OMG 35 Weeks

We hit 35 weeks today. This is the date I was giving people way back when, back before the complications. If you'd have told me 6 weeks ago we'd get to 35 I'd have appreciated your optimism.

So after the doctor's appt. on Tuesday, Sarah and I went on a "holiday date" to Red Lobster. Big time, right? It's right across the street from the hospital, and since we were out anyway, I thought it would be nice since she's been cooped up in a hospital room or the house most of the last 2.5 months. We enjoyed our shrimp scampi (although my brother's is far superior) and she had an IBC straight for the bottle. Now that's living the high life.

Anyway, our hostess, when she sat us, asked Sarah if she was having a boy. Sarah replied (as she frequently does) "One of each." Our hostess asked when they were due, and we said that 40 weeks was Jan. 4, but we wouldn't make it that long, "of course." Well, it turns out that she had twins (a boy and a girl) and they told her the same thing. She went to 40 weeks. So someone out there makes it that long with twins. God bless 'em...

Sarah mentioned in her last post that she measures 43 weeks pregnant, if she were carrying a singleton. You know that you look more pregnant than usual when people in the maternity ward openly stare and ask how far along you are, and how many you're having. We are both amazed at her belly as the babies cause it to morph into different shapes. We can see how Emma is positioned from the outside now. Pretty crazy, and pretty cool.

Doctor's Update

We went to see our primary OB today and got a bit of news. He said the babies could show up any day now, but we should try to delay it for another week or two. My belly measures 43 weeks pregnant, which I'm thrilled about. That means if we have more kids, I'll probably never be this big again.

Joseph and Emma had their ultrasound and BPPs. The babies passed their biophysical profiles (BPPs) with 8 out of 8 and both look great. The non-stress test (NST) also looked good. I'm still having contractions and I'm still on medicine. I only dilated 2 cm, but the doctor indicated that the dilation could change very quickly due to other factors that have become apparent over the past few weeks. He also said if I come in due to contractions, they will more than likely let me deliver. So I will hold off as many contractions as possible with deep breathing and pharmaceuticals!

Yes, I'm STILL pregnant...

...and I really know it is a good thing. The babies get much bigger every day, and I'm now hoping they'll be at least 5lbs each when they come. Having said that, I'm tired of having contractions (working on 4 weeks of going into and stopping labor), I'm tired of being on bedrest (going on 2.5 months now), and I'm tired of being amazed at how big my belly can really get!

My mom was here for the weekend to visit, so I had a nice change of pace. I also went to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, even though I was supposed to be in bed. I stayed in a recliner most of the time, but it was nice to see everyone. I was so thankful that I was not in the hospital for the weekend. Three weeks of being poked and prodded, and staring at the same pink walls was not my idea of a good time. I got to leave my room once a week for an ultrasound, and that's it.

Within a few hours of being admitted to the hospital, they put me on the magnesium sulfate and couldn't get my contractions down. Magnesium sulfate is considered the drug of last resort to stop contractions. I had about 8 contractions an hour on the magnesium sulfate. The nurses mentioned that it would be very unlikely for me to continue the pregnancy after they pulled me off the magnesium sulfate. The first hour off of the drug I had 6 contractions and only 3 in the second hour. I was thrilled and thankful to have some divine intervention.

Some drugs from the doctor ease your discomfort, then there's magnesium sulfate. I noticed they hooked about 5 bags to my IV stand and the nurse got one of the little bins for me to get sick in. I got an idea that this might not be the most pleasant experience of my life. The nurse then explained to me the first 30 minutes would be the worst because they needed to get a certain amount into my system very quickly. I would have very bad flu-like symptoms, but they would only keep me on it until the steroid shots could take effect for the babies. So about an hour later, my body felt as if it was bruised everywhere, I was amazingly dizzy, and fairly groggy. I think my nasuea was better than most situations, because I didn't get sick, I just couldn't eat for the two days I was on the magnesium. I also hadn't eaten the entire day before, which may have helped. The things the nurse didn't mentions is the extreme anxiety being on the magnesium can cause, and the hallucinations. Not too pleasant at all.

Contractions have continued the entire time since then, some fairly severe. Sometimes they are organized and consistent and sometimes they are random. Random contractions are better, because they generally indicate false labor, not the real thing. Every time a I had a new nurse helping me, she would get concerned with the contractions, but here I am, three weeks later, still pregnant. No one expected that...not even our doctors.

Well, that's a little info from my perspective. I'm supposed to be in bed (cheating again), but I wanted to share some of the craziness I've been through. I'm so thankful that we've had the Lord intervene on our behalf so many times now. I'm looking forward to seeing my babies and being able to walk across the house without having a contraction!!

Belly Shots

Here are some recent belly shots. The first is from Sunday night, when we really thought the babies might be on their way. The second is from Thanksgiving day. What's funny is how shocked Sarah is when she sees them.

33.5 Weeks


34 Weeks

November Surprise

The high risk doc came by this morning (having reviewed the ultrasounds from yesterday), and decided that the babies looked so good that Sarah could go home, as long as she stuck to strict bedrest. So this morning she came home. It's her first day outside in 3 weeks, so she is elated to be home. The doc joked that they were sending her home so she could go into labor and come right back. Hopefully that won't be the case for a little bit. We have the meds to fight the contractions off if they reach a certain level, and lots of instructions. So things are looking very good. The votes for after Thanksgiving are looking better and better.

Hang In There, Baby

As is his custom,the OB came by the room this morning around 6:30 to see how everything was going. Sarah asked him, since we're almost at 34 weeks, how long did she have to hang in there. He replied that the good news was that she'd be there over Thanksgiving and that they'd love her to get to 38 weeks.

As soon as he walked out, Sarah promptly cried.

She'll have been admitted 3 weeks tomorrow. To get to 38 weeks would be another 4+ weeks. Not fun. But, we know that every day she's in decreases the chances the babies will have to stay in the NICU, so it's a trade-off. As the nurses said the other day, they've never seen a pregnant woman in Sarah's condition that wasn't ready to cease being pregnant.

Ultrasounds were done today to track the growth of the babies. Got a couple of pictures worth sharing.

Here is Joseph blowing bubbles in profile.



This is a cute one of Emma flexing her bicep. Her humerus is horizontal on the bottom, elbow to the left, hand up and right from the elbow.



Both babies were practicing their breathing throughout the ultrasound. They were also fidgeting around quite a bit, Joseph more than Emma, since he has more room. We also got approximate weights. The calculation for Joseph's weight was 4 lbs 8 oz. Emma is a little bit tougher to measure, because her head is so low. She measured out at 4 lbs. 2 oz. The tech told us that it is likely that they are really closer in size, and that Emma's measurements are less precise, because of her position in the uterus.

So we'll spend Thanksgiving in the hospital, one way or another. Sarah's mom will be flying down to visit for the holiday, so that will be nice. She also appreciates phone calls, as it's pretty boring in the hospital. If she's not feeling well, she'll try to let you know if she's not up to talking. We appreciate all the prayers and well wishes. It won't be too long now.

Howard Deaning for Visits

So here's a new map of US visitors to our blog since July 11, 2007. As you can see, I've gone with states rather than cities this time.



So we're gonna go to Iowa! And Mississippi!! And West Virginia!!! And Louisiana!!! And Deleware!!!! And BLAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!

Why those states? Well, because I'm a little OCD, so I want contiguous states from the Pacific, across the South, up the Mississippi, and up the Eastern Seaboard. It doesn't have to go past New York, I just want the gaps filled. And I don't think I know anyone in New England or the Northern Plains anyway. Of course, I haven't known quite a few visitors, so maybe I should reach out to them. Ummm... Go Patriots? The Red Sawx are wicked awesome?


EDIT:

I don't want to leave out our readers abroad, so here's a map of our visits worldwide. We've got quite a following in London... ;-)

Darn Florida Elections

The votes are in, and I am very happy to report that at least 50% of you have no chance of winning the baby pool, since the date you voted for has already past. Of course, I'm sure this is one election you don't mind losing.

Sarah had lots of contractions last night. They gave her terbutaline to help, which it did, but it didn't eliminate them. Add to this that she has felt "wrong" for the past couple of days, and she reckons that babytime will be sooner than later.

So It Goes

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before on here, but the plan is for Sarah to have a cesarean once she's 4 cm dilated. The biggest reason for the cesarean is so that she doesn't deliver both ways, as sometimes with twins the first is delivered without incident but there is something amiss for the second so they have to do the c-section.

So she asked the docs today when they were going to check her dilation again. The answer? They're not. They fear that the process of checking will be detrimental to the condition of the cervix, and they don't want to cause premature labor. So, essentially, they'll do the c-section if (a)contractions become steadier and stronger, (b)the babies are distressed, (c)the water breaks for one of the babies, or (d)Sarah is in a dangerous condition.

Tomorrow is 33 weeks, which made our high-risk doc very happy. Full term for twins is generally 36 weeks, so we really only have 3 weeks to go at the outside. The twins have been growing more quickly than singletons for their gestational age, but this is the time period where they start slowing down, because they're almost out of room. This is OK, because they're essentially as long as they're going to be, they're just putting on fat (0.23-.46 kg/week)* and learning how to breathe.

*If you're not sure how kg and lb relate, there are a little more than 2 kg/lb. Also, any time you need a quick conversion, you can use the Google toolbar as a calculator. For example, if you enter "0.23kg in lb", the next page will give you the results of your calculation.

2K

Sometime early today we will have had our 2000th visit since we started counting, and over 1000 of those have been in the last month. I guess it's true what they say, if you want more traffic on your blog, you have to write more.

Things are still going well on the baby front. An ultrasound was done on Monday but we haven't heard any results. In our situation, no news is good news. We don't have any pictures this week, and probably won't from here on out. They're just too big to get many shots of anything recognizable any more.

In other news, Sarah's belly, has shifted lower than it was as recently as a couple of days ago. She isn't having more contractions, and the shift is not unexpected for how far along she is, but I was impressed with how noticeable it was. It seems Lil' Joe has lots of room in there right now because they have to keep moving the heart monitors to find him. Emma, on the other hand, is pretty much locked in place and can't move around so much.

Sarah's feeling is that if we make it to 33 weeks (Thursday), then she's going to be in the hospital over Thanksgiving. She is feeling ambivalent about this, because she's so tired of being in the hospital (we're over 2 weeks now) but she wants to be able to come home with the babies with as little time in the NICU as possible. Hopefully we'll only have one baby the next time around, and she won't have to go through all this again.

A Backlog of News

As you no doubt have guessed, there have been things worth reporting on the blog. However, since I opened voting through Saturday, it wasn't fair to give information after some had voted and before others had. Now that the voting has closed, on with the news.

The nurses informed us of the results of the ultrasound the other day. The babies scored an 8 out of 8 on their biophysical profiles, which, obviously, is great.

As of Friday morning, Sarah was taken off the rolls as a high-risk antepartum patient and is now just another antepartum patient. This, of course, is excellent news. Sarah asked one of the nurses why, since she's doing so well, won't our OB just let her go home. It turns out that he would, but our high-risk OB won't sign off on it. So, she can't go home, but she's in pretty good shape. My long-declared goal of 33 weeks (under a week away) looks better and better.

Be a Merican, Vote!

I've added a poll to the front page of the blog. From now until 2AM 11/11/07 you can guess when the twins will be born. As with all games, there is an assumption of fair play, so please only vote once, if you can help it. You can also comment on this post to record your vote for posterity. The winner may receive a fabulous prize!* There is only a short time to vote (this week), so hop to it!

*The prize, if there be any prize, is not fabulous.

You've Got the Cutest Little Baby Face

Sarah had another good day today, perhaps the best in a while. The procardia seems to be doing its job quite well, as Sarah's contractions are neither nearly as frequent nor as strong as they were.

The high risk doc has some ultrasounds run to check in on the little ones. Everything seems to be fine and they are quite active. We also got a couple of interesting shots.

Here's a good one of one of Emma's feet.



This one captures a bit of her face. You can make out an eye, the bones of the nose, and a bit of a chin.



So it's not as good as those 3D ultrasounds. But, hey, we're going to see her in the flesh soon enough, so we don't really need those. Thursday makes 32 weeks, so we just keep getting closer and closer to our goal. Of course, every time we meet a goal we set a new one, but that's OK, too.

Oh What A Night

Sarah had the best night she's had in weeks. They put her on procardia and she was able to sleep for several hours without interruption. The OB doc came by this morning and was very pleased with the results. She still won't be able to go home before the babies are born, but with her contractions down to a minimum our next goal of 32 weeks isn't so inconceivable as before. Oh, and my mattress topper worked great. I got a good long sleep last night and feel much better than I have for days.

The Dark Night

Sarah seems to be able to get some sleep during the day, but the nights are pretty rough right now. They've had to give her something for the pain AND for contractions the last two nights. They've already prescribed something for the contractions tonight, it just hasn't gotten to the room yet. For Sarah it can't come soon enough.

Last night was the first I stayed overnight that wasn't in the Labor and Delivery section, but in the antepartum room. The so-called cot they have in there is probably worse than what they're allowed to use at Gitmo. Still, due to my exhaustion, I slept for several hours. Today I swung by Target and got a memory foam topper for the mattress, and it's SO much better. Once I shake this migraine I should get a decent night's sleep.

In medical news, Sarah is still only 1-2 cm dilated, which is excellent because it hasn't progressed. Also, the babies' responses to everything has been phenomenal. They haven't responded negatively to any of the treatments. They also have been responding to the contractions just like they should, with their heart rates increasing during the contractions(if the heart rates stayed the same or decreased they would indicate fetal distress). So everything looks excellent with them.

We're going to do our best to keep Sarah pregnant as long as possible to minimize the babies' stay in the NICU. Unfortunately for Sarah, what this means is that she starts getting the pain that would be expected for someone about to deliver. But then they administer the treatments to stop it, which means she gets to start all over again next time. It really isn't fair, but she'll keep doing as long as she can.

Any Day Now

It seems that an hour after I left last night (while I was blogging, most likely) that Sarah's contractions got worse. She is being monitored constantly now. As she said this morning, being on bedrest in the hospital is where she wants to be, whereas before she would rather have gone home.

She is now 2 cm dilated and has essentially no cervical length. Our OB gives us 50/50 odds for making it through the weekend before the babies are born. His plan of action is to suppress contractions if possible, but sometimes the babies are ready to be born early for other reasons, such as the start of infection or some other reason, so they won't take especially heroic measures to stop the contractions. Given that Sarah has no cervical length, they plan to preform a cesarean section once she is dilated 4 cm. She has gone from 1 cm on Tuesday to 2 cm this morning, so 4 cm is likely sooner than later.

We'll take what we can get at this point, as our high risk guy said that every day she stays pregnant is 2 days out of the NICU. He also said that there is very little chance of any problems at this point, just that they'll have to stay in the hospital for a while.

Today I'm tidying things up around the house to minimize the chaos. I'll be collecting all the dishes from those who have cooked us meals so we can get them back , as well as clear some space in my fridge so we'll have room to store breastmilk when the time comes. I'll also pack a bigger bag in case I need so spend the night at the hospital a night or two.

Finally, it's probably best to minimize visitors at this point, as any extra stress, even "good" stress, can contribute to contractions. I'll be heading out later today, since Sarah is feeling pretty good this morning and doesn't need my moral support. Thanks for all your support during this exciting time. The train has almost reached the station, so hold on.

Yes, The Timestamp is Correct. Yes, I'm Exhausted.

I just got home from the hospital. There isn't much new to report. Sarah started having steady contractions around 9 PM. They monitored her and the babies for a while. Subsequently, they gave her something to relax and another shot of terbutaline to calm down the contractions, as well as putting her back on a hydrating IV. She had been sleeping pretty well for ~2 hours when I left a little after 2 AM and the contractions were definitely slowed and made less severe. Hopefully she'll have a nice long night of sleeping. My "night" of sleeping threatens to extend into the afternoon if I don't get to bed soon, so I'm outta here. More as it develops...

You Can't Go Home Again

Sarah called this morning. The doctor had been by to check her out, and she asked when he thought she might be able to go home. He just smiled and told her, "after you have the babies." So, however long it takes, Sarah will be residing at the hospital for a while. I'm gathering together some books and movies to keep her entertained, as it could be weeks before she can leave.

They've got her back on the terbutaline to curb the contractions (she had a couple good ones this morning), but not on the magnesium sulfate, thankfully. She welcomes visitors at this time. Just be sure to call ahead. Her room is near a window so she gets halfway decent cell reception, but she can give you the direct number to the room when you call.

Just don't call about anything stressful or upsetting. We're doing everything possible to minimize contractions, and stress can contribute to the number and severity of contractions. Everyone think happy thoughts!

Whew! Things Look Better!

I stayed at the hospital last night, and neither Sarah nor I got a lot of sleep. As the day went on today, however, things got better and better. Here's a summary of what's gone on the past couple of days.

Tuesday - Doctors' appointments (with a heaping of stress), followed by a admission to the hospital and a steroid shot for the babies lungs.

Tuesday Night - Move from Labor and Delivery bed to an antepartum bed. I go home.

Tuesday/Wednesday overnight - An increase in contractions, a side effect of the steroid. The contraction inhibitor isn't doing enough to slow them down. Sarah is moved back to Labor and Delivery and put on magnesium sulfate to curb the contractions.

Wednesday - Anxiety and steroid shot still contributing to contractions. Terbutaline is discontinued, magnesium sulfate is maintained. The nurse's description on the side effects of magnesium sulfate ("like a bad case of the flu") turn out to be correct. After going into work for a bit to get some things in order, I headed back to the hospital, where I stayed overnight. In the early evening Sarah received the second steroid shot.

Thursday - Magnesium sulfate is discontinued at Noon. Sarah is able to eat lunch at 2 PM (albeit very little). The contractions slow to the point that they cease the continuous monitoring of the fetal heartbeats and uterine contractions. Symptoms continue to ease to the point that Sarah is moved back to an antepartum room, where monitoring will be performed on an "as needed" basis. Sarah will sleep the sleep of the medicated and I will sleep in my own bed, rather then on the bench in the L&D room like I did last night.

Best Case Scenario - Contractions are minimal and infrequent, no side effects of medications persist, and Sarah is allowed to go home Friday evening. A slightly more realistic but still optimistic scenario has this playing out on Saturday morning instead.

So, we will wait, and hope, and pray for the best. We'd really like to get to at least 32 weeks and would feel better about 34, as the time in the NICU decreases with every hour preterm labor is delayed. The docs will aggressively suppress labor until 34 weeks, at which point they will try to delay it, but will take measures that are less heroic than those taken at an earlier point in the pregnancy. Our nurse from the last couple of days is off tomorrow, so she told us she didn't want to see us again for a few weeks, but when we do come in, to makes sure we find her. We will do our best.

Oh! I almost forgot. Sarah is feeling much better, and would welcome phone calls and perhaps even a visit. Just be sure to call ahead to see if she's up to it. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate it.