Week 29- Day 2 (Feb. 3)

We went to our regularly scheduled ultrasound this morning. It is always exciting to see the little guys moving around on the big screen. While Twin A was still situated with his head down, Twin B had flipped into breech position with his head up. (There is still time for him to flip again). They also observed that my blood pressure was still high. After measuring the twins, they discovered a 24% difference in the size of the twins this time with Twin A weighing approximately 2 lb- 6 oz. and Twin B weighing approximately 3 lb- 1 oz. A size difference greater than 15 – 20% is when doctors start to get concerned. This is more frightening for identical twins that share a placenta, but it is still concerning for our twins who are fraternal and each have their own placenta. They should both be receiving the same amount of nutrients through their individual placentas. The Doppler portion of the ultrasound also showed that the blood flow to Twin A’s placenta was lower than what the doctors would like it to be , which is likely related to my higher blood pressure.

After the ultrasound the doctors hooked me up to a fetal monitor to observe the baby’s heartbeats as well as contractions. The heart rates looked great and it turns out I have been having Braxton-Hicks contractions (harmless), but have never felt them.

At this point the doctor told us he wanted to admit me to the hospital for treatment and monitoring. Michael and I had not expected for a routine ultrasound appointment to turn into a hospital stay and were a bit alarmed and surprised to be heading in this new direction. The ultrasound appointment at Perinatology was already at the hospital so it wasn’t a far walk to check in to the labor and delivery department.

The plan of action:
* Steroid shots 24 hours apart (one Tuesday afternoon and one Wednesday afternoon) to help the twins’ lungs develop sooner in case we have to deliver early. This reduces the risk they will need respirators after birth.
* Blood pressure monitoring every 6 hours
* Fetal heart monitoring 3 times a day
* Ultrasounds at key points