Monday's appt update. Where to start, where to start? Would you like the good news or discouraging news? Should I start with the news that is shortest and easiest to say? Since I can't hear you, I'll start here:
Good News - Simply put:
*There are 2 active babies
*They are now both head down
*My cervix is no longer an issue!
The other news is not as easy. So today we had a growth ultrasound, scheduled monthly check-up on their weights. We never expected them to be overachievers - there's two of them that have to share food and space. Baby boy has always been smaller, as usually one twin is. They have been charting their growth since 20wks and today when the tech was transferring the babies' numbers for head, abdomen, and femur size, I saw their marks drop fairly low on the graph. But the ultrasound tech said nothing, not her place or degree to make comments so we moved on to the next portion of the appt: the NST (non-stress test).
The NST is easy. I sit in a chair with monitors on my belly recording both babies' heart rates and an extra monitor to record any contractions. I push a button when I feel any/either baby move and they can see if the heart rate reacts appropriately. After about 30 min of monitoring, one of the doctors shows up. He says he only gets to see us with bad news. After reviewing the ultrasound, he found the babies' weights (3.6lbs and 3.1lbs, respectively) and growth gestational age to be falling behind, below the 15th percentile. He had already called the maternal-fetal specialist and they were expecting us shortly. Apparently the placentas are functioning somewhat abnormal. So they did another ultrasound where they could see the umbilical cord blood flow and determine what the problem was and how severe. Good news here: the babies themselves scored "normal" based on movement, heart rate, practice breathing. But both cords are showing abnormal blood flow movement between the placentas and babies. The specialist doesn't think the babies need to be delivered now, but we will have these appts at their office every week, along with weekly NST's at my regular OB.
Well, Craig and I decided it is good we are getting 2 babies for the price of one pregnancy because if this is a precursor for how all my pregnancies would go, it would be a touch decision to try again.
Oh another "fun" thing we are doing this week is interviewing/looking for in-home childcare. Yeah, my least favorite "new parent" task so far. It's not like the town I grew up in where no matter where you took your kids, you felt safe because somehow you or someone you know knew that person. As of now we have a back-up plan; we know her daughter, we feel comfortable leaving our children with her. She actually offered to watch the twins when I was barely 20wks pregnant, but she lives 20min in the opposite direction of both our jobs! Anyone want to come and live in our home for less than minimum wage, watch 2 babies at once - sent us your resume! HA!
Just got a phone call from the OB's office. They want me to do steroid shots this week to help mature the babies lungs in case they are born early or in the next week. Ugh. Still hoping to keep them in for 4 more weeks!
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