Many of you have asked how things are going and I know you're anxiously awaiting some news. So far, the other two boys are doing well. Ryan and I are in the hospital and are listening now to the "galloping" of two little heartbeats on the monitor. They are both stable and appear at this point to be healthy with no signs of distress. The doctor's orginal plans are to keep A & C growing as long as possible, however long that may be - hours, days, or more.
On Monday and Tuesday I got my last round of steroid injections to assist with their lung development, which is a definite bonus for the boys. My contractions flared up dramatically on Monday due to the stress of the day, but have calmed down significantly since then. They are monitoring my contractions and the two heartbeats 24 hours a day, so the doctors and nurses are keeping a close watch on things.
Since yesterday, there is some concern about some of my blood test results that many indicate beginning stages of preeclampsia. I'm not showing any of the more common signs like protein in urine, swelling, or headaches/vision changes, but have had ongoing issues with borderline/high blood pressure and now liver enzymes are showing up in the blood work. If the signs indicate that I do develop preeclamsia, they will immediately begin to prep me for the c-section and will deliver ASAP. At their gestational age, the boys would be safer in the NICU and it would be much safer for me, as untreated preeclampsia or full-blown eclampsia can bring on seizures which would not be good for any of us.
They will repeat the blood tests every 12 hours until it's "go time", and my next test is tonight. That means there's a real possibility that we could delivery these babies soon. Then again, I could go several more days, possibly weeks. They try to always do c-sections when the patient has an empty stomach, so since the possibiity of surgery exists, I'm not allowed to eat or drink until we get those blood results back. I ate a big breakfast to hold me over, but it sounds as if this will be our 12-hour lifestyle from now until the babies arrive. It's VERY unlikely that I will leave the hospital before the babies are born, so we're trying to adjust to this new course of events.
We're dealing with a massive range of emotions and feelings - from sadness and sorrow, to happiness and anticipation, to anxiousness about the unknown. A dear friend and mentor stopped by this morning and pointed us to Matthew 8, specifically verses 23-27, when Jesus calms a great storm. That's a little what we've felt like these past few days - a boat out at sea that is being rocked and thrown in many directions. The verses remind us that Jesus is in "our boat" with us, and that we can trust Him to protect us. We don't need to be anxious, we just need to turn to Him and trust Him.
So for now, we just continue to wait, rest, and take things hour by hour. Through it all, we've been so thankful to all of you for your kind words of encouragment and your prayers. Please continue to pray for the health of babies A, C, and myself, as well as the strength to endure these next few hours, days, and weeks - no matter what may come. Please also pray for wisdom in decision making for the doctors and for us, as we sort through what steps are best for our family.
Thank you again for making us feel so loved. We'll keep you posted when we can, but it may be a while...
1 comment:
Alison, you have all the condolences I can send your way in your loss of your little boy. I never had anything like that to go through, but I can't imagine how emotionally draining it must be for you. I am definitely thinking of you. I constantly look out my back door to see if it looks like your mom and dad are home. Hang in there.
Sandy
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