Bedrest...

This is hard to write... We found out on Monday that our little girl's placenta is lying very low in my uterus - the medical term is placenta previa. When I stand up there isn't any place for her to sit except on the placenta. This has caused some minor bleeding (a "placental abruption") - on Friday the week before last and again this past Sunday. I'm on strict bedrest this week and next to keep our little girl off the placenta. This will hopefully help the placenta to heal. It is also possible that as my uterus grows the placenta will move upward in the uterus - but that may take weeks. If the placenta remains where it is now, it is possible that I'll be on bedrest for the rest of my pregnancy. With 4 months to go, that seems like a long time!

At this point in my pregnancy, there aren't any extreme measures to be taken. I'm only 20 weeks and generally interventions for this don't begin until 24 weeks. In the meantime both Steve and I are trying to keep a positive attitude and remain hopeful.

We're in the process of switching from our regular OB to a twins high-risk pregnancy specialist named Dr. Acker. Our new doctor is the head of obstetrics at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. We had a consulation with him earlier in the pregnancy, and both Steve and I feel confident in the care we'll receive with him. Steve and I have our first official appointment with him next week on Wednesday, and both of us are looking forward to it. We should have an update after that visit.

My OB took me out of work this week so that I can really rest. My boss and co-workers have been very supportive - a gift box from Crabtree & Evelyn arrived from them yesterday. It was a great surprise. I am appreciating their support and am hopeful that I'll be able to return to work for some period of time before the babies are born.

In the meantime, I'm generally lying on my left side or right side all the time. I can get up to take a shower, go to the bathroom and to grab food. I'm finding that structuring my days is helpful in breaking up my time. I've been getting up around 9 or 9:30, eating breakfast, watching some TV, having a snack, reading, eating lunch, taking a nap, surfing/emailing, reading some more, watching TV, and then eating dinner when Steve gets home and hanging out with him.

Steve has been a rock through all of this - he does all of the cleaning and cooking and brings me little gifts and surprises to help keep my spirits up. When I tell him that I don't think I could be doing this without him he often replies that I wouldn't be in this position without him. I suppose he has a point, but it doesn't make me any less grateful for him. He's just amazing.

Visits from family and friends have also really helped both Steve and me to still feel somewhat normal. It's been great to see folks and we've appreciated the gifts of flowers, food and help around the house. It may seem small, but it is a huge help to us. Many thanks and gratitude to all for keeping us in your thoughts...