Twins-Day 14

Good Morning,
Not alot is new today.  The weights were within a half ounce of what they were yesterday; Brienna weighs 4lb 1 oz and Brooklyn weighs 4 lb 7 oz.  So, they're each within an ouce of their original birthweight, but neither one is quite there yet.  Brienna's billiruben level was up slightly this morning, but I think that's typical on the first day that they remove the lights.  So, we'll see if it was significant enough for them to bring the lights back or if they give it a day or two to correct itself.  Otherwise, they're doing very well.  Last night's nurse commented on how "delightful" the girls are to take care of and how they seem to do everything together-from "spells" to dirty diapers.
Below is a picture that we took yesterday of Brooklyn and Brienna....or Brienna and Brooklyn...I'll let you decide!!

Mike

Twins - Day 13

This will be short post, but just wanted to update with the happenings of the day.  The bili lights are gone.  Both girls numbers came down since yesterday so hopefully they will stay down!  No more goggles for them!  The girls have also been gaining weight at  wonderful pace.  Brooklyn weighed in at 4 pounds 6 1/2 ounces. Brienna weighed in at 4 pounds 1 ounce which is technically her birth weight!!!  If they keep this up they will be out of the isoletts very soon!  I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Kelly

Twins - Day 12

Hello!  I hope that everyone kept safe and warm during the snow storm!  Yesterday, was the first time that we got to hold the twins together at the same time!  It was very exciting to see how much they actually look alike.  Here is a picture of them together...

Brooklyn and Brienna Side by Side for First time at 11 days.

The girls have been doing very well.  The only set back is the bilirubin.  Brooklyn's went up again and so she is back on the bili lights.  Hopefully, she will come down quickly and we can get moving on to the next steps.  The girls are currently weighing in at 4 pounds 3.1 ounces and 3 pounds 13.3 ounces respectively.  They are still close to the same length with Brooklyn at 17 inches and Brienna at 17.2 inches.  The nurses always comment about how much the girls are alike.  Evidently even when they have identical twins in the NICU they tend to have some huge difference in size or some other characteristic that allows the nurses to easily tell them apart.  At least at this point we know which is which cause the are still hooked to their own giraffe bed!

Well, I better get on the road to visit them!  Have a wonderful day!

Kelly

Home Sweet Home

Well, we made it home after all the snow and it's nice to be home again. 

Here's a brief rundown of what's new in the past couple days:
1.  Both girls are gaining weight.  Brooklyn weighed 4 lb 3 oz today and Brienna weighed 3 lb 13 oz.  So, they're still a bit below their birthweights, but at least they're gaining!
2.  Both girls got rid of their IVs.  The doctors were able to discontinue their IVs because they are now tolerating their feedings through the feeding tubes very well.  It's nice to be rid of the IVs because they don't last very long in babies and the nurses would have to find a new vein every 24-36 hours.  But, now, the only cords connected to them are their feeding tubes and the monitor wires, which is really nice!
3.  Both girls are nearly up to full feeds.  Today, they were recieving 32 and 35 cc each feeding.
4.  They are both still having some trouble with "spells" where their heartrate suddenly drops.  This tends to happen 2-6 times per day, each.  They each have good days and bad days, but in the grand scheme of things, evidently even 6 times isn't too serious, since they are usually quite mild spells and the girls both come out of them by themselves.
5.  Brienna's billiruben was back up a bit today, after they removed one of the lights.  So, she may have to have the second light again if it continues to go up.

So, all in all, they're still doing quite well.  We hope that continues!!

With all the time spent in the hospital in the past months, Taiton has made LOTS of new friends.  Here's a picture of him with one of them...

Merry Christmas!!!

Here are a couple pics of the girls!!  We are so thankfull this holiday season for the blessing god has given to us in the form of two little miracle babies.  Thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers and messages.  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours.  Enjoy the pictures.

Brooklyn trying to get her nuk.

Brienna with her hat on.

Twins-1 week old

Well, Brooklyn and Brienna will be 1 week old tomorrow.  A lot has gone on in that week and things are going really well.

Since Brooklyn's PDA (duct) closed, they have begun feeding her through a feeding tube.  This is going VERY well and she has almost caught up to Brienna, who started feedings a few days before Brooklyn did.  Tonight, they are recieving 11cc and 14cc each, every three hours.  This gets increased daily until they are up to 30cc each every three hours.  30cc is considered a "full feeding" for their weight.

Speaking of weight, each of them have started to gain some weight back.  Brooklyn was down to 4 lb 1 oz and Brienna was as low as 3 lb 10 oz yesterday.  However, they've both turned the corner and gained weight from Monday night to Tuesday night.  They will weigh them again tonight at midnight and I'd imagine that each of them will have gained weight again, especially since their fluids and feedings are increasing.

Also, both girls got rid of their nasal canulas today, which means that they are breathing completely on their own!  As the tubes on their faces are slowly removed (only the feeding tube is left), we're able to see more of their facial features.  They are starting to look more and more like their older siblings did when they were babies.  And, all of the nurses can't get over how truely identical they are-they seem to be an exact carbon copy of eachother at this point...except for their personalities.  Brooklyn tends to be very laid back and likes to be held, while Brienna tends to turn into a "drama queen" every time anyone messes with her.  Ironically, this is exactly how they acted when Kelly was pregnant.

So, both of them are doing very well and progressing rapidly.  Their billiruben levels are also dropping and they'll likely be done with the billi lights within a couple of days.  We'll try to get some updated pictures put up here tomorrow.

We are in Sioux Falls for the rest of the week.  We decided to get a hotel and not try to drive through the snowstorm that is heading our way.  So, Kelly and I will be taking turns in the NICU and with Sydney and Taiton from now through Christmas.  I called Santa today and told him to leave the kids' presents in our van outside the hotel instead of bringing them to our house tomorrow night.  Hopefully he checks his messages...

Mike

Twins - Day 5

Well, I guess the responsibility of updating has been passed back to me!  Thank you all for the well wishes!  We are very happy and excited to have the girls here.  I am getting back to myself again, just a busier version than I have been for the past 8 weeks!
Mike and I spent some time with the girls today.  Both are doing very well.  Brooklyn had an ECO done on her heart today and the PDA (duct) is closed!!  It is great to know that the treatments worked.  She seemed very relaxed and content today.  She held her oxygen level up where it should be and had no "spellls" with her heartrate dropping today.  She has began to gain a little bit of weight back, too.  Since her PDA is closed she will be starting feeds through a tube in her nose tomorrow.
Brienna is doing good as well.  She has been taking her feeds very well and the amount was increased today from 3.7 to around 5 ccs.  The bili lights are working and her bilirubin has finally started to come down.  So that is really good news.  She will continue with the light and blanket until it has dropped even more. 
Both girls were awake with their eyes open for a period of time today which is so much fun.  I love being able to see them awake.   Thanks for checking in with us!  Enjoy your evening!

Twins-Day 4

Good evening!  Well, today was a big day because for the first time since October 21, Kelly was home for supper!  We went down to see the girls right away this morning, then went back to Kelly's room and packed.  She was discharged around 1:00 pm and we went to the girls' room again before heading home for the evening.  I think Sydney and Taiton are glad to have mom home again!

As for Brooklyn and Brienna, not a lot was new today, which is OK.  They are working on getting Brienna's biliruben under control and put her on a lighted blanket that will hopefully help.  Brienna was pretty bruised after birth, and they think that the bruises are contributing to her higher biliruben levels.  She has also done very well with her feeding tube and continues to progress nicely with that. 

With Brooklyn, we are still waiting for the duct between her heart and lungs to close.  This will help her breathing and will also allow for other things, like transition to a feeding tube.  She had her third treatment of a drug (basically ibuprofen) that should help with this.  She will have an ECG on her heart tomorrow to see if it worked.  If the duct has closed and her breathing continues to improve, there's a chance that they'll put her on a feeding tube within a few days.

Kelly and I spent some time holding the girls again today.  They seem to like that and their vitals all improve quite a bit when we're holding them!

Finally, we'd like to thank the staff at Sanford.  Since October 22, we've made a few friends in the High Risk OB wing.  There are some amazing people that work there.  The doctors are very knowledgeable and the nurses did a great job taking care of Kelly.  Likewise, our experience with the girls' doctors and nurses has been a very positive one so far.  Granted, we're only 4 days into it, but they do a great job of answering our questions and allowing us to be involved with the girls' progress.  To be in the hospital for 56 days and come home and say "I wouldn't have changed anything" says quite a bit about the care that was recieved.  So, thank you to all the doctors and nurses that have helped get us to where we are so far!

Have a good night,

Mike

Good Evening!  Sorry these posts are getting shorter, but we find that the better Kelly feels, the less time we spend in her room.  Today we spent a good portion of time in the NICU with the babies.  Here's a quick rundown of what's gone on today:

1.  Brienna had her umbilical central line removed.  They used this when they couldn't get an IV in her on Thursday.
2.  Both girls were taken off the CPAP and put on nasal canulas for breathing.  They are getting relatively low oxygen assistance and are pretty much on "room air".  The nasal canula is much less invasive than the CPAP, so I can only imagine it's more comfortable for them!
3.  Brooklyn was put under the jaundice light because her biliruben numbers were a little high.  Both girls are now under lights.
4.  Brienna recieved her first feeding through a feeding tube this afternoon.  Both girls had been receiving nutrients through their IV.  Brienna graduated to a feeding tube and was given infant formula.  she'll recieve another feeding every 3 hours.
5.  Kelly and I each changed Brienna's diaper today and each held her for awhile!  We're planning to do the same with Brooklyn tonight.  We find that we need to sort-of "schedule" what we do with the babies around their routine and what the nurses' plans for them are. 

Things have progressed pretty well today and we hope the trend continues.  I've included a couple pics...

Mike

Brienna.  Hopefully this isn't too dark...

All this time, the concern with the pregnancy was that the girls' cords would get tangled.  Turns out, they just can't escape the "tangled cords"!!

Twins-Day 2

Hey everyone, Mike again.  The girls are doing well this morning.  They each had one "episode" during the night where their heartrate dropped, but they both pulled through it just fine.  They are both doing very well on the "CPAP" (oxygen mask) and they actually turned them down during the night from a 5 to a 4.  Basically, this means that they turned down the amount of force that the air has, which makes the girls do more of the breathing on their own.  4 is typically the lowest setting before they come off the CPAP and begin breathing on their own, with a little supplemental oxygen through a nasal canula.  This canula would just be a tube under the nose similar to what you or I would have if we needed supplemental oxygen.

They were doing ultrasounds of their hearts and x-rays of their lungs this morning to see how everything looked.  But, every indication is that they're doing very well!  Hopefully they'll be off the CPAP in the next few days.  This will make it easier to see their faces and also easier to take them out of their beds and hold them. 

We'll update again when we get any new information.  Have a great day!

pictures!

Brooklyn-12 hrs old (sorry about the glare-the picture was taken through the glass of her "giraffe" bed).

Brienna-12 minutes old.  The best we can do for now, since her face is covered (oxygen) in all her other pics.

New Arrivals!

Good afternoon, everyone! This is Mike.
I thought I’d jump on here and provide a quick update for everyone-we’ll update again later.

Delivery went well this morning-Brooklyn Mae was born at 8:33AM and weighed 4 lbs, 8 oz. Brienna Morgan was born at 8:34AM and weighed 4 lbs, 2 oz. Brienna was just short of 17 inches; Brooklyn hadn’t had length measurements yet.

Both babies are doing very well-they were both on ventilators for a brief time this morning-just long enough for the doctors to administer some surfactant to help their lungs. Now, both girls are on basically an oxygen mask, but with the equivalent of “room air” rather than supplemental oxygen. Brienna is also under jaundice lights as a preventative measure for some bruising (likely caused by her sister).

Kelly is also doing well-we’re back in the room after a short visit to the NICU and are going to try to get some sleep.

We’ll try to get a couple pictures posted-hopefully we can find some when they don’t have oxygen masks covering their faces.

The babies seem to be doing very well and apparently were pretty rambunctious for the NICU nurses! They have developed quite a reputation over the past 8 weeks because they like to give the nurses and ultrasound techs a run for their money when doing monitoring or ultrasounds.  It looks like they're living up to their reputation already!

Day 55 - Inpatient Stay

Well, we are at one day until the girls arrive and the emotions are very mixed. I am nervous, scared, excited, anxious, and impatient all at the same time. Tomorrow will be one of those days in our lives where we will think back 20 years from now and be able to remember every vivid detail. And I am sure we will recall the story numerous times for the girls.


After 55 days of inpatient stay, I have developed some new friends here at the hospital and many of them have been stopping by today to say good luck and congratulations. The nurses and staff here have been absolutely wonderful and I will miss seeing them everyday. I have begun taking down the cards that I have received off the door and all of the pictures that Sydney and Taiton have colored for me down off the walls. I am so excited to be going home in a couple of days even though I know it will be hard to leave the girls behind.

The magnesium drip went fine on Monday night. The first couple of hours were the worst. After that the biggest problem was keeping the babies on the monitors. They evidently don’t sleep much at night. Which I am sure is something that we will know all too well. So, I did some sleeping during the day on Tuesday and went to bed early hoping to catch up on some sleep. However, for anyone that knows me I don’t do napping during the day so that was a little difficult for me.

On Monday morning my blood pressure was a little elevated so they ran some tests and my body is beginning to show signs of preeclampsia. At the current moment it is not severe enough so there is no treatment that I need to undergo but, delivering the babies will put an end to the problem. They figured that with out the planned c-section I would have had to deliver in about a week or so do to the preeclampsia anyway. So, I guess that just reassures us that it is time for the babies to be born.
Tomorrow will be a big day for us. We are hoping to have pictures up on the blog tomorrow late afternoon or evening. Along with the pictures will be the details such as measurements, names and so on. Since the ban on visitors still stands in the NICU, we will try to post pictures and information periodically over the next couple of months to keep you up to date on their progress. Thanks again for all of your support through thoughts, prayers, and all the other kind acts over the past 6 months. Look for the update tomorrow!!!

Day 52- Inpatient Stay

Good Afternoon Everyone! We only have 4 days left until we get to see the twins. Time seems to pass so slowly when you are sooooo looking forward to something!


About the weights on Friday, after talking to the doctor yesterday he has expressed that he is not concerned. If there was a weight difference because of a restriction of the blood flow in the cords the ultrasounds would have picked up a problem with the dopplers. The restriction would have to be a very significant in order to compromise growth. Also, since it was on baby A, she could have been sitting really low and that could throw off the measurements to get really accurate weights on the babies. So, we will see what the weights are on Thursday and how they compare to the estimates.

Also, yesterday it was recommended to us that I receive the 12 hour magnesium drip again before delivery. The magnesium helps to prevent cerebral palsy. There is a lot of research that says this has a significant improvement in preemie singletons but, not a whole lot of research has been done with twins. But, we agree with our doctor when he says that it should have the same effect. This was not a positive experience for me last time I received the magnesium and so I am not looking forward to going through this again. I will be starting the magnesium at 7 pm on Monday night and it will run until morning. Wish me luck!

This next week is a big one for us. Not only is our family of four going to become a family of six but, we are going to close the book on one chapter in our journey and open the next. We have looked at this pregnancy as including four different steps. Step one was pre-hospital time with doctor’s appointments and hoping that each time we went for an ultrasound we found two healthy heart beats. Step two was my inpatient stay which was to last 8 weeks and the main goal was to do all that was possible to keep the babies inside until 32 weeks gestation. And now step three is the NICU stay. We know that it will be a roller coaster ride just like the past two steps but, none the less we are excited to be one step closer to being home and hospital free! A lot of questions about the health of the babies will be answered on Thursday and that is one thing that we really look forward too. We met with the neonatologist yesterday briefly to get a run down on what to expect from the girls after delivery. He gave us some information about what he typically sees with 32 week babies. But, he also stated that we will not know for sure until the babies are born. He actually said minutes after the babies’ birth he could tell us how they will do. I know these are strong babies and hopefully our NICU stay will be short and sweet.

Well, thanks again for all of the thoughts, prayers, visits and everything else. We really appreciate all of the care we have received. I hope that you have a good start to your week and I will try to update on Wednesday to let you know the final details of my inpatient stay.

Day 50 - Inpatient Stay

So, the weights are in. They are not what we were expecting and so that is a little troubling to us. I am hoping to talk with the doctor shortly to better understand what is going on.
Baby B today looked great. She weighed in with a gain of 1 pound and 1 ounce. She is 4 pounds and 7 ounces which puts her measuring at 32 weeks and 2 days gestation. With this weight she could be about 5 pounds by next Thursday!
However, Baby A was not very impressive. She has always been the smaller of the two babies but this time around only had a gain of 6 ounces. She is 3 pounds and 10 ounces today, which would put her measuring at 30 weeks and 6 days gestation. That is 2 days behind what her gestational age is right now.

Our biggest concern is why one baby gained over a pound and the other didn’t even gain half a pound. The difference in weights of the babies is only at 18% currently and anything over 25% is a worry. So, they are not different enough to make the higher % which I guess is good.

On a more positive note the dopplers looked really good and the cords seem less entangled. I will update when I have more information.
Can you believe that I have been living in this tiny hospital room for 50 DAYS!!!  But, the end is in site!  Have a good weekend!

Day 49-Inpatient (or impatient) Stay

ONE WEEK LEFT!!! 7 days from now the girls will be here!!


This week has been pretty uneventful. There have been no problems or scares with the girls and my health is holding up pretty good. However, the closer we get to the delivery date, the longer the days seem to take.

This week the girls have decided to play “hide-n-seek” a little more often than appreciated. Three different times this week it has taken over 3 hours to be able to get both babies heart rates on the monitors at the same time. I guess they are getting anxious too!!!

Last Sunday during the ultrasound, the tech pointed out some little pieces floating above the baby’s head. She said that is her hair sticking straight out of her head! It still amazes me what they can see in these pictures. The larger the babies get the harder it is to get 3D pictures so I don’t really have any good pictures of them lately. But, their cheeks are getting bigger!

As an FYI, there are currently visitor’s restrictions in place in the NICU and only parents and grandparents of the babies are allowed in. (We are still working on explaining this one to Sydney). So, we will do our best to get a couple pictures posted on here when the girls finally arrive!

We will be getting weights and measurements on the babies during tomorrow’s ultrasound, so I will update again when I know more. Have a great day!

Day 48 - Inpatient Stay

Hello Everyone!  I just thought I would let you know that everything is going great so far this week!  Only 9 days left!  We are in the single digits now!  I am getting very anxious and excited to see my girls.  Thanks again for all of the thoughts, prayers, visits, and cards!  I hope that everyone stays safe during the snow storm!

Day 43 - Inpatient Stay - 30 weeks

30 weeks today!!! 2 weeks to go!!! As of yesterday I have been inpatient for 6 weeks. The time does seem to pass quite quickly which is really good and I am hoping the next two weeks go by just as fast. Waking up to a coat of snow on the ground today was kind of refreshing. Of course I don’t have to go out into the snow or drive in it!


Not much has changed since Tuesday. The babies dopplers have come back down and everything looks pretty good. Both girls are getting 8 out of 8 on their bio/physicals which is wonderful and that reassures us that the babies are healthy and getting the blood flow they need.

My contractions have stopped and I will be ending one of the medications today. Hopefully everything will stay calm.

Thank you again for all of the cards, thoughts, prayers, visits, food and everything else. We feel truly blessed during this holiday season to have the support we received through this journey. I will update the blog again when we have any new developments. Until then have a wonderful week and weekend!

Day 41 - Inpatient Stay

I hope that everyone's week is off to a great start. Ours has been very stressful and frustrating. Of course yesterday was a typical Monday with all of the problems that Monday's seem to bring. The difficulties started off with the morning monitoring when Baby B had heart rate decelerations following my contractions. She followed that up with an absent flow on her ductus doppler during the ultrasound. This is one of the things the doctor’s are watching for to indicate problems with the tangling of the cords - which I will get back too.


Upon returning to my room the doctor came in and said that due to all of the complications we were going to get all of the predelivery medications in my system. I was going to be getting magnesium for 12 hours which is something that is used to reduce the risk of the babies having cerebral palsy. I would also be getting my second round of steroid shots and be put back on the medication to stop contractions. It was a very long day that resulted in 13 hours of continuous baby monitoring, 3 different ultrasounds and two different types of drugs to control my contractions.

On Tuesday morning I was hooked back up to the monitors for the morning session and I was still contracting every two minutes. Only about every third or fourth one was uncomfortable for me.

During the morning ultrasound they took a cervical length measurement to see if the contractions were making any progress. Unfortunately, the contractions are doing what contractions do best. My cervix shortened from a 34 to a 23. Below 29 is considered not good and means restrictions on movement and activity level. Since the contractions were still coming the doctor put me on yet another med to control contractions and this one finally did the trick. The babies looked about the same as yesterday during the ultrasound and so the doctor increased the monitoring intensity to every six hours and also is doing two ultrasounds a day to check the ductus dopplers.

One major concern currently is the condition of the babies’ cords. At the current moment each baby has approximately only 4 to 6 inches of cord before the cords are entangled. They believe they have also identified a true knot in the cords now. This brings up even more concern for the well being of the babies and adds only more worry for us.

Currently we are 16 days until the delivery of the girls and only two days from 30 weeks gestation. Each day we can postpone delivery of the babies will really help them out. We are praying that god is keeping a close eye on them to keep them safe until their entry into the world comes. We are also hoping that tomorrow is a complication free day!!!! Thank you so much of all of your thoughts and prayers. I will update with any new developments or I will update at 30 weeks on Thursday! Have a good evening!

 

Day 37 - Inpatient Stay

Just a quick update to give you the weights and measurements from the growth scans today.  Both babies gained very well.  Baby A weighed in at 3 pounds 4 ounces and measured at 30 weeks and 1 day.  Baby B weighted in at 3 pounds and 6 ounces and measured at 30 weeks and 4 days.  Todays Baby A had a gain of 13 ounces in the past two weeks and Baby B had a gain of 12 ounces.  We will do growth measurements in two weeks again which will only be a week before the scheduled delivery!
After hours of discussion, Mike and I are getting closer to naming the girls.  However, in order to do that we have abandoned all previous plans for naming the twins and have started from scratch.  Thanks to those who responded to our poll earlier in the fall we appreciate your input.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!  December is just around the corner now!

Day 36 - Inpatient Stay

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful day and found many things to be thankful for.  The weather was nice here and that made my day out and about very enjoyable. 
Well, today marks 29 weeks and it is more remarkable everyday that we have made it this far with little complications.  The girls were doing very well today and gave the ultrasound tech a very hard time.  The ultrasound today (that was supposed to be 30 minutes) took an hour and a half.  Baby B would not stop moving and then she got the hiccups making the dopplers even harder to get.  Needless to say it took a long time! 
The past couple of days have been pretty uneventful.  I have had a couple of contractions but, they are making no progress.  Which in this case is a good thing! 
Last Friday we started the Bio/physical assessments on the babies.  The babies are scored on a scale of 1 - 8.  They have to practice breathing for 30 seconds and make three different types of movements.  On the first assessment baby A did not practice breathing so she scored a 6 out of 8.  But, everyday since then they both have scored an 8 out of 8.  Movement is no problem.  The practice breathing does take some time to watch for.  The girls seem to be very healthy.
Tomorrow we will be getting a growth measurement done on the girls.  We are hoping for over 3 pounds each!  I will update soon with the results.  Thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers, and help along the way.  I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Day 33 - Inpatient Stay

Today has been another Monday.  Right away this morning we had a scare with one of the babies' heartrates being too low.  So, I was taken to ultrasound and everything looked OK.  Which was a huge relief for me!  Yesterday baby A had an elevated doppler in her cord and that was still true today.  It was actually a little higher today which is not good but, as long as the flow in the cord is not absent we are still OK.  Hopefully things will look better tomorrow.
Also, we have finally set a date and time for delivery!!!  (as long as nothing comes up)  We are planning on December 17th which is exactly 32 weeks gestation.  That is 24 days away!  Hopefully they will pass quickly.  I will update again at 29 weeks until then no news is good news!  Have a good day!

Day 29 - Inpatient Stay

WE MADE IT!!!  28 weeks was a big milestone for me to look forward too.  Not only does this mean that my hospital stay is half over but, it is also a turning point in the development of my babies.  Should the girls have to be delivered, the chances of having a life altering disability or not living decrease significantly. 
We have four weeks to go and hopefully they will fly by as fast as the last four have.  This week has not been as uneventful as the past couple of weeks but, none the less we are all doing well.  The babies are doing great and there has been no elevation in the dopplers on their cords for 5 days.  They still continue to move alot and give some of the nurses and ultrasounds techs a hard time.  But, at this point I think this is just par for the course with these girls.  I just really hope that this is not a sign of things to come when we get home!!!
The contractions have subsided and are under control.  After having a cervical length measurement and talking with my doctor, he does not see why I would have to continue the medications to stop the contractions especially since I have such awful side effects.  So, we are going to discontinue the use of the drug today!!!  Hopefully the contractions do not return. 
Mike and I really look forward to the end of this journey when we can hold these little miracles in our arms and know that they are OK and safe. 
Mike and the kids seem to be doing well and I know that they are counting down the days just like I am.  When Sydney asks how many days I have left in the hospital, I tell her then she proceeds to count them one by one.  As the numbers decrease it is not quite as much practice counting as it used to be but, we will take it!  Taiton is doing well and every week they come to see me, I think he learns about 10 more words.  He is quite a little chatter box now. 
Once again I want to thank everyone for all of your generosity, thoughts, and prayers.  Have a wonderful weekend!  I will update again if we have new news or if anything changes.  4 weeks to go!!!  We're getting there!!

Day 27 - Inpatient Stay - Contractions Con't

Well, the shot I was given last night did not stop the contractions.  They returned with in 2 1/2 hours.  So, I was put on a drug that is taken orally and is something that I could remain on until the babies arrive. 
I started the drug with 4 doses in an hour and from then on I take the med every six hours.  This drug gave me even more side effects.  I have massive headaches and I am a little sick to my stomach.  Pretty much just feel awful all around. 
After talking to the doctor this morning and describing the contractions and side effects he said that we could probably try the med at half strength.  I got the med at half strength this afternoon and the side effects have not been as bad.  Hopefully this will still hold off the contractions so that I don't have to go back to a full dose.  Today has been quiet and no contractions have been present yet.  So, hopefully it will stay that way for about 4 more weeks!  Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.  I will update sooner if there is any news otherwise, I will update at 28 weeks on Thursday.  Have a good evening!

Day 26 - Inpatient Stay - Contractions

Well, I guess the girls thought they would make a little bit of an effort to arrive on their father's birthday, but they were stopped in their tracks.  (At least so far they are, I guess technically they have about 6 more hours to go.) 
During the AM monitoring, I had a couple of contractions and one of them was much stronger than any contractions I have had previously.  After talking to the doctor, I was comforted by the that fact that he was not concerned.  Because the contractions were not close enough together and the babies heart rates did not go down after each contraction he said to just let the nurses know if anything changes. 
My day went on with a couple of contractions here and there.  I knew I was having them but, they weren't painful just uncomfortable. 
During monitoring this afternoon the contractions were coming every 4 to 6 minutes for 1 1/2 hours.  So, they had me lay on my side and continue monitoring the contractions for an additional hour.  They didn't stop just slowed a little.  At that point I was given a drug to help the uterus relax but of course it had some side effects.  The medication would make my hands shake and my heart race for 15 to 20 minutes.  The medication took effect and has currently slowed the contractions.  Hopefully, it will work for quite sometime!!!! 
If the girls just wanted to arrive on their mom or dad's birthday, they could wait until mine.  It is a little closer to the delivery date!!  Just thought I would update on today's happenings.  Hope everyone had a good weekend and enjoy the week!  I will update if anything else comes up!

Growth Scan Results from 27 weeks 1 day

The girls are still growing like crazy which is great!  Here are the stats from the ultrasound this morning:

Baby A: 2 pounds 10 ounces which measures her at 28 weeks 1 day gestation with a heart rate of 144
Baby B: 2 pounds 7 ounces which measures her at 27 weeks 4 days gesatation with a heart rate of 142

The doctors are happy with their weights and growth.  They are with in the percentage rates that they need to be in so that is wonderful.  Baby A gained 10 ounces and Baby B gained 9 ounces in the past two weeks.  At this rate the babies should be around 4 pounds at the 32 week delivery date!!  I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and a great week.  I will update at 28 weeks (November 19th) unless we have news prior to that.  Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers!

Day 22 - Inpatient Stay - 27 weeks

Hello! Well, we made it another week with no complications and no new developments which is great! The babies look better now than they did a week ago actually. The dopplers on their cords are not elevated at all and the "knot" seems to be more like loops rather than an actual know. Their movement is still good and they are in a different position every day. The monitoring is good some days and not so good on others. Last night it took two and a half hours to get a 15 minute strip of both babies together. The nurse says that she can tell they are growing because their heart rates are very reactive to the amount of movement they do. Which is a sign of a developing nervous system. I am quickly realizing that this a great learning experience for me!
On Tuesday I under went the gestational diabetes testing which I passed with flying colors. Even though I had no problems with my other pregnancies, I was told that of course with carrying multiples there is a greater chance of developing it. But, we are in the clear.
Thank you to those who have stopped by and visited. It really makes the time go faster and it is great to talk and get my mind off of things happening at the hospital. So far I am able to leave the hospital for a couple of hours occasionally to get some exercise, go out to eat, and of course go shopping (my favorite part)!!! Mike's sisters took me out yesterday and I just had to buy a couple of sleepers for the girls! I have them hanging in my room as a reminder of why I am committed to do this!
Upcoming events for us are:
Friday, November 13: Growth measurements (I will post weights when I get them, hopefully they will be around 2 1/2 pounds each!)
Thursday, November 19: 28 weeks and start doing Bio/physical profiles on the babies. This is a measurement of movement and breathing exercises. During the ultrasound, they watch the babies to see them practice the breathing motion and make certain numbers and types of movements with their limbs and body. I am not worried about the movements at all since they move all of the time! And one of the babies is already make the breathing movements occasionally but we have not caught the other practicing yet. However, this is not something they expect a baby to be able to do until 28 weeks gestation.
It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away! We have much to be thankful for this year. Thanks again to all of those that are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. Also for all the generosity in cards, food, phone calls and visits. I will post weights when I get them! Have a wonderful weekend and a great week!

Day 15 - Inpatient Stay - 26 weeks

26 weeks is here and we are very thankful and feel very blessed that the girls are doing well. The past two weeks have gone by pretty quickly! This week has been very uneventful which is GOOD news. The babies must have unwound their cords a little bit because all of the doppler readings right now look really good. They still move constantly and give the nurses a hard time during monitoring. They are getting better though! The heart rates during the ultrasound this morning were 132 and 138.
It is kind of funny because we can get an idea of their personality already. Seeing them everyday is really fun and also is a chance to watch them grow and change. Thank you again to everyone for the food, thoughts, prayers, visits and phone calls. It is all very much appreciated! I will update again in one week (27 weeks) unless I have news to share before that. We are praying for another uneventful week and as everyone keeps saying - No news is good news! I will post a couple of news pictures too! Have a good weekend and a wonderful week.

Here is my mailing address while in the hospital for those that have been looking for it:

Sanford USD Medical Center
Kelly Boersma
Room # 3423
1305 W 18th Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57105

Day 10 - Inpatient Stay - Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to everyone! Well, we are on day 10 today and I am looking forward to spending the evening out on the town with the kiddos (and Mike of course!). We are all well and the ultrasound this morning looked better than it has all week! That is really good news for us!
Yesterday, we got weights on the girls and they continue to grow like crazy! Baby A weighed in at 2 pounds even and measured at 26 weeks gestation. Baby B weighed in at 1 pound 14 ounces and measured at 25 weeks 3 days gestation. They of course were moving like crazy and uncoorperative so we had to return to the ultrasound room for a second look in the afternoon to get the rest of the measurements. I hope that everyone has a wonderful day and thanks for the thoughts and prayers!
The Boersmas

Day 8 - Inpatient Stay

Hello Everyone! Well, I have been in the hospital now for one week. Today I am at 25 weeks gestation and still feeling pretty good. That leaves me with 7 weeks or 49 days to go.
The girls are going to give my blood pressure a work out! Today baby B, the one who constantly seems to be causing trouble, had a spell with her heart rate soaring and not coming down for quite some time. I was immediately taken to get an ultrasound to see if we could see any problems with the cords and everything looked good. I am not sure what the heart rate increase was all about, but it could just be that she had pinched her cord and then when she released it had a higher heart rate to compensate for the restricted flow. Which is probably a result of the entanglement of the cords. During the ultrasounds the entangled cords lite up like a red and blue braid when they are getting doppler readings from the area.
Mike and the kids came to see me today, which was really nice! This morning Mike's dad came and watched the kids so that Mike and I could go and tour the NICU. The tour gave us alot of information and it was great to see what is coming next. I know that the stay in the NICU will be even more of a roller coaster ride than this pregnancy so the more prepared we are for what is coming the better.
Tomorrow we will get updated weights on the babies. We are hoping for them to be getting close to 2 pounds each. The bigger they are the better! Thanks again for all of the thoughts and prayers! I will update again tomorrow after my ultrasound. Have a good evening.

Day 5 - Inpatient Stay

Well, we are on day five already! Everything is going good so far. I am adjusting to not chasing kids all day and spending some time off of my feet. The babies are moving like crazy and still giving the nurses and ultrasound techs a hard time during monitoring. But, I am reassured that this is typical with 24 week babies due to the amount of room they have to move around. Their heart rates are been really good and this morning during the ultrasound were exactly the same at 144. We are still currently monitoring 3 times a day with one ultrasound per day. We will be taking the weights of the babies again on Friday to see how much they have grown.
Last Saturday we met with the neonatalogist to give us an idea of what we could expect if the babies were born this week. In the end though, he can only tell us what common problems and concerns are and not exactly what we would face if the girls were born today. We did ask about how long a NICU stay would be once they are born and he told us to just plan on them being in the hospital until 40 weeks no matter when they are born. So, that gives us a little bit of a time line to look at. Thank you to everyone for their prayers, concern, visits, emails, food and phone calls. We really appreciate the kindness and generosity of everyone. Thanks again and have a good week!

Day 1 - Inpatient Stay

Well, we made it to 24 weeks! All is well here. I got admitted to the hospital at 10am and everything looks good so far. I was monitored once earlier today and will be again this evening. It is kind of hard to get a good read out because the babies move around so much. But, we got a read out good enough to get the information needed. Monitoring will take place 3 times a day and I will also have one ultrasound a day. I got the first shot from the first round of steriods for the babies lungs this afternoon and will get the second tomorrow. I will update every couple of days as new things develop. One day down and 55 more to go! Thanks again for all of the thoughts and prayers!

Perinatalogist Appointment #4 - 23 weeks

Today has been a day of mixed emotions. I had a doctors appointment this morning which included an ultrasound and consult with the perinatalogist. The ultrasound went well. The babies were very active again and grew quite a bit both measuring at 23 weeks and 5 days. Baby A weighed in at 1 pound 6 ounces and had a heart rate of 148. Baby B weighed in at 1 pound 5 ounces and had a heart rate of 142. On the previous ultrasound we were told that one of the babies had only one kidney. But, today they may have seen the other kidney. So, at this point we are not sure if the baby has one or two kidneys. Hopefully as the baby gets a little bigger we will be able to see more and confirm if the child will have one or two kidneys.

The big question to be answered today was at what point I would be going inpatient. After one look at the babies cords we knew the answer. The cords are very tangled, even we could see that and we're not doctors or ultrasound techs. The good thing is that the tangles are not pulled tight at this point and the blood flow remains good. The doctor did not sugar coat anything. He reminded us of the 50% survival rate of monoamniotic twins and the harsh reality that we are facing. We also asked about a delivery date. The doctor's answer was "IF you make it to 32 weeks we will deliver them on that date."
Due to the cord entanglement, I will be admitted to the hospital at 24 weeks which is Thursday, October 22. I know that this is what is best for the babies and that they will get the best care possible there giving them the best chance at life. At this point I believe that the reality of this situation is hitting home. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers.

Perinatalogist Appointment #3 - 21 weeks

This whole time I have been hoping that time would pass quickly to be closer to the end of this unpredictable journey. Now, I find that time is passing very quickly and I am NOT ready to be hospitalized yet! We are currently 3 weeks away from 24 weeks which I am sure will pass just as quickly as the last three!
The twins were doing well today. Today's twin A measured at 21 weeks and 0 days weighing 14 ounces and had a heart rate of 144. Today's twin B measured at 21 weeks and 2 days weighing 15 ounces and had a heart rate of 145. They are very close in size still which is wonderful. No twin to twin transfusion yet! Hopefully, that is one syndrome we can bypass.
The doctors also confirmed today that the "baby B" has only one kidney. In this type of pregnancy birth defects are very common mainly because the pregnancy it self is a defect. The development of a Monoamniotic pregnancy is the result of the egg splitting in two later than "normal" identical twins. "Normal" identical twins split between days 3-8 and Monoamniotic twins split between days 8-12. Any egg that splits after 12 days will be conjoined twins. So, as far as birth defects go, this one is something that we can live with. Lots of people live a normal life with one kidney. Last weekend a set of monoamniotic twins was delievered at the hospital and each of them have only one kidney. They are currently doing very well.
As far as my inpatient stay goes, we are going to try to make it to 26 weeks before going inpatient. As long as the cords are not too tangled and the blood flow in the babies looks good I may be able to stay home for a couple more weeks with periodic outpatient monitoring. This is something that we will not know until the time comes. The babies can be tangled up in a short period of time so we will go from here and take it one appointment at a time. My next appointment will be October 16 which is just over two weeks away. I hope that everyone is well and thanks again for all of your support! (oh yeah, I added a couple new pics!)

Perinatalogist Appointment # 2 - 18 weeks

Well, the little ladies were very active today and kinda camera shy! But, we did manage to get some essential photos to check up on their progress. They have doubled in size since our last appointment. Today the "baby A" weighed in at 8 ounces had a heart rate of 151 and measured at 18 weeks and 2 days. The "baby B" today weighed in at 9 ounces had a heart rate of 145 and measured at 18 weeks and 3 days. Three weeks ago they only weighed 4 ounces each.

The appointment lasted 3 hours again with about one and a half hours of that being the ultrasounds. The cords are twisted once but, not knotted yet. Everything looks pretty good so far. They measured lots of organs and tried to get some good shots of the heart but, it is still to early to get good enough pictures so we will be getting those next time. It is amazing what they look for in the ultrasounds. They even took pictures of the bottoms of their feet and they actually looked like little foot prints! We will be returning for another visit and more ultrasounds on September 30th. We are also planning to tour the hospital that day to see where I will be staying and the different things that go on there. Hope that all is well with everyone and enjoy the pictures!

Perinatalogist Appointment # 1 - 15 weeks

Mike and I learned quite a bit of information today, some promising and some shocking, but information all the same. We spent approximately one and a half hours watching our little ones move around and in some cases be moved around. The look for a membrane continued and was unsucessful. The doctor is going to review some earlier ultrasounds, but we are going to preceed with the treatment for a mono/mono pregnancy as originally planned. Today Baby A measured at 15 weeks and 4 days and had a heart rate of 130. And Baby B measured at 15 weeks and 3 days and had a heart rate of 146. Baby A was sleeping I guess! The babies checked out REALLY well and seem to be growing ahead of schedule. The tech and the doctor believe that we are going to be having two little girls! We will know for sure at the next appointment but, right now this is what it looks like.
Our treatment plan is one of the questions that we wanted answered today. And we have a rough idea of how we will be proceeding from here on out. At this time, we are preparing for me to go inpatient at 24 weeks gestation. This will be around the end of October. While in the hospital, we will have regular monitoring and ultrasounds to keep track of the little ones. We will be planning to deliver the babies around 32 weeks gestation which will be one week prior to Christmas.
Wow...that is alot of information! Our next appointment with the doctor will be on September 9. So, till then we will sit tight and try to plan as much as possible. Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers.

Last Appointment with Regular OB - August 17, 2009

Well, today was my last appointment with the OB that delivered both of my other children. She is leaving the clinic in Brookings and so I have decided to move my care to Sioux Falls.
The appointment today went well. All I really cared about was seeing the babies and knowing that they were alright. And they were! They were laying one on top of the other with ones head by the other ones feet. They were literally kicking each other in the head! The heart beats were good and strong. They are still currently around the same size. But, measuring ahead of where I am with gestational age. I guess that is a good thing, the bigger they are the better they will do!
In deciding to move my care to Sioux Falls, I have been referred to a perinatologist (Maternal- Fetal Medicine Specialist). My first appointment with the specialist is going to be on Thursday morning. I am pretty excited to be in the care of someone who hopefully knows a little more about this type of pregnancy and how everything will be working from here on out. I will update again after my appointment on Thursday.

In Between the Appointments

Well, we are just past halfway to our next appointment. I am exactly 13 weeks along today and have 191 days until my original due date. We will get to take a look at the babies again in just over a week and I am sooooo excited but a little nervous at the same time. Nothing else is really all that new. The regular symptoms of pregnancy are still in full effect and I am looking forward to hopefully feeling a little less tired soon. One thing that we do know for sure, that I have not mentioned before, is that (as long as they are still monoamniotic twins) the babies will be delivered at or before 34 weeks gestation. So, we will be expecting preemies. I have begun my research on preemie babies and I believe that we will find alot of the information helpfull down the road. We will register to take the Infant and Child CPR class this fall so that we are sure to be up to date and able to take a little ones home when it is time. Hope everyone is enjoying your summer and I will update again after my next appointment on August 17th.

Ultasounds Three and Four

It has been an eventful couple of days! Last night (Sunday night) around 6:30pm I started spotting and freaked out. We went into the ER and got an ultrasound a little earlier than planned. Everything with the babies looked great which was a huge comfort at that time. Both of their heartrates were around 168. They were very active which was fun to see. Their little arms and legs were moving like crazy.
I then contacted my doctor again this morning and she still wanted to do another ultrasound this afternoon to rule out the possibility of conjoined twins. The possibility was ruled out and we have two separate healthy babies growing that share the same placenta. Their cords are not twisted at all so that is really good news. For right now there is nothing that we can do but to be patient and wait for them to grow. We will have another OB appointment in four weeks and at that time will have another ultrasound to check up on them. Hope everyone is well and enjoy your summer!

We're having TWINS! - July 9, 2009

We returned to the hospital for another ultrasound and after discussion between a couple of doctors about what they were looking at we were told that we will be having TWINS! It took a little while for the shock to sink in but before it could we were given a lot of information that was a little harder to absorb. The heart beats of the twins are Twin A: 180 and Twin B: 173, which is great. They are also measuring very close Twin A at 8 weeks and 4 days and Twin B at 8 weeks and 5 days. However, the twins are what they call monoamniotic twins. This means that they share the same amniotic sac and a barrier is not yet visible between them. We were told that they are not 100% sure that the twins are not conjoined. Numerous risks surround this pregnancy. We scheduled another appointment for an ultrasound on Monday, July 20th.

First Appointment - July 6, 2009

Mike and I found out that we were expecting another addition to our family in the middle of June. It was quite an adjustment but, over the next couple of weeks we were getting kind of excited about having another baby around. On July 6, 2009, Mike and I attend the first Dr. appt and ultrasound. At the time we were given a due date of February 13, 2010.
During the ultrasound, we were told that there are two yolk saks but that there was something abnormal about the fetus. There were two structures and the pulse in each was the same. It was believed that the two structures were somehow connected. We were worried and so was the doctor. We scheduled another ultrasound for a week later but, that afternoon got a phone call that we would have another ultrasound in three days at the hospital.