29 Weeks

Alot has happened recently and I haven't updated my blog, so beware this is going to be a longer post. I'm going to try to separate it into categories to make it easier to read, and also because now that I'm on bed rest I have lot's of time on my hands, lucky you =)

Let's start with the fun stuff...

BABY SHOWER

I had my baby shower this weekend on Saturday and it was more than I could ever have asked for. The theme was "Two Peas in a Pod" and my hostesses: Katie, Kristen, Lindsay, Missy, & Erika all pitched in to make this day super special! I feel so grateful to have had soo many friends and family come to make this day absolutely unforgettable. We received soo many wonderful gifts for our little kiddos! Thank you to everyone who came, sent wishes, and shared in this time. Cody and I feel very thankful to have you in our lives!!!

GESTATIONAL DIABETES....I THINK NOT!!

Last Tuesday, I went in for a 1 hour Blood Glucose screen to test for Gestational Diabetes (GD). I failed the test on Tuesday, and had to schedule a more accurate 3 hour test on Friday. I had to fast from 9 pm on Thursday until the test was finished at 11 on Friday. I also had to drink double of this sickeningly sweet drink on an empty stomach, sit in the waiting room and get my finger pricked every hour to test my blood glucose levels. Luckily, my Mom was there to keep me company!! I passed this test with flying colors..which means NO Gestational Diabetes for me!!

BED REST...BOOOOO

As I briefly touched on last week, I am now on modified bedrest. What is modified bedrest you might ask...? Basically, I am suppose to be sitting with my feet up or laying in bed on my side for the majority of my day. This is suppose to take some of the pressure off of my cervix, so that it doesn't dilate or thin anymore. I am allowed to get up to use the restroom, make a quick bite to eat, or take a shower with the understanding that I need to be off of my feet within a few minutes. I'm not allowed to do any type of housework and I'm not suppose to leave my house other than for Doctor's appointments.

Needless to say, this has been a bit overwhelming, because as most of you know I'm not a sit around type of girl. I'm starting to feel better about the entire situation, but I still have rough days where I feel like I can't do this anymore. However, I keep reminding myself that this is a small price to pay for two precious babies!!!

TERBUTALINE PUMP AND MONITORING

Last week, I was also put on the medicine Terbutaline. This is an asthma medication that is used Off-Label to treat Pre-term labor, by relaxing the uterus muscles. The medicine is delivered all day via a Terbutaline Pump that is connected into my thigh and then I clip the pump onto my pants:



I have to change the site and switch legs every 5 days to prevent infection and to give the tissue in my leg a break. Every 4 hours, I receive a larger dose of the medicine. The side effects have been pretty mild. My heart rate is elevated and that sometimes makes me feel like my heart is racing. The side effect that is most prominent is Trembling or the Shakes. I constantly shake from the medicine, but I've gotten pretty used to it. The worse part about this pump is that I cannot take a bath with it on :( I LOVE baths so this makes me cranky; however, when I change the site I get to sneak a bath in before I start the next line in the opposite legs!!!

Twice a day, I also have to hook myself up to a monitor and lay still for an hour to monitor for any contractions. I then send this data wirelessly to a home health service called, Alere. Around 10 minutes after receiving the data an on-call nurse calls and tells me how many contractions I had in that hour. If I have 6 or more contractions I have to give myself a demand dose of this medicine via the pump. That has only happened one time, if it starts happening more often they will up the dose of my medicine.

29 Week Picture
At 28 weeks, I was measuring what a person having a single pregnancy measures at 33 weeks. I say that so you realize why I'm getting soo big :)



Lastly, We go in next week for our 30 week appointment. They will perform a full growth sonogram to see how these babies are growing as well as another FFN to see if preterm labor is possible in the next 2 weeks! Please keep our appointments in your prayers...we are in the homestretch and can't believe it!!!

Welcome to my 3rd Trimester!!!

Today, I am officially in my Third and FINAL trimester! It is hard to believe that we have come this far already!

Today we went to the Perinatologist to check everything out and things weren't exactly what we had wanted. This may be TMI for some, so skip to the next paragraph if you are easily grossed out by words like cervix! My cervix has made some changes and has started to shorten and dilate slightly. The doctor hooked me up to the monitor to monitor the twins heart rates as well as my contractions. I started contracting pretty regularly in the appointment, so my doctor has decided to take some precautions.

Starting tomorrow, I will wear a device that is essentially an insulin pump that will periodically deliver Terbutaline, an asthma medication, instead of Insulin. It's like a small IV and box that I will wear everyday. I will also have to monitor my contractions twice a day for an hour at a time...the machine will transmit the data to a home health system who will monitor and adjust my meds as needed. This will stop any contractions that I am having and hopefully stop any more changes in my cervix! The medicine does have a few side effects, but it was definately the lesser of two evils when I was given the option of that or Procardia. I was given a small dose today and it worked like a charm in stopping my contractions and the side effects (increased heart rate, pounding of the heart, and the jitters) were pretty mild. I am also confined to couch/bed/propped up feet all day rest. No more galavanting the greater DFW area for me!

Our doctor also ran an Fetal Fibronectin (FFN) and it came back negative, which means they are 99.9% sure I will not go into preterm labor in the next 2 weeks. If the test had come back positive she would have been much more aggressive in my treatment.

Cody and I are trying to stay positive about the entire situation. We feel truly blessed to be in such good hands, and we feel that our doctors are taking all the necessary precautions.

Our babies are also in the hands of the ULTIMATE PHYSICIAN who tells us: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

On a lighter note, I am leaving you with the 28 week picture....GET EXCITED!!!



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27 Weeks

I'm one week away from my Third and final trimester! Woo Hoo! This week is pretty uneventful, but I'm conserving energy for my super BUSY week next week!

Next week, I meet with my Perinatologist on Monday then Dr. Tatum on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, I interview a prospective Pediatrician.

Dr. Tatum is going to test me for gestational diabetes. Please pray that the test goes well and I don't have gestational diabetes! I have to fast from 9:00 the previous night until after my test the next day..which can take up to 3 hours...YIKES! You guys are lucky you don't have to be around, because I get CRANKY when I'm hungry :)

I am soo excited, because my baby shower is next week on October 24th! I can't wait to see all the friends and family that are coming to see me and the kiddos!

I'm attaching my 27 week picture...if I look scared in the picture it's not because I'm getting ready for Halloween...look at the belly and I have several weeks to go!!! Eeeeek!

26 Weeks

I went to the Perinatologist yesterday and things looked really good. Lukas is weighing in at 2lbs 6 oz and Maddox is weighing in at 2lbs 3 oz. They said that they are measuring and weighing in the higher percentile for their age, so we are hoping they keep this growing up so we have some big babies :)

They did a 3D sonogram this time; however, the pictures didn't come out very clear so we won't be posting any. One of the reasons that the pictures didn't come out clear was due to a little sibling disagreement. The kiddos have been really active these days and we have been thinking that Mr. Lukas was the culprit; however, today we realized that Miss Maddox is doing her fair share of moving and she kept kicking her brother in the head so it was making the pictures come out blurry. However, she wasn't the only guilty party. Lukas made sure to return with some pretty good jabs. Cody says it's a typical woman, kicking Lukas and then he gets the blame for kicking me ;)

We can't wait to meet these two! I definately think they will give us a run for our money. It is crazy to think that if twins typically deliver around 36 weeks then we are only 10 weeks away!!!

I'm leaving you as usual with my 26 week picture...I would like to remind you that there is 4.5lbs of baby in there...