Health Update

Thanks for all your prayers for my health and most importantly the health of our teeny little baby boys!!!! My doctor called, and she and the specialist in maternal-fetal medicine (Dr. Bryant) have made the decision to transfer me completely to Dr. Bryant's care. This was a bit emotional for me, since I absolutely LOVE my doctor, and it is hard to switch to a virtual stranger at this point!!!! But, she said that she felt things were just getting too high-risk to be handled by a general OB doctor, and she would feel better seeing me in the hands of an expert. I agreed that I would do whatever is best for the babies, but I will miss her.

So, now I will be seeing Dr. Bryant on a weekly basis as we monitor the twins. He said the last two reports showed that the fluid levels were still stable, which makes three weeks in a row they haven't changed. (This is VERY good news!!!!) The larger twin's heart also is not as enlarged, and doesn't appear to be under stress. Their main concern at the point is the size discrepancy is increasing. The twins are now 35-40% different in size, up from 25%. The good news is, if my fluid levels stay relatively stable, then I can keep the little buns in the oven longer and give the wee one a chance to get big enough to make it out here. He is just now hitting 1 pound, while his "big" brother is crowding two pounds already! But the wee one is growing, so that's at least a relief. He is also very active, which they told me is a good sign. Dr. Bryant wants to explore other conditions besides TTTS that would cause such a growth discrepancy, since it is odd to have the babies be that far apart without the TTTS getting worse at all, or, as in my case, even progressing at all. Normally with twins that far apart in size due to TTTS, the fluid around the little one should be almost gone. Again, I am learning to just sit back and ride this out, leaving the details in God's hands. I can't help but worry about them, since I already love them dearly and I want them to be healthy, but at the same time I know I am doing all I can (which isn't much) and the rest is out of our hands. Next week is the deadline for a decision about the surgery, but with the babies amniotic fluid levels being stable I would not qualify anyway at this point! So if that doesn't change within the next couple weeks, I can assume God is giving us His answer on getting the surgery.

I am not on full bed rest yet, but I have been ordered to stay off my feet. Preterm labor is the biggest risk for the itty bitty baby until he has time to grow a bit more and fatten up a bit. My heart is doing a lot better, probably due to the fact I am rarely on my feet! When I am going stir crazy being in the house, we go to Meijer or some other store where I can putt around in an electric cart. Even that wears me out, though. I can't believe how easily I tire out!!!! More than five minutes on my feet and I will pass out unless I sit down and rest. I am growing quite large, and am currently the size I was when I delivered Selah, both in belly size and weight! Impressive, considering I am only 25 weeks along....