Ultra-Sounds....NOT SO FUN ANYMORE

Here's a little twins update - I'm sorry I have no pictures to go along with this entry but I wanted to let you know what we/they have been up to lately.

DISCLAIMER - MIGHT BE A LITTLE TMI FOR SOME PEOPLE

Around a month ago our Doctor notice that baby A and baby B were different in size. Baby A was in the 11 percentile and baby B was in the 24 percentile. He told us if there is a 10 percent difference between the two there is some concern. To make sure everything was ok he had us go an see the Maternal Fetal Specialist at the Evergreen Medical Center to do an ultra sound and get a better picture on what is going on. During the first appointment they noticed that the twins were different in the size but they also noticed that Kristi's cervix was really short. They told us that they weren't too concerned about the difference between the actual size of the twins but they were concerned about her cervix. At that point they told us that we would have to come back so they could determine if the cervix was just dynamic or if it was weak. How do they determine this? Do ultra sound after ultra sound and just keep on measuring it. I think we have done so many ultra sounds that the hospital has now given us our own parking spot in front not to mention that the first ultra sound bill was $950.00 (THANK GOD FOR INSURANCE) We used to also love getting ultra sounds but really they're not that fun anymore.

-SPEED FORWARD TO MONDAY-

On Monday we did another ultra sound(SURPRISE) where they determined that Kristi's cervix was not dynamic and it was weak due to the pressure of the twins. Dr. Paek recommended that we do a surgery that consist of putting in a stitch, called a cerclage. ASAP. The cerclage is supposed to hold the cervix together so it doesn't open and Kristi doesn't go into pre-term labor. There was a less than 5% chance the twins wouldn't make it through the surgery but if we didn't do the procedure there was a greater than 5% chance that Kristi could go into pre-term labor and being only 23 weeks the twins wouldn't make it. If we were going to do the surgery it had to be done before the 24th week otherwise it would be too late. After talking to our doctor Dr. Morell and also getting his recommendation we agreed to get it done so a routine drive over to Grandma and Grandpa Pairs turned into, turning around in our tracks, getting back on the freeway, and heading back to the hospital to go through all the pre-operation procedures.

On Tuesday Kristi and I packed everything that we needed, said a prayer and headed into the hospital. We got there at noon, and at 2:30 Dr. Paek came out and told me that everything went well. It was a pretty straight forward operation she told me that they did monitor the twins through the whole procedure and they did just fine. Kristi's cervix is now at 3 cm and should be good to go. She then just had me wait till Kristi came back from la-la land to go back and see her which was right before 4:00 pm. If you're curious during Kristi's operation, I did get a chance to finish my finances while I waited and was actually looking forward to watching Oprah in the waiting room but right before it came on the doctor told me that I could now come back and see Kristi and I thought it might look a little bad if I asked her, "Is it ok if I wait till after Oprah." (Now if I wasn't done with my finance book I would not have been able to go back until I was finished but I was already done so that did not become an issue. j/k)

On Monday, January 5th Kristi will have to go back in and...yes..you guessed it... get another ultra sound to make sure everything looks good and is doing well.

Our doctor has also put Kristi on permanent bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. If the cerclage works and does what it is supposed to do there is a chance that she could return to "very light activity" the doctor won't let her return to work, pick up Addyson, or run a 10 mile run but she will be able to get up and go to the kitchen and little stuff like that. I'm sure she would love some company so if you are looking for something to do feel free to drop by and visit but if the house is messy it's her fault. (J/K)

We will keep you all posted if anything changes. If you have any questions feel free to let us know and we will do our best to answer them.

Number of babies in Kristi's stomach 2

Number of Ultra Sounds so far during this pregnancy 9 and counting

Having two healthy babies PRICELESS!!

Take Care and have a SAFE and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Ryan, Kristi, and Addy