A Quick Update

Hey everyone.  I am sorry that I haven't been in touch since before Abbey and Caroline were born.  Things have been very hectic, to say the least.  I have been trying to manage eating, resting/healing, visiting the girls in the NICU every four hours and pumping milk for them every 2 to 3 hours.  Since I came home yesterday, I have added in spending time with Jack and Molly and traveling back and forth to the hospital.  That hasn't left time for me to call you and update you on their births or status since.  I really don't have much time now, as I spent the majority of the day at the hospital and am spent.  But, I can't stand not touching base.  

The current status is that Caroline is doing very well.  I asked the doc today about a timetable for length of stay, and she replied that she could come home today.  That sent me for a loop, as we were not thinking that she would be coming home so soon.  But, the Lord must have known that we couldn't handle that quick of a turnaround.  The discharge nurse had almost completed her paperwork and Caroline's heart rate dropped a bit.  So, she it there for tonight.  They are hoping to send her home tomorrow, maybe on a heart rate monitor.  She will breast feed twice a day and then bottle feed a combo of breast milk and formula the other times.  They are so young that they only eat every 4 hours at this point, but I still have to pump every 2 to 3.

Abbey is having a harder time.  She is having trouble with her sucking.  They discovered today, that part of it could be due to the fact that she has a cleft palate.  Part of it is she just isn't ready.  They did check for heart murmurs, which can accompany clefts, and she is fine in that regard.  She will get an ultrasound of her brain tonight to see if there are any problems there.  I don't think they suspect anything and this is more of a precaution.  I sure  hope so.  Also, we hope she will be able to bottle and breast feed soon.  If so, she won't have to have any surgery until 9 months or so.  Because of her trouble feeding, she won't be coming home just yet.

Jack and Molly are doing okay.  Molly is missing me a lot, it seems.  She told my mom that she needed to leave, because she wanted me and Ed to be here every night and every morning.  Jack understands things better, so he is hanging in there.  They got to see the girls through the NICU window today for the first time.  Until today, they have been hooked up to IVs, so they were tethered.  Today, Abbey and Caroline were free to roam.  :o)

Ed and I are very tired, as is my mom.  It is logistically difficult and fairly draining.  Thankfully, the girls are very healthy compared to their friends in the NICU, so it hasn't been too heavy of a burden.  Even still, we covet your prayers for health, safety, patience and energy.  

Thanks for reading and caring.  I hope I can write more later and maybe add a photo.  Good night.

Today Is The Day!

Well, the fluids didn't increase.  So, my ob scheduled the C-section for 4:00 CST today.  I'm going to try to get a bit of rest right now before we have to report to the hospital.  We spent 3 hours there last night, so I didn't get much sleep then.  Please pray for all of us.  Thanks!  

It Could Be Tomorrow

Well, I went to the ob today for my ultrasound and check-up.  The ultrasound technician measured Abbey at 5 lbs. and Caroline at 5 lbs. 6 oz.  She even saw hair on Abbey's head.  So, those are great weights.  Their heart beats are good and their chests are making breathing movements.  

The iffy part is that Caroline's amniotic fluid is low.  The cut off is 5 and she is in the 4 range.  I told both the doc and the ultrasound tech that the past two nights I had thought that I might be leaking fluids, but that it was just a little bit.  They couldn't detect any traces of fluid while I was in the office.  

My ob gave me two options.  One was to go to the hospital and let them monitor me until tomorrow.  The other was to come home and monitor myself until tomorrow.  If I have any signs of leakage, I am to go to the hospital.  I chose this option.  Regardless, tomorrow morning, I will have another ultrasound to check the fluid level.  If it is still low, I will be admitted to the hospital.  

If I am admitted, the ob said she would probably go ahead and do the C-section then.  We are still in that bit of gray zone, where it would be better if they stayed inside.  But, if the fluid is low, then that isn't good either.  Since I had the steroid shots last week and since we are almost out of the gray zone, then the ob thinks delivery would be the best.  So, we will see.

I am not sure how I feel about this.  I am kind of hoping that we get to see our girls tomorrow, but I am pretty apprehensive about it, too.  I am DREADING the operation and concerned about NICU time.  But, there is a big part of me that will be sad if I come home tomorrow from the appointment.  Ultimately, I am glad that it is in the Lord's hands to increase the fluids or not.  I will try to rest in that.  

Speaking of rest, I am going to go lay down.  I feel some contractions, not unlike the ones I have felt most of the past several weeks.  Please pray for us and wisdom for the doctor.  Thanks!

Four Hours at Baptist

I fretted about calling my doctor yesterday from about 10 am until about 3 pm.  I woke up for the second day in a row feeling extra tired.  The frequency and pain I felt in going to the bathroom seemed a bit more than just pregnancy related.  I felt menstrual-like cramps in my lower abdomen, but they were both subtle and inconsistent.  So, do I call the doc. on Saturday and risk having to go to the hospital or not?  Do I find someone to watch the kids and kill our afternoon just because I was uncomfortable?  Do I risk going and being told nothing is really wrong, I'm just pregnant with twins?  Do I risk not going and put my girls at risk?  Finally, after not being able to nap, I decided to call the OB and like I suspected, she sent me to Baptist Women's Labor and Delivery to be checked out.

They hooked me up in all sort of ways--two baby heart monitors, one contraction monitor, a blood pressure cuff and an iv.  It took awhile to locate the contractions on the monitor.  All the while I'm thinking, "Ok, so I am just a dork and these pains are not really contractions.  I over-reacted and worried too much."  Then the RN found them, and indeed they were 5 minutes apart.  I couldn't feel all of them, so I wasn't in much discomfort.  But, now I was concerned about what this meant.  They thought the contractions were due to dehydration.  So, they gave me half a bag of fluid.  Instead of stopping, the contractions increased to every 4 minutes.  They checked my cervix and found it closed.  So, that was a huge relief.  

Next they put more stock into my urinary complaints.  They came back with results from my urinalysis.  My doctor said it looked pretty bad and the UTI was most likely what was causing the contractions.  So, they gave me a shot of something to stop the contractions.  It didn't stop them all the way, so they gave me a second one.  That one worked.  Unfortunately, a side effect is an increased heart rate and shaking.  So, they sent me home shaky with a prescription for an antibiotic and instructions to lay low today.  So, I have been laying low.

I felt like it was a great result.  I am not a wimpy hypochondriac.  My girls are not at danger of coming early, since they discovered and are treating the infection.  There is hope that I will feel better than I have once the antibiotic clears up my UTI.  So, it was a profitable four hours!   

Autumn Has Arrived

Last week was a fun start to October.  Due to my comfort level wandering around in the fields, we decided to use Molly's preschool class' field trip as our annual pumpkin patch trip.  It was just a local farmer's patch.  There were no hayrides, corn mazes, playgrounds, petting zoos or food for sale.  It was just sunshine, dirt, pumpkins and lots of running around.  It was great.  Plus, we got 2 large pumpkins and 12 fun small pumpkins and gourds for $10.  You gotta love Fayette County!  Here are a few pictures:

Two days after our pumpkin patch adventure, we got to go to our town's fall festival, Oakland in October.  It was another event that made small town life endearing.  The local candidates were there in the "political bull-pen"; there was a bluegrass band, complete with our mandolin-playing friend, Harry; the local rescue workers with their trucks open for display; a variety of vendors and some fun things to do for the kids.  Molly was brave enough to take a ride on Red the Pony.  I think it was her first time on a horse.  They both talked Ed into riding the wagon/hay ride.  I wish I had gotten a picture of him on it.  But, these will have to suffice:

Happy Fall!