We've made it another week! All remains stable.
The girls and I had another ultrasound this morning, and everything still looks great. The doctor confirmed that their lung capacity/chest size is exactly the same. I asked if that's problematic because Baby B is slightly smaller than Baby A (the one without the fluid), and he said absolutely not. He said he would have been happy if their chest measurements were even close to each other, so the fact that they're the same is cause for celebration. He feels like this means that when they're born, we're not going to have too many problems in the breathing department. Thank God.
I also found out that I won't be getting another dose of steroids because they can affect immune response, and since we're at risk for infection anyway, we want to have the most functioning immune systems possible.
Baby A remains head down, while Baby B is back to a transverse position, meaning she's sideways. Her head is under my belly button and she stretches out across my side. I've been getting kicked in the side and back a lot, which is always interesting. Baby A, meanwhile, has her head against my bladder, as if I didn't have to pee enough already. Isn't she sweet?
Still learning to manage the gestational diabetes without the full support of the hospital's food choices, and I'm complaining to anyone who will listen. Northside will be receiving a strongly worded letter from me when I get out of here.
Anyway, other than that, all is well as we head into our 28th week. Again, 28 weeks is a HUGE milestone for them- 98% survivability.
More updates soon!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, Feb. 23
26 weeks and 5 days! Everything is stable, thank goodness.
Sorry I was all negative Nellie last post-- I just get frustrated sometimes, and not even the thought of 2 healthy girls is enough to turn my frown upside down. Usually it's enough, but I have my moments. Like tonight, when Brady said, "Mommy, you come home too." That's tough.
We had another ultrasound today. Everything looks great! Baby A is measuring 26 weeks, 3 days and weighs about 2 lbs, 5 oz. Baby B is measuring 26 weeks and weighs about 2 lbs, 1 oz. We are so thankful they're growing normally. We'll have another ultrasound Friday.
So I talked to the dietitian today about the white bagels. She looked a little horrified and said, "Yeah...we don't have any control over what they order. Just try to eat half of it if you eat it." "Nutrition," as food services is known at Northside, is not getting my seal of approval. Sigh.
Anyway, all is well here. Trying to keep the TV off and keep my mind busy, which seems to be helping.
More updates soon!
Sorry I was all negative Nellie last post-- I just get frustrated sometimes, and not even the thought of 2 healthy girls is enough to turn my frown upside down. Usually it's enough, but I have my moments. Like tonight, when Brady said, "Mommy, you come home too." That's tough.
We had another ultrasound today. Everything looks great! Baby A is measuring 26 weeks, 3 days and weighs about 2 lbs, 5 oz. Baby B is measuring 26 weeks and weighs about 2 lbs, 1 oz. We are so thankful they're growing normally. We'll have another ultrasound Friday.
So I talked to the dietitian today about the white bagels. She looked a little horrified and said, "Yeah...we don't have any control over what they order. Just try to eat half of it if you eat it." "Nutrition," as food services is known at Northside, is not getting my seal of approval. Sigh.
Anyway, all is well here. Trying to keep the TV off and keep my mind busy, which seems to be helping.
More updates soon!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, Feb,. 22
Happy Monday! I've now been in the hospital for 4 weeks. Gheesh.
It was a pretty uneventful weekend, except I had to start on insulin shots. My blood sugar is just a little high in the morning and after dinner (although not all the the time), and they've found that tight control over blood sugar levels leads to fewer problems with the babies. I'm on board for fewer problems. There is an oral medication that would have avoided the insulin, but I have a drug allergy that prevented me from taking it. SO-- straight to the insulin. Once the doctor told me I'd have to go on the insulin, I had my first big breakdown since we were told I'd have to go on bed rest.
It's not that I have to go on insulin-- again, on board with controlling my blood sugar -- it's the fact that I am SO TIRED of being poked and prodded, monitored and evaluated. I should install a freaking revolving door to make it easier for everyone who has to come in and out of my room 1,000 times a day. I miss my husband and son, I miss my life, I miss walking around, and I miss having any control over what's going on with me (including managing what I eat-- it's hard to keep your blood sugar down when the dietitian-approved snacks include white bagels). It's very frustrating, and it's very difficult. The first few weeks I was here, there was so much anxiety about whether or not the babies would be born, but it's dragging on and on, and my personality patterns are coming back. (This is disappointing mainly for my husband, who most certainly enjoyed a more laid-back Becky.)
When you're pregnant, your body is leased out for about 10 months, and this is just kind of making it all tougher. When people say to me that they'd like to have twins, I'm going to show them the hospital bills and this blog. Don't mistake any of this venting and think that I'm not grateful the girls are still cooking, but this is an incredibly difficult experience and a lot to ask of anyone.
On a happier note, Bonnie came up this weekend to help, and Shawn and I got to have a date night here in my hospital room while she watched Brady. Not the most romantic locale, but at least we got to enjoy a yummy dinner and a movie together. We are so thankful for Bonnie and everything she's done to help us out.
We are also continually grateful for our neighbors, who are providing meals for Shawn and Brady a few times a week. It really helps them out, and it truly gives me peace of mind to know that things are a little easier for them. If you'd like to provide a meal for them, visit carecalendar.org (id 32090; sec code 3540). Our immediate neighbor Stephanie Runge is coordinating everything, and we can't thank her enough.
So that's all the news. We have another ultrasound tomorrow, and I'll report back with the results. More updates soon!
It was a pretty uneventful weekend, except I had to start on insulin shots. My blood sugar is just a little high in the morning and after dinner (although not all the the time), and they've found that tight control over blood sugar levels leads to fewer problems with the babies. I'm on board for fewer problems. There is an oral medication that would have avoided the insulin, but I have a drug allergy that prevented me from taking it. SO-- straight to the insulin. Once the doctor told me I'd have to go on the insulin, I had my first big breakdown since we were told I'd have to go on bed rest.
It's not that I have to go on insulin-- again, on board with controlling my blood sugar -- it's the fact that I am SO TIRED of being poked and prodded, monitored and evaluated. I should install a freaking revolving door to make it easier for everyone who has to come in and out of my room 1,000 times a day. I miss my husband and son, I miss my life, I miss walking around, and I miss having any control over what's going on with me (including managing what I eat-- it's hard to keep your blood sugar down when the dietitian-approved snacks include white bagels). It's very frustrating, and it's very difficult. The first few weeks I was here, there was so much anxiety about whether or not the babies would be born, but it's dragging on and on, and my personality patterns are coming back. (This is disappointing mainly for my husband, who most certainly enjoyed a more laid-back Becky.)
When you're pregnant, your body is leased out for about 10 months, and this is just kind of making it all tougher. When people say to me that they'd like to have twins, I'm going to show them the hospital bills and this blog. Don't mistake any of this venting and think that I'm not grateful the girls are still cooking, but this is an incredibly difficult experience and a lot to ask of anyone.
On a happier note, Bonnie came up this weekend to help, and Shawn and I got to have a date night here in my hospital room while she watched Brady. Not the most romantic locale, but at least we got to enjoy a yummy dinner and a movie together. We are so thankful for Bonnie and everything she's done to help us out.
We are also continually grateful for our neighbors, who are providing meals for Shawn and Brady a few times a week. It really helps them out, and it truly gives me peace of mind to know that things are a little easier for them. If you'd like to provide a meal for them, visit carecalendar.org (id 32090; sec code 3540). Our immediate neighbor Stephanie Runge is coordinating everything, and we can't thank her enough.
So that's all the news. We have another ultrasound tomorrow, and I'll report back with the results. More updates soon!
Friday, February 19, 2010
26 weeks: Next milestone reached!
Yesterday marked the start of my 26th week of pregnancy. Another milestone reached!
Today marks 4 weeks since Baby A's water broke. Amazing. So far, so good...
Had another ultrasound this morning, and both girls continue to do great. Their chests, hearts, and lungs are measuring exactly the same in spite of Baby A's very low fluid levels. Our perinatologist is absolutely convinced that having a Baby B has allowed Baby A to do so well (see the very first blog post for more info on this phenomenon). Whatever the reason, we'll take it!
No news with me-- temp stable, blood pressure good, blood sugar good, no contractions. I'm allowing myself to get hopeful and even did some online shopping for girls' bedding yesterday. :)
All doctors agree that the next milestone is really 28 weeks, which isn't to say that 27 weeks wouldn't be significant.
So that's all that's going on. Thankfully, not much is happening except the girls and I are all getting bigger.
More updates soon!
Today marks 4 weeks since Baby A's water broke. Amazing. So far, so good...
Had another ultrasound this morning, and both girls continue to do great. Their chests, hearts, and lungs are measuring exactly the same in spite of Baby A's very low fluid levels. Our perinatologist is absolutely convinced that having a Baby B has allowed Baby A to do so well (see the very first blog post for more info on this phenomenon). Whatever the reason, we'll take it!
No news with me-- temp stable, blood pressure good, blood sugar good, no contractions. I'm allowing myself to get hopeful and even did some online shopping for girls' bedding yesterday. :)
All doctors agree that the next milestone is really 28 weeks, which isn't to say that 27 weeks wouldn't be significant.
So that's all that's going on. Thankfully, not much is happening except the girls and I are all getting bigger.
More updates soon!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wednesday, Feb. 17
Sorry I didn't do an update yesterday-- I get so tired of the computer some nights!
Everything went well with yesterday's ultrasound. Girls are both doing great-- no changes with them or with me. We'll have another ultrasound Friday for another look. I really need to get a scanner so you can see the photos we're seeing. Baby A is head down, face down, so we don't get great looks at her face or torso, but her spine looks great. :) Baby B is quite the ham, and not so modest... she's going to be trouble. ;)
Tomorrow marks 26 weeks-- another milestone! We've been hearing anecdotally that 26 is where you really want to be because the odds are so good at that point. So we're happy to be here. We'll be happier if we make it to 27 weeks...28 weeks...29 weeks...you get the picture. We're taking every day as it comes, although it's hard not to look ahead.
Tomorrow is also a bittersweet day for me personally. It would have been my mother's 62nd birthday. I miss her every day, but I miss her so much more now that we're going through all this. I'm so thankful for the 26 years I had with her, and for all the love she gave me. I hope I'm half as good a mother to my kids as she was to my brother and me. I'm just so sad that she never knew any of her grandchildren, and I can only hope that she's watching over them now, seeing them for the beautiful, smart, sweet, wonderful children they are. And I hope she's there for the girls when they're born too.
So that's it-- more updates soon!
Everything went well with yesterday's ultrasound. Girls are both doing great-- no changes with them or with me. We'll have another ultrasound Friday for another look. I really need to get a scanner so you can see the photos we're seeing. Baby A is head down, face down, so we don't get great looks at her face or torso, but her spine looks great. :) Baby B is quite the ham, and not so modest... she's going to be trouble. ;)
Tomorrow marks 26 weeks-- another milestone! We've been hearing anecdotally that 26 is where you really want to be because the odds are so good at that point. So we're happy to be here. We'll be happier if we make it to 27 weeks...28 weeks...29 weeks...you get the picture. We're taking every day as it comes, although it's hard not to look ahead.
Tomorrow is also a bittersweet day for me personally. It would have been my mother's 62nd birthday. I miss her every day, but I miss her so much more now that we're going through all this. I'm so thankful for the 26 years I had with her, and for all the love she gave me. I hope I'm half as good a mother to my kids as she was to my brother and me. I'm just so sad that she never knew any of her grandchildren, and I can only hope that she's watching over them now, seeing them for the beautiful, smart, sweet, wonderful children they are. And I hope she's there for the girls when they're born too.
So that's it-- more updates soon!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, Feb. 15
Today marks 3 weeks in the hospital. I think. It could also be 3 years-- I'm not sure.
Everything is well! We're heading to the 26th week, which begins Thursday. The girls are extremely active, and I've been watching them do strange things to my abdomen all day.
I'm working to get the hang of this gestational diabetes thing. I could do without the finger pokes, and I wish I could have some apple juice, but I'll survive. I do wish I was at home though-- I think I'd be able to manage it better, or at least tastier (have you had hospital food lately??). But all in all, it's no big deal, and so far everything is being managed through my diet. I'm hoping not to have to go on any meds. I have never wanted a Snickers bar so badly ...
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, so I'll report back. More updates soon!
Everything is well! We're heading to the 26th week, which begins Thursday. The girls are extremely active, and I've been watching them do strange things to my abdomen all day.
I'm working to get the hang of this gestational diabetes thing. I could do without the finger pokes, and I wish I could have some apple juice, but I'll survive. I do wish I was at home though-- I think I'd be able to manage it better, or at least tastier (have you had hospital food lately??). But all in all, it's no big deal, and so far everything is being managed through my diet. I'm hoping not to have to go on any meds. I have never wanted a Snickers bar so badly ...
We have another ultrasound tomorrow, so I'll report back. More updates soon!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday, Feb. 13: Too, too sweet
We had an ultrasound yesterday, and everything still looks good. The girls are active, blood flow is good, and while the fluid level is low on Baby A as expected, both girls seem happy and healthy for this stage of pregnancy.
This morning I had my 3-hr glucose screen, and boy did I fail miserably. If you're going to do it, I guess you gotta do it big, right? I had a feeling this would be the result and probably could have saved myself 4 vials of blood, but so it goes. So now that I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, we'll be cutting back on carbs and sugar and closely monitoring my blood sugar levels. Pretty awesome. (I want to send a big shout-out to my fellow gestational diabetic Amanda Dobbs for bringing me some sugar-free candy. It's pretty good, actually.) This condition should go away once the girls are born, so I look forward to eating cake at some point.
Speaking of cake, yesterday was my nephew Ben's first birthday, and I was Skyped in for most of his party today. Technology is amazing. I felt like I was more or less there, and even if I had been, I couldn't have had the cake and ice cream anyway!
So everything is still status quo, thank goodness. More updates soon!
This morning I had my 3-hr glucose screen, and boy did I fail miserably. If you're going to do it, I guess you gotta do it big, right? I had a feeling this would be the result and probably could have saved myself 4 vials of blood, but so it goes. So now that I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, we'll be cutting back on carbs and sugar and closely monitoring my blood sugar levels. Pretty awesome. (I want to send a big shout-out to my fellow gestational diabetic Amanda Dobbs for bringing me some sugar-free candy. It's pretty good, actually.) This condition should go away once the girls are born, so I look forward to eating cake at some point.
Speaking of cake, yesterday was my nephew Ben's first birthday, and I was Skyped in for most of his party today. Technology is amazing. I felt like I was more or less there, and even if I had been, I couldn't have had the cake and ice cream anyway!
So everything is still status quo, thank goodness. More updates soon!
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