05/15/09 OB Appointment and Prayer Requests

This morning was my first OB appointment since Monday's ultrasound, and it didn't go quite like we expected.  Better or worse than we expected?  I guess I'm not sure!... :-)

We didn't get far into the appointment before it became apparent that everyone was not on the same page.  Right off the bat, the nurse informed me I would be getting my Strep B test done today.  I told her I had already had that done last week and was expecting to get the results today, so she looked it up and recorded the result in my chart (Negative!  No penicillin during labor this time around!).  I then told her that I would like to have my cervix checked (I decided on doing this after receiving the news that we would be planning a cesarean for next Friday), and while I could tell she wasn't convinced this was necessary, she noted my request and handed me the lovely white "sheet" before leaving the room.

When my doctor came in he expressed approval of my "skinny ankles" and of my making it to 35 weeks.  He then checked my cervix and, upon detecting no dilation and only slight thinning, he exclaimed, "You're gonna do this!  You're gonna make it to 38 weeks!"  (Thirty-eight weeks is the point past which they don't like to let twins go because of increased risks and higher infant mortality rates.)  Pleased but confused by his comments, I asked, "Have you talked to the perinatologist?"  "No..." came the response, so Travis and I proceeded to summarize what she had told us following Monday's ultrasound (the results of which had not even been sent to the OB office).  We told him of the perinatologist's concern that Baby A is not growing well because of her 2-vessel cord, of the 18% weight differential between the two babies, and of the admitted possibility for error in Baby A's measurements due to her position (the full circumference of her head can no longer be measured because she is vertex and super low) and due to the tendency of the technician who did the scan the time before to over-measure (thus creating the appearance of insufficient weight gain).  Based on this information alone, our doctor seems to be thinking that there is not a strong enough indication for taking the babies early.  He said he would call the perinatologist and then call me, and we went on our way, more confused than ever.

I got the promised call from my doctor not long after returning home from my appointment.  He said he had been unable to reach the perinatologist thus far and was going to keep trying throughout the afternoon.  I told him that I really hoped he could reach her yet today because I was feeling so much in limbo--confused by the differing opinions and hoping his opinion is the right one since I want to carry these babies as long as possible.  We had a little further discussion about the fact that ultrasounds done so close together are not reliable, that our NSTs and kick counts show that both babies are doing well, that these are two babies in two separate sacks who should not be compared to each other, and that I tend to have small babies anyway (Abel was 7 lbs. 1/2 oz. at 40 6/7 weeks, and Amariah was 5 lbs. 13 oz. at 39 4/7 weeks).  He suggested that we talk to the perinatologist about waiting until 37 weeks to take the babies (sort of a compromise between her 36-week suggestion and his 38-week "limit"), and I told him I just want to go as long as is possible and safe for the babies.

A second phone call from the doctor later this afternoon informed me that he still hadn't been able to reach the perinatologist, so it will be the beginning of next week before we know anything more.  In the meantime, we wait and wonder whether or not we should be employing some natural methods of induction; and as we wait, we pray that God will grant us wisdom and clear guidance for the coming days/weeks.

If you would like to come alongside us in prayer, these are the specific requests we are making known to God.

• Lord, please allow our babies to remain in the womb until they are both truly ready for life outside it.
• Please cause labor to start spontaneously and in Your time so that we might avoid having a planned cesarean.
• Give us divine wisdom and clear guidance as we make decisions concerning the (natural) induction of labor and the selection of a cesarean date.
• God, please cause Baby A to grow at the appropriate rate in spite of her 2-vessel cord so that both she and her sister would be born at a sufficient and healthy weight.

In conclusion, I just want to say that the entirety of this pregnancy has been to me a source of absolute joy.  I view my babies as nothing less than a double blessing, and for that blessing I praise and thank God with all of my heart!  May God finish the good work He has started, and may He alone be glorified!