Ugh...I'm so sick!

So I made it through an entire winter avoiding all the germs and now that spring is here I get sick. I guess it's a good thing really, as it means my immune system is down and not fighting the babies and such, but it's not fun. I hate being sick. And of course its spring break, so my son is home and I feel like a bad mom having to stay home for vacation. Luckily he is weird and would rather stay home any day than go out, but it's still no fun. Have I said how much I hate being sick?

100 days to go!

Ah...that's crazy. Today I looked at my little baby floaty thing and it said 100 days to go. That's awesome. I can not wait. You know what else is crazy? My OB (one of them) actually wanted me to schedule my c-section date! For June 20th! I didn't though. Made me too nervous. Like if I scheduled it, I'd go into preterm labor tomorrow. And that would not be good. These guys have to stay in here until at least June. And I still have to decide for sure who I'm going to have do the delivery. I'm leaning towards the OB who I've been with the whole time (thru the m/c's and d&c's and IUI). And plus, he delivers at a level 3 NICU, the other is only level 2. Plus my pediatrician is out of that hospital. Sounds like I just made the decision. Problem solved.
Now for updates...Apple is the big one this time, weighing in at 2#2oz and in the 65th percentile, while Banana is 2# and in the 54th percentile. So very good for twins. Grow babies grow!

And just as a side note because my blog can't always be about babies, you know what I find so annoying? People complaining about the weather. Now don't get me wrong. I am not happy either when it goes from 65 to 30, but c'mon people, you live in Chicago...what do you expect? If you don't like it (or the snow), then fricking move! It gets cold sometimes, a lot even, but really 65 was a treat, so enjoy that and take the spring-like weather for what it is because before long it will be 90 with 90% humidity and you'll be complaining about that too!

Just cruising along...

Things continue to go well. I just had an US yesterday and apple measured 1#9oz, and banana measured 1#10oz. It seems to go back and forth who baby is bigger. I know last time banana was a little smaller.

I felt it was a good time seeing as things are going well to outline my treatments for this pregnancy to help anyone out here who is in RPL hell. Of course this isn't the answer for everyone, but it's a start if RPL is ruining your life.

So, for this pregnancy I am doing the following protocol:

1. Ivig - I am getting a 35g dose every other week, was every week and also 70g every other week depending on Natural Killer Cell levels. This is the most important thing I could be doing. Everyone needs to try it.
2. P.rednisone - I am currently down to 7.5mg, but was at 20mg/day at the beginning
3. L.ovenox - I only get 40mg every other day as my clotting issues are minor
4. A.moxicillin - I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease last year. Here is some more info about it. Please get tested if you are unsure. I feel so much better and I'm not thru treatment yet. http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/B_guidelines_12_17_08.pdf
5. Z.ithromax - See above for Lyme disease info.
6. Gluten, dairy, and sugar-free - This has been crucial to my success. I believe that many current health issues are due to our diet. I hope to follow the Paleo diet strictly after my pregnancy. It is the healthiest diet there is. I'm just too hungry now to completely eliminate grains for now. I like this blogger's posts about the subject as he gives proof why this diet works. http://thehealthyskeptic.org/

So, that's my story in a nutshell. I see many doctors to help manage this pregnancy and some believe the others are crazy. But I find the best doctors are those that give them some credit, even if they don't agree with it. And always look for a doctor with "DO" (doctor of osteopathy). I have three of them and I like them a lot. They tend to be more open minded. And don't be afraid to switch doctors. You owe them nothing. It is your body, your health. Do what you need to do! 

24 weeks-Viability

Wow-24 weeks-wow! I was just reading a blog of a mom who just gave birth to her twins at 24 weeks. The miracle of modern medicine is amazing. My babies would have a chance. A darn good chance. Of course I'm hoping for many, many more weeks (you hear that apple and banana!) But I know that they would be OK if something were to happen. And the further I get, the even more monitoring I get. I currently have 2 OB's, 2 MFM's, 1 RI and they all want to see me every two weeks. But it is bringing me to the realization that I've got to decide who's gonna deliver me. I think the deciding factor is the better hospital. One hospital is level 2 NICU, the other level 3. Gotta go with the better NICU.

But today I celebrate. Viability. Maybe I'll even be brave enough to do my first belly shot. I hate them, but seeing as though this may be my final pregnancy, I don't want to miss anything.

No more blood!

Hm, so I have no idea what happened on Sunday...but it hasn't come back! And I had an US on wednesday and apple and banana are doing great. Although, I must vent. My RI has the best US tech, I love her (although her room is the hottest ever). Well I got a call from the nurse to see if I could move my Ivig and US to weds when I knew she wasn't there when I scheduled with her two weeks ago. I thought maybe her plans changed. Oh no-she wasn't there. It was a different tech that was not good. The word sucked come to mind! She only got one measurement of everything, used more gel than I've ever seen, took forever to get the blood flow (granted it usually takes awhile), and I got NO PICTURES! I'm not sure who she is, but I will make sure to not see her again. She was worse than the tech who get "bouncing" banana with the wand to make her turn to see her face. I did not like that.

And-the best thing-I'm at 24 weeks tomorrow! Yeah! Viability. Although I hope to make it months past tomorrow, it is a good milestone to reach. It's a comfort zone for me. It lets me actually work on the nursery, wash some baby clothes from my son (man he had a lot of clothes)! Now if only I could pick names. Everyone keeps asking. I don't know why, but it feels weird to pick a name. I want to see them first. Of course I want to have ideas, but I like calling them apple and banana while still inside. Maybe it's just me.

It's like my son saying, why are you doing all this stuff-they're not alive yet. Freaked me out the first time he did it. I had to remind myself that to him, they are just pictures. It's weird for me to sometimes think about them being born, for him, it's nothing he's experienced before. He will soon though! Only three more months!

Seriously...blood...seriously?!?!

So last night I noticed a tiny spot of blood on the TP. I thought I was past this. I want to be past this. I was also diagnosed with a stupid yeast infection (which I know is super common) last week, so after panicking about using the category "C" medicine and debating about whether or not I would risk sticking something in "there" (which is way too risky for me to fathom), I did it. And apple and banana were fine. They are actually still fine with the blood from last night-as movement is still good. Hi babies!

But then I got to thinking-blood doesn't have no reason. It went away, but it was there. So then I had convinced myself that I had bacterial vaginosis. And that is something you don't want to google. Seriously. Increased risk for premature labor, low birth weight, and second trimester MISCARRIAGE! Seriously!?!? I do not need that kind of scare. The good news is that I had called my doc to find out how they knew about the yeast and she said they ran the full panel of infections, so no, I do not have BV. I'll feel better when I actually talk to the dr tomorrow about it, versus hearing it from the not-so-nice nurse, but for now I'm 80% better.

It's so weird to read the blogs of IF's who are recently pregnant. You think, poor them, they are at the height of their worry. And it's true, I was more worried then, earlier in the pregnancy. But it never goes away. Ever. It might get a little better, but it's also a little worse because there's more to lose. Not to saw my babies are any better than 6 week old babies, but I've come so far. Things are going well. I'm at 23 weeks. That's amazing. I guess it's the same old story, just a different chapter.

Now, prayers for no more blood!