A little more news

I thought I would update this blog with all of the tests and information that I am getting on a regular basis. I keep having nothing to report, because I am remaining stable at the moment, so thought this would help us remember and explain some things to you guys.

So, we had an ultrasound the other day and they predicted the weight of the twins. Will weighed in at a whopping 1 lb. 10 oz. and Kate weighed in at 1 lb. 5 oz. She is so dainty compared to her brother. They will continue to look at their growth rate every 2 or 2 1/2 weeks from here on out.

They will also be doing ultrasounds on Mondays and Thursdays to look at the cord blood supply to make sure it is adequate for each twin. This ultrasound will also include a BPP or BioPhysical Profile, where they watch the babies each for up to 30 minutes and look at their heartbeat, breathing, and movement. I will have one of these some time today.

They also draw blood every 24 hours. Pre-eclampsia can affect your kidney functioning, liver enzymes, and platelet count. So these labs are drawn each day to determine how all of these things are functioning. With kidney functioning, they look at my uric acid and creatinine levels. At this time, my creatinine level remains the same from when this all began - slightly elevated for being pregnant, but no serious concern. My uric acid level has increased, so they will be looking at that closely. My liver enzymes are normal, and my platelet count, which was decreased, has now returned back to the normal range. They like to see your platelet count above 100, if not they considering delivering. At one point last week, my platelet count was down to 94 and they held out, thank goodness, and it is now at 193 (150 being normal).

Another thing that they look at is the amount of protein in my urine, which helps to let them know how my kidneys are functioning. So, once a week, I have to collect my urine for 24 hours (fun, fun, fun) and then they analyze the amount of protein that I am spilling. My first test indicated 600 mg (and this number is the one that made me remain in the hospital in the first place). About a week later it was at 660mg and then the most recent reading last week had gone up to 1800 mg. The doctors start getting concerned if the number is above 5000 mg. I will do this test again on Sat. and every Sat. as long as I am pregnant.

They also do non-stress testing on the babies twice a day. This is where they put them on a heart rate monitor, which can tell them how well the babies are doing depending on their heart rate. This is a taxing thing to do twice a day. First, you have to find both babies and their heart rate and then you have to keep them together for 20 minutes. Thankfully, the twenty minutes does not have to be consecutive, but at 25 weeks, the babies are so tiny and moving around, it is difficult to hold them on. It has taken up to 2 hours before. I am already learning what it will be like to have twins at home.

A list of other things that aren't tests but they look at are: vital signs (including blood pressure - which mine have been perfect for a week now), headaches, vision changes, swelling, change in babies movement, etc.

So, after that wealth of information, I am holding steady at this time, for the moment. I spoke with a doctor yesterday who really spelled it out for me when I asked him if I could go home on bedrest and he immediately said NO!!!! Understanding that preeclampsia is unpredictable, he gave me his professional opinion. I will be in the hospital until the babies are delivered. He would like to see me get to 32 weeks, but he does not expect that I will. He thinks right now I am still in the honeymoon period from the steroid injection they gave me 2 weeks ago to help the babies respiratory system develop faster to be more ready for delivery. He thinks now we will begin to see a decline and I will need to be watched closer. It is possible that the first sign of this decline is the recent elevation of uric acid in my blood, which is a loose indicator of kidney function.

I also asked about going back to Flagstaff at 28 weeks, because the NICU there can supposedly handle babies born after 28 weeks. However, Flagstaff does not have everything that the babies may need if they come early, so I think that we have decided to stay here in Phoenix for the duration. It will be harder on the family for now, but those several weeks are nothing compared to a lifetime of health benefits for Will and Kate.

So, here I sit in the hospital with frequent visits from my mom, Josh, Ben, and lots of wonderful friends.

Thanks as always for the well-wishes and prayers.