3 more days of bed rest, wooo hooo!!

The girls did great on the non stress test today.  I then saw the Dr. and I am now 2 cm. dilated. It is always nice to hear that things are progressing.  They tested my urine and found protein in it, which is a sign of preeclampsia. It is always something. The Dr. does not necessarily think that I have this because my blood pressure has always been low and I have no signs of swelling, but they are doing further testing to be sure.  I have to do a 24 hour urine collection and have blood drawn on Monday and the results should be in that afternoon.  If I do have preeclampsia, it means an earlier delivery.

My next appointment is Monday, which will be my final growth scan of the girls.  Monday is also a big day because I am finally off of bed rest.  I can hardly wait!!!!  The kids have a big day of swimming planned (the thought of getting into a bathing suit is a little scary :) and I have a big night of a manicure and pedicure planned.

I am feeling so blessed I have made it so far!  Have a great weekend!!

35 weeks :)

I am happy to say that I have made it to 35 weeks.  Each week I can keep the girls in is a blessing and hopefully out of the NICU.  Today's appointment went well.  The ultrasound indicated normal blood flow from the the umbilical cords to the placenta and normal levels of amniotic fluid.  The girls also passed the non stress test.  The non stress did show some contractions.  In fact I have had a lot of Braxton Hicks over the weekend and today, but they never amount to much.  I keep wondering if this is going to be it, but the moment I start timing them they become inconsistent and go away.  I am so anxious to meet these little girls!!!!

My next appointment is Thursday which will be a Dr.'s appt. and a non stress test.  I am counting down the days this week as I will be free of bed rest one week from today, so EXCITING!!!!!  As always, please keep us in your prayers.  They are much appreciated!!!

P.S.  I have shared a picture of the good old belly at 35 weeks after a few requests.

What the Dr. said today

I started the day today with my weekly Dr. appointment.  I saw a new Dr. in the practice today and she was amazed at how well I am doing physically with this pregnancy, especially with it being my fourth pregnancy.  She said the fact that I can see that my ankles have bones in them and are not swollen is awesome.  I have also been lucky to keep my blood pressure in the normal range, which is great too!  I guess that is what 4 months and 2  weeks of bed rest will do:).   She checked my cervix and immediately said "Oh I can feel a head, you have to have a lot of pressure down there" (yes, I do!!!).  Melis is able to imitate my "pregnancy walk" perfectly as a result of this pressure. She said that I am still 1 cm. dilated, but my cervix 70-80% effaced.  Of course this really does not mean much, but she said she would not be surprised if I went into labor on my own before 38 weeks. My personal goal is to get to at least 36 weeks.  She also indicated her recommendation is for me to deliver via C-section.  While Baby A is head down, Baby B is transverse and I would not want to deliver vaginally and then have a c-section.

After my Dr. appointment, I had a non stress test.  Baby B gave me a little bit of a scare because her heartbeat was ranging in the 190-200 range (the average range is 130-160). The nurse said this was in relation to her movement (and she was moving around) and as long as she did not stay in the range for a long period of time, it was normal. The nurse monitored me a little bit longer than the typical 20 minutes and Baby B calmed down and stayed in the normal range.  There is never a dull moment!!

Until Monday.........

34 weeks

I did not know what to expect going into today's appointment as far as the girl's growth is concerned.  Each time I go into these appointments I take a deep breath and pray that these girls are doing well.  Overall the ultrasound was good because the babies are continuing to grow. While Baby A is continuing to grow, her growth is definitely not near Baby B's growth.  Baby B is just big or as the ultrasound tech called her "a chunk", as a result of a bigger placental share than Baby A.  Baby A now weighs 4 lbs. 3 oz. (she is now down in the 18th percentile) and Baby B now weighs 5 lbs. 13 oz. (she is back up in the 61st percentile).  I definitely feel the pressure of all 10 pounds of baby in me.  I did not have a Dr. appt. today, but a Dr. did come in and talk to us about the size difference. She said at this point she is not concerned, because they want the babies to grow at least 200 grams and Baby A grew 300.  She indicated that I can continue to do bed rest at home because the blood flow measurements and non stress tests continue to be normal.  She wants me to continue with the non stress tests and blood flow measurements next week.  If in two weeks at the 36 week growth measurement ultrasound, Baby A has not had much progress in growth, they will most likely deliver me.  At that point they are definitely safe to deliver.  On a side note we also got to see the babies practicing their breathing on their own, which was pretty neat!

My next appointment is Thursday which will include a non stress test and a Dr.'s visit.  As always thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

The ending of this week is definitely better than the beginning! The surgeon did a great job on Monday and I have been able to manage the pain without going through another procedure.  Thank you for the prayers, they are continuing to work.  The  girls passed the non stress test today and the nurse said their heartbeats looked beautiful! I then met with a Dr. after the test.  She gave me some hope that as long as the next two growth scans go well on the girls, I can go off of bed rest at 36 weeks, YEAH!!!  My kids were so excited when I told them this, they just want their mommy back!!!  They started listing all kinds of things we can do.   Although, Lydia thinks 2 weeks is two days from now.  She could not wait to tell Marc that piece of news. It was really cute! I just hope these next two weeks go well, so I can do some fun things with them before the babies are born. My "cervix of steel" is now 1 cm. dilated and my stomach is measuring at 38 weeks.

My next appointment is on Monday, which will be a growth scan.  I hope you have a nice weekend and stay cool!!!!

33 weeks

This week has been difficult and it has just started, uggghhh!  I was in the ER on Saturday under the direction of my OB because one of the baby's is sitting on a vein which is causing some issues with the backside. Oh, it is extremely painful!!!  Unfortunately I saw two resident Dr.'s who looked all of about 25 and did not resolve the problem in the ER, so I saw a surgeon yesterday who provided some relief. Although I may be heading back to Good Sam on Thursday or Friday under mild sedation to completely take care of things; as he said there is only so much pain he can put me through without the sedation. My OB as well as the surgeon both have assured me that the babies will stay safe through this whole procedure and they will be completely monitored if we have to go this route. They said it is important for the babies and I to stay as pain free as possible, so I do not cause stress on the babies. Here I thought bed rest was difficult, but bed rest in pain is very trying!!

On a separate note the babies looked great on the ultrasound and their heartbeats looked great during the non stress test today.

Please keep me in your prayers this week that the babies are kept safe and sound and my situation is resolved.