We had our latest ultrasound appointment on April 10th ( I was 29 weeks 3 days). The ultrasound started great. The tech was super nice and helped accommodate me so I did not have to lay on my back. Both babies looked absolutely amazing!! Both babies are head down which is great. Both have developed hair and are both practicing their breathing. During the ultrasound we got to see Baby A knee her sister in the face and Baby B had the yawns! They are both so adorable!! Both babies are measuring ahead of schedule. Baby A was 3 pounds 6 ounces and Baby B was 3 pounds 10 ounces. They are both in the 90th percentile for growth. No complaints during that part of the ultrasound other than we were not able to get any pictures as the babies have decided they do not want their picture taken.
Next we moved on to the internal exam that measures my cervix. I knew almost immediately something was not right based on the techs face. She tried to be discreet, but I could read the expression. She said well I need you to get dressed and we will talk to the doctor about where we go from here. We had no idea what was going on. They brought us into the room to talk with the doctor and as we were walking down the hall I heard the nurse on the phone saying they were having me head to the hospital. I was so confused. I felt fine so what could possibly be going on. Brandon said lets just wait and see what the doctor says. The doctor came in the room and delivered the news. The Doctor said last appointment my cervix was at 29mm. This time it was at 10mm and was funnelling (fancy way of saying dilating). He said I needed to go the hospital right away as I was showing signs of preterm labour. So we got in the car and drove to the hospital. The Doctor decided the next step was to give me a steroid shot in the butt. The steroid shots are to help the babies lungs develop faster. At this point they described their lungs are sticky wet balloons so it does not allow them to inflate easy. These steroid shots help them to develop more rapidly. It is a series of two shots. I got the first one on Tuesday and followed up with the second one on Wednesday. In the meantime I have been put on bed rest.
I was admitted to the Antenatal Community Care Program. My doctor decided to admit me to this program where nurses come into our home. He thought this was a better alternative then being admitted to the hospital on bed rest. They find women do better in the comfort of their own home rather than a hospital bed. I couldn't agree more. Although if things change then I will be admitted to the hospital so hopefully these babies will be content to be at home. The nurse came on Friday April13th and went over the program and filled out all the paperwork. I will have a nurse calling me everyday to check up on me and they will come by the house 1-2 times a week. When they are here they check my blood pressure, temperature, listen to the babies heart beats and do non stress tests. The non stress tests is where you are hooked up to monitors. They monitor both babies movements, heart beats, and trace a scan of them. The pattern on the scan shows if the babies are in distress at all. They also hook me up to another monitor to test for contractions. All the nurses in the program are required to have a minimum of 5 years labor and delivery experience which is reassuring. Our nurse today has been a nurse for almost 40 years so I was very comfortable with her. I have to monitor the babies movements multiple times throughout the day as well as contractions, etc. They have given me a chart that tracks morning, afternoon and evening. In terms of babies movements I am to time how long it takes to get 6 movements from each baby. I need to fill at least 6 from both babies within two hours. They also have me monitor contractions, and other symptoms such as back pain, abdominal pressure, etc. I also have to record how much rest I am getting. The nurses teach you signs of preterm labor and what to look for. For example what I thought was Braxton Hicks Contractions has actually been contractions so I have to pay attention to those. If I experience any preterm labor symptoms I am to empty my bladder, drink some water and lay down on my side. If symptoms do not change after an hour I have to go to the hospital. The positive was the nurse told me she had a twin mom on this program who started at 17 weeks and made it to 34 weeks so that was great to hear.
labor of twins. They have a ton of them from breastfeeding, preterm labor, etc.
We have our next ultrasound on Tuesday April 24th. Best case scenario I will have a dynamic cervix which means it will not be funnelling anymore. If this is the case it usually means the babies were pushing on it and have moved. This would be ideal, but we wont know until the ultrasound. I also have a doctors appointment on Thursday April 26th. So that will be a big week for me as I will also be 32 weeks that Saturday. In the meantime I am following doctors orders and will keep our blog posted as we get updates!!
No comments:
Post a Comment