28 Weeks

How to begin...?

Thursday was my doctor appointment.

I took Porter with me.

It began with an ultrasound, like usual, where it was made known that the membrane separating the twins had definitely ruptured making them now "mono-mono" twins.

If you don't know what that means, read my 25th week update.

After the ultrasound, I had a consult with one of my doctors...also like usual.

She informed me that we were now to treat them as what they now are.

As I stated before, mono-mono twins survival rate is very low.

They rarely, if ever, make it as far as 28 weeks.

If they weren't mono-mono to begin with, like mine, and the membrane ruptures, it is usually because of a traumatic event with the mother.

That did not happen with me.

Mine was completely spontaneous, and apparently unheard of.

How do I get so lucky with my pregnancies?

I digress...

Because of the "usual" situation with ruptured membranes, the recommended diagnosis is hospitalization.

I can't do that.

The doctor even told me she was obligated to tell me that, but that it seems a bit extreme in my case.

I asked if there was anything else I could do instead.

There was, but it involved coming in to monitor the babies every day.

It takes 40 minutes to get here in perfect traffic, I stress out almost every time I drive, gas prices are super high, Porter would have to come with me, and that's just as bad as being hospitalized if not worse than with the driving were my thoughts.

Again, I asked if there was something else I could do.

The compromise was to come in twice a week for monitoring and weekly ultrasounds/doctors visits.

That seemed much better.

They are worried about the babies getting tangled, even with how big they are, but they still don't think it will be an issue.

They are obligated to tell me the "best" thing to do.

With this new situation, the doctor also told me they would have to take the babies at 32 to 34 weeks.

So, I will have two sweet little preemies on my hands...

They will give me steroid shots to stimulate and quicken the babies' lung development, so, hopefully, they wont have to be in the NICU for long.

I didn't get any ultrasound pictures this week since they were mostly just looking at the ruptured membrane.

But, here is my quite large self...

...at 28 weeks.

 “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. … All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.”

^{-Elder Orson F. Whitney}