Well, this week's doctor appointment didn't exactly go as planned!! On Tuesday, I had an early morning appointment. Eric had the day off, so he was able to go with me. We planned to drive separately to the appointment and then I would just leave and go straight to work. The appointment itself was normal. I told Dr. McKernan about some cramping I'd had over the weekend. It started on Saturday and although it was pretty uncomfortable, the cramps weren't consistent. I just thought they were Braxton Hicks contractions and just another sign I was getting closer to the end! On Sunday, Eric and I went to IKEA (in hindsight, I can't believe we went!) and I had a few of the same cramps, but they weren't as bad as on Saturday. Monday, I was absolutely fine! Anyway, I told Dr. McKernan about the cramps and he suggested I get the length of my cervix checked.
So, I had an ultrasound done. The tech didn't say much during the exam, but said she wanted to get the PA to do a second look. At the time, she made it seem like it was just that she was fairly inexperienced and wanted someone to double check her measurement. The PA came in and measured again and said, "Alright, well, get dressed and I'm going to get a room for you to see Dr. McKernan." The way the whole thing happened, Eric and I thought they were confused and thought we hadn't seen him already!
So, we did what they said and when we saw the doctor again, he explained that my cervix was a little shorter than what he liked to see in a 30 week pregnant woman (especially carrying twins) and that I was showing "funneling." He explained that was when the outside part of the cervix was beginning to open and made the shape of a funnel. These both indicated possible preterm labor so he sent me and Eric over to the hospital so they could monitor me for awhile and if needed, I would be admitted.
We went over to the hospital and they hooked me up to heart monitors on each of the babies and a contraction monitor. My cervix was checked again and it showed I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. When we heard this, Eric and I both got really nervous and upset. On top of it all, I was having regular contractions. How could this be happening? I was supposed to be on my way to work!
The nurses started giving me shots of turbutaline to see if it would stop the contractions. After three shots, the contractions were very minimal, but were still occuring. An ultrasound tech also came in and did another ultrasound to measure the weights of the twins. Baby A weighed 4.2 lbs and Baby B weighed 3.7 lbs.
The neonatologist who was on staff that day came in to see us. He gave us a 20 minute briefing on what to expect with premature babies-how they are going to be underdeveloped and will have to stay in a NICU for a long time. He explained they might have long term development issues and depending on how I progressed, I would have to be transferred to another hospital since Arrowhead isn't equiped to handle such premature babies. If I had to deliver right away, I would have to stay at Arrowhead and the babies would be transferred to a Level 2 hospital where there was a NICU that could treat the babies. The doctor was incredibly nice, but what the heck??! Was that really necessary to come scare the living daylights out of me and Eric? Couldn't he at least wait to see if the treatment was going to work first?
After that, the perinatologist came to visit. This guy is such a hoot-I'll try to paint a picture of this guy: Dr. Pedron is tall and very skinny with glasses. He wore black and white pinstriped pants with a black and white checkered shirt. He had on gray Mickey Mouse socks and gray suede Gucci loafers. The funny this is, this guy just exudes smartness. You hardly have to look at him without realizing he is just insanely smart. Eric thought that he was able to pull of his ensemble. I just thought it made him more of character.
Anyway, Dr. Pedron came and in and sat on the bed next to me and asked, "So what's going on here?" He talks very quietly so you have to strain to hear him and when he talks to you, it's like you're in a pop quiz that you didn't study for. I told him I was admitted for preterm labor and he asked was the treatment had been so far. Between me and Eric, we gave him the full picture of what we knew was going on. He had read in my chart that Eric was a medical student, so he pimped him a little-it was pretty funny. He spent quite some time with us and at the end, he bluntly told us that everything was going to be fine. He said there was no reason why my body was going into preterm labor, but that since I had about 8lbs of baby in me, my uterus just thought it was done. Even if I were to deliver the babies that soon, he assured me they would be alright. He said he was going to take the prudent action of treating me with magnesium sulfate to shock my uterus and make it stop contracting. He told me not to worry. It was evident he is a Christian man and he said that all we can do is pray. He reminded me and Eric that we are told not to worry but rather to leave it God and let he and Dr. McKernan worry for us. That was exactly what we needed to hear!
After our meetings with the specialists, the nurse came in and started me on a magnesium sulfate bollis. Magnesium sulfate is used as an anti-seizure medicine, but can be used in high doses to treat preterm labor. The nurse had to stay in my room when she she started the IV medication to make sure I didn't have a bad reaction as the medicine slows down all of your smooth muscles. The medicine made me feel like I'd been hit by a truck. I was incredibly woosy and sweated profusely. The air had been turned down and I had a fan on me, but it hardly helped. It really made me feel like crap, but after they gave me the super high dose, I had no contractions!
I stayed on the magnesium until Wednesday when I saw Dr. McKernan again. He said I could start tapering off it and back onto the turbutaline. If I didn't have contractions on the turbutaline, I could go home on Thursday to be on bedrest. Fortunately, I didn't experience any major contractions after being taked off the magnesium. I now have to stay home on bed rest and take the medicine every 4 hours. Oh, and I have to drink alcohol! Dr. McKernan told me that alcohol is an excellent tocolytic (anti-contraction drug). I wasn't exactly expecting to go home and start drinking!
Now, I just have to get through the next 4-5 weeks. It would be awesome to make it to 35 weeks since that's when the babies finish developing neurologicially.
Eric and I are so grateful that the contractions seem to be managed and we can let these little guys continue to grow in utero. We pray that the Lord will continue to take care of these special boys while they are still growing and will allow my body to let them continue to mature inside of me.
Carol Brothwell, one of the ladies from my Bible study, made these pictures of the boys' names and had a Bible verse for each of the letters in the name. These are so special and have become our favorite things to put in the boys' room. What a special and meaningful gift! I love reading the verses and Carol did an awesome job finding great verses for each letter. They are definitely treasured!! Thank you so much, Carol! 
