We had the last growth ultrasound this past Tuesday and the boys are measuring in at 5lb 2oz & 5lb 1oz. They will probably be close to 6lb each by Friday which is insane considering everything we have been through. There is a VERY slim chance that they will need to go to the NICU and I'm hoping that we all get to go home together. They will keep me here for 2-4 days depending on how my recovery from the surgery goes. I am having them do a tubal ligation (getting my tubes tied) as part of the c-section because good grief, I am DONE with being pregnant and 3 babies is plenty :)
My Mom & Dad are going to watch Juniper this week and while we are in the hospital. Barley's going to doggy-daycamp for 5 days too which will be great. She's usually wiped out when she comes home from this place and that will hopefully make her transition to a house with 3 kiddos a little easier, we will see.
We have very slowly been getting our bills from UCSF for the laser surgery. The first bill was for just under $12,000 and today 4 more bills posted totaling just under $74,000. We have gotten bills for the doctors that I have seen here at the hospital, the ultrasounds & MRI but we haven't seen any charges for my inpatient stay & obviously no charges for the c-section/tubal coming up. Right now we are sitting at just under $130,000 in charges for these two boys. I am SOOOOOOO thankful that we switched our insurance when we did. We knew this was going to be an expensive adventure but wow, I had no clue just how expensive.
Been staying busy this week. I finished 7 preemie octopuses, another owl, a dragonfly & finally completed the dreamcatcher I've been working on. Mom helped me make 4 gift baskets for the nurses and I put an owl in each one.
The nurses LOVED the baskets and the owls are now the official mascots of the 4 nurse stations in Labor & Delivery. If you consider making baskets as gifts for nurses remember to add snacks that they can easily grab and eat on the go. The nurses here have been super busy delivering babies and they have really appreciated the pretzels & mustard that they can snack on during the day when things are crazy.
It blows my mind that a week from now we may be on our way home, all three of us. This journey has been so long that it is hard to wrap my mind around being able to actually go home. Two months in a hospital room is a really long time. I'm not sure what's going to be hardest but I have got quite the uphill battle once we get home: healing from a c-section, trying to get my muscles back in shape after 2 months of bedrest, adjusting to being home and oh yeah, taking care of 2 newborns & my lovely little JuneJane. I can't wait though. I'm ready for a new challenge and a new location.
I've been trying to pack up as much as I can since we are getting so close. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in 2 months. Thankfully I have an absolutely wonderful husband who takes it home for me when he comes to visit.
I am definitely feeling close to the end. My hips put up quite the fight every time I stand up. The pain is especially bad when I go from lying down to standing up, like the weight of the boys is slowly breaking my hips in half. I have trouble getting comfortable in any position. If I sit up straight I have to keep my legs pretty far apart to allow room for my VERY large belly, this puts a lot of pressure on my pelvis. When I am reclined for fetal monitoring the weight of the boys on my spine pinches a nerve or something because I usually have tingly or numb feet within 15 minutes or so. Laying on my side is probably the most comfortable as long as I prop my belly up on a pillow to even out my spine and I also need at least one pillow between my legs to even out my hips. Once I'm comfortable though, it is by far the best position to be in. Sleeping has been especially tricky recently so I have been taking Ambian nightly to sleep. I understand it can be habit forming but each time I try to sleep without it I have a hell of a time getting to sleep and staying asleep for more than an hour at a time. Being rested is important right now so Ambian it is.
They weighed me last week and I came in at 200lbs, not great because it means I lost 3.5lbs in a week and a half. What's really crazy is that I am 16lbs heavier than I was before I got pregnant and 13lbs lighter than I was right before I had Juniper. I have 10+lbs of baby and a huge placenta in there! It keeps blowing my mind just how much the twins need on a daily basis to grow. Guess it isn't leaving much for me ;)4 full days left! 14 more monitoring sessions left!! Guys, this is really happening! I'm thankful and grateful for every single day of this adventure. Who would've thought we'd make it this far?! Wednesday will be 9 weeks post rupture and most moms don't make it more than 4 weeks post rupture!
We are blessed, truly blessed.
With Love,
Whitney