Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Neonatology Consult
This was a meeting with the Chief of Medicine of Neonatology and an RN coordinator/social worker. We discussed the plan after birth and were given handouts about Aliya's condition. We also got a tour of the NICU. We'll be able to hold Aliya right after birth for a few minutes and then she will be taken to the UCSD NICU to stabilize her. Once she is stable, they will send her to Rady's within a few hours. I will be able to see her right before she leaves. I asked if I would be able to discharge early and it sounds like I will be able to be there for her surgery. They sounded hopeful and positive about her survival. Today is February so we made it to February! In 2 days, I will be 34 weeks along which is a huge milestone for survival. Now if the babies are born, they are just as likely to survive as if they were born full-term! My next goal to make is 36 weeks, because then there is a good chance Avery will not have to go to the NICU at all and be able to go home with us. I have another dr appointment later today so will have another update then.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Growth scan on Jan. 24th
Basically the girls are 3 lbs 12 oz (Aliya) and 4 lbs (Avery). Their weight has stagnated and they're below average but not where they have to deliver them or anything. Their heartbeats are good.
There was an issue w/ both of their placentas. I guess the placentas are kind of "tough" where the blood isn't as flowing through as easily and there's high resistance in their umbilical arteries. Normal is 3, theirs is 3.77, and they have to "do something" if it reaches 4. Besides that, Aliya's other organs are formed and normal so that's good!
I am 33 weeks along today and not feeling that great. It's just constantly uncomfortable or painful so I have to continually change positions, or I feel nauseous, or I'm having contractions, etc. Always something! So I'm kinda cranky =/. It's just about taking one day at a time right now. I can't believe I will be full-term in just 3 weeks. Crazy.
Neonatology consult tomorrow!
There was an issue w/ both of their placentas. I guess the placentas are kind of "tough" where the blood isn't as flowing through as easily and there's high resistance in their umbilical arteries. Normal is 3, theirs is 3.77, and they have to "do something" if it reaches 4. Besides that, Aliya's other organs are formed and normal so that's good!
I am 33 weeks along today and not feeling that great. It's just constantly uncomfortable or painful so I have to continually change positions, or I feel nauseous, or I'm having contractions, etc. Always something! So I'm kinda cranky =/. It's just about taking one day at a time right now. I can't believe I will be full-term in just 3 weeks. Crazy.
Neonatology consult tomorrow!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
OB Appt
This week was pretty uneventful except that Saturday I started having some pre-term labor signs like bleeding. It was continuing and getting worse on Sunday so I went to L&D. The nurse said to prepare to stay for a few days so I was scared. Luckily, everything came back really good. They did a pre-term labor test (fetal fibronectin) that says whether you are likely to go into labor within the next 2 weeks and it was negative! That means I have less than a 1% chance of that happening so it was worth it to make the trip and make the sure the babies are ok and that I have peace of mind for a few weeks. That means I will make it to at least 34 weeks pregnant which means that one of our babies will most likely be able to come home with us. We are sooo close... 36 weeks is the average time for twin pregnancies to last.
At our OB appointment this week, we just looked at the babies' heartbeats and the amniotic fluid to make sure everything is ok there and it was. And lately we've been talking a lot, planning a lot. The coordinator there mentioned that we might want to get a postpartum doula to help us out a bit since we'll probably be overwhelmed and exhausted with not only having twins, but one with a serious health problem. So I'm going to look into that to see if we can get some help at night so we can get a little bit of sleep in order to deal with our busy days. It would be so great if my insurance provided something like that. The dr mentioned that these babies may be born any time now (that's so scary to hear!) but that at this late in the game, they would be fine. Of course we want them to stay put for at least another 4 weeks but yay!! We've made it to the point that survival is good generally. I have 5, yes 5, appointments to make and be done within the next 2-3 weeks. Our next appt is Monday, Jan. 24th and it's a growth scan - we will see how big the babies are to make sure they are at healthy weights and probably check to make sure I'm not going to go into labor soon so I'll post again next week.
Oh yes... we changed the babies' names again. Aliya Cherene and Avery Blue. Hopefully this will be the last time. =)
At our OB appointment this week, we just looked at the babies' heartbeats and the amniotic fluid to make sure everything is ok there and it was. And lately we've been talking a lot, planning a lot. The coordinator there mentioned that we might want to get a postpartum doula to help us out a bit since we'll probably be overwhelmed and exhausted with not only having twins, but one with a serious health problem. So I'm going to look into that to see if we can get some help at night so we can get a little bit of sleep in order to deal with our busy days. It would be so great if my insurance provided something like that. The dr mentioned that these babies may be born any time now (that's so scary to hear!) but that at this late in the game, they would be fine. Of course we want them to stay put for at least another 4 weeks but yay!! We've made it to the point that survival is good generally. I have 5, yes 5, appointments to make and be done within the next 2-3 weeks. Our next appt is Monday, Jan. 24th and it's a growth scan - we will see how big the babies are to make sure they are at healthy weights and probably check to make sure I'm not going to go into labor soon so I'll post again next week.
Oh yes... we changed the babies' names again. Aliya Cherene and Avery Blue. Hopefully this will be the last time. =)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Fetal ECHO appt
We had a really good appt this Monday. It seems like the babies have had another growth spurt so they are back on track (see a trend?). Aliya's heart defects are still the same but they were just able to see them more in detail. The ventricles have developed to almost normal size and are functioning well. Although she doesn't have that main pulmonary artery going from her heart to her lungs, her heart has created another connection from her aorta to her lungs so she is still getting the blood flow there. She has a medium-sized hole in her heart that they just may want to keep open because it's been the reason her heart has been able to function all this time. They will give her medications to keep that hole and the connections open after birth. They also finally gave us some statistics - she will 90% certain to have a surgery to place a shunt in her heart after birth. Her prognosis is 80-90% to make it through this first surgery, which is so much better than we have heard so far. I KNOW she will make it. It will be a rollercoaster but she has always been a fighter and has already made huge advancements in utero.
This week I reach 31 weeks, which is 8 months pregnant! I have small goals for myself and 32 weeks is a huge milestone for baby survival so that's the next goal I am looking towards. I feel very sure I'll make it to that. I have good and bad days but have felt great this week for the most part. My life has slowed down a lot. I pass the time studying nursing, playing Cake Mania, watching a lot of TV shows and movies, whittling down my to-do list to nothing, and learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone at home (ok, so I've gotten so far as installing it but I WILL become fluent in Spanish). Cheryl helps out so much with chores, errands, and driving me around.
The last week or so I have gone through the huge emotional change of feeling very excited and just emotionally preparing for the babies' births. I think I have held off on "letting go" and allowing myself to get excited, because Aliya's physical hurdles just seemed too overwhelming up until now.
Next up is we are working on getting our next fetal ECHO set up in 4 weeks. They want to make sure no fluid is building up around Aliya's heart, etc. We are also working on setting up a time to meet with Aliya's surgeon to discuss that whole process. And my next OB dr appointment is next Tuesday, Jan. 18th. Talk to you next week!
This week I reach 31 weeks, which is 8 months pregnant! I have small goals for myself and 32 weeks is a huge milestone for baby survival so that's the next goal I am looking towards. I feel very sure I'll make it to that. I have good and bad days but have felt great this week for the most part. My life has slowed down a lot. I pass the time studying nursing, playing Cake Mania, watching a lot of TV shows and movies, whittling down my to-do list to nothing, and learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone at home (ok, so I've gotten so far as installing it but I WILL become fluent in Spanish). Cheryl helps out so much with chores, errands, and driving me around.
The last week or so I have gone through the huge emotional change of feeling very excited and just emotionally preparing for the babies' births. I think I have held off on "letting go" and allowing myself to get excited, because Aliya's physical hurdles just seemed too overwhelming up until now.
Next up is we are working on getting our next fetal ECHO set up in 4 weeks. They want to make sure no fluid is building up around Aliya's heart, etc. We are also working on setting up a time to meet with Aliya's surgeon to discuss that whole process. And my next OB dr appointment is next Tuesday, Jan. 18th. Talk to you next week!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Nearing the End
About a week after the last appointment, I was driving Jordan to school and after I dropped him off, I was feeling a lot of pain from driving. As I was getting on the freeway, my heart started racing, I started sweating, and then my vision went from blurred spotty to completely black. Luckily, I had the time to pull over to the side and then started throwing up everywhere. It was very scary. I called the dr's office and they told me to go to Labor & Delivery right away. They found my heart rate high and thought I was dehydrated.
Since then I've been getting progressively more uncomfortable. I really don't feel like doing anything anymore. Even walking from the living room to the kitchen makes me out of breath. Walking gives me contractions so what else is there to do?
The last few weeks I've been getting almost all of the early labor symptoms. The last week has been especially intense. It feels exactly the way I felt about 2 weeks before Jordan was born. 3 weeks in between appointments feels way too long.
Our Fetal Echo was cancelled this Monday, which was so disappointing. I wanted more information about Aliya's heart. It was rescheduled for next Monday, the 10th.
Our appointment today was very informative. Heart rates for both babies are good. Rianna is 3 lbs 1 oz and Aliya is 2 lbs 15 oz. Although they are growing, they are still kind of small and the dr will keep an eye that they continue to do so.
Both babies are very low and head down. It sounds like this positioning may be causing cervical changes and contractions because my cervix shortened by 1.5 cm. They gave me steroid shots to mature the babies lungs in case they are coming early. I have to have another one tomorrow that Cheryl has to give me and I'm scared! But it can't be much worse than what the nurse did to me today!
I mentioned my black out episode to the dr and he knew exactly what I was talking about. He told me that all of those symptoms are because of diminished red blood cells. That my body is increasing my blood volume so much that when I'm driving, the blood all pools in my legs and can't get pumped up to my heart. He told me that passing out can happen very quickly so I am not able to drive anymore. I am still trying to figure out how to see Jordan because that drive is 2 hours round-trip for me to pick him up. I am also supposed to be resting at home and laying down as much as possible. This is all very hard because I'm used to being so independent and there is so much left to be done around the house, in preparation for the babies and just in daily errands and chores.
The goal set by the dr for now is to make it 4 more weeks. I feel I can do this, I hope I can keep them in there. Next ECHO is Jan. 10th. Next dr appt is Jan. 18th.
Jordan had a great Christmas break and we all had so much fun together. New Years Eve was very mellow and we went out for dinner and watched the festivities on TV but fell asleep by 11 pm. We should have partied it up last New Years Eve while we had the chance ;)
Cheryl is thinking about re-enlisting in the Navy and will probably do so. She will probably have to apply for re-enlistment next month. Her previous plan was to get out and go to school but she doesn't feel like she wants to do it at this time. Of course we'll support whatever she decides.
All for now!
Since then I've been getting progressively more uncomfortable. I really don't feel like doing anything anymore. Even walking from the living room to the kitchen makes me out of breath. Walking gives me contractions so what else is there to do?
The last few weeks I've been getting almost all of the early labor symptoms. The last week has been especially intense. It feels exactly the way I felt about 2 weeks before Jordan was born. 3 weeks in between appointments feels way too long.
Our Fetal Echo was cancelled this Monday, which was so disappointing. I wanted more information about Aliya's heart. It was rescheduled for next Monday, the 10th.
Our appointment today was very informative. Heart rates for both babies are good. Rianna is 3 lbs 1 oz and Aliya is 2 lbs 15 oz. Although they are growing, they are still kind of small and the dr will keep an eye that they continue to do so.
Both babies are very low and head down. It sounds like this positioning may be causing cervical changes and contractions because my cervix shortened by 1.5 cm. They gave me steroid shots to mature the babies lungs in case they are coming early. I have to have another one tomorrow that Cheryl has to give me and I'm scared! But it can't be much worse than what the nurse did to me today!
I mentioned my black out episode to the dr and he knew exactly what I was talking about. He told me that all of those symptoms are because of diminished red blood cells. That my body is increasing my blood volume so much that when I'm driving, the blood all pools in my legs and can't get pumped up to my heart. He told me that passing out can happen very quickly so I am not able to drive anymore. I am still trying to figure out how to see Jordan because that drive is 2 hours round-trip for me to pick him up. I am also supposed to be resting at home and laying down as much as possible. This is all very hard because I'm used to being so independent and there is so much left to be done around the house, in preparation for the babies and just in daily errands and chores.
The goal set by the dr for now is to make it 4 more weeks. I feel I can do this, I hope I can keep them in there. Next ECHO is Jan. 10th. Next dr appt is Jan. 18th.
Jordan had a great Christmas break and we all had so much fun together. New Years Eve was very mellow and we went out for dinner and watched the festivities on TV but fell asleep by 11 pm. We should have partied it up last New Years Eve while we had the chance ;)
Cheryl is thinking about re-enlisting in the Navy and will probably do so. She will probably have to apply for re-enlistment next month. Her previous plan was to get out and go to school but she doesn't feel like she wants to do it at this time. Of course we'll support whatever she decides.
All for now!
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