Admission to the hospital

Posted on March 22, 2011 by whitneyladams
So this morning I got a phone call from my OB office saying my lab work had come in from over the weekend and that I needed to come to the office today not tomorrow as scheduled. They wanted to check my blood pressure and urine especially. So I called Bob, who was at work, and told him we needed to go to the office and we did. When we got there we went through the usual routine. My weight had actually come down by 3lbs- wahoo some water has left my body. Then I provided a urine sample this came back 3+ protein, not good. Lastly they checked my blood pressure, it was horrible, 189/106- I was shocked. Honestly I was feeling relatively good, one of my better days. Even my constant headache was not that bad, so I was really surprised. So the nurse took me to the exam room and laid me on my left side so they could recheck my blood pressure. Dr. R came in and looked very somber. She rechecked my blood pressure 170/98- not a good improvement. She then checked my tummy and listened to the boys heart rates. After that she sat down with us and told us about our labs. The second urine test had come back 10x higher than the previous one not only was this concerning but more so that the change had happened in only one week. I was very surprised, she said the protein had gone from 297mg to over 3000mg. This put us in the delicate in between stage of  preeclampsia (PIH) stage and meant my kidneys were not functioning well. The danger is when you get to severe preeclampsia this can lead to seizures, stroke, maternal and/ or death of the babies. She said if it was up to her she would probable deliver me today but she said it was up to Dr. H who was on call at the hospital. So she sent us over for more blood work, tests, and to see Dr. H. We were shocked and feeling overwhelmed. Each of us called our parents to give them a heads up on what was going on and told them to wait by the phone. We got to the hospital they immediately took us back to a room started a NST and lab came to draw blood. We had the same sweet nurse from Friday- just a side note the nurses are wonderful at Rex! Dr. H came in very concerned and said she just was not sure what she wanted to do yet. We are in that delicate balance where we have to weigh the options of delivery vs waiting for the health of the babies. This is based on whether if I have not developed severe PIH- we would know more after the blood work- and if the babies are not in distress they would be better off holding off delivery. So she sent us down to the UNC specialists for a consult and detailed ultrasound to check the boys. We had the ultrasound done and the boys showed no signs of distress, in fact they are as content as can be to hang out in my tummy. The blood flow in the placenta- which can become compromised in PIH- looked great. The boys got a perfect score on their biophysical profile. It was a huge relief to see they are doing so well.  Their growth was even good-James weighs 4lbs 8ozs and Jackson weighs 4lbs 4ozs. We spoke with the specialist who recommended we just watch and wait until something changes to severe with me, the boys show signs of distress or we reach 36 weeks. By this time my blood work came back and nothing came back alarming so Dr. H decided no delivery today- we were again relieved. While they look wonderful in my tummy they could be very sick if we took them out now. Now we have a new set of plans and change of scenery. I was admitted to the hospital for bed rest and observation.
We are here for till the end.
 We will have twice daily NSTs, lab work, ultrasounds, and very frequent blood pressure checks. I was also changed over from my Lovenox to Heparin- which is a shorter acting blood thinner. Now we just wait, basically we can have a baby any day just depends on me and the boys- that is so mind boggling to me! Hopefully we can get to 36 weeks because every day they can stay in my tummy  and grow the better. 

Posted in bedrest, High Risk, Hospital, lab, pregnancy, twins | 2 Comments

My Wonderful Husband…

Posted on March 20, 2011 by whitneyladams

I just want to take a second to brag on my wonderful husband. He is going to be such an AMAZING father. He goes above and beyond and I know it is not fun carting me around to multiple doctor’s visits, going to seminary full time, working 40+hours a week, and keeping up the house. He has been wonderful throughout the pregnancy and especially during bed rest. He caters to my every need and most all of my wants, like cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory just because! He cooks meals for us when he is off and makes me plates for when he is at work. He always makes sure I am well taken care of. He is also so sweet to our little boys he talks to them and plays with them- they love to kick back when you press on my stomach and then if you stop they kick repeatedly acting like “Hey where did you go?” it is so funny. He reads them books, they are so responsive to his voice it amazes me. He is so ready for them to get here, I think a little more than me. I feel a lot less prepared. My favorite thing is when he prays over me and our children at night, it melts my heart and reminds me how blessed I am. Today was a relaxing Sunday we were able to spend together since he was off and tonight he made a wonderful steak dinner- it tasted as good as it looks!

I cherish these moments before the boys arrive. I am so thankful for him throughout this pregnancy and could not ask for a more wonderful husband and father to our children.

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Another Urine Test…

Posted on March 19, 2011 by whitneyladams

So we went back to the OB for our biweekly appointment. This was actually the first time in 4 weeks that I did not gain any weight between appointments. The swelling stayed the same, which is fine with me as long as it didn’t worsen. I have been gaining 4-5 lbs every 3-4 days due to swelling. Anyways so then by now you know the drill (even if you didn’t want to know you know what every pregnant woman must endure each doctor’s visit) I had to provide a urine sample. I was hoping it was going to be ok. Well it came back with 3+ protein- not good at all! Then we took the dreaded blood pressure. It was 175/96- again NOT GOOD. So Dr. C was not happy at all. Even when I laid on my side it only came down to 150/ 89. So Dr. C sent back to the hospital to get our usual NST but she also added blood work and another lovely 24 hour urine. Thankfully the blood work came back ok. The boys also both cooperated for the NST, and I was not having contractions. So we got to go home- yay!! Unfortunately the brown jug went home with us again! I really do hate that dumb jug! Since Bob had to work our sweet friend Gene took the jug to the outpatient lab at the hospital Saturday- yeah it was really inconvenient to do the test over the weekend but that is ok whatever needs to be done for the babies. We have another appointment Tuesday so will see how that goes.

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33 Weeks…

Posted on March 17, 2011 by whitneyladams
Pregnancy Stats:
How Far Along: We are 33 weeks, YAY!

Size of our babies: Our twins are the sizes of honeydews this month. 
photocredit
Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes are all that I can wear and only a few pieces now due to the swelling and my growing belly
Gender: Boys!!! James Sidney and Jackson Esker
Movement: They are all over the place all the time. They are most active during our biweekly NSTs, they know we are trying to monitor them and they kick the monitor and move all over the place.
Sleep: I sleep about 2 hours at a time and that is it then I HAVE to go run to the restroom. I am very uncomfortable not so much from the pregnancy but the large amount of swelling and extra water I am carrying around on top of the babies.
What I miss: A good night’s sleep, being able to bend over, not being on bed rest, and not be exhausted since being on bed rest our twice weekly outing to the doctor are exhausting just walking is exhausting.
Cravings: Macaroni and Cheese, Cheesecake (my sweet hubby brought me some from the cheesecake factory- it was delish!)
Symptoms: Mainly swelling- it is everywhere I actually started to hold pockets of fluid and it is painful, restless, braxton hicks and real contractions,frequent bathroom breaks, and a constant headache. I am thankful the shortness of breath is not as bad turns out the boys and moved down some and are both head down.
Best Moment this week: Making it on week 3 of bed rest, every week counts! Also my sweet husband bought me a Vera Bradley Diaper bag- it is actually the weekender style which is a little bigger perfect for the twin’s stuff. 

It is so cute I love it! 
He also got his dad bag in the mail, it is pretty neat!
He is happy to have a manly diaper bag!
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24 Hour Urine…

Posted on March 15, 2011 by whitneyladams

So you may remember me mentioning having to do a 24 hour urine on the 8th. I like to call this the dreaded brown jug test. It is where for 24 hours I have to get a urine sample every time I go to the bathroom. Each sample has to be placed in a brown 3000 ml jug. They run labs to check my kidney function and protein levels on it because of my high blood pressure. If you miss one sample you have to start all over. Did I mention you have to keep the brown jug in your fridge, which is kinda gross. I just told Bob be sure you don’t drink out of the brown jug because it looks like a half gallon chocolate milk jug.

 Anyways so we did this test all day Thursday and took it in Friday at our appointment.  At our next appointment we got the results, there was only .297g of protein which meets the criteria for mild preeclampsia. This meant if our NST at the hospital looked good we could basically stay on at home bed rest.  

Jackson did not want to cooperate with the NST so we had an ultrasound at the hospital and he passed his biophysical profile. This is a test which basically looks at his organs, fluid, breathing motions, and blood flow; he got a perfect score. The  other thing that threw us for a loop today while doing our NST was I was having regular contractions. I thought they were just slightly painful Braxton Hicks but no they were the real thing. So they gave me and IV and loaded me with fluids and they eventually stopped. Thankfully it all worked so we could go home and now we are hanging in there till our next appointment on Friday.

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32 Weeks…

Posted on March 11, 2011 by whitneyladams
Pregnancy Stats:
How Far Along: We are 32 weeks

Size of our babies: Our twins are still the sizes of squashes this month. 
photocredit
Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes are all that I can wear
Gender: Boys!!! James Sidney and Jackson Esker
Movement: They are all over the place kicking all the time especially at night time
Sleep: I wake up all the time there is no longer a full nights sleep and the pillow count in are bed has grown exponentially, poor Bob
What I miss: A good night’s sleep, being able to bend over, not being on bedrest
Cravings: Mexican, milkshakes, and Asparagus (I know weird)
Symptoms: swelling, headaches, fatigue, heartburn, frequent bathroom trips, shortness of breath, round ligament pain, and nausea.
Best Moment this week: Another reassuring ultrasound this week the boys look great and so did the non stress test (NST) this Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Maternity Photos

Posted on March 10, 2011 by whitneyladams

A few weeks ago I was asked to model for my friend Lisa whose is a photographer. She was working on a project for school and I had thought about taking maternity photos but just had not really made it a priority. In fact if it was not for one of my best friends, Victoria, I would not have made a big deal about trying to take weekly belly pictures but I am so glad I have. Turns out it the shoot was perfect timing since it was the last week before I was placed on bed rest. She did a wonderful job and it was so much fun I am really glad I did it! Here are some of the photos she took and feature on her blog- http://www.lisapotterphotography.wordpress.com

 The book I am holding contains all their ultrasound photos
Thanks so much Lisa, I love what you were able to capture!

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Preeclampsia and Testing…

Posted on March 9, 2011 by whitneyladams

The dreaded official diagnosis finally came today. I have pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) also known as preeclampsia. Today, needless to say, did not go as planned we had a dr appointment at 2:20 and ended up at the hospital for a few hours finally getting home at about 7pm. When they checked my blood pressure today it was still in the high 150’s over high 80’s. Ok so it was like this last week only this week lying down didn’t really lower it like last time. My urine also had more protein in it, so this was not a good combo! Not to mention on top of this I have been having a few more Braxton hicks than normal. The difference being that they were painful, aka real contractions, but not regular. So Dr. M did an exam the good news I was not dilated. Dr.M then had us draw labs to check my kidneys and liver function. I also have to collect a 24hour urine sample, which means I will have a jug of pee in my fridge (kinda gross I know, just don’t drink out of the brown jug in the fridge). After the lab work she sent us to the birthing center for a non stress test (because they can not do that in the office with twins) and to get our first dose of steroid shots to develop the boys lungs in case we have to deliver early. The non stress test was basically me laying in a hospital bed hooked up to 3 monitors. One for each of the boy’s heartbeats and then one for contractions. I was having a few contractions but they were not too concerned with them. Sadly at this point I had a major headache so they kept checking my blood pressure ever 15 minutes. The boys did beautifully on the non stress test except Jackson who decided to be all over the place and they had to keep adjusting the monitor because his heartbeat would disappear off the monitor. Happily they let me go home but I was one tired mama.

The steroid shot was not so pleasant, you would think after giving myself shots twice a day this would not bother me but it still does. We have to go back to the hospital in 24 hours for a second steroid shot. We also have an ultrasound at the high risk ob tomorrow. Then Friday we have another non stress test and doctor’s appointment. It seems like we may be getting these tests twice a week now till delivery, I guess we will know more by Friday.
I know that was a lot, it was a lot for us to take in too. We are asking for your prayers. Specifically that my blood pressure would stabalize and the lab work would come back ok. Also pray that the boy’s lungs develop with these shots in case we have an early delivery in the next few weeks. We also ask that you would pray for Bob’s work to be flexible with these increase in doctors appointments and testing. Pray we stay calm and not stress over this possible preterm delivery of the twins and blood pressure issue. You try to prepare yourself but it is hard when it is actually happening. Thank y’all in advance for your prayers and we will try to keep you updated as much as possible through the blog so keep checking back.

Posted in High Risk, lab, PIH, pregnancy, shots, testing | 3 Comments

James’ and Jackson’s Nursery

Posted on March 7, 2011 by whitneyladams

This past week and weekend we (well actually I didn’t) set up the nursery. We went with the Carter’s Forest Friends bedding, and it is adorable. In fact besides and few finishing touches we are pretty much done with the nursery. This is due to my wonderful husband and sweet parents, thank y’all so much!! Bob painted this past week, then my dad put together all the furniture and mom washed all the clothes, blankets, and bedding. The room looks wonderful. I am so relieved it is done it makes me feel more prepared for the boy’s arrival. We have a few more accessories coming in the mail such as the mobiles and matching hamper. The only thing we are really lacking is a glider and we have not found one yet. I am also still looking for something for the walls over their cribs but have not really found what I am looking for (thank the Lord for online shopping while on bed rest). Here are some pictures of the nursery so far.

Sorry for the quality these are from my iPhone.

Posted in nursery, nursery furniture, pregnancy, twins | 3 Comments

Church Baby Shower…

Posted on March 6, 2011 by whitneyladams

Bob and I are incredibly blessed to have the church family we do. New Covenant Fellowship is just that our family. The ladies from our church threw us a wonderful shower for James and Jackson. I was worried I would not get to go because I was put on bed rest but I obtained special permission from my doctor to attend. Jessica opened up her home to host the joyous occasion. It was also really special because my mom was in town and able to attend as well. James and Jackson got some wonderful things. The families at NCF overwhelmed us with their generosity, we are so blessed.

Mckinley was my little helper, he is such a sweetie

I had a wonderful time and can not wait to introduce the boys to their church family. James and Jackson are already incredibly loved and prayed for. I am so thankful for NCF!

Posted in baby shower, Blessed, church family, pregnancy, twins | Leave a comment