Twenty Four Weeks
August 30, 2002:
Twenty Four Weeks, One Day
Twenty Four Weeks, Two Days
Twenty Four Weeks, Three Days
Twenty Four Weeks, Four Days
September 3, 2002:
Twenty Four Weeks, Five Days
August 29, 2002:
Twenty Four WeeksWoo hoo! This week is a milestone for me because it's really the week that any viability is possible, as far as we're concerned. I'm starting to feel a bit more confident about the whole pregnancy thing. Though as I've said before it's so amazing to believe that there are two babies growing inside me. I'm not sure when that will actually sink in, it's such a weird thought. Kevin and I met with one of the doctors in the practice today. I know that they are used to people not asking any questions, but I needed some answers. Despite really trying to explain myself and be very non-confrontational, he got defensive when I asked what the cesarean rate in the practice was for twins. It spiraled downhill from there. We had originally planned to go tour the hospital next door, but after the visit I just wanted to leave. Kevin didn't even notice how upset I was.Back at work I was in a really bad mood and feeling overwhelmed. I wound up crying over nothing. I'm so grateful I've got sweet co-workers who really took care of me today. I just felt down in the dumps and rotten. The bright spot is that I may have found a new doctor who is willing to help me get what I want.
August 31, 2002:
Twenty Four Weeks, Two DaysUgh, what a day! It started out fine. I went with Isaac to the car wash and we washed the car. He liked it but not as much as the rainbow, drive-through car wash. We picked up some stuff and headed home for a lazy day on the couch. We watched TV, read and played some games, nothing much really. I baked a cake and Kevin iced it. While sitting there I started noticing contractions. They were very small contractions, ones I might not have noticed had I been up and moving around.
Well, I drank a bunch of water and stayed on the couch. But the contractions didn't stop. We called the midwife who said to come in and she'd meet us there. My brother-in-law got the kids and off we went. The nurses were great, the techs too. We got hooked up to the monitor and it was rough finding both babies because they are still quite small. The midwife came in and checked me. She said she expected to find me softer than someone who hasn't had a baby and a dimple in the center but not dilated. I wasn't dilated but my cervix was shorter than before. So Kevin and I requested an ultrasound to measure cervical length and check for funneling (opening of the cervix from the inside).
In the mean time I had a shot of terbutaline to stop the contractions. It felt like I was trying to catch my breath and my heart was pounding. Not a great feeling but manageable. Kevin entertained himself watching the monitors and taking my pulse. The ultrasound showed my cervix to be slightly more than 4 cms long, which is good, but shorter than it had been previously. There was no funneling and both babies looked great. Baby A was breech and Baby B was transverse.
The terbutaline did a great job of stopping the contractions. They let me go home to modified bedrest at least through Tuesday. I'll go in then to see them.
September 1, 2002:
Twenty Four Weeks, Three DaysIs it possible to have bed sores already? Three hours after waking up and I'm already bored stiff. Kevin has hooked my laptop up so I have computer access and he helped me organize the co-sleeper next to the bed to be a mini-desk with the phone, fax, etc. I've even got a lot of books. But laying around makes my hips ache. The kids came home this morning and claim to understand the need for peace and quiet, but it hasn't lasted long. The good news is that I haven't really had that many contractions, just a few here and there like I did in the previous weeks. Maybe I got dehydrated, or perhaps it was the babies being weird. I'm trying to look at this as nesting for the babies. I can and will do this.
September 2, 2002:
Twenty Four Weeks, Four DaysAnother day like the day before. I'm dreading telling the folks at work. Despite the fact they all work in the field they'll be upset as we have a lot going on. I've finished one of the books I was reading and did a lot of work on the cpmputer. Other than that I'm just sitting here...So far so good, still no real contractions. I've been emailling, faxing and paging all morning, so the work portion is going well. Now if my husband would understand that this doesn't mean I can pick the kids up from school so he can go to class early...
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Photo reprinted with permission of Robin Weiss.
Twenty Four Weeks
Twenty Four Weeks, Two Days
Twenty Four Weeks, Three Days
Twenty Four Weeks, Four Days
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