Thursday, September 15, 2011

I've moved!

Please come on over and follow me as I document my life now that the boys are here.

http://bridgitsbeehive.blogspot.com/

See you there!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Sorry I've been MIA....

But I've been busy being a momma to the two sweetest, tiniest little boys I've ever seen. 

Last time we talked, I was waiting on my Level II u/s with the specialist.  Well, I had the appt and the dr didn't like what she saw.  The appt was on a Friday morning and I was admitted to the hospital by 10:30 am that same day.  I was hooked up to the monitors to keep an eye on the babies' heart rates, given steriod shots and started on a magnesium drip by 11:00 am.  Everything moved so quickly! 

Long story short - Baby B wasn't getting enough blood.  His cord had reverse blood flow.  The plan was to monitor for 48 hours and to give me 2 rounds of steriods to mature the boys' lungs.  After the 48 hours, we were supposed to have another u/s to check Baby B's cord and go from there.  Worst case = deliver on Sunday afternoon; Best case = in the hospital until further notice.  Well wouldn't you know it, my body had other plans. 

Part of the monitoring plan was to check my urine for protein.  When I got to my room, I had to give a urine sample before being hooked up to the monitors.  There were "trace" amounts of protein in my urine.  Due to this and my high BP, the OB ordered a 24 hour urine test to monitor/detect pre-E.  Keep in mind that I had just been to my OB's office the day before with a clean urine test.  Well, by the time the 24 hours was up I had full blown pre-E....the swelling was out of control, LOTS of protein in my urine and of course my BP was elevated.  But what did they expect???  I had gone from being a pregnant lady with 8-10 weeks left to a woman about to possibly have outside babies a day less than 30 weeks?  Who wouldn't be freaked out, worried and have BP through the roof?

We never did the 2nd u/s.  By Saturday night, the doctors were just as concerned about my health as that of Baby B.  My c-section was scheduled for 1:00 on Sunday afternoon.  Of course, they were running late.  I was taken back around 2 pm and after what seemed like the longest prep time ever, Mr. MBC was brought into the OR.  Baby A was born at 2:44 pm and Baby B was born at 2:47.  Both were whisked away by the neonatology team, but Mr. MBC was allowed to go with them.  After seeing both boys, he came back to the OR and told me they were both stable and would be rolling them in shortly for me to see them.  I remember seeing them in the clear isolettes and remember thinking "they're so small". 

I was right:

Baby A - 2lb 10oz
Baby B - 1lb 7 oz

I cannot begin to tell you how small 1lb 7oz is.  His brother looks like a giant compared to him, but when compared to other babies "big" brother looks so small. 

We're still at the hospital.  After spending just over 2 weeks in NICU, we've graduated to the Continuing Care Nursery.  Both boys are doing exceptionally well considering their size and young gestational age.  There's still about a pound difference between the boys - they are about to reach 3 lb and 2 lb.  Right now, the focus of the medical team is to help the boys gain weight at a healthy rate and then we'll start working on bottle and breast feeding.

Although it hasn't happened as I planned, being a momma to my boys on the outside has already been fabulous.  Of course there are good days and bad days.  Mr. MBC and I have learned which beeps and dings are a big deal and which ones are not.  It's a trying situation, but I'm confident that we'll make it through it.

I think this will be my last post as Missing Baby Carriage.  I've found my baby carriage, and it's bountiful.  I plan on starting another blog to record our life as a family of five.  I will post the new blog link when it's up and running.  I hope that all of you will continue to follow our journey :)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Still waiting...

Waiting to hear about my targeted u/s, that is.  After leaving another message and NOT hearing back from my nurse yesterday, I stopped by Dr. H's office on my way home.  When I got there, the receptionist said "Just go ahead and sign in and I'll be with you in a few minutes."  I explained that I did not have an appointment but needed to speak to someone since my messages had not be returned.  After findiing out that I am a patient of Dr. H, she said "K is your nurse and she's at the nurses station right now.  Go on back and talk to her."

K is a new nurse.  New in the sense of she's young and that she's just joined Dr. H in the past month.  She actually works for Dr. H and one of his partners.  I think she's still learning her job and is trying to get acclimated to her position.  But regardless, it's not that difficult to return a phone call (or 3)!

She recognized me and asked if she could help me.  I calmly (yay me!) explained that I had left 3 messages regarding my targeted u/s and hadn't heard back from any of these messages.  She explained that she faxed the request over last week and that the other office should call me to schedule the appointment.  She apologized for the confusion.  I know that Dr. H doesn't schedule these appointments, so maybe he didn't know that K wouldn't be the person calling me.  But again - return my call and let me know how the process works. 

K called the specialist's office while I was there.  Apparently they didn't receive the request via fax last week.  K promised me that she sent it out Thursday.  She explained that I needed to get in as soon as possible and that Dr. H wanted it done before seeing him again.  That is not likely to happen :(  Whoever K spoke to said that Friday would probably be the earliest I could get in. 

After finishing the phone call, K kept saying "I'm sorry.  I hate that you stopped by."  I never gave her the easy out by saying "It's okay" because in my mind it is NOT okay.  The last thing I said to her before leaving was that "Bottom line I expect my phone calls to be returned when it has to do with the health of my unborn children."  She just stared at me for a minute and then said "See you Thursday."

Monday, February 28, 2011

10 weeks or less...

Ho.Lee. Crap!  Dr. H said that we'll have outside babies in 10 weeks or less.  I mean, I knew this, but to hear him say it made it that much more real.  EEEK!  So much to do, so little time.

I had a regular appt with Dr. H last week.  It was quite the day.  I started off drinking the lovely orange glucose drink.  So sweet!  Not horrible, but I had built it up to be much worse than it actually was.  Good news = I passed the 1 hour test!!!

Between drinking the glucose and having my blood drawn, Mr. MBC and I headed over for a growth u/s.  It's always great to see the boys on the screen.  Except well, the u/s tech sucked and didn't show me anything.  Mr. MBC got to see everything and said both boys were moving around, kicking, punching, etc.  I'm glad he was able to see it, but I was upset that I could see anything.  Then I reminded myself that I get special moments that Mr. MBC doesn't - like the boxing match that was taking place at midnight last night.  It seems that I have some night owls on my hands.

The growth u/s didn't go quite as planned.  Baby B, H, would not cooperate.  He kept balling up and wiggling around.  Due to his position and poor measurements, he's technically measuring a pound less than his brother, JS.  But, Dr. H is convinced that it's really not that much of a difference.  He went over all the measurements and the development of heart, brain, spine, etc.  He said both boys are right on track and look fabulous.  This made me feel better, but I'm still worried about my itty-bitty H. 

I'm supposed to have a targeted u/s one day this week to get better measurements and make sure there are not cord or placenta issues that the normal u/s did not pick up.  But, Dr. H said he wasn't worried and neither should we.  He said it's likely that I'm gonna have a big boy and a little boy.  As long as both of them are healthy, I don't care how much they weigh....well I do, but I'm trying not to focus on this 1 pound difference.

After seeing Dr. H, Mr. MBC and I went to lunch.  I didn't eat breakfast before the glucose test and forgot to take my snack with me for afterwards.  So I felt so weird!  Jittery, jumpy, nauseated....just plain yuck!  But after eating, I felt so much better.  Word to the wise - eat a protein based breakfast or at least take a protein snack with you for afterwards :) 

Lastly, we headed back to Dr. H's office for our 4D u/s and I was finally able to see both boys.  Such a sweet moment.  JS is definitely my bigger boy.  He's head down and ready to come out.  He was very cooperative during the scan and the u/s tech was able to get some great pics of him.  We even  have one with him smiling...it melts my heart every time I look at it.  It's so neat to see how JS has Mr. MBC's nose and cheeks already. 

Then it was time to look at little H.  He's my "mover and shaker" according to Dr. H.  He did NOT want to be seen.  He was moving all around, but he had his mind made up that we were not going to see his face.  He kept it turned toward my back the entire time.  I tried to switch positions, shaking my belly, poking my belly....NOTHING worked.  But seeing him move around and make fists made me feel so much better about him being so small. 

Side note - the u/s tech that did the 4D scan was different than the one from the growth u/s.  She said she had looked at the scan from the morning and she agrees with Dr. H that some of the measurements are not accurate.  She also told us the biggest difference was in the belly measurement.  She thinks that JS has put on his belly fat already and H hasn't.  She said other than the belly measurement there were not any significant differences. 

*************************************************
My visit with Dr. H was last Thursday.  Mr. MBC and I were out of the office by 10:30.  Dr. H said his nurse, K was going to call and make the appt for the targeted u/s.  She was supposed to call me when it was scheduled.  Well, it's Monday morning and I still haven't heard from her.  I left 2 messages on Friday and no return phone call.  If I don't hear from her today by 2:00, I've decided I'm just going to stop by Dr.  H's office on my way home.  I realize that I'm not their only patient, but Dr. H said he wanted this u/s done before I see him again on Thursday.  I'll keep you posted.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Welcome to 3rd Trimester:)

How far along? 27 weeks - officially in the 3rd trimester

Weight gain/loss: I haven't been on the official scales in over 3 weeks, but I'm guessing I'm up a total of 16 or 17 pounds.  While I'm at my heaviest weight ever, I know that I've had a healthy pregnancy in terms of weight gain and I'm doing what's best for my boys.  At my last appt, Dr H said I'd likely weigh less when I leave the hospital than I did before getting pregnant.  I can take that :)


Maternity clothes? All day, every day. With the weather changing and spring approaching, it looks like I'm going to have to invest in some new tops. 

Stretch marks? On the belly....both sides :(  But only Mr. MBC and I will ever see them, so I'm trying not to fret too much.

Sleep? Good days and bad days....

Best moment since last update? I posted about it here, but Mr MBC finally felt the babies move.  So cool!

Food cravings: Still loving my chicken biscuit in the morning.  I've also added Sour Patch Watermelons to my afternoon snack.  The sweet-sour combo helps keep my stomach calm and not so pukey.

Genders: TWO BOYS!!!! Lots of onesies with trucks, cars, & sports on them :)

Belly button in or out? In...I don't think it will ever poke out.  It's just stretching and looking like a donut.

Movement? All the time!  JS (Baby A) is much more active than his brother, H.  However, JS moves more smoothly.  When H is moving, I know it...very sudden and strong.  I love it though!

What I miss? Being able to talk without losing my breath.  As a teacher, it's getting increasingly difficult to lecture and have discussions with my students.  Crazy thing is this....I can walk through the mall, across the building, etc without losing my breath.

What I'm looking forward to: I have a big day on Thursday.  I have my glucose test in the morning, followed by a growth ultrasound and then a visit with Dr. H.  That afternoon, Mr. MBC and I go back to the dr. for the optional 4D ultrasound.  I cannot wait to see the boys! 

Milestones: Today marks the beginning of 3rd trimester, 27 weeks.  Techinically this means I have 13 weeks left, but I know that Dr H is not going to let me go past 38 weeks.  So Mr. MBC and I will have outside baby boys in 11 weeks or less!!!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Day 11 - Blog Challenge

Day 11-Favorite TV shows


I must say I watch entirely too much TV.  But in my defense, Mr. MBC and I DVR everything so it doens't take as long to watch our shows.  Here's a list of shows that have "season passes" on our DVR right now:
 
Comedies
  • How I Met Your Mother
  • Rules of Engagement
  • Two & a Half Med
  • Mike & Molly
  • Modern Family
  • Cougar Town
Drama
  • Desperate Housewives
  • Brothers & Sisters
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • The Good Wife
Reality
(Disclaimer - I'm a reality tv junkie.  I can't look away from it!)
  • The Biggest Loser
  • Jersey Shore
  • The Real Housewives of _______ (any city but Beverly Hills)
  • Jerseylicious
  • Millionaire Matchmaker
  • I Used To Be Fat
  • Heavy
Guilty Pleasures
(My kids are never going to watch ABC Family!)
  • Pretty Little Liars
  • Secret Life of the American Teenager
Holy crap that's a long list!!  I will say that I'm not up to date on all of these shows.  Heck, most days I fall asleep before 8:30 on the couch.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Day 10 - Blog Challenge

Day 10-Something you're afraid of

It's so odd that this is what I'm supposed to blog about today.  I promise I didn't look ahead when I wrote this post yesterday.


By the way....I'm 1/3 of the way through my 30 Day Blog Challenge. Woo Hoo!!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A funny story...

I meant to share this a couple of weeks ago when it happened, but completely forgot.

As you know, I'm a teacher.  High school.  Honors students.  You know the kind that plan everything out and obsess over whether the teacher said "most" or "the majority".  Yeah, those.  Anyway, this is about a conversation that took place in class one day involving me and 3 students - W, T & C.  Here's the exchange:

W raises his hand

I call on him and wait for his question.

W: "When you leave to have your baby, will we have a sub?" 

Me:  "Yes, of course."

T looking back and forth at me and W.

W:  "Well, I know we will have a sub, but will it be a real teacher, a different sub every day or what?

Me: "Good question."  I go on to explain how it depends on several different things, but that the decision isn't up to me.

T is still looking at me and W.

Me:  "T, what's up?  Why do you have that look on your face?"

T:  "You're having a baby?!?!  When?"

Me: "Yes, if everything goes as planned it will be in May."

T:  "So, you're really pregnant"

Me:  "Yep."

C is sitting across the room grinning. 

T:  "Where have I been?"

Me:  "I don't know.  Did you just think I was getting fat?"

T:  "No, but my mom told me to never ask a woman about her age or weight.  I just tend to ignore those things."

C:  "Hey, T.  You wanna hear something crazy?"

T:  "Yeah, like what?  Are you gonna tell me she's having twins or something?"

C:  "Yep.  Exactly."


At this point I just busted out laughing.  Poor T, he had no idea.  The entire class started giving him slack about being so clueless.  It was so funny.  I love my job and I teach great kids, but days like that remind me why I love what I do.

Irrational Thoughts....

Do I over-analyze everything? YES.

Do I make simple things complicated? At times.

Do I consult Dr. Google too often?  YES.

I realize that I obsess over pregnancy-related things that I have no control over.  I worry about the boys coming too early.  I worry about NICU time.  I worry about a lot of stuff. 

That being said...I'm questioning my decision to not consult with a MFM when Mr. MBC and I found out we were having twins.  I spoke with my OB about it and he assured me that he would send me over if any red flags were to arise during the pregnancy.  I even spoke to a real life friend of mine that is a NICU case manager at the largest hospital in the city.  She assured me that my OB was part of one of the best practices in the city.  She also reminded me that twins are not that uncommon these days.  So after talking with Mr. MBC, I decided to not freak out and trust my OB.

Don't get me wrong, my OB has been great.  The nurses are great.  I feel like I'm "that" patient and I come in with a list of questions each time I'm there. 

Why the worry?  In terms of a twin pregnancy, everything seems normal.  Just as it should be.  But I know that things can change at a moment's notice with any pregnancy and even more with a multiples pregnancy.  I'm nearly 27 weeks pregnant with twins yet I haven't had a cervical length check.  My OB says he doesn't do them this early unless there are "problems".  While this may not seem like a big deal (and YES I'm grateful that I haven't had any problems), I still  have this voice in the back of my head that makes me question everything.

Where does this voice come from?  Is it from the trouble that Mr. MBC and I experience when TTC?  Is it because I've read too many stories online about multiples being born way too early?  Is it because in the past 3 days I've had:
  • Two fellow May Mommas deliver their twins at 28 weeks and the babies are in NICU fighting for their life.
  • Another admitted to L&D because her cervix has shortened so much in one week.  She was having contractions 90 seconds apart and didn't even feel them!
  • A dear friend that delivered her twins at 18 weeks and they are now angels.
I don't know.  When I hear/read about stories like this, I let the bad thoughts take over. I know that a shortened cervix is not contagious.  However, I still worry.  The worry is constantly there, but when things like this happen it brings all of my fears to the forefront.

I need to remind myself of all the pregnancy-related positives:
  • Today I am pregnant with two healthy little boys.
  • I love the feeling of them kicking me from the inside.
  • I've made it past V Day, so everything from this point forward is just time for the boys to grow and develop.
  • I haven't had any problems or complications that should make me fear all of the what-ifs.
  • Each day that passes brings me one day closer to meeting my sweet boys.

Blog Challenge - Day 9

Day 9-A picture of your friends

Since I don't show my own face on this blog, I don't think it's right to show the faces of some of my friends.  Instead I thought I'd provide links to some of my e-friends.  Until you become part of the online blogging community or message boards, you don't fully understand the love, support and encouragement complete strangers can provide.  I count myself very lucky to have these ladies as my friends....

Melissa

Kelly

Rebecca

Mchupie

HeatherCara

Jenn

Megannjay

Lisa

Papps

Lolo

Amber

Gingham

Mrs. W

Sulfa

Stop by these ladies' blogs and say "Hi!"