Our first couple days in the NICU

When Paul and I first went into the NICU to see the girls on Thursday evening, it was the most emotional experience I have ever had.  They were so small and hooked up to so many different things.  Immediately after birth, they both got umbilical catheters for their fluid and nutrients to go through, a cpap to help them breathe, and monitor stickers everywhere.  They were doing as well as could be expected for 30 week twins.  They were stable and that was the most important thing at this point.  We spent most of the evening there just looking at the girls and being with them.  We were told we would not be able to hold them for quite some time. Babies this small get stressed out very easily.  We didn't even really feel comfortable touching them.  They just looked so helpless and tiny.

Friday morning was even more devastating for us as parents.  We were told that both girls would have to be intubated because they couldn't keep their oxygen levels up.  They would have to get several doses of a medicine to help their lungs.  Hailee was actually looking worse than Hannah at this point.  Her lungs were very foggy through x-ray.  She was intubated first.  Hannah's umbilical line was too low and would have to be removed.  She would have to have a picc inserted in her arm.  They went over all of the risks of the picc line, but we had really no choice but to consent for it.  Once the girls were on the intubators, they each had their hats off and we got to see their hair for the first time.  They are both VERY blonde!  We have no idea where this hair even came from!  It's so adorable!  They are both just the sweetest little girls you have ever seen.  Even though yesterday was a rough day for us and the girls, we are hoping that the procedures done will be a benefit to them.  We were told that the lungs are the first hurdle to overcome and the gut (feeding) would be the next.  I am pumping now to get my production going, but the girls are not on any food yet.  They are just on IV fluids for their nutrition. 

Today was a better morning thus far.  When we went down, the girls were finally next to each other!  The NICU tries to get multiples together but it's not always possible due to what each one needs and all of the other babies also in there.  Hailee was already off of her intubator.  She had 3 doses of the medicine and they thought she was fine to go back on CPAP.  CPAP is a bigger machine on her face, but is not invasive like the tube was.  Hannah should come off of her tube later today.  She has also had 3 doses.  They want to make sure she does ok for a while longer before removing the tube.  Both girls looked peaceful and relaxed this morning.  With all of the pokes and prodding done yesterday they didn't look calm really at all.  It is so hard to see your tiny baby looking so miserable when there is nothing you can do for them.  When they try to cry, they just make a face but no noise comes out because of the tubes in their mouth.  We are hoping that the rest of the day keeps the course of this morning. 

Everything the girls have had done thus far is considered standard or normal for their gestational age.  To us it is not normal, but the NICU staff has not been surprised by anything up to this point.  We have actually had several doctors and nurses tell us that both girls are good size for twins!  To us, they are tiny but we are used to the size of a full term baby like Ella was.  This process will be day by day for us.  Things change each time we go down to see them.  We have been told to get used to "one step forward and two steps back".  The girls will have set backs during their stay.  While it will be hard to handle at the time, we are trying to be prepared now for those.  The NICU staff is great.  We can call at any time and talk to each baby's nurse to see how they are doing.  I have called each time I get up in the night to use the restroom.  It is reassuring to hear that they are doing ok at any hour.

Please continue to pray for our girls.  Even though God has got them safe to this point, they still have many hurdles to overcome. Please pray for their development and health in the next few weeks and months.  We appreciate all of the love and support our family and friends have blessed us and the girls with. 

Note:  The pictures are dark and kindof blurry because we can't use a flash in the NICU.  We hope to take more pictures soon since some of the tubes should be coming off shortly!

Hannah

Me holding Hannah's leg

Hannah

Mommy and Hannah

Hannah

Hailee

Hailee

Our little miracles are here!

Hailee Noelle and Hannah Faith arrived on January 27th. After a long, high risk pregnancy we are so happy that they are here and doing ok at this point. Below is my birth story and some pictures of the girls.

My c-section was originally scheduled for January 26th at 2:00p.m. Paul and I were in the recovery room waiting from about 1:30. My surgery was pushed back twice due to other emergency c-sections that had to take immediately. We were notified at different times during our wait that other very small and preterm babies were being born. Many of them were other sets of twins. On that day, there were 7 preemies born: twin 25 weekers, a singleton 26 weeker, twin 27 weekers, and twin 29 weekers. Finally at about 4:30 my doctor came in to talk to me. With all of the chaos in the NICU and in the OR they would have to push us back until the next day. I was upset just because of the anxiety built up from that day, but we understood that these other babies and moms were in more critical condition than we were.

My c-section was then scheduled for the 27th at 4:00p.m. They came in at 1:30 and told us to get ready because it would be at 2:00p.m. I didn't have much time to worry at this point. Before I knew it, we were headed down to the OR. The c-section was not like I had expected. There were so many people in the room, probably around 15. There were high risk doctors because my girls were going to be preemies, because they were twins, and because it was a c-section. I did not like being awake during the surgery. I feel like I didn't have the same "birthing" experience that I did with Ella. It was strange doing no work for the babies to come out! Hailee was born at 2:38p.m. weighing 3lbs 10oz and Hannah was born at 2:39p.m. weighing 3 lbs. We were shocked that the girls were so close in weight! Either Hannah really plumped up that last week or the last ultrasound was wrong as far as their weights were concerned. They basically walked past me with the girls and I barely got to see them. They both cried when they were born which was a blessing. Hannah ended up being breech, so it was a good thing we went with a c-section for their safety. She was a wild one in my belly so we were not surprised she had flipped again! My doctor examined my placenta afterwards and Hannah's umbilical cord was inserted on the very end. This was probably a big part of the reverse blood flow that she was experiencing while in the womb. Paul was able to go back and watch as they cleaned them up. They took them to the NICU right away to get them settled and stabilized. My parents and Leah were in the waiting room, so could peek at them as they walked by. I then went into recovery for about and hour and a half. My doctor went to check on the girls and came back to give me updates. Paul couldn't even be in there for the first 2 hours while the girls were getting all hooked up. My doctor was truly amazing during my whole pregnancy and birth experience. He came to visit us and the girls again yesterday in the NICU.



In my labor and delivery room before going into the OR



Paul ready for the birth!

Hailee

Hannah

A plastic bag was put over Hannah to try and keep her as warm as possible.




Hailee

 

Was I dreaming?

Last night it was about 3:00am and I was (surprisingly) sleeping soundly. I was woken up by my doc standing at my bedside. "Kristen, this is Dr. Ruedrich. How are you doing?" I just stared at him wondering what in the world was going on. He was dressed from head to toe in his garb, like he was ready for surgery at any time. I'm talking the whole blue outfit, hat, shoe covers, and the face mask barely uncovering his mouth to talk to me. I couldn't stop staring at him and couldn't get any words out either. Had the girl's heart rates went down and no one told me?? I thought for sure he was ready to deliver the babies. After what seemed like forever and me not answering his initial question, he continued to say "I got called in for surgery tonight so I wanted to check on you." "Are you going to deliver the babies? Is the surgery on me?" I said. (I'm sure I probably yelled at this point, but I was terrified!) "No, we are keeping the course. Have a good night and go back to sleep." Ugh! Easy for him to say! I thought for sure something had happened on the monitors and he was going to deliver the girls right then and there. Which is a bit unrealistic since I wasn't sleeping in the operating room. Needless to say, I was up for a good 2 hours after that. I am thankful that the girls are not here yet and that they can stay inside for hopefully another 3 days!

Mr. Mom

Now that I have been in the hospital for a week and a half and on bed rest at home for almost a month prior, Paul has officially taken over as Mr. Mom. It has taken him some getting used to, but I think he is still hanging in there. He now takes Ella to her sitter Kim's on a full time basis. Paul originally told Kim that he would be there about 7:45 each morning. I don't think he's ever made it before 8:15 but maybe once :)

Paul then picks Ella up later in the day after working or spending the day with me at the hospital. Every other evening Paul and Ella come up to visit me and the other days he spends time at home with her. I love when they come to visit. Paul now brings her up in her little hot pink umbrella stroller because he says it's too far to carry her all through the parking garage and up to my floor. She's always all bundled up looking adorable when they come in. I wish I could post pictures from this iPad because it is just too funny.

I am generally nervous to see what outfit Ella has been wearing all day when Paul takes her coat off. He says he doesn't know what pants go with what shirts when dressing her in the mornings so he matches up what he thinks looks ok together. The one morning Paul was in a big rush to get to the hospital for some of my testing. He put on a gray shirt with purple and blue butterflies on it. He said he grabbed a pair of jeans out of Ella's drawer and put those on with it. He was on his way to Kim's, looked back at Ella in the carseat and noticed the jeans had pink and yellow flowers all over the bottom of them! At least Ella isn't old enough to be embarrassed yet!

Paul asked me the other day how much I like driving the van back in the day when I could actually get out and drive. When I said that I like it, he started some schpeal (sp) about how he should be the one driving the van! I told him only if he was the one carting around 3 little girls everywhere he goes! I am pretty sure he just likes that Ella has a tv in there and therefore loves riding in the van, the Bluetooth, heated seats, automatic doors, etc, etc.

Paul used to tell me that he would be the stay at home dad if I could find a job making more than him. That statement has quickly changed after he got an idea of how hard the job really is! It is not just laying around watching tv hanging out all day. It is tough work and I can't even imagine how it is going to change caring for three little ones versus just one. However, I have heard him tell a nurse a time or two how much more he appreciates me caring for Ella and taking care of our house now that he has done it for a while. As any other mom or wife knows, that is nice to hear coming from your hubby!

Paul's time as Mr. Mom is soon coming to an end. As much as I would rather stay in the hospital and keep these babies baking, I know that Paul is so ready for me to be home again. I can say that as rough as this time has been for all of us, one good thing that has come out of it is the bonding that Paul and Ella have done. Ella was so attached to me before and now will probably be a little more balanced or even a bit of a daddy's girl! This will be especially helpful when the twins come and I need more help from Paul than ever before!

One week from today..

The girls will be born! My c-section is scheduled for Wednesday the 26th. I will be exactly 30 weeks at that point. I do have to have a c-section due to it being less stressful for the girls. I started to question the fact of why are they taking the babies at 30 weeks if they don't seem to be getting worse? I had a conversation with my doc this evening about it. He said that with the reverse diastolic flow, he feels like we may already be on borrowed time. He said it is better for the NICU team to care for a small well baby than a little bit bigger sick baby. I just hope that both babies are still well! He also said that he just really feels in his gut that it is best to stick with the 30 week plan. He said he doesn't want to keep waiting and then regret not taking them when originally planned if something did go downhill quickly. I have been praying that God will guide my doctor's decisions, so I am trusting that this is the right thing for the babies. My doc is also allowing me to have a couple hours per night of being off of the monitors to get some much needed sleep! I explained to him how I need sleep for my sanity and my own well being. The 3-5 hours per night I have been getting for the past week is just not cutting it anymore!

I am really getting sick of hospital food! If I see one more meatloaf, pot roast, or any other chunk of beef that I question what it really is I may puke! Since this is my second week here, all of the meals are repeating themselves. My friend Tina sent me a box of chocolate dipped fruit today from Edible Arrangements. I have my doppler ultrasound tomorrow and will not be able to eat until they know I won't be delivering based upon the results so I figure I may as well eat all of the fruit tonight while it's still good and fresh :) Thank you Tina! Paul and Ella brought me Chipotle this evening. Ella loves Chipotle! She loves the cheese quesadilla, rice, and beans. I like when they come to eat dinner with me and I can feed Ella. As strange as it sounds, I cannot wait to be home to do things like feed, change, and put Ella to bed again. I miss doing all of those things so much! I'm sure Paul wouldn't mind a break from doing all of those things either.

Sunday night I had my first argument with one of the resident doctors here. It was by far the worst night I have had thus far. I know that I am not supposed to eat after midnight the night before my doppler ultrasounds because if something looks worse than the last one, I will have a c-section that day. I got up around 1:00am to use the restroom and took a sip of water. Below is my conversation from there on out:

Nurse: You can't have water! You may have a section tomorrow!
Me: my mouth is so dry from the hospital air and I can barely swallow. Can I have a few ice chips? (knowing that they normally allow ice chips for anything)
Nurse: I'll go ask a resident doctor and be right back. (comes back) Um, she said no.
Me: That's ridiculous! I can't even swallow! We don't even know I will def have a section tomorrow!
Nurse: Would you like to speak to her?
Me: Yes!
Resident: Can I help you with something?
Me: Yes. That is completely ridiculous that I can't even have a few ice chips or even something to swish around in my mouth. I dont even know what time my dopplers are tomorrow, let alone what time the section would be if I had one! My mouth is completely dry, I have a sore throat, and can't even swallow from the air in here! What would you do if someone went into labor on their own, came in and needed a section, and had drank some water a few hours ago?
Resident: Well we would have to give them a general and put them to sleep for their surgery. You should be on IV fluid anyways for dehydration.
Me: Bull! You cannot tell me that you would put them to sleep! I know that is a last resort for anyone having a section! I havent been on IV fluid my entire time here thus far! This is ridiculous! I know plenty of people dont drink anything from midnight to morning and don't dehydrate! Please, call my OB's doctor on call right now and they will give you an order for me to have ice chips tonight and not be on IV fluids.
Resident: Fine, you can have ice chips. But you have to get on IV fluids by morning.
Me: Fine.

I got my ice chips but they did wake me at 5:00am to hook up the fluid. I was so mad. I know it sounds a little crazy on my part, but after being here for over a week and barely ever moving from bed, the small things start to make a big difference! I feel like every day they are taking more blood for something or another, giving me more shots (I am now on a blood thinner which is given via shot twice per day), or just making me more miserable in one way or another. I was on fluid until my results came back that afternoon and it was a pain dragging that pole around to the bathroom and whatnot. I told my doc when he visited that day about my experience. He added to my chart that I can have ice chips at any time, do not need IV fluids at any time until I am actually going into surgery, and am not to be woken up before 7:00am for blood being drawn or anything else that can be done later in the day. Reason #56 why I love my OB..he stands up for me!

As of Monday's growth scan, baby A weighed 2.3lbs and baby B weighed 3.7lbs. I am hoping they both continue to grow for the next week. They still have a pretty big discordance, but each put on quite a bit of weight which is great!

My nurse for the night just came in and she is one of my favorites! She lets me do my thing and isn't in my room every half hour. I am hoping to get a decent night's sleep.

Finally...a plan is in place!

Today is Saturday and the twins have made it to 28 weeks and 3 days. I feel proud of this accomplishment! My doc and I had a conversation yesterday about our plan for the girls. The longest he will let them go is 30 weeks if nothing changes for the worse before then. That would be January 26th. I will have my doppler ultrasounds this coming Tuesday, Thursday, and the next Monday. I will have a higher chance of delivering on those days because if anything looks to be getting worse, the girls will come that day. Delivery on any other day would be because of an emergency.

When I was admitted to the hospital last Monday, both girls were in the breach position. By Wednesday baby B (bigger baby) had switched to vertex and since yesterday baby A (smaller baby) had also switched! I know it's because they love each other already and wanted to continue chatting in the womb! It's amazing to me because doctor's have told me since about 20 weeks that baby A wouldn't change positions because she didn't have enough fluid to turn in. We can already tell she's going to be a fighter! The doc's are even considering trying a vaginal delivery if the girls still look good. I didn't think this would be an option, so am excited about the possibility.

I spent one evening looking at the Preemies board of The Bump, a pregnancy and newborn website that I like. On different post discussions people have pictures of their preemie babies. It is truly amazing how many babies come at 25, 26, 27 weeks and so on and are now perfectly healthy toddlers and kids. The NICU pictures are heartbreaking, but so many of the babies come home and live a happy, healthy life. We can only hope that the girls will be two more of them!

Life in the hospital is getting tougher by the day, but I am handling it the best I can. I still cry each time I see Ella and that probably won't change until I am home with her everyday again. I have had a few flower deliveries and gifts sent, so my room is looking brighter all the time! Under the circumstances, Paul and I have realized how much people really do care by doing whatever they can to help. He said our fridge and freezer are packed with meals prepared, which I'm sure is a huge help for him and Ella. My friend Kristen let me borrow her iPad that I just got today. I am SO excited to be able to go on the Internet other than on my phone. I told Paul to watch out because I can see shopping being one thing I can do to brighten my mood a bit!

Ella came today to visit with mom. We were reading a book together that has flaps that uncover pictures. I always say "peek" when we lift a flap, and today Ella said "peek" when she lifted a flap. It was so cute! She seems to get sweeter and sweeter each time I see her. I can not wait until we are all home together as a family of five!

At home bedrest wasn't so bad afterall...

I was admitted Monday to the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy. At our ultrasound appointment, small baby was showingsome reverse diastolic bloodflow through her umbilical cord. This means that the blood is going the wrong way at times. I was admitted to OSU for constant monitoring of both babies. My doctor explained that if even the smallest thing went wrong at this point that the girls would be delivered.

It is now Wednesday and I am exactly 28 weeks. That is a big milestone for gestational age, so I am happy to have made it to this point. I am still being constantly monitored with biophysical profile ultrasound testing of each girl every day. Today was their 3rd test and they passed again with flying colors. Their heartrates have been great too. Tomorrow they will have the same test done that tested the bloodflow, like the one done Monday. I am nervous and anxious for the test. I hope the results are at least the same as they were before so that they can keep cooking for a while longer!

It is incredibly hard laying so still all day. If a baby moves or I move, the monitors lose the heartbeat and a nurse has to come find it again. My doctor has been in each day after office hours to check on me. I am in a labor and delivery room instead of on a floor so that I get constant one on one care. I would love to be sent to a "normal" room where monitoring was only a few times per day and I could have more visitors. They said as of now that is not happening.

Paul has been here almost nonstop. Mom, Leah, and Ella came today for a while. Ella is so sweet and I just miss her so much. However, she didn't like it much here! She was in to everything! There wasn't much for her to play with besides the spinning chair, a hospital magazine, and an uneaten orange. I think Paul is going to bring her back again Friday.

Paul and I did meet with the NICU team on Monday. They were a little reassuring. Doc said he has seen babies make it before all the way from 23 weeks! I can't even imagine! That's only about half of the normal gestational age! He said things our girls have going for them: that I have had the steroid shots and the fact that they are girls. Girl preemies do better overall than boys. Things our girls have going against them: that they are twins and that one is smaller than the other. He said if born now the girls would have a 10-20% chance of not making it. Every day in the womb brings them closer to the 10%.

I feel now like God's plan for the girls is already made. We have done everything we can do and will go with whatever the doc's think the best thing to do is. There comes a point when the girls are safer outside than in. We trust that they will be taken at the best time to give them the greatest chance of a healthy life. We appreciate all of the prayers going up for them and us.

Ella: the next best big sister!

We cannot wait for Ella to be a big sister!  We think that she is quite excited too!  Kim, her new sitter told us that she loves her little boy.  She said she is always bringing him pacis, bottles, and toys to play with.  How cute!  Ella was so cute with my friend Bethany's baby boy Colton when they came to visit too!  She kept hugging him and staying right by him their whole visit!  The church nursery says Ella migrates towards the little ones too!  We are hoping that her love for little babies continues until her little sisters come!  However, below was Ella's expression when we gave her a Big Sister book for Christmas!  Haha...she wasn't looking too happy with the gift!

Bedrest...

We visited OSU for testing and treatment options for TTTS about a week and a half later (the longest wait of my life!)  I was almost 25 weeks at this point.  The babies were diagnosed with Stage 1 TTTS.  This was the best out of 5 stages.  They had good heart rates, you could still see the small baby's bladder (so we knew she wasn't dehydrated), you could still see the membrane separating the babies, small baby still had some fluid (at this point big baby just had too much), and both babies were measuring on the charts (small one at the 25th percentile weighing 1.2lbs and big one at the 65th percentile weighing 1.9 lbs).  These were all critical things they would look at at each appointment. The babies had a 33% weight difference.  Doc's like the difference to stay around 25% with smaller baby above the 10th percentile.  We currently met one of those criteria. 

There are two common treatments for TTTS.  The first is laser surgery to laser all connecting blood vessels of the babies so that they no longer share nutrients.  The second is an amnioreduction to drain fluid out of the big baby's sac to try to balance the babies.  I was not a candidate for laser surgery.  I was too far along in my pregnancy (must be under 24 weeks) and the TTTS wasn't bad enough (must be Stage 3 or higher).  I was not even a candidate for an amnioreduction because of the risks associated with that treatment.  Both treatments had high risks of causing disabilities or death of one or both babies.  Another less common "treatment" for TTTS is bedrest.  That's the route Doc wanted me to go.  There was no science that bedrest helped, but it keeps the bloodflow in and around the placenta which is what I needed for the small baby.  Doc is the top TTTS specialist in Columbus (and only 1 of 2 in Ohio) and had seen success with strict bedrest of non severe TTTS.  I was definitely willing to give it a shot!

Although I was happy I did not have to have an invasive treatment, our lives were about to change very quickly!  Mom was here watching Ella and 2 other girls I was babysitting that day, Morgan and Adelynn.  I came home, ate my "last meal" at the kitchen table for a while of Wendy's, and hit the couch!  I was on strict level 4 bedrest.  This meant going up and down the stairs once per day, laying on the couch once I get down, one 10 minute shower per day, eating laying down, etc.  This was my last day babysitting to say the least!  We would have to find someone to help care for Ella which is something I never thought we would have to do at this point. 

After about a week of trying to get used to our new routine and figure out how we were going to make things work, we came up with a schedule.  Family would come down and help us out Mondays/Tuesdays, Ella would go to a sitter Wednesdays/Thursdays, Paul would work from home on Fridays.  I got a referral of a fabulous cleaning lady from someone at church to help Paul out with that part of his new Mr. Mom gig.  I was put on bedrest a little over a week before Christmas.  We had Christmas down here with each of our families, not ideal but we made the best of it!  Mom has been down numerous times thus far, my MIL came down for a couple days, my friend Bethany came down for a couple days.  We have had a huge share of help from people.  Friends, family, and church family have brought us meals, snacks, books, magazines, movies, etc.  All in an effort to show their support, keep me busy, and Paul sane!  I have also received countless encouragement cards and letters that really show the thoughts and prayers that are going up for us.  We are truely blessed with such caring family and friends. 

Hanging out on the couch during bedrest

 The hardest part of bedrest is not being able to play with or care for Ella.  I have had countless meltdowns, but am hanging in there!  I can imagine this wouldn't be nearly as heartbreaking with no children.  But I can say I don't know how someone gets through all of this with no children to make them smile and warm their heart. 

As of my doctor appointment yesterday, 27 weeks, the babies have remained pretty much the same.  They are not better, not worse.  Small baby weighs 1.9lbs and big baby weighs 2.7lbs, still a 33% growth difference.  If they stay the same at this point, they will just try to get me through until about 32 weeks and then deliver the babies.  If either takes a turn for the worse, they will deliver since I am over 27 weeks.  I don't know that bedrest is helping, but at least it's not making things worse!  I can't imagine having such small babies and the risks that come along with preemies, but I am trusting that the Doc's are giving me the best care possible.  I got my first steroid shot yesteday to try to develop their lungs a bit.  I get another one today.  My goal is to get the babies to my birthday.  I will almost be 31 weeks at that point.  32 weeks sounds early to deliver if they remain the same, but Doc said they would have low chance of complications at that point and with a syndrome that can take a turn for the worse at any point, it would be better if they were outside than in. 

Oh, and now my cervix is shortening quickly.  It went from 27mm to 19mm from last week to this week.  So, preterm labor is now a high risk too.  Doc said my water could break at any time.  He said yesterday to be prepared at any appointment to go right to the hospital to deliver if they feel the need.  The treatment for preterm labor is bedrest...so more laying down for me!!  Doc keeps reminding me that one or both babies still may not make it due to any of these complications.  More than bedrest, we are praying like crazy and hoping that God has His healing hand on these little ones! 

We are not looking forward to each of the babies having a long NICU stay.  I am trying to prepare myself for what is ahead by talking with other preemie mommies, blogging, and looking at NICU pictures online.  I don't think we can be fully prepared, but I have heard it helps to do these things in advance. 

TWINS!

Paul and I found out at our 9 week ultrasound that we were expecting twins!  What a surprise!  We could not believe it!  We were already worrying about how we were going to handle Ella and an infant so close in age (about 18mo's apart)...but now Ella and 2 infants?!  People think it's hard to have 2 under 2...what about 3 under 2??  We just grew out of our car and almost our house!  Even with all of the shock, we were still extatic!

Our families were very excited too!  I think my mom almost fainted when I told her!  People kept asking if we planned twins or if they ran in our family.  Um...no...definitely didn't plan for twins!  I didn't know there was a special "twin position" you could try while trying to have a baby!  Ha!  Twins do not run in our family until about the 3rd generation down.  I believe my grandpa had twin aunts maybe?  The best (actually not) comment I kept getting was "Wow, what are you going to do?"  Me: "Well, we are going to have the babies!"  Along with lots and lots of prayers that we can handle it!  I really don't know what those few people were expecting me to respond with! 

We found out at about the 17 week appointment that the babies were identical.  They were sharing the same placenta.  This too was a shock, but made more sense because identical twins don't have anything to do with family history.  Most twins (about 90%) are fraternal due to family history or IVF treatments.  Identical twins are simply one egg splitting into two, hence why they look the same!  Sharing the same placenta also has added risks to the babies.  Unfortunately, we will have to experience some of those down the road ahead...

We didn't find out until about 21 weeks that the babies were GIRLS!  Neither Paul or I was shocked at all.  For some reason Paul had thought they were girls the whole time.  I think he was mentally preparing himself for a house filled with 5 girls (including Chloe:)  and himself.  We were both excited to say the least!  Ella would have 2 best friends forever!  We were excited about the closeness in age that they would all be. 

We also found out at this appointment that the babies were measuring a little bit different in size.  They had different amounts of fluid in each of their sacs as well.  Note:  Our twins had the same placenta, but separate sacs, called Mono-Di twins.  This was a risk of TTTS, Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.  The babies weren't diagnosed at this time, but Doc told me to read up a little on it because the babies may be headed in that direction.  He did tell me not to get all bent out of shape on what I read on the internet though.  Boy was the internet all bad news!

I pulled this from the TTTS Foundation Homepage:
-Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) is a disease of the placenta (or afterbirth) that affects identical twin pregnancies.
-TTTS affects identical twins (or higher multiple gestations) who share a common monochorionic placenta.
-The shared placenta contains abnormal blood vessels which connect the umbilical cord and circulations of the twins.
-The common placenta may also be shared unequally by the twins

-The events in pregnancy that lead to TTTS are all random.

-TTTS is not hereditary or genetic, nor caused by anything the parents did or did not do.

-TTTS can happen to anyone.

Basically with TTTS, the small baby (the donor) is giving away all of her nutrients and blood to the big baby (the recipient).  In result, the small baby could be underdeveloped and the big baby overdeveloped resulting in birth defects or death of one or both babies.  It is a scary, scary diagnosis.  I now know WAY more about TTTS than I had ever wished to!

Paul and I did find out two weeks later at a follow up appointment that the babies were definitely headed towards TTTS.  They did not look horrible, were still viable with good heartbeats and movement.  However, one was bigger than the other and the amounts of fluid in each sac differed a lot!  I was about 23 weeks at this time.  I was sent to a specialist at OSU Medical Hospital for further testing and to review my options for treatment. 

You may be thinking "I know a set of twins that were different in size when born".  Yes, but they were fraternal.  TTTS only affects identical twins because they are sharing the nutrients, unlike fraternal twins that have separate placentas.  I have heard this comment many times!

17 Weeks along!

New to the blogging world!

Reading other's experiences through blogging has influenced me to share my experiences as well!  With all that is going on with my twin pregnancy right now, I hope that this will keep family and friends up-to-date in the next few months to come.  We have a lot of changes that will be taking place in our family within the next few months!  Enjoy!