Week 21

I think I start out every post like this. hehe Both boys are doing really well. Baby A still has extra fluid and Baby B is considered normal. Heart beats were in the 160's. Stomachs, bladders, and umbilical cord flows all looked really good. My cervix, blood pressure, and protien were all where they needed to be. I'm at about 21 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight.

The only hiccup this week is that on Thursday's MFS visit, they found that I was having contractions. These weren't prelabor ones, or even Braxton Hicks "practice" contractions. Basically because Baby A's bubble is so big, my belly is having to grow really fast. This makes it kind of irritated and every once in a while it would contract. I can't feel them and they don't hurt. I'm not sure of the exact frequency but I do know that J making me laugh caused a much bigger spike on the readout. hehe

But the doctor seemed to feel that the contractions either needed to be closely monitored (I'd have to be admitted to the hospital) or stopped with medication (a shot of terbutaline). Naturally I took the shot. Unfortunately the side effects were pretty bad. My heart was pounding, I felt like I couldn't breathe (but I could), and when the nurse came in to check on me, she found me bent over the trash can with J holding my hair. I also was soaked in a cold sweat.

The contractions stopped eventually but I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. We were there for 3 hrs, most of which were with me hooked up to the monitor. The shot only lasts for so long, so the doctor put me on a different medication to stop the contractions. So far I've had zero side effects from that.

I have to go back in on Monday for them to check me again. J wants to be there for every MFS appointment but they seem to just get longer and longer. It's one thing to take a long lunch. It's another to take an unannounced half-day.

So now the good stuff. The boys were their normal rambunctious selves this week. On Tuesday the regular OB had a hard time pinning down Baby B for a doppler heartbeat check. He kept squirming all over the place. Then on Thursday, the ultrasound tech found the following situation going on.

Baby B Sitting on Baby A's Head

Baby A Trying to Fight Off Baby B's Behind

Baby A Not So Innocently Kicking Baby B in the Head

Week 20

This week I've started to feel the boys moving and kicking. It's been a weird experience, especially when one tries to crawl up under my ribs. It would be better for all of us if I could breathe, boys!

Heartburn has also showed up in force, waking me up multiple times a night to take Tums. I'm switching to a prescription antacid and hope it helps.

Our doctor's visit this week went pretty well. Baby A still has more fluid than Baby B and has most likely gained some more over the previous week. Baby B has a normal amount of fluid. Both boys look healthy and active. Bladders, stomachs, and heartbeats all looked good.

The doctor said that at this point, it's a lot like I'm carrying triplets because of the extra room Baby A is taking up. That didn't really surprise me since my belly has been doing some serious stretching this week. It's hard to find a comfortable sleep position because of the soreness sometimes.

I completed my first week of non-work today. We're still working through the paper work with my HR department. Hopefully that will be done soon and I can stop stressing about it. hehe

Week 19

Our babies got a lot of attention this week with 3 doctors visits.  We had the MFS on Monday and Friday, and the regular OB on Tuesday.  Everything is stable with the babies and me, meaning heart beats, bladders, and sizes are all good.  Baby A continues to have more fluid than Baby B but the amount hasn't changed.  Both babies are weighing in at 12oz.  I'm at about 20lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight.

At this point the MFS feels that the boys do have TTTS but a mild form.  Here's a link to the Wikipedia description of TTTS.  You may get the perception from that site that the outlook is bleak for both babies.  While this is a serious condition, please keep in mind that we have a mild form and what they're concentrating on are severe cases.  The babies are in great shape and very healthy right now.

The plan forward is for me to stop working.  Rest, fluids, and food are what the babies need right now.  There is a good chance that we will need to have a amniotic fluid reduction done for Baby A.  This means a very small needle will draw off fluid from Baby A's bubble until it's the same size as Baby B's.  Long term our MFS thinks we'll need to get the laser surgery done in Cincinnati.  We're hoping that's not the case, especially since both babies are doing really well so far, but it may come to that.

Now for less doom and gloom.  The boys caused quite the commotion at this week's office visits.  On Monday, Baby A was asleep until Baby B started kicking him.  Baby B's legs were going so fast that the ultrasound had a hard time keeping up.  The u/s tech was trying to get measurements of Baby B through all of the punching and kicking but let out a frustrated sigh when Baby B decided it was time to flip over.  We spent another 10 min just trying to find the right measurements again.

Today Baby A was in on the wiggling fun.  Neither one would hold still long enough for the tech to get circulation measurements.  She must have tried for 20 min.  She finally put the scanner down and gave up.  hehe  Since flipping over was such a big hit earlier, Baby B one-upped himself by flipping AND crawling on top of Baby A.  So I had one baby trying to hide under my ribs and the other head-butting the exit.  We're in trouble when these boys are born!

Here are some action shots from this week.

Baby A Sleeping Face Down

Baby B Pouting the ENTIRE Time

Baby B Mid-Kick to Baby A

Baby A Waking Up and Fighting Back

Baby A's Head on Baby B's Shoulder