Today I am officially 27 weeks pregnant. Each day the babies continue to do well is a milestone and each week marks fewer and fewer complications for preemies born that week. When we found out about our monoamniotic twins in early November, I could hardly imagine making it to this point. I hoped and hoped, but there were too many gloomy doctor appointments, too many stressful ultrasounds first searching for that elusive membrane between the babies and then simply searching weekly to be sure their hearts were still beating. But here I am, completing my 6th day in the hospital, closely monitoring my girls and feeling more and more optimistic that we will bring home two healthy babies this spring.
The truth is, however, we aren't out of the woods until we walk out of here with the babies. Women have been in the hospital and still lost their monoamniotic twins due to sudden cord accidents. But, with each day that passes and each normal session on the heart monitors, our odds increase. I am betting on these babies, but I still think it is important to remind myself that we're walking on a tightrope and we could still fall off. I was given a stark reminder of that fact shortly before checking into the hospital...
About two weeks before I checked into the hospital, I made a new friend. We met on a monoamniotic twin website and discovered we were both in Copenhagen and both pregnant with monoamniotic twins. My friend was a few weeks behind me in her pregnancy and planning to check in when she reached 26 weeks. When we met she was 20 weeks and I was 24 weeks. We had a fantastic conversation over coffee. It was really nice to have someone to talk to who understood exactly what I was going through. We planned to ask the hospital staff to put us in the same room when she checked in about a month after me. We planned to meet up with our new babies and form our own playgroup. It was an instant connection and was clear to me that even without this crazy-rare pregnancy in common, we would have had things to talk about. We didn't stop talking for two hours and planned to meet the following week for coffee again.
The night before our second coffee date I got a text from my new friend saying she lost the twins and had found out that morning. She was 21 weeks pregnant. Understandably, I haven't heard from her since. Getting her news broke my heart and gave me a dose of survivors guilt. Since checking into the hospital, it has been hard not to think of my friend and wonder how she is coping with her loss. I wish I could still look forward to her check-in in a few weeks.
And so, every day, I thank the universe for all the good fortune we have had with this pregnancy so far. And late at night, when I am feeling sorry for myself because I am lonely and I will miss Riley's hugs in the morning, I try to remember how lucky I am to be here, to have made it this far and to be getting one more day with these babies thriving on the inside.
The truth is, however, we aren't out of the woods until we walk out of here with the babies. Women have been in the hospital and still lost their monoamniotic twins due to sudden cord accidents. But, with each day that passes and each normal session on the heart monitors, our odds increase. I am betting on these babies, but I still think it is important to remind myself that we're walking on a tightrope and we could still fall off. I was given a stark reminder of that fact shortly before checking into the hospital...
About two weeks before I checked into the hospital, I made a new friend. We met on a monoamniotic twin website and discovered we were both in Copenhagen and both pregnant with monoamniotic twins. My friend was a few weeks behind me in her pregnancy and planning to check in when she reached 26 weeks. When we met she was 20 weeks and I was 24 weeks. We had a fantastic conversation over coffee. It was really nice to have someone to talk to who understood exactly what I was going through. We planned to ask the hospital staff to put us in the same room when she checked in about a month after me. We planned to meet up with our new babies and form our own playgroup. It was an instant connection and was clear to me that even without this crazy-rare pregnancy in common, we would have had things to talk about. We didn't stop talking for two hours and planned to meet the following week for coffee again.
The night before our second coffee date I got a text from my new friend saying she lost the twins and had found out that morning. She was 21 weeks pregnant. Understandably, I haven't heard from her since. Getting her news broke my heart and gave me a dose of survivors guilt. Since checking into the hospital, it has been hard not to think of my friend and wonder how she is coping with her loss. I wish I could still look forward to her check-in in a few weeks.
And so, every day, I thank the universe for all the good fortune we have had with this pregnancy so far. And late at night, when I am feeling sorry for myself because I am lonely and I will miss Riley's hugs in the morning, I try to remember how lucky I am to be here, to have made it this far and to be getting one more day with these babies thriving on the inside.
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| The heart monitors that help us keep the babies safe. |
nice post(s) about your pregnancy! you must had a lot of unique experiences! I liked it very much!
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Warmly,
Adrian
http://www.bloggingbooks.net/