Hospital - Day 16

My insurance, after speaking with my doctor and reviewing the Heyborne study, has generously agreed to continue to cover my inpatient care. Everyone told me not to worry ....but it was too hard. But now I'm really happy - such a relief :)

The Heyborne study is like a trump card for monoamniotic/monochorionic(momo) moms. It's goal was to find the optimal care for momo patients. It compared inpatient care to outpatient care. In a nutshell, there were zero fetal deaths in the inpatient care side and 40% fetal deaths on the outpatient side. Also, the inpatient group tended to carry their babies closer to term resulting in shorter nicu stays and better overall health for the babies.

As my tummy gets bigger and bigger, I can't help but imagine what it was like back in the days when you found out you were having twins when the second baby was born. !!! People still managed to have twins, but my twins wouldn't have been ok. Even having the technology to be aware of BabyB's heart defect before birth has been a blessing.

Peri Appointment

Today was my last appointment with my perinatalogist outside the hospital. It was so early in the morning that I barely remember it. (I do remember the contractions on the way home!)

BabyA=2lb6oz
BabyB=2lb3oz


The babies look good. The cords look good. No compression.

The contractions were awful! They're mostly gone now, but I find myself with a whole day ahead of me where I'll have to just sit with my feet up. Hopefully I'll be able to pack for the hospital tomorrow :)

Peri Appointment--26 weeks 6 days

We had a good appointment today. I've been worried because I've been feeling lots of pressure. It felt like the babies might just fall out while I was walking. My cervix is fine. Dr. Peri said both heads are down and that's why I'm feeling so much pressure.

BabyA was shy today--she must've learned it from her sister. We did get cute pictures of their feet. BabyA is 2lb3oz. She's in the 43rd percentile on weight for her age. She gained 10oz this week. Her heart rate was 150 - it's been the same the last couple of appointments.

BabyB weighs 1lb15oz. She gained 7oz this past week. She's in the 37th percentile on weight for her age. Her heart rate was 153 - faster than it's been in past weeks, but still within normal range.

They're both kicking high on my tummy. They really didn't want to be spied on today. They kept kicking the ultrasound wand. It was fun to have them being so responsive.

The cord scans were promising--lots of tangles, but the scans indicated no compression today. Dr Peri also told me that it's better for the cords to wrap around the babies heads than around the other cords--compression/danger-wise.

Mono/Mono - first week of June

The twins were very active during the ultrasound. Baby B kept punching BabyA. They were both kicking each other. Baby A(on my left side) is facing Baby B (on my right side) who is facing out. Both heads are up towards my head; both feet down towards my feet.

They're much bigger this week than I'd expected:
Dr. Pnat confirmed one placenta/one sac (mono/mono). So, I'll have a c-section at 32 weeks - the first week of June. The babies will spend the first 6-8 weeks of their lives in the hospital. That gives me....8 weeks to find a crib before I'm too big to move ;)

Notice Anything Different?

Yesterday I was flipping through a parent's magazine--the kind they stack in doctor's offices so you won't notice that your obstetrician is running an hour late. I was at the obstetrician's. He was running an hour late. The article was on mommy-bloggers. Cute.

The nurse called my name, and the article slid from my mind. Finally! I'm 13 weeks along, and this was my first prenatal visit. (I blame Christmas.)

Twenty minutes later, Dr Obgyn and his intern are smiling over an ultrasound that I can't see. What what what?? He shows me the ultrasound and asks me if I notice anything different.
This is my 4th kid, but my brain somehow doesn't let me see it. Um...that's his head on bottom...and that's his...no, maybe that's his head on top....Well, either way, he's pretty chunky for a fetus. Dr Obgyn saves me by asking if I can see the heads. wait..what?

My sister-in-law, Safire, is having twins. She's 10 weeks ahead of me.

About this time, Haqon calls me from work. He forgot about my appointment. He's calling about date night. I tell him we're having twins. I hear the phone clatter on the ground. Ooops, I should've asked if he was sitting down.

Dr. Obgyn explains the twins are identical. They're sharing an amniotic sack. Identical twins occur 3 times in 1000 births. 1% of those are monoamniotic twins. The only thought in my head is 'doh! My brother's gonna think I'm copying him.'

The rest is a blur. I'm still in shock. My mommy told me to breath. Then I remembered the mommy-blogger article. So here I am, posting my life for the world to see. Somehow it makes me feel better - and while most ultrasound pictures look really weird, these ones make me terribly happy.

wow.