Yeah, I'm home! They finally did the lab work on my 24 hour urine, and there was just a small amount of protein, meaning I could just have mild preeclampsia. Now that they have a baseline, they will just make sure to monitor it when I go to my doctor's appointments.
They discharged me around 7:00 PM tonight, and I am now on modified bed rest. This means that I don't have to stay "in bed." I can be on the couch or in a recliner, but I just need to relax. I can get up to shower, fix myself lunch, go to the store, and of course, go to my doctor's appointments. I am just not supposed to do any housework or make too many trips up and down the stairs...anything that could raise my blood pressure.
Now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that I do not have to go back into the hospital for another 2 or 3 weeks when I have my c-section. I can't believe it's so soon. It feels like December 17th is just right around the corner.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving in the hospital...
Still here. It turns out they don't do lab work on holidays. Therefore, my 24 hour urine collection was completed today, but I won't be able to get the results until tomorrow. At that point there will be 3 options:
1. If everything is normal (no protein in the urine) I may be able to go home tomorrow.
2. If I am preeclamptic, they will keep me in the hospital and monitor me until the babies are born at 32 weeks.
3. If I am preeclamptic and anything changes, i.e. blood pressure spike, they will deliver me right away.
The good news is, my family came to visit me today. A church from Raleigh provided Thanksgiving dinner for the 5th floor and their families. My nurse created a "pregnant lady parade," and we all got wheeled over the the children's area to get plates to bring back to our rooms. The food was great! My parents, my brother, his finance, Ben, and I all ate our Thanksgiving dinners in my room. It was not the ideal situation, but at least we all got to eat together.
The babies have had two good NST's today, and I have had very few contractions. Despite the fact that I am still in the hospital, I am feeling pretty good. We will see what tomorrow brings!
1. If everything is normal (no protein in the urine) I may be able to go home tomorrow.
2. If I am preeclamptic, they will keep me in the hospital and monitor me until the babies are born at 32 weeks.
3. If I am preeclamptic and anything changes, i.e. blood pressure spike, they will deliver me right away.
The good news is, my family came to visit me today. A church from Raleigh provided Thanksgiving dinner for the 5th floor and their families. My nurse created a "pregnant lady parade," and we all got wheeled over the the children's area to get plates to bring back to our rooms. The food was great! My parents, my brother, his finance, Ben, and I all ate our Thanksgiving dinners in my room. It was not the ideal situation, but at least we all got to eat together.
The babies have had two good NST's today, and I have had very few contractions. Despite the fact that I am still in the hospital, I am feeling pretty good. We will see what tomorrow brings!
BTW...here is my 28 week picture from last week
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Admitted for at least 24 hours...
Well, I was hoping to be able to update my blog after my "uneventful" visit to the doctor today. Unfortunately, my visit ended up being not so uneventful. The first thing they did was take my blood pressure and inform me that it was high. I think it was 147 over 93. My blood pressure is always pretty low, around 120's over 70's. So when I spoke with the doctor she mentioned the possibility of preeclampsia, which is fairly common in women carrying twins. She recommended rather than have my scheduled Non-stress test (NST), that I go over to the hospital to have some preeclampsia tests and monitoring done.
They put me in a wheelchair, and off we went. Let me tell you, that was a really strange feeling, being wheeled down the hall by some stranger when I was perfectly capable of walking. Granted, it would have been a pretty long walk from the clinic to the hospital, but never the less, it just felt strange. They took me to the labor and delivery triage and checked me in. One of the tests they were performing was for protein in my urine. This is apparently a big sign of preeclampsia, since it effects other parts of the body. There was no protein in my urine at the time, but they said they needed to collect my urine for 24 hours to rule out preeclampsia. The plan was to admit me for at least 24 hours.
I was admitted around noon today, so I will be here until at least noon tomorrow. They gave me a steriod shot this morning, and I will get another tomorrow morning. These will help the babies' lungs develop. I have also been having NST's every 8 hours, which have shown many contractions. The doctors have tried to relax my uterus and slow the contractions with fluid and medicine. They have checked my cervix twice and said that I was not going into labor. The contractions are just common with the irritation that comes from twins.
Finally, around 9 PM, my contractions had improved. I am still having them but can barely feel them. They have finally taken me off of the monitors, so I can eat and get some sleep. They will give me my next NST after I get up in the morning. I will try to post another update tomorrow. Whether they keep me here or send me home, I will definitely be off my feet, so I should have plenty of time to update the blog...that is until the babies decide to arrive!
They put me in a wheelchair, and off we went. Let me tell you, that was a really strange feeling, being wheeled down the hall by some stranger when I was perfectly capable of walking. Granted, it would have been a pretty long walk from the clinic to the hospital, but never the less, it just felt strange. They took me to the labor and delivery triage and checked me in. One of the tests they were performing was for protein in my urine. This is apparently a big sign of preeclampsia, since it effects other parts of the body. There was no protein in my urine at the time, but they said they needed to collect my urine for 24 hours to rule out preeclampsia. The plan was to admit me for at least 24 hours.
I was admitted around noon today, so I will be here until at least noon tomorrow. They gave me a steriod shot this morning, and I will get another tomorrow morning. These will help the babies' lungs develop. I have also been having NST's every 8 hours, which have shown many contractions. The doctors have tried to relax my uterus and slow the contractions with fluid and medicine. They have checked my cervix twice and said that I was not going into labor. The contractions are just common with the irritation that comes from twins.
Finally, around 9 PM, my contractions had improved. I am still having them but can barely feel them. They have finally taken me off of the monitors, so I can eat and get some sleep. They will give me my next NST after I get up in the morning. I will try to post another update tomorrow. Whether they keep me here or send me home, I will definitely be off my feet, so I should have plenty of time to update the blog...that is until the babies decide to arrive!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Right on schedule
So far this week, I have had one non-stress test and an OB appointment. At my first non-stress test on Monday, everything was normal. In case you are not familiar with the procedure, they strap monitors to my belly and track the babies' heart rates, as well as mine, and uterine activity. They said I was having a few small contractions, but that is normal with twins. As long as they are not bothering me, or the babies, and do not happen too frequently, they are fine.
Baby B's heart rate was a little high at first, which concerned the nurses. They explained it as, you can only run for so long, then you get tired. However, her heart rate did slow down to where they expect it to be. They said she must have just been showing off. I guess she was the one kicking me so hard that it hurt! They were very happy with the amount of movement. They are moving like crazy now!
At my OB appointment yesterday, I saw a nurse midwife. She asked why they scheduled my appointment with her rather than an MD. I told her I was thinking the same thing but didn't want to be rude. She said to make sure they scheduled me with an MD from now on since I am getting so close to delivery time.
At my appointment next week, they should schedule my c-section as well as some steroid shots I will need. She explained that they will give me a steroid shot about 2 weeks before my surgury and another 24 hours later. These will help the babies' lungs develop, so they will be better prepared to breathe when delivered prematurely.
I have another non-stress test today. I have them 3 times a week now. Hopefully, I will be updating my blog more frequently now that I am not working. I will try to get some pictures up next time.
Baby B's heart rate was a little high at first, which concerned the nurses. They explained it as, you can only run for so long, then you get tired. However, her heart rate did slow down to where they expect it to be. They said she must have just been showing off. I guess she was the one kicking me so hard that it hurt! They were very happy with the amount of movement. They are moving like crazy now!
At my OB appointment yesterday, I saw a nurse midwife. She asked why they scheduled my appointment with her rather than an MD. I told her I was thinking the same thing but didn't want to be rude. She said to make sure they scheduled me with an MD from now on since I am getting so close to delivery time.
At my appointment next week, they should schedule my c-section as well as some steroid shots I will need. She explained that they will give me a steroid shot about 2 weeks before my surgury and another 24 hours later. These will help the babies' lungs develop, so they will be better prepared to breathe when delivered prematurely.
I have another non-stress test today. I have them 3 times a week now. Hopefully, I will be updating my blog more frequently now that I am not working. I will try to get some pictures up next time.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Good news and bad
Well, I went in for a growth ultrasound today, and the girls are healthy. All of their organs look good and the cord dopler was normal. (I'm not quite sure what that means exactly, but I'm glad it's normal.)
My next appointment is next week, and hopefully Baby B will catch up a little by then. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I'm sure I will soon have plenty of time to keep my blog updated ; )
Baby A now weighs 1 lb, 11 oz, and Baby B is 1 lb, 7 oz. Although there is only a 4 ounce difference, Baby B's weight is behind where it should be for her age. With regardes to size, Baby A is in the 19th percentile and Baby B is in the less that 3rd percentile. Anything between the 10th percentile and the 90th percentile is considered to be normal.
As a result of Baby B's low weight, the doctor has recommended that I modify my activity level to "light normal." She said that I should not be on my feet for more than four hours each day. In other words, it is time for me to go on maternity leave. She said that I can work for another week or two if necessary to help transition to a sub, but that I should be done working at 28 weeks, which would be November 18th.
My next appointment is next week, and hopefully Baby B will catch up a little by then. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I'm sure I will soon have plenty of time to keep my blog updated ; )
Baby A's profile (top of head to far left)
No good pics of Baby B today
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