Quick Update

My appointment was yesterday and no change in cervix or position so looks like the procardia and bedrest is working. Um. . . Yea?

I am now +30 or so pregnancy weight.
Babies heart tones were both in the 120's
Blood pressure was just slightly high, but to be expected since I was up and about.

Doctor says at 36 weeks we will stop meds and bedrest. Hurry Up September!

It is fun to watch my belly move and jump and do the alien thing, though when baby boy moves I swear he is redecorating the "furniture" in there. And by that I mean it is quite painful because he is touching all sorts of nerves and organs, but it is still nice to know he's moving around.

I cannot get much sleep anymore, my bones go numb on both sides of my hips. Actually for the past two mornings I have woken up on my back and sleeping the best. WEIRD.

Stopped my Walmart on the way home from the doctor (hey, I was already out) and it was the most miserable 20 minutes. Not contractionwise, though I did have a few, but in the "holy-crap-my-tummy-is-too-big-for-my-body-therefore-I-can't-hold-it-up-much-longer" way. When I got home I couldn't hardly move and was on the couch for the remainder of the night. Maybe there really is something to this "bedrest" notion. :) I did get a Nintendo DSi though (family shared) to keep me busy as I have at least two more weeks of homeboundness. Yippee.

33 Weeks Photos and Video

August 13 End of Day

Wow, I just got home from what was supposed to be my weekly normal doctor checkup and turned out to be a 12 hour hospital stay! What a long day.

My doctor had just gotten back to town today, and was briefed with how my weekend went. So she came in to the room and started talking about how great it was that I had my steriod shots, and that if the babies were born now, they would be fine, but let's still try to hold out for two more weeks. She checked my cervix and no change, I am still at a 2, but she thinks that my effacement has slowed and I am back to a 40% and I am now high again. So the reversal of labor is working regardless of the contractions I am feeling. Then she listened to the heart tones. They seemed a little weakish and I remembered I hadn't really felt them move much, if any at all so she sent me to Labor and Delivery to monitor and do a stress test. UGH!

I have done this 3 to 4 times already before and it doesn't work well because baby A refuses to allow the heartbeat monitor to catch him in more than 5 minute intervals. So anyway I am hooked up on this machine for over 3 hours when they determine they will not be able to get baby A so they want to do a "biophysical ultrasoun" which means they monitor each baby on the ultrasound screen for half an hour to watch their movements. At 5 the tech shows up and starts monitoring baby A. First she shows me my cervix and then right there ontop of it is baby A'a head!! WOOOHOOOO he has moved into head down position and vaginal delivery looks possible!

Then we looked and saw the babies are using their lungs and practice breathing, and they each weigh about 4 lbs 10 oz. And are measuring slighting ahead of what they are! Everything looks good, I am FINALLY home. and about to eat. Whoop!

Update August 13

Here is a quick update for me. I have still been having contractions, in fact yesterday twice, while I was using the bathroom I was also contracting, and had a panicked thought “Oh Lord, please do not let me be one of the women who delivers on the toilet!”

I have been glued to the couch or bed except when I eat or go potty. Yet still the contractions come throughout the day. Last night I woke up at my normal 1 am bathroom break and was having such a hard contraction I could hardly make it to the bathroom. Then it continues while I lay in bed for a good 3 minutes. The most painly one I have had yet, I could hardly focus on breathing. I had one more a bit less intense about 10 minutes later, but then no more. Again when I woke at 5 am I had another two contractions. But not too hard.

IM is picking me up in half an hour for my doctor’s appointment where we hope to get a bunch of answers like, if I am still progressing, and when if at all they will allow me to go into labor. Keep you posted!

Going Home

Ok, got the contractions under control and they are sending me home on strict bedrest and 20 MG of Procardian. Hoping to get a few more weeks of incubation. I have to say afterall I have been through, I am quite disappointed the birth didn't happen. BUT I am glad they will have more mature lungs, and that hopefully we will make it far enough to deliver and STAY at our choice hospital.

August 9, 7:15 AM

Woke up at about 5:45 to a contraction and then had another one at 6:15. I feel like a mac truck hit me. They say it is the magnesium. Blah. It is being weaned out of my system in 6 hour increments. The doctor says nothing to worry about. He may worry if they get to go 4 contractions an hour for 2 hours. But for now I guess he thinks we are fine. Saw myself for the first time in two day this morning in the mirror! Yikes! There is really not a ton of stuff on hospital tv this early in the morning but I have "The Librarian" on. I really think I might just head back to sleep until breakfast comes. Yeah, that sounds good.

August 9, A little past midnight.

Just checking in. I have been on a Magnesia or magnesium drip for the most of the day. They say that is the "Mac-daddy" of all contraction stoppers. I was also put on a catheder so no more trups to the bathroom. Everytime I went my contractions got much stronger. Anyhoo, regardless of the drugs, I have still been having a few contractions. They think it will be ok, so now at midnight they have started to try to wean me off the Mag and keep the contraction away. However just about ten minutes ago I felt a very strong contraction. The theory is that if my contractions can stop while being off the Mag, I can go home tomorrow after the second steriod shot on strict bedrest. But if the contractions continue while off the Mag I may have to stay in the hospital for a week or two, OR if they check my cervix tomorrow and see that there has still been labor progression, they will transfer me to another hospital with better NICU. Could be Springfield, IL (which is two hours from all our homes, but in the Illinois jurisdiction so with the "parentage" contract papers) or Saint Louis Children's (one of the best and closest, BUT in Missouri and therefore would force the IP's most likely to have to adopt the babies. Oh goodness. I have a feeling one way or another, these babies will be born sometime in the next couple of days. They seem determined to meet their parents!!

Twins Update

So. . . I am in the hospital. Got here about 8:45 last night with irregular cramping and contractions. The doc on call checked me and I was 1 cm dilated and 20% effaced (meaning my cervix had thinned 20%) I was also very high. They gave me two different drugs to stop the contractions and kept me overnight. Then this morning after I continued having contractions I went potty and passed what may had been my mucus plug. The doc came in and started out telling me how things looked great and I was going to go home. BUT I told him about the mucus and he immediately checked me again. I had progressed to 60% effaced, and 2 cm dilated and I had dropped really low. He changed the plan and I am getting shots to mature the lungs, IV of magnesia to stop the contractions (which btw are still coming slowly) staying here another 24 hours and if the contractions are still not stopping I will be airlifted or taken by ambulance to another hospital with a better nicu. Phew, that is what is happening with me. I will try to stay online to keep me busy! Hope you are having a great weekend.