34 weeks!

So the boys have finally made it to 34 weeks! How very exciting! Mina is still laying low, keeping her feet up, and so far, that seems to be getting the job done!

She went in for her BPP/NST today, and mentioned that she has been feeling a lot of pressure. Dr. Downing did a cervical check, and while things are mostly unchanged, Noah's butt seems to be pretty low, indicating he's dropped and moving into position. We're hoping he's not trying to make an early escape, so now more than ever, Mina needs to take it easy. Every week that we make it is another hurdle crossed. So bring on the 35th week!

Next week, we have our next echo at Children's, we can't wait to see how Charlie is doing. We also have a growth scan on Friday. We will be sure to keep everyone posted!

32 Week Update

So Mina's monitoring has been going pretty well so far. Last week, she had to go to Labor and Delivery for observation because of contractions, but her cervix remained unchanged and her fFN was negative, so she was sent home. So far babies are growing as they should (each weighing in at over 4 pounds now!) and doing very well in utero - aside from beating each other up from time to time. :)

Yesterday was the OB appointment, and unfortunately when he checked Mina, he found she was dilated to 1 cm (but not effaced any more than before). Her blood pressure was also 134/89, which is pretty high for her. So now, Mina's modified bedrest has turned into full bedrest. She can still take showers and use the bathroom, and station herself on the couch instead of the bed if she wants, but she needs to spend most of her time laying down.

We need to make it to at least 34 weeks to give Charlie his best chance possible, and Mina will be 33 weeks tomorrow. So lots of prayers that she just makes it at least one more week, if not the full 5 more weeks we had planned on! Thanks everyone :)

NST/BPP

Not much new, just a quick update. Yesterday's non-stress test and biophysical profile were good, both tests were reassuring. Next NST/BPP is on Thursday.

Had the baby shower this weekend, and we are overwhelmed with the amount of things we've received. It's becoming real now - just in case all of the nudges and kicks haven't made it real yet!

30+ Weeks, Updates

So the past few weeks have been quite busy for us, between moving, the arrival of a new niece, and lots of doctors' appointments for Mina. We will try to keep it all together!

So far, Mina herself is in good health. Her contractions have slowed down. She was having a bad reaction to the Procardia she was on, so her cardiologist switched her to a different medication called Cardizem. It was a little rough for a couple of days, where the contractions picked back up, but now everything has settled down again. She passed her gestational diabetes testing, she is gaining weight appropriately, and aside from typical aches and pains associated with pregnancy, she's doing well.

The boys are both growing appropriately. They are both over 3 pounds each, and effectively making mom unable to breathe in certain positions :) It's hard to imagine how big Mina is going to get in the coming weeks.

Now for Charlie's update. According to the echo today, most of his heart function looks great. However, there is an opening which is present in fetuses, called the foramen ovale, which closes after birth. Unfortunately, Charlie is going to need his to stay open after birth. Even more unfortunate, it is starting to close already on its own. Beginning next week, Mina will be having bi-weekly biophysical profiles and non-stress tests to check on his wellbeing. Along with that, it is now being recommended that Mina deliver at Children's Hospital so that immediately after delivery, Charlie can be taken for cardiac catheterization where his foramen ovale will be reopened. It is not customary to deliver at Children's; in fact, there will be a lot of paperwork involved in this process. However, it is felt that it will give Charlie the best chance possible.

So for right now, Mina will be at Washington Hospital Center 2-3 times per week monitoring the babies until delivery. C-section is tentatively being set for May 6th, at Children's Hospital, so long as Mina does not go into labor before then, and so long as both children continue to grow as they should.

Please, lots of prayers for Charlie and Noah, and that we can make it just 7 more weeks and they will grow as much as they possibly can. We are keeping as positive as possible, and trying to remember that everything happens for a reason, and that we can make it through this. Thanks!

Bring on the last trimester!

Mina is officially 28 weeks! Here are her 7 month belly pictures; it's crazy to think she still has a little over 2 months to go!

Otherwise, everything is going very well. She's still contracting at times, but keeping her feet up as much as possible. Next appointment is next Wednesday with her OB, we will update then!

Busy, busy week!

The week started out with Mina's growth scan and follow up appointment at her regular OB in Maryland. Both babies are growing beautifully, Noah weighing in at 2 pounds 1 ounce, and Charlie weighing in at 2 pounds 2 ounces.

Mina getting scanned at the OB

Baby Noah

Baby Charlie waving

Mina's contractions didn't really stop with the dosage of Procardia she was on, however, so the doctor upped the dosage and the frequency, and now her contractions have gotten a lot better. She's still taking it easy, taking the opportunity to study for the nursing boards.

Today, she got to have a follow up fetal echo at Children's, as well as meet her new OB. The fetal echo was very good, according to Dr. Donofrio (the head of the fetal heart program). Charlie's heart function, aside from his HLHS, is very good. She was very pleased with the study. Josh and Mina got to have a lot of questions answered, as this was the first time they sat down with the team since the news of Charlie's diagnosis. As you can imagine, that meeting was a big blur. They also got to tour the Cardiac ICU where Charlie will be staying, as well as the Heart and Kidney floor, which is where he will be moved to once he no longer requires intensive care and will be getting ready for the transition home. It was a very, very good appointment, and Josh and Mina both left there feeling very positive and confident.

Josh had to go back to work after this appointment, so Mina's sister accompanied her to meet the new OB, Dr. Downing. He was an absolute sweetheart, and answered all of both of their questions (it's good to have a labor and delivery nurse as a sister!).

All in all, a very good and productive day. Mina's next appointment is in 2 weeks, where her cervix will be measured again and she will do her glucose testing. Hopefully in the next two weeks there will be nothing new to update on! :)

26 week checkup

So the snow continued to shuffle all of our appointments around, and Mina got to see her regular OB on Friday instead of Thursday, and her new OB will now be next Wednesday after the fetal echo.

So Mina's 26 week checkup: Mom is doing well, aside from the usual aches and pains. Not too much weight gain, good BP, babies' hearts sounded good, belly measuring nice and huge (as it should for twins!) The preterm labor scare was brought up, and the nurse practitioner did another Fetal Fibronectin test (which was negative again), as well as cultures again just to make sure there was no infection. She checked Mina's cervix again, which was long and closed. She then put Mina on a contraction monitor, since Mina admitted to having continued contractions since discharge from Georgetown. Mina was oblivious, and even told her sister "See? I don't feel like I'm contracting at all, I'm sure it's fine!" Patricia raised her eyebrows and pointed to the monitor, and sure enough, Mina was contracting every couple of minutes again - just not feeling them.

So now, Mina is officially on leave from work, on modified bedrest, and taking Procardia to help stop the contractions. She goes in for a follow up on Monday, where she will have her growth scan and check in with the doctor. Hopefully the contractions will stop, and these babies will cook for another good 10-12 weeks!