Health Update...Still Recovering

The one thing I don't talk much about on my blog is my health. This posting is an exception. I am posting this because I know there are other pregnant-with-twins women who read this, and who knows about the lurking population. Maybe this will help someone else out there in the blogosphere. I sure am happy to find out why I've been sweating like a whore in church...

I think everyone knows I am a diabetic. I was a "mild" diabetic before becoming pregnant, and then it got very bad during my pregnancy. I was taking an ass-load of insulin injections (no pun intended) and all that other fun stuff. I also think everyone knows that I had pre-eclampsia -- which resulted in my twins being born at 32 weeks -- and I was put on hospital bed rest and given the two powerful steroid shots to quickly develop my twins' lung before birth.

Immediately after birth, my glucose numbers were great again. The last time I took an insulin shot was the night before I gave birth. Since then I have been on 1000 mg of Metformin per day. My numbers remained good...until 2 weeks ago. Now my numbers are sky high (i.e., morning fasting reading was 192!). My feet were becoming more and more numb. My blood pressure wasn't coming down like it should have after birth. Oh, and since the steroid shots in the hospital I have been having severe hot flashes....especially at night.

So, in a nut shell, my body is falling apart. On top of the sleep deprivation and all the other adjustments to life with twins, I felt like shit. I knew in my gut something was very wrong, but I was just too stressed, tired and busy to do much about it.

I finally went into the doctor (endocrinologist) on Friday. My blood pressure was finally good (118/78), but I had mysteriously gained 14 lbs in a month! (I had originally lost all of my pregnancy weight in the 12 days post-birth.) I am doing lab work on Tuesday because there are signs of possible kidney and/or liver damage (weight gain, not urinating often, etc.). He explained that it could take 6-9 months post-birth for my body to recover from the pre-eclampsia and steroid shots. The steroid shots could have a longer impact on me than I could have imagined. He said the dosage I was given since I was carrying twins was massive. Insulin is a natural hormone in the body, so my diabetes is also being affected by the steroid shots...as are the damn hot flashes. AND, I still have not gotten my first post-birth period...even though I gave birth almost 3 months ago, and stopped breastfeeding 2 1/2 months ago (translation: hormone issues).

I am mentioning all of this because a lot of mommy bloggers don't talk a lot about the post-birth physical recovering. I thought the hot flashes, weight gain, etc. were just further evidence that I was going crazy during the adjustment period.

So if any of the new moms out there had the steroid shots, don't be surprised if you find yourself sweating all the time, having high blood sugar numbers or having period issues. Those shots probably saved my twins' lives so I have NO REGRETS on getting it -- obviously -- but I just wish I would have been told to expect some of the crap I have been feeling lately.

Anyway, just a heads up.

Stuff on my mind

• It's so strange not being pregnant anymore. In most ways it's wonderful! My belly (for the most part) is gone. Yesterday I actually put on a pair of pre-pregnant panties and they fit...well, they were a little tight, but they almost fit! I don't need to go to the bathroom every hour. I can almost sleep on my stomach, and laying on my back doesn't hurt or cut off circulation. I can see my feet! All of my swelling is gone. I have much more physical energy and can do things around the house again. The list could go on and on. One thing I am surprised that I miss is my team of docs. After having my incision checked at the OB's, there is a feeling of 'Okay, well have a nice life' in the air. After months of weekly or bi-weekly appointments, I started to feel like I knew these people -- their kids names, their own pregnancy experiences, where they went to school, etc. It's just odd to look at my calendar and not see doc appointments on there, and to know I won't be going back until my next annual Pap exam in a year. I actually kinda-sorta-just-a-little-bit miss my OB and his staff. Very odd.
• I am passing up new business every day. Word got out in the NICU that I know a thing or two about real estate, and now they flock to me. Who would have guessed nurses and doctors in the NICU would be such a pond for business. However, I'm out of real estate right now and have no desire or interest to go back anytime soon. I find it rather annoying to be trying to feed one of my babies and have a nurse I don't know start asking me market questions. I have been passing all prospects on to a friend of mine who is still in the game. I hope she likes all the free clients I'm giving her. :)
• Speaking of careers, I'm not sure what I am going to do when the time is right for me to go back to work. I never considered real estate my profession. It's what I do to make money -- good money. It's not my passion though. My love, my passion, my education and background is in journalism and politics. It's a tough road though. At some point several years ago, I decided that I wanted a better lifestyle more than I wanted to starve being a reporter or freelance writer. Now things are different. Hubby's career is in a much different place, and I have more freedom to explore it again without fear of financial hardship. Plus, a big election year is already starting to heat up and I feel that pull again. Hmm...what to do, what to do... (By the way, don't just me as a writer based on this blog. There is a reason I call it stream of consciousness.)
• Oh, there is other stuff, but I need some sleep.

This is sooo gross!

One of a long list of things "they" don't tell you about until after you are experiencing it post-delivery....

Massively swollen feet and ankles! I was told this is normal. That has something to do with my body re-organizing itself and not knowing where to put the extra fluids my body is trying to expel post-delivery. Anyway, I had Hubby take these nasty photos outside of the NICU because I wanted it documented just how bad it was. It's so bad that I'm having trouble walking because I have no movement in my ankles.


Oh, and for the record...I have bony feet and ankles....always have...so this is what I look like 3 times my normal size.


Yuck!

My C-Section Experience

I have a few minutes to post something about the birth of my twins before I have another pumping session.

In the days leading up to the c-section I was so bitchy, on edge and scared...and it was all for nothing! Honestly, the C-section wasn't bad at all. The worst part was getting the IV and that's mainly due to a nurse who opposed using the numbing shot first. I didn't even feel them giving me the spinal block. I was waiting and waiting and then I asked, "When are you going to do it?" Just as I said that I could feel all this warmth traveling up and down my body. They laughed and said it was done. Being shaved was interesting. I remember making jokes to the poor nurse who had that task.

My OB came into the OR and said hello, kissed me on the forehead and asked me if I was excited. I just love my OB. However, I expected him to give some kind of play-by-play of events as they were happening, but he didn't. Hubby was sitting next to my head, holding my left hand, and looked scared. I was amazingly calm.

Next thing I heard was the voice of my OB saying, "Happy Birthday Katherine! Hi little girl!" There was no cry. They covered her in a blanket and rushed her out of the room. I didn't even get a glimpse. I looked at Hubby and he looked like he was about to lose it; he squeeze my hand. I could tell he was smiling even though he had on a mask.

Next I felt all kinds of tugging and pulling. Nothing hurt, of course, but I could tell Carson was going to be a lot bigger than his sister based on the amount of effort it took getting him out. It seemed to last forever -- though in reality it was 2 minutes.

Then we heard, "Hey little wiggling worm! You thought you could get away from me?! Happy Birthday Carson!" [Apparently once Kate was out, Carson took advantage of the extra womb room and played a bit of hide-and-seek from my OB.] I got a quick glimpse of him being rushed out. All we saw was two semi-bloody legs up in the air and a big blanket. Hubby snapped a photo.

I looked over again at Hubby. He was sobbing now. Not crying, but sobbing. He leaned close my face and said, "We are parents! You did it." and he kissed me through the mask. All I could do was smile. I wasn't crying. I think I was just in shock that it was all over with.

A few short minutes later, they brought Katherine in to see me. They put her by my face and I kissed her on the cheek. She didn't look anything like I expected. I could tell she was very tiny. The nurse who brought her in said, "She is tiny, but boy is she feisty!" They took her away, and a few minutes later they brought both twins in to see me. They were in a clear plastic box. I didn't get to kiss Carson, but I saw him. He was blowing spit bubbles and was crying. Joy washed over me once I heard him crying.

The twins and Hubby left the room. I wanted Hubby to stay with the babies. He got photos of then being weighed, etc. As they made their way to the elevators to go up to the NICU, the ran into my entourage. So my mom, mother-in-law, aunts, etc. got to see the babies in the clear plastic box. I'm so glad they got to see them there.

I spent an hour in the recovery room. Mom came into to see me. She went on and on about how beautiful the twins are, how they were breathing on their own, etc. I've never seen her beam like that before. Hubby came into the recovery room with a napkin with their heights and weights written on it.

After the recovery room, I went to my private mother-baby room. I stayed there for 4 days. They made me walk to the bathroom (about 6 feet) and to my wheelchair that evening. That was not fun. Lots of bleeding that first and second day. The day after surgery was the worst physically and emotionally for me. I hurt pretty badly and I cried all day.

But after the hurdle of day 2, everything has been smooth. It has now been five days and I feel almost back to normal. I am walking just fine. I am eating, sitting up in bed, etc. I am still sore and I still need to stay on top of my pain meds (I can tell when they are wearing off), but otherwise it's no big deal.

So that's the story. Now it's time to pump some more milk for the kiddos.

Kate & Carson are here

Meeting my daughter

Katherine Bailey "Kate" was born on February 12, 2007 at 1:54 PM in Austin, TX. She weighed 2 lbs, 11 oz and is 16 1/2 inches long. She may be tiny, but she is feisty! Kate is already eating from a nippled bottle and requires no assistance or oxygen in breathing.

Carson Patrick was born at 1:56 PM. He weighed 4 lbs, 4 oz and is 17 1/4 inches long. He looks like his mommy's side of the family, and he is needing some help with his breathing. Overall he is doing great.

They both scored a 9 on the Apgar Test.

The c-section was super easy, but I am really having a horrible recovery. I will post more on this once I am able to physically sit up long enough to do so. I thought I was prepared for the NICU experience but I wasn't.

I am so in love with my new babies, but times are tough right now for everyone. I will post more when I can. Here are some photos in the mean time.

Decompressed

Just a quick post...

My sanity has somewhat returned and I no longer want to climb a clock tower. I had a nice long talk with Lee Anne and she calmed me down and helped put things in better perspective. She has always been good with that. I tried to talk to Hubby about all of this stuff, but he is just too close to the flame, so to speak. It's nice to have someone you can vent to, but who isn't so close to the situation that they take things personally.

This will be my final post as a "pregnant-with-twins chick." I am sure my next post will be later in the week and will be my "birth experience" story.

Wish me luck because God knows I will need it. I can't remember the last time I was so stressed, nervous and anxious all at the same time. I really hope I will be able to report that it wasn't a big deal at all.

Photos coming soon :)

More Advice...

I just thought of a few more pieces of advice for pregnant-with-twins women...

• Have your baby showers early! Everyone thought I was nuts for having my first one at 22 weeks and my last one at 26 weeks. The first one was out-of-town, so I wanted to get the travelling over with quickly. Plus, we had Christmas to deal with so I had it the first week of December so it wouldn't interfere with people's holiday plans. My last one was here in Austin, and I ended up in the hospital with complications less than 2 weeks later. So it was just in the nick of time! Plus, since I had them early it gave me the freedom of time to really organize the nursery, assess what I still needed, and write my thank you notes. All of this once again has to do with the comparison of singleton vs. twin pregnancies. You really can't wait until well into your third trimester like so many singleton ladies do. You might find yourself in my situation...not having much of a third trimester.
• Have a communications liaison. This is a lesson I learned from my cousin who had twins in September. My very good friend Lee Anne has been mine. I gave her a list of people I wanted emailed and a small handful of older relatives (that don't do email) to be called. This way hubby or my mom could make only one phone call (to her) and she could send out the update emails, field the phone calls and reply to questions in people's email replies. We did this when I ended up in the hospital two weeks ago, and it went beautifully. This way me, Hubby and my mom weren't swamped with a million calls of "What's going on? How is Shannon? How are the babies? What did the doctor say? When will those test results be in?" etc. I had her nicely mention in the email for folks not to call my cell number or direct hospital number. My cousin went through a nightmare of constantly ringing phones (both hospital landline and all the cell phones) while she was having needles stuck in her arms or getting updates while her doc was in the room. All of this may sound impersonal to you, but I come from a very large family...plus all of my old co-workers and clients have kept up with my pregnancy; Hubby's co-workers, friends and clients have kept up; a ton of family friends and neighbors; even my Mom's co-workers, friends and clients. It adds up to over 100 people who have insisted on immediate notification...this was the only system that would work and keep us sane. Lee Anne has been a God-sent. I am going to have to treat her to a very nice gift or spa package once all of this is over.
• Am I the only one who has found it frustrating that no one has written a week-by-week pregnancy book for twins? I have one for singletons, but there is nothing out there for twins. The same can be said for baby books. I ended up buying a baby book for each twin, but it would have been nice to do one big book.

Last Day of Pregnancy

I have been on edge today. Okay...bitchy is the better word. I tend to get like that when I am under extreme stress and scared at the same time. It seems like everyone has a damn opinion about the situation, and it's pissing me off. We have been bombarded with phone calls over the past two days, and the calls usually start off with the caller saying, "Tell me everything!" I know people mean well, but throughout my pregnancy I have sent out group emails that have detailed all major changes and whatnot. So everyone knows what's going on and I don't feel like retelling it 50 times in 50 calls. Never before in my life have I felt a stronger urge to be left alone as I have this weekend. I even wish my mother wasn't here. I want to disconnect the phones. The other bizarre item that has been pissing off both me and Hubby is how everyone in the free world is requesting a freaking tour of the NICU once the babies arrive. They don't even half-ass attempt to hide their true intentions...

"I've never seen a 3 pound baby before!"
"I'm dying to see how teeny tiny all those babies are!"
"I can't believe you are giving birth at 32 weeks! Do you know that's two months premature?! I want to see what a 32 week old baby looks like!"
Etc.

And I'm not talking about immediate family members. I'm talking about my husband's office manager -- who we do not know socially and who just had a baby of her own in December. Very distant relatives and even a former neighbor. It takes everything I have in me not to yell FUCK YOU into the phone. How dare people treat my babies -- who will be fighting and struggling for their own lives -- like a damn circus sideshow.

To be very honest, I wish this whole matter was a private affair. I wish it was just me and hubby. No family in the waiting room. No friends travelling across the state for this. No one. Just us. We have people calling wanting directions (try MapQuest people!). We have people calling for hotel suggestions. I hate it. I hate all of it. I just want to be left alone. This is a high-risk, high-stress, emotional thing for us.

I had no idea I would feel like this. I guess it's the last surprise of pregnancy. The bad aspect to having a birth planned for a few days is that it gives people plenty of time to bug you and make plans to bug you even more in person...when my focus should be on the condition of my babies, breastfeeding (which, yes, I will HAVE TO do while they are in NICU), and my own recovery after surgery. I am pretty sure I am going to tell the nurses to block people from coming into my post-surgery room.

And it amazes me how people tell me these stories of horrible c-sections. In the past two days, I've heard from a friend's cousin that it felt like she was being sawed in half. I've also heard from a friend of a friend of my mother-in-law's that the spinal didn't work completely and she could feel most of the surgery. And the stories continue. Is this really the kind of shit you tell a woman right before she has that same surgery? Either I am surrounded by the dumbest people God ever created or people just have no tact or common sense at all.

So, like I said, I'm on edge today. I am no longer answering my phone. Hubby answers and tells people I am napping. I just want to cry and be shut into my bedroom. I will post something tomorrow morning before I head to the hospital. Oh how I wish they could give me a light sedative because today I feel like climbing a clock tower and taking some people out. (Figure of speech, of course)

And the babies have been kicking up a storm today. I think they know they are about to get evicted and aren't happy about it!

Twins Pass NST @ Hospital

Everything went well at the non-stress test/baby monitoring this morning at the hospital. The babies cooperated and they both passed their tests. C-section still happening on Monday though. Very happy they passed the tests...only wish they would have been on the ball yesterday!

Mom arrived this morning and was at our house when we got back from the hospital. We visited for an hour and now she is out shopping...AGAIN. Have I mentioned how my mom has more energy than a poodle on speed? It drives us nuts. She can't just chill and visit with us. After a while, it starts to stress me out watching her look for things to do. Strangely enough, she wasn't anything like that when I was living at home and growing up. Total personality change.

So I plan on having a nice, relaxing weekend. It's my last weekend before becoming a mom. Unreal. :)

Not ready to say goodbye to the big, hard belly

I am such an emotional wreck right now. Hubby crashed early, which left me plenty of time to sit and really digest all of the new developments. That led to me sitting in my dimly lit home office, looking at my collection of belly and ultrasound photos, and crying. I guess I am not ready for my pregnancy to be over with. I have truly loved it. I've come to realize there are two types of pregnant women...those who love it and those who don't. I am definitely the former. I have been amazed and amused at how drastically my body has changed. I love the late night kicking sprees. I loved my less-than-fashionable maternity clothes. I loved everything about the whole experience. I feel protective of these little babies, and always felt re-assured that at least they were in my belly...so I had some level of control over their well-being and safety. Now they are about the enter the world -- two months early -- and the safety of my belly has now turned on them. They will better off out in the world than inside of me. The only thing that has stopped me from having just a total emotional melt down is the excitement of finally seeing them soon. The big mystery will be solved. I hope we (docs included) are making the right decision in taking them out now. In some bizarre way, I feel cheated. I feel cheated out of two additional months of being pregnant -- even though I knew it was unrealistic to think I could carry to 40 weeks. I feel cheated out of the experience of going into labor, water breaking, etc. I know the NICU experience will make me feel cheated too since I won't get to see, hold, bond with them like other new moms. I am sure I sound ridiculous right now, but I'm just so emotional right now. I can't help it.

I hope they don't come tomorrow. I hope I can hold out until Monday. I need a few more days, but I've learned during the last two troubled weeks that I really don't have much control over anything anymore.

To all the pregnant-with-twins chicks out there in the blogosphere that read my blog, here is some advice I've learned through this experience...

• No matter how smooth everything has gone in your pregnancy, really start to watch your activity level post week 28. If possible, put yourself on self-imposed modified bed rest.
• Keep on eye out for excessive swelling of the hands, feet, and ankles. Don't just write it off as typical pregnancy stuff.
• It's never too early to get the nursery and baby(ies) gear ready. Things can happen very fast in a twin pregnancy.
• Don't compare your experience and time line to friends and family who have only had singleton pregnancies. It's truly not the same.
• When the OB tells you to call if there has been a change of any kind on fetal movement, he/she isn't kidding. CALL THEM. Don't feel stupid doing it either. Too much or too little activity is a problem.
• Keep a blog. It's the best journal in the world, and you will find a whole community of other women experiencing the same thing you are at the same time.

I know I could think of a million other little things, but I need to get to bed early tonight. Hopefully I will be able to post good things tomorrow, and get myself ready for the big event on Monday afternoon.

My C-Section has been scheduled!!!!!!!!!!

It's a long story, but...

The twins' c-section as been scheduled for 1:30 PM (CST) on Monday, February 12th. I am so excited...and scared...and hyper...and numb.

I have another hospital ultrasound tomorrow morning. So, it's possible that they could be born tomorrow if they see it as an emergency. But I doubt that will happen.

Details later!

P.S. I started week 32 today.

Sleepy Son @ Peri Doc's = Frustration

Nothing new was discovered at my peri doc's early this morning. They won't measure them since they did that on Tuesday. They will only do that once a week. They noticed on the ultrasound that Katherine was doing her practice breathing, but Carson was in snooze-ville and not doing them. So they hooked me up to a baby monitor in another room to try to catch him waking up. I had to lay in this weird, uncomfortable position for TWO HOURS...pressing the microphone thingie hard into my belly so we could get a loud recording of him. They were looking for accelerations in his heart rate and that would also indicate practice breathing. Nothing. Nada. He had a nice, strong heart beat. Always in the 140s, but he never accelerated. TWO freaking hours! They gave me a caffeine drink. Nothing happened. They gave me a stack of graham crackers to eat (since he tends to be a chow hound, we thought they may wake him up). Nothing happened. Hubby and I talked to him, tried to get him to wake up. Nothing happened.

Then they threw out that horrible, dreaded word....HOSPITAL. I did some sweet talking and managed to convince them to let me go home and have a nice hearty lunch and then return at 12:30 to try again.

My gut tells me Carson is just fine. He is just sleeping and doesn't want to perform on command like a dancing bear. But I will be highly irritated if I end up in the hospital over a napping baby. He was doing his practice breathing yesterday at the OB's. He did them at the hospital last week. Come on little boy...dance for us! :)

I will update later on the situation with my sleepy son...hopefully not from a hospital room!

Names

I don't know why I've waited so long to post our baby names -- especially since they have been picked out for years. I was going to wait until they were born before announcing it on my blog, but what the hell. I am tired to calling them Baby A and Baby B.

Katherine Bailey (aka Baby A)

Carson Patrick (aka Baby B)

We decided to go with family names. Katherine is a long-standing family name on my mom's side of the family, but it hasn't been used in generations. It was the name of both of my Granny's Grannies. So, in a way, it's in honor of my maternal grandmother. I wanted to give her a strong name, and I've always loved that name. I even named my dolls Katherine when I was a little girl. Hubby and my mom call her Kate...although Hubby and I have gotten in a bad habit of calling her "Kater Tater" because she always looked like a little tater tot in her early ultrasounds. The nurses in the hospital nicknamed her "Little Stinker" because she was so difficult to pin down on the baby monitor.

Bailey is my maternal family name. Patrick is my paternal family name (my maiden name), and we are using it in honor of my dad who died last year. Carson is simply Hubby's favorite name. It's not a family name, just something he really loved...and I like it too.

A Good OB Appointment

Things went well at the OB's this morning. My blood pressure was good (132/81), I am still losing some water weight, and the babies looked active and happy on his crappy ultrasound machine. Baby A (the girl we are concerned about) was caught doing her practice breathing...which is excellent.

Hubby went into lawyer mode and asked him a ton of questions. Thankfully my OB put his mind at ease and answered all of his questions. He told us to pack our bag tonight just in case my peri doc throws in the towel tomorrow after the high-powered ultrasound. He predicted we would do the c-section next week.

But for now, he calmed me down and answered the questions I needed answered. I am also pleased that (for right now) I am still keeping the pre-eclampsia at bay...losing the water weight, good blood pressure, no additional protein in my urine, etc.

I don't know what came over me this morning, but I had this incredible urge to try to look good for the appointment. Throughout most of my pregnancy, I would get dressed up in one of my cute maternity outfits, do my hair and make-up, and basically make my doc appointments a social event (since I wasn't working, it was all I had). But over the past month or two, I was lucky if I showered before the appointments. I was just so swollen and miserable. I think they got used to seeing me like that because the doc and nurses made such a big deal over how good I looked today. I did the hair, make-up, cute outfit (one of the few I can still fit in), and even threw on some jewelry. I think it actually made a difference in how I felt.

So tomorrow is the all-important peri doc appointment. It's a bit scary to think this journey could (and most likely will be) be over tomorrow or sometime next week. Part of me is ready for it to be over with...to finally see these babies, to be a mom, to get the birth done with, to start recovery. But a bigger part of me wants to hold them in longer. To prove all the docs wrong. To give my babies some more crucial time to grow in the safe confines of my belly. The NICU time is going to be so hard on me. They keep assuring me everything will be fine, but Baby A isn't even 3 lbs yet! It's going to break my heart to see her like that. And what if everything isn't just fine? What if there are unexpected complications? An infection? Oh and I have selfish worries too...I am nervous about the spinal. I am nervous about the surgery. I am nervous about my recovery. I am nervous about the idea of staples holding me together. I am upset that I won't be able to immediately see the babies -- possibly for 12-24 hours -- due to my c-section and spinal. I hate that everyone under the sun is going to see my babies before I will. My first real look at them will be on the display screen of my digital camera!

Okay, I better stop...my good mood is fading. *Exhale*

Planning their great escape?

I don't have a lot to report today. The babies have been extremely active today. It seems like non-stop kicking all day. I hope they are enjoying the last of their womb time. I sure have enjoyed feeling them today -- although enough is enough kiddos! -- I know I won't ever be pregnant again. Up until week 30, I had an easy, uncomplicated, fun pregnancy. I really enjoyed all of it, and it's a tad bit sad to think about how quickly it went by and how it will be ending very soon.

I have an appointment to see my OB in the morning. Then my peri doc on Friday morning. I am ready for a decision to be made. I think it will all depend on how Baby Girl looks at her Friday ultrasound.

As for me, I have had a mild headache all day, but when I checked my blood pressure at home it was okay (140/80)...not great, but not scary either. I have also had a return of heartburn, and I've been super hungry all day too. Strange.

"Growth Restricted Baby"

We just returned from an appointment with my perinatalist. Baby Girl is showing signs of some problems. She isn’t gaining weight. In fact, she has lost 3 ounces since Thursday night. She is now 2 lbs, 13 oz. She has now been classified as a “growth restricted baby.” Apparently, this is a sign that there is a problem with her placenta and she is not getting the food that she needs to grow as she should. Her heart rate is still excellent and she is moving a lot, but her weight is a major issue now. Baby Boy is porking up quickly. He is now 4 lbs, 3 oz…so he has gained 7 oz since Thursday. He is showing more signs of being a “diabetic baby”…meaning: diabetic women tend to have larger babies, and he is ahead of where he should be in weight. It does NOT mean is he a diabetic. He just really likes all the extra natural sugar I am providing him.

I see my OB again on Thursday and I will see my perinatalist again on Friday. Saturday I will reach the very important milestone of week 32, and peri doc told us the decision will be made this weekend (or early next week) on when to take out the babies. We are at the point where it’s better for the babies to be outside of my body instead inside of me. Since they gave me my steroid shots in the hospital last week to mature the babies’ lungs, we have a window of time to deliver. Peri doc told us we will for sure be parents within 2 weeks time and to get our affairs in order, pack our bags, and wait for the call.

Anyway, I am scared and freaked out right now….very worried about our little girl. My mom will probably be coming back into town this weekend just in case the decision is made over the weekend.

Finally, I'm posting some good news!

I know my posts lately have been all gloom-and-doom, but I have some good news to report. We just returned from my follow-up check-up at my OB's and everything is pretty much back to normal. Of course, "normal" is highly subjective, but it's good news for me.

My blood pressure was 130/80 (good!), I have lost 7 lbs of water weight since Friday (I told you I was swollen!), and there has been no increase of protein in my urine. We listened to the twins' heartbeats and they are still happy in the belly. All of this was the best possible news we could have gotten today. Oh, and my sugar numbers are the best they have been in a while.

I am still on bed rest, and I am still just buying some extra time before the pre-eclampsia finally takes over and wins the war. I have another appointment with my peri doc tomorrow morning, and then Hubby will be returning to work. Then we have yet another OB appointment Thursday morning. My life is all about doc appointments and resting, but that's okay. :)

Me a Year Ago

I have seen other pregnant women posting a "remembrance" photo of themselves, so I thought I would too. These two photos were taken of me almost exactly one year ago...i.e., pre-pregnancy. What a difference a year makes! I like to call these what-50-lbs-can-do-to-you photos! :)

Oh, and the date stamp of the photos is off. It says 12/02/2006 because I accidentally put in the European date stamp. It was really 2/12/2006.

The last photo was also taken last February. It is the last photo of me with my Granny (before her death) and my Papa. She would have been so excited about the twins!

First Full Day Home

It has been so wonderful to be back home. I have spent 95% of the last 24-hours in bed sleeping. I have been truly surprised at how sleepy I am. So far, I haven't had any headaches, swelling or other signs like I had last week. I have been feeling a good deal of pressure in my extreme lower belly, but I am guessing that's because Baby "A" (girl) is sitting directly on my cervix...at least according to my ultrasound yesterday. In fact, the entire shape of my belly has changed in the last few days. I am popping out more and more, and the belly is taking on a more long shape...i.e., less yoga ball and more watermelon.

I am suppose to call both of my docs first thing in the morning to get worked into to seeing them tomorrow. I have admit, I am scared to do so. I am scared they will put me back in the hospital. Logically, of course, I know that if that's where they think I need to be, then that's the best place for me....but...I really didn't like it there.

Random thoughts...

• Yesterday when I was being released from the hospital I heard to most horrible sounds of my life. Some poor women was in labor down the hallway -- according to the nurses. It was her first baby and she had waited too long to go into the hospital. She was already dilated to 10 and it was too late for drugs! I have never heard that kind of suffering and pain before. For her sake, I hope it didn't last too long.
• On the morning of the my second day in the hospital, they wheeled me up to the NICU to take a tour with Hubby. That really motivated me to get the hell out of there! They had a 28-week baby next to a 32-week baby, and it was the difference between night and day! It's amazing what that one month of growth really looks like. They told me that every day I can hold the twins inside my belly subtracts 3 days from their time in the NICU. That is my only goal right now. Also, the whole time I was touring the NICU, the twins were kicking up a storm! I hope that was them sending me a sign that they don't want to be there either!
• My nurses were all wonderful, and I never questioned the level of care I was getting.
• It wasn't until my last day in the hospital that we truly learned just how serious of the situation was when I was admitted. They had already cleared an operating room for me, and the twins were literally about an hour or two away from the decision to be taken. I feel blessed that we dodged that bullet.

Anyway, I am staying on my strict bed rest. Looking forward to laying on the sofa with Hubby and watching the Super Bowl. Thankful that I have good babies that still want to stay inside for a bit longer.

I'm Home...for now!

This is the face of bloated, miserable, hospital-bound, 31 weeks pregnant with twins, never-been-heavier-in-my-life, pre-eclampsia woman. Scary stuff! I am amazed at this photo...not from a vanity point of view (I've gotten over that. It's all temporary and it's all relative.) but because they say the big sign of pre-eclampsia/pregnancy-induced-hypertension is swelling and bloating. I can really see it in this photo -- the hands, arms, face, neck, etc.

Anyway, Hubby spent the night with me at the hospital last night. He unfolded the double-size bed in the room, and we had a chance to cuddle and really talk. I can't begin to tell you how much it helped me. He has always had such a calming effect on me.

My OB came by to do his rounds at 6:30 AM (when does this man sleep?). He said he was comfortable enough with my vitals and numbers that we could try bed rest at home. Two hours later, we were pulling into our driveway. I am so happy to be home. It's impossible to truly rest at a hospital. There is always someone coming in to test something on you, stick a needle in you, etc. I am utterly exhausted and feel like I could sleep for a week. I am NOT out of the woods. The only cure for pre-eclampsia is delivery, so I have hopefully just bought myself some extra time...perhaps even a few weeks. I could go back in tomorrow or a month from now...it's impossible to say.

Hubby is working from home until all of this over with. He will be taking me to my doc appointments (which will be almost daily). I am off to bed....so happy to be home for now. Thanks for all of your well wishes and encouraging words. I may need them again soon.