A LONG Twin Pregnancy Update - 33 Weeks

30 Weeks 5 days

I am technically 33 weeks and 2 days right now. With the exception of the last few weeks (Preterm Labor, MRI and Morphine) my pregnancy had been somewhat uneventful.....well as uneventful as being pregnant with twins and taking care of a 2 year old can be.


Switching Doctors in the Third Trimester
I loved the Dr. that delivered Kenzey but when we found out we were expecting I decided to go with a Dr. Office in town that wasn't an hour away. In mid-November I realized my mistake and switched back to the Dr. I trusted. Several Factors contributed to me switching Drs in my third trimester........

1. They (the Dr. Office I switched from) had 5 Doctors that were in their practice. While at first this was comforting knowing that you would meet all the Drs. that could possibly deliver you in case one is not available. It seemed good in theory- EXCEPT- they never really looked at your chart or talked to each other about what was said at my previous apt. I had to ask about taking FOLIC ACID for twins in addition to prenatals (since I had read about it on the baby forums). I was told "Oh! Yes! You should have been! No one ever told you that?" No... No one ever told me that and I should have been taking it since the 1st Trimester, instead of asking about it in the 2nd.

2. I was told at 16 weeks by the Ultrasound Tech that Baby A has a SAU (Single Artery Umbilical Cord...also known as a two-vessel cord). When I asked the Dr. about it the following day... she was unaware, checked via Ultrasound and then told me it wasn't something I needed to worry about. ***Apparently, it was! Since switching Doctors, I was sent to the MFM (Maternal Fetal Specialist) for an ultrasound and the specialist was pissed that I was never sent at 20 weeks for a scan. I guess having a SAU can put the baby at risk for heart defects among many other things and when twins get larger it is harder to detect. LUCKILY he was able to get a good scan of Baby A's heart and it looks fine.

Pic from 24wk Ultrasound.... I don't quite know what I am looking at but here is the side by side of the different umbilical cords

3. They only ask you to pee in a cup at your very first appointment. When I asked about this- I was told that they only have you do that if there is a problem. I thought that this was some new procedure that was put into place recently - even though all of my other pregnant friends still had to give a urine sample at each visit. I quickly learned that their idea of a problem and mine differed. I called the office the day before Veterans Day because I wasn't sure if I was leaking amniotic fluid. Twice in an hour I had leaked a half dollar size spot on the back of my shorts. I figured that I could just come in the office and they could test for fluid. NO ONE CALLED ME BACK until the next morning where they yelled at me to go to Labor and Delivery right away. I was annoyed because I could have just been told to come into the office instead of having to go to the hospital since the office was now closed for the holiday.
    Luckily, it wasn't amniotic fluid....My trip to Labor and Delivery was painful. I wasn't aware that the way they check for amniotic fluid was similar to a Pap but without the gel. OH SO FUN. My urine came back with Keytones and Bacteria... so they had to do a quick In&Out Catheter (Catheters HURT) to get a "clean" sample. The "clean" sample still had the same amount in it BUT it wasn't enough for the on-call doctor to diagnose a UTI and I was told to make an apt. and see my Dr. that Monday.
    When I went to my Apt. on Monday (the whole reason was to follow up from my trip to Labor & Delivery that they sent me to) THE DR WORKING THAT DAY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT. I had to explain what happened and  they still didn't have me pee in a cup.????

Jeanice & I at Kenzey's 2nd Birthday.... I was 21 weeks 3 days

4. The Final Straw for me was at my next apt. the nurse wrote down my weight wrong (not a big deal)...When I asked the Dr. how much I had gained... she said "Oh, you don't want to know!" after I told her that YES, I do want to know! I saw the number on the scale when they weighed me, I just didn't remember how much I was at my last visit. Then she nonchalantly tells me that I have gained over 20lbs since my last visit 3-4weeks ago. I finally realize that the number that was written down was a mistake and explain that to her... HOWEVER, if I had truly gained that much in that little of time... it should have been a red flag and she should have talked to me about it. Instead of me asking and her telling me I didn't want to know????

 Seeing a MFM Specialist
I switched Doctors the following day. I was  told that I needed to be seen by the MFM specialist and have monitoring because at my first visit with the Dr. that delivered Kenzey- he noticed that Baby A was a week behind and Baby B was a week ahead. He hadn't received my chart from the previous office yet and wanted to be on the safe side.
A week later (three weeks ago from today) I had my Specialist Ultra-Sound (where I found out that the specialist was pissed that I wasn't sent to him about the SAU at 20 weeks) It turns out that both babies are in the 50% for weight and around the same size. WHEW!! So at 30 weeks they weighed 3lbs 11oz. I was then given some reassurance that everything was going fine since I wasn't scheduled to some back again to the specialist until I was 34weeks. YEAH!!!

Everything seemed to be going well... at my last Dr. appointment I asked if my c-section date was the same since I had switched and the previous Dr. was the one that had scheduled it. I was told that yes, we could still do it on Jan 26th- BUT more than likely I wouldn't make it to 38 weeks. If I did....Great...However most twins come before then. I was a little puzzled, I felt fine and everything HAD been going well... until that comment I had no doubt I would be walking into the hospital ONLY for my planned C-Section.

At Jeanice's Baby Shower with our Moms....I was 22 weeks

MRI & MORPHINE
BUT just a few days LATER.... I got the FLU at 32 Weeks. It was HORRIBLE. Earlier that day I had finally been "nesting" and cleaned the house.. That night I couldn't keep anything down. I was so sick and dehydrated that I called my Mom to pick up Kenzey at 6am and I drove the hour with my hubby to the hospital on the way to his work. He works in the same town as the hospital I would be delivering at. I figured they would give me some fluid to rehydrate me and send me home. I was there for a couple of hours until the Triage Nurse said I would be released in about 40 min. when my blood work came back. I had gone through several IV fluid bags and just wanted Tylenol for a cramp I was having on my right side.
 
When my blood work came back.... I was told I was being admitted. My white cell count was at 27 and normal was 10. They were concerned about the pains I was having in my right front/back side. I was placed in a room and given anti-nausea medicine as well as Morphine. The morphine confused me at first because ALL I wanted was Tylenol but apparently that would have upset my stomach more. After I was settled in the room, I asked the nurses for ice (I have been CRAVING ICE- which can sometimes mean low iron but my iron came back normal).

A few minutes later.....my Dr. came in and told me that I couldn't have anything to drink and that I needed to have a MRI to rule out an inflamed appendix because of my extremely elevated white cell count and the location of the pain I was having. I am not going to LIE... I was more upset that I couldn't have ice than stressing on what the results of the MRI would be. I assumed the pain I was having was due to pulling something while throwing up the night before. SEVERAL HOURS and a DEAD CELL PHONE LATER... I FINALLY was taken down to get the MRI.  I am not entirely sure exactly how long the MRI took... all I know is that my stomach barely fit in the machine, my side started hurting again and all I could think about while the tech said "Take a Deep Breath....Hold....Breathe...." 20 thousand times was how I could have ice water when I got back into the room.

I haven't been TOO emotional this pregnancy....which is odd considering how crazy hormones can be while carrying two babies. I did start crying after the MRI and I got back into my room when the nurse told me I couldn't have the ice or anything to drink until the results were read. :( It was horrible. I hadn't eaten since the night before and all I wanted was water with ice. A couple hours later.... the nurse came in with a cup. It honestly was the best gift EVER!!! I was sooo HAPPY to finally be allowed to drink something since 8 that morning.

I was told that my appendix was fine but my Gallbladder was inflamed and that depending on the blood work  they were going to take in the morning- I would most likely be released the next day. 
I went in Thurs. Morning and was thankfully released Friday afternoon when my white cell count finally came down and they are assuming it was a Gallstone.

At Kailee's 3rd Birthday.... I was 23 weeks

CONTRACTIONS
Then late Saturday Night/Sunday Morning I was having horrible pain. I couldn't sit/sleep/stand.... I assumed it had to do with my gallbladder. Since Kenzey and my hubby were asleep I called my Mom to drive me the hour to Labor & Delivery. Turns out I was having contractions!! Contractions without dilating. I had never had any contractions with Kenzey nor Braxton Hicks so I honestly didn't know what they felt like. I was given a shot to stop contractions and a steroid shot to help with the twins' lungs. Once everything was settled we were released. We left at 2am and got home at 6am. I had to go back the next morning (Monday) to get the second steroid shot.

Michael took off work Monday morning since we weren't sure how long it would take to get the second steroid shot from the triage nurse at Labor & Delivery. Kenzey was so good that we promised we would take her to the park. However, it was cold so we went to McDonald's. Michael crawled up into the tunnels to show her how to reach the slide and after that she was in heaven climbing & sliding. Watching them play together melted away all the CRAP that had happened the last few days.

Being Reassured by Google
I started having anxiety that the babies are actually coming. I know I am having twins but I honestly thought it would be smooth sailing until Jan 26th. The last few days made me REALLY REALIZE that they can be here ANY DAY and that freaked me out. THANKS to Google- (Usually looking information up on Google makes it worse) I read about how unlikely the twins would be coming within the next week since both my FFN tests came back negative. Whether it is true or not that they won't be making an appearance in a week....it helped me not feel overwhelming anxiety.

The fetal fibronectin (fFN) test measures the levels of fFN in secretions from a pregnant woman's vagina and cervix........fFN is a protein produced during pregnancy. It acts as a biological glue, attaching the fetal sac to the uterine lining. fFN normally is present in cervico-vaginal secretions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy and again at the end of the last trimester (1 to 3 weeks before labor). fFN usually cannot be detected between 24 and 34 weeks of pregnancy (5½ to 8½ months)......The result is either positive (fFN is present) or negative (fFN is not present)......Fewer than 5 percent of women with symptoms of preterm labor who have a negative fFN test result deliver within the next 2 weeks.

I was supposed to have a Dr. appointment on Thurs.the 22nd but there was a HORRIBLE accident on the one road/hwy that lead out of our town and I wasn't able to make it and the office will be closed all of next week. The only thing that is keeping me from freaking out is the fact that I have an ultrasound appointment on Thur. the 29th with the specialist.My fingers are crossed that everything works out between now and then and I don't have to visit Labor & Delivery for LONG AWHILE!

At Holly's 4th Birthday....31 Weeks 3 days