Still working half time from home...

I met with our favorite OB Dr. Acker today. While everything is stable and looking good with the babies, he's keeping me at half-time work from home for the rest of my pregnancy. While the type-a I-can-conquer-the-world part of me is a little disappointed, the mom-to-be in me knows it's best for the babies and is elated at not pushing too hard. I'll still be able to nap during the day. It's been a tough couple of months and half-time work will allow me to rest with the babies. Good news for all!!!

Week 24 :: Healthy Babies!

Had another survey ultrasound today. Our babies are looking good. The great news is that our little girl's placenta is continuing to move upward and away from my cervix. We also received news that the babies' growth is on track for their gestational age - both are over a foot long and about 1.5 pounds each. They're exactly where they should be and all of their systems - hearts, brains, internal organs, etc. - are functioning well. Both are active and I feel them kicking often.

I had my second diabetes appointment last week and it looks like I'll be able to manage it through diet for at least a few more weeks. Next appointment is next week. :)

I still have a lingering cough, but my flu symptoms are finally subsiding. Thank goodness! :)

Work has been going well. It feels good to have work to focus on these days. I'm currently working 4 hours a day from home, and because things are looking good with the babies it's likely that I'll be back to work full time (still from home) starting next week. I have an appointment with my OB on Wednesday to discuss the plan.

Our little girl... currently 1 pound 13 ounces...


And our little boy... currently 1 pound 9 ounces...

Week 23 :: Feeling better and back to work!

The past five weeks have been a long haul! Bed rest, bleeding, gestational diabetes and this past week the flu! Yuck!

The good news is that I haven't had any bleeding in the past two weeks. The flu is starting to subside and after using up an entire box of tissues, I'm still not germ free, but am starting to feel better!

I met with the team of doctors at the diabetes clinic this past Tuesday. Both Steve and I feel so much better now that we know it's very manageable and that the babies should be unaffected because we caught it early and are treating it now. We're thankful for our doctor - most doctors don't test for gestational diabetes until 28 weeks! It's looking like my gestational diabetes should be manageable through diet for the time being. I'm keeping track of carbs and calories and it seems to be working well. While I don't need insulin yet, the endocrinologist said that with twins the hormone levels produced by the placentas increases over time, so it is likley that I'll need to be on insulin at some point later on. I have another appointment at the clinic on Tuesday.

I also met with Dr. Acker and I'm heading back to work this coming week - but don't worry - our living room couch won't be lonely. I'll be working 4 hours a day from home. I'm looking forward to the distraction, feeling more productive, and to (at least virtually) getting out of the house!

Steve and I got out and went shopping for the babies yesterday and bought a few outfits, organization stuff for the nursery closet, etc. It was fun to start really getting things in place for them! I feel them moving a lot these days which feels like a miracle. We're almost to the 24 week milestone! :)

Borderline Gestational Diabetes

I found out this afternoon that the blood tests I had yesterday revealed that I have a borderline case of gestational diabetes - meaning that my blood sugar is on the low side of the range that indicates diabetes. Apparently this is more common in twin pregnancies - and even more common in twin pregnancies with bed rest.

In my case, the gestational diabetes is being caused by an increase in placental hormones that block my insulin from being effective. Two placentas equal more than twice the amount of placental hormones that block my insulin. This means that my body needs to produce a lot more insulin to effectively process any sugar in my blood and my body just isn't keeping up. As a result, the babies are getting more sugar than they normally would and this causes their little systems to produce more insulin as well. If the babies continue to overproduce insulin after they are born, then they may have low blood sugar at birth or other issues. We need to regulate my system to help the babies regulate their systems.

At this point my gestational diabetes is a borderline case and is relatively minor and should be manageable through changes in my diet at this point. My OB has set up appointments for me with the folks at the diabetes clinic at Brigham on Tuesday - an endocrinologist, nurse trainer, and nutritionist. During the appointment, we'll set up a formal treatment plan to nip this in the bud. Until then I'm reading a lot and am trying not to worry too much.

This isn't exactly the pregnancy road I'd hoped to be on - but then again who knows what each of us will find along the way? It could be absolutely fine. It's not always easy to stay positive and I have to admit that I allowed myself the luxury of a good long cry today - I had really hoped that the worst was behind us and felt really deflated by the news today. It's been a wonderful (babies looking good, getting off bedrest) and frustrating (gestational diabetes) week. The emotional medical rollercoaster we're on sometimes seems like too much. The good news is that being off bedrest and a little more active will help to ease the gestational diabetes. Getting out and about will definitely make it easier to cope. All of the love and support from family and friends continues to help as well. Thanks again for being there.

Easing off bedrest...

Wonderful news today! The ultrasound showed that the hematoma is much smaller and that our baby girl's placenta is healing well. While the placenta is still low in my uterus, it has moved upward and according to our OB, Dr. Acker, at this point strict bedrest is not something that will change the outcome of my pregnancy. So Dr. Acker is slowly easing me off bedrest which means more walking around and more time being vertical. I am supposed to gradually add activity to my routine, and compared to strict bedrest even minor activity will seem like major action!

One of the highlights of my appointment was when Dr. Acker drew his "worry meter" sketch.

He said that this is a scale to judge how worried we are about what's happening in my pregnancy at a range of 0 to 180. He also said that no one in their right mind would be worried at a zero level - you'd have to be brain dead. Then he said that he'd go first. He said that based on his 30 odd years of experience his worry about my pregnancy right now is at about 5. Then he asked me what my worry level is. I said that it's been around 90, but it's going down now that things are looking better. Dr. Acker chuckled and said that hopefully it will go down to about a 30 or less. Working with him, I think that's possible... He's really just great...

I have another follow-up appointment scheduled for next Thursday. If everything goes well, I'll be able to return to work (from home) on the 17th.