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My youngest daughter is now in her 33rd week of pregnancy with identical twin girls. The greatest blessing of this past Christmas was that she didn't have to spend it in the hospital hooked up to fetal monitors, IVs, etc.
Hers is considered a high-risk pregnancy because of a condition, found only with identical twins, where the blood flow to one is so much less that it can cause a deficit in fetal development, growth, and survivability.
The condition is initially detected when growth differential between the two fetuses passes a certain percentage as shown by periodic growth sonograms. At that point, the frequency of growth sonograms is increased and a second type is added which monitors blood flow to the smaller twin.
So instead of two sonos per week, my daughter was having three. And she had spent the two weekends before Christmas in the hospital because the facilities at her ob-gyn practice were only available during the week.
At the time when they first started monitoring this, the babies were only a little more than a pound each and she had been screened and prepped for an emergency Cesarean Section should the need arise.
Thankfully, the sonos before Christmas showed sufficient improvement that she was able to spend the holiday at home and the ones since have actually shown considerable improvement.
To update, she's now in her 34th week, the twins are now over three pounds each, and she will be scheduled for Cesarean delivery during the 38th week which is protocol for this type of pregnancy.
Her physician has been quite encouraged by her progress and indicates that, if maintained, the babies may not have to pass through the NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) and may be able to come home with their mom four days after delivery.
Everyone in the family has been following this closely, especially my twin sisters who were born under similar circumstances some sixty years ago...
LPK
LiveJournal
1.4.2012
Hers is considered a high-risk pregnancy because of a condition, found only with identical twins, where the blood flow to one is so much less that it can cause a deficit in fetal development, growth, and survivability.
The condition is initially detected when growth differential between the two fetuses passes a certain percentage as shown by periodic growth sonograms. At that point, the frequency of growth sonograms is increased and a second type is added which monitors blood flow to the smaller twin.
So instead of two sonos per week, my daughter was having three. And she had spent the two weekends before Christmas in the hospital because the facilities at her ob-gyn practice were only available during the week.
At the time when they first started monitoring this, the babies were only a little more than a pound each and she had been screened and prepped for an emergency Cesarean Section should the need arise.
Thankfully, the sonos before Christmas showed sufficient improvement that she was able to spend the holiday at home and the ones since have actually shown considerable improvement.
To update, she's now in her 34th week, the twins are now over three pounds each, and she will be scheduled for Cesarean delivery during the 38th week which is protocol for this type of pregnancy.
Her physician has been quite encouraged by her progress and indicates that, if maintained, the babies may not have to pass through the NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) and may be able to come home with their mom four days after delivery.
Everyone in the family has been following this closely, especially my twin sisters who were born under similar circumstances some sixty years ago...
LPK
LiveJournal
1.4.2012
