Yesterday we had our 3rd amnio reduction. Before they did the procedure they measured their fluids and Emma had dropped down to 0.5cm and Molly was up to 13 cm. They ended up removing 6 pounds of fluid from Molly this brought her down to around 7 cm of fluid.
During the procedure they have a needle and vaccum inserted in my belly and as the fluid is being drawn out it is going into a big jar and I always ask the Doctor to let me hold the jar of fluid. I know it sounds strange but it just makes me feel closer to my baby because they are taking what she is living in and putting it in my hands. Its a bonding moment for me, for sure.
This evening they came in and gave me an ultra sound to see what kind of progress the girls have made since the procedure. And while Molly has still gained more fluid...she has gone from 7cm to 9.4 cm Emma has also had time to do some catching up. Emma went from 0.5cm of fluid to 4.7 cm of fluid in just a day. So that is a blessing that reducing all that fluid from Molly has allowed Emma to catch up. Please pray that Emma is able to continue to produce enough fluid and that Molly can slow her production down some.
Too much fluid for Molly isnt healthy for her and it deprives Emma of what she needs.
They are suppose to check their weight/growths next friday. I am praying that there is not a huge difference in their sizes. As long as they are moderately close together then that means Emma is not being too deprived nutritonally.
I have had several people ask me if I am going crazy having to live in this hospital and honestly, I am thankful for each day that I am here because that means its another day that I am pregnant and its another day that my baby girls are safe and healthy. Thank you for all of the phone calls, messages, and visitors. It is nice to have some extra company.
Knowing that my baby girls are loved so much by others means the world to us. There are so many people praying for our babies and thank you just doesnt seem to say enough.
We will continue to keep all of you posted.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Trying to Keep the Faith for my Baby Girls...
This morning we had an ultra sound and did not hear what I was hoping to hear.
This has been a really hard day for me. I feel like I should be able to do more than what I am in order to protect my babies but I am so powerless and this is so hard for me to accept.
I crumble and I break and I know I need to stay strong for them but I cant even try to explain in enough words how difficult this is for me.
This morning They checked the fluid levels around the babies and when the levels get below 2 cm it is not good. Well Emma did not even have 1 cm. She has 0.76cm and Molly had 11 cm. So Molly's fluid is continuing to rapidly build back up and Emma is not able to produce enough fluid because Molly's sac is so big it continues to squoosh Emma. Therefore another amnio reduction is necessary to remove fluid from Molly in hopes that Emma can build some fluid back up before Molly produces too much again.
As the babies get bigger they are suppose to produce less fluid, so the hope is that my body can hold out all the amnio reductions necessary until they can hopefully stabilize their fluids. This 3rd amnio procedure is suppose to take place at some point tomorrow.
Everytime they do this reduction it is very painful for me. Inserting a needle into my uterus and draining fluid from my baby's sac is not exactly what I call comfortable. The pain is so sharp that it is even hard for me to breathe for several hours after the procdeure is over.
But the discomfort doesnt bother me as much as the risk involved of doing this procedure. Everytime they do this is another chance that I could go into labor. However, not doing it causes both babies to suffer. So we have to take that chance of pre term labor because them being outside the womb is better for them than being inside and recieiving too much fluid or not enough.
They also checked my cervix. The cervix is the muscle that holds the babies in. Once the cervix is short enough that it cant hold the babies in any longer, the babies come out. ( for those who dont exactly know) At anyrate, at this point in my pregnancy my cervix should be longer than 2 cm and it is 1.6cm. Just two weeks ago it was 3 cm so in just 2 weeks it has shortened half its size.
The nurse told me that they most likely will have to put me to sleep to stitch my cervix closed to prevent it from getting any shorter however, when the DR came in she said that this is not the case because I am too far long in my pregnancy for the stitch to even hold out. SO basically I am just having to play the waiting game. I have to keep praying that God allows my body to do everything it should do in order to give my babies the best chance at a healthy life.
Continue to pray that God gives the doctors the wisdom they need in order to give my babies the best care possible and pray that God protects my girls so that they can grow up to be happy healthy followers of Him.
I dont know exactly what God's plan is through all of this but I do know that for such a time as this He has placed these little girls inside of me for a reason. I know that their lives are not in vain. So God has to protect them! I love my girls so much and I just cant imagine life without them here with me. So continue to cry out to Jesus on behalf of them, because I NEED God to save my baby girls. I have never been so desperate for anything in all of my life.
This afternoon a friend of mine came and sat with me long enough for Rick to go home and get some things he needed and he told me that while he was home he went into their nursery and just got on his knees and wept. He said he put his hands on their cribs and prayed for them and then placed a Bible in each of their cribs and said that He is just expecting God to watch over them.
I am so thankful for a husband that has so much faith and is giving me so much comfort and love. My baby girls are so lucky to have a daddy that loves them so much. Thank you for all of you who continue to lift them and us in prayer.
This has been a really hard day for me. I feel like I should be able to do more than what I am in order to protect my babies but I am so powerless and this is so hard for me to accept.
I crumble and I break and I know I need to stay strong for them but I cant even try to explain in enough words how difficult this is for me.
This morning They checked the fluid levels around the babies and when the levels get below 2 cm it is not good. Well Emma did not even have 1 cm. She has 0.76cm and Molly had 11 cm. So Molly's fluid is continuing to rapidly build back up and Emma is not able to produce enough fluid because Molly's sac is so big it continues to squoosh Emma. Therefore another amnio reduction is necessary to remove fluid from Molly in hopes that Emma can build some fluid back up before Molly produces too much again.
As the babies get bigger they are suppose to produce less fluid, so the hope is that my body can hold out all the amnio reductions necessary until they can hopefully stabilize their fluids. This 3rd amnio procedure is suppose to take place at some point tomorrow.
Everytime they do this reduction it is very painful for me. Inserting a needle into my uterus and draining fluid from my baby's sac is not exactly what I call comfortable. The pain is so sharp that it is even hard for me to breathe for several hours after the procdeure is over.
But the discomfort doesnt bother me as much as the risk involved of doing this procedure. Everytime they do this is another chance that I could go into labor. However, not doing it causes both babies to suffer. So we have to take that chance of pre term labor because them being outside the womb is better for them than being inside and recieiving too much fluid or not enough.
They also checked my cervix. The cervix is the muscle that holds the babies in. Once the cervix is short enough that it cant hold the babies in any longer, the babies come out. ( for those who dont exactly know) At anyrate, at this point in my pregnancy my cervix should be longer than 2 cm and it is 1.6cm. Just two weeks ago it was 3 cm so in just 2 weeks it has shortened half its size.
The nurse told me that they most likely will have to put me to sleep to stitch my cervix closed to prevent it from getting any shorter however, when the DR came in she said that this is not the case because I am too far long in my pregnancy for the stitch to even hold out. SO basically I am just having to play the waiting game. I have to keep praying that God allows my body to do everything it should do in order to give my babies the best chance at a healthy life.
Continue to pray that God gives the doctors the wisdom they need in order to give my babies the best care possible and pray that God protects my girls so that they can grow up to be happy healthy followers of Him.
I dont know exactly what God's plan is through all of this but I do know that for such a time as this He has placed these little girls inside of me for a reason. I know that their lives are not in vain. So God has to protect them! I love my girls so much and I just cant imagine life without them here with me. So continue to cry out to Jesus on behalf of them, because I NEED God to save my baby girls. I have never been so desperate for anything in all of my life.
This afternoon a friend of mine came and sat with me long enough for Rick to go home and get some things he needed and he told me that while he was home he went into their nursery and just got on his knees and wept. He said he put his hands on their cribs and prayed for them and then placed a Bible in each of their cribs and said that He is just expecting God to watch over them.
I am so thankful for a husband that has so much faith and is giving me so much comfort and love. My baby girls are so lucky to have a daddy that loves them so much. Thank you for all of you who continue to lift them and us in prayer.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Staying Hopeful for my Baby Girls...
Doctor Brown is one of the high risk Doctors that has been handling our case. He just came in a few minutes ago to check on me and to see how I am recovering from the amnio procedure I had done last night.
He told me that the goal is to continue to do the amnio procdedure as needed to allow both babies to have the same amount of fluid in hopes that they will eventually maintain their own amount of fluid without needing the procedure anymore.
He said at this point things are looking really good and that it is not hopeless to think that I could stay pregnant for longer than 3 more weeks. Both babies so far are continuing to be healthy active little fighters and are not showing any signs of struggling.
As long as they can get the babies fluid stabilized and there is no dangerous evidence that the babies are growing in adequately he feels that I could remain pregnant for quite a while. So please continue to pray for my baby girls that God will protect them, and that He will have His hand all over my sweet Emma Grace and precious Molly Ann. I know that my girls arent just gifts from God but that they will proove to be Miracles from God.
He told me that the goal is to continue to do the amnio procdedure as needed to allow both babies to have the same amount of fluid in hopes that they will eventually maintain their own amount of fluid without needing the procedure anymore.
He said at this point things are looking really good and that it is not hopeless to think that I could stay pregnant for longer than 3 more weeks. Both babies so far are continuing to be healthy active little fighters and are not showing any signs of struggling.
As long as they can get the babies fluid stabilized and there is no dangerous evidence that the babies are growing in adequately he feels that I could remain pregnant for quite a while. So please continue to pray for my baby girls that God will protect them, and that He will have His hand all over my sweet Emma Grace and precious Molly Ann. I know that my girls arent just gifts from God but that they will proove to be Miracles from God.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Still Believing God to Save My Babies
I have had so many emails and phone calls and i just dont have it in me physically to respond to each of them but know that every single one of them are appreciated and comforting to us during this extremely hard time.
Today has been the hardest day for me yet. I have had several out of body experiences and I fall to pieces everytime I am left alone for even a minute. I am so scared and so uncertain and I dont doubt God has a plan but for me not knowing what His plan is, is very scary.
These are my babies and I with everything that is in me want nothing more than to be able to protect them and I cant. And It is so heart wrenching for me. I am going to repeat some old info along with some new just to help bring everyone up to speed that has been concerned.
We were told Friday that the best possible chance for our girls would be to have the surgery in Wisconsin that would correct the blood vessels in the placenta so that all the nutrients and blood flow in the placenta is distriubted equally to both babies so that one baby is no longer deprived and the other baby is no longer recieving too much.This surgery would also correct the problem of one baby recieving too much amnio fluid and the other baby not receiving enough due to being squooshed by the bigger babies sac.
In terms...Baby Emma is not able to produce enough amnio fluid because Molly is producing so much that her sac is smooshing Emma. The surgery was suppose to correct both of these problems and give both my babies a good fighting chance.
However, this morning the Doctor from Wisconsin ( Dr. De Lia) called me himself and explained to me why I was not a good canidate for this surgery.
The two main reasons were that 1. My placenta is located in a posistion that would make operation very difficult to be a success for the babies and 2. He did not feel that it would be in my best interest to have the surgery because of all the health problems I have had through this pregnancy. So basically, he was not confident that me and BOTH babies could get through the surgery and all be 100% okay at the end of it. Therefore he declined to do the surgery.
THerefore, our only option is for me to remain in the hospital under strict observation until the babies are born. Meanwhile being in the hospital, the problem with the placenta is still at hand. It is still sending too much to baby Molly and Baby Emma is not getting enough. There is nothing we can do to fix this. All they can do is moniter the babies and decide to deliver when they find that it is safer for them to be outside the womb then it is to be inside the womb.
As of what we were last told there is only a 22% difference in the size of the babies which means that as of Now baby Emma is not lacking too much blood supply and nutrients. We are praising God for this and praying that this continues to be the case.
However Doctors tell us that we can expect this growth difference to increase significantly over the next couple weeks. Should it increase, it puts Molly more at risk to go into cardiac arrest because her heart is having to work too hard for all the blood she is recieving and Emma, is being drastically deprived of everything she needs to have a healthy life.
When it comes to the growth of the babies and how much the placenta is or is not sending to each baby can not be fixed without that surgery it can only be monitered and again, when they find that it is causing a decline in the babies health they will deliver.
However, the amniotic fluid is still an issue and this is being maintained in the hospital. Baby Molly as mentioned is producing too much fluid and as her sac is growing so fast it is smooshing Emma and therefore Emma is not able to produce enough fluid. Therefore, everytime Molly has too much fluid build up I have to undergo a procedure called amniocentisis reduction.
This is where they insert a needle into my uterus and drain fluid from Molly's sac so that Emma can have more room. I had this procedure done this past friday and Molly's fluid built back up so quickly that I had to have it done again today( Monday). Today they removed 3 pounds of fluid. Everytime they do this procedure there is a risk of me going into labor. Therefore I am on medicines to help prevent that. Doctors told me today that they can normally perform this procedure 5 to 7 times before a delivery is necessary. He said delivery would most likely happen for me with in 3 to 4 weeks.
Every since those words came out of his mouth my nerves have been shot. I have had several anxiety attacks and Doctors have tried to keep me calm with nerve meds but nothing has really been able to help me pull together. One minute I am sitting here calm and just taking it all in, and the next I am complete basket case falling whichever way I may. I am only 24 wks pregnant and only 3-4 more weeks is just not long enough for me to accept.
I just always pictured my delivery day meeting my babies for the 1st time with the doctors laying my healthy new born baby girls on my chest as they came out and me kissing them as I see them for the first time and rick and i looking at eachother with tears of joy in our eyes. And now, that picture perfect image has been shattered as reality is hitting me that my 1st glimpse of my new baby girls is going to be seeing them in incubators hooked up to all kinds of tubes and machines and I just cant find myself to be okay with that. I fall to shreds every time the vision crosses my mind.
Doctors expect me to have them with in 3-4 weeks but please Proclaim and help me believe that my baby girls will beat those odds and will be able to stay in me much MUCH Longer. 32 weeks would be ideally perfect. I dont want to accept that Dr's dont feel we have that long. I want to believe that God has bigger plans for my babies, so help me believe that too because I NEED a support system.
My mom or either Rick have stayed with me every night and I dont know what I would have done otherwise. I am a complete and total mess. And I just cant be this way. I need to be strong for my girls. Please pray that I can do this for them. I am so broken and scared because I never know from day to day if it will be my last time feeling my babies move inside of me.I just dont understand what Gods plan is but I do know that already He has used my sweet baby girls to bring HUNDREDS of people to their knees, and I have to keep beleiving that this is ONLY the first of the many ways God is going to use my baby girls to glorify Him.
As I know more i will try to do my best to keep you informed. Thank you again for all the love and support.
Today has been the hardest day for me yet. I have had several out of body experiences and I fall to pieces everytime I am left alone for even a minute. I am so scared and so uncertain and I dont doubt God has a plan but for me not knowing what His plan is, is very scary.
These are my babies and I with everything that is in me want nothing more than to be able to protect them and I cant. And It is so heart wrenching for me. I am going to repeat some old info along with some new just to help bring everyone up to speed that has been concerned.
We were told Friday that the best possible chance for our girls would be to have the surgery in Wisconsin that would correct the blood vessels in the placenta so that all the nutrients and blood flow in the placenta is distriubted equally to both babies so that one baby is no longer deprived and the other baby is no longer recieving too much.This surgery would also correct the problem of one baby recieving too much amnio fluid and the other baby not receiving enough due to being squooshed by the bigger babies sac.
In terms...Baby Emma is not able to produce enough amnio fluid because Molly is producing so much that her sac is smooshing Emma. The surgery was suppose to correct both of these problems and give both my babies a good fighting chance.
However, this morning the Doctor from Wisconsin ( Dr. De Lia) called me himself and explained to me why I was not a good canidate for this surgery.
The two main reasons were that 1. My placenta is located in a posistion that would make operation very difficult to be a success for the babies and 2. He did not feel that it would be in my best interest to have the surgery because of all the health problems I have had through this pregnancy. So basically, he was not confident that me and BOTH babies could get through the surgery and all be 100% okay at the end of it. Therefore he declined to do the surgery.
THerefore, our only option is for me to remain in the hospital under strict observation until the babies are born. Meanwhile being in the hospital, the problem with the placenta is still at hand. It is still sending too much to baby Molly and Baby Emma is not getting enough. There is nothing we can do to fix this. All they can do is moniter the babies and decide to deliver when they find that it is safer for them to be outside the womb then it is to be inside the womb.
As of what we were last told there is only a 22% difference in the size of the babies which means that as of Now baby Emma is not lacking too much blood supply and nutrients. We are praising God for this and praying that this continues to be the case.
However Doctors tell us that we can expect this growth difference to increase significantly over the next couple weeks. Should it increase, it puts Molly more at risk to go into cardiac arrest because her heart is having to work too hard for all the blood she is recieving and Emma, is being drastically deprived of everything she needs to have a healthy life.
When it comes to the growth of the babies and how much the placenta is or is not sending to each baby can not be fixed without that surgery it can only be monitered and again, when they find that it is causing a decline in the babies health they will deliver.
However, the amniotic fluid is still an issue and this is being maintained in the hospital. Baby Molly as mentioned is producing too much fluid and as her sac is growing so fast it is smooshing Emma and therefore Emma is not able to produce enough fluid. Therefore, everytime Molly has too much fluid build up I have to undergo a procedure called amniocentisis reduction.
This is where they insert a needle into my uterus and drain fluid from Molly's sac so that Emma can have more room. I had this procedure done this past friday and Molly's fluid built back up so quickly that I had to have it done again today( Monday). Today they removed 3 pounds of fluid. Everytime they do this procedure there is a risk of me going into labor. Therefore I am on medicines to help prevent that. Doctors told me today that they can normally perform this procedure 5 to 7 times before a delivery is necessary. He said delivery would most likely happen for me with in 3 to 4 weeks.
Every since those words came out of his mouth my nerves have been shot. I have had several anxiety attacks and Doctors have tried to keep me calm with nerve meds but nothing has really been able to help me pull together. One minute I am sitting here calm and just taking it all in, and the next I am complete basket case falling whichever way I may. I am only 24 wks pregnant and only 3-4 more weeks is just not long enough for me to accept.
I just always pictured my delivery day meeting my babies for the 1st time with the doctors laying my healthy new born baby girls on my chest as they came out and me kissing them as I see them for the first time and rick and i looking at eachother with tears of joy in our eyes. And now, that picture perfect image has been shattered as reality is hitting me that my 1st glimpse of my new baby girls is going to be seeing them in incubators hooked up to all kinds of tubes and machines and I just cant find myself to be okay with that. I fall to shreds every time the vision crosses my mind.
Doctors expect me to have them with in 3-4 weeks but please Proclaim and help me believe that my baby girls will beat those odds and will be able to stay in me much MUCH Longer. 32 weeks would be ideally perfect. I dont want to accept that Dr's dont feel we have that long. I want to believe that God has bigger plans for my babies, so help me believe that too because I NEED a support system.
My mom or either Rick have stayed with me every night and I dont know what I would have done otherwise. I am a complete and total mess. And I just cant be this way. I need to be strong for my girls. Please pray that I can do this for them. I am so broken and scared because I never know from day to day if it will be my last time feeling my babies move inside of me.I just dont understand what Gods plan is but I do know that already He has used my sweet baby girls to bring HUNDREDS of people to their knees, and I have to keep beleiving that this is ONLY the first of the many ways God is going to use my baby girls to glorify Him.
As I know more i will try to do my best to keep you informed. Thank you again for all the love and support.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Continue Praying for Our Baby Girls
Sitting in the hospital bed with such a heavy heart. One minute I am full of so much faith and optimisim and the next I am overwhelmed with so much fear and confusion.
So much prayer and faith went in to believing that God would bless us with a baby and when we found out we were pregnant it was by far the most exciting day of our lives.
Then we found out that God was not only giving us one miracle baby but he was giving us two. We were SO thankful and excited and truly beside ourselves. Every single step of my pregnancy has been a struggle for me physically and while I have had such a hard time I have been so thankful along the way that while i may have been miserable my baby girls were doing just fine!
Every Doctors appt the past 6 months has showed us that they were both growing and doing just perfect. And I have been so thankful every---EVERY single day for this. Nothing could have prepared us for the blindsided news we recieved this past friday, when we went to the Dr expecting another Great visit, but instead getting news that has torn our hearts to pieces.
We are faced with so many hard decisions right now. Both babies healths are in jeapordy due to my placenta sending too much to one baby and not enough to the other. If this isnt corrected, neither baby will have a chance. But the surgery to correct this gives 90% chance to one baby and 65-70% chance for both to make it out just fine. In my heart these percentages just arent high enough. These are my babies and I want a 100% chance for both!!! But not doing the surgery at all, gives neither a fighting chance so we are told.
This is so much for me to take in and comprehend. All i am doing at this point is believing that if this surgery is what God wants to use to save BOTH my baby girls then we will get accepted to go to wisconsin where the inventor of this procedure will perform this for us. There is no other doctor in the world that could do this operation better than him, as he is the founder of it. So I am trusting God to lead us where he wants us to follow.
If this surgery is not what God wants to use to save our babies then I have no idea what step will be next, but I know that SOMETHING will happen. We are suppose to know in the morning what the verdict is. If we are told to go to Wisconsin we have a day or 2 to make the arrangements to get there.
I have always had faith in God but I have never been put in a place where I had to completely PUT ALL my faith in Him, and that is where I am now. Broken and scared. Dont know what to expect but all i know is that whatever doors open to give my babies a fighting chance we must put all fear aside and RUN through them, trusting along the way that this is where God is leading.
I cant tell you all enough how much your prayers mean to us. I am sorry i do not have the chance to respond to each of you personally but do know that Rick and I are recieving your messages and we love you for it.
I was telling my Aunt that out of so much that I dont know right now, that there are two things that I do know for sure and that is I need both my babies to make it through this and God is the ONLY one who can make that happen. So on behalf of our sweet baby Emma Grace and precious Molly Ann please continue to lift them up to the only one who can save them.
Pray that God guides the minds and hands of the doctors who will be over us and pray that God gives Rick and I peace about the decisions and challenges that we are facing and pray that where He guides He will also provide for us to get there. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to us...Hold me Jesus, I am shaking like a leaf....Though my heart is torn, I will praise you through the storm. Be still and Know that I am God...Trying to stay strong but there is So much going through our minds right now, and i would be lying if i said we werent scared.
Thank you for supporting us but most of all keep on praying because at the end of all this God is ultimately the only one who can make the difference.
Erika
So much prayer and faith went in to believing that God would bless us with a baby and when we found out we were pregnant it was by far the most exciting day of our lives.
Then we found out that God was not only giving us one miracle baby but he was giving us two. We were SO thankful and excited and truly beside ourselves. Every single step of my pregnancy has been a struggle for me physically and while I have had such a hard time I have been so thankful along the way that while i may have been miserable my baby girls were doing just fine!
Every Doctors appt the past 6 months has showed us that they were both growing and doing just perfect. And I have been so thankful every---EVERY single day for this. Nothing could have prepared us for the blindsided news we recieved this past friday, when we went to the Dr expecting another Great visit, but instead getting news that has torn our hearts to pieces.
We are faced with so many hard decisions right now. Both babies healths are in jeapordy due to my placenta sending too much to one baby and not enough to the other. If this isnt corrected, neither baby will have a chance. But the surgery to correct this gives 90% chance to one baby and 65-70% chance for both to make it out just fine. In my heart these percentages just arent high enough. These are my babies and I want a 100% chance for both!!! But not doing the surgery at all, gives neither a fighting chance so we are told.
This is so much for me to take in and comprehend. All i am doing at this point is believing that if this surgery is what God wants to use to save BOTH my baby girls then we will get accepted to go to wisconsin where the inventor of this procedure will perform this for us. There is no other doctor in the world that could do this operation better than him, as he is the founder of it. So I am trusting God to lead us where he wants us to follow.
If this surgery is not what God wants to use to save our babies then I have no idea what step will be next, but I know that SOMETHING will happen. We are suppose to know in the morning what the verdict is. If we are told to go to Wisconsin we have a day or 2 to make the arrangements to get there.
I have always had faith in God but I have never been put in a place where I had to completely PUT ALL my faith in Him, and that is where I am now. Broken and scared. Dont know what to expect but all i know is that whatever doors open to give my babies a fighting chance we must put all fear aside and RUN through them, trusting along the way that this is where God is leading.
I cant tell you all enough how much your prayers mean to us. I am sorry i do not have the chance to respond to each of you personally but do know that Rick and I are recieving your messages and we love you for it.
I was telling my Aunt that out of so much that I dont know right now, that there are two things that I do know for sure and that is I need both my babies to make it through this and God is the ONLY one who can make that happen. So on behalf of our sweet baby Emma Grace and precious Molly Ann please continue to lift them up to the only one who can save them.
Pray that God guides the minds and hands of the doctors who will be over us and pray that God gives Rick and I peace about the decisions and challenges that we are facing and pray that where He guides He will also provide for us to get there. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to us...Hold me Jesus, I am shaking like a leaf....Though my heart is torn, I will praise you through the storm. Be still and Know that I am God...Trying to stay strong but there is So much going through our minds right now, and i would be lying if i said we werent scared.
Thank you for supporting us but most of all keep on praying because at the end of all this God is ultimately the only one who can make the difference.
Erika
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Our Diagnosis
Yesterday (Jan 22, 2010) I went for my routine every two week check up..i was 24 weeks and 1 day pregnant.
During the ultra sound they found that Baby B ( Molly) is recieving more nutrients from the placenta than Baby A ( Emma).
This is known as twin to twin transfusion and is very dangerous for the well being of both babies. Baby Molly is known as the reciever and Baby Emma is known as the donor. Emma is supplying all of the nutrients and fluid to Molly therefore Emma's amnio fluid is low and Molly's is really high. Because of how much fluid was in molly's sac they were concerned about it causing my water to break and me go into labor so they needed to remove fluid immediiately.
By removing this fluid from Molly it will also give Emma more room as the large sac from Molly was causing Emma to be "shrink wrapped".
Last night they did a procedure on me called amniocentesis reduction. It was only suppose to be a 5 min procedure but because they didnt have the right tools they had to manually remove a lot of the fluid from mollys sac...which took about 45min-an hour.
This was very scary and painful for me. During the procedure I began having contractions a min and a half a part and this continued on for hours. They gave me medicine to help stop the contractions but as of this afternoon i am still having some.. They just arent close together.
So that is a blessing.
Having the amnio procedure was not a permanent fix. They only did it to prevent my water from breaking and to give Emma more room. This alslo relieves pressure from Molly. Her little heart is having to work too hard to keep up with all the blood supply being sent to her.
In a matter of days they expect Mollys fluid to return and Emmas to decline. Causing Emma to continue to go without as she is doning all of her supply to Molly. Too much for Molly can cause her to go into cardiac arrest and too little for Emma will cause to not make it from being deprived.
The only fix for this is a laser surgery to correct the vessels in the placenta that are causing all the supply to go to Molly. The founder of this laser surgery( Dr De Lia) has been doing this for over 20 yrs. He is the best in the world because he invented it. So no one knows this procedure better than him. We are waiting to hear back from him to know if he will accept us and help us save our babies. We will know by Monday, If he will take us then we will be off to Wisconsin.
I am nervous of the risk involved of doing this surgery but doing nothing at all is the biggest risk. If the Dr's in Wisconsin wont take us, then all we can do is continue to have the amnio procedure done over and over where they remove the fluid from Mollys sac but Dr's have assured us that is not the best scenerio for the health of our girls. The laser surgery is the only and best fix to the problem, So pray that God will remain faithful.
I have so many emotions of guilt and fear and saddness. I know that God is in charge i fully believe this or else i would not be asking for your prayers. But it is so hard for me knowing that my babies are struggling for their lives and there is NOTHING i can do about it. I am suppose to protect them and i feel so helpless. Please lift my babies up in prayer over and over because i fully believe that there is POWER In numbers. My baby girls deserve to have this chance at a healthy life. THey already have a nursery to come home too and parents who have waited and prayed so long for them before they were ever even conceived. And we NEED YOU to lift them up over and over to our God. I NEED HIM to save our girls.
My Babies. My heart. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you even know.
Hang in there for us!!!!
During the ultra sound they found that Baby B ( Molly) is recieving more nutrients from the placenta than Baby A ( Emma).
This is known as twin to twin transfusion and is very dangerous for the well being of both babies. Baby Molly is known as the reciever and Baby Emma is known as the donor. Emma is supplying all of the nutrients and fluid to Molly therefore Emma's amnio fluid is low and Molly's is really high. Because of how much fluid was in molly's sac they were concerned about it causing my water to break and me go into labor so they needed to remove fluid immediiately.
By removing this fluid from Molly it will also give Emma more room as the large sac from Molly was causing Emma to be "shrink wrapped".
Last night they did a procedure on me called amniocentesis reduction. It was only suppose to be a 5 min procedure but because they didnt have the right tools they had to manually remove a lot of the fluid from mollys sac...which took about 45min-an hour.
This was very scary and painful for me. During the procedure I began having contractions a min and a half a part and this continued on for hours. They gave me medicine to help stop the contractions but as of this afternoon i am still having some.. They just arent close together.
So that is a blessing.
Having the amnio procedure was not a permanent fix. They only did it to prevent my water from breaking and to give Emma more room. This alslo relieves pressure from Molly. Her little heart is having to work too hard to keep up with all the blood supply being sent to her.
In a matter of days they expect Mollys fluid to return and Emmas to decline. Causing Emma to continue to go without as she is doning all of her supply to Molly. Too much for Molly can cause her to go into cardiac arrest and too little for Emma will cause to not make it from being deprived.
The only fix for this is a laser surgery to correct the vessels in the placenta that are causing all the supply to go to Molly. The founder of this laser surgery( Dr De Lia) has been doing this for over 20 yrs. He is the best in the world because he invented it. So no one knows this procedure better than him. We are waiting to hear back from him to know if he will accept us and help us save our babies. We will know by Monday, If he will take us then we will be off to Wisconsin.
I am nervous of the risk involved of doing this surgery but doing nothing at all is the biggest risk. If the Dr's in Wisconsin wont take us, then all we can do is continue to have the amnio procedure done over and over where they remove the fluid from Mollys sac but Dr's have assured us that is not the best scenerio for the health of our girls. The laser surgery is the only and best fix to the problem, So pray that God will remain faithful.
I have so many emotions of guilt and fear and saddness. I know that God is in charge i fully believe this or else i would not be asking for your prayers. But it is so hard for me knowing that my babies are struggling for their lives and there is NOTHING i can do about it. I am suppose to protect them and i feel so helpless. Please lift my babies up in prayer over and over because i fully believe that there is POWER In numbers. My baby girls deserve to have this chance at a healthy life. THey already have a nursery to come home too and parents who have waited and prayed so long for them before they were ever even conceived. And we NEED YOU to lift them up over and over to our God. I NEED HIM to save our girls.
My Babies. My heart. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you even know.
Hang in there for us!!!!
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