10 More Weeks, Are You Kidding Me?
This week I went for my 28 week OB appointment. After Violet died I remember reading that a baby born at 28 weeks has about an 95% chance of survival. Now these babies will have to spend significant time in the NICU, but most likely will end up coming home with mom and dad in several weeks. I remember thinking, "Why didn't you just hang on for a few more weeks?" Now I know that she had issues that would have made surviving past birth almost impossible, but back when I passed what would have been the 28 week mark with Violet, all I could think about was, "why didn't you make it?"
I had my normal routine visit at the OB, ultrasound and then OB visit. One thing that was different is that I had to do my glucose test. The glucose test that you have to do requires you to drink this nasty, sugary sweet beverage. It kind of tastes like those popsicles that come in the plastic tube, I believe they are called Flavor Ice. Anyway, you know how it melts a little bit and you always have the liquid left over to drink afterwards? That was always a favorite part for me. But now, drinking about 12 oz of that liquid makes you want to vomit. But, you can't vomit because if you do you will have to come back another day and do the test and drink that crap again. And after drinking this syrup, you have to wait for an hour to have your blood drawn. At least I had an ultrasound and a visit with my OB to keep me occupied while I waited for the hour to pass.
I was called back for my ultrasound. Georgia, my mom and my 2 nieces were along to see these little baby girls since Nolan couldn't get away from work. Vicki, the ultrasound tech that I always have, took us back to the room and we got ready to see the girls on the big screen. My biggest fear was that something was going to be wrong and Georgia and my nieces would find out right there with me and there would be no breaking it to them gently. But, as normal, Vicki showed me both babies and both beating hearts right away. Whew, sigh of relief. Now we just had to make sure that every one was growing properly.
We always start off with Baby A. She is the shy one. She is always facing towards my back and she was the one who was modest about showing off her girl parts. Anyway, Vicki took measurements and checked out Baby A's head, stomach, kidneys, and heart. We were able to hear her heartbeat, always reassuring, it was a strong 143 BPM. And then Vicki measured Baby A's femur, this is how they estimate how much the baby weighs. Baby A is a whopping 2lb 7oz. What a good little girl!!!!
Baby B was next. Baby B has always been willing to show off her cute little face and she let us know early on (like 16 weeks) that she was a girl (although the ultrasound tech wouldn't confirm that, she just said that she saw no boy parts). Vicki checked out the same organs and body parts on Baby B. Baby B's heartbeat was 143 BMP, just like her sister. And after measuring her femur Baby B weighs in at 2lb 9oz. Oh and Baby A is head down now too, just like her sister. Yea!!!
Also during this ultrasound, the amniotic fluid is checked. That looked great. An interesting thing that was done this time was that the blood flow through the umbilical cord was measured. So, Vicki had to find an artery on the umbilical cord and place the ultrasound wand in just the right spot all while these normally very wiggly babies held very still. I don't know how she did it, but she did. And my cervix is also checked out. Anything measuring over 3.5cm is really good. I have always measured way over that.....as long as 5cm. This week I measured 4cm. So these babies probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon. All good!
As for me, my weight is still great and well controlled (PTL) even though it feels like I'm as big as a house! My BP was normal and I am having very minimal swelling. The swelling that I do have is only when the days are really hot or I'm on my feet for a long time. My biggest complaints are just normal pregnancy aches and pains. It kind of reminds me of the way I felt when I was in the last days of my pregnancy with Georgia.....only I have like 10 more weeks to go. So, I'll just take it one day at a time right now. That's all I can do. I have figured out that taking a short hot bath every night helps me sleep so much better. Now, I am getting up to pee every hour (seriously, no joke EVERY HOUR) but I'm able to go right back to sleep. I think that I'm barely awake as I walk to the bathroom. It's a good thing that I don't have to take the stairs to get from the bedroom to the bathroom....it might be a little dangerous. I'm also continuing with my photography. The sessions usually make me tired, but for the most part I haven't been doing many that last more than an hour. I can handle that. I'm going to try and keep going until the end of June and then take a break and wait for these babies.
Nursery update....it was painted on Sunday by my fantastic husband, wonderful niece in law Samantha, and great friend Anna. Thank you all. I love the color. I am waiting for the mini cribs to come. They should be here soon. After they arrive, I will be sewing up a storm. I would like to make some curtains and crib skirts. Anyone with major sewing skills is invited to help me with one or both of these projects. They don't seem to difficult, and I think that I can handle it, but I just want to make sure they look good. So, I guess I can start washing all the baby clothes that were being stored in my parents attic and get those put away. Right now they are still in the plastic tubs sitting in the nursery floor. Maybe I'll get to that this weekend. Maybe!
Some other fantastic news that I found out yesterday was that my friend is also having twins. She and I went to college together, but I don't think that we ever spoke a single word to one another the entire time at Goshen. Anyway, she found out about Violet's death and reached out to me. You see, she lost her sweet baby girl just months before. She was such a HUGE help to me in those first weeks after Violet died. She let me know that I wasn't crazy for avoiding the baby section at Target and that it was OK for me to still be crying my eyes out weeks later and longing for my baby. She sent me little gifts at Christmas that were sweet and thoughtful. That's just the kind of person she is.I hate that we have become friends because of such terrible circumstances. And really, I've felt a little bit of guilt knowing that I was pregnant again so quickly after Violet's death and she was not. Just to know that someone wants something so badly and they are having trouble getting there is heartbreaking, especially when it's a baby and you know that person would be a wonderful parent. So last night when I found out that she is now expecting twins and things look good so far, I was just beside myself. I'm so happy for her. She has been on my mind constantly since I found out the news. I know the overwhelming feelings of fear and joy that conflict your mind. I still deal with that. After you have lost a baby in such a traumatic way, you just never get over those little thoughts that creep up in the back of your mind. But at the same time, you are so happy that you are ready to burst! So now I'm praying hard that this pregnancy is successful for her and that she gets to bring home two little bundles of joy in several months!
So with all the good news yesterday, it was one of the best days I've had in a while. What a great day!
I had my normal routine visit at the OB, ultrasound and then OB visit. One thing that was different is that I had to do my glucose test. The glucose test that you have to do requires you to drink this nasty, sugary sweet beverage. It kind of tastes like those popsicles that come in the plastic tube, I believe they are called Flavor Ice. Anyway, you know how it melts a little bit and you always have the liquid left over to drink afterwards? That was always a favorite part for me. But now, drinking about 12 oz of that liquid makes you want to vomit. But, you can't vomit because if you do you will have to come back another day and do the test and drink that crap again. And after drinking this syrup, you have to wait for an hour to have your blood drawn. At least I had an ultrasound and a visit with my OB to keep me occupied while I waited for the hour to pass.
I was called back for my ultrasound. Georgia, my mom and my 2 nieces were along to see these little baby girls since Nolan couldn't get away from work. Vicki, the ultrasound tech that I always have, took us back to the room and we got ready to see the girls on the big screen. My biggest fear was that something was going to be wrong and Georgia and my nieces would find out right there with me and there would be no breaking it to them gently. But, as normal, Vicki showed me both babies and both beating hearts right away. Whew, sigh of relief. Now we just had to make sure that every one was growing properly.
We always start off with Baby A. She is the shy one. She is always facing towards my back and she was the one who was modest about showing off her girl parts. Anyway, Vicki took measurements and checked out Baby A's head, stomach, kidneys, and heart. We were able to hear her heartbeat, always reassuring, it was a strong 143 BPM. And then Vicki measured Baby A's femur, this is how they estimate how much the baby weighs. Baby A is a whopping 2lb 7oz. What a good little girl!!!!
Baby B was next. Baby B has always been willing to show off her cute little face and she let us know early on (like 16 weeks) that she was a girl (although the ultrasound tech wouldn't confirm that, she just said that she saw no boy parts). Vicki checked out the same organs and body parts on Baby B. Baby B's heartbeat was 143 BMP, just like her sister. And after measuring her femur Baby B weighs in at 2lb 9oz. Oh and Baby A is head down now too, just like her sister. Yea!!!
Also during this ultrasound, the amniotic fluid is checked. That looked great. An interesting thing that was done this time was that the blood flow through the umbilical cord was measured. So, Vicki had to find an artery on the umbilical cord and place the ultrasound wand in just the right spot all while these normally very wiggly babies held very still. I don't know how she did it, but she did. And my cervix is also checked out. Anything measuring over 3.5cm is really good. I have always measured way over that.....as long as 5cm. This week I measured 4cm. So these babies probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon. All good!
As for me, my weight is still great and well controlled (PTL) even though it feels like I'm as big as a house! My BP was normal and I am having very minimal swelling. The swelling that I do have is only when the days are really hot or I'm on my feet for a long time. My biggest complaints are just normal pregnancy aches and pains. It kind of reminds me of the way I felt when I was in the last days of my pregnancy with Georgia.....only I have like 10 more weeks to go. So, I'll just take it one day at a time right now. That's all I can do. I have figured out that taking a short hot bath every night helps me sleep so much better. Now, I am getting up to pee every hour (seriously, no joke EVERY HOUR) but I'm able to go right back to sleep. I think that I'm barely awake as I walk to the bathroom. It's a good thing that I don't have to take the stairs to get from the bedroom to the bathroom....it might be a little dangerous. I'm also continuing with my photography. The sessions usually make me tired, but for the most part I haven't been doing many that last more than an hour. I can handle that. I'm going to try and keep going until the end of June and then take a break and wait for these babies.
Nursery update....it was painted on Sunday by my fantastic husband, wonderful niece in law Samantha, and great friend Anna. Thank you all. I love the color. I am waiting for the mini cribs to come. They should be here soon. After they arrive, I will be sewing up a storm. I would like to make some curtains and crib skirts. Anyone with major sewing skills is invited to help me with one or both of these projects. They don't seem to difficult, and I think that I can handle it, but I just want to make sure they look good. So, I guess I can start washing all the baby clothes that were being stored in my parents attic and get those put away. Right now they are still in the plastic tubs sitting in the nursery floor. Maybe I'll get to that this weekend. Maybe!
Some other fantastic news that I found out yesterday was that my friend is also having twins. She and I went to college together, but I don't think that we ever spoke a single word to one another the entire time at Goshen. Anyway, she found out about Violet's death and reached out to me. You see, she lost her sweet baby girl just months before. She was such a HUGE help to me in those first weeks after Violet died. She let me know that I wasn't crazy for avoiding the baby section at Target and that it was OK for me to still be crying my eyes out weeks later and longing for my baby. She sent me little gifts at Christmas that were sweet and thoughtful. That's just the kind of person she is.I hate that we have become friends because of such terrible circumstances. And really, I've felt a little bit of guilt knowing that I was pregnant again so quickly after Violet's death and she was not. Just to know that someone wants something so badly and they are having trouble getting there is heartbreaking, especially when it's a baby and you know that person would be a wonderful parent. So last night when I found out that she is now expecting twins and things look good so far, I was just beside myself. I'm so happy for her. She has been on my mind constantly since I found out the news. I know the overwhelming feelings of fear and joy that conflict your mind. I still deal with that. After you have lost a baby in such a traumatic way, you just never get over those little thoughts that creep up in the back of your mind. But at the same time, you are so happy that you are ready to burst! So now I'm praying hard that this pregnancy is successful for her and that she gets to bring home two little bundles of joy in several months!
So with all the good news yesterday, it was one of the best days I've had in a while. What a great day!
Comments
Post a Comment