2008 so far

On March 11, 2008...We were told that I am for sure pregnant and then ten minutes later the doctor said "you're having twins."

On April 22, 2008...We had our first perinatalogist appointment. We were told that our twins are identical and with that news comes a lot of precautions and warnings. Dr. Oke said that my twins where in separate amniotic sacs but shared one placenta. This alone makes them at high risk for Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. We still left with a lot of excitement, hoping and praying that nothing bad would happen to my babies.

On May 13, 2008 I saw my OB for pain in my right side. He said it was nothing to worry about and measured my fundal height. It was 27 cm at 17 weeks pregnant. The OB joked about it.

On May 16, 2008 I was called by my OB's nurse and was told that my blood work came back positive that my twins had Down Syndrome. We got into meet with a genetic counselor that day, she explained the test results to us, which were not positive, they give you a likelihood for having something like DS. Our chances were 1 in 127. The odds didn't sound good to me, but I did feel better after I talked to her.

On May 20, 2008 We met with our perinatologist. I told Dr. Oke that we wanted to do an amnio on each baby. He started to set up, and as he checked the babies' heartbeats on the ultrasound he told me that he could not perform an amnio on either. He said that he had to do some measurements but that we had to get to Los Angeles that night for emergency surgery on our twins. If we did not go they would die. Baby A was 7 ounces and Baby was 5 ounces. Baby A had way too much fluid around him, and Baby B looked like he was stuck in shrink wrap. He had no fluid around him and his bladder could not be seen, he was producing no urine. It sounds like he is doing worse then Baby A. But Baby A was in risk of heart failure because he had too much blood and his heart was working too hard.
We went home packed a bag and flew to LA.

On May 21, 2008 We met Dr. Chmait. He told us that our twins were in Stage 3 Twin to Twin Transfusion. I would need surgery the next morning. He was very thorough and made sure that we understood everything. Including the fact that one twin might not make it through the surgery.
Twin to Twin Transfusion syndrome is a disease that occurs in 1 in 1000 identical twin pregnancies. Dr. Ramen Chmait is one of the only and best maternal fetal care specialists in the country that practices the laser surgery to correct the problem. For more information on Dr. Chmait please see http://www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/12776.html http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=2524206 or http://www.fetalhope.org/
Ty and I can not give enough praise to Dr. Chmait, he is truly an amazing person. He has the highest success rate for both twins surviving the procedure and he does absolutely everything in his power to help your twins and make sure that you understand what is going on and what will happen. He is very honest about what can occur and truly one of the best doctors that we have ever met.

On May 22, 2008 I was admitted to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles, for intrauterine surgery on my identical twins. I was able to watch the entire procedure, which was amazing to see my babies inside me. Dr. Chmait severed the connecting veins in the placenta that the twins were sharing. He also removed 1 liter and 1 cup of amniotic fluid from Baby A's sac.

On May 23, 2008 I was released from the hospital. Dr. Chmait was surprised to see that I had no contractions after the surgery and that both babies were doing really well. In fact Baby B had a little bit of fluid that you could see around him. I was given orders to be on bed rest until my twins are born.
We got in the rental car and drove to Palm Springs for the rest of the weekend.

On May 28, 2008 I started my weekly doctor's appointments and ultrasounds to make sure that the babies were OK. We were taking every day one day at a time, at this point.

On June 4, 2008 The babies had come very close to the same size. Baby B was no longer too small in comparison to Baby A.
We received a call from Dr. Schmait's office saying that the amnio results are normal. We also received a copy of the karotype, so that we could have a picture of our twins chromosomes.

On July 2, 2008 Dr. Oke told me that I could now come in every two weeks. The babies are continuing to progress well and the doctor's are more and more optimistic.

On July 16, 2008 I was told that the babies look good but I have marginal placenta previa. Which means that I could have real problems if I go into labor. The babies weighed 1 pound 11 ounces and 1 pound 12 ounces.

On July 30, 2008 We were told that for the first time since I got pregnant I don't need an ultrasound. My fundal height was measured at 29cm. He actually said that I have confounded all the experts and doctors. Medically it is a miracle that I am still pregnant, that these twins are still gestating inside of me and that I haven't shown any signs of preterm labor.
It felt really good to hear that.

August 13, 2008 Week 30! We are praying for 6 more weeks until delivery. Baby A is weighing 2.13 pounds and Baby B is weighing 2.14 pounds. They are a little bit small so Dr. Slotnik said I need to lay on my left side more often. No more sitting up for my bed rest.

August 21, 2008 Week 31! 5 More weeks to go! The babies are both doing really well, my fundal height is 36cm. I have some pretty bad pelvic pain from my pelvis separating but no contractions so that is good.

August 28, 2008 Week 32! 4 More weeks to go. Both boys are doing well, moving around a lot and their heart rates are strong. My fundal height is 37 cm so I'm not growing to quickly. Still all the same aches and pains but no contractions. I have been having some pretty good swelling so my blood was tested for toxemia today. Next week we get the boys measured again and get to see if they have gained some weight. I'm hoping they are at least 4.8 pounds each.

September 4, 2008. Week 33! 3 to 4 more weeks to go. I say 3 to 4 weeks because if I make it to week 36 they will let me go to week 37 if everyone is doing ok. Both boys are still doing really well. They are breathing amniotic fluid and baby A weighs 4.7 pounds and baby B weighs 4.3 pounds. My blood work all came back healthy so I'm not at a risk for toxemia right now. On Tuesday I start non stress tests and twice weekly appointments.

September 10, 2008. Week 34! One more week has gone by. A week longer then anyone expected. The twins have good Doppler readings. The smaller one is having to work a little bit harder but they are doing good. Still no contractions and their non stress test was fine. I thought I was out of the woods with the toxemia but it turns out that they found protein in my urine so I am undergoing more extensive testing for preeclampsia. If my kidneys are not working right the boys could come any day, but I am still praying to make it another two weeks.



So far we are still going one day at a time, I'm still on bed rest, but I am feeling more optimistic that I can stay pregnant for another 2 to 3 weeks.