36 Weeks - Permanent Resident of L&D

Well.... Here I am. 36 weeks pregnant with twins. I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought I would be here. Not at all. I don't think my OB did either. Which leads to some difficult and confusing decisions.

Last week I saw my doctor on Monday and my BP had continued to rise. However, it wasn't at pre-eclampsia status and neither was the protein in my urine. So we decided to remove the cerclage on Valentines Day, keep me overnight for observation, and see what happened. She also sent me home with instructions on taking my BP and also testing my urine for protein at home.

By Wednesday my blood pressure was really too high for comfort. My OB had us to come to her office and immediately sent us to the hospital with talk of induction. Of course, once I was in the hospital my BP started going back down. After running labs and some other tests, though, it was determined that I have mild pre-eclampsia. So, my doctor made the decision, based on various reasons, to keep me in the hospital until I deliver.

At this point, the cerclage is still in. Right now, it is not doing any harm. Because I'm in the hospital it is easily monitored and can be removed immediately if I start to contract. They are watching me closely and have me on "toxemia" protocol. If my BP or labs begin trending forward, we will have the discussion about induction. Right now, we are just in a waiting game to see if my body decides to go into labor itself. Average twin gestation is 36/37 weeks so I can't imagine going much longer.

Hospital bedrest isn't what we wanted or imagined. But I'm so grateful, after where we started, that I've carried these babies to a safe point! It's nothing less than a miracle. It's hard because the hospital is an hour from home. Justin stayed this weekend, but during the week has been/will drive back and forth so he can work, visit me, then get back home to take care of our responsibilities at the house and sleep. Thankfully, both my siblings live here where the hospital is and my mom has flexibility with her job. So I have visitors in and out until Justin can get here after school.

I know when I hold these beautiful babies in my arms it will be worth it. I will forget the struggle and how hard it was to get here, and the difficulties of the pregnancy! 

"For these children I prayed; and The Lord hath given me what I asked of Him." 1 Sam 1:27

Back to L&D - 34 Weeks

Well, looks like weekly trips to L&D are becoming the norm.

Last Monday I went to my usual check-up at Dr. W's office. Justin actually got to go with me because school was cancelled due to the weather. We had to leave about an hour earlier than usual because of the roads, but thankfully we were able to make it.

I felt off that morning, so I wanted to make sure we stopped to eat breakfast. Ha! Priorities. I didn't want to end up admitted and not able to eat. Also the BPP test goes better if I've eaten and the babies are active.

The BPP went great and only took a few minutes. After that, we had to go over to the hospital for the NST because the doctor's office doesn't perform those tests on multiple pregnancies. Over on L&D we got checked in and one of my favorite nurses Julie hooked me up. As soon as she took my blood pressure I knew I was in trouble. She had me hooked up for about 20 minutes and the babies were doing great but my BP wasn't budging. She called Dr. W who told me to come straight over to her office instead of waiting for my scheduled appointment. Julie took me in a wheelchair and wouldn't let me walk.

It didn't take Dr. W long to decide to admit me. I had protien in my urine and my BP was still elevated. When she checked me, my cervix was completely thinned and A's head is RIGHT THERE. Which explains the serious discomfort.

Needless to say, we went back to the hospital and I was admitted for a 24-hour urine catch and monitoring. The babies looked great the entire time and I wasn't contracting any more than usual. After staying overnight Dr. W ended up releasing me because my protien came back under the cut off and my BP calmed down. 

We will see what happens tomorrow! My BP remains elevated but not overly concerning. I can't believe we've made it this far though. 35 weeks tomorrow - seemed impossible 14 weeks ago!