A couple days after we decided that I should deliver on May 19th (35 weeks) one of my doctors came in and made some good arguments.
1. The fetal monitoring looks great, still doing 3 sessions each day. Both twins have beautiful accelerations and there are have been no decels in weeks. Contractions occur every once and a while but are not painful and they aren't causing any distress to the twins.
2. Ultrasounds look amazing. The right ventricle in Twin A keeps getting smaller (it's measuring at just over 8 now). Both twins are growing really well and are only a couple days behind the norm. Fluid levels are extremely consistent and the boys never stop moving which the doctors love to see.
TWIN A: 4lb 2oz
TWIN B: 4lb 3oz
3. I haven't leaked in over 3 weeks. I am having some shortness of breath but it is because I have almost 8.5 lbs of baby in there and they are giving my lungs a lot less room to expand. I am also having a LOT of hip pain but it is again due to the rapidly growth of the twins.
4. I am still getting my vitals checked 4-5 times a day. This is to check for signs of pre-eclampsia, any issues of my heart not being able to keep up with all the extra blood, etc.
Because all of these factors are looking so good, the doctor's recommendation was that I should go as long as I possibly can, ideally to 37 weeks (June 2nd). If the placenta starts to fail, we will see signs of that in the monitoring and ultrasounds. If I have pre-eclampsia, we will see signs of that in the vital checks. If one twin is showing signs of distress, we will see that in the monitoring. Any new symptoms that I feel can be addressed with the push of a button and the OR is a quick roll down the hallway.
If I was at home, only coming in for monitoring 2 times a week for 30 minutes each time, then they would be concerned to let me go too far beyond 35 weeks but since I am here and everything looks great, we should just take every day we can get. Each day puts us in a position for less NICU time and fewer pre-term health issues for the twins.
Greg and I agree with all of this and although coming to terms with another 4 weeks here is a little overwhelming, I have already been here 40 days and that means we are through the longest stretch already :)
I have been keeping busy with crocheting. I have made 4 preemie octopuses, 2 baby blankets, 2 newborn hats, a twin sized blanket, a giraffe, a flamingo, a monkey & a medium sized octopus. I have 4 books that I am working my way through right now. My dear friend, A, got me all hooked up with a projector & screen in my room so I can watch movies (I have all 200+ DVDs from home). I try to go for a walk outside everyday, always feels good to get up and about even though I usually find myself paying for it with more hip pain for the rest of the day but that is just part of the process now.
I have been taking advantage of my passes too. A & I went to Timberline Lodge and got our fill of snow. Mom, Dad, Juniper & I went down to Woodburn to check out the tulip farm. Greg and I are gonna get out and see Guardians of the Galaxy tonight followed by a dinner date. Mom will be over a couple days this next week for adventures too. These little outings are doing a lot of good for my sanity. The doctor says I should keep these outings to 4 hours max. Our adventure on Friday to the tulip farm went a little longer because of traffic (something you easily forget about when you live in the country). My Dad was worried that I would get in trouble for being late. I told him, what are they gonna do? Lock me in my room? ;)
The weather has been so beautiful this week and it is really wonderful getting to see so much blue sky. It was one hell of a winter but Spring is finally showing her face and teasing us with glimpses of the summer to come. Here's hoping that we get an Indian Summer too for all the rain we have endured this year.
With Love,
Whitney