31 weeks

Well, I feel happy to have another week gone by without incident.  However, we had a doctor appointment today that only reminded us once more that this is a high risk pregnancy.  That nothing about this pregnancy is the same as Lillian's.  That even when one risk factor can be under control, another can rear its head with no warning.

We had a biophysical profile as well as a growth ultrasound before meeting with the doctor.  In the biophysical the ultrasound tech measures the heartrate, cord pressure, fetal breathing, among some other factors.  Both babies scored 8 out of 8.  Things were off to a pretty good start.  The growth ultrasound also started off well.  Though when the tech estimated baby A's weight (the bigger baby of the two) at 3 pounds 2 ounces, I was a little disappointed knowing this was a little on the small side for 31 weeks.  The tech then proceeded to measure baby B, who has all along been a little behind, but now he's showing about 3-4 weeks behind, weighing 2 pounds 15 ounces.

Not thinking too much of this, we waited in an exam room for the doctor.  When she came in she informed us "your babies are not behaving well."  Kind of stunned, I listened as she told us that they don't like to see the growth slow so much at this point in the pregnancy.  They went from being in the 35th-45th percentile for their gestation down to the 20th-35th percentile in 4 weeks time.  The doctor attributes this to the breakdown of the placenta(s) in twin pregnancies.  Sometimes a mother's body cannot support a larger amount of placenta, and I have two of them.  Although this breakdown is not uncommon, I think this is something that typically starts to happen around 34, 35, 36 weeks, when the babies are a pound or two bigger.  The problem at this point is if the babies don't level off or pick back up on the growth charts, and baby B gets closer to the 10th percentile, they will schedule a c-section.  If they are not growing well on the inside, the best thing for them is to incubate them and let them grow on the outside.

So our next step is to get another level 2 ultrasound with the perinatologist at Shawnee Mission.  She will be able to give us a little more information after she does a thorough measurement scan.  I also then start non-stress tests two times a week at the hospital, which I don't think were supposed to start until 32-34 weeks.  We will need to see the results of each of these tests before we know what comes next.  At this point its just a waiting game. 

I can't help but try to find reasons for why this might be happening.  I personally haven't gained any weight in about 5-6 weeks.  I eat all the time, but can't seem to keep up.  The doctor says this doesn't have anything to do with my weight gain.  I know I have some fat stores they could take from, but I can't help but think it has a little to do with it.  After all, this is the time when the babies grow the most, so shouldn't I be gaining something?  Same goes for the hospital visit last week.  Did the babies not react well to all the medication I recieved in the hospital, and everything I've been taking in the almost two weeks since?  Even though it was all for their well-being and considered safe, I still wonder...

I'm trying to look at this in the most positive way possible.  I realize that in the scheme of things, we're still doing pretty well.  The babies, from what we can tell, are healthy.  Small, but healthy.  Lilli was only 7 pounds 3 ounces, so I don't have a history of having larger babies.  We made it to 31 weeks and I'm pretty sure we'll make it to 32.  My hope now is to just make it two more after that, maybe both babies will have a growth spurt and baby B stays over that 10th percentile mark.  At least with bedrest, I can actively participate in keeping them inside, but I have no control over how well the placentas continue to work.  I still think 35 weeks is possible, and I'm not going to give up on that just yet.  I just have to trust that things will happen as they may and that someone out there is taking care of us.