Free Bird

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your thoughts and prayers! We escaped again! That isn't to say I don't have to be admitted in the next week, but we were happy to receive the 'get of jail free card'. Last night I had another steroid shot. These make me VERY hyper and unable to sleep [Similar to the B12 shots I had to take in Wichita Falls - for those of you witnesses]. We had an ultrasound and Aaron's amniotic fluid levels had doubled. The BASIC explanation for this change, from what I understand from our specialists here and in Houston, is that we are a hybrid case of SIUGR and TTTS. I think I discussed TTTS a little in my first post. Identical twins with a shared placenta (this is our case) share vascular connections that connect the boys through the placenta. The vascular connections allow blood and amniotic fluid to shift back and forth between each twin. There is typically what they call a Donor twin (Aaron) and a Recipient twin (James). Thursday James had a lot of amniotic fluid and Aaron had very little. On Friday there was a shift of the fluid from James back to Aaron. We are kind of a strange case because the SIUGR is most definitely present, but so is this TTTS well. The two diagnoses are considered cousins in the Maternal Fetal Medicine world.

I have to say that all of our physicians have been wonderful and very knowledgeable. We are blessed to be in a location with a level 3 NICU and with a group of Maternal Fetal Physicians (perintologists). Our hospital serves all of the active duty military and dependents giving birth in the San Antonio area. San Antonio has one of the largest concentrated military populations. It amazes me that we could have been assigned anywhere, but God's plan was to put us near my family and near our best access to care. We are very blessed.


The plan is to go in again on Monday, and possibly everyday to every other day next week. I go with my bags packed each time, and depending on the circumstances may be admitted. It is still our intention to take the pregnancy out as far as we can. 27 and 28 weeks is MUCH better than 26 weeks. We will see. I am on modified bed rest.


My mother has been a tremendous help. I was contracting yesterday morning and asked her to come over at 7 am just in case. I was a little dehydrated; my contractions stopped by 9am. My parents were gracious enough to take Hannah yesterday evening. Since I was not admitted last night, Cory and I had a glorious date. I was very blessed by our time. The steroids had me very animated; my brain moves a mile a minute. I pretty much talked his ear off and was in a jovial state.


I have learned so much in the last 8 weeks. At my best (which I am not always at), I try to see the blessings that we are reaping during this time. Really, there are quite a few. I am thankful to the Lord that Cory and I have really leaned on each other through this time and have been brought so close. The "trauma" of the events has cleaned the tarnish of all of the petty things that occur in everyday life; revealing the deep love and respect I have always had for him. Amazingly, all hurt and hang ups fall away and we are left with what we started as. We have realized that SO many things from day to day life don't matter. Basically you can say that grace and respect have abounded.

We will keep you posted. I will leave with a quote Den, Cory's dad, read me 4 weeks or so ago. It was also my scripture for the day from the sweet devotional that our dear friends from California, Ryan and Jenna, sent to us.


"We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts." Romans 5:3-5