Tuesday’s doctor appointmentpalooza was very eventful. A duel with the ultrasound machine kicked off the day. Katie and I were very nervous for this appointment as it at the previous week’s appointment that the doctor told us about Baby A’s low amniotic fluid. What were the results? Baby A’s amniotic fluid measurement increased from 1.8cm to 3.5cm!! What a relief!!! Why the change? Well, it can be difficult to get accurate measurements with the ultrasound, especially when there are two little chumps taken up all the space. Both Baby’s are developing nicely – they each weigh a little over 2 pounds which is right on schedule. Both babies, especially Baby A, have decided to take after their father and have ginormous heads. Thata boys!! Now, the big question is will they be able to dislocate their jaw when taking party pictures? Only time will tell.
Appointment numero doce was with the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). There we met with an Indian doctor whose nickname was Ragu. Mmmmm, pasta. He talked with us regarding expectations and complications of a premature birth. It was helpful, but it was more helpful to see all the facilities and we even got to see some of the patients. A number of 2-3 pound babies were there which was tremendously real. To see what our babies look like size wise, but born was crazy. It made us all the more concerned about the need to keep the boys in the oven for as long as possible.
Both the ultrasound doctor and the neonatalogist encouraged Katie to see her doctor as the contractions she has been experiencing for the past two weeks have been increasing in frequency. So, off to the hospital we headed where we experienced a fine example of all that is right in health care. To sum up, we arrived at 4:00pm, were checked into a room and had a contraction monitor placed on da belly, but did not see a doctor until 9:00pm. Hip hip hooray for efficiency! Give me a break. 5 hours of waiting. Where art thou capitalism?
I’ve decided I’m going to start a hospital where the service costs twice as much as you currently pay, but you’ll be in and out in a third of time. Do you think it will be successful? I do.
Anyway, so Katie is now being housed in the hospital where she is being monitored. She may be here for a couple of days or a couple of weeks, the doctors are being very cautious, which is appreciated. I really hope she can come home shortly as I think she is able to more comfortably rest and feed herself, but the doctors will decide.
Since we will be at the hospital a bit more, it’s an excellent opportunity to blog away, so expect more updates in the near future.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
The Pray for May Campaign
Katie's developed quite a bump. The last week has been intense for the two of us.
March 7 - ultrasound appointment. Things look good, but amniotic fluid on Baby A is at 2cm. 2cm is nearing the cutoff in terms of there being a concern, so the doctors decide to monitor them on a weekly basis instead of biweekly.
March 15 - Katie's stomach starts getting tense when she stands up and is having pressure on her pelvis (not me).
March 17 - Doctors determine she is having pre-term labor contractions. Not unnormal, but obviously needing a higher degree of monitoring. She is put on modified bedrest which basically means she can walk down the stairs to lay on the couch, but really shouldn't leave the house other than a little trip here and there.
March 18 - She gets her butt shot up with steriods to help accelerate the development of the babies lungs. Yup, that's right. Watch out Barry Bonds, my boys are on roids too! Katie misses out on going to New Orleans for the Serpas wedding because of the bedrest.
March 21 - Ultrasound appointment to checkup on amniotic fluid level. At this exam, the level is down 1.8cm. Basically the doctor told us if Katie was 30 weeks along that they probably would have on the table that afternoon and take the babies out. However, she's only 26 weeks at this point. 35-38 is usual term for twins. The ultrasound also confirms that Katie's cervix has opened slightly.
What does all this mean?
As of these appointments, both babies had healthy weights, and heart rates, good umbilical cord pressure, but the lower level of amniotic fluid in Baby A is a concern. We are having to play out this whole thing appointment to appointment. The doctor alluded that the reason she is having pre-term labor is that her body might be telling her that it wants to get Baby A out. The likely cause, is the placenta surrounding Baby A is not performing as well as we would all like it to. We have a full evaluation ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday and also have an appointment to visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a neonatalogist on Tuesday. This appointment will be big as it will show whether both babies are being adequately nourished. The key thing to watch for will be if they are equal weights.
The doctors will be watching this situation every week, possibly twice a week, and at somepoint the babies will be born, probably early. Ultimately, there will be a point where the babies are better cared for outside of the womb than inside. The unfortunate part, is that the baby who is "stressed" in the womb (Baby A) typically does better outside as it is used to being stressed. It's Baby B, who's just chilling and enjoying his time in the womb, who often has a harder time outside the womb.
So right now my whole mentality is "Pray for May". If Katie can make it until May, the babies would be 32 weeks along. At that point, the odds of complications are significantly decreased and the mortality rate is almost 100%. The time between weeks 26 and 30 are measured by large degrees of development, so the longer they can stay in the womb, the better. If they come before 30 weeks, the odds of complications increase and the mortality rate is lower.
Another thing to note is that babies who are born premature typically stay in the hospital until they are full term. So there is a reasonable likelihood that the boys will be in the hospital for months. That will be a tough time for Katie and I, but the care at the hospital will be the best.
Katie is doing fine. She feels great, except for having to be under house arrest. I've got a pretty positive outlook on how this will all turn out. That's how my gut feels, but it will be a big deal to see how this appointment turns out.
I'll try to update this more religiously as we get through appointments successfully.
Thanks for your prayers!
March 7 - ultrasound appointment. Things look good, but amniotic fluid on Baby A is at 2cm. 2cm is nearing the cutoff in terms of there being a concern, so the doctors decide to monitor them on a weekly basis instead of biweekly.
March 15 - Katie's stomach starts getting tense when she stands up and is having pressure on her pelvis (not me).
March 17 - Doctors determine she is having pre-term labor contractions. Not unnormal, but obviously needing a higher degree of monitoring. She is put on modified bedrest which basically means she can walk down the stairs to lay on the couch, but really shouldn't leave the house other than a little trip here and there.
March 18 - She gets her butt shot up with steriods to help accelerate the development of the babies lungs. Yup, that's right. Watch out Barry Bonds, my boys are on roids too! Katie misses out on going to New Orleans for the Serpas wedding because of the bedrest.
March 21 - Ultrasound appointment to checkup on amniotic fluid level. At this exam, the level is down 1.8cm. Basically the doctor told us if Katie was 30 weeks along that they probably would have on the table that afternoon and take the babies out. However, she's only 26 weeks at this point. 35-38 is usual term for twins. The ultrasound also confirms that Katie's cervix has opened slightly.
What does all this mean?
As of these appointments, both babies had healthy weights, and heart rates, good umbilical cord pressure, but the lower level of amniotic fluid in Baby A is a concern. We are having to play out this whole thing appointment to appointment. The doctor alluded that the reason she is having pre-term labor is that her body might be telling her that it wants to get Baby A out. The likely cause, is the placenta surrounding Baby A is not performing as well as we would all like it to. We have a full evaluation ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday and also have an appointment to visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a neonatalogist on Tuesday. This appointment will be big as it will show whether both babies are being adequately nourished. The key thing to watch for will be if they are equal weights.
The doctors will be watching this situation every week, possibly twice a week, and at somepoint the babies will be born, probably early. Ultimately, there will be a point where the babies are better cared for outside of the womb than inside. The unfortunate part, is that the baby who is "stressed" in the womb (Baby A) typically does better outside as it is used to being stressed. It's Baby B, who's just chilling and enjoying his time in the womb, who often has a harder time outside the womb.
So right now my whole mentality is "Pray for May". If Katie can make it until May, the babies would be 32 weeks along. At that point, the odds of complications are significantly decreased and the mortality rate is almost 100%. The time between weeks 26 and 30 are measured by large degrees of development, so the longer they can stay in the womb, the better. If they come before 30 weeks, the odds of complications increase and the mortality rate is lower.
Another thing to note is that babies who are born premature typically stay in the hospital until they are full term. So there is a reasonable likelihood that the boys will be in the hospital for months. That will be a tough time for Katie and I, but the care at the hospital will be the best.
Katie is doing fine. She feels great, except for having to be under house arrest. I've got a pretty positive outlook on how this will all turn out. That's how my gut feels, but it will be a big deal to see how this appointment turns out.
I'll try to update this more religiously as we get through appointments successfully.
Thanks for your prayers!
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