I decided to change my major from a traditional MBA to an MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration. I think that concentrating on the healthcare field will be a better route than just concentrating on business. I started an accounting class on Tuesday and I had a little talk with the girls asking them to wait out the six weeks before they make their arrival. That would put me right before my OB's goal of getting to 36 weeks.
The time seems to by flying by right now. I am in shock that this pregnancy could be over in the next 6 to 8 weeks. Some days I feel like time is standing still because I don't get to do much, but other times I wake up and I am in shock that I will have 2 baby girls in my arms very soon.
Sara has been a big help around the house. She does an excellent job cooking meals for us and taking care of things around the house for me. This allows me to stay lying on the couch instead of getting up for every little thing. We both decided to lay out on the lounge chairs by the pool on Monday and we stayed out a little too long. I burned the tops of my feet and my chest where I missed the sun block and she was burned really bad on her chest. We enjoyed our day out in the sun but we need a few days to recover before we try that again. This time we will be covered from head to toe in sun block thanks to the Arizona heat. The pool is still cold at 60 degrees but I hope at some point I can just float on a raft and read a book in the pool before these girls come.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Week 29 Appointment
My OB was so happy to see me still pregnant a week after being released from the hospital. My appointment was coded wrong and the whole office staff thought I was coming in for a post-op appointment from the hospital meaning I had given birth. They were glad the girls were still tucked in tight inside of me. The medical assistant was confused for a few minutes wondering why I still looked so big and why I needed to go into the ultrasound room rather than the regular exam room.
My doctor did a quick ultrasound and both girls were head down and moving like crazy. They are growing big and I will have another growth scan next week at the specialists office. I go back to my OB in 2 weeks for another FFN test to predict labor and then I will start seeing her every week until the girls are born. Our goal is to get to 36 weeks so that leaves me with 7 more weeks to that goal. Of course I could still deliver anytime, but I am glad to know that even if I make it to the end...I only have at most...9 more weeks of pregnancy left. Woohoo.
I am starting to have more aches and pains now that I am getting bigger. I have trouble getting up off the couch or out of the bath tub. I am happy to know I don't have much longer until my body can work on getting back to normal.
I am so excited to meet our girls and see what they look like and learn their personalities, but I do want them to stay put a while longer. In the meantime, I will enjoy my extra sleep and rest.
My doctor did a quick ultrasound and both girls were head down and moving like crazy. They are growing big and I will have another growth scan next week at the specialists office. I go back to my OB in 2 weeks for another FFN test to predict labor and then I will start seeing her every week until the girls are born. Our goal is to get to 36 weeks so that leaves me with 7 more weeks to that goal. Of course I could still deliver anytime, but I am glad to know that even if I make it to the end...I only have at most...9 more weeks of pregnancy left. Woohoo.
I am starting to have more aches and pains now that I am getting bigger. I have trouble getting up off the couch or out of the bath tub. I am happy to know I don't have much longer until my body can work on getting back to normal.
I am so excited to meet our girls and see what they look like and learn their personalities, but I do want them to stay put a while longer. In the meantime, I will enjoy my extra sleep and rest.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Changes
It is so hard to do daily things without thinking about the big hole that is missing from our lives. Matti would follow us around the house. He always wanted to be where the action was. He would be so silly to actually follow me to the bathroom and go in with me. He would follow Jesse around the house and go outside with him every time Jesse went out. He always had a happy smile on his face and never showed any signs of being in a bad mood.
I find it hard to go many hours without crying or having an intense emotional moment when thinking about our dear friend. I downloaded every picture we had of Matti and sent them to be printed. I have started a memory book, but it is hard to concentrate and not drift off thinking about sweet memories.
Friday was the worst because it was the first morning I didn't have to wake up to let Matti out to go potty or fill up his food bowl or pet him. Matti was always so excited when one of us got up in the morning. He missed us while we slept and loved to have our attention. It was nice that Sara was here cooking breakfast but we both noticed the silence in the house. Matti wasn't running around or begging for food.
I got onto SK and read all the nice responses from my cyber friends about our loss. Each post made me cry even more, but I was blessed to have so many people with kind words to say. Brea decided that she was coming over to help cheer me up. That helped because it is so hard to sit at home and feel the void missing from our lives. Jesse was able to go to work and distract himself while I had to sit at home and dwell on the sadness.
Luckily Brea had been working on a project since I was put into the hospital and today was the perfect day to use that project to cheer me up. She had contacted one of the hosts on the SK website to help her secretly obtain letters from all my friends who were sending well wishes after my second hospital stay. It is amazing to know that many of us have grown so close over the internet sharing infertility stories and pregnancy problems without having met in real life. It was so sweet to read all the nice letters and know that many people are cheering me on during this pregnancy and they are praying that Addison and Riley will be healthy and happy when they are born. The scrapbook was just what I need to feel better and concentrate on something other than the deep loss I felt.
As the time passes I cry a little less, but I still miss our sweet dog. I know he isn't suffering any longer, but that doesn't make my heart feel better. I can't even type this blog entry without tears running down my face. For now I will cherish the pictures we have and play all the good memories through my mind. I know it will get easier as time passes and I hope I can smile each time I think of Matti rather than cry for our loss.
I find it hard to go many hours without crying or having an intense emotional moment when thinking about our dear friend. I downloaded every picture we had of Matti and sent them to be printed. I have started a memory book, but it is hard to concentrate and not drift off thinking about sweet memories.
Friday was the worst because it was the first morning I didn't have to wake up to let Matti out to go potty or fill up his food bowl or pet him. Matti was always so excited when one of us got up in the morning. He missed us while we slept and loved to have our attention. It was nice that Sara was here cooking breakfast but we both noticed the silence in the house. Matti wasn't running around or begging for food.
I got onto SK and read all the nice responses from my cyber friends about our loss. Each post made me cry even more, but I was blessed to have so many people with kind words to say. Brea decided that she was coming over to help cheer me up. That helped because it is so hard to sit at home and feel the void missing from our lives. Jesse was able to go to work and distract himself while I had to sit at home and dwell on the sadness.
Luckily Brea had been working on a project since I was put into the hospital and today was the perfect day to use that project to cheer me up. She had contacted one of the hosts on the SK website to help her secretly obtain letters from all my friends who were sending well wishes after my second hospital stay. It is amazing to know that many of us have grown so close over the internet sharing infertility stories and pregnancy problems without having met in real life. It was so sweet to read all the nice letters and know that many people are cheering me on during this pregnancy and they are praying that Addison and Riley will be healthy and happy when they are born. The scrapbook was just what I need to feel better and concentrate on something other than the deep loss I felt.
As the time passes I cry a little less, but I still miss our sweet dog. I know he isn't suffering any longer, but that doesn't make my heart feel better. I can't even type this blog entry without tears running down my face. For now I will cherish the pictures we have and play all the good memories through my mind. I know it will get easier as time passes and I hope I can smile each time I think of Matti rather than cry for our loss.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
We let Matti go
Today was a rough day for Matti. His medicine was not working and each day he was progressively getting worse. This morning he was barely walking and he just wanted to lay down all day. We had to get him up to go to the bathroom and eat. We thought we would have more time with him but his quality of life was not good at all.
Jesse and I took him into the vet and put him down. At least I know he isn't suffering anymore.It was so hard to come home and not have our happy dog there to great us. We plan on waiting until the girls are a little older and we will pick out another family dog together. Until then, we will hold Matti in hearts. Here are some good bye pictures we took of him today. RIP Matti....we love you.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
What is the next thing to look forward to?
There has been such a big fuss about getting me to 28 weeks so the girls have a 95% survival rate and now that I have passed that mark, I am left wondering what I am looking forward to now. Now I am glad to be out of the hospital, but my days at home are almost as boring. At least I have Sara here making my meals and giving me someone other than my sick dog to talk to. I guess my next big mile stone should be 32 weeks, however each day is going by sooooo slow. I find myself looking forward to my OB appointment on Monday because that is a day I can put "real" clothes and makeup on and get my butt out of the house. I had so many appointments before when I was on bed rest that I had days out of the house, but now it it is the same ol' same ol' each day. The only new thing is my increased milk production which has completely taken me by surprise. I didn't know I would be leaking when I have 12 weeks until my official due date, but apparently my extra hormones are in overdrive and think it is time to feed a baby....or two. Go figure. It is time to wear a bra at all times with a breast pad to save my bra from wetness and staining.
I was also pleased to see a FedEx envelope from work when I got home. It informed me that my FMLA was running out on April 6th and if I didn't return to work on April 7th, I would be resigning from my job. Fantastic right? I'm glad they told me all about this when they got my paperwork in the first place since the girls aren't even due until June and will most likely make their appearance in the end of April or anytime in May. So after a day or two of stressing out about my possible unemployment, I called HR. They told me I could go on an extended leave until the girls are born and then get my 8 weeks to recover and I could come back to work then. I'm not quite protected like I was with FMLA but my boss had told me that he would take me back after the girls are born. I hope he still feels that way since his wife is set to have their first baby a few days after my due date. Jesse will try to talk to him and get the low down for me.
We are still keeping and eye on Matti. He had his first accident in his five year life with us this morning. This dog has NEVER peed in the house once. Well apparently the steroids he is on makes him drink more and thus produce more. He always goes potty before going to bed at night and he can make it until 7 am when Jesse gets up for work. Well I did hear him walking around outside our bedroom door at about 5:30. I wish I would have gotten up and let him out, then the poor guy would not of peed on the floor right by the back door. Our only saving grace is that we have hard wood floors and it is easy to clean up his mess. If we had carpet, we would be in need of carpet cleaning service because this is a big dog with a big bladder and the boy can pee like a race horse. So today Sara has taken him out several times to go potty and I will get up at 5 am when I take my meds and see if he needs to go out then. Jesse was really upset about how hard this is on Matti and talked about putting him down this week, but maybe things will improve while we let the medicine take its affect. I just can't imagine life without Matti. Jesse doesn't want to get a new dog for a long time, but maybe after the girls are here we can look into another companion for the family.
I was also pleased to see a FedEx envelope from work when I got home. It informed me that my FMLA was running out on April 6th and if I didn't return to work on April 7th, I would be resigning from my job. Fantastic right? I'm glad they told me all about this when they got my paperwork in the first place since the girls aren't even due until June and will most likely make their appearance in the end of April or anytime in May. So after a day or two of stressing out about my possible unemployment, I called HR. They told me I could go on an extended leave until the girls are born and then get my 8 weeks to recover and I could come back to work then. I'm not quite protected like I was with FMLA but my boss had told me that he would take me back after the girls are born. I hope he still feels that way since his wife is set to have their first baby a few days after my due date. Jesse will try to talk to him and get the low down for me.
We are still keeping and eye on Matti. He had his first accident in his five year life with us this morning. This dog has NEVER peed in the house once. Well apparently the steroids he is on makes him drink more and thus produce more. He always goes potty before going to bed at night and he can make it until 7 am when Jesse gets up for work. Well I did hear him walking around outside our bedroom door at about 5:30. I wish I would have gotten up and let him out, then the poor guy would not of peed on the floor right by the back door. Our only saving grace is that we have hard wood floors and it is easy to clean up his mess. If we had carpet, we would be in need of carpet cleaning service because this is a big dog with a big bladder and the boy can pee like a race horse. So today Sara has taken him out several times to go potty and I will get up at 5 am when I take my meds and see if he needs to go out then. Jesse was really upset about how hard this is on Matti and talked about putting him down this week, but maybe things will improve while we let the medicine take its affect. I just can't imagine life without Matti. Jesse doesn't want to get a new dog for a long time, but maybe after the girls are here we can look into another companion for the family.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Sad news about Matti
Since I have been out of the hospital, Matti's condition has gotten worse. He is to the point where he can barely walk on his front leg. It breaks my heart to see him in pain and not acting like himself.
We took him into the vet this afternoon and I didn't care if I was on bed rest, I was going to see what the vet had to say. The news isn't good. He does have bone cancer and it has progressed significantly in the last 5 weeks. It is hard to tell how fast it will spread in his body. There really isn't any kind of treatment for a dog this big because he ages faster than most dogs. A Great Dane's life expectancy is only about 8 years and Matti is 5 1/2.
The vet gave us some better pain meds and a steroid to help improve his quality of life until we decide to put him down. Dh and I both cried in the treatment room and Matti was just lying there staring at us with his goofy smile. He has been a fantastic dog and even though his size sometimes gets in the way, we love him dearly. I just hope he isn't suffering too badly and we can get a little more time with him. Thanks for all of your help, support, and well wishes.
On a good note, Sara arrived today and she is in the process of moving all her things in and getting settled. I really didn't think about how things would change with a "roommate" in the house. We already thought we were out of space and now we have even more stuff along with Sara's cat. All of that aside, we are so glad to have her here to help while I am on bed rest and then to help raise the girls.
We took him into the vet this afternoon and I didn't care if I was on bed rest, I was going to see what the vet had to say. The news isn't good. He does have bone cancer and it has progressed significantly in the last 5 weeks. It is hard to tell how fast it will spread in his body. There really isn't any kind of treatment for a dog this big because he ages faster than most dogs. A Great Dane's life expectancy is only about 8 years and Matti is 5 1/2.
The vet gave us some better pain meds and a steroid to help improve his quality of life until we decide to put him down. Dh and I both cried in the treatment room and Matti was just lying there staring at us with his goofy smile. He has been a fantastic dog and even though his size sometimes gets in the way, we love him dearly. I just hope he isn't suffering too badly and we can get a little more time with him. Thanks for all of your help, support, and well wishes.
On a good note, Sara arrived today and she is in the process of moving all her things in and getting settled. I really didn't think about how things would change with a "roommate" in the house. We already thought we were out of space and now we have even more stuff along with Sara's cat. All of that aside, we are so glad to have her here to help while I am on bed rest and then to help raise the girls.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I'm home!!!!
I got released a few days early. I am so excited to be back home and have my own bed, see my pets, and have Jesse right by my side.
I had my gestational diabetes test on Wednesday and I passed it with flying colors, 98!This morning I had an FFN test to predict labor within the next 7 to 14 days, which came back negative. So it looks like I won't be going into labor anytime soon.
They did a growth scan on the girls. Addison is weighing 2 pounds 5 ounces and Riley is 2 pounds 6 ounces. The girls are growing right on track and very close to one another. I can't believe I am carrying almost 5 pounds of baby in me. I didn't gain any weight in the hospital so I am only up 15-16 pounds for the whole pregnancy.Lastly, they did a cervical length check and my cervix has stayed the same measuring at a 1.3.My OB so was so pleased with all the results that she didn't see any need to keep me. I haven't really been contracting so the oral meds Nifetaphine (percardia) is working well and I haven't needed a terb shot to stop contractractions in a week and a half.
I need to be better abour the bed rest and let other people do things for me. So I have batroom privlages and a shower once a day, but that is about it. I need to act like I am in the hospital and stay lying down. Sara will be here on Sunday night and moving in on Monday so I know I will appreciate her help.
I had my gestational diabetes test on Wednesday and I passed it with flying colors, 98!This morning I had an FFN test to predict labor within the next 7 to 14 days, which came back negative. So it looks like I won't be going into labor anytime soon.
They did a growth scan on the girls. Addison is weighing 2 pounds 5 ounces and Riley is 2 pounds 6 ounces. The girls are growing right on track and very close to one another. I can't believe I am carrying almost 5 pounds of baby in me. I didn't gain any weight in the hospital so I am only up 15-16 pounds for the whole pregnancy.Lastly, they did a cervical length check and my cervix has stayed the same measuring at a 1.3.My OB so was so pleased with all the results that she didn't see any need to keep me. I haven't really been contracting so the oral meds Nifetaphine (percardia) is working well and I haven't needed a terb shot to stop contractractions in a week and a half.
I need to be better abour the bed rest and let other people do things for me. So I have batroom privlages and a shower once a day, but that is about it. I need to act like I am in the hospital and stay lying down. Sara will be here on Sunday night and moving in on Monday so I know I will appreciate her help.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hospital Day 13...6 Days until I am parolled
Now that I am into my 27th week of pregnancy, I only have days left until I get to go home and continue bed rest at in my own bed/couch. Monday should be the day but there are a number of factors that could change my release date.
Starting tomorrow I will have daily NST's (non stress tests) on the babies to make sure they are holding up fine in their confined space that keeps getting smaller by the day. Friday I will have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. Then on Saturday I will have a growth scan and cervical length scan. If all checks out fine, I will get my walking papers for the time being. I will continue to stay on the same medication and hope my contractions are very few and far between. I'm still optimistic that I will get the girls to a healthy gestational age and they won't have a very long NICU stay.
Even though I want the girls to stay put, I really can't wait to meet them and get to know them. I dream about them almost every night and in my dreams, Riley looks more like me and Addison takes after Jesse. I'm sure they both will be very beautiful and happy girls!
I want to give a special thanks to my BFF Brea. She came to visit yesterday and she pampered me with a pedicure. She went all out with the sea salt type scrub and the lotion massage and painted my toes and put little butterflies on my big toes. My pedicure looked like a professional took care of me. I don't know how I will ever repay here but maybe if she has another child I will take her out and pay for her pedicure as I don't can't paint nails to save my life.
Wednesday is Jesse and my 3rd wedding anniversary. I'm bummed that we have to spend the day in the hospital. At least I know next year will be better and we will be so happy to be a family of 4.
Starting tomorrow I will have daily NST's (non stress tests) on the babies to make sure they are holding up fine in their confined space that keeps getting smaller by the day. Friday I will have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. Then on Saturday I will have a growth scan and cervical length scan. If all checks out fine, I will get my walking papers for the time being. I will continue to stay on the same medication and hope my contractions are very few and far between. I'm still optimistic that I will get the girls to a healthy gestational age and they won't have a very long NICU stay.
Even though I want the girls to stay put, I really can't wait to meet them and get to know them. I dream about them almost every night and in my dreams, Riley looks more like me and Addison takes after Jesse. I'm sure they both will be very beautiful and happy girls!
I want to give a special thanks to my BFF Brea. She came to visit yesterday and she pampered me with a pedicure. She went all out with the sea salt type scrub and the lotion massage and painted my toes and put little butterflies on my big toes. My pedicure looked like a professional took care of me. I don't know how I will ever repay here but maybe if she has another child I will take her out and pay for her pedicure as I don't can't paint nails to save my life.
Wednesday is Jesse and my 3rd wedding anniversary. I'm bummed that we have to spend the day in the hospital. At least I know next year will be better and we will be so happy to be a family of 4.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Hospital Day 11 (NICU Info)
Jesse and I did get a chance to take a tour of the NICU yesterday. Phoenix is large city with many hospitals but there are only 3 hospitals that have an intensive care NICU that takes the most premature babies. I'm so glad to know that this hospital is one of them and one of the best. What we learned is there are three sections that a baby can be in during his/her stay. The smallest most premature babies start out in the ICU part of the NICU where there 1 nurse to 2 babies or even a 1 to 1 ratio. Babies here are on ventilators and feeding tubes. They stay under the photo lights and require extra assistance all throughout their stay. They stay in issoletts. The parents can touch the babies through the sides of the issoletts and after the babies are stable the parents can hold the babies on their chest while they are still hooked up to all the monitors and ventilators. It is important for these babies to feel the skin to skin contact.
Once the babies start getting better at breathing, they are moved to the intermediate section. The babies there are off the ventilators but they may still need help with breathing now and again and may be given extra oxygen to help them breathe. These babies may or may not be feeding through the feeding tubes. Once the babies star breathing on their own and are nippeling effectively then they are moved to the last section.
The last section is where the babies are in their own open crib and can keep their temperature. These babies are eating every 3 hours and nippeling from the bottle or breast at this point. The babies are then released to go home.
We were able to visit a baby boy that was delivered at 27 weeks gestation and he weighed slightly less than 2 pounds. Now I have seen pictures of babies born that early but it was quite a shock to see how small he was. His limbs were barely twigs and he was all covered in wrinkles and hair. About 85% of babies born at this gestation survive, but I was shocked at how tiny and sick he looked. It was interesting to get a perspective on what our girls would look like if they were born now, but I really hope we have another good 8-10 weeks out of this pregnancy.
As of Monday, I have 1 more week left in the hospital and my contractions have really slowed down to just a few a day. I'm confident that the medication is doing its job and now I just have to do my job at home. Sara will be moving in next weekend and she will be able to get things around the house for me so I can concentrate on staying in bed or on the couch and baking my girls.
All I can say is that this next week cannot pass quick enough. I am really getting sick of this bed and the 4 walls that I stare at each day. I know many other women who have stayed longer than I have and I have to admire their ability to do it each day. I'm already going a little crazy and my hormones get the best of me now and again. I have cried about the smallest things while just getting out of my room on a wheelchair ride can lift my spirits 100% for the moment. If I could only have the night nurses, I would probably be doing better, but the day nurses are not friendly people and they can add to my mood.
Okay rant over.....more to come later in the week.
Once the babies start getting better at breathing, they are moved to the intermediate section. The babies there are off the ventilators but they may still need help with breathing now and again and may be given extra oxygen to help them breathe. These babies may or may not be feeding through the feeding tubes. Once the babies star breathing on their own and are nippeling effectively then they are moved to the last section.
The last section is where the babies are in their own open crib and can keep their temperature. These babies are eating every 3 hours and nippeling from the bottle or breast at this point. The babies are then released to go home.
We were able to visit a baby boy that was delivered at 27 weeks gestation and he weighed slightly less than 2 pounds. Now I have seen pictures of babies born that early but it was quite a shock to see how small he was. His limbs were barely twigs and he was all covered in wrinkles and hair. About 85% of babies born at this gestation survive, but I was shocked at how tiny and sick he looked. It was interesting to get a perspective on what our girls would look like if they were born now, but I really hope we have another good 8-10 weeks out of this pregnancy.
As of Monday, I have 1 more week left in the hospital and my contractions have really slowed down to just a few a day. I'm confident that the medication is doing its job and now I just have to do my job at home. Sara will be moving in next weekend and she will be able to get things around the house for me so I can concentrate on staying in bed or on the couch and baking my girls.
All I can say is that this next week cannot pass quick enough. I am really getting sick of this bed and the 4 walls that I stare at each day. I know many other women who have stayed longer than I have and I have to admire their ability to do it each day. I'm already going a little crazy and my hormones get the best of me now and again. I have cried about the smallest things while just getting out of my room on a wheelchair ride can lift my spirits 100% for the moment. If I could only have the night nurses, I would probably be doing better, but the day nurses are not friendly people and they can add to my mood.
Okay rant over.....more to come later in the week.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Hospital Day 9
Well I am 26 weeks and 4 days pregnant. That only leaves 10 days until I am released if all goes well. Brea has come to visit with me today and we actually wrote these days and dates on the board so I can see the days tick away and have my immediate goal in mind. Brea has been here all day staying with me for about 10 hours. I almost felt like I was at home hanging out with my friend and her baby rather than being in the hospital. Every once in a while a nurse or my contraction monitor would jolt me back into reality. Some days I just want to sleep and be alone but other days it is really nice to have a friend or family member here to keep me company. I'm so glad Brea can spend the entire day with me while other friends, family, and my husband have to work.
I got to take a wheel chair ride outside. Flowers are in bloom here in Phoenix and I almost felt like I was smelling the flowers for the first time. It is already almost 80 degrees here in phoenix so I was blinded by the sun and very warm, but I enjoyed every second of our 10 minute walk.
I had a good contraction report today. I hardly had any all day which is probably the best report I have had since I've been here. Things are really looking good that I won't have these girls before 28 weeks and I will get to go home in 10 days.
Jesse and I will try to take tour of the NICU tomorrow to get an idea of how they run things and see a few babies that were born close to our gestational age. The NICU does tours based on their schedule so we don't know if we will be able to get in tomorrow or not. I hope that my babies will bake for a while longer and the girls won't have a long NICU stay, but at least I will be prepared for any situation if they do come early than expected.
I got to take a wheel chair ride outside. Flowers are in bloom here in Phoenix and I almost felt like I was smelling the flowers for the first time. It is already almost 80 degrees here in phoenix so I was blinded by the sun and very warm, but I enjoyed every second of our 10 minute walk.
I had a good contraction report today. I hardly had any all day which is probably the best report I have had since I've been here. Things are really looking good that I won't have these girls before 28 weeks and I will get to go home in 10 days.
Jesse and I will try to take tour of the NICU tomorrow to get an idea of how they run things and see a few babies that were born close to our gestational age. The NICU does tours based on their schedule so we don't know if we will be able to get in tomorrow or not. I hope that my babies will bake for a while longer and the girls won't have a long NICU stay, but at least I will be prepared for any situation if they do come early than expected.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Hospital Day 8
Well I have officially made it over a week at the hospital. It feels much longer but I am closer to my release date as each day passes. I made sure to ask the doctor today about me going home at 28 weeks. As long as I stay steady and don't go into full blown labor or have the girls...I will be going home Monday the 23rd which will be my 28 week mark.
I'm starting to get into the routine of each day. New morning nurse, blood pressure, meds, breakfast, go back to sleep, wake up, watch TV, more blood pressure and meds, lunch, maybe a shower maybe not, more TV, phone calls, day dream, dinner, night nurse, more blood pressure, more meds, Jesse visits or other visitors, get the laptop, homework, email, maybe post on SK, night snack, more TV, night meds, go to sleep, get woken up for more blood pressure and meds, and then the cycle happens all over again.
I really like the night nurses. For some reason they are more friendly and helpful even though they work the dreaded 6pm to 6am. The day nurses are less attentive and they like to wake me up in the morning when I don't want to be disturbed. There are a few nurses I really like and a few I could tell them to shove it. I'm starting to get an attitude in the morning so maybe they will get the hint. LOL
I only have 4 more days in my online class and then I am taking a 2 week break. Maybe I will get through the next 6 week course before I deliver and maybe not. At this point, I don't care if I miss time in class because my GPA is still pretty high.
That is all I have to report for now. It is hard to come up with things to write since not a lot changes in my life.
I'm starting to get into the routine of each day. New morning nurse, blood pressure, meds, breakfast, go back to sleep, wake up, watch TV, more blood pressure and meds, lunch, maybe a shower maybe not, more TV, phone calls, day dream, dinner, night nurse, more blood pressure, more meds, Jesse visits or other visitors, get the laptop, homework, email, maybe post on SK, night snack, more TV, night meds, go to sleep, get woken up for more blood pressure and meds, and then the cycle happens all over again.
I really like the night nurses. For some reason they are more friendly and helpful even though they work the dreaded 6pm to 6am. The day nurses are less attentive and they like to wake me up in the morning when I don't want to be disturbed. There are a few nurses I really like and a few I could tell them to shove it. I'm starting to get an attitude in the morning so maybe they will get the hint. LOL
I only have 4 more days in my online class and then I am taking a 2 week break. Maybe I will get through the next 6 week course before I deliver and maybe not. At this point, I don't care if I miss time in class because my GPA is still pretty high.
That is all I have to report for now. It is hard to come up with things to write since not a lot changes in my life.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Rough Day
Today just wasn't my day. From the moment I woke up, I was having contractions and my uterus was very irritable. They kept waking me up to go to the bathroom to see if that would help my uterus calm down. Eventually they upped the dosage on my medication and things began to calm down.
About the time I was ready to take a shower, the nurse told me they needed to put these really nice tights on my legs to help prevent any blood clots. I was not in the mood to go through getting them on. They are the tightest pantyhose you have ever worn and I was just depressed about having to wear them. Part of me just wished I could go back to being me....and not the pregnant me. Once the leggings were finally on, I accidentally spilled my ice water all over me in bed. I was beginning to think everything was out to get me today.
So after I had a good cry about my situation, it was getting close to lunch time. I waited patiently as the lunch has been a little late the last few days. After an hour and a half I called the nurse and asked why nutrition was so far behind. She was confused as they had already delivered lunch, some how they forgot about me today. So I had to wait another half hour to get my lunch. Really....what else can go wrong today???? Ughh....
So finally I ate and got a chance to take a shower. Maybe that is what I needed because I felt much better. A good friend from work came to visit and we swapped pregnancy struggles as she is 36 weeks pregnant. I was in a better mood when she left and I know my parents are coming out to visit and play some cards with me while we watch "The Biggest Loser".
I am just hoping the rest of the day is better and my hormones get back in check.
About the time I was ready to take a shower, the nurse told me they needed to put these really nice tights on my legs to help prevent any blood clots. I was not in the mood to go through getting them on. They are the tightest pantyhose you have ever worn and I was just depressed about having to wear them. Part of me just wished I could go back to being me....and not the pregnant me. Once the leggings were finally on, I accidentally spilled my ice water all over me in bed. I was beginning to think everything was out to get me today.
So after I had a good cry about my situation, it was getting close to lunch time. I waited patiently as the lunch has been a little late the last few days. After an hour and a half I called the nurse and asked why nutrition was so far behind. She was confused as they had already delivered lunch, some how they forgot about me today. So I had to wait another half hour to get my lunch. Really....what else can go wrong today???? Ughh....
So finally I ate and got a chance to take a shower. Maybe that is what I needed because I felt much better. A good friend from work came to visit and we swapped pregnancy struggles as she is 36 weeks pregnant. I was in a better mood when she left and I know my parents are coming out to visit and play some cards with me while we watch "The Biggest Loser".
I am just hoping the rest of the day is better and my hormones get back in check.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Hospital Day 6
Here we are....another day in paradise. Today I hit 26 weeks where the girls have a 75% survival rate. Each day I get through is better and better for the survival rate. At 28 weeks they have a 95% rate yet they will still need to spend at least 6 weeks in the NICU after being born at 28 weeks. I still have my sights set on getting to around 34 weeks or more. My hospital stay will be 2 more weeks from today if all goes well. My sister will be moving in with us the weekend before I am set to be released. She will be able to help me stay on the couch and rest as I am supposed to.
Yesterday I got to have along shower and feel a little normal, but today I am tired and run down. I did have several visitors and math homework to finish yesterday so maybe my body is run down today. I'm free from all the IV's and wires for now. They still need to monitor my contractions for 1 hour twice a day. This morning I had 4 contractions while I was sleeping and I didn't feel a thing. For the most part, I don't feel the contractions and that is why I need to stay in the hospital for monitoring.
Overall the hospital is not that bad. The food choices are nice and I like that I am waited on hand and foot. The TV shows are getting old but I am usually too tired to read or spend much time on the internet. The visitors are a nice break from the slow day, but other times I like that I don't have to entertain anyone. My spirits are good and I am hopeful for a positive outcome. I can't wait for the day I get to hold my healthy girls in my arms.
Yesterday I got to have along shower and feel a little normal, but today I am tired and run down. I did have several visitors and math homework to finish yesterday so maybe my body is run down today. I'm free from all the IV's and wires for now. They still need to monitor my contractions for 1 hour twice a day. This morning I had 4 contractions while I was sleeping and I didn't feel a thing. For the most part, I don't feel the contractions and that is why I need to stay in the hospital for monitoring.
Overall the hospital is not that bad. The food choices are nice and I like that I am waited on hand and foot. The TV shows are getting old but I am usually too tired to read or spend much time on the internet. The visitors are a nice break from the slow day, but other times I like that I don't have to entertain anyone. My spirits are good and I am hopeful for a positive outcome. I can't wait for the day I get to hold my healthy girls in my arms.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Hospital Day 4
Today has been a better day. I was taken off of the magnesium and I feel more like myself. My contractions are being controlled just fine off of the oral medications. I have my IV taken off as well so now I can get into my own clothes rather than the very cute hospital gowns I have been wearing.
Jesse came up for a visit today but I spend most of the day sleeping and watching bad TV movies. Sometimes I do enjoy the time alone, but other times it is nice to talk to see someone or carry on a conversation.
I'm trying hard to keep up with my online class. I only have 1 more week after this Tuesday so I should make it through. Then I will need a break because it is so hard to get online here at the hospital.
The girls are doing better now as well. They didn't like the medication and they were not moving as much as usual but it is normal for the babies to feel just as bad as the mother. At least we are all doing a bit better today. Eating is a struggle because I don't have as much room left in my stomach as the girls grow. The food actually tastes good in the hospital which is ironic...I just wish I could eat more of it.
I'm signing off for now to get some rest.
Jesse came up for a visit today but I spend most of the day sleeping and watching bad TV movies. Sometimes I do enjoy the time alone, but other times it is nice to talk to see someone or carry on a conversation.
I'm trying hard to keep up with my online class. I only have 1 more week after this Tuesday so I should make it through. Then I will need a break because it is so hard to get online here at the hospital.
The girls are doing better now as well. They didn't like the medication and they were not moving as much as usual but it is normal for the babies to feel just as bad as the mother. At least we are all doing a bit better today. Eating is a struggle because I don't have as much room left in my stomach as the girls grow. The food actually tastes good in the hospital which is ironic...I just wish I could eat more of it.
I'm signing off for now to get some rest.
Latest Hospital Stay
To start from the beginning, I had some extra discharge that was abnormal so I called my doctor and waited for a call back. I really thought everything was okay, but I wanted to double check with my OB. Later in the afternoon the medical assistant called back and told me it would be best for me to go to the hospital and get checked out at Labor and Delivery.
Dad stopped by and picked me up and brought mom and I to the hospital. We went in and they did a swab test on the discharge to see if it was amniotic fluid. While they were waiting for the test to come back, they hooked me up to the contraction monitor. During the wait I was having contractions every 2 minutes lasting for more than 40 seconds. At this point, they had to admit me to the hospital.
They immediately started me on a shot Terbutiline (sp?) that helps stop contractions and makes your heart race like crazy. Then they hooked me up to an IV and started Magnesium. The two drugs are fast acting and really help in situations of pre-term labor. Unfortunately, the medications are not very comfortable to be on. I had hot flashes like crazy and later in the evening I started getting sick.
After a night of close monitoring in Labor and Delivery, I was transferred back to the Antipartum department where I was last time I was in the hospital. After several time of throwing up, I finally felt like myself later in the day on Thursday.
Jesse was here and we got a chance to talk to the doctors. At 25 1/2 weeks, the babies have some chance of survival, but each day I can stay pregnant will do wonders for the babies. The immediate goal is to get to 28 weeks where the survival rate is 95%. The girls would still have side effects of premature birth and would have to spend several weeks in the NICU, but they would have a fighting chance.
So the plan as it stands now is to keep me in bed at the hospital until I reach 28 weeks and if they can control the contractions on oral medication, I can go back to bed rest at home with a goal of getting as close to 36 weeks as possible.
I have very limited internet access, but I hope to get on the computer at least once a day to post any updates.
Dad stopped by and picked me up and brought mom and I to the hospital. We went in and they did a swab test on the discharge to see if it was amniotic fluid. While they were waiting for the test to come back, they hooked me up to the contraction monitor. During the wait I was having contractions every 2 minutes lasting for more than 40 seconds. At this point, they had to admit me to the hospital.
They immediately started me on a shot Terbutiline (sp?) that helps stop contractions and makes your heart race like crazy. Then they hooked me up to an IV and started Magnesium. The two drugs are fast acting and really help in situations of pre-term labor. Unfortunately, the medications are not very comfortable to be on. I had hot flashes like crazy and later in the evening I started getting sick.
After a night of close monitoring in Labor and Delivery, I was transferred back to the Antipartum department where I was last time I was in the hospital. After several time of throwing up, I finally felt like myself later in the day on Thursday.
Jesse was here and we got a chance to talk to the doctors. At 25 1/2 weeks, the babies have some chance of survival, but each day I can stay pregnant will do wonders for the babies. The immediate goal is to get to 28 weeks where the survival rate is 95%. The girls would still have side effects of premature birth and would have to spend several weeks in the NICU, but they would have a fighting chance.
So the plan as it stands now is to keep me in bed at the hospital until I reach 28 weeks and if they can control the contractions on oral medication, I can go back to bed rest at home with a goal of getting as close to 36 weeks as possible.
I have very limited internet access, but I hope to get on the computer at least once a day to post any updates.
Monday, March 2, 2009
More Belly
Thanks to a fantastic friend on my message board SK, I have this picture collage from the day I found out I was pregnant. I have been pretty good about taking a new picture every 3-4 weeks and now it is fun to see the progression through the pregnancy. I tried to show it to Jesse last night and his response was "I see you every day honey, I know your belly is getting bigger". Argh...men! I'm sure some of you will think it is neat to see the progression.
This is a weird week for me. I don't have any doctor appointments now that I am done with the cervical length checks. I am now seeing my OB every 2 weeks. That is more comforting than seeing her every 4 weeks, although it is hard to not get a weekly update.
My next appointment is Tuesday March 10th with my OB and I will have my glucose test done that day as well. Let’s hope I pass because I love, love, love my carbs!
This is a weird week for me. I don't have any doctor appointments now that I am done with the cervical length checks. I am now seeing my OB every 2 weeks. That is more comforting than seeing her every 4 weeks, although it is hard to not get a weekly update.
My next appointment is Tuesday March 10th with my OB and I will have my glucose test done that day as well. Let’s hope I pass because I love, love, love my carbs!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Belly Update....25 weeks now.
For those of you who were at my shower 2 weeks ago, you may be able to see a big change in how big I am getting. The girls have gone through a couple of growth spurts during the last two weeks and I hope they are putting on lots of weight. I am happy to report that I don't have any stretch marks yet, but I am sure I will be eating those words here soon at the rate I am growing.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Changed my Ticker
Since I will not be going to a traditional 40 week term with this pregnancy, I changed my ticker to represent the actual goal of carrying the girls to 38 weeks where I will be induced or have a c-section. There was some confusion in the family about how many weeks/days I had left. So the days you see on the side will represent me getting to the 38 weeks rather than a full term 40 weeks.
I hope that helps you all know when the magic day will be. I really hope we can get close to that day because the twins will have a better chance of going home with us if they can get as close to 38 weeks as possible.
The bed rest is taking its toll today. I just want to be active again and be able to see the world. I want to go shopping and finish up buying things for the girls. I want to be social with people rather than living in cyber or phone world with most people. Hopefully I will start feeling better soon.
I hope that helps you all know when the magic day will be. I really hope we can get close to that day because the twins will have a better chance of going home with us if they can get as close to 38 weeks as possible.
The bed rest is taking its toll today. I just want to be active again and be able to see the world. I want to go shopping and finish up buying things for the girls. I want to be social with people rather than living in cyber or phone world with most people. Hopefully I will start feeling better soon.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
24 week OB appointment
I saw my OB today. The girls were looking good on the ultrasound and they were kicking me like crazy in the waiting room. My belly was bouncing all around. They kicked all the way through the appointment.
My Dr was a little concerned about the contractions I was having this week so she did a FFN test to see if I am likely to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. Basically she will repeat the test every 2 weeks until I deliver. A negative test is more reliable than the positive test because it shows you probably won't go into labor during that 2 week period. She said she will call me with the results if they are positive.
I am going to 2 week appointments now obviously and next appointment is my glucose test. I have the drink waiting for me in the fridge for March 10th. I hope I pass the test and get through downing the drink.
When she measured me I was measuring at 32 weeks if I was only having one baby. My belly is really getting big and I love every minute of it.
My Dr was a little concerned about the contractions I was having this week so she did a FFN test to see if I am likely to go into labor in the next 2 weeks. Basically she will repeat the test every 2 weeks until I deliver. A negative test is more reliable than the positive test because it shows you probably won't go into labor during that 2 week period. She said she will call me with the results if they are positive.
I am going to 2 week appointments now obviously and next appointment is my glucose test. I have the drink waiting for me in the fridge for March 10th. I hope I pass the test and get through downing the drink.
When she measured me I was measuring at 32 weeks if I was only having one baby. My belly is really getting big and I love every minute of it.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Progress on the Nursery
I've been a little MIA on my blog so here is the latest update:
So Jesse finally finished the painting of the room this last weekend. We went with a light brown with a purple undertone and when it was on the wall it looked like a light purple. Sara helped start the painting the weekend before but Jesse put the 2nd coat on this weekend and we were ready to move on to the furniture.
My best friend Brea came over today and she was able to put both cribs together. We are still waiting for one crib mattress to be shipped to our house. It should be here any day. Now the debate on how to set the room up begins. The nursery has two blank walls I wall with a window and the last wall has the closet. It is really hard to set both cribs up with our changing table and find room to put a dresser in the room. I did take some pictures but I probably won't add them to this post until tomorrow.
I do feel like we are closer to getting things done for these girls. We have most of the big items purchased now including the two car seats, Double Snap n' Go stroller, side by side double stroller for after they are out of the infant car seats, and all the nursery furniture. We have tons of matching outfits and blankets and many toys and books. We feel blessed with help our families have given us. We also used craigslist to purchase the Snap n' Go, brand new in a box along with the next double stroller, hardly used.
Once we figure out the positioning of the furniture in the nursery, we will be just about ready for the girls to come home once they are healthy and able to enter into this world.
So Jesse finally finished the painting of the room this last weekend. We went with a light brown with a purple undertone and when it was on the wall it looked like a light purple. Sara helped start the painting the weekend before but Jesse put the 2nd coat on this weekend and we were ready to move on to the furniture.
My best friend Brea came over today and she was able to put both cribs together. We are still waiting for one crib mattress to be shipped to our house. It should be here any day. Now the debate on how to set the room up begins. The nursery has two blank walls I wall with a window and the last wall has the closet. It is really hard to set both cribs up with our changing table and find room to put a dresser in the room. I did take some pictures but I probably won't add them to this post until tomorrow.
I do feel like we are closer to getting things done for these girls. We have most of the big items purchased now including the two car seats, Double Snap n' Go stroller, side by side double stroller for after they are out of the infant car seats, and all the nursery furniture. We have tons of matching outfits and blankets and many toys and books. We feel blessed with help our families have given us. We also used craigslist to purchase the Snap n' Go, brand new in a box along with the next double stroller, hardly used.
Once we figure out the positioning of the furniture in the nursery, we will be just about ready for the girls to come home once they are healthy and able to enter into this world.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Last Cervicial Length Check and Growth Scan
Today was my last cervical length check. I seem to be holding steady; the length was a little lower 1.3 but no funneling or dilating. I don't have to go back for anymore checks now. My OB will need to do pelvic exams to check how soft my cervix is and see if I am dilating.
I'm a little nervous to not get an update each week but my ultrasound tech reminded me that I have been holding steady for so long that they don't think I will have any issues for a while.
We also did an ultrasound to check the growth of each girl. Each girl's fluid level was still looking good. We saw the girls kicking and punching each other. It is so neat to see how thin the membrane is that separates them so they can feel each other. They like to be real close to one another.
Addison is weighing 1 pound 4 ounces and Riley is our big girl at 1 pound 6 ounces. This week is another big growth week so they should put on some more weight here soon. I will try to take some pictures of the ultrasound pictures because I don't have a working scanner and get them posted.
I'm very happy to hit the first milestone of 24 weeks where babies have the first chance at viability. Of course I want to go another 10 to 12 weeks at least and 14 weeks to make to my scheduled induction.
I'm a little nervous to not get an update each week but my ultrasound tech reminded me that I have been holding steady for so long that they don't think I will have any issues for a while.
We also did an ultrasound to check the growth of each girl. Each girl's fluid level was still looking good. We saw the girls kicking and punching each other. It is so neat to see how thin the membrane is that separates them so they can feel each other. They like to be real close to one another.
Addison is weighing 1 pound 4 ounces and Riley is our big girl at 1 pound 6 ounces. This week is another big growth week so they should put on some more weight here soon. I will try to take some pictures of the ultrasound pictures because I don't have a working scanner and get them posted.
I'm very happy to hit the first milestone of 24 weeks where babies have the first chance at viability. Of course I want to go another 10 to 12 weeks at least and 14 weeks to make to my scheduled induction.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Updates
I will start with the fluid levels of the girls.
Both girls had a level of about 2.0 cm of fluid on my appointment on Tuesday and today Addison's level went up to a 5.0 and Riley's was about 4.3. So each girl more than doubled her fluid level. They were actually surprised at how much the levels increased in just three days. I can say the extra water intake has helped tremendously. I told the tech that the girls were kicking like crazy last night and see said "Of course they are, they are happy now with all that fluid".
I'm so glad all the water and peeing paid off. LMAO
Now to Matti's news:
The test for the valley fever came back negative so he either has an injury or it is bone cancer. The Dr. sent the radiographs over to a radiologist to review further and they still see a suspicious area on his leg but it isn't defined yet. The plan now is to wait 4 weeks and take another radiograph and see if there are any changes. The also sent me home with some pain and anti inflammatory medications to keep Matti comfortable. So for now we don't know very much but we are going to spoil Matti in the meantime just in case.
Both girls had a level of about 2.0 cm of fluid on my appointment on Tuesday and today Addison's level went up to a 5.0 and Riley's was about 4.3. So each girl more than doubled her fluid level. They were actually surprised at how much the levels increased in just three days. I can say the extra water intake has helped tremendously. I told the tech that the girls were kicking like crazy last night and see said "Of course they are, they are happy now with all that fluid".
I'm so glad all the water and peeing paid off. LMAO
Now to Matti's news:
The test for the valley fever came back negative so he either has an injury or it is bone cancer. The Dr. sent the radiographs over to a radiologist to review further and they still see a suspicious area on his leg but it isn't defined yet. The plan now is to wait 4 weeks and take another radiograph and see if there are any changes. The also sent me home with some pain and anti inflammatory medications to keep Matti comfortable. So for now we don't know very much but we are going to spoil Matti in the meantime just in case.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Finally
Daddy finally got to feel one of his girls kicking. For the last two weeks the girls have been very active and I have been trying to get Jesse over here to feel the girls but each time he puts his hand on my belly, they stop kicking. He has been frustrated to the point of not wanting to feel my belly. Tonight I could tell they were getting into their active time and I had Jesse feel right where Riley's feet were and he got a nice big kick! Addison was sitting so low that he couldn't feel her moving but Riley's movements are obvious and my belly moves when she kicks. I hope that is a good sign that all is well in there and I am praying for better fluid levels tomorrow at my appointment.
On a side note...I also noticed I don't have much of a belly button left. When I sit my belly button looks like an outie now. It is wild how much my belly is growing. The girls should be close to 1.5 pounds each by the end of next week. So far I have gained around 9-10 pounds total. I am pretty happy with that.
On a side note...I also noticed I don't have much of a belly button left. When I sit my belly button looks like an outie now. It is wild how much my belly is growing. The girls should be close to 1.5 pounds each by the end of next week. So far I have gained around 9-10 pounds total. I am pretty happy with that.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fetal Echo Cardiogram
Today I went in for a fetal Echo Cardiogram on Addison's heart. During my 18 week growth scan they saw a small hole in her heart called a VSD. I was then referred to a pediatric cardiologist to take a closer look at her heart. Normally small VSD's close by the 24th week of pregnancy.
The appointment was 2 hours long and they ended up looking at both Addison's and Riley's hearts. On Addison, they found no VSD or holes present in her heart at all. Anything that was present before is now closed! They took a closer look at Riley's heart and there may be a possible small hole but the Dr. only saw it once during the scan and didn't see it again. That leads him to believe that there probably isn't a hole and if there is, there shouldn't be any problems with the small hole. The girls will be tested for heart murmurs after birth just to make sure everything is okay.
So I feel as though another hurdle is passed but I am working on increasing the fluid levels for the girls. I am drinking extra water and taking extra trips to the bathroom in hopes of seeing better levels on Friday.
On a side note, as I am writing this post, both girls are kicking like crazy. They probably liked my dinner or the extra water I am feeding them. :)
The appointment was 2 hours long and they ended up looking at both Addison's and Riley's hearts. On Addison, they found no VSD or holes present in her heart at all. Anything that was present before is now closed! They took a closer look at Riley's heart and there may be a possible small hole but the Dr. only saw it once during the scan and didn't see it again. That leads him to believe that there probably isn't a hole and if there is, there shouldn't be any problems with the small hole. The girls will be tested for heart murmurs after birth just to make sure everything is okay.
So I feel as though another hurdle is passed but I am working on increasing the fluid levels for the girls. I am drinking extra water and taking extra trips to the bathroom in hopes of seeing better levels on Friday.
On a side note, as I am writing this post, both girls are kicking like crazy. They probably liked my dinner or the extra water I am feeding them. :)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Cervical Length Appointment
Well , I think my cervix is more of a trooper than any of the doctors thought. My measurement last week was a 1.5 and today it was a 1.7 The doctors are more and more convinced that I will get close to term or all the way. They are even given me a little more freedom. They want me to do some pregnancy yoga and I can get up and walk around more.
The bad news about the appointment is the amniotic fluid levels were very low on both girls. They have me on a Motrin regiment of 600mg every 6 hours to control my contractions but the downside of taking Motrin is decreased amniotic fluid levels. So they have taken me off the Motrin and I have to go back on Friday and have the fluid levels measured again. They anticipate the levels to go back up to what they are supposed to be by then.
Since I will be off the Motrin, I really have to watch my contractions and look for indications of pre-term labor. Basically it is a give and take with trying to keep me from contracting and giving the girls enough fluid to be healthy. Hopefully things will look better on Friday.
The bad news about the appointment is the amniotic fluid levels were very low on both girls. They have me on a Motrin regiment of 600mg every 6 hours to control my contractions but the downside of taking Motrin is decreased amniotic fluid levels. So they have taken me off the Motrin and I have to go back on Friday and have the fluid levels measured again. They anticipate the levels to go back up to what they are supposed to be by then.
Since I will be off the Motrin, I really have to watch my contractions and look for indications of pre-term labor. Basically it is a give and take with trying to keep me from contracting and giving the girls enough fluid to be healthy. Hopefully things will look better on Friday.
Update on Matti
Matti went in first thing this morning and they sedated him so they could get him on the x-ray table. They took 3 x-rays and the doctor isn't really sure what is going on with him. His chest x-ray was clear. There were no masses in his chest so that is good news. The other two x-rays were of his leg and they see that something is happening to his bone but it isn't presenting like bone cancer would. Normally it would look like a starburst pattern and all you could see is something going on around the bone.
The doctor is still waiting for the test results of valley fever that they may get back by Thursday. He is also going to send the x-rays to a radiologist for further review. Lastly, they may have to do a biopsy of his leg if they can't determine what is wrong.Thanks for thinking of my big guy and sending your prayers. Jesse and I feel a little bit better today but we still aren't sure if we will have him around for a while or not.
The doctor is still waiting for the test results of valley fever that they may get back by Thursday. He is also going to send the x-rays to a radiologist for further review. Lastly, they may have to do a biopsy of his leg if they can't determine what is wrong.Thanks for thinking of my big guy and sending your prayers. Jesse and I feel a little bit better today but we still aren't sure if we will have him around for a while or not.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Bad News
Well after being on cloud 9 yesterday where my family sprung me from the house and let me used my dad's motorized scooter to do some shopping, we have got some bad news about our fur baby Matti. Our 170 pound Great Dane took a visit to the vet today because he developed a growth on his front paw. We thought something had bit him outside or that he hurt himself jumping up on our 6 foot wall fences in the back yard. He loves to jump up and scare the neighbors but I always worried he would get hurt.
So daddy took him to the vet to get his front paw checked out and we got some news we were not expecting. The growth on his front paw is most likely bone cancer. Great Danes have a shorter life expectancy at somewhere around 8 years. Our boy is 5. At this age Danes start having health problems and bone cancer is one of them.
Tomorrow Matti will go back to the vet where they will sedate him and then take some x-rays of his paw. They will be able to tell for sure if he has bone cancer. Another diagnosis would be valley fever but the vet said it looked more like bone cancer.
My husband is devastated and doesn't take bad news well at all. His mother passed a couple of years back from cancer and my husband is very sensitive when it comes to that subject. We love our dog like he is a member of our family. He has been our child during the time we couldn't have children. I just can't explain how sad I am at this point. We won't know what his treatment will be if he does have cancer or if we can even afford to do anything for him.
Please pray for our baby and I will update with more news tomorrow.
So daddy took him to the vet to get his front paw checked out and we got some news we were not expecting. The growth on his front paw is most likely bone cancer. Great Danes have a shorter life expectancy at somewhere around 8 years. Our boy is 5. At this age Danes start having health problems and bone cancer is one of them.
Tomorrow Matti will go back to the vet where they will sedate him and then take some x-rays of his paw. They will be able to tell for sure if he has bone cancer. Another diagnosis would be valley fever but the vet said it looked more like bone cancer.
My husband is devastated and doesn't take bad news well at all. His mother passed a couple of years back from cancer and my husband is very sensitive when it comes to that subject. We love our dog like he is a member of our family. He has been our child during the time we couldn't have children. I just can't explain how sad I am at this point. We won't know what his treatment will be if he does have cancer or if we can even afford to do anything for him.
Please pray for our baby and I will update with more news tomorrow.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Shower Fun!
Yesterday we all had fun at the shower for our girls. I had a lot of fun with the family playing games and visiting. That was way more excitement and activity than I have had in a while so I was very tired at the end.
Brea, Sara, and Linda did a fantastic job taking care of everything. The decorations were beautiful, Brea's cake was very creative, and Sara helped with the games and presents. It felt weird to just sit back and let them take care of everything. I still feel like I need to get up and do something, but they made sure I stayed on the couch.
The girls got a bunch of nice items like blankets, and diapers, clothes, onsies, receiving blankets, socks, hats, and many many books. I can tell how loved our girls are before they are even here.
We are now looking at the big items we still need like car seats, strollers, and bottle and breast feeding accessories. We did get a few gift cards we may use to go pick up some of the other needed items. I'm just thankful that we have so many diapers and we may not need to purchase any for a long time.
Brea, Sara, and Linda did a fantastic job taking care of everything. The decorations were beautiful, Brea's cake was very creative, and Sara helped with the games and presents. It felt weird to just sit back and let them take care of everything. I still feel like I need to get up and do something, but they made sure I stayed on the couch.
The girls got a bunch of nice items like blankets, and diapers, clothes, onsies, receiving blankets, socks, hats, and many many books. I can tell how loved our girls are before they are even here.
We are now looking at the big items we still need like car seats, strollers, and bottle and breast feeding accessories. We did get a few gift cards we may use to go pick up some of the other needed items. I'm just thankful that we have so many diapers and we may not need to purchase any for a long time.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sara is Coming Today
I'm so excited to see my little sister. She is coming out to stay for a week to help with the baby shower. She lives in Fort Collins, CO. She will be moving down next month to live with us and help with the babies when they arrive. She will probably stay with us for a few of the days while she is here and maybe she can help Jesse with the painting in the nursery. I know she wanted to help with the nursery and we can use all the help we can get.
Yesterday was a painful day for me. My stomach was very tight for most of the day. I feel a lot of pulling around my belly button and I was also having contractions off and on during the day. I hope that the contractions are doing any damage. I also had some pain real low in my pelvis. Since I don't know what is normal in pregnancy or twin pregnancy, I have trouble understanding if what I am going through is normal or something to be worried about.
Today I am feeling much better so I am inclined to think that everything is okay, but I will be able to know more at my next appointment on Tuesday.
Yesterday was a painful day for me. My stomach was very tight for most of the day. I feel a lot of pulling around my belly button and I was also having contractions off and on during the day. I hope that the contractions are doing any damage. I also had some pain real low in my pelvis. Since I don't know what is normal in pregnancy or twin pregnancy, I have trouble understanding if what I am going through is normal or something to be worried about.
Today I am feeling much better so I am inclined to think that everything is okay, but I will be able to know more at my next appointment on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Nursery Construction
So after talking to some girls on SK, we started posting pictures of our nursery aka junk disaster rooms. Right now we are waiting for Jesse to to buy the paint for the walls. Once the painting is done, he can start working on putting the cribs together. We are still trying to decide if we have enough room for a dresser in the room or if we need to find a small one to put in the closet. I won't know about that until both cribs are put together and placed with the changing table.
The room will be even more of a mess after the shower on Saturday where piles of stuff will be thrown in there. I hate that I can't do anything to help and Jesse is pretty worn out on the weekends. Maybe we will get somewhere after this upcoming 3 day weekend.
The room will be even more of a mess after the shower on Saturday where piles of stuff will be thrown in there. I hate that I can't do anything to help and Jesse is pretty worn out on the weekends. Maybe we will get somewhere after this upcoming 3 day weekend.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday Update
I am doing my happy dance right now...well I'm not really dancing, but I am super excited. We got another perfect report today. There was no change in my cervical length, I am not funneling or dilating at all. All looks well with my cervix and the doctors are pleased and surprised once again!!!!
They checked the fluid levels of each girl and they seem to be doing just fine with their fluid levels. I got to see Addison opening her mouth and drinking some of that beautiful amniotic fluid. She had her hands up by her face and she was actually moving her eyes. It was really neat to see that on the ultrasound. She seems to be the show off during the appointments. Riley has moved to a head down position and she appears to have a little less room than her sister. She wasn't moving around like her silly sister but she has plenty of fluid to keep her healthy.
So it looks as though I will make it to my baby shower and the threat of going into the hospital gets smaller and smaller each week as things stay consistent. I have been having some contractions this week and was a little worried, but the contractions don't seem to be doing anything to the cervix so all is well. I need to get some new pictures of the girls; hopefully I will get some good quality pictures at my next growth scan.
Thanks for reading my happy news. :)
They checked the fluid levels of each girl and they seem to be doing just fine with their fluid levels. I got to see Addison opening her mouth and drinking some of that beautiful amniotic fluid. She had her hands up by her face and she was actually moving her eyes. It was really neat to see that on the ultrasound. She seems to be the show off during the appointments. Riley has moved to a head down position and she appears to have a little less room than her sister. She wasn't moving around like her silly sister but she has plenty of fluid to keep her healthy.
So it looks as though I will make it to my baby shower and the threat of going into the hospital gets smaller and smaller each week as things stay consistent. I have been having some contractions this week and was a little worried, but the contractions don't seem to be doing anything to the cervix so all is well. I need to get some new pictures of the girls; hopefully I will get some good quality pictures at my next growth scan.
Thanks for reading my happy news. :)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Productive Sunday
I feel a sense of relief now that I have my first week of homework finished. 1 week down 5 more to go. I spent 4 more hours on the week 1 work with the help of Steven looking over my shoulder and helping me to understand the formulas. I thought we would get done faster but he was here for 3 hours and then I spent another hour by myself going over stuff to wrap up the week and to get ready for next week.
I think the girls already hate math as well. They were giving me some good kicks and pushing on my bladder the whole time. I think I went pee 4 times during the 3 hour marathon of math. I don't blame my girls; they may have to get some help from Uncle Steven when they get older because mommy will not be able to help them for long.
I'm still trying to get Jesse to feel the girls kicking. I was feeling some good thumps when we were lying on the couch together but every time he would put his hand on my stomach, they would quiet down. Hopefully it won't be long because I can tell Jesse is really excited to finally feel them.
Tomorrow is another cervical length check. Dad will drive me down there and I just pray we get a good result because I am not going into the hospital 5 days before my baby shower. Wish me luck!
I think the girls already hate math as well. They were giving me some good kicks and pushing on my bladder the whole time. I think I went pee 4 times during the 3 hour marathon of math. I don't blame my girls; they may have to get some help from Uncle Steven when they get older because mommy will not be able to help them for long.
I'm still trying to get Jesse to feel the girls kicking. I was feeling some good thumps when we were lying on the couch together but every time he would put his hand on my stomach, they would quiet down. Hopefully it won't be long because I can tell Jesse is really excited to finally feel them.
Tomorrow is another cervical length check. Dad will drive me down there and I just pray we get a good result because I am not going into the hospital 5 days before my baby shower. Wish me luck!
Another Day with Friends and Family
On Saturday we had our good friends Bryce and Bethany and their daughter Kirstin over. Bryce helped Jesse do the yard work to get ready for the baby shower next week. We are having the shower outside, provided the weather cooperates. It has been really warm lately, but I woke up to rain this morning. I will have to keep checking the weather channel to see if we can keep it outdoors.
Little Kirstin is about 5 months old and so cute. She is very aware of her surroundings and loves to be tickled and played with. She was screaming with laughs all day. I just love having the babies around. Bethany said she could tell I was ready to have my own girls in my arms. I can't wait, but I just want them to be healthy before they come out to visit. 14 more weeks to go until their lungs are in the safe zone.
In the evening my parents came over to play games and have pizza. It is neat how we have to modify our game playing to fit me on the couch. We have a coffee table that opens up and we use that to play on. It works good enough to let us play together and keep me on the couch.
Today Steven is coming over to help me with the math homework. Hopefully we can get a lot done and I can really understand what the heck I am doing. We are so lucky to have Steven and his math expertise around. I think we have all used his skills a time or two and appreciate him!!!
Little Kirstin is about 5 months old and so cute. She is very aware of her surroundings and loves to be tickled and played with. She was screaming with laughs all day. I just love having the babies around. Bethany said she could tell I was ready to have my own girls in my arms. I can't wait, but I just want them to be healthy before they come out to visit. 14 more weeks to go until their lungs are in the safe zone.
In the evening my parents came over to play games and have pizza. It is neat how we have to modify our game playing to fit me on the couch. We have a coffee table that opens up and we use that to play on. It works good enough to let us play together and keep me on the couch.
Today Steven is coming over to help me with the math homework. Hopefully we can get a lot done and I can really understand what the heck I am doing. We are so lucky to have Steven and his math expertise around. I think we have all used his skills a time or two and appreciate him!!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Some Normalcy
I had a fun day on Friday. Brea stopped by for a visit with her sons Braedon and baby Cohen. So instead of spending my day watching TV, I had some contact with the outside world. Brea's visit ended up lasting all day. We talked about the kids and the baby shower next week. It looks like Brea and my mom are getting all the details taken care of. We are just waiting for the rest of the guests to RSVP. I can't believe the shower is only 1 week away. We planned it early because we thought I would be back in the hospital at 24 weeks, but since everything is holding steady, I can stay home unless something changes. When the day was over, Jesse came home from work and he had been out shopping earlier in the day. He came home with two sets of outfits for the girls. The first set was a sleeper that was pink and it said "I love Mommy" and "I love Daddy" all over. Jesse is not too fond of all the pink so I was surprised he picked a pink outfit. He said he knew I would like it. Then he bought the girls little summer dresses. One was pink and one was turquoise. Jesse likes the idea of dressing them in similar outfits, just different colors. Jesse did a great job picking out clothes. I just wish I could go do a little shopping for them. I haven't bought my girls one thing from me. I purchased the swings, bassinets, and clothes used, but I haven't been to the store to by them something from mommy yet. Hopefully I can do that before they arrive.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sick Day
Yesterday was a stay at home sick day for the Prather family. I had a small stomach bug but Jesse was really sick. He really had a rotten day and we both didn't get any sleep the night before. Jesse is in training for a new position at work and he couldn't even make it to work yesterday. Today he had to go in even though he wasn't all the way better. I hope the worst of it is over.
I got more sleep last night and I feel better today. Over the last couple of days, the girls have been very active and I think it is so fun to feel them moving around like crazy. They are night owls and like to get crazy about 10pm - 12pm. I hope that isn't a sign of how they will be when they are here, keeping mommy and daddy up at night all the time.
Steven is going to come over and help me with the MBA class this weekend sometime and I spend 6 hours working on some formulas and I seem to be getting some of it, but I'm still not sure since I don't have an instructor to bounce ideas off of. I wish I could be at the ground campus where I can learn more, but I have to do what is best for the babies. I may not get an A in the class, but I think I will pass it and move on.
I got more sleep last night and I feel better today. Over the last couple of days, the girls have been very active and I think it is so fun to feel them moving around like crazy. They are night owls and like to get crazy about 10pm - 12pm. I hope that isn't a sign of how they will be when they are here, keeping mommy and daddy up at night all the time.
Steven is going to come over and help me with the MBA class this weekend sometime and I spend 6 hours working on some formulas and I seem to be getting some of it, but I'm still not sure since I don't have an instructor to bounce ideas off of. I wish I could be at the ground campus where I can learn more, but I have to do what is best for the babies. I may not get an A in the class, but I think I will pass it and move on.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Starting Another MBA Class
Today I started my first day of one of my most dreaded online courses for my MBA. Let me ask you if Quantitative Reasoning for Business sounds like fun to you, because it makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it? Come to think of it, my stomach has been hurting all day. I don't know if I caught a bug or ate something my body didn't like but I haven't felt well at all today.
I wanted to get a head start on the class so I read the chapters today and the week 1 notes. I was feeling good in the beginning and then I realized I had to complete several financial and economic formulas. That is when I started to freak out. Me and math have never gotten along with one another and now I am taking this class online because of the bed rest instead of taking it at the ground campus where I have an instructor to help me understand.
I have a feeling this is going to be a long 6 weeks to finish this accelerated course. I sent my brother an email to see if he can help me out. My brother Steven is a math wiz, but I wonder how much he understands business formulas. So far he hasn't responded but I hope I can get a little help rather than trying to teach myself out of the text books. Wish me luck! At least I have hours to devote to school while I am on bed rest when before I was working full time and going to school full time.
I talked to my sister Sara today. She is coming down to Phoenix next Wednesday to be here for the shower. She wants to stay at our house for a few nights and see how big I have grown since she saw me last. I feel like my belly can't stretch any further, but the truth is, I will probably get 2-3 times the size I am now. Can we say "Hello stretch marks"? I have none yet but I'm sure I will get some in due time.
I wanted to get a head start on the class so I read the chapters today and the week 1 notes. I was feeling good in the beginning and then I realized I had to complete several financial and economic formulas. That is when I started to freak out. Me and math have never gotten along with one another and now I am taking this class online because of the bed rest instead of taking it at the ground campus where I have an instructor to help me understand.
I have a feeling this is going to be a long 6 weeks to finish this accelerated course. I sent my brother an email to see if he can help me out. My brother Steven is a math wiz, but I wonder how much he understands business formulas. So far he hasn't responded but I hope I can get a little help rather than trying to teach myself out of the text books. Wish me luck! At least I have hours to devote to school while I am on bed rest when before I was working full time and going to school full time.
I talked to my sister Sara today. She is coming down to Phoenix next Wednesday to be here for the shower. She wants to stay at our house for a few nights and see how big I have grown since she saw me last. I feel like my belly can't stretch any further, but the truth is, I will probably get 2-3 times the size I am now. Can we say "Hello stretch marks"? I have none yet but I'm sure I will get some in due time.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Monday Update
We had another good appointment today. My cervix is still measuring the same and is not dilating or funneling. Although my length is much shorter than the average women, the doctors feel as though my length is normal for my body and there are no changes that would cause any concern.
I will go back for 3 more weeks on Mondays and then I won’t need to go back for any more cervical length checks. At 24 weeks we reach the potential viability range even though the goal is to get to at least 36 weeks. I will continue to have growth scans to check on the twins and have my regular OB appointments to monitor my cervix internally.
I have an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist on February 16th to perform an echocardiogram on Addison’s heart to make sure the small hole is closing in her heart. It is fairly common and in most cases the hole closes by around 23-24 weeks and doesn’t cause any problems for concern.
Here is my appointment schedule for the month of February:
Monday 2/9 Cervical length check at PPA @ 1:45
Saturday 2/14 Baby Shower @ 12:30
Tuesday 2/17 Cervical length check at PPA @ 1:45
Wednesday 2/18 Echocardiogram for Addison’s heart @ 2:00
Monday 2/23 Last Cervical length check at PPA @ 1:45
Thursday 2/26 Regular OB appointment with Dr. Carillo @ 11:50
I will go back for 3 more weeks on Mondays and then I won’t need to go back for any more cervical length checks. At 24 weeks we reach the potential viability range even though the goal is to get to at least 36 weeks. I will continue to have growth scans to check on the twins and have my regular OB appointments to monitor my cervix internally.
I have an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist on February 16th to perform an echocardiogram on Addison’s heart to make sure the small hole is closing in her heart. It is fairly common and in most cases the hole closes by around 23-24 weeks and doesn’t cause any problems for concern.
Here is my appointment schedule for the month of February:
Monday 2/9 Cervical length check at PPA @ 1:45
Saturday 2/14 Baby Shower @ 12:30
Tuesday 2/17 Cervical length check at PPA @ 1:45
Wednesday 2/18 Echocardiogram for Addison’s heart @ 2:00
Monday 2/23 Last Cervical length check at PPA @ 1:45
Thursday 2/26 Regular OB appointment with Dr. Carillo @ 11:50
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Weekend Fun
I finally got to participate in a typical Saturday night. We normally have my parents over for dinner and games of Phase 10. We had some pizza and then played a game of Phase 10 at the coffee table so I could stay on the couch. I had a good time playing cards and talking with dad and mom.
Earlier in the day I went for a prenatal massage to help with my hips and back. That was really relaxing and my body felt better afterwards. I figured that I would be lying down the entire time so I didn’t need to cancel the appointment because of the bed rest. The massage place is just around the corner from our house as well.
We are still working on the ideas for the nursery paint but I seem to be leaning towards doing a tan color on the wall and adding splashes of color through pictures and décor rather than painting the walls purple and having too much purple in the room. I want to put the girls’ names above their cribs and the quote “I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my babies you'll be”
Today we will be rooting on the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Go Cards!!!!
Earlier in the day I went for a prenatal massage to help with my hips and back. That was really relaxing and my body felt better afterwards. I figured that I would be lying down the entire time so I didn’t need to cancel the appointment because of the bed rest. The massage place is just around the corner from our house as well.
We are still working on the ideas for the nursery paint but I seem to be leaning towards doing a tan color on the wall and adding splashes of color through pictures and décor rather than painting the walls purple and having too much purple in the room. I want to put the girls’ names above their cribs and the quote “I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my babies you'll be”
Today we will be rooting on the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Go Cards!!!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Nursery Color Dilemma
Here are some pictures of the boarder and the baby bedding I would like to use in the nursery. I need some input on what wall color would be the best to combine the wall boarder with the crib bedding.
I don't have to use the wall boarder but I thought it was cute and would add a few other colors to the room. The furniture is all black so some color in the room would be nice.
If I went without the boarder I would probably paint the walls a light purple and add the wall hangings and letter script on the walls with the girls' names and a popular quote.
If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment and let me know. Brea was kind enough to pull out all the bedding and the boarder and take the pictures for me as we brainstormed what to do with the nursery walls. I always enjoy a break from my boring couch day.
I'm glad it is Friday and my husband will be home for the weekend. We plan to watch the Super Bowl and cheer on the Cardinals!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Boring Day
I don’t have much to report today. I just spent the day browsing around the internet and getting prepared for my next class “Quantitative Reasoning for Business”. Now does that just screem a fun time???? I then watched a few TV shows and looked for more deals on craigslist.
I had a little cramping today which made me stay consistent on taking the Motrin every 6 hours. Addison was kicking or punching a little bit really down low. It is nice to be able to feel the babies on a consistent basis.
Tomorrow we have an electrician coming to the house to install a ceiling fan in the babies’ room. After that is complete the paint will be ready to put on the walls and Jesse can start putting the cribs together. Then I will have a better idea of how much room we have and where everything will be placed. We are still looking for a small dresser to put in the room. We may need to keep the dresser in the closet to save room. I wish I could nest more and spend time in the nursery but I guess I will have to wait until later when I’m not on bed rest.
I had a little cramping today which made me stay consistent on taking the Motrin every 6 hours. Addison was kicking or punching a little bit really down low. It is nice to be able to feel the babies on a consistent basis.
Tomorrow we have an electrician coming to the house to install a ceiling fan in the babies’ room. After that is complete the paint will be ready to put on the walls and Jesse can start putting the cribs together. Then I will have a better idea of how much room we have and where everything will be placed. We are still looking for a small dresser to put in the room. We may need to keep the dresser in the closet to save room. I wish I could nest more and spend time in the nursery but I guess I will have to wait until later when I’m not on bed rest.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tired Day and Lots of Kicks
I probably got more sleep last night than I did the day before but I felt like I woke up with a hangover and I have felt tired all day. Matti our dog woke me up by barking loudly at nothing. He has been fond of doing that over the last few weeks. I guess it is He who decides when I should be waking up. He then proceeded to bark at random things and insist on going out several times and beg for food. I found myself yelling at him much of the day. Maybe I was just cranky or maybe he is trying hard to push my patience…who knows?
On a good side note, the girls have been moving much more lately, or much more that I can feel. A couple of nights ago Riley was going crazy with the kicks on my left side and I wasn’t feeling Addison much at all. Well Addison decided to make sure Mamma felt her yesterday by giving me some strong kicks. When I would stand up I could actually feel her body on my right side and she moved when I poked her. Today she gave me some good thumps while Riley was quiet. Maybe they have different sleeping patterns. Either way I am very excited to feel their movements and feel closer to my little girls.
On a good side note, the girls have been moving much more lately, or much more that I can feel. A couple of nights ago Riley was going crazy with the kicks on my left side and I wasn’t feeling Addison much at all. Well Addison decided to make sure Mamma felt her yesterday by giving me some strong kicks. When I would stand up I could actually feel her body on my right side and she moved when I poked her. Today she gave me some good thumps while Riley was quiet. Maybe they have different sleeping patterns. Either way I am very excited to feel their movements and feel closer to my little girls.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
20 Week OB appointment
Today I saw my OB Dr. Carillo. The appointment went well and I am growing at a proper weight. Since my 8 week appointment with her I have only gained 3 pounds but I did gain a few pounds in the first 8 weeks. I would say I am up 7-8 pounds so far in the pregnancy. We looked at the girls on the ultrasound and listened to their heartbeats. All is well.
Dr. Carillo agrees with that my cervix is short and scarred but very strong and holding steady. She wants me to keep up with the bed rest and keep feeding the babies. She says the girls are growing great so not to be concerned about the modest weight gain.
Brea took me to my appointment and my mom cleaned my house while we were gone. I enjoyed another day with friends and family around. I held baby Cohen several times and played with him. We had a great time but it makes me wonder how I will divide my attention when I have two babies. I’m sure everything will fall into place.
Brea took some pictures of the clothes she picked up from craigslist and took some belly shots for me to show the 20 week mark.
Dr. Carillo agrees with that my cervix is short and scarred but very strong and holding steady. She wants me to keep up with the bed rest and keep feeding the babies. She says the girls are growing great so not to be concerned about the modest weight gain.
Brea took me to my appointment and my mom cleaned my house while we were gone. I enjoyed another day with friends and family around. I held baby Cohen several times and played with him. We had a great time but it makes me wonder how I will divide my attention when I have two babies. I’m sure everything will fall into place.
Brea took some pictures of the clothes she picked up from craigslist and took some belly shots for me to show the 20 week mark.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Good Monday Update
All seems to be holding up well. My cervix is still measuring the same with no funneling present. The office was very pleased and they think my cervix is normally short, but it is holding strong for now. Either my cervix is working properly or the bed rest is really helping. It is hard to tell which is which so I will stay with the same routine and hope for the best. My goal is to reach 36 weeks where the girl’s lungs will be more mature. They may only need to spend a little time in the NICU if we get that far.
Tonight we are celebrating Steven's 27th birthday with the family. Normally we would go out to eat but this year they are bringing the celebration to me so I can be involved. I think the plan is to get Pei Wei for dinner. Shea is also coming over tonight to cook some meals for the week.
Tomorrow I have my regular OB appointment with Dr. Carillo. I haven't spoken with her since we started having all the cervical problems. I will find out if I will remain under her care or be switched to Phoenix Perinatal Associates for the remainder of the pregnancy. My mom will also be coming over to clean the house and Jesse will be happy that he can rest on the cleaning for a few days.
All in all, today was a good day and my spirits are high. The girls looked perfect on the ultrasound. I always love getting a peak at them and seeing the movement that I don't always feel. I love them more each and every day.
Tonight we are celebrating Steven's 27th birthday with the family. Normally we would go out to eat but this year they are bringing the celebration to me so I can be involved. I think the plan is to get Pei Wei for dinner. Shea is also coming over tonight to cook some meals for the week.
Tomorrow I have my regular OB appointment with Dr. Carillo. I haven't spoken with her since we started having all the cervical problems. I will find out if I will remain under her care or be switched to Phoenix Perinatal Associates for the remainder of the pregnancy. My mom will also be coming over to clean the house and Jesse will be happy that he can rest on the cleaning for a few days.
All in all, today was a good day and my spirits are high. The girls looked perfect on the ultrasound. I always love getting a peak at them and seeing the movement that I don't always feel. I love them more each and every day.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Twin Items
Brea finally had a chance to visit the two twin families that were selling their baby girl items. At the first house Brea went to, the mom had several matching outfits. Some were exactly the same and others were matching in different colors. She probably was able to get at least 40 sets for $75 off of the craigslist add.
At the next house she purchased two pink swings that plug into the wall and take batteries. The swings look practically brand new and work perfectly. She also picked up to white bassinets with pink ribbons. The couple was asking more money but Brea was able to get them for $125 for all 4 items.
I was so excited to get those items at such a good price and everything was little girl cute!!! Brea washed all the clothes for me and brought them over. Now Jesse and I need to decide on the dresser to put in the girls room so I can start putting the clothes away. Brea and Chris came over for dinner with Braedon and Cohen. Brea made dinner and it was nice to interact with friends and have a nice cooked dinner.
We have our weekly check tomorrow at the perinatal office and then I have my regular OB appointment on Tuesday. I hope I have some good updates to report.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Finally Some Sleep
I finally got a normal night of sleep. I think I managed to get about 10-11 hours last night and that really makes a difference in my body and my mood. I still had to get up several times to use the facilities but I was able to get back to sleep right away.
Today my body seems to be taking shape and growing more. My organs and becoming more compressed and I already feel out of breath because my lungs have less room to expand. My girls must be getting bigger and finding more room to take up. These are all small sacrifices to make in order to become a mom and bring your children into the world.
Today was a slow day. I watched a few movies and some time passing TV shows. Jesse picked up some new movies and some lunch and went off to play video games for the day. He was able to connect with an old friend from Wisconsin to play on Xbox Live.
The Twin family didn’t get a hold of Brea last night but I talked to them today and she will go over there tomorrow afternoon to look and the bassinets and swings. The prices are right and hopefully they are in good condition.
I’m a little bored tonight as I am running out of things to do to keep me occupied. I will start my next class a week from Tuesday. This will be one of the harder classes in the program so I am a little anxious about getting started.
Dad and Linda didn’t make it over tonight because dad is running behind in school. I hope he gets caught up on his homework soon. I will look forward to my Monday update on the girls at the doctor office and then celebrating Steven’s birthday later that evening.
Today my body seems to be taking shape and growing more. My organs and becoming more compressed and I already feel out of breath because my lungs have less room to expand. My girls must be getting bigger and finding more room to take up. These are all small sacrifices to make in order to become a mom and bring your children into the world.
Today was a slow day. I watched a few movies and some time passing TV shows. Jesse picked up some new movies and some lunch and went off to play video games for the day. He was able to connect with an old friend from Wisconsin to play on Xbox Live.
The Twin family didn’t get a hold of Brea last night but I talked to them today and she will go over there tomorrow afternoon to look and the bassinets and swings. The prices are right and hopefully they are in good condition.
I’m a little bored tonight as I am running out of things to do to keep me occupied. I will start my next class a week from Tuesday. This will be one of the harder classes in the program so I am a little anxious about getting started.
Dad and Linda didn’t make it over tonight because dad is running behind in school. I hope he gets caught up on his homework soon. I will look forward to my Monday update on the girls at the doctor office and then celebrating Steven’s birthday later that evening.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Bad Day
So for the 3rd night in a row, I haven't slept well at all. My body is tired but I'm too sore to sleep. Last night I couldn't get tired enough to go to sleep until about 1 am. I tossed and turned and finally fell asleep. At 5:30 I woke up and I couldn't go back to sleep. So at 6 am, I got up because my stomach was growling. I ate some breakfast and tried to lay back down on the couch and get some sleep.
Not too long after I started to rest, my stomach was very upset. I'm guessing the Arby's that my dad was so nice to get me yesterday was making my stomach unhappy. Finally by 8:30 I tried to get some sleep. Around 11 I got up again even though I felt like I had not slept all night long.
As the day went on, my stomach was still upset. I ended up having a few contractions so I made sure to drink lots of water and take my Motrin prescribed by my doctor to control uterine irritability. I'm hoping my body will start to feel better later and I don't want to feel anymore contractions.
Brea is finally got a hold of the twin family with the bassinets so she is going to go look at them later tonight. I really hope they are in good shape because they looked so cute in the pictures.
Dad and Linda are coming over tomorrow night to try and play some cards with me. We normally do that every Saturday night but we haven't gotten together because of the bed rest. We are going to try and make a go at it and hope we can have some fun. I really miss having the family over.
Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
Not too long after I started to rest, my stomach was very upset. I'm guessing the Arby's that my dad was so nice to get me yesterday was making my stomach unhappy. Finally by 8:30 I tried to get some sleep. Around 11 I got up again even though I felt like I had not slept all night long.
As the day went on, my stomach was still upset. I ended up having a few contractions so I made sure to drink lots of water and take my Motrin prescribed by my doctor to control uterine irritability. I'm hoping my body will start to feel better later and I don't want to feel anymore contractions.
Brea is finally got a hold of the twin family with the bassinets so she is going to go look at them later tonight. I really hope they are in good shape because they looked so cute in the pictures.
Dad and Linda are coming over tomorrow night to try and play some cards with me. We normally do that every Saturday night but we haven't gotten together because of the bed rest. We are going to try and make a go at it and hope we can have some fun. I really miss having the family over.
Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sleeping Problems
I feel like an old woman these days. Laying down all day doesn't do anything good for my muscles and I'm losing muscle tone as we speak.
I have the most trouble at night. When you are pregnant you cannot sleep on your stomach obviously and you can't sleep on your back either because the uterus pushes on a vein that returns blood flow to the head. The woman will become dizzy and the babies will get less blood as well. So that only leads my two sides to sleep on. I spend the night switching sides over and over again because the weight of my stomach really hurts my hips and legs after a while.
I know it can only get worse from here because I still have 4 months to go. I will be 5 months pregnant this weekend and the 36 week goal will be towards the middle of May. I really hope that my cervix holds up and I can get my girls here safely with little time in the NICU.
I have been looking for baby items online on craigs list. We found a family that lives in Surprise that has two twin girls and they are selling many of the initial baby items. They have 2 very cute bassinets, 2 pink plug in swings, and I hope they still have the 2 pink bouncy chairs. The prices are about half their original price or less. Brea is going to go look at the items for me and pick them up if they are in good shape.
I'm passing the time by looking at baby stuff online, participating in the online pregnancy boards, reading, and watching movies. The first few days were relaxing but now I am pretty board and missing the nice fresh air outside.
I have the most trouble at night. When you are pregnant you cannot sleep on your stomach obviously and you can't sleep on your back either because the uterus pushes on a vein that returns blood flow to the head. The woman will become dizzy and the babies will get less blood as well. So that only leads my two sides to sleep on. I spend the night switching sides over and over again because the weight of my stomach really hurts my hips and legs after a while.
I know it can only get worse from here because I still have 4 months to go. I will be 5 months pregnant this weekend and the 36 week goal will be towards the middle of May. I really hope that my cervix holds up and I can get my girls here safely with little time in the NICU.
I have been looking for baby items online on craigs list. We found a family that lives in Surprise that has two twin girls and they are selling many of the initial baby items. They have 2 very cute bassinets, 2 pink plug in swings, and I hope they still have the 2 pink bouncy chairs. The prices are about half their original price or less. Brea is going to go look at the items for me and pick them up if they are in good shape.
I'm passing the time by looking at baby stuff online, participating in the online pregnancy boards, reading, and watching movies. The first few days were relaxing but now I am pretty board and missing the nice fresh air outside.
Monday, January 19, 2009
A Week of Bed Rest
After being released from hospital on Wednesday, Jesse and I had a lot to adjust to. Jesse is learning how to take over the house chores and do the shopping and laundry like I used to. He is slowly getting the hang of things and he can now see how demanding my life was before the bed rest.
We have had a few fights over things, but overall Jesse is doing well. He got a friend to let us borrow a mini-fridge to store some drinks and snacks right next to me on the couch so I don't have to get up as often. He also took care of getting all the FLMA paperwork from work so I can get the doctors to fill them out. He has been renting me movies and running to the store to get me fruit roll-ups which are my favorite snack right now.
Today was my cervical length check and the detailed 18 week scan. It was nice to see how big the girls are getting and to know they are growing right on track weighing 9 ounces each. They did see a few points of concern. Addison has a small hole in her heart that should probably close over the next 3-4 weeks. The 4 chambers of her heart looked perfectly sized allowing the doctors to be satisfied that everything should be fine. Riley had a few cysts in her head. In some instances cysts can indicate a chromosomal abnormality called Trisomy 18. The tech looked around at the rest of her body and there were no other indicators for the chromosomal defect. The doctor is not concerned with the cysts and they should go away on their own.
The best news of the appointment was my cervix is holding steady. It measured between a 1.8 and a 2.0 which is the same as the appointment in the hospital. There is no funneling present and the cervix does not appear to be opening in any way. All in all the doctors were pleased with the measurement and if my cervix holds steady, I may not need to go back to the hospital at 24 weeks.
This news was very positive and I hope to be able to stay home as long as possible.
Brea is planning the baby shower for Saturday February 14th. I have been spending my time registering for baby items online and getting advice on what a first time mom will need. I look forward to the shower and being able to see all my family and friends together.
We have had a few fights over things, but overall Jesse is doing well. He got a friend to let us borrow a mini-fridge to store some drinks and snacks right next to me on the couch so I don't have to get up as often. He also took care of getting all the FLMA paperwork from work so I can get the doctors to fill them out. He has been renting me movies and running to the store to get me fruit roll-ups which are my favorite snack right now.
Today was my cervical length check and the detailed 18 week scan. It was nice to see how big the girls are getting and to know they are growing right on track weighing 9 ounces each. They did see a few points of concern. Addison has a small hole in her heart that should probably close over the next 3-4 weeks. The 4 chambers of her heart looked perfectly sized allowing the doctors to be satisfied that everything should be fine. Riley had a few cysts in her head. In some instances cysts can indicate a chromosomal abnormality called Trisomy 18. The tech looked around at the rest of her body and there were no other indicators for the chromosomal defect. The doctor is not concerned with the cysts and they should go away on their own.
The best news of the appointment was my cervix is holding steady. It measured between a 1.8 and a 2.0 which is the same as the appointment in the hospital. There is no funneling present and the cervix does not appear to be opening in any way. All in all the doctors were pleased with the measurement and if my cervix holds steady, I may not need to go back to the hospital at 24 weeks.
This news was very positive and I hope to be able to stay home as long as possible.
Brea is planning the baby shower for Saturday February 14th. I have been spending my time registering for baby items online and getting advice on what a first time mom will need. I look forward to the shower and being able to see all my family and friends together.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Plan B
I had a better night sleep but I still felt very tired. They took my temp several times in the night and also gave me the Motrin at 12 and 6 am. My breakfast arrived at 8:00 am. I woke up and ate that and then went back to bed.
I was alone today because Jesse went back to work and Brea needed to stay home and get things done around her house. I enjoyed the alone time. Eventually Dr. Spence came in and told me that I was not a good candidate for the abdominal cerclage and both doctors agree that my cervix seems to be holding up and doing its job. The plan for me was to be discharged and sent home to bed rest until I reached 24 weeks. Then I would be put back into the hospital to have more monitoring and medication so the babies could stay in my womb as long as possible and become as healthy as possible before being delivered. I am happy to be going home, but I know this battle is a long way from being over.
Bethany showed up with Kirsten for a visit. She brought some flowers and ice cream. She is such a sweet girl and it was nice to visit with her daugher who is just a little older than Brea's son Cohen. I called Jesse to pick me up and we all visited for a while before they got my discharge papers in order.
I was finally sent home and I could get some sleep in my own bed.
I was alone today because Jesse went back to work and Brea needed to stay home and get things done around her house. I enjoyed the alone time. Eventually Dr. Spence came in and told me that I was not a good candidate for the abdominal cerclage and both doctors agree that my cervix seems to be holding up and doing its job. The plan for me was to be discharged and sent home to bed rest until I reached 24 weeks. Then I would be put back into the hospital to have more monitoring and medication so the babies could stay in my womb as long as possible and become as healthy as possible before being delivered. I am happy to be going home, but I know this battle is a long way from being over.
Bethany showed up with Kirsten for a visit. She brought some flowers and ice cream. She is such a sweet girl and it was nice to visit with her daugher who is just a little older than Brea's son Cohen. I called Jesse to pick me up and we all visited for a while before they got my discharge papers in order.
I was finally sent home and I could get some sleep in my own bed.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday Hospital Update
Early in the morning I was woken up to be taken to the ultrasound room and have another internal measurement of my cervix. The ultrasound tech had trouble deciding how to measure my cervix. Because of my prior surgery that removed part of my cervix, it is very difficult to get an accurate reading. The tech got both Dr. Spence and Dr. Bowan in the room to see if they could see the proper measurement. They were all getting something close to a 2.0 rather than a 1.5.
They decided to do an internal exam to look at my cervix and feel the texture. My cervix is completely flush with my vagina when it should protrude out and create a knob. With this situation, it will be impossible to place a cerclage. Both doctors felt my cervix and it appears to be very hard and not dilating. This is good news. If the cervix was shrinking it would be softer and could possibly start dilating.
I was sent back to my room but I was still on the IV and couldn't eat or drink. Brea and Jesse came to the hospital to keep me company. They both needed to eat lunch and I had to sit and watch while they got to eat. That was pure torture. LOL . To top everything off, my body was developing a low grade fever that they needed to monitor. I was put on Motrin to help my uterine irritability and help with the fever.
After a while, I started to get sick from not eating and no one had been in my room to update me on the plan. If I wasn't having the surgery, then why couldn't I eat? Finally Brea worked her magic and went out to tell the nurse staff that I wasn't feeling well and I needed to eat ASAP. Soon after that I was finally able to eat. Food never tasted so good.
It took most of the day for me to see Dr. Spence again. She was all over the hospital with surgeries and emergencies. At this point she wanted to talk to another Dr. at Good Samaritan Hospital to see if an abdominal cerclage was an option. This is where they cut into my abdomen to close off the end of my uterus and the top of my cervix. This would be a permanent procedure and I would always require a c-section for any other pregnancy.
We will find out in the morning if I am a candidate for that procedure. Eventually I was able to take a shower and have the IV taken out of my arm. I was looking forward to a good night sleep now that I had a little more freedom to move around in bed.
I hope we get good news tomorrow.
They decided to do an internal exam to look at my cervix and feel the texture. My cervix is completely flush with my vagina when it should protrude out and create a knob. With this situation, it will be impossible to place a cerclage. Both doctors felt my cervix and it appears to be very hard and not dilating. This is good news. If the cervix was shrinking it would be softer and could possibly start dilating.
I was sent back to my room but I was still on the IV and couldn't eat or drink. Brea and Jesse came to the hospital to keep me company. They both needed to eat lunch and I had to sit and watch while they got to eat. That was pure torture. LOL . To top everything off, my body was developing a low grade fever that they needed to monitor. I was put on Motrin to help my uterine irritability and help with the fever.
After a while, I started to get sick from not eating and no one had been in my room to update me on the plan. If I wasn't having the surgery, then why couldn't I eat? Finally Brea worked her magic and went out to tell the nurse staff that I wasn't feeling well and I needed to eat ASAP. Soon after that I was finally able to eat. Food never tasted so good.
It took most of the day for me to see Dr. Spence again. She was all over the hospital with surgeries and emergencies. At this point she wanted to talk to another Dr. at Good Samaritan Hospital to see if an abdominal cerclage was an option. This is where they cut into my abdomen to close off the end of my uterus and the top of my cervix. This would be a permanent procedure and I would always require a c-section for any other pregnancy.
We will find out in the morning if I am a candidate for that procedure. Eventually I was able to take a shower and have the IV taken out of my arm. I was looking forward to a good night sleep now that I had a little more freedom to move around in bed.
I hope we get good news tomorrow.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Monday Complications
We went to Phoenix Perinatal Associates (PPA) to get my weekly cervical measurement. This time the news was not good at all. My cervix was measuring at a 2.0 and today it was measuring at a 1.5. My cervix is shrinking way to fast even though I took most of the week off and put myself on bed rest to help the situation.
As soon as the tech said that, I started to cry. In my head, I'm thinking "why me?" and "we have already been through so much to get here, why does it have to be so hard".
At this point the office sent me over to the hospital immediately to get admitted and find out if we can place the cerclage to help me keep my babies in longer. Babies usually don't have a good chance at life until they reach 24 weeks gestation. I am only 18 weeks.
At the hospital I was put into my gown and put on strict bed rest. Dr. Spence is the PPA doctor at the hospital and she was reviewing my chart and deciding when to do the cerclage.
Later in the night I was told they will do an ultrasound in the morning and decide if my cervix will be able to cooperate with a cerclage. I was put on an IV and I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight. I was also hooked up to a monitor to see if I was having any contractions. So far, my uterus is just irritated.
Sleep is hard in the hospital when you are hooked up to an IV and other monitors and the nurse staff is in every 2 hours to check something or give me medication. In the morning we will find out more information.
Jesse and Brea stayed with my most of the day and Jesse went home to finish some homework and get my bag packed so I could have my own things at the hospital.
As soon as the tech said that, I started to cry. In my head, I'm thinking "why me?" and "we have already been through so much to get here, why does it have to be so hard".
At this point the office sent me over to the hospital immediately to get admitted and find out if we can place the cerclage to help me keep my babies in longer. Babies usually don't have a good chance at life until they reach 24 weeks gestation. I am only 18 weeks.
At the hospital I was put into my gown and put on strict bed rest. Dr. Spence is the PPA doctor at the hospital and she was reviewing my chart and deciding when to do the cerclage.
Later in the night I was told they will do an ultrasound in the morning and decide if my cervix will be able to cooperate with a cerclage. I was put on an IV and I couldn't eat or drink anything after midnight. I was also hooked up to a monitor to see if I was having any contractions. So far, my uterus is just irritated.
Sleep is hard in the hospital when you are hooked up to an IV and other monitors and the nurse staff is in every 2 hours to check something or give me medication. In the morning we will find out more information.
Jesse and Brea stayed with my most of the day and Jesse went home to finish some homework and get my bag packed so I could have my own things at the hospital.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
School Sucks
Even though I am on bed rest and have all the time in the world, I still can't motivate myself to get my homework done. For some reason I have been following degrees in business and sometimes I wonder if I even like business. Part of me wants to go back into the healthcare field so maybe after my MBA is complete I can do an emphasis in healthcare administration. Maybe then I will be more interested in the homework. After 4 straight years of school, I might be ready to just be done.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Pregnancy Complications
The doctor's biggest concern is the very short length of my cervix. A cervix in this stage of the pregnancy should measure around a 4.0 cm. Mine is measuring at a 2.0cm. There is only 2 cm of hard tissue holding my babies inside. I have been put on modified bed rest to help my cervix from shrinking any further. The doctor said my cervix is very hard at this point and she doesn't believe that my cervix is shrinking at this point, however they don't know what will happen next. I go into the peri's office every Monday to check on the babies and my cervical length. Each Monday I pray for a good length and I worry the rest of the week that something is changing or I am going to go into pre-term labor.
Friday, January 2, 2009
16 Weeks
I've made it to the 4th month of pregnancy. I'm really starting to show and friends and family can really see my baby bump growing. It is getting harder to sleep and move around. My legs and hips hurt all the time. Half the time I think I am in a 60 year old body rather than a 27 year old. Pregnancy still brings many joys and I love the fact I am carrying life inside of me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
