havingtwinsnow.com

Posts Tagged ‘The Pregnancy’

We’re into week 35, HELL YES!

But: where the hell have we been over the past few weeks?

As the sperm donor and seemingly-single dad now that Julie is on complete bedrest, I’ve been carting the son to daycare daily, mama up north to our once weekly high risk OB appointments, twice a week biophysical profile appointments and once a week OB group appointments, and myself to work. Ever since last week began we’re treating my days at work as limited before the twins arrive, and I’ve been in overdrive trying to leave the pharmacy without any voids in inventory or the things that only I can produce in the clean room before I take my short leave to welcome the twins into the world.

Besides driving and watching our kids on black and white ultrasound monitors, we’ve been keeping a close eye on Julie’s preeclampsia signs. She’s gone almost overboard with taking her blood pressure at home and her numbers are amazingly chill at the crib, but at the OB/High Risk OB’s she’s straight SHOOK, yo. So we can chock that up to white coat syndrome I guess. And yes, I have called her a pussy numerous times, which I’m sure should help, but whatevs yo. Whatevs.

During week 31 our High Risk doctor’s saw her high blood pressure as a sign of possible preeclampsia and ever then it’s been jugs of piss and blood tests, jugs of piss and blood tests. Do you know how much piss a broad preggo with twinnies has in her over 24 hours? She topped out at 4400ml. That’s over a frickin’ gallon for those not constantly referring to volume like I am. My wife will probably be pissed that I’m spilling the piss about that, but fuck her, she put her piss next to my OJ for three weeks, I can poke fun at her piss jugs all I want. (My couch is comfortable, I’m ok with the doghouse. ZING!)

So Christmas Eve we had an appointment and prior to it we were told to expect hospitalization and possibly spend Christmas at Delnor. Then we were able to spend Christmas at home. SCORE! The stress that tagged along with that possibility was gut wrenching.

So New Years Eve we had an appointment and prior to it we were told to expect hospitalization and possibly spend New Years at Delnor. Then we were able to spend New Years Eve and New Years Day at home. SCORE! The stress that tagged along with that wasn’t as bad because we took the potential of a Christmas holiday in Labor & Delivery and made it through ok. Besides, NYE is fucking amateur night, we haven’t gone out on NYE in 8 years. Also, Julie is lugging mad babies in her bellbell yo, how much fun could she really be out on NYE?

It seemed every week we’re operating on the basis that we might be having babies at some point throughout the seven day period. Yet here we are about to hit 35 weeks and we’re without twins. Is this fucking great and titstactular? Fuck yes it is!

But is it stressful as hell to constantly watch your wife say goodbye to our son as if she won’t see him again for a few days? Is it stressful to constantly have her luggage by the garage door, along with constantly packing up the everyday items she uses to make herself pretty (she doesn’t need that shit anyway)? Is it stressful to make plans with 4 different potential overnight sitters for our son and then constantly have to cancel because the vagina isn’t ready?

In addition to all the other little shit that tags along with an impending sense of doom, dread and hospitalization including not sleeping, not sleeping and not sleeping – the answer is: fuck yes, that shit’s fucking stressful as fuck.

Yet, it is all completely acceptable and welcome at this point since we’re passing milestones every passing day the twins continue to cook.

What do I mean?

Well the doctor’s recommended steroid shots for Julie’s supple rear end,(which I’ve named Julius: Julie-Ass, get it?) so the twins got a preemptive dose of lung developing assistance. Now they’ve had more than two weeks with which to build on top of that.

Three weeks ago we were looking at roughly 4lb babies all up in her vajay. Last week each twin was roughly 5lbs 12oz. So at this point they have both surpassed most of my neices and nephews as far as birth weight.

If I’m speaking for myself, from talking with our twitter friends and friends with twins, I think we’re in the clear to have two huge fucking babies kick some serious ass as soon as they hit the ground running. I can’t wait. Yet of course, Julie is fine with a few more weeks of discomfort if it allows our twins more time to perfect their gangsta lean, poker face and/or running man.

So this past Thursday, with a stern concerned look from our high risk OB doctor fresh in our brains, we were expecting another blood test to show a lower platelet and suspicious uric acid levels, which would tell him that it’s time to deliver the twins. The blood test showed a stagnant platelet count, holding still at 103-105 and an improved uric acid level. Can you say balls! BALLS!

What did this earn us? ANOTHER WEEK! YES!

Our OB group doctor recommended we at least schedule a C-Section for 36 weeks or so just to have something on the books. Our twins haven’t been both head down this entire pregnancy, so we were ok with at least taking the precaution.

THEN, Friday we go see our high risk OB doctors and they thought scheduling a C-Section at this point was potentially premature and might not be needed since the numbers are holding steady and Julie LOOKS fine! HE thought that 37 or 38 weeks WASN’T OUT OF THE RANGE OF POSSIBILITY!

Can you say BALLS?! BALLS!

There was a magical weight lifted from our shoulders this past weekend, and we were all riding a little easier. We needed the relief worse than eating White Castle and highway driving and then realizing you have to pull over and perform the green apple quick steps at a public restroom.

That is some serious fucking relief.

Until our next visit Tuesday.

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN

We is down to the wire yo.

fa show.

Last week had the potential to be a really shitty week. A really shitty Christmas week.

Julie’s 24hr urine test showed a “higher than the doctor expected” amount of protein (526mg) in her urine and after a few more higher than normal blood pressure readings at our respective doctor’s offices our High Risk OB group was a ginger’s pubic hair away from admitting Julie into the hospital with preeclampsia. She would stay in the hospital until our family increases from 3 to 5.

We’ve gone through tears and crying about the thought of her actually missing Christmas morning with our son.

We’ve run over the logistics of having a wife in the hospital 50 minutes away where our son isn’t welcome because of the bullshit swine flu. Also factoring in that he’s doing really really well in his new bed.

We’ve realized that there is nothing more painful than not being able to see your kid.

We understand the need for hospitalization,  but we also understand that 32 weeks isn’t our perfect scenario to meet our children for the first time.

We wanted to avoid it until it was absolutely necessary.

So we took some precautions with Dr. Losure’s help at High Risk OB at Delnor Hospital.

Julie has been taking her blood pressure readings at home with a recommended wrist cuff (we got it at walgreens for about 40 bucks). She has been given the list of symptoms of preeclampsia to watch out for and has taken it down from about a 5 on scale of 1-10, to about a 2.

Meaning I allow her to wipe her own ass and feed herself.

On Christmas Eve we met with our other doctor group and our doctor there was happy with the bp readings Julie has been having, as well as the lack of any significant protein in her urine using the chincy little dipsticks they use.

He understood the strain a Christmas in the hospital would put on Julie if it wasn’t completely needed, so he scheduled another 24hr urine collection/blood test, and tomorrow we will find out the results of those tests.

We’re hoping we can add a few more weeks to our little baby farm up in Julie’s magic vag of enlightenment.

We will find out tomorrow. Until then…

Remember. Anything.

I remember when Jules was preggo with our son, I would ask her to remind me to do something random like locking the front door or taking out the trash and she would completely forget. I called these brain farts her “pregnancy stupids” and they seemed to evaporate as soon as the lil guy escaped from her magic vag of magicness.

I completely forgot about the “pregnancy stupids” until Julie was about 15 weeks pregnant. She wasn’t really showing much besides the mountainous mountains atop her chest, but she was forgetting everything. Mortgage, car payments, bills, to flush, to wipe, to eat, to slow down at stop signs… She was out of control.

I remember the fourth time I caught her not flushing and I almost went and grabbed her by the neck, stuck her face in it and with a stern look and a pointed finger said “NO! BAD PREGGO!” – But I didn’t, I just took a picture of it, printed it out and affixed it inside every cabinet door we have, and sent a few to her sister to place around her house before Thanksgiving.

As for wiping, you have no idea how painful it is to put the shuttle in reverse (yeah, it’s a minivan, so what? I call it the shuttle to make myself feel cooler ok?) and she says “Wait hold on.” So I pull back into the driveway and she hops (now it’s more like oozes) out of the shuttle and traipses into the house gaily. When she returns I ask what she forgot. “To wipe.” She says. *SILENCE*

I try my hardest to hold back the giggles, she realizes this as a “PHHT” escapes the corner of my mouth and THWAP! Suddenly my arm is numb and she’s giving me the look like the long haired young broad in the dirty white robe in The Ring.

So my wife forgets alot of shit now that she’s preggo as a preggo can be. Think she’ll forget I posted about her forgetting to wipe?

Nope.

Regardless of my sleeping on the couch these next few weeks, her forgetfulness is starting to increase so much, I’m worried about what she does in the shower. Does she enter in there and then think to herself “What did I come in here for?”

Does she lay down in bed only to pop up (slowly of course) and think “What was I going to do in here?”

Does she start cooking dinner, realize TMZ is on and then forget she has perogies on the skillet?

I’m completely concerned for my own well being people! Will she even forget I’m laying next to her in bed and accidentally STEAMROLL me?

Julie, I love you for everything you are and everything you’ve ever forgotten while preggers. I hope you remember who makes  you laugh, cause you sure as shit make me laugh honey bunches of “what did I come in here for?”

I called Julie an attic last night.

She put a leg off the couch and heard each knee creak, both hip sockets give a loud pop and the sharp intake of air made her sound like a rickety attic from my childhood. Except rather than being a receptacle of memories and the occasional pot plant, this attic was my wife who is severely pregnant with twins.

While I was doing her bidding during her lovely nesting phase last weekend, we discovered the winning piece of “guess Julie’s girth!” yarn from her baby shower with our first son. Just a few days off of exactly two years prior and 8 weeks earlier in the pregnancy, Julie is a good 7 inches rounder with this twin pregnancy. So she’s pullin’ more weight, rounder than Santa, and miserable when trying to move, think about moving or complaining about the lack of being able to move.

The area she is now pretty specific in body pain is near the pelvis. Her exact words were “It feels like my pelvis is broken.”

Does this sound familiar to anyone else who’s experienced a twin pregnancy? Is she supposed to feel wishy washy around the hips and in between?

I offered to have a look, but all I saw was the ghost of Christmas past pullin’ a four footer sitting on a magic mushroom, that was immediately after she belted me with her hit stick.

Yes, she keeps a hit stick near her at all times now. It keeps our son about 2 feet away from dropkicking her belly, allows her the ability to accentuate syllables in her orders at me and she can move things closer to her when i politely set them 2.5 feet away on the table. I’ve also seen her itch things with it.

One day I will sell a hit stick and call it “The Twin Pregnancy Multitool.”

We’re hoping to hit February 2nd, 2010 before we have the twins. Let’s hope her body cooperates.

I wouldn’t want to punish her for not following MY orders, since I’ve done every damn thing she’s asked of me since she got all “crazy with babies in her bell.”

I KID! She’s not crazy.

She’s certifiably insane in the membrane. If the membrane was her vajayjay.

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 we did our normal routine of hitting up one Dr.’s office and then moving on to the next.

We first had a cervical scan at High Risk OB at Delnor Hospital with Rita and Dr. Kalchbrenner. Of course the staff was awesome and the scan proved encouraging, as Julie is now measuring at 44 and is, supposedly, sporting a cervix that even women carrying singletons would admire.
The people at HROB are dependable and you never leave feeling like they don’t have their shit together.

I wish I could say the same for Focus On Women’s new merger partner Fox Valley Women & Children’s Health Partners.

We were informed of the merger about a month ago and while at the time it seemed like something that wouldn’t necessarily impact our doctor/patient relationship too much, but now it seems like the common courtesy to “READ YOUR PATIENT’S FILE BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT” went out the window with their old business cards.

Some aspects of the merger seemed convenient, like an office about 25 minutes closer to our home, and, well, that was basically it. But the addition of a dozen new doctors into the fray makes us feel like we’re on a speeding car, sitting shotgun, and the driver keeps changing spots leaving us headed towards oncoming traffic too frequently.
It’s unsettling.

While getting Julie’s blood pressure taken and the heart rates of the bebes, the MA asked Julie when her C-Section was scheduled for.

Excuse me? What C-Section? Julie looked like she had been hit with a frying pan (not that I’ve ever attempted to hit her with a frying pan, she’d kick my ass).

The MA said it was just a routine question, but it was one we had never been asked because when we first met with Focus On Women it was determined that that would be a judgment call come time to deliver. If baby A (Leah the beautiful) was head down, we’d proceed with the vaginal birth. If not, we’d move towards a C-Section. But to hear it asked of us like we were unprepared for not having one scheduled was a bit unnerving. It seems this new practice we’ve been thrown to has a policy of ONLY performing C-Section births for multiples, no matter what. We wish we would have know there was no natural option with the new doctors.

About twenty minutes later the midwife came in and did her best to act like she had read Julie’s file, but it was clear that she had no idea what the hell was going on because all of her questions raised more and more questions from us.

We immediately ask about the C-Section issue and she goes on to tell us that the two groups have not agreed on a standard for the practice yet. “But what did Focus On Women tell you?” she asks. Julie starts talking and no sooner than a dozen words come out the midwife is interrupting her telling us where her practice stands.

Did you just ask my wife a question? Will you let her finish? We understand you are more important than us, but isn’t the purpose of this appointment to see how Julie is doing and progressing in the pregnancy not hearing your opinions on which practice’s stance is better in your non-doctor opinion? This woman seemed nice, but completely snobbish to us because we had come from the other practice.

“So you’re 29, about 30 weeks pregnant, and O negative, when did you have your Rhogam shot?” the midwife asks.

Again, what? You’re the doctor/person in charge of that. “We were told at our last visit that I would receive it or set it up at this visit.” Julie replies.

“Hmmm. We’re a bit past the cut off, but it should be alright.” The midwife spits back.

So let’s just clarify something here, our original doctor group’s doctor told us we were okay to do it at THIS visit, and you are now claiming we’ve “missed the boat” and should have had it earlier? Is this some sort of professional catfighting between original practitioners of one office who have been invaded by other practitioners and there is a bit of animosity between the two groups?

The little pauses and eyes darting back and forth and eyes rolling and audible sighs after we tell you what we’ve been told by our original doctor’s group and the constant INTERRUPTING is beginning to wear on my patience. I don’t give a flying fuck what your professional beef is, your job is to be a doctor, not a politician, knock this shit the fuck off.

The midwife added quickly, “But you have to have a antibody screen within four days of getting the rhogam shot, when was your last antibody screen?”
Don’t you have the computer in front of you? Isn’t what I think I’ve had a bit erroneous? I am a layman, I could tell you they tested my wife’s testicles for fucking asbestos! You have doctor-documented information at your fingertips and you’re asking my wife questions that we trust you to know the answer to in the first place!

The entire exchange between us and the midwife was confusing, as our original questions were kind of put to the side as she created more concerns rather than quell any.

A simple question that we both had was: who do we call when we’re on the way to the hospital in possible labor?

This completely stumped our fair midwife. She actually left the room to ask someone 30 grand below her pay grade to find out the “cheat code” to get out of the phone tree. Which is ANOTHER pain in the ass coming from a practice where HUMANS answered the phone! Now we get the pleasure of selecting one of NINE options when calling. Golly! The answer she came back was “Select the one that says make an appointment and that should get you to where you need to be, if not, labor & delivery at the hospital will call the doctor on call.”

Unreal. If your job was to make a family feel better about the impending birth of their children, you fucking failed lady.

So we left not knowing if we were going to be forced into a C-Section, not knowing exactly how to get a hold of the doctor on call if we’re on the way to the hospital on delivery day, not knowing if the rhogam shot is going to be given too late, and we left now knowing we don’t want to see these people any more.

To any doctors or midwives reading, read the file before you meet your pregnant patients. It’s respectful and necessary if you don’t want to backtrack and confuse the people you’re supposed to be inspiring confidence in.

Piss me off, that’s one thing.

Make my wife cry and I will fucking cut you.

Love,

Dad

Related articles by Zemanta

• Mom won’t be forced to have C-section (cnn.com)
• New Mums Unhappy About NHS Maternity Care (news.sky.com)
• 42% of obstetricians say C-section a woman’s call (nationalpost.com)
• Home births can be as safe as hospital ones: Study (canada.com)
• Worried New Mums ‘Abandoned’ During Labour (news.sky.com)
• Women need choice, not caesareans (guardian.co.uk)