bonnie & jason

By the numbers

I thought I’d try to summarize the pregnancy to date with a list of numbers.

1 – The number of babies we thought we were going to have.
2 – The number of betamethozone shots Bonnie got to help the twins mature more quickly.
3 – The number of cars seats currently crammed into the back of the Pilot.
4 – The number of days left till our scheduled c-section (see below).
6 – The number of doctors we’ve talked to so far regarding the pregnancy.
9 – The number of progesterone shots I gave Bonnie to reduce the strength/risk/frequency of pre-term contractions. Good thing I don’t have an issue with blood/needles/inflicting pain.
13 – The number of weeks of bedrest Bonnie has been on.
Umpteen – The number of ultrasounds, non-stress tests, dopplers, and other OB/bloodwork/etc appointments we’ve been to.

All in all, we’re pretty happy that we’ve gotten to this point. When we first started bedrest, it was unclear how long we’d be able to keep the buns in the oven. Then, more recently, the primary concern shifted from pre-term labor to how well the twins were doing in terms of growth. (Baby A was in the single digits in terms of percentile. Baby B was in the 20′s.) At our latest ultrasound last Thursday, both babies are still small although they are growing. According to the estimates, Baby A is 3lb 15oz, and Baby B is 5lbs 1oz.

Unfortunately, even though both babies are head down, the docs are recommending we proceed with c-section directly after 36 weeks for a few reasons. Why a c-section? Since the fluid around them is a bit low and they are on the small side (which indicates they may not be getting enough support from the umbilical cord) they may not deal well with the stress of a vaginal delivery. Why at 36 weeks? As they are not gaining a lot of weight, the doctors think they may actually do better outside the womb than inside. So we are dealing with diminishing returns the longer they stay in and accepting more risk that something else might go wrong.

So there you have it. The first chapter of the twin book is about to come to a close. We’re looking forward to the next chapter! To be sure, my cameras are primed and ready to go. And I hope to have enough energy to keep up with the blog along with the other projects I have lingering.