physical therapy for me if the bed rest continues. I was also informed that massage therapy was ordered for me as well. I wonder if someone could order me a pedicure. I am sure that it is beneficial for the well being of the twins.

So , here we sit, watching TV and waiting. I try not to think about all of the stuff that still isn't done for the twins and what we still need to buy. Oh, and there is the small detail of picking out names. We have a few that we like, but can't nail anything down. Naming your child has to be the hardest thing ever.

I appreciate all of the prayers going out for our family. Keep them coming! I will try to post an update again this weekend if anything changes.

Week 25, 26 and 27 Updates

It has been almost three weeks since I posted. I am officially a blog slacker. LOL Here is a rundown of the last three weeks.

Week 25 brought my first week without a doctors appointment since before Thanksgiving. I had one scheduled, but the doctor was called away for a delivery. So, no OB visit for me. It was rather odd but I enjoyed the break. This week also brought wonderful news on the bed rest front. Since the twins are doing so well, I was allowed to return to work on a part-time basis. I never thought that I would be so excited to go to work, but it was exactly what I needed. I went back on Friday, January 7th for four hours.

Week 26 came with 3 doctor's appointments. I saw my OB for a normal visit including my first (of many) non-stress tests. Basically, I am hooked up to the fetal monitors and they chart the heart rates for about 30 minutes to make sure things are grooving right along. The next appointment was a visit with the Cardiologist for a fetal echo. Things looked great for both babies. Heart functions are good. So good, in fact, that I don't have to see them anymore. HOORAY!!! One less test and one less bill. Good news all around.

The final visit was with the high risk OB for an ultrasound. They did a growth and fluid measurement. The fluid levels for both babies have equaled out. This is AWESOME news! Prior to the surgery, Baby A had 12 cm of fluid and Baby B had 1 cm, thus the diagnosis of Twin to Twin. The OB was once again shocked that the procedure has worked so well. She even said that they normally don't get these good of results. As for growth, both babies are trending right along the normal growth path for a single baby pregnancy. Baby A is 2lbs, 2oz and Baby B is 1lb, 15oz. They are both thriving and we are so glad! Once again, my ultrasound was pushed to two weeks out instead of weekly. More good news!

That brings us to now, week 27. I had my OB visit today for the non-stress test and Rho-gam shot. Both went well.

Originally, we were told that if we made it to 32 two weeks, we would be lucky. Now, they are saying that we should be able to make it to at least 35 weeks, if not longer. This is great for the babies but scary for me. I can't imagine how big I will get before this is all said and done.

So, there is a chance that they could make their debut in the next 5-8 weeks. That being said, we have started to get things ready around the house. I have even gone as far as to buy a few things for them here and there. I was really hesitant to buy anything early on since we didn't know how things were going to turn out. Now, we feel pretty confident with the prognosis and have begun the "nesting" process.

That is pretty much the last three weeks in a nut shell. I will have another update next week after our ultrasound!

Great News!

So, I have been very lazy when it comes to updating this blog. Since my last post, we have had several more visits to the doctor. At 22 weeks we had a fetal echo and an ultrasound done. The echo looked great and I don't have to have another until mid January. Originally, they said that I would need to get one every other week. At 23 weeks, we had another ultrasound. Baby A was measuring 1lb, 6oz and Baby B was 1lb, 4oz. They have consistently stayed 2 oz apart in size. The doctors have been very pleased with the progress after surgery.

Yesterday, I went in for my weekly ultrasound. The fluid levels have almost evened out and the blood flow is wonderful. The doctor came in and almost looked shocked that things have corrected as well as they have. He was so pleased that I don't have to have another ultrasound for 2 weeks. This is huge as I have been going weekly for ultrasounds. Hooray! Justin and I couldn't be more excited that everything is coming together and that both boys are doing so well.

Then came really good news....the doctor is allowing me to go and see Wicked tonight with the family. Woo Hoo!!! We bought these tickets long before we new anything about the twins having Twin to Twin Transfusion. Right after the surgery, we were told by the doctors in Cincinnati that I wouldn't be able to go at all. We were bummed but understood.

My OB is also allowing me to run small errands as long as I don't over do it. I feel like I have been set free. It is so nice. I never thought that I would be so excited to get out in the cold weather and go to the grocery for milk. It's the small things, right?

I will try to be better at updating things with the twins.

One week down...

I have officially survived my first week of bed rest. It still feels wrong to sit in bed or on the couch all day while life goes on around me. Justin has been amazing taking on the role of single parent. He has cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, played the role of my taxi driver and given extra attention to the boys. He also put up both trees and decorated for Christmas. He is going to be worn out before it is all over. I, on the other hand, will be well rested. :)

This week I learned that most day time TV sucks. I watch the Today Show and Ellen and then there is a small break before my stories start. I have re-kindled my love of The Young and the Restless. It is amazing how you can stop watching a soap opera and then pick back up like you didn't miss a thing.

I tried watching the TLC show, "A Baby Story" I have decided that the stories they highlight on that show do not happen to real people. The episode I watched last week showed a women in the hospital that was dilated to 5cm. She got her epidural and then went from 5-10cm in about 30 minutes. Really? That doesn't happen. Then, after three pushes the baby was out. I am sorry, but that isn't reality, that is fiction. So, I haven't watched the show since then.

I am officially 21 weeks today. I had my weekly ultrasound with Dr. G, the high risk OB, and he was happy with how things looked. Both boys were rather active making it difficult for the ultrasound technician to get the readings she needed. Their individual fluid levels were good. Baby B's fluid amount had increased so that was really good news.

I have another US and Fetal Echo next week. Per my friend's suggestion, I have decided to make a flip book of the ultrasound pictures. With Jackson and Evan, I maybe had 2-3 ultrasound pictures. The twins are way past that number.

In other news, my sister-in-law has taken it upon herself to organize meals for our family with her church group. I am just overwhelmed by all the help and offers we get from friends, family and people we have never met. She told me today that we have 7 meals coming for next week. We may have to invest in a new freezer before it is all said and done. I am truly thankful for all of this.

That is all I have for now. More news as it develops.

A little background...

This whole journey started back in August. I discovered that I was pregnant. SURPRISE! We weren't planning on adding to our family so this was a HUGE shock to me. Fast forward to September 17th. I go in for a my routine prenatal ultrasound. I told Justin that he didn't need to come since this was a pretty routine visit. Nothing too exciting. Boy was I wrong. As soon as the ultrasound technician placed the probe I knew that what I was seeing had to be a mistake. I kept my mouth shut because I figured that If I didn't say anything then it was a mistake. Nope, no mistake. We were having twins. Well, I did what any person in shock does. I cried and cried and cried. How could this be happening? We weren't planning on expanding our family and now it was growing by TWO. I was in total disbelief.



After the appointment was over, I called Justin and cried more. I was still in complete shock about the entire thing. He was amazingly calm and helped me calm down. Now came the fun part, telling our family. Once their shock wore off, they were all excited for us.



So, the pregnancy progresses without any hitches until our ultrasound at 18 weeks. It was at this time that we discovered that Twin A had a significant amount of amniotic fluid around him and Twin B didn't have hardly any. This concerned my OB so she sent me to the high risk OB.



We met with him on November 19th. The ultrasound confirmed his suspissions. The twins were diagnosed with Twin to Twin transfusion syndrome. This only occurs in about 10-15% of identical twins. Basically, Twin A gets all the blood flow and Twin B only gets a little. Because of the lack of blood flow to Twin B's kidneys, he wasn't producing any urine thus he didn't have any fluid around him. If left untreated, both babies would ultimately not survive the pregnancy. The high risk OB referred us to a specialist in Cincinnati. They scheduled us for a day of testing on November 24th. Happy Thanksgiving. I spent the rest of the day making hotel arrangements, child care arrangements, work arrangements, etc... Nothing like having your entire routine thrown out of whack in a matter of hours.



The next few days flew by without a hitch. We went on with our normal day to day stuff and tried not to think about what was ahead.



Since our first appointment was scheduled for 6:15am on Wednesday morning we headed to Cincinnati the night before. I had an MRI, an ultrasound, a fetal echo and finally the team meeting with the doctors. At the meeting, we learned that the twins were an ideal candidate for the fetal scopic surgery.

Then came the two words that I had been dreading the most...Bed Rest. Seriously, how does a mother of two very active boys and a full time employee go on bed rest? And not just for a week or two, we are talking 12+ weeks.



We decided to proceed with surgery so they scheduled us for Friday, November 26th at noon and told us that we could go home for Thanksgiving. Great news for us. We really wanted to spend this day with our boys and family and not in some hotel in Cincinnati.



Friday came around and we headed back to Cincinnati. I won't go into all the details about the surgery. The doctor was pleased with how it went and I was sent to the recovery room. After an overnight stay and an ultrasound in the morning, we were released to go home with the understanding that we would return the next week for another ultrasound, fetal echo and doctor meeting.



We had this visit on Tuesday, November 30th. The doctor was extremely pleased with the result of the surgery. Twin A had less fluid and Twin B was getting more. The blood flow issue was corrected and they were now getting independent blood flow and not sharing. Once again, evil bed rest was brought up and I was reminded that I needed to do as little as possible so that the babies could get all the blood flow they needed to grow and thrive. The goal was for the babies to make it to 32 weeks.



So, here I am. Sitting in my bed, watching Ellen and typing this blog. I know that it won't be that exciting but this is my little way to document this time and not lose my mind in the process. I can't promise daily posts but I will do my best to keep this up to date.



This won't be all about my pregnancy. I do have two other very active little boys that provide a lot of comedic relief so I will include them as well. Happy reading!