Wheeeeew!

Today I had an appointment with MFM to discuss something called "anti-k antibodies". Apparently when I gave birth to the twins I was given Kell + blood and I am Kell -. This means that my body produced antibodies against this + antigen. This also means that if my baby is Kell + and if my antibodies cross the placenta, this can result in SEVERE anemia. Anyway, this necessitated a visit to MFM for a consult. Lucky for me I am quite resourceful and got myself scheduled for an ultrasound at the same time. I made the excuse that the baby was measuring small last time and shouldn't they check up on him/her. Hehehe Anyway, I was terrified that they were going to say something was wrong. I mean, I can't feel the baby yet and I can't hear the heartbeat via doppler, so I have no way of knowing that all is well. Sure, I have symptoms, but they're not really quantifiable. Sometimes I have 'em and sometimes I forget I'm pregnant (yep it happens). And even though my tummy is rounder, it's hard to tell since my tummy has been round since I gave birth to the twins. Anyhoo, everything is looking perfect!!! (Thank G-d) The baby came back from his/her deficit and is measuring 100% on target for 9w 4d (27.5 mm) with a heart rate of 170bpm.

Looks even somewhat human doesn't (s)he? Kinda like a miniature teddy bear. When we were watching the monitor, we could even sorta see really teeny arms and legs. Oh, and speaking of the monitor...the ultrasound rooms at St. E's are high tech now! They have a nice, large monitor right on the wall where the mom can see what's going on, rather than having to crane her neck to see what the technician is doing. And the technician can have the screen facing her, so she can do her best for measurements and such. It's a win-win and I LOVE IT!

Anyway, then we got to see the head MFM doctor who discussed the anti-K stuff with us. She sent my hubby and I for blood work--me to find out exactly how much of these antibodies I have in my blood and what kind they are, and him to find out if he's Kell + or Kell -. If he's Kell - then we shouldn't have a problem. Also, the doctor talked to me about having a cerclage placed...which I told her I would prefer to wait and see how things go. I mentioned to her my cervical fistula, and she actually expressed DEEP concern about it. She was telling me of a woman who was having repeated miscarriages due to a fistula. YIPE! I told her to check with my regular OB and to take a look at the MRI to see if it's really worrisome. I sure hope not...I was under the impression that the fistula was tiny and nothing to even speak about. Geepers...why can't pregnancy be less dramatic for me? lol

Hospital Again

Well, here I am, back in labor & delivery. I came in Friday morning for my scheduled non-stress test and haven't left. The babies did great during the non-stress test, but the doctor didn't like that I was contracting so much, so they admitted me for longer monitoring. The contractions continued--not painful, sometimes I didn't feel them at all--and eventually the doctor came in and checked me. 1cm and 90% effaced...oops! The doctor was a bit concerned about my cerclage and decided to keep me overnight until my OB was in the next morning.

Saturday morning my OB came in and decided to take out the cerclage and start me on IV fluids. She checked me right before she took it out and I had progressed to 2cm...oops again...and the cerclage was basically hanging off, not really doing much. I don't even think she needed scissors to cut it, so she just pulled it off. It didn't hurt at all--I've had pap smears that were worse--and I only bled a teensy bit. She checked me again and now I was 3cm and 90 % effaced...big oops. She and the nurses were convinced that I was just going to go into labor, so they moved me to a bigger room. They were wrong, though. After getting the fluids my contractions basically stopped. When they checked me later on in the day I was still 3cm. :-)

So, I'm still here. Amniotic sacs are both intact (yay), and I believe my mucous plug is still hanging in there, although I don't really know how... The doctor says she may send me home if I reach 34 weeks (on Tues) and haven't progressed at all. So, I'll be in the hospital until further notice. We spoke with a neonatologist yesterday and he reassured us that babies born at this point do very well (especially since I got the steroid shots last week). The babies would have to stay in the NICU until they get released from the hospital, and that usually happens between 36 to 38 weeks gestational age--most likely closer to 36 since they're not *so* early. As the neonatologist said, "There's preemie and there's really preemie." There's also a difference between pre-term and premature.

Well, that's all for now. Back to watching Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family. :-D

Doctor's Appointment & Ultrasound

I saw my OB today. She checked my cervix and says that it's completely thinned out. :-) But somehow the cerclage is still holding and not strained...I have no idea how that is possible. She doesn't want to take the cerclage out until I'm either in labor or the cerclage starts pulling at the cervix. Because the cervix is so thin and Baby A's head is so close to the other side, if she were to go in there with scissors, she might nick the amniotic sac or the amniotic sac might rupture on its own much quicker. She's very proud of me for making it to 33 weeks and hopes I can go a few more. I, on the other hand, am so ready to be done. :-)

Then I had an ultrasound. The babies are sooo big, measuring in at a hefty 4 1/2 lbs each. Baby A is actually a teensy bit bigger than Baby B now, which I think is really funny. :-) Baby B also decided he's going to be a good boy and is now head down!! WOOOO!!! Baby A's head is so far down into my pelvis they nearly couldn't measure it. heh They also confirmed that my cervix is pretty much non-existant (ie fully effaced), but not really dilated. The doctor noticed that Baby B's umbilical cord blood flow was a bit sluggish, so she sent me down for a non-stress test. Both babies passed that with flying colors, so they sent me home after about an hour. Unfortunately, they want me to repeat the non-stress test on Friday morning. urgh!!

I posted a new belly pic last night, so go take a look!

Ultrasound Update

The ultrasound went pretty well this morning. Babies are still cute. :-) My cervix is holding up, although I must've been having a contraction when she first measured because it was REAAAALLY short (like .65cm), and I couldn't see the cerclage knots. But after about a minute it went back up to 1.7cm and you could see the knots just fine. Neither the doctor nor the tech were worried, so I'm not worrying either. :-) I've also graduated! No more cervix checks! I'll still be going in to check the babies' growth, but that's it. Wooooo!!

I did get some decent pictures today, so I'll share them with you.

This is Baby A's profile


Here's a cute 3D of Baby A's face


And another cute 3D of Baby A's face


Here's Baby B's profile


And here's Baby B (and umbilical cord) in 3D


Enjoy!

Numb Belly

I discovered the other day that there are numb patches on my stomach (really just the area surrounding my belly button). I asked the doctor about it today and she says it's normal because my skin is sooooo stretched out. I wonder if I get my whole belly numb if I won't have to feel contractions? :-)

Speaking of contractions, the Braxton-Hicks are really annoying. They're still not painful (on my stomach), but I am feeling pain in my back and bladder. Oh man, every time I have a contraction it feels as if my bladder was 150% full. Now that's pain... Thank goodness it only lasts as long as the contraction and then my bladder goes back to feeling "normal" fullness. :-)

So, the doctor says all of my various symptoms are normal (and many are to be expected). On very good notes, my Braxton-Hicks contractions aren't affecting my cervix at all, my blood pressure is great and there are no warning signs of anything else (i.e. no protein or sugar in urine and my fetal fibronectin tests are all negative). The babies are in the same positions as always--Baby A head down, Baby B transverse. I've decided that they're making a T for Tamakwa. heh (Tamakwa deserves it's own post if you really want me to explain, and no, it's not a Yiddish or Hebrew word and has very little to do with Judaism.) I also only have about a week and a half left of the progesterone and then I'm done! My hubby got all freaked out when I said I was stopping it. He's like "but it's so early!" So I told him that just because I'm done with it, doesn't mean I'll go into labor the next day. Besides, I'll already be about 33 weeks. The only thing the progesterone is doing is helping to keep the cervix closed, but really the cerclage is doing the hard work. If the doctor is going to take out my cerclage at 34 or 35 weeks, I don't think stopping the progesterone a week or two beforehand is going to do any harm. My cervix isn't just going to suddenly open up...although that would be a pretty neat trick and make the whole labor and delivery thing much easier. :-)

Ultrasound tomorrow, and I posted a new belly pic this evening!

Exciting Day

I had my OB appointment yesterday, and they started off with me on the tocometer (contraction monitor) for a while. I watched the screen & printout and noticed several little contractions...and even felt one or two (not painful, just annoying). The doc wasn't pleased with the frequency of the contractions and sent me to labor & delivery for fluids and monitoring. Now I've been REALLY good with drinking fluids, but yesterday I got up really late and only had time for a small glass of water. But, she thinks I was dehydrated (I probably was) and wanted me pumped with fluids. She also took another fetal fibronectin test, which came back negative. :-) Anyways, I then proceeded to spend the next 5 hours being monitored and pumped with fluids (3 bags, urgh). It was exceedingly boring! The doctor came in around 8pm and said she liked how the contractions had spaced out, so I could go home. She told me to expect Braxton-Hicks contractions because with my uterus already at full-term size and space at a premium, it's really just doing its job. For now it's not affecting my cervix, so she's not worried about it. She was only worried when they were coming like every 3-5 mins, regardless of whether or not I could feel them. :-)

As for my cervix, it's still closed and beautiful. :-) The doctor's scale says I only gained a half pound in the last week, but I think it's more because I didn't have time for a full breakfast before my appointment. When I got home (after the 3 bags of fluid), the scale showed I gained like 6 pounds from this morning. At first I was shocked and appalled, but then remembered the fluid intake. I asked my hubby and he said that sounded about right from the amount of fluid I had. It's slowly going back down to normal.

The doctor is SO pleased that I've made it to 30 weeks. She said that even though she's happy now, she'll be even happier at 32 weeks and then ridiculously happy at 34 weeks. She said she'll "shut up after [I] get to 34 weeks" (that's a direct quote). lol As for my cerclage, she said that if my contractions are starting to bother my cervix, she'll take out the cerclage around 32 or 33 weeks, but otherwise would leave it in until 35 weeks. She also said that after 36 weeks there's really no overwhelming reason to keep the twins in longer, because the space is so cramped and they probably wouldn't be growing as well as if they were on the outside. She said that they for sure would be here before Passover! :-)

26 Weeks & Doctor's Appointment

I had a great appointment with my OB today. First, I did my 1 hour glucose test (ewww). Then, the doctor checked my cervix & cerclage--which both look perfect. She measured my belly, which is currently 36cm (36 weeks), so I'm measuring 10 weeks ahead. No wonder I feel like a whale! She also checked the babies heartbeats and my blood pressure. So far so good! She also answered the gazillion questions that I asked. We discussed when the cerclage would come out & when I might go off of bed rest, and she said that most likely I could start increasing activity at 32 weeks and then maybe go off of bed rest at 33 or 34 weeks. As for the cerclage, if I make it to 35-36 weeks, we'd take it out then. If I go into labor before then, the cerclage obviously comes out when I go into labor. She also tried to convince me that a C-Section is a good option, but I want to avoid that at all costs, so it was no deal. :-) Obviously I want my babies born as safely as possible, so if there's a true medical reason for a C-Section I have no problem with that. But I am NOT going to plan a C-Section for any other reasons, and if I do have to plan one, it's going to be for like 38 weeks (so I can go into labor myself anyway). I'd also like to go epidural-free if possible, but because of the circumstances they would probably place an epidural w/ no medication or a very, very low dose (just to keep the line clear) in case something happens during delivery that requires an emergency C-Section. As much as I don't want an epidural, I don't want general anesthesia much more, and if they need to get either one or both of the babies out very quickly and there's no epidural already placed, they would have to put me under.

On another note, the doctor said I can drink as much herbal tea or decaf coffee as I want. So, I don't have to suffer through gallons of plain water to keep hydrated. Woo! She checked the results of the swabs that were taken after my ultrasound last week and I don't have any infections either. She also wants me to lower my dose of progesterone and then possibly stop it altogether if my cervix looks ok in a few weeks.

That's all! I took a new belly picture last night and posted it just now. It doesn't look so different from 24 weeks even though I'm a good 5cm bigger. Oh well, as long as it's growing!

Out of Surgery

I had the cerclage put in this morning, and let me tell you--it was SO not fun. First, I really didn't enjoy having the spinal put in. It just felt like it took forever for them to do it. It wasn't particularly painful, just long. Then, the feeling of having half of your body go numb is just WEIRD! You know the feeling when you've been sitting on your legs and they feel "asleep"? Well that's what it felt like except times 100 because you can't acually move any part of you that feels "asleep". I could feel a teeny bit of tingling when they would touch my legs, but I didn't feel anything they were doing around my cervix...and happily enough I still don't! Right now it's been about 3 hours since they put the spinal in, and the only thing still a bit funky feeling is my butt. Unfortunately it means I still can't get up because that's the section of your body that holds you up when you're on your feet. Bleargh.

Secondly, right after they put the spinal in and put me on my back, I started to feel nauseous...and then more nauseous...and then I threw up. ICK. Not only that, but I was totally on my back, and it's quite uncomfortable to be throwing up when you're on your back. Luckily, it's for this reason that they make sure you don't eat or drink for 8 hours before the surgery, so there was nothing really to throw up except a little bit of stomach bile. Not too bad.

Thirdly, after I was done being sick, it was difficult to breathe. I had to keep asking them to hold my head up a bit. The numbness from the spinal was inching up my stomach and because I was on my back, the babies were sitting on my aorta. That coupled with the fact that I'm anemic (which causes me to be out of breath) made it very difficult to breathe, so I was starting to feel a bit dizzy and faint. I didn't faint, thank G-d, but I was just waiting until I could finally sit up straight so the blood would be able to flow properly and the numbness would leave my upper body.

So there you have it. Spinals are no fun at all, but at least the whole procedure took less than 1/2 an hour (even though to me it felt like ages longer). The doctor says that "nothing's coming out of that cervix" (lol), so that's a very good sign that the cerclage itself went well. Now, I would do anything to make sure these babies are born healthy and at the right time (many, many weeks from now), but I would rather never have to do that again. I think I'll skip the epidural during labor and pray like heck that I don't need a C-Section! :-D

Bed Rest & Cerclage

I went in for my cervix check ultrasound yesterday. They looked at the twins first, and then they went to look at my cervix. Holy cow. I took one look at the screen and was like "that's REALLY not supposed to look like that!!" Basically, instead of my cervix looking like a closed fist (the way it's supposed to), it looked like a funnel (ie half open). WHOOPS! So the doctor is putting me on progesterone suppositories and admitted me into the hospital for observation and a cerclage. So far I'm not contracting, which is excellent, but I do have to stay lying down most of the time. And I'm not going back to work either--it's modified bed rest for me. :-) At least I can get up to use the bathroom!!! Whew! Luckily the hospital has wireless internet, so my hubby brought me my laptop. Now I won't go crazy from boredom! I have books, tv and my computer; and the nurses bring me my meals...who needs to get out of bed?? :-D The main drawback is the fact that the bed is not *so* comfortable, so sleeping is a bit tough, but I have my earplugs and a face mask which helps immensely. I will keep everyone updated!

P.S. This also means that my 20 week bump picture is going to have to wait until I get out of the hospital. Oh well!