29 weeks-update from Ohio

I am 29 weeks today! We have hit a great milestone.

I had a appointment with the maternal fetal medicine practice for ultrasound and then a echocardiogram here in Cincy today. We also met with Dr. Lim who is the pediatric surgeon.
We also took tours of the NICU & the RICNIC. Both facilities were great and will take good care of the girls.

Our meeting today with Dr. Lim was sobering and emotional. Blakely's cardiac output has increased to the 750's. Just as a reference the dangerous and "high" levels are 800 and obviously higher. She seems to be handling the increase well and is showing no signs of heart failure. Palmer is continuing to do very well too. My amniotic fluid was around 10 which is not the best but far from the worst.

Pretty much we were told today that they are hoping, hoping, hoping that the girls make it to 34 weeks gestation. Dr. Lim said the likelyhood of that is very small and a more likely date for delivery is within days to a week or so from now. This was a big shock to us! Obviously the older the girls are the more likely they will not only have little problems but have a much higher rate for survival. There are many many factors that go into how well they will do at any age. The concern for delivery within the next week or so is that Blake will not be stable enough to have surgery due to her prematurity and that she will have heart failure. As for Palmer she will have issues to due prematurity as well. So it would be a hard road for both and their survival rates drop.

The plan they have given us today is for me to see the OB team here weekly for now and have a fetal echo. weekly as well. There is no way to decide right now when the girls will arrive. Our hope as well as the doctors is that as each appointment passes we make another appointment, so on and so forth, until we reach 32,33,34 weeks. Everyday that passes our odds of a good outcome increase.

Although we knew all of this information it had been a long time since we had heard it and now the time is here. It is very scary and un-nerving not knowing when the time bomb is going to explode, to say.

We put ourselves on the waiting list today for the Ronald McDonald House. They did not give us a time frame of how long we would be on the list. Jeff and his mother leave tomorrow morning to head back to Birmingham. He is going to finish up work and return this weekend for good. I will be staying with the Bradley family here in Ohio. My sister is flying up tomorrow to be with me and I am so thankful. My family & friends will come after we know more at the end of the week.

Things are moving quickly now, but then on the other hand, time is passing too slow. I want to close my eyes and wake up and it be 34 weeks. Obviously not possible. I am doing better with my contractions now that they increased my Breathine dosage to 5 mg every 4 hours. I have developed a lovely set of swollen ankles (which I am not happy about-ha) and am still gaining a "appropriate" amount of weight which I will not reveal. Sorry folks. I intend on spending as much time resting as possible and well to be honest praying.

There are so many of you who read this blog and pray for me, my family, and these girls every single day. Today I have a specific prayer request:

I am asking that tumor stop growing or slow way down, which would allow for Blakely's cardiac output to remain in the safe zone. I am asking you to pray that these babies will continue to defy the odds and show their strength by holding on to 34 weeks. That the surgery for me goes perfect and Blakely's surgery goes perfect and that in November Jeff and I bring home two healthy baby girls.

I know that is a lot. I am hopeful, confident, and trusting in the Lord and need each and everyone of you to do the same. There is power in prayer, so get to praying people!!!!