Baby Non-Stress Test, April 22nd

The baby's non-stress test went well. They only had to get "buzzed" once. My sister took me so she got to experience hearing their heartbeats. It was kinda funny, her eyes got big when the boys got really loud and fast. It's amazing how much it can change. I only had 2 contractions the 1/2 hour I was hooked up. I had taken my medicine before I left the house and that seemed to work. I also ate some watermelon and nutter butters to try and get them moving. As soon as they hook them up lately they do nothing. They got moving toward the end of the 1/2 hour. 

Last night and today I'm having a lot of rib pain front and back and once again I feel like my belly button is ripping from the inside. Everything is so tight now, I can't seem to get relief from it no matter what I do. Deep breaths really hurt. There is just no room in there. I have another non-stress test and a docs appt on Friday...and then the ultrasound on the 30th. :) The doc made the comment "if I make it that long" and here I am still chugging along so far.

Lots of Contractions

I've been having lots of contractions today! Every time I stand and also when I sit. Sometimes every 5 mins. My belly seems to have suddenly got really heavy. The babies must be getting bigger. I'm not gaining weight but it's not for lack of eating. I've been quite spoiled with Nicks parents brining Olive Garden, Isaacs and chicken corn soup. My Mom and Dad got us lots of Schwan food, bunch of groceries, pizza and subs and beef stew.......mmm. Had some church friends also give me some meals. I've been pretty spoiled food wise. :) It's nice to have the grocery snacks to munch on too! 

Nick just told someone on the phone I have 2-3 weeks to go......I'm gonna smack him silly. Does he know something I don't? I'm feeling like any day. 2 weeks at the most! lol If I go 3 weeks longer he's in trouble. lol

I measured my waist for kicks and it measures 39 inches. I measured the waist of my pre-prego jeans and they measure 29 inches. It sure feels like I have more than 10 inches on me. lol Crazy! And WHAT were people guessing at my shower when I was 29 weeks???? A lot more than I am now! lol

34 Weeks!

Made it to 34 weeks. Still having a lot of contractions but not any different. Last night I had them every 10 mins for an hour and then they spaced apart. This morning I had them every 10 mins again. This morning all 4 feet were poking out of my belly, I was moving them around to try to get them to positions that they didn't hurt but I'll tell ya there just isn't the room to easily push them back in anymore without there being pain some where else. They are starting to feel like little baby feet and their heels are definitely boney! 

Another Hospital Visit

Yesterday I went for the babies stress test and they sent me to Labor Hall to be evaluated because I was having a lot of contractions. (what's new?) The babies activity and heart rates looked good on the test but she did have to "buzz" them a few times to get them motivated. They have a little buzzer that they use against my belly and they don't like it.  They were moving a lot in the car and then as soon as they hooked up those monitors they went into chill mode.

So we went to Labor Hall and went through the registration process. I'm not sure why we didn't have to do that before unless the doctor that I called took care of it. They hooked me up to the monitors and gave me an early dose of medicine for contractions. The contractions slowed down and spaced further apart eventually and they sent me home. The babies were really active in there. It is interesting how varied their heart rates are. When I have a contraction the babies heart rates go up to the high 170's. They said that after 32 weeks their nervous systems are developed enough to react. So if I have a contraction, their heart rates should go up, the same as if they move. That's what they look for. If the babies didn't react there could be something wrong. 

I had the same doc as I had last time when I was in the hospital. He seemed a little better this time but he doesn't make eye contact and isn't very personable. He checked my cervix and it's starting to change. Dilation was almost 1 centimeter (just starting to open). Effacement = 50% (1/2 the full size) Station of presenting baby was -1. He said these were normal for twins at 33 weeks. 

He said we've made it out of the danger zone at almost 34 weeks. (Sunday) He said they would like to see me go another 2 weeks to get to 36 and they wouldn't let me go past 38. What happened to 34? I knew that was gonna happen. At 36 weeks they are very likely to avoid the NICU. That would be pretty awesome. I saw a baby born on TV by csection at 34 weeks and it's amazing, I expected it to look much smaller. It was 4lbs 11oz. The boy we know is around 4lbs 7oz so it was pretty comparable. It's still kinda surreal even with feet popping out every where that there are TWO little babies in my belly. Nick was figuring from the last ultrasound measurements that their little thighs are 2-1/2 inches now. I can't wait to see them. :)

TERMS

Dilation is the width that the cervix is open. Dilation can begin before labor actually starts, or in early labor, and is measured in centimeters. For most deliveries, the cervix needs to dilate from zero (not dilated at all) to 10 centimeters (fully dilated) before pushing can begin and the baby delivered. This range is based on the fact that a full-term baby's head is about 10 centimeters across.

Effacement is the shortening, or thinning, of the cervix. Like dilation, it begins before or during early labor. Before effacement takes place, the cervix is like a long bottleneck, usually about 4 centimeters in length. As effacement takes place, the cervix then shortens, or effaces, pulling up into the uterus and becoming part of the lower uterine wall. Effacement may be measured in percentages, from zero percent (not effaced at all) to 100 percent, which describes a paper-thin cervix.

Station refers to how high the baby's head, or other presenting part, is in the pelvis. This information is important because practitioners need to get a sense of how far the baby has descended into the birth canal. Station is determined by feeling where the baby rests in relation to the ischial spines, the parts of the pelvic girdle that protrude slightly in toward the birth canal and can be felt inside the vagina by an experienced examiner.

Station is measured from minus 5 to plus 5. Minus 5 station means the baby is floating above the pelvis. Zero station means the baby has dropped or engaged well into the pelvis and that his head rests right at the level of the ischial spines. And plus 5 means the baby's head not only has come down past the ischial spines, but also is visible at the opening of the vagina (also known as crowning). While the principle is still the same, some practitioners use a scale of minus 3 to plus 3 instead of 5.

Ultrasound 33 weeks, April 16, 2008

Girls profile

Girls face

Things are getting squished! The first thing we found out is that the girl has moved. She is now laying sideways with her head lower face up and feet up. Her body wraps around me kinda. It was hard to tell, the doc said she's not head down though. The boy is still in the same position head down, very low and face down. The boy was pretty calm today and they measured him easily. He is measuring 4lbs 7oz which they said is good and in the 30th percentile, he has good blood flow and a little bit of fluid left around him which they said is good. The girl however was measuring small at 4lbs. She was moving a lot and they had trouble measuring blood flow and they weren't able to get a reading on her. Her belly and thigh measured the same as the boys but her head measured small. It's the combination of the head, belly and thigh that they use to determine size. They think she is okay because her head is smooshed against the placenta. They think they weren't able to get a good measurement because of that. With the measurements they got 4lbs puts her in the 10th percentile where they start to become concerned. They scheduled another ultrasound in 2 weeks assuming I don't go into labor before then to check her again. I wish it was sooner then that but if she is having issues with blood flow they said that should show up in the stress tests which I'm having twice a week. I have another one this Friday. Karen did notice that the babies have some hair, both of them. :)

I love the high risk doctors. They are blunt and funny. I asked her about staying on this medicine and she said if I want she can have them take me off of it after 34 weeks. She said the medicine really doesn't do much to stop labor it just slows the contractions. She said if the medicine is making me feel miserable there is no reason to be on it past next week. I told her the last 2 days I've felt better, I've felt more alert and it is helping me sleep a little longer I think. Last night and the night before I was sleeping an hour at a time instead of a 1/2 hr. I just don't want to be on it if it continues to make me a zombie and dizzy. She said that it's not gonna stop labor when my cervix is ready. I asked her about vaginal delivery vs csection. I said the doc says that they will attempt vaginal delivery if both babies are head down. She laughed and said at this point they aren't both head down and in the years that she has been a consultant for the group, they have NEVER delivered twins vaginally. She said you picked the office that does csections the quickest. She said not to worry about that at all. I asked her about scheduling a csection and she said they won't schedule it until 38 weeks. She said if you go into labor and it's after 34 weeks, just ask for one. She said worst case scenerio, the operating rooms will be full and you'll have to endure some labor before they get you in. I asked her about losing weight and she said, who cares as long as the babies are fine. lol She said they will take what they need just to try and graze as much as possible but not to make myself sick trying to eat if I can't. She said it's great I'm not gaining all over and not retaining fluid. She said if they were born now they would have to spend a few weeks in the NICU but they would do great and if they get to 36 they should be good and in her opinion even 35. I told her it's just gonna be hard to know when to go to the hospital since I have a lot of contractions. She said being on the medicine might keep me from having to go to the hospital as much contraction wise but my cervix might be stubborn and might hold out til 38, ya never know. AHHHHHH. lol I don't even wanna think about that. 

The boy is having hiccups right now and I showed Nick, it's making my whole belly jump. Now I know all the "things" that have been sliding across the top of my belly are feet.......4 of them!!!  It hurts the worst when one pushes out right in the center, like where my sternum is. OUCH. I've noticed that my cat Linxx has been spending a lot of time in the nursery and I kick her out every time I see her laying in there. We noticed the other night that there was cat hair on the sheets in the crib!!! Why does she want in there? errrr.......so now we have to keep the door closed. :(

I Miss Church- 33 Weeks

I'm doing much better adjusting to being at home. I miss church more than anything. I've been battling in my mind whether that wouldn't be considered a "docs appt"...to me it's more important. With Nick teaching the 2-3 year olds at the first service, I would have to drive to the second which I know isn't a good idea with how this medicine makes me feel. Then I think about the drive there, parking, walking and sitting without my feet up. I really miss worship. Tonight I'm gonna watch last weeks service on TV. Pathway now has their services online as well. click here>> I miss youth group and small group too. I miss the kids. They still keep in contact with me via cell phone and the internet but it's not the same. I think of the shut ins that can't get to church and I'm realizing how hard it is. It's something that keeps me going and without it it's much harder to stay focused and easy to get self absorbed, which always makes you feel blah. 

I was an idiot last night. I looked at the clock when I went to get up and I thought it said 2:30 and instead my pillow was in the way and it was 12:30. I took my medicine too early which freaked me out since it lowers my blood pressure. I called the doc on call to see if I should do anything and she said to just go back to sleep and to be careful getting up since I'd most likely be dizzy. I couldn't fall asleep and in about an hour I felt awful. I felt like I was floating in space, had ringing in my ears, and a headache. I will never make that mistake again. 

I'm trying to eat more since I'd lost weight, I'll tell ya though it's challenging. I'm just not hungry anymore. 

Nick was so glad when his Dad and Mom brought his boxing belt over that was MIA. The only thing it's not obnoxiously big for is my belly. lol Nick got a kick out of it anyhow. 

Docs Appt & Monitoring, April 11, 2008, 32 weeks

Frustrated. Emotionally and physically I'm spent. This medication is making me feel awful, my ribs are killing me and I feel like I can't breathe! I haven't had more than a 1/2 hr of sleep in weeks now. The contractions wake me up consistently. I had the babies monitored today and they are moving and shaking as usual. They had trouble finding the girl's heartbeat which had me a little worried but it ended up being low and way off onto my side. I don't know what she's doing in there. I had 2 contractions while on the monitor but that was it. My swelling went down and I'm thankful for that. :) My blood pressure was good at the docs but it changes so much depending on when I take the medicine. It's hard to tell whether it's my blood pressure or not because of the symptoms I'm having from this medicine. I'm very short of breath today and feel dizzy and my vision is strange too. My depth perception isn't right. I lost weight this time. I weighed 123. She asked me why and I told her I feel full and have so much pressure and I guess I'm not eating as much. I've throw up a few times because of the acid reflux but not enough to make me lose weight. She told me to eat every 2 hrs and try to eat lots of protein. I don't have the appetite I did there for awhile and I think feeling like a zombie isn't really helping. I asked the doctor today how long they would keep me on this medicine and she said until 36-37 weeks. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. I told her maternal fetal told me that they would let me go into labor after 34 weeks. She said they wouldn't aggressively stop it after 34 weeks. She said they also take maternal fetal's advice from what they think and see on the ultrasounds as well. The doc tried to feel what positions the babies were in but said at this point it's really hard to tell because they are tight in there. NO KIDDING! I have another stress test/baby monitor appt on tuesday and then an ultrasound on wednesday. Next docs appt is in 2 weeks. She said I can call in the meantime with any problems. Mom and Dad came down to drive me to my appt today. I don't feel like I should drive as weird as I feel. The medicine says not to as well. We ate at Mary Janes on the way back and it was nice to sit in a restaurant with them for a little. Mom brought leftovers the other night and a few friends from church dropped of some stuff for me to reheat which is really nice! That will help as far as eating some good solid food. I keep trying to focus on the babies and this is all to make them the healthiest they can be............I'll tell you what though..........it's easy for other people to say that when they aren't the one in pain without sleep, breath or energy! Lord help me, it's one of those days. :)