Shouldve done this first!- Intro (long... very long)
JocelynB0911
member
Well start the finger wagging as I am big on intros and just realized I never did one here. Please forgive me! A little about me... I have been married to my wonderful husband for almost 5 years (anniversary 9/27), we have a 3yo DD, a 2yo DS and no pets.
I am expecting di/di twin boys (edd 9/15/13) and have had a rough(ish) pregnancy. I was high risk to start with as I have Lupus, had a stroke, survived Stevens Johnson Syndrome, both hips are fully replaced, my knees need to be replaced at some point (I am 25 with the body of an 80 year old) and a myriad of other illnesses. With each pregnancy they watch for the development of heart block which luckily we have been able to avoid so far. With this pregnancy they signed off on Twin A but they noticed a dip in Twin B's heart rate. As of right now it has seemed to resolve but we have another fetal echo with the pediactric cardiologist in a few weeks to be sure. If it hasnt and they classify it as heart block then we are looking at an even earlier delivery time (if distress is noted) and an immediate placement of a pace maker.
Growth wise they were doing great. Twin B was always a little smaller but nothing to be concerned about. That was until this week. There is now a 20% discordance between the two. He took three different measurements of each baby to be sure it wasnt a position issue and sure enough it wasnt. My OB is not worried yet, but it has thrown up a red flag as something to keep an eye on. I have had weekly u/s since 17 weeks and have just started on my BPPs every other week and the weeks where they are not doing that they are doing "quick checks" to ensure heart block didnt show up late, organs are functioning, etc.
I was set to be induced at 38 weeks but with my previous history of PTL we were hoping to at least make it to August. Unfortunately I started contracting two weeks ago and the black flag was tossed out and I was placed on bed rest. I am still contracting fairly regularly but there has been no change to my cervix (the "length is ok but it is not ideal" as my doctor said) and I had a positive FFN two weeks ago and again at my appointment on Tuesday. For now, things are stable but I have looked into transfer options as I live in a rural community with no NICU. My OB is 1.5 hours away (his care is beyond amazing and I fully trust him) even though there is a hospital 20 miles from my home. I was instructed to go to the nearest hospital to be evaluated and then transfered but the downside to that is they no nothing about my history and I would rather be at a facility where my MFMs and their NICU teams but at this point I want what is best for my boys. I am looking into what criteria needs to be met to be transferred to my hospital of choice.
After the discordance was noticed my OB mentioned taking them at 36 weeks, IF I even make it that far. My goal is to make it to at least August but have mentally prepared myself for the worst case scenario.
My final blurb, if you will, is this. If we do end up with NICU time, do you think it would be a bad idea to call and set up a tour? Just ask questions? I am very type A and like to prep for the what ifs.
Re: Shouldve done this first!- Intro (long... very long)
Agreed. Worth checking out. The first time I set foot in (or, well, was wheeled into) the NICU was mere hours after my c/s. I was still super woozy from the anesthesia, epidural (which obviously didn't do the trick, hence the anesthesia), and still just trying to wrap my head around what had just transpired, and my new reality. Not sure if the whole firehose approach was better or worse -- in any case, it might have been nice to at least have seen the place before I landed there for the next three months!
This was pretty much my situation too - totally unprepared and didn't know what to do, say, ask, etc. I would definitely set up a tour and find out as much as you can so you maybe can cut down a bit on the overwhelmed factor. Good luck to you!
Hi ya sweetie!! How is your handsome man doing? How are you doing on an equally important note?
Thanks for the welcome ladies. I am about to call the hospital near me and see what their transfer options are and go from there. I dont know where to start with questions to ask. Does anyone have any input on this?
We're doing well! Griffin has surpassed his birthweight which we're super excited about!
I'm sorry you're going through all this but good for you on taking the initiative to get as much info as you can!
Thank you ladies for your responses. My aunt had her twins at 24 weeks and I remember going to the NICU to visit and the machines were overwhelming. I was only 12 at the time so this was quite awhile ago.
When I had DS at 39 weeks he didnt want to pee so we were shipped to a larger hospital and he was put in the NICU and I felt super guilty being there. He had to do some testing and they/ we didnt know if he was going to have to have a major surgery or not so I believe thats why they put him there to start with. We were only there 24 hours as the test they did (cathedar to inject dye) cleared the blockage and they couldnt do it on the first day as we got there at 4 or 5pm. So that is really all of the NICU experience I/we have.
Anyhow, I ran this by DH and of course he shot the idea down and although he didnt mean to, he came across super insensitive. I hammered in that I would like to see the place our boys would potentially be and at least meet some of the staff so we wouldnt go in there blindly without a familiar face to go to. Even if he decides not to go, I will be making the trip in the next week or two. I finally got all of my questions written down and need to figure out who the head neonatologist is and hopefully chat with him/her for a bit as well.