Birth Day!

The day started out with me taking the jug o' urine to Sky Ridge hospital to drop off at the lab. Then, Andy met me at Littleton hospital for my specialist appt at 10:30. The Dr thought the fluid was still low in the baby boy's sac. She took my blood pressure and was really concerned. She called my ob to discuss with her and came back and told us we needed to head over to Sky Ridge for delivery. I was somewhat in shock. We knew we probably wouldn't make it to the scheduled c-section on 2/25, but thought we had until at least until next week before we would deliver. We had planned to work on packing our bags over the weekend and getting the car bases installed. Since we had two cars at Littleton hospital and no bags packed, we decided to run home and drop a car off and pack our bags. Since I had a fruit smoothie around 9:30, we couldn't deliver right away anyhow. We quickly packed our bags and called our neighbors as they were going to watch Raleigh while we were in the hospital. We were at Sky Ridge hosptial by 12:30. What a morning! The next few hours involved getting me ready for the c-section. I met with the anesthesiologist and they decided we would go in for the c-section around 4pm. My Dr. wasn't on call that day, so Dr. Dix was going to perform the c-section. She said due to the high blood pressure, there was a high chance I would have to be on a Magnesium Sulfate IV for 24 hours to prevent seizures or stroke. Also, since I was delivering right at 35 weeks, the babies would have to go to the NICU, so the neonatoligst came to visit us. He was supposed to be going to Swedish hospital for a preview of their new NICU that afternoon, but we took priority! We headed into the OR at 4pm. There weren't as many people in the OR as I thought there would be. I recieved my spinal from the anesthesiologist and he sat behind me and Andy was right next to me. At one point, I asked if they had started yet, and the anesthesiologist said that was a good sign since I didn't feel anything and that they were almost to the babies. Ryan came out first at 4:21pm and Avery came out at 4:22pm. It was wonderful to hear their cries and that it was a boy and a girl. After the nurses did what they needed to do, Andy was able to hold them and put them next to me so I could give them each a kiss and get a photo. Andy went with the babies while they finished sewing me up. They called down to tell us that Ryan was 4lbs 8oz and 17 inches and Avery was 4lbs 12oz and 17.5 inches and they were both doing well. As soon as I delivered, my blood pressure was back down. I was hoping that meant I wouldn't have to do the magnesium sulfate IV, but that wasn't the case. Since I had to be on the IV and have hourly monitoring by a nurse, I would stay in a Labor & Delivery room. They had me hooked up to the IV, blood pressure monitor, oxygen monitor, oxygen mask, catheter, and cuffs on my calfs to prevent blood clotting. I wasn't going anywhere! Since the babies had to be in the NICU and I had to be hooked up to all the stuff, I wasn't able to be with Ryan and Avery. That was the hardest part. The NICU wanted to get the babies on a 3 hr feeding schedule starting at 8pm. Andy went over to do the feeding. Andy knew how upset I was not to be able to be with the babies, so the NICU nurse and Andy brought them down to my room so I could hold them for a few minutes. I was pretty out of it from the magnesium, but it was great to see them. Avery needed oxygen for a few hours, but other than that they were both doing great and did well taking the bottle. They told us they would probably be in the NICU for our entire stay, but they thought they would be able to go home with us. That was great news!!

34 1/2 week Doc appt

I had a non-stress test last Thursday and on Tuesday and the babies were active and responding how they should be responding. I have been at home this week and taking it easy. I have been to the pool almost every day the past week or so. Today, I had my regular ob appointment. The ultrasound went fine, but my blood pressure was high so they took it again. I think it was 150/90 or so both times. The dr. decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery to get some blood work done and moniter my blood pressure. My dr's office is at the hospital, so I had to go down to admissions and then up to the 2nd floor. The concern was that I have signs of preeclampsia. I stayed for 2 hours at the hospital and was released after my blood work came back okay. They did send me home with a jug to do a 24 hour urine test to check for protein in my urine. I think I gave Andy a scare when I said I was in the Labor and Delivery ward! I was glad to be going home and would definitely be taking it easy. My next appt is with the specialist on Friday to check the amniotic fluid levels.

Super Bowl Sunday

We didn't take many belly shots, but wanted to make sure to capture one before I delivered. This is at 34 weeks. Towards the end of the pregnancy, I had about every symptom possible - heartburn, snoring, swelling, carpel tunnel. At least I'm only doing this once!

Today, we had a tour of the hospital at 3pm on Super Bowl Sunday. It was helpful and we seemed to have the most questions. The hospital is only 5 years old and has a nice Labor and Delivery floor. We then headed over to the Baumgartners for the Super Bowl. It was a fun time and good to see everyone, but only stayed through half time as I didn't want to over do it. Glad we made it home in time to watch the exciting ending. So much for a boring game!

Perinatologist visit

My dr. sent me to a Perinatologist as the ultrasound technician thought there could be low amniotic fluid in the sacs last week. I saw the specialist today and she does think that Baby A (boy) does have low fluid and one the arteries in the umbilical cord had normal flow but the other looked like it had restricted flow, which could explain the low fluid. I basically was told I have this week to wrap up work and will be going to the dr twice a week now to monitor the babies through non-stress tests. Also, she recommended pool therapy. The goal is to keep the babies inside as long as possible. My doctor would like to get to 36 weeks (I'm a little over 33 now) and if things are still okay then get to the scheduled c-section date on 2/25. The babies are measuring 4lbs 9oz and 4lbs 5 oz. And, I don't have any signs of pre-term labor which is good.
I headed to Target today to get a swimming suit that would fit and then to the rec center. The rec center is about 2 or 3 miles from the house and has a therapy pool. The therapy pool is warmer than the regular pool and smaller. It felt really good once I got in the pool and floated around with a noodle.

Babies R Us Shopping Spree

Andy and I headed to Babies R Us today to get some things we needed for the babies arrival, such as a pack n' play, car seats, bouncy seats, diapers, etc. We spent close to two hours in the store and we were able to use our Registry Completion discount, some coupons I had, and the twins discount on a few items. Babies R Us will do a 10% discount on items over $50 in which you purchase 2 or more of the same item. So, that is nice. The car was pretty full!
Hard to believe the babies will be here in a month or less! I guess we are as ready as we are going to be.

Another shower

I had another shower today at Dana's house. We have known each other since freshmen year at Carolina, so it is great we are both in Denver. The shower went well and I was so happy to be able to celebrate with my friends in Denver. We received lots of items off the registry. Thanks to Olga for going with me to Babies R Us to get registered as she just had her baby in October. Andy was able to come towards the end to say hello and get everything loaded in the car. He leaves tomorrow for a conference in New Orleans, so I will be busy get everything organized and doing thank you notes.

Work Shower

I had my shower at work today. The decorations and flowers were very nice and there was a great turnout. I couldn't believe how many gifts there were to open. The babies got a lot of cute outfits. And, one of my co-workers crocheted the blankets below to match the bedding in the nursery. We also received a gift card to Babies R Us, which will be put to good use when we go to get some of the items we still need for their arrival.