Did I Tell You....

That I got a A in both of my courses this semester?? I knew I had an A in Anatomy & Physiology, and I was pretty sure I had one in Human Growth & Development, but I was still nervous that my professor might do something weird and give me less than that. Nope! My 4.0 average is intact!! :-)

As for the baby, I got all excited last night when I started to have "real" contractions. You know, the ones that hurt your back and front and all the way around... As soon as I laid down to go to sleep they started and came probably 5-7 mins apart until I fell asleep. I woke up again a bit before 4am with the same thing - contractions about 5-7 mins apart. I fell back to sleep around 5am and then woke up before my alarm around 7:15. I got up, had a few contractions...and then they stopped. Bah humbug! I did notice that I might have passed a weensy bit of mucus plug and that I had a small amount of pink/red on the toilet paper (kind of like when your period is thinking about coming), but that stopped too. All day I've had these same kinds of contractions but with no pattern. I can tell that the baby has dropped WAAAAAY down...I mean she is so far down I swear she's coming out my toes. But having one real contraction per hour just doesn't cut it, you know? lol The midwife I usually see is actually in labor & delivery tonight (woo hoo), so I'm going to call around 7:30pm and see if she wants me to come in and maybe do a membrane sweep or something to kick my body into gear. I just don't want to be doing days upon days of having completely irregular "real" contractions...that would be a bummer. I'll keep you guys updated if anything happens!

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

33 Weeks!

Wow. I still can't believe that I made it to March. I'm really psyched for my ultrasound tomorrow, because they'll do measurements and I'll find out the twins' estimated weights. I also wonder what my cervix looks like, but I don't think they're going to check it. My contractions have definitely calmed down since I started on antibiotics for my UTI, but I still get a few every day. (Much better than a few every hour!)

I also thought you all might want to see how awesome the complication rates are at 33 weeks (yeah that sounds weird, but I couldn't figure out a better way to put it):

Survival: 96%
Respiratory Distress Syndrome: 34%
Intraventricular Hemorrhage: 0% (yay!)
Sepsis: 5%
Necrotizing Enterocolitis: 2%
Intact, long-term survival: 96%

Not bad, eh? And I'm not really worried about respiratory distress because I had the steroid shots last week. Woooo!

Too Much Excitement

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been lazy the last few days. :-) On Friday evening I went to bed pretty early (like 9:30pm) and then woke up about 2 hours later. I got up and went to read for a while, and the whole time was having contractions (annoying and a teeny bit painful, but nothing I couldn't handle) about every 5 mins or so. Now I wasn't really worried that I was in labor, but with having frequent contractions, I was nervous that it might be affecting my cervix and therefore my cerclage. So, my hubby and I packed up and went to the hospital at 3AM. We got there, I was put on the monitor and checked. My cervix was closed and my cerclage holding steady, but we were watching the contractions on the monitor (and I had the pleasure of feeling them). They told me to try drinking more (even though I honestly had had a ton to drink the night before) and let me try to get some sleep. Shmuel (sort of) slept on two chairs that he made into a makeshift bed and I (sort of) slept on the bed. At 7AM we both woke up, so they checked my cervix again and it hadn't changed. YAY! My doctor came in and told me I was good to go, but she wanted me to get a steroid shot to help the babies' lungs just in case I went into labor. After much debate, my husband and I decided to forgo the shot because my fetal fibronectins were all negative (which means there's a very low chance of labor in the next 2 weeks) and because the shot really only makes a difference if the babies are born from 2-7 days after the shot is given. With my chances of delivering in the next week being so low, I didn't feel the shot was really necessary. Besides, after talking with the neonatologist from the NICU, it was obvious that if the babies were born at this point respiration is not the biggest issue. Their stay in the NICU would really be for other things, like temperature regulation, putting on weight and figuring out how to eat via mouth. For the first 24-48 hours they might have some trouble breathing, but after that it really shouldn't be an issue. We then went home, had lunch and then pooped out completely. I've had plenty of contractions since, but not with the same frequency. And THAT was my weekend. :-)

Grosgrain has another adorable skirt up for a giveaway. Check it out here: Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt

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! :-)

Snowed In

Not me, my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law lives in Louisville, KY...where they generally don't get snow. Maybe a little bit here and there, but a big storm pretty much cripples the city. And they got one! Ice and everything. Her house lost power and heat, so she's living with someone on the next street over. The kicker is that the other side of her street was fine (and, of course, the next street over). Just her side of the street lost power and everything. Oh well, as long as she's safe.

As for me, I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I was on the tocometer (the machine that records if you're having contractions) for about 15-20 minutes. There was some activity, but nothing I could feel. The doctor did another fetal fibronectin swab, just to make sure. I haven't heard the results from the swab, but the fact that she didn't call me yesterday afternoon probably means it's fine. If it had come back positive, she would've checked me into the hospital immediately to give me steroids for the babies and to try to prevent labor. I'm also going with the assumption that the contractions are Braxton-Hicks type--especially because I don't generally feel them (but I can sometimes sense that my uterus is rock hard), and when I do feel something it's not pain, just uncomfortable. The doctor isn't too worried about Braxton-Hicks, and it gives the uterus good practice for the real thing. Practice makes perfect!

I also gained a perfect amount of weight--3lbs in the last 2 weeks. The doctor wants to see me every week now, and she's VERY pleased that I'm already at 28 weeks. Our next goal is 32!

Irritable Uterus

I went for my ultrasound on Friday and they found that my cervix is down to 1.4cm--not as good as two weeks ago. So, they wanted to make sure that I wasn't contracting and sent me to labor & delivery for monitoring. I had the contraction monitor (long with two heartbeat monitors) connected for nearly 3 hours! They also did a urine sample and a vaginal swab. I have no clue what they were looking for, but who am I to argue? On the monitor they could see little blips. They said it wasn't "contractions" but really just "uterine activity". I couldn't feel the blips, so that's a good sign. However, having uterine activity is not a good thing. They thought that maybe I was dehydrated, so they gave me a full pitcher of water and said "drink up"! lol They tried to give me an IV with fluids also, but it wasn't put in properly and all of that good saline went straight into my arm and puffed it all up. Not a great feeling...and it lasted all that day until the next morning when my body finally had absorbed it all--or at least enough to make it not hurt. Luckily they sent me home before Shabbos. *whew*

On another note, I gained like 5 pounds in 3 days...I hate when that happens and hope it goes away before my Wednesday weight check. I will not be happy to see the look on the nurse's face if I weigh 165 on Wed. I can't even imagine where it's coming from, because there's no way I eat enough calories to gain that much weight. It's just not possible. Seriously, I'd have to be eating bags of cookies and entire pies to make that kind of weight gain, and I haven't had any desserts except dried fruit. Whoop-di-do. If I'm going to gain weight like this, I at least want to have gotten a nice big piece of cake or an enormous ice cream sundae out of the deal. :-)

Big congrats to Nancy who had her baby boy yesterday! Baby is great; mommy is recovering from blood loss, but is still blogging (so that's a good sign). Head on over and give her a mazal tov. ;-)