Beware! This is a long post - but there is no bad news!
I had my doctor's appointment this morning. It was just a simple check, but the baby's heart rate was fine and they gave me the go ahead to get out of the chair. I don't think I have ever been as happy to do housework as I was tonight. It was just in time because now Phil has whatever Maeve has and he is feeling miserable.
I did have a chance to ask the doctor all of my questions that have come up since we have started absorbing all of this. The stuff I learned:
1. The preliminary results for the amniocentesis covered the standard chromosomal abnormalities. The final results check for the more unusual abnormalities.
2. The next step if things keep progressing properly is to go to Ann Arbor to meet with the heart specialist when the baby reaches 25 weeks or so. We are at 19 weeks now.
3. Hypoplastic right heart syndrome is less common than hypoplastic left heart syndrome, so there is not as much data and we are dealing with more unknowns.
4. We have double confirmation that the baby is a boy. He has Y chromosomes and a penis!
5. The fluid around the baby's heart is not uncommon and may increase or decrease. The fluid around the heart is an indication of the heart not working properly. We will know that the situation is critical if the fluid moves into the abdominal cavity.
The most important thing that I learned today is that I am going to the right doctors. The two obstretricians that are in the practice are husband and wife. I chose them before I got pregnant with Ella because they accepted my insurance. Later, I found out they specialize in high risk pregnancies (the office is covered with photos of multiples). It has been wonderful not to have to switch doctors when things got ugly.
The wife is my normal doctor, but she was on vacation last week, so her husband was in charge. Today, I found out that he called her while she was on vacation to let her know what had happened. When she walked into the exam room, she gave me a hug and told me how sorry she was. These are definitely not people that treat their patients like a good way to make money.
I explained that we tried to let as many people know last week as possible. I told her how awkward it is to explain the situation when people ask how the twins are. Her response was "And now there are that many more people praying for you".
We are truly blessed to have such wonderful care. There is no way this little boy could be in any better hands!
The next doctor's appointment is April 9. I will post if anything new happens before then. Thanks again for all of your prayers!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Today I got good news regarding work. I was in the midst of a two week bridge inspection class last week when all of this happened. I missed Monday and Tuesday afternoon for doctor's appointments and the rest of the week with the bed rest. I was afraid that I would have to take the entire two week class over again and pay another $1500. I was hoping that I could take the class again and just attend for the second week. This morning I got a phone call telling me that they were going to let me take the exam for the class. If I pass, I will have the certification and will not have to take two more weeks off of work. I was ecstatic!
I also got notification that I picked up another bridge project. I am pretty close to having enough work for this year. Now it it just a matter of getting everything timed properly with baby stuff.
Maeve and I hung out here and I worked on engineering stuff today. We ran to the office for a few minutes to meet a client. Maeve is feeling better and I had no problems today, so it was a wonderful day!
Hopefully we will have more information after the doctor's appointment tomorrow.
I also got notification that I picked up another bridge project. I am pretty close to having enough work for this year. Now it it just a matter of getting everything timed properly with baby stuff.
Maeve and I hung out here and I worked on engineering stuff today. We ran to the office for a few minutes to meet a client. Maeve is feeling better and I had no problems today, so it was a wonderful day!
Hopefully we will have more information after the doctor's appointment tomorrow.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Another day in the Lazy Boy. I am not sure if yelling at the television while watching the Michigan State game counts as bed rest, but it was the best I could do.
I did sneak out to go to Dad and Diane's for pizza. We just sat and talked, nothing that involved physical exertion.
Maeve still has a fever, so she wasn't able to go to lunch or pizza. I do think that she is on the mend. Hopefully she will be 100% tomorrow because she has a field trip for preschool.
No new leaks today and hoping for the best on Tuesday.
I did sneak out to go to Dad and Diane's for pizza. We just sat and talked, nothing that involved physical exertion.
Maeve still has a fever, so she wasn't able to go to lunch or pizza. I do think that she is on the mend. Hopefully she will be 100% tomorrow because she has a field trip for preschool.
No new leaks today and hoping for the best on Tuesday.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
I was afraid I had sprung a small leak, so I have held down the chair all day. Thank goodness for NCAA basketball! Phil's Lazy Boy is not going to feel right to him anymore after my backside has been in it all day, day after day.
HW & CW came over and brought turkey tetrazini. It was very tasty! I got to play with AW - she is getting to be lots of fun, smiling and giggling.
Maeve has some kind of bug. She has had a fever and threw up tonight. After she threw up, she felt much better. Hopefully she keeps it to herself and doesn't share with the rest of us.
Phil has been a saint. He took the kids to the Lowell Expo and got groceries on the way home. He even brought me flowers. I am a very lucky woman!
HW & CW came over and brought turkey tetrazini. It was very tasty! I got to play with AW - she is getting to be lots of fun, smiling and giggling.
Maeve has some kind of bug. She has had a fever and threw up tonight. After she threw up, she felt much better. Hopefully she keeps it to herself and doesn't share with the rest of us.
Phil has been a saint. He took the kids to the Lowell Expo and got groceries on the way home. He even brought me flowers. I am a very lucky woman!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Today we got good news! The preliminary amniocentesis results showed no abnormalities. My understanding is that this preliminary test is for chromosomes 13, 18, 21 & 22. We will not get the full report for another week or so.
I had a doctor's appointment this morning and things look to be sealed up. The doctor thinks that part of the problem may be that the amniotic sac of the twin that passed is pulling away from the surviving twin's sac. Hopefully everything will stay where it belongs. I have to play couch potato until Tuesday and my next doctor's appointment.
The baby is getting bigger and stronger. I can feel him wiggling and moving around now, which is a wonderfully reassuring feeling!
One of the heart issues that the baby has is Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. I have found a couple of websites that explain basically what the doctor told us. Thank goodness I paid attention in 9th grade health class because I am trying to remember everything we learned to keep up with all the terms.
We are so lucky to have our family and friends supporting us and praying for us. Knowing that we are not alone makes a huge difference. Thank you!!
I had a doctor's appointment this morning and things look to be sealed up. The doctor thinks that part of the problem may be that the amniotic sac of the twin that passed is pulling away from the surviving twin's sac. Hopefully everything will stay where it belongs. I have to play couch potato until Tuesday and my next doctor's appointment.
The baby is getting bigger and stronger. I can feel him wiggling and moving around now, which is a wonderfully reassuring feeling!
One of the heart issues that the baby has is Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. I have found a couple of websites that explain basically what the doctor told us. Thank goodness I paid attention in 9th grade health class because I am trying to remember everything we learned to keep up with all the terms.
We are so lucky to have our family and friends supporting us and praying for us. Knowing that we are not alone makes a huge difference. Thank you!!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The leak has stopped and we did not go to the doctor's office today. I was able to get some work done in my chair. Thank goodness engineering does not require any physical exertion! DH & BH came over to hang out and made supper for us. Family is wonderful!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Although the amniocentesis went well, I sprung a leak. We were up several times in the night and made two phone calls to the obstretrician. DW got the kids on their way for us and we went to the doctor's office for the third day in a row.
The ultrasound showed that there was indeed a leak, but the baby was not distressed and still had a nice level of amniotic fluid. That was much better news than I had anticipated.
The doctor put me on bed rest for the next two days and gave me an antibiotic and a muscle relaxer to short circuit any contractions. I have learned that daytime television stinks if you are not into court shows, soap operas or cooking shows. Thank goodness for laptop computers!
The ultrasound showed that there was indeed a leak, but the baby was not distressed and still had a nice level of amniotic fluid. That was much better news than I had anticipated.
The doctor put me on bed rest for the next two days and gave me an antibiotic and a muscle relaxer to short circuit any contractions. I have learned that daytime television stinks if you are not into court shows, soap operas or cooking shows. Thank goodness for laptop computers!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Today I had the amniocentesis. I wasn't particularly worried about it. EGN had told me it was no big deal, and it was not.
Last night, it was very hard to grasp that it was still possible that we might have a baby. With the loss of the one and the heart problems with the other, it seemed like there was no chance of success.
Phil and I decided to find out the gender of the baby to help things seem more real and to better connect with the baby. The minute that I found out that the baby is a boy, I know that we had made the right choice. We want to give him the best chance of survival possible. We are trying to keep a positive attitude while still protecting ourselves from devastating disappointment.
Last night, it was very hard to grasp that it was still possible that we might have a baby. With the loss of the one and the heart problems with the other, it seemed like there was no chance of success.
Phil and I decided to find out the gender of the baby to help things seem more real and to better connect with the baby. The minute that I found out that the baby is a boy, I know that we had made the right choice. We want to give him the best chance of survival possible. We are trying to keep a positive attitude while still protecting ourselves from devastating disappointment.
Monday, March 22, 2010
We found out last Wednesday that there was an abnormal result in the prenatal screening tests we had. An ultrasound was scheduled for today to determine if either of the babies had Spina Bifida or some other defect that would cause the elevated levels found in the screening.
At the ultrasound, we found that one of the babies has passed away, causing the elevated levels. We were very disappointed, but we were consoled by seeing the second baby moving around. All of the measurements were normal and the baby was right on schedule for growth.
Examination of the heart showed that the right side of the heart is undersized and not functioning properly. The major arteries and veins to and from the heart are not properly sized or are not in the correct location. There is also fluid around the heart.
The doctor recommended that we have an amniocentesis performed to determine if there are any chromosomal problems. We learned that it is not uncommon for a complex heart defect to be caused for a chromosomal defect. We scheduled the procedure for tomorrow.
I told the kids as soon as I got home. I started crying as soon as I walked in the door, so there was no way I could hide it. I told them that one of the babies had died and the other one was very sick. They were very disppointed, but they all remember the last miscarriage and they took it very well.
Because we found out about the first miscarriage as part of the prenatal screening process, we were not totally unprepared for the bad news. Since we found out that we were expecting, I have prayed that I would have the strength to deal with whatever will happen. I know that whatever happens will be difficult, but we will be able to handle it with God's help and the support of our family and friends.
At the ultrasound, we found that one of the babies has passed away, causing the elevated levels. We were very disappointed, but we were consoled by seeing the second baby moving around. All of the measurements were normal and the baby was right on schedule for growth.
Examination of the heart showed that the right side of the heart is undersized and not functioning properly. The major arteries and veins to and from the heart are not properly sized or are not in the correct location. There is also fluid around the heart.
The doctor recommended that we have an amniocentesis performed to determine if there are any chromosomal problems. We learned that it is not uncommon for a complex heart defect to be caused for a chromosomal defect. We scheduled the procedure for tomorrow.
I told the kids as soon as I got home. I started crying as soon as I walked in the door, so there was no way I could hide it. I told them that one of the babies had died and the other one was very sick. They were very disppointed, but they all remember the last miscarriage and they took it very well.
Because we found out about the first miscarriage as part of the prenatal screening process, we were not totally unprepared for the bad news. Since we found out that we were expecting, I have prayed that I would have the strength to deal with whatever will happen. I know that whatever happens will be difficult, but we will be able to handle it with God's help and the support of our family and friends.
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