Outside and NICU tour

Today has been such a great day so far!

John took me outside and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! It was so sunny and warm. I think it's the best weather I've had the opportunity to enjoy since I arrived at the hospital. I was actually getting a little pink and I was only out for maybe 20 minutes. I guess the lack of exposure to the sun has made me extra sensitive.

John came over last night too and brought Maggiano's for dinner (much thanks to Angela, the General Manager for comping our meal) and we ate outside but it was a little breezy and cool. It was much nicer today. John was so cute bringing a candle that he lit to make it more special. Too bad the wind kept blowing it out!

One of the nurses, Tonya, brought us into the NICU so we could see some of the premies to prepare us as much as possible for what's to come. She brought me over several days ago but John hadn't been yet. Those babies are unbelievably tiny. The little girl we saw today was only 3 lbs. and her arm was about as big around as a small hot dog.

My platelets are up to 83K!! I cannot believe that! They just keep going up and up and I am so thrilled about it!

Our babies will be born in less than two weeks now and I CANNOT WAIT!!! This has been such a long journey.

C-section date set

I haven't posted in a couple of days because everything is pretty much the same. John and I met with Dr. Schell (OB), Dr. Chauhan (Perinatologist), and a Neonatologist this morning and we have set a delivery date! My c-section will be on Saturday, June 13th unless the babies decide to come earlier (which hopefully does NOT happen). With taking everyone's advice into consideration John and I decided that the benefits of them staying in for as long as possible outweigh the risks involved in remaining pregnant for two more weeks. Of course this decision was not easy given that a cord accident could happen at any time that would likely take both their lives. Dr. Chauhan mentioned that if a cord accident were to occur and they caught it during a monitoring session it's unlikely that there would be enough time to perform an emergency c-section to save them. We have made it this far and it hasn't happened yet but as Dr. Schell put it, "we're sitting on a time bomb." However, the Neonatologist mentioned brain bleeds with 32 weekers and that pretty much sealed the deal for us. We remain confident that the babies will continue to do well and that the power of prayer and faith will keep them safe inside for just a few more weeks.

Dr. Schell asked Dr. Chauhan if the polyhydramnios (extra fluid) is an advantage in my case because the extra fluid should allow the cords to flow freely rather than be constricted. Dr. Chauhan couldn't give us an answer because in the 17 years he has been practicing he has never had a mono mono twin case with polyhydramnios. He works at several different hospitals and has only cared for a handful of momo pregnancies. There has only been one other set of monoamniotic twins born at this hospital. That family was given the same advice that we just received and decided to deliver at 34 weeks as well.

I toured the NICU today and was able to see several premature babies. They are SO small. There was a set of twin boys that were just born yesterday at 30 weeks (3 1/2 pounds). They were hooked up to all kinds of machines. It was kind of frightening to see but good to prepare for mentally. Our babies are already several weeks ahead of them and weigh a great deal more so they will hopefully need less medical intervention.

All in all we are both really excited to have a date set and cannot wait to meet our little guys. Hunter was so cute yesterday when he visited because he was talking about his little brothers. He was able to see them on the ultrasound equipment during my BPP and one of them yawned. The u/s tech printed a picture for him. He's going to be the best big brother ever!

Monitoring switch

I can't believe I have been here for six weeks (as of last Monday). It feels more like six months.

They have switched my monitoring to be every two hours for a half hour at a time. It means that I am being monitored more overall each day but in shorter increments. The logic behind it being that they are able to keep tabs on the babies more frequently throughout the day and night. My OB is allowing me to be monitored every four hours through the night (instead of every two). That allows me a little more sleep. I thought they would have waited until I reached 32 weeks to increase the monitoring but they are doing it a little bit early.

John and I are meeting with my OB, Perinatologist, and a Neonatologist on Friday morning (when I am officially 32 weeks) to weigh the benefits and risks of keeping the babies in or taking them out. 32 weeks is considered a big milestone because once the babies reach that gestational age it is pretty safe for them to be born. They will most likely have some breathing and feeding issues but it's unlikely that they will face any major defects at that age. We are hoping to keep them in for a few more weeks because at 34 weeks the babies' lungs are developed better and so it is much easier for them to breathe on their own. Also, they develop a suck reflex around that time so it is easier for them to eat as well. We will know more after our pow-wow with the docs at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Memorial Day

I hope everyone had a fun Memorial Day! It was pretty quiet here at the hospital. Hunter and John came to visit this evening and we played with his new Lite Brite that he got for his birthday.

My platelets dropped a little bit (69K).

I reluctantly posted a new belly shot to the slide show. My sister and mom who live in Arizona have been bugging me to send a new picture since they are unable to see me in person. Rather than posting one on my blog I sent one to their private email accounts because to me I look shockingly enormous considering I am only 31 weeks and full-term for a normal twin pregnancy is 37 weeks. I can't imagine how big I would be with six more weeks to go. Of course, the doctors will not allow me to deliver past 34 weeks because of the increased risk of a cord accident so at most I will have three more weeks of growth. Anyway, my sister convinced me to post the picture here but I think this will be the last.

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Today was an exciting day for us because Hunter turned four years old! We had a little celebration for him here in the hospital and he had so much fun opening presents and eating cake! Thanks to those who either came or sent gifts. Hunter really had a great day! It's hard to imagine that four years ago we were in this same hospital welcoming him into our family. What a blessing he has been to us.

The babies are the same today, still no arrhythmia for A and my platelets were up again (76K).

31 weeks!

I'm so excited to have made it to 31 weeks and my platelets were up again today (71K). Hooray! John came to the hospital to watch a movie with me. In a nutshell, that was the excitement of the day.

Great day!

Today my platelet count went up for the first time in over a month!! It's now 64K (up from 59K yesterday). It's not a significant increase but I'm just thrilled it didn't drop again. They are drawing my blood every 24 hours now. We will be so happy if it stays above 50K for the next three weeks.

Baby A hasn't shown his arrhythmia in about three days now. Hooray!

My nurse (Dawn) brought me a fruit smoothie and some protein bars today. I guess she was listening pretty intently yesterday when I was complaining about the food. What a sweetheart!

My friend Sarahbeth and her daughter Josie came to visit this morning. We played Scrabble. It was challenging. Sarahbeth is WAY too good at that game.

John also came by and brought me outside for the second day in a row. It was a tad cold so we didn't stay out for too long.

Hunter had a swim lesson in Madison this morning. My mother-in-law enrolled him in a class last week. He learned to float all by himself and dove to the bottom of the pool to retrieve some rings for the first time. I, for one, am impressed! Afterall, he is only three years old (until Sunday).

Platelet drop (again)

Today my platelet count is 59,000 (an average person has 150,000). It has dropped from 71K four days ago. I have been told that if my levels drop below 50K and I have an emergency c-section I will have to be put under general anesthesia and miss the birth of our babies completely. Furthermore, John will not be permitted to be in the operating room. The Chief of Anesthesiology came to talk to me and explained that they do not allow local anesthesia (spinal) for patients with low platelets because they could end up needing back surgery to prevent paralysis because of a hemotoma (bad bruise) in between the bones in the spine with no room to expand, putting pressure on the nerves. They don't want any kind of bleeding anywhere near the spine. It is safer to do general anesthesia for the mother's health. Anyway, I don't think it will come to that because I believe these babies will make it just fine for three more weeks and then I will have a planned c-section. This is better because they will have time to administer more steroids in the days beforehand, which will boost my platelets as long as my body responds to them well. As long as my platelets are above 50K I can safely have a spinal tap and be awake for the delivery (with John beside me). And that's what I'm praying for.

The babies look fantastic! I didn't hear A's arrhythmia at all today. I feel like it's miraculously gone!

I got to meet my friend Shelly's new baby Rylan today when they came for a visit. He's adorable and so snuggly. I got to hold him and it made me so excited to meet our little guys. My in-laws came to visit as well (along with John and Hunter). They were in town to help plant my garden so that we will have fresh produce this summer. Aren't they amazing?! John came back later and took me outside for a bit. The weather was nice.

Anniversary

Today John and I celebrate nine years of marriage together. It (obviously) wasn't how we would normally celebrate the day but at least we got to spend some time together this morning. Hunter was in a great mood so he was especially fun to be around.

I had a growth scan done today at my ultrasound, which happens every three weeks. According to their calculations Baby A weighs 4 lbs. 5 oz. and B weighs 4 lbs. 3 oz. Those are great sizes for their age (71% for A and 68% for B) but like I have mentioned before, they can be off by a pound in either direction. Nonetheless they are showing that they are definitely growing so that's a great sign.

Baby A has flipped and is now breech (head up). B remains head down. A's arrhythmia is so much better these last few days. The u/s technician didn't see it at all during the 45 minute exam and I can hardly hear it when I'm on the monitors. Maybe he's outgrowing it!

Preschool concert

Today I was pretty sad because Hunter had his end-of-the-year preschool concert and I wasn't able to attend. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

My dad came to the hospital again to visit and brought Hunter an early birthday present. Hunter and John came shortly after and we had a small celebration. Hunter loved his new gifts. We went outside together to try them all out. He has a new sidewalk chalk set with a ton of colors and he had a lot of fun decorating the hospital patio. He also used one of his new squirt guns to "wash" it off. And the bubble gun was a total hit! All in all it really cheered me up to watch him have so much fun with his new toys.

Then my friends Elise and Mo came to the hospital to watch Idol with me. That was fun too. Thanks guys! Mo brought me some new scrapbooking supplies. YAY!

The babies are fine and still "cooking" in me. I was weighed today and have officially gained the same amount (42 lbs) as my total weight gain when I was pregnant with Hunter. Considering this has happened 10 weeks earlier scares me but my doctor reminds me that I am carrying two so I shouldn't worry.

Surprise!

Today I got a super BIG surprise when my dad (who lives in Florida) walked through my door with flowers in hand! He hadn't told anyone he was coming so I was just floored. I haven't seen him in about two years so it was really great to spend that time with him. Our visit got interrupted by my ultrasound appointment so he came back later in the evening with my step-mom. John and Hunter had arrived at the same time. It was super cute to see Hunter show off for them. He kept saying, "Grandpa watch this!" followed by one of his "maneuvers."

The babies are looking great today. A has had an arrhythmia since I was admitted five weeks ago but today it seemed scarcer than normal.

The BPP went fine today as well. B took some time to show he was practicing "breathing" but eventually came around. That's unusual for him. Normally it's A who takes his time to show us this skill. A showed us right away today.

Dr. Schell told me that my platelets have now dropped to 71,000 according to the results of the last blood draw. That means they have dropped by 4,000 in two days. Hopefully that pace doesn't keep up because I really do not want another round of steroids nor do I wish to have a platelet transfusion at the time of my c-section. Positive thoughts...

30 weeks!

That mattress was HORRIBLE. It kept waking me every time I moved at all. At 3:00 a.m. I finally buzzed my nurse and asked her to help me change back to my old mattress (they hadn't taken it away yet). I was then able to sleep through the remainder of the night.

We've made it to 30 weeks! Super exciting stuff! We have two to four more to go before meeting our little guys.

New mattress

My nurse convinced me to get a different mattress today because she said it would be way more comfortable and now that I have it I'm not sure I like it. It's an air mattress that continuously pumps air and the machine it's hooked up to makes this humming noise that I'm not too fond of. I might have to ask to have it switched back.

Sarahbeth and Mo (scrapping friends) came to visit me today with their daughters, Josie and Kennedy. It was fun hanging out. Thanks for bringing me your paint Mo!

Other than that it has been a quiet day.

Humane Society

I wasn't able to post last night due to a virus on my laptop. Luckily my Geek Squad hookup (John) assisted me with fixing the problem and I'm back online.

Yesterday was a busy day. My friend Erin and her son Jacob came to visit in the morning. Then Hunter and John came for lunch before heading off to Madison. We were lucky enough to have been informed by our nurse that The Humane Society was visiting in the lobby of the hospital with some of their animals, some of which were therapy dogs. We went down to check it out and Hunter really enjoyed it, despite his great fear of dogs. There was a Newfoundland that looked like a small bear. Hunter thought it was pretty funny (from a distance). We also got to see a brand new kitten and Hunter was able to pet a guinea pig.

Last night my friend Sara came to visit as well. I decided to paint my nails while we were hanging out and was having trouble reaching my toes with this big belly of mine, so she offered to do it for me. Such a sweetheart!

A surgical tech named Lisa surprised me with a pint of Kopp's frozen custard last night. I see her pretty often even though she isn't one of my nurses. She assists doctors with c-sections and I'm hoping she's the surgical tech on duty for when I have mine. She is so nice! She has twins too so she's been giving me tips on what to expect.

The monitoring went well yesterday and so far today they look great too! My ultrasound showed both babies practicing breathing and they scored 8/8 today, like always. I had a little extra amniotic fluid but nothing alarmingly high.

1 month

I have officially been a hospital patient for an entire month as of today. I was admitted on April 13th. I'm getting pretty good at finding the babies when they decide to scootch off the monitors. My nurse was looking for Baby A for 45 minutes tonight with no luck finding him. She got called out of the room to take a phone call and I found him in less than five minutes. A few days ago one of my nurses joked with me that I could get a job here.

Hunter and John visited in the morning but otherwise it has been a quiet day. Both babies looked great on the ultrasound today.

Visitor night

Tuesdays always go by quickly for me because it's my biggest visitor night. John and Hunter came around 4:30 p.m. and as I was finishing up monitoring Hunter was keeping my nurse busy by asking all kinds of questions about different equipment in my room (again). He was fascinated with the labor lights in the ceiling tonight. He was having a ball controlling them. He was also asking about the monitors themselves and Tanya (nurse) told him she could put one on his heart so he could listen to it beat. Hunter backed away and said, "Oh, gosh no. Not today." We took another bath in the whirlpool tub and that was super fun. John picked up Thai food for dinner. Yum!

Dr. Schell was here waiting when I finished taking my bath and Hunter decided to be a little exhibitionist for a bit. He was having a blast dancing on the bed and running around the room naked.

The doctor who has been tracking my platelets also came to my room this evening in order to update me on that front. She said that my platelet count right now is 78,000 (normal is above 150,000). She said that if I delivered right now that this count would be fine to get me through the c-section. If it drops below 50,000 they would want to give me steroids and a possible platelet transfusion at the time of surgery. Let's hope we don't need to cross that bridge. She suspects I have an immune disorder that runs in my family called ITP. My sister had it when she was 4 years old. I've never been tested for it before and didn't have any trouble with excess bleeding when I delivered Hunter so I'm not sure what to make of the news.

My scrapbooking friends came over (Elise, Sarahbeth, Kim and Raven) to watch Idol tonight. Thanks guys for making the effort to see me! I know it's no fun to watch it on a small hospital t.v. with bad sound but I appreciate it so much that you come anyway to keep me company. You're the best!

Weight Day

Today is "weight" day (once a week). I've gained 37 pounds since the start of my pregnancy. I gained 42 total with Hunter but I carried him 11 more weeks plus a few days. The boys showed they were "breathing" very quickly today on the ultrasound. Both scored 8/8 again. My amniotic fluid level is once again normal and cervical length is "long" (which is good).

I had a fun surprise today when a hospital volunteer knocked on my door to deliver some mail and it wasn't bills! How exciting!! I got two cards from my friend Keem, a card from Karen Anderson (her mom) and a letter from Laurean (John's sister) with drawings from Jarrett and Johnny as well as a letter from Ethan (nephews). I hung them all up in my room. This room is really beginning to look lived in. Thanks everyone!

The babies looked good on the monitors today. A still has an arrhythmia and B is "normal." Both tracked very easily and haven't changed position.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was pretty quiet this morning and early afternoon. John, Hunter, Laura & Dean (my in-laws) came to see me around 4 p.m. and brought a dozen roses, a cake, and some fresh cut up mango (yum!!). Hunter handed me a musical card on which he recorded a message for me. It said, "Hi Mommy! Happy Mother's Day! I love you! Hunter James Collins" and then it plays that song, "She's Some Kind of Wonderful." I love that he said his full name. So cute! He signed the card himself too so that's pretty special. It was fun to visit with everyone. Hunter was very busy asking my nurse what every button and machine does in my room. She was very sweet to go out of her way to answer all of his questions and allowed him to push a lot of the buttons on the machines. John got Qdoba for dinner so I avoided hospital food tonight. My doctor brought me flowers last night when she visited and chocolates tonight. She's so sweet!

The babies are doing well. They seem to be in the same positions and have been for four or five days now so that's good!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's Day!!!

29 weeks

More monitoring, scrapbooking and visiting with John. Babies are fine. The big news of the day is I've made it to 29 weeks now. Hooray!

What weather!

Good news today at my ultrasound. My amniotic fluid lowered to within normal levels so I'm happy about that. The babies looked great. B had his arm wrapped around A's head. They were snuggling!

I spent the majority of the day scrapbooking and made the CUTEST spiderman page for Hunter (from Halloween last year). I'm excited about it!

My friend Raven surprised me with a morning visit. She's also pregnant (with a boy) and due in July. She had an OB appointment in the building so she stopped by to say "hi" for a bit.

John came over this evening and took me outside and thank goodness for it because the weather was PERFECT (80 degrees and sunny)!! I wanted to stay out there all night. There's rain in the forecast for tomorrow so I'm sure I'll be staying in all day.

Walk

Today was the same ol' same ol'. Nothing new to report as far as the babies are concerned. This evening my nurse (one of my favorites) wheeled me outside and left me there alone to read my magazine. It was so nice! She told me I could just leave the wheelchair in the lobby and walk back up to my room when I was ready to come back. It felt so liberating to walk a "long" distance and not have to be wheeled. The things you take for granted...

Hydramnios

Yesterday was non-eventful so I didn't post. I watched a few movies (thanks Bourquin) and scrapbooked a bit. The babies were the same until the p.m. monitoring when they "fell off" the monitors and my nurse found their heart beats in completely different locations than before. It didn't come as a surprise then at my ultrasound today that they had shifted positions again. This time it was pretty minor. They kind of shifted about 10 minutes clockwise, both still head down for the most part and they're still on the same sides with B is super low (they say "presenting" which means that B is closest to my cervix). John said that B is just tired of being called B and wants to be "first" (the baby that is presenting will automatically be born first and thus will be called Baby A).

Apparently I have a mild case of hydramnios (sometimes called polyhydramnios) which means that I have an excess of amniotic fluid. This could be caused by a number of different things but right now they are not worried about it because it's not a severe case by any means. I guess it's just something they will continue to watch and hope that it doesn't get worse. I read on the internet that it occurs in 3-4% of all pregnancies. I'm wondering what other rare things are going to show up during this pregnancy. I also read that, "Hydramnios may also occur during perfectly healthy multiple pregnancies." That puts my mind at ease.

John and Hunter came to visit tonight. We all had dinner together and then Hunter and I took a bath in the giant whirlpool tub. He had SO much fun. The giggling was endless as he swam all over the place playing with the jets and going underwater. It made me so happy to see him having such a good time.

More awesome stuff

Hunter did in fact visit today (Monday) for a short time and brought flowers and homemade cookies (thanks Nona!). He was very excited to share them with me. We had a nice visit but had to cut it short because it was getting to be time for dinner. He was so sad when we told him it was time to go home. He started crying and said he didn't want to go and that he wanted to stay "here" (at the hospital). I felt terrible for him but I know that tomorrow's visit will be easier.

My girlfriends Becky and Shelly came over for a surprise visit tonight and brought Toppers breadsticks. YUM! They wheeled me outside for a night time stroll too. It was so much fun!! I haven't seen the moon in three weeks. I could also see the blossoming trees. They were just beautiful. I have noticed that I've taken nature's wonders for granted now that I don't have the privilege of seeing them on a regular basis. That's one thing I have learned while being in here. Beck & Shel, I had a lot of fun with you guys, like I always do. What a great surprise!!

3 weeks inpatient

Well, I've survived being here for three whole weeks. I can't imagine up to six more but I'll do what it takes to give our twins the easiest time possible recovering from prematurity. When asked what the plan is as far as the date they will be born if everything continues as it has been my doctor said they'd like to see me make it to 32 weeks (May 30th) and we'll see how it goes day by day after that. If they see any erratic behavior at that time they will schedule a c-section but if the babies are not looking distressed in any way they may allow me to deliver at 34 weeks (June 13th-a day after my birthday!). It doesn't sound like I will be permitted to carry the pregnancy later than that. I guess the risk of "cord accidents" heightens significantly after 34 weeks. The boys are doing well today and are still in the same position. Both got 8/8 again on their BPP and monitored well this morning.

John has been visiting daily and took me on an outside adventure the last two days to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine (and when I say "adventure" I mean sitting out on the patio in a wheelchair). I don't think I'll get out today though as he is working all day and then driving to Madison to pick up Hunter. They will visit later on tonight and I'm really looking forward to that. I haven't seen Hunter since last week Thursday. He has been emailing me daily though with updates on his time at Noni and Nona's. It sounds like they are having lots of fun. He wrote me yesterday saying that they "played records...like 10,000 of them!"

Yay, 28 weeks!

Can I just vent for a second and say that I am so sick of being here? I'm going crazy in this room. Okay, that's done.

The babies are doing the same. I think they may have even stayed in the same position for two whole days now. Woah! I'll know for sure tomorrow morning at my ultrasound.

The good news is we made it to 28 weeks as of yesterday so the really super scary stuff is past (if the babies were to be born right now). Of course, it would be a lot better if I made it to 32 weeks but at least the babies would be better off as opposed to a week ago.

It looks nice and sunny outside today. I hope you all are enjoying the weather!

Can't keep track!

At my ultrasound the tech found A on my left and B on my right, both are still head down. It's so hard to keep track. They keep switching and turning and changing direction. So much for Dr. Schell's comment about how they don't change positions that much this late in the pregnancy. I guess our boys have a mind of their own and decided not to follow the "rules."

Today was a fairly quiet day. I had one surprise visitor. Beth, the secretary at St. Martin of Tours, came in the morning with a nice rose plant. So nice and unexpected! Then John came in the afternoon and then back for a little while in the evening. I had lots of down time so I spent it scrapbooking. Gotta catch up before our new little ones arrive. I don't think I'll have much time to scrapbook for a while after they enter our lives.

The boys behaved for the most part with staying on the monitors today. I had lots of contractions today and I'm not really sure why. I tried to stay hydrated to avoid any talk of putting an IV back in for fluids or, worse yet, a terbutaline shot. It must have worked because they calmed down this evening.