67 Days and Counting...

Back in the middle of March I started having contractions and was admitted to the hospital on March 16 for pre-term labor. It was a long scary night especially since I was only 22 1/2 weeks along at the time. They monitored me and the girls throughout the night giving me an IV and some Terbutaline to slow down the contractions. The meds seemed to stop things so they gave me the option to stay in the hospital or go home on strict bed rest with only bathroom privileges…send me home I said immediately! We were sent home with strict instructions and if I had more than 4 to 5 contractions in an hour we were to call or go back to the hospital. Well by the next day the contractions were back full force averaging 8 an hour…long story short I had to go in for labor checks almost every day for the next week. At the time it really did not seem to be affecting my cervix so they decided that just remaining on bed rest was the way we were going to treat things. It was so early that they did not want to start me on meds for the contractions and wanted to just see how bed rest would do. That’s when my weekly visits (sometimes twice a week or more depending on the contractions) and bi-weekly fetal fibronectin tests started (thankfully they have all been negative so far). They wanted to keep a close eye on us, but also did not want to do too many cervical checks because that too can affect things down there.
During this time I was able to work from home up to 16 hours a week which was awesome. I was still getting some income and it was keeping me a little busy and not so focused on the fact that I was on bed rest (thankfully at this time I was allowed out of bed for a couple hours at a time on modified bed rest). Then towards the end of April I got a phone call to let me know that after the babies are born and my leave is up that I will no longer have a job, and that I could no longer work from home at all…I was just to go on leave in the system and short term disabilty until they are born and maternity leave is up :( Yes, who does this to someone who is pregnant with twins and not suppose to have any stress at all because it makes the contractions worse?! Lets just say I had a bit of a melt down and yes the contractions got worse, but thanks to my hubby, family, and dear friends they helped me to focus on the positive side of things and pull it together for the sake of the girls.
A couple days after being laid off we went in for our 28 weeks growth scan of the girls. Because of all the contractions they checked my cervix that day and unfortunately it had shortened to a dangerous level. Very long story short and going back and forth between the Dr and Perinatologist they really freaked me out. I was getting different stories and impressions, but the overall consensus was the goal was to get us to 32 weeks and they said even getting to 30 weeks and any extra days over that at that point would be great. What…that was only a couple weeks away?! I was scared, but knew God was in control. I went home with orders of strict bed rest with bathroom privileges only again…no nothing else!!! We went back in 1 week later for another check and again things had shortened even more so they gave me 2 rounds of steroids to help the girls lungs to develop and for them to grow faster. We were threatened with being put in the hospital if things changed at all. But here I sit now on day 67 of bed rest and I am still at home! PTL! Tomorrow we will be 32 weeks and I could not be any more thankful or happy we have made it this far!!! 4 weeks ago we had no clue and were terrified, yet we have reached the goal…new Dr goal is 34 weeks! We can do it and more because with God all things are possible!!! Tomorrow morning we go back to Duke for another growth scan, and I just pray the girls are growing right on track. I have a funny feeling they are going to be huge now because of the steroids, but in case they do come early that would be a great thing! Please pray the girls are growing on track and that my cervix has not gotten any shorter and no other changes down there!

31 Weeks 6 days