5 week update

Hi everyone!

I can't believe my little fighters have past the one month mark...it still seems like I just had them...

So both are doing well...

Brayden is finally eating and tolerating it at 2ccs...hope it continues and there is no stricture...he is 1lb 15oz so almost 2lbs! His brain bleed is also resolving so hopefully soon no more of that...

Aiden...his feeds are at 22ccs and he is on full feeds now so that means no more PICC line and will soon be on fortifiers to help him grow...he is currently at 3lbs! Also looks like he will be off his nasal cannula soon...

They both still have heart murmurs which the docs are not too worried about yet and both have issues with apnea and breathing but that's to be expected at this point...

Overall they are doing better then expected and hope they can come home in a couple months...

My cutie pie Caleb is doing well as well...we have been trying to do as much as possible with him...this week took him to Betty Brinn children's museum and to Possibility Playground which is a wonderful playground...will also be taking him swimming for the second time bc of the hot weather we have been having...

Please continue to pray for our fighters that they can continue to grow and heal...please also pray for us as we prepare for them to come home that we can be prepared emotionally, physically and also financially...we still need to get things for them before they come home...

Until next time...

One month old!

I cannot believe my little fighters are one month old now! Even with all the bumps in the road, the month has gone by fast! My bedrest didn't go by this fast.

So yesterday to mark their one month they had a follow up head ultrasound ...had to wait until today to get the results...but Brayden's bleed is resolving...yay! And still no bleed for Aiden!

Brayden started on feeds yesterday but unfortunately he didn't tolerate it well so they stopped it again and they will try again later...hopefully he can tolerate it soon or it looks like more surgery will be needed for him...sigh...I blame it on the full blue moon yesterday...I hate full moons!

Brayden is currently at his birth weight.

Aiden...my big boy has now reached 3 lbs! Also when I saw him yesterday he looked longer too! He is starting to fill out everywhere and soon will be too big for the isolette :)

They both continue to alarm but apparently last night nothing bad...they continue to stop breathing at times and their heart rates drop but they are able to get themselves out of it so that is good. They also still have their heart murmurs but no one is worried so that is good.

So yesterday while visiting with them I had to ask one of the nurses what she thinks when it comes to them going home and she said from how they look, it looks like Aiden may go home before his brother at the beginning of October and Brayden follow shortly after at the end of October that is if he doesn't have the surgery. That is in 2 months!

Now my worry is getting things ready for them...we need all these things to get them ready!

So my cutie pie Caleb is continuing to learn so many things! It amazes me how much he learns every day! He has learned to blow kisses this past week, make a frowny face which I do not know where he learned from, and all the words! He still loves to say bye bye, but he points at things and says what it is and if he doesn't know shows us that he wants us to say what it is and then he copies...he is growing up so fast!

Also I think he thinks he is a big boy bc he does not want to take naps! And if he does only wants to take it with me or if he falls asleep in the car or in the stroller...same with sleeping only wants to sleep in our bed...I think he is realizing that he has brothers and our attention is being taken away from him...

So I am thankful that my boys are doing well...but as always I am cautiously optimistic...we never know what might happen...I am a little afraid to be happy about the progress bc then something might happen.

Thank you everyone for following our journey thus far...we have a ways to go but we are getting there...

Until next time...

Update...

So I got a wonderful update on Brayden!

At first I saw the phone number and freaked...then heard their doctor's voice so freaked some more but thankfully he started with "this is a good update on your boys..." Thank goodness they start off saying that or I probably would not be able to focus on what he is saying...

Brayden's infection is finally gone!

Do you know how relieved I feel bc I thought it was lasting too long...

He is also now off the breathing tube and on a nasal cannula! And in a few days will be starting feedings.

Please pray that he is able to tolerate his feedings bc if he cannot he needs surgery done at children's hospital which is very risky.

In other news Aiden's weight is at 2lbs 10oz! He is 4oz away from his birth weight! And is at 4ccs of breast milk feedings.

Now going onto a month!

3 week update

So it has been 3 weeks since my little fighters have been born...cannot believe it...they have been through so much in their 3 weeks of life.

Yesterday both Brayden and Aiden had to have blood transfusions bc their hematocrit levels were really low. It was Aiden's first and Brayden has already had a couple.

Brayden is still trying to fight off his infection...his white cell count did go up testers after it has been going down but the nurses say it's probably bc of the low blood volume so hopefully it starts to go down again.

On the upside, their weights are up...Brayden is 1oz away from his birth weight...he's at 1lbs 13oz now...Aiden is at 2lbs 8oz now...he is 5oz away from his birth weight...I know their weights will go up and down but cannot wait until they are above their birth weight.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about their development and what it will be like as they grow older. I try not to think too far in the future but it's hard for me not to...it's just how I am...it has been very stressful and tiring...just not sure how much more I can handle...but I know I need to for the boys including my cutie Caleb. I think what would help is finding others who are in a similar situation to talk to...even though I have a great support system I think it would really help me if I could meet with others who knows what I am going through and can give me some good news...

What has been helping me through the days is seeing my cutie Caleb's adorable face every day! He does make my days brighter by all the things he is learning. He is learning new words every day like good, uh oh, saying bye bye and hi and waving, car, balloon, bottle and others which surprise me every day...all the things he understands which surprises me every day as well and the things we do together that he is picking up like putting puzzle pieces in the right place, doodling and wanting to read with me. He is our rainbow baby so my husband and I are trying to spend as much time as possible with him before Brayden and Aiden come home...

In a way having had them come early has been a blessing so I don't have to be on bedrest the whole time before the twins come home so that I can spend time with Caleb and do all kinds of things with him. For instance we got to go to the zoo, and to state fair...and looking forward to doing a lot more things with him!

Guess that's it for now...

Twins update

So I have not updated in a while...these past 2 weeks have been a roller coaster. My little Brayden has been through a lot...having to have surgery and dealing with an unknown infection...also finding out from his first head ultrasound that he had a bleed and his second ultrasound also showed bleeding. Also having to be on a high frequency oscillating ventilator but thankful that only lasted one day.

Aiden during this time has been through several bouts of apnea as well as being put on and off his feedings because of him getting a round belly and they have been being more cautious with Aiden because of Brayden's tear.

Well as of today, we have had some good news...they found out Brayden has a staph infection so they started him on new antibiotics and it has been responding...and he is one step closer to getting his drain completely out...Aiden also has been doing well...he has been put back on his feedings and hopefully he can be taken off his nasal cannula soon. I have also been able to do kangaroo care with him...

They both also have been gaining weight the last couple of days...Brayden is at 1lb 12oz and Aiden is at 2lbs 5oz...

I don't know if it's okay that I am glad that they are doing well bc I feel like if I am happy something is going to happen to them...but then I am not sure how to feel...I want them to keep getting better but every day I am afraid something bad is going to happen...so how do I get past this feeling? I don't know...

Oh and they are now 2 weeks old!

Well that's it for now...until next time...

They are one week old...

I cannot believe it has already been a week since they came into this world...our twins...

We are still kind of shocked that first we were able to conceive twins, but after all the precautions we took with my cervix, they still came early. To my obgyn and perinatologist we are a mystery...my body just likes to do its own thing...

But through all of this, we couldn't be happier to have them! They are truly our miracles including our rainbow baby Caleb...we have been through so much and finally God blessed us with 3 after 3 losses.

So on Sunday morning we received a call we did not want to get saying that our little Brayden had a tear in his intestines and had to have surgery. Of course I cried even though I knew this was a possibility. His first surgery...

They ended up putting a drain in so that all the bad stuff can come out and for them to be able to flush his system. Thankfully so far it's working but we need to wait to see if it heals properly bc if it does not heal well or even too well, they would have to go back in which can be worse for him. So now we wait and see...he had to have his breathing tube put back in which had come out a couple days after his birth.

My little Aiden is doing well...he also has a round belly, but according to x-rays no tear...thank goodness...but it can still happen which we pray will not...they stopped his feedings to see if it will settle down. They also tried again with PICC lines on Tuesday...they couldn't get it in him a few days before and he got stressed to the point that he stopped breathing for a bit...this time with the help of a specialist was able to get it in even though it wasn't in the location they were anticipating but at least now they don't ave to worry about trying to replace the IV.

Yesterday...technically...they had their first head ultrasound. The results showed that my little Brayden has a small bleed on the left side of his brain...the nurses assure me it will go away but need to speak with their primary doctor to get some details. Aiden on the other hand was normal so for him we don't have to worry about another scan til next month while Brayden needs another next week. We really do hope it's nothing.

So that was pretty much our days the last couple of days...until next time!

Brayden and Aiden

Hello everyone! It has been a year...15 months to be more accurate since our son Caleb came into the world. He is such a joy and is constantly learning.

Well we ended up getting pregnant again after not being able to for a few months because I found out I had Graves' disease. Once I got diagnosed and started medication we got pregnant! Not only that but soon after found out we were having twins! We were in shock and couldn't believe that happened to us! Of course went back to our perinatologist, for a cerclage and started the bedrest journey again at 13 weeks. Yes we had our ups and downs like last time...another thing we found out was that they were 6 days apart which my doctors were surprised about also.

Well last week, I was at 26 weeks and in the morning started getting these shooting pains in the groin area...called the doc thinking it was just sciatic nerve pain and that's what the on call doc thought too but after I hung up the phone thought it wasn't right bc it kept coming back frequently. So I woke up my husband and he had to wake up Caleb and off we went...

We got to l&d and they settled me in and found out I was contracting every 2-3 minutes! We were very surprised...so they gave me magnesium sulfate to try to stop the contractions and that didn't help. They then gave me a steroid shot for the babies lungs. We waited a little longer and then talked to the on call doctor and she said we needed to go ahead and get the babies out and the cerclage before the cerclage started to tear...so off we went to the OR after getting an epidural...both of us worried and scared that they wouldn't make it.

At 12:25 and 12:27pm our boys arrived! Brayden was baby A and weighed 1 lb 15oz and Aiden (baby b) was 2 lbs 13oz. We got to hear them cry although the neonatologist told us they may not...it was such a relief to hear them cry. They were also so very tiny!

It has already been a roller coaster ride for us...still cannot believe they are here now. They are my little fighters! And this blog will now be dedicated in sharing their journey in the NICU.

Aiden has already had some run ins with trouble with apnea and he has a heart murmur.
Brayden has been great until today when he started to have necrotizing entercolitis (NEC) and has a tear in his intestines. He had to have surgery and had to have a small area opened in his belly to get drained and flush out all the bad stuff. So now it's a wait and see...

They also both had jaundice so they have been getting photo therapy treatments.

Other then their progress I will update on the things I get to do for them. So far I was able to touch them and put aquaphor on their tiny bodies so that it is kept moist.

So thank you for continuing to follow our family. I will post as often as possible...hoping to post every day but you know how life can get busy.

Until tomorrow!

He is here!!!

I know I am late with this post but he has finally arrived!

Caleb Jefferie Han
Born on April 5, 2012 at 10:08am
7lbs 1oz and 19 1/2 inches long!

Pictures to come...

The delivery was a scary one...I went to get induced on Wednesday night after seeing the doctor that day...he thought that since they did not know if I had gestational diabetes for sure and I have been dilated for a bit it was a good idea...

So my hubby and I had a nice dinner at Cheesecake factory..lthen headed to the birthing center...

They then started me on pitocin and that night I started contracting regularly and it was getting stronger...

That morning at around 9:30 my OBGYN came in and broke my water...things then sped up quickly...contractions were coming one after another and before we knew it I went from 4 to 10 cm...but bc of one huge contraction, my little one's heart rate slowed..lactually they could not find his heart rate but then it could be because they had me on my knees at the point...I was in so much pain even with IV Meds I thought I was going to die...they put a oxygen mask on me...

At this point there were 2 doctors and several nurses in the room and they decided to send me to OR and were ready to do a csection...

They sent my hubby to put on scrubs...but before a csection my OBGYN decided to have me try to have this baby naturally so he told me to push and push hard really fast...before I knew it Caleb was coming out and just in time for my husband to see him coming out...he then got a chance to cut the cord and got to hold our baby boy!

I am so thankful that my OBGYN gave it one last try to have him naturally...

Afterwards, recovery has not been easy...almost had a blood transfusion done because he came so fast and I just kept clotting, but thankfully the Meds they gave me worked...

Thank you to all who followed our journey through pregnancy...it has been hard, but now that we have our little man it has been so worth it.

I will be updating this blog from time to time so stay tuned but I wanted to share my journey because I know there are others who are going through what I went through and those who will be going through it and I want others to be able to get information about cerclage which I could not really find.

So until next time...

38 and 39 week appts

So last week...I was at 3 cm still...

Today I went in and was dilated to 4 cm and then doc suggested inducing tonight! Yes tonight! So we are going to have a nice dinner and then go into the birthing center to start this process!

I will soon be able to share with you all our baby! So excited!!!

37 week appt...and no he is not here yet!

So we made it to 37 weeks...almost 38 weeks...and saw my OBGYN today...the office was a little surprised our little one has not made an appearance yet...

So today had a normal OBGYN appt without an ultrasound...heard the baby's heartbeat...got my belly measured...and then he did a cervical check...I am 2-3 cm dilated...and my doc said he could be in there for another week or so...

Oy! I am so ready to see him already as well as a lot of our friends and family...

We will see...

Ditch the Stitch Day and 36 week appt!

We made it! It is Ditch the Stitch day for us! Oh and on a side note it is my birthday as well...

So at 2:30 we had the cerclage taken out! It was pretty uncomfortable with the speculum and did feel something...probably the thing that snipped the stitch...but it did not take that long...

The OBGYN also did check on the baby and we got to see him again! Doc thinks he is probably going to come either tonight or tomorrow...hoping he decides to wait until next week to arrive but who knows!

We were shocked to hear the doctor say today or tomorrow so my hubby has been scrambling to get everything done...

Also to celebrate we went out to eat and do some shopping!

Next time you hear from me is hopefully to tell you the good news!

34 and 35 week appts

So I did not get a chance to update last week...after my baby shower I needed some time to recover...

So last weeks appt was very uneventful...I did not even get to see the baby...first time without an ultrasound...it was just hear the baby with a Doppler and get mt stomach measured...

Today's appt I was not expecting to see the baby but doc said, "let's just look at the baby for fun to see how big he is..." love my doc bc of that! So ultrasound said he was at 5 lbs but doc believes he is at 6...I do not care...as long as he is thriving!

I also found out that whenever we feel the baby's body...like a big bulge...it is bc I am having Braxton hicks contractions...so doc wanted to take out our cerclage a little earlier then expected...so now our Ditch the Stitch day is on March 15 which is on my birthday...what a birthday present huh? I just hope he decides to wait until the following week to come though...

So next time I write will be after my stitch comes out! Yay!!!

33 weeks and more...

On Thursday went to my OBGYN appt and this time with my friend who came in to throw me a baby shower.

We got to really see our little one and he is 4 lb 11 oz...and has a cute chubby face!
He then checked my cervical length and was at 3.6...hopefully after this weekend though it will not get any shorter bc of my baby shower.
However there was one thing that did not go the way I wanted...my blood pressure was high enough that my doc made me come back today to recheck my blood pressure. Thankfully it was okay today.

So this past Saturday had my baby shower...it was so much fun...Playing games and chatting away...I missed meeting up with friends...

Oh and we have an official date for taking our cerclage out...Ditch the Stitch date is March 16!

Until my next appt...

32 week appt!

Had my weekly OBGYN appt today! It was a good appt and was not with my doc...

My cervical length is at 3.8...this is good at 32 weeks...

Also baby is 4 lbs! He is growing well!

The downside of my appt was that my fasting blood sugar has been a little high for a few days so if I cannot get it down this weekend I will need to go on insulin shots. I really do not want to...I already have so much going on with this pregnancy but I guess for a healthy baby I need to do all I can for his health.

Onto 33 weeks!

31 week appt

31 weeks...almost 32...cannot believe we are so close now to the finish line...I am so excited but also nervous at the same time because we really do not know what to expect when it comes to the stitch coming out and then when our baby boy will want to come out and not knowing what labor will be like although I went through it twice before but this will be a little different bc we will have a bigger baby...but my biggest worry is how I am going to know when I am in labor...hopefully there will be a lot of big signs telling me I am going into labor...

So my appt today was so much better than last week!

My cervical length was at 3.7! I had a feeling it was longer bc I did not have as much cramping like I did last week...so I am happy about that.

Also despite of my GD diet I gained 2 lbs and this is due to our little one's growth spurt! He is now 3lbs 12oz...I know that the ultrasound is not accurate with weight but at least I know the numbers are increasing telling me he is growing! He is almost 4 lbs but after reading about birth weights vs ultrasound, it seems most are off by a pound usually birth weight being bigger so he can already be at the 4 lb mark...

So hoping to go full term if we keep going at this rate but who knows what will happen once the stitch comes out...

30 week appt!

We have made it to 30 weeks!!!
I cannot believe it!

So went to see my OBGYN...my cervical length has shortened to slightly over 3...I am a bit worried bc I am not supposed to go below 2.5, but hopefully after my 17p shot tonight it will lengthen.

I probably just over did it this week with my longer shower and also playing with our baby's first ride! His stroller which is pretty cool!

Other than that my doc wants to me to ditch the stitch at 35 weeks instead of 36 or 37...in his office so it would be cheaper for us then going to l&d and doing it...so that is in 5 weeks! I am very excited!

I did not find out how big he is now but when my doc came in, our baby's knee was sticking out pretty high...found out it was his knee...lol!

29 week appt

Had a wonderful OBGYN appointment! My cervix is at 4...grew a little from last week...also no funneling! Yay!

Also our baby is weighing 3 lbs! 42 percentile!

Also I myself did not gain weight...thanks to my new diet...which I really dislike...

2 more days and we are at 30 weeks!

Until next time!

28 week appt and glucose test update

So I had my 28 week appt on this snowy day...all is good with baby...he is 2 lbs 14 oz and on track with his growth...cervix is also okay at over 3.9...a slightly shorter then last time but nothing to worry about...

Well to update you on my 1 hour glucose test it was 194 when it should not go past 140...so I was supposed to do the fast and then 3 hour test but bc myself and my OBGYN were worried I would get sick and it is not good for the cerclage that we decided to forgo the test and go straight to testing my blood sugar and controlling my diet as if I had gestational diabetes. So after my OBGYN appt and meeting with a nurse on how to use the glucometer, I went to see the dietician.

I am not sure why I was so worried but I can do this diet thing...some adjusting is needed but I only have a few weeks of this pregnancy to go...

Oh and after I got the results last week I started to eat better and even lost 2 lbs...how cool is that! I am on bedrest and cannot exercise but just watching what I eat I lost weight...that is how high your metabolism gets while pregnant...

Until next week!

27 week appt and glucose test

So today had our 27 week appt! Everything looks great! My cervical length is at 4.2 and my OBGYN did not have to do a transvaginal ultrasound yay!

Our baby also weighs 2 lbs 6 oz...thought he would be bigger bc I feel huge!

Then I did the 1 hour glucose test...was not expecting to do it today bc OB said at 28 weeks but I said okay...I mean all I ate this morning was some bread with cream cheese...

After reading so many things about this I thought the drink would be gross but it was not bad...I just hope I passed it though bc I do not want to wait there for 3 hours.

So the appt was great!
Now onto 28 weeks on Sunday!

26 week appt!

So had my 26 week appt today...the last couple of days were a little stressful bc I started having unusual discharge...and even called my doc last night but he was not worried so I just waited until today.

Well my cervix seems to have a mind of its own...but today in a good way bc my cervix from internal to external is at a little over 4! It got longer! Woohoo! After last week I was freaked out but all looks good! Now I just need it to keep behaving...and doc said no more transvaginals unless I have bleeding! Another woohoo! Those transvaginals are not comfortable...so I have stick with my bedrest...now onto week 27!

Did a quick abdominal ultrasound like usual...he was moving around so much that he could not get a measurement but got a great shot of our LO's bottom ;) I love how my doc gives me all these pics...soon will have a great scrapbook of all these sonograms...

So I had another first with our baby...felt him through my stomach...think it was his head...nice and round...freaked me out a little bc it was just there for a while and then moved when I changed positions. Could have been his head or bottom...

Well I am so relieved after this appointment...hopefully it stays long...
Oh and our baby was not breeched at this appointment but I know he flip flops...

Until next time!