A good day!

We have to celebrate the good days and today was one of them.  We had a growth ultrasound today and both babies look great.  Amelia was two pounds which puts her in the 69th percentile for babes of 26 week gestation.  Luke weighed two pounds and six ounces which places him in the 90th percentile (and means he's the size of babies who are 10-12 days older), he might be taking after his dad!  We're feeling very thankful!
We've been in the hospital for two weeks now.  This experience has taught both Scott and I so much.  Waiting is a difficult thing to do.  Especially waiting with no guarantees.  We're learning what it means to live one day at a time, depending on God to get us to the next day.  Waiting has made us more aware and more human.  We both have noticed that we feel things more deeply and have more understanding and empathy for people who have had to wait for things of the heart:  marriage, healing, children, answers.  It's overwhelming to think about what the next weeks and months may hold.  But then I think of how far we've come and I know that each day has it's own heartaches and joys ... "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has it's own worries" (Matthew 6:24)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, so I'm a few days early, but I'm getting excited for Thanksgiving.  We have a lot to be thankful for right now!  I'm still on the magnesium sulfate which isn't fun but is keeping the amount of contractions I'm having low (1-4 contractions an hour) and giving the babies as much time as possible to grow.  I think now that I have a PICC line (a long-term IV) and know details about every nurse's personal life and holiday plans, we're now officially long term patients.  There isn't much research that shows that magnesium is effective at stopping labor after 72 hours, but we don't have other options right now (the terbutaline didn't work and my blood pressure is too low to use nifedipine).  The risk to the babies is very low with magnesium so for now the risk/benefit of staying on the mag is worth it and for some women it can delay labor for several weeks.  The plan for right now is to stay as an inpatient until 28 weeks and then reassess. Some days seem to go by quickly and others feel like they last forever.  Thankfully Scott has been able to be off work and be with me.  His sense of humor and presence makes this so much more bearable.   I am so very thankful for him!  Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

25 weeks ... And still pregnant!

We've made it another week!  And a crazy week it's been.  We were admitted on Tuesday because my doctor felt that I was having too many contractions and was concerned about the pressure it was putting on the cerclage.  So I'm on day #4 of magnesium sulfate now.  There are only two good things I can say about this week.  The first is the most important:  we are still pregnant!  The second good thing is that the week is over!  These drugs are no fun, but they're getting the job done and the babies are growing stronger every day.  More soon ...

Week 24!

24 Weeks ... We have made it to our first goal!  Feeling very thankful today! ... And bigger by the minute :)

What's the rush?!

You know you're on bed rest when the highlight of the week is your appointment with the doctor.  Yesterday was the "big day" :)  Scott was working so my mom got to see Luke and Amelia on ultrasound for the first time.  I just love watching them play and interact together ... melts my heart.  The good news is that both babes look wonderful -- they weigh 1.5 pounds each which is actually a few days bigger than they should be right now which will be to their advantage if they arrive too early ... my high-fat, high-protein diet is apparently paying off (for them, not for me!)  The not-so-good news is that my cervix is only half the length that it was a week ago.  I was more than a little disheartened to hear that news.  It's most likely due to the increasing number of contractions I've been having (we've had to make two trips to triage in the last ten days due to contractions).  Babies -- what is the rush?!  So starting yesterday I'm on a combination of terbutaline, vistaril and indocin to try to calm down the contractions.  My doctor warned me that my time at home may not last much longer.  If the ultrasound next week shows any more changes I'll probably be admitted for IV medications.  They can't do that at this point because I'm not 24 weeks yet.  The medications are pretty miserable -- the terbutaline especially -- makes you feel like you've had about 14 cups of coffee! -- maybe would have been helpful when I was working night shift but not so much now!  But whatever it takes to keep these two in at least a few more weeks ...  Thanks for your emails, notes, cards ... I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to all of them ... it's hard to type lying as flat as possible!  But know that I love hearing from people and appreciate our friends and family very very much ... more now than ever!

The Countdown to Christmas!!

Remember those paper chains you used to make in grade school to countdown to Christmas?  I think I may need one this year!  This year Christmas has extra special meaning -- on 12.24 the babes will be 30 weeks old!  In case you were wondering (or shopping or planning parties) Christmas Eve is 52 days away.  Yes, maybe I have too much time on my hands that I've got that figured out, but that is my goal.  Today we're 22 weeks and 4 days (I never knew every day could have so much meaning).  At 24 weeks the babies are considered viable, meaning they could possibly survive outside the womb.  But weeks 24 and 25 are a bit of a gray area because babes can have significant neurological and respiratory complications.  By 26 weeks most babies survive and many do very well.  For us, 26 weeks is the day after Thanksgiving.  The holidays will have special meanings this year!  By 30 weeks the babes would still need a month or more in the hospital but all of their vital organs would be fairly well developed.  I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse at this point to be a pediatric nurse ... On our unit we work with many kids who have medical issues related to prematurity which makes it  scary as a parent.  But for now, it's just one day at a time.  Trying to stay positive and have faith ... "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for ..." - Hebrews 11:1