Baby update week 36

February 26, 2010 (Originally Sent)

Long week.

Wednesday I was having really hard contractions. I called the doctor who said get to the hospital, we will call and cancel the ultra sound as I think the next pictures of the boys will be from the outside. Plan to stay. I call Dave who is now immune to the call of lets go and took an hour and half coming home. As we are pulling out of the driveway Dave slams on the brakes and goes tearing into the house. This is not the run of a I forgot the bag, or even I forgot the camera this is the run of the I forgot the admittance papers. He comes out with literally arm loads of Dr. Pepper. They don’t have it at the hospital and he doesn’t know who he can call that will bring it to him.

We then got to the hospital at shift change as the nurse was explaining to her replacement that we had gone missing and to start calling us. After Dave’s “help” “recalling” information when the nurse asked me questions the nurses decided it was time to deliver, for his well being. The nurse would ask me a question and I think Dave thought we were on a game show and he would answer the question before I could open my mouth but could only recall what the crazy lady had said last week that the smart doctor told the nurses to get out of my file. So he is shouting numbers that no one thinks make sense. The doctor came in and examined me and as hard as my contractions are I am not dilating so he sent me home and sent me to bed. At one point the only comfortable position I could be in was all 4s. But apparently not in labor. No one slept Wednesday night.

Thursday we go to the doctor. I have dilated to ALMOST 3. 75% effaced. I am begging the doctor, I feel terrible, I am swollen, I am not sleeping or eating and I can barely walk. He says with a straight face,. “ This is a perfect twin pregnancy. I am starting to think you can go another 2 weeks.” Begin tears. This is the guy that delivered Thor so we really trust him. Dave and I are both pleading and he says well let’s just wait the longer they cook the better off everyone will be. Dave corrected him and said everyone but him (Dave).

The doctor definitely wanted another ultra sound to weigh and measure as quickly as possible and then told us they could do it at the office. We have been going down town to the hospital the whole time for these because another doctor sent us there in the beginning. $1000 bucks a shot. We have really nice pictures and all but yes, we would rather go to the office close to our house that doesn’t cost as much. So an appointment was made for this morning.

Baby A is still even with my pelvis. What they could measure on him weighed 5 lbs 6 oz. Nothing above the tip of his nose or the back of his head. Baby B is wedged right behind him neither can move and he is 6 lbs 2 oz. The radiologist reminded me this only does bone, not chub She thinks that based on the other measurements and what we could see that if the boys came in the next couple days They would probably be only a few ounces apart and in the neighborhood of 6 ½ lbs. They will be gaining about ½ pound a week so 2 more weeks = 15 lbs of baby. Right now I am at about 13 pounds of baby.

To add a little excitement to everything, as of next week we no longer have daycare for Thor on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Preschool is maxed out and the college girl who was helping us got another job. We weren’t worried as we never thought it would go this long.

So that is where we are. Sorry Darla, no babies for your birthday.

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Baby update week 35

February 18, 2010 (Originally Sent)

I felt absolutely horrible yesterday, could barely walk, couldn’t eat and let’s just say my body was cleansing itself. I was having little contractions but those were the least of my worries. I had a doctor’s appointment today but called the office to see if they could move me to yesterday. The response was “get to the downtown office in the next 45 minutes”. I told them I didn’t really feel well enough to go all the way downtown (the office is in the hospital complex) The nurse said if you don’t feel good enough to come here then you definitely need to be here. So I called Dave who flew home, loaded me up and then drove as slow as he possibly could to the office.

We saw the on call doctor, if she is delivering when I go Dave has instructions to call any other doctor he can find to deliver, including our vet or my dermatologist. She looks 12. She measured me and announced I measured 41 weeks. Last week I measured 46. She also said I was 1 cm dilated. Last week I was 2+, you don’t go back once you start dilating. The appointment went poorly to say the least. She was mainly interested in running strep test than determining what was going on. Finally she said we should got to Labor and maternity and left the room. I went and found her and asked her if we were supposed to go now. “Oh, yeah, I wasn’t coming back.”

“Dave, do not let Doogie Tran near me or the boys!”

She forgot to call an orderly so we walked across the hospital which took a very long time. We got there and the nurses were very concerned about what happened to us. We didn’t know any better. So they hooked me up and started monitoring. Contractions every 3 minutes. Dilated to 2 cm and 60% effaced. They monitored all three of us for several hours and the delivering doctor came in, Dr. Neuland. We have always really liked him. I wasn’t any further dilated but I was not 75% effaced. So he gave us a choice. Stay at the hospital and spend the night see if we could get things moving a little more or see if we could stop the contractions. Choice was ours. Miserable at the hospital or miserable at home. I chose home. They gave me the shot but it didn’t stop contractions just slowed them down. I had also had 2 bags of IV fluids. I was very dehydrated. I could be another 2 hours or another 2-3 days. It is unlikely That I will go another couple weeks. We are thinking it will probably be early next week. Contractions really don’t stop. Sooner or later they won’t slow down.

Should I make it until next week I go back to perinatal next Wednesday for weigh and measure and on Friday for regular doctor. I am betting we have a live weigh and measure before then. We will keep you posted.

Baby update 34 weeks

February 11, 2010 (Originally Sent)

Big 2 days. Learned all kinds of stuff.

1) Baby B has an obscene amount of hair. It is showing up in the ultrasound. Thick and long and floating around in the fluid like your hair in the pool.

2) Baby A is so low that we can’t see anything above the tip of his nose. The doctor can feel his head and could see it if he looked but wasn’t going to take a peak just to satisfy my curiosity. He said I would find out soon enough

3) At this point perinatal has a plus or minus of 1 lb.

4) Baby B is 5 pounds 6 oz. Up from 4 lb 4 ounces

5) Baby A is 4 pounds 8 oz. Up from 3 lbs 14 ounces. However without an accurate measurement of his head we could be off by as much as a pound.

6) If the measurements are more than 20% apart they take the babies. The babies are 16% and we are assuming baby A’s is not right because he is so far down.

7) I am 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced (I think that is what he said) anyway, thinned out.

8) I could walk around another month like this.

9) If I go into labor they will not stop it. At this point if my body wants them out, they are better off out, than in, due to infection.

10) If they came today they would go to NICU

11) If they came today by age 2 (if not sooner) you would never know they had been preemies

12) Every day past today that I go, knocks 2 days off of NICU stay.

13) The doctor really thinks I will go at least 2 more weeks. At least.

14) At 36 weeks the babies are considered full term. They may still need NICU because sometimes they forget to breath. I forget a lot of things, my keys, birthdays, here lately, my wallet a lot, but breathing I am usually on top of.

15) The nurses think at 35 weeks they would only need a triage stay in NICU and could probably go to the regular nursery. The doctor said he wasn’t as certain. A lot depends on eating and blood sugar and remembering to breath.

16) I measure 46 weeks.

17) Everyone is head down and ready to launch. A can’t move and B is wedged tight enough he probably can’t either. We should be able to have a normal delivery. If I do I will be in the elite group of women who can do this as it happens less than 4% of the time

18) The doctor said that I am in fantastic shape for twins. Most mothers at this point, including his wife, were not in this good of shape.

19) Baby B may look like Thor in the face but in picture 5 he looks like the Green Goblin from Spiderman

20) Next appointment and NST next week next weigh and measure on the 23^rd. Place your bets now.

From: Jennifer J. Baier [mailto:jjbaier01@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 10:07 PM
To: 'Lauren Holst'; 'Evelyn Holst'; 'carolasorenson@mchsi.com'; 'Barb Baier'; 'Julie Woodson'; 'darlarenee@windstream.net'
Subject: Baby update week 33

I am measuring 44 weeks. I think I would be measuring larger but the babies are all packed in tight now. Baby A is head down and wedged in the exit doctor said next time he moves it will be to exit the building. Baby B is right beside him forehead to chin. He too is head down. He could roll back over but it is going to be hard as he is the bigger of the 2 and running out of room. I have started to dilate but not much. As Dave pointed out though I wasn’t this dilated when my water broke with Thor. The doctor’s feel comfortable that I will go at least 1 more week and could easily go 2-3 more. We will watch it closely. Both boys have heart rates in the mid 140’s which is perfect.

Next week we have a weigh and measure on Wednesday, a non stress test on Thursday and then an appointment with the doctor. After next Thursday, if the contractions start again they won’t stop them and between next Thursday and the 25^th we are looking at a one to one ratio for days in NICU at worse. Ideally, after the 25^th we shouldn’t see any time in NICU.

We will keep following doctor’s orders and keep praying for more days. At this point, every moment counts.

Babies update 33 weeks 5 days

February 9, 2010

After Thursday they will not stop labor. However we are going to ask that they extend that at least 1 more week if not 2 because….

I have strep and double ear infection. The intent currently is to leave me on antibiotics the rest of the pregnancy since I have been off them 4 days since the sinus infection and have managed to get this sick. I woke up in the night unable to swallow, talk or hear. The doctor said if the boys came today I would not be allowed around them. Pregnancy compromises the immune system, doubly so with twins. I am not sleeping well which is making it worse. All of us are home this afternoon and Dave keeps running in to check on me and bring me more fluids as I am a little dehydrated and dehydration can bring on labor.

It makes me a little sad that the last days of my child bearing years will be marked by mass doses of amoxicillin for the entire family.

I really want to make it until the end of February, each day brings me closer, but each day it gets a little more challenging.

Keep us in your prayers.

PS We go to perinatal tomorrow and everyone gets weighed and measured. Big day that will determine a lot. We should be at 5 ½ and 5 ¾ pounds. Let’s hope they are. If that is the case then we should see 6 lb birth weights minimum. I will let you know what we see.

Baby update week 33

February 4, 2010 (originally sent)

I am measuring 44 weeks. I think I would be measuring larger but the babies are all packed in tight now. Baby A is head down and wedged in the exit doctor said next time he moves it will be to exit the building. Baby B is right beside him forehead to chin. He too is head down. He could roll back over but it is going to be hard as he is the bigger of the 2 and running out of room. I have started to dilate but not much. As Dave pointed out though I wasn’t this dilated when my water broke with Thor. The doctor’s feel comfortable that I will go at least 1 more week and could easily go 2-3 more. We will watch it closely. Both boys have heart rates in the mid 140’s which is perfect.

Next week we have a weigh and measure on Wednesday, a non stress test on Thursday and then an appointment with the doctor. After next Thursday, if the contractions start again they won’t stop them and between next Thursday and the 25^th we are looking at a one to one ratio for days in NICU at worse. Ideally, after the 25^th we shouldn’t see any time in NICU.

We will keep following doctor’s orders and keep praying for more days. At this point, every moment counts.

Couldn't be prouder

Thor and I were playing on the floor last night when Thor popped up and yelled, "Hurry Mommy, Bathroom!" and tore off. I thought he wanted a Kleenex so when he went past the first bathroom and started up the stairs I asked if he had to potty. "Potty Mommy, Hurry Hurry!" He ran down the hall and started trying to get his pants off. I caught up with him and got the shoes and pants and diaper off and he collapsed onto the potty seat and went. He sat there for a while and I asked if he would like to look at the potty book. He said yes and I got it for him, hoping he would poop. He probably would have but Scooter went walking by and distracted him and he had to go check out Scooter, but he wouldn't let me put his pants back on, "more potty later."

The kid could cure cancer and I doubt I would be any prouder.