looong post

sorry that i have been mia since these girls were born.  it's been a little busy, and the blog has been put on the back burner.  things are going surprisingly well, but that may be some denial on my part.  the girls have adjusted to being home really well, and the big kids love them to pieces.  but first let me review our last two months.  sorry for a long post, but this is mostly for me so i won't forget.

after the girls were born they had a good stay at the nicu at TCH.  we were so blessed to be in houston for these two little girls.  if we had lived in utah to have these babies we would have had to either go to san fran or houston for treatment.  nick and i feel very strongly that this is the reason that we are living in houston.  we had the best medical attention that we could have received.  but, lets talk about the girls.  after being born, they were admitted to the level three nicu, where they were monitored very closely.  in the level three nicu, they have one nurse for every two patients.  we were blessed to have amazing nurses in that level.  we loved them all.  we feel like the standard of care there was top notch.  on november 18, piper was moved to the level two nicu, where there is one nurse to every four patients.  they have them in a little pod, and the nurse sits there between the four babes keeping close watch.  eden moved from the level three nicu a few days later because she needed to put on some weight.  from day one these girls only needed  to learn to eat, poop and grow.  they were among the most healthy babies in either nicu.  that was very comforting.  the nurses and doctors were all very reassuring about their progress.  (we were always worried of course.)  there were some really sick babies there.  it was heartbreaking to see some of the other parents in there having to make some very difficult decisions regarding their children, while ours were so healthy and feisty.  so when both of the babies were moved to the level 2, we kind of relaxed a little more.  at this stage they told us that they were feeders and growers.  that was nice.  although, they were both still have some episodes of apnea and bradycardia.  we went everyday, except 2, down to the hospital where we paid an average of $10 a day in parking, meals out, kids babysat, milk delivered, and babies visited.  it was worth every penny to see our sweet little angels grow and develop and be taken care of.  we loved all of our nurses but one.  i had a little fight with her.  i noticed that the longer we were in the nicu, the more cranky i got.  by the end of our stay i had fussed at the lactation nurses, and this one particular nurse.  i don't usually fuss at people, i'm kind of a pushover, but i was getting cranky.  this one lazy nurse who i did not care for, was very very very lazy.  piper had been released, and i had gone down to the hospital with her to see eden.  eden was getting hungry and nurse was no where to be found.  they had a bottle warming for eden, but she was getting upset.  when nurse (i can't even remember her name, don't think i ever learned it) came back she went to attend to one of the other babies in the pod, and i asked if i could feed eden.  she then looks and me and tells me, "i don't care what you do."  i looked at her and rolled my eyes.  i walked over to the bottle warmer and figured out how to get the bottle out.  i then fed eden.  thirty minutes later after eden had been fed, changed, and fell back to sleep, the nurse comes waddling over to the warmer, opens it up and says, "oh, you fed her?"  i looked at her and said, "yeah, somebody had to do it."  we both know she wasn't going to help.  now onto the one nurse who got eden home.  christine was an amazing nurse.  to be released from the hospital the girls had to be on all 8 feeds through a bottle.  they had to have not had an a or b for a week.  they had to be breathing room air (which they had been from day one).  piper was released from the hospital on their one month birthday.  dec 9 was a bittersweet day.  we got some pictures of the girls together because we hadn't had an opportunity to do that yet.  when we left i started crying and christine said that she would get eden home to us before christmas.  i held onto those words so strongly.  christine told me that she would be the nurse for eden most of the time, and that she would work with her.  when piper went home eden was on four bottle feedings a day.  they were trying to introduce one a day, but she had been downgraded from six bottles the day before.  i was a little discouraged.  we took piper home, and when we returned the next day, eden was on all eight bottles.  christine took the time to work with my sweet baby and eden did wonderfully.  so now that we were on all 8 bottles we were on a and b watch.  dr. cox, the neonatologist said that she would let eden go home if she didn't have an a or b for five days.  eden went a day without one, then on sunday she had an episode, so we were back to square one.  so everyday we went i would hold my breath hoping that eden had been without an a or b.  on wednesday, christine told us that we needed to bring a car seat, and get ready to bring eden home.  she was not even four pounds yet, but they said she was doing so well that we could grow her at home.  on friday we ventured down with piper, (first we had to go to cypress to get a car seat that would be safe for a four pounder.)  we got to the hospital and eden was strapped in to the car seat to see if she could keep her sats up while in the car seat.  i was a nervous wreck so i went to the rondald mcdonald house and milled around for a minute.  i also went to the milk bank and picked up 160 four ounce bottles of pumped milk that i had delivered every day.  we had to take a cooler to fit it all!  after an hour we went back to see how eden had done.  christine, said that her sats stayed at 100 the whole time.  so we got her unhooked from all the monitors and loaded in the car seat.  then we were ready to leave.  i gave christine a huge hug and told her that she was the reason that eden was coming home.  i started crying too of course.  we said goodbye to all our pod mates, baby s and baby z and their families.  it was such a wonderful day.  i sat in back with my girls and smiled the whole way.  we were finally all going to be a family now.  it was a long road to get these sweet girls here.  there were a lot of times when i didn't think we were going to make it (literally).  we are grateful everyday for our two little miracles.  i know that sounds so cheesy, but the more we research ttts, the more we know how incredibly blessed we are to have two heathly babies with us.  we are grateful for prayers on our behalf.  we truly know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.  we are grateful for a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  sometimes it still floors me that we have twins, but we can't imagine our lives without piper and eden.  i will say this, the one good thing about the nicu is they train your babies.  they got our girls on a schedule and i have been able to keep them on it.  it's been so nice.  

 

 handing the babies off to the nicu.  nurse laura has the blonde hair.  we loved her.

 piper

 eden

 eden

 piper

 piper

 eden

 eden

 eden

 piper

piper stretching out

 together at last 

our first family photo

they're here!!

this is going to be an incredibly long post, so i apologize and if you don't want to read it that's okay.  it's more for me anyway!  on monday, nov 8 we went to a regular doctor's appointment to get dopplers and have an ultrasound, you know the usual.  on the way down, i asked nick what he was feeling about this appointment and what he thought would happen.  he said he was feeling confident and curious.  he then asked me, "why?  what are you thinking?"  i told him that i felt like this would be the last appointment and that dr. haeri would say that we were done and that we would be delivering the babies.  so we got to the appointment and got the ultrasound, and the doc came in and said to the stenographer, "are you sure about that umbilical artery on baby a?"  he told us it was a little high and he then checked it three times just to be sure.  he put the probe down and looks at me and says, "ok here's the deal.  we're done.  you've made it 32 weeks and that is awesome and for ttts i consider this full term.  piper's ua is high and that means that your placenta is about to crap out (true statement)."  he then said, "it's not an emergency so we can deliver the girls tonight or tomorrow."  i laughed because i was thinking like a few days.  so we scheduled the c section for wed morning at 9:30.  nick took me over the the hospital for the fourth time and all the nurses were cheering and saying, "fourth time's the charm."  they have gotten to know me pretty well.  nick went home and put the kids to bed and squared them away for the next day.  i had a restless night of sleep because i had to be on constant fetal monitoring and contraction monitoring.  i was having some really strong contractions and the resident came in and said, "if you go into labor tonight you'll be on tv."  the the doc from the little couple is a neonatologist at the hospital and would have been over our case.  i thought that would have been cool, but i wanted to wait for dr. haeri and nick to be there.  so my body finally stopped contracting so much thanks to the mag drip they had me on.  the next morning they got me all prepped in antepartum, and wheeled me to l&d.  i was really really nervous and shaking because of it.  my nurses were sweet and took good care of me.  they wheeled me into the or about 10 am and got to work.  i got my spinal block which i didn't even feel.  they laid me down, and got to prepping my stomach.  they kept asking if i was okay and i told them that i needed to throw up.  so after throwing up, i was finally numb.  dr. h came over and got to work with dr. r the resident.  laura our nurse from the clinic was there and sweet.  now this is where i don't know all the details because i obviously didn't get to see anything.  they made the incision, and i guess fluid started flowing.  nick said i had about a gallon and a half of amniotic fluid and that it started backing up because it filled the first bucket they had, so they had to hurry and change out the bucket, but because it had backed up it sprayed all over dr. h.  sorry about that.  he said, "i just got a laurel staples shower."  yummy right.  they then pulled piper out who was not crying and i guess as nick puts it, had to work her over to get her breathing.  then came eden.  apparently she was still in her bag when she came out.  they cut the bag and pulled her out and i heard the most pathetic little cry in the world.  nick left me then to go attend to the girls and dr. h and r. finished their work on me.  they brought piper in so i could see her for a minute before they rushed her up to the nicu.  a little later they brought eden in for the same amount of time.  they were so tiny.  that was the last time i saw them for the next 24 hours.  it was the most excruciating 24 hours i've ever been through.  nick spent they day running from bed to bed to bed.  we have dubbed him super dad.  he went home that evening to put syd and sawyer to bed, and then they were planning on coming down the next day to see me and the girls.  i will say that a c section is about the worst way to have a baby.  day two about killed me.  but enough about me.  piper and eden are here and doing "fine"(this has become my least favorite word.)  every time we call the nicu the nurses say they are doing "fine".  that's not a good word for a worried mama.  piper weighed in at 3 lbs 8 oz and 16 inches long.  eden was 2 lbs 6 oz and was 14.5 inches long or small.  they are darling and we love them so much.  sydney and sawyer love them and can't get enough kisses in.  we love them and continue to witness miracles in our lives with these sweet baby girls.  we are so thankful for all the love and support from everyone and the well wishes.  we hope to have these babes home soon but they are in the best neonatal unit in the world, so we know they are being taken care of.

not for the queasy and a trunk or treat

here are some pictures from the second reduction.  we had some more complications and were admitted over night.  i'll explain in the pictures.  

 this is the first reduction.  yummy eh?  don't mind the disgusting belly.

dr. haeri caught a little off guard.  great doctor.

all of these supplies for a reduction.  that's two one liter bottles sitting there.  we're going to try to fill em up.  

wondering the length of the needle there you go.  there is about an inch sticking out of my stomach, but the rest in in my gut.

Contraction pain.  my sweet nurse maxi.  

dr. bump holds the ultra sound probe while dr. haeri guides the needle.  looks pleasant huh?

this is what is left after the research lab takes what they want.  that red is because of placental bleeding.  he went in through my placenta this time.  

pip's heart rate dropped, and i had some major heart craziness going on too.  yay for oxygen all night long.  

getting the mag drip put up to stop contractions and labor.  it was a rough night, but we made it through.

Now to the trunk or treat.  the kids loved it.  it was good to get them out of the house.  

Reduction number 2

went to the doctor today.  we met with dr. haeri as usual and had an ultrasound.  the fluid in pip's sac is back up to what it was last wednesday before our first reduction.  this was expected, but still unpleasant.  i had been having contractions every two to three minutes again today, and this made dr. haeri sigh several times.  the girls are doing well.  they did measurements today and saw that piper is 3 lbs 6 oz and eden is 2 lbs 3 oz.  they are both gaining weight, and look healthy and beautiful.  back to the fluid.  due to the fact that i am contracting pretty regularly it was decided by all of us that i need to have another amnio reduction to decrease the risk of pre term labor, which sounds like it is pretty possible at this point.  dr. haeri gave me three options.  1:  admit myself into the hospital and be treated as an inpatient for the rest of my pregnancy so they can keep a close eye on me.  (mama was less than thrilled about this and said "NO").  2:  get the reduction done today, be admitted overnight and go home tomorrow.  i said no to this option too because i feel like i need to sit sydney down and tell her that i'll be in the hospital again.  she's an adaptable kid, but she can only handle so much.  she asks me everyday if i'll have to go back to the hospital.  so that wasn't an option.  3:  go on thursday, knowing that i'm going home with the high risk of preterm labor for the next two day.  i'll go in at 9 am and if everything goes well i will be released that evening.  this time it's going to be a more aggressive reduction.  they took out 750 mls last time, and will be taking 2 liters this time.  yay for me.  double the needle time and general ouchiness.  the good news is, that it will take away my symptoms hopefully.  we still run the risk of rupturing the waters and a placenta abruption, but he says it's a lower risk because my body has already been through the procedure.  so thursday will be another adventure.  dr. haeri gave me strict instructions to not be a tough guy and sit through contractions is they are getting more intense.  i am to immediately go down to the hospital.  everyone knows i'm not a tough guy so that shouldn't be a problem.  generally i'm feeling okay about things.  i'm tired and am generally annoyed by the itchiness of my stomach more than anything.  we're doing pretty well considering the last six weeks have been a roller coaster for us as a family.  we're so grateful for all the help we have received and the love of family and friends.  today i had two people say whoa when they saw the size of my belly.  i'm delusional enough to think that it's not as big as other people think it is.  denial might be a good thing for me though.  we'll update you soon.

momma's in trouble

lets start and the very beginning, a very good place to start...  on wednesday we went for a regular old ultrasound and ob appointment.  the ultrasound went well.  the girls are still behaving.  i did however have a rapid increase in piper's sac.  last week she was at 12 cm and on wednesday she was at 16 cm.  it made for a very uncomfortable mommy.  so we talked about doing an amnio reduction, but i wanted to wait because i wasn't having regular contractions and i thought i could handle the uncomfortable.  so that is that.  i had previously done a 24 hour urine collection, a diagnostic glucose screening, blah blah blah.  we were given the results and i failed the urine screening, meaning i have protein in my urine.  that means that my kidneys are not working properly.  i also had an elevated blood pressure which is indicative of preclampsia.  so after meeting with dr. haeri, he told me i needed to be admitted to the hospital for continual observation.  YAY!  NOT!  the kids were with us, susan was with us, and it was just going to create a big mess.  so after going to lunch, nick and the family dropped me off at the front doors of the hospital while they went home to get me a bag together and get the kids home to play.  see i was planning on doing something fun downtown with the kids that day.  i was admitted, and put into a labor and delivery room.  i had to start another 24 hour urine collection, get hooked up to an iv, and put on a toco for contractions.  dr. haeri told the resident that if i was having more that 2-3 contractions an hour to call him about doing a reduction.  well a few minutes after being hooked up to the toco, the resident stuck her head in with a glum face and said, "we're going to have to do a reduction, you're have a contraction ever 2-3 minutes."  lovely.  so nick zipped back down to the hospital, dr. haeri came over and prepped me for the procedure.  i was quite nervous so nick gave me a quick blessing, and we got started.  let me tell you, this was a really uncomfortable procedure.  what happens is, they prep your tummy with beta dyne stick a needle under your skin of your tummy to numb it, let it get good and numb and then stab a needle the thickness of pencil lead and the length of 4 inches into your uterus to get some liquid out of pip's sac.  well he numbed me, but stuck the needle in a not very numb place.  my sweet nurse pooran (from Iran) held my hand the whole time, because it hurt real bad.  they extracted 750 ml (3/4 of a liter) from pip's sac and i instantly felt better.  it reduced the size of my belly a little and gave me great relief.  for the next hour after the procedure they have to monitor for placental abruptions.  that's a risk of the procedure you see.  everything was fine.  long story short after two days of constant monitoring, a urine collection, two horrible nights of sleep, 7 sweet and patient nurses, my labs came back normal, my blood pressure was ok and i was discharged with the instructions to buy a blood pressure cuff and check my pressure three times a day.  if i have a bp of 140/90 twice in a row, i have to go back to the hospital.  dr. haeri says that he thinks my body is brewing to go into full blown preclampsia and that if i make it two to four more weeks he'll be surprised and happy.  so far pressures have been teetering on the edge, but still low enough to stay home.  lets hope my body will just cooperate.