Kris went for our weekly ultrasound yesterday morning, and the docs informed us that Mr. A's CCAM is indeed still growing: the CVR is up to 2.1! Time to start taking some action, so they were planning on giving Kris two injections of steroids, 24 hours apart, which has been shown to stop the growth of these lesions. BUT WAIT! Kris started complaining of severe back pain while on the ultrasound table, so the technician poked around and found that Kris' cervix was starting to shorten: symptoms of preterm labor. They threw her in a cab and sent her to Pennsylavania hospital to be evaluated by the labor and delivery unit, and I left work to meet her there.
The normal contractions that Kris had been feeling during her pregnancy started to turn quite painful and more frequent. They gave her the first of her two shots of steroids, which is both for the CCAM and to help the babies lungs if they indeed are born early. But when the nurses saw saw Kris beginning to dilate, all hell broke loose. They started her on a dose of magnesium sulfate and some other mystery drug to try to stop the progression of her labor. We are only at 25 weeks, and while they have had success with babies born this early, we really could use more time. A lot more time.
There was about an hour there where I thought they were going to throw a cap over my head, wheel us into the OR and bring these dudes out. A neonatologist came in the reassure us with some helpful statistics about retinal detachment, brain bleeds, premature survival rates, intubation, extubation, and about fifty other things I didn't register becuase all I could think of was TINY BABIES. One interesting statistic caught my interest, oddly enough. Fifty-eight percent of identical twins are born premature. I thought: great, with all of the terrible insane odds we've unwillingly beaten, for once we're in the majority.
Things have settled. Labor, for now, has seemed to stop progressing. No more dilation. Kris is still contracting, but they are not painful and they are becoming less frequent. She will receive these drugs for the next 24 hours and then we will hope that she stays pregnant for many weeks. Doc says that she could continue to have these background contractions for weeks; as long as she doesn't go into labor we are good. Way back when they said they really hope to get the wonder twins to 32 weeks. Seems so far away now.
Oh, and we have to stay in the hospital until the kids are born, whether it's tonight or 8 weeks from now. We were really hoping to get away from the house this summer before the kids were born, but we were thinking more of a place like with a beachfront view or a pool. Something like that. At least the room has cable and I can watch the goddamned Phillies.
Pennsylvania Hospital, 8th and Spruce. Visiting hours 11-8.
I am never impregnating anyone ever again.
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