26 Week Update

We returned to the perinatalogit today for our 26 week checkup. We've become so well versed in the ultrasound procedure that it was hard watching because we now know when we see something that doesn't look good. I guess ignorance really is bliss! Pooh, is in full absent end diastolic flow with his umbilical artery and it is starting to show signs of affecting other blood flow areas. He is still our smallest having only gained two ounces in the last two weeks and weighing in at 1 pound, 3 ounces to date. This was probably the most disturbing thing we heard at today's appointment. We desperately need for him to gain weight. On the positive side, he is still growing (albeit minimally) and he is behaving like a 26 weeker. Tigger is actually still showing mild signs of a compromised umbilical artery, but so far it does not seem to have affected his growth or development. He is our whopper, gaining 10 ounces in two weeks weighing in at 2 pounds, 2 ounces overall.

I (Randi) am officially off work from here on out and on modified bed rest. The doctor's instructions were to rest, drink tons of water and several Ensure/Boost drinks per day. This will allow all of my energy and bloodflow to go straight to the babies. This is our last attempt at putting weight on the babies. From here on out, we will be returning to the perinataolgist weekly and possibly twice weekly. We will not have weekly growth scans; however, we will take a look at the umbilical artery to check blood flow and also make sure that Pooh is behaving the way he should be. We have made a decision, with the perinatologist, that we do not want to deliver prior to 28 weeks. This will allow both babies to gain additional weight, namely Tigger, who hopefully by then will be a solid 3 pounder. It is not until then that we could feel good about his odds of survival without permanent injury. We do not want to compromise his health because he appears to be a healthy, thriving baby boy. We are praying Pooh holds on for his sake and his brother's sake. As long as Pooh is still growing, active, and does not slip into a reverse end disastolic flow, I will remain pregnant. When I do deliver, the doctor has assured me there is no option other than a C-section.

We wanted to give everyone an update on our progress. We know there are a lot of people out there that we will possibly never meet that are vigilant in their prayer and thoughts. For that, we are so very grateful. Several of these people have asked how they can pray specifically. In the next day or so, I will post some specific requests for prayer that are the most pressing. We also have a whole new bunch of ultrasound pictures to post. We return to the OB on Tuesday, have the 4D ultrasound on Wednesday and return to the perinatalogist on Friday. As Todd told me today, it appears the waiting and doing nothing is over. We have entered into game time mode. That alone has relieved some of our anxieties.