Thursday, October 29, 2009

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:

pump

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 :)

29 weeks

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!!!


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sure sometimes it is hard to talk about all of this stuff...but I know you will be so glad that you documented all of this. Even though I already knew all of this info, I still loved reading it!!!!!! HA. Love you Sarah..and those babies!!!! Hang in there!

Ione said...

We are so proud of you and Cody and your determination to do what is best for these grandies. Knowing how difficult it is for you to stay still that long, we are keeping both you and Cody in our thoughts and prayers. These must be some special babies 'cause God picked you to bring them into this world!!! Hugs, Kisses and smiles to ya both!