Saturday, September 20, 2008

Melody and Madison are getting big! (doc checkup)

We went to the doctor yesterday and it was a much better experience than the first time. We had to wait for two hours to get in but I didn't care I was just happy to be there. We were so excited when they called us back. I asked the sonogram tech if she could spend some time getting really good shots of the babies because all the sonograms we had up until that point they had just been measuring the girls. She was more than happy to do that and Jason and I were so thankful! We got to see baby B swallowing and sucking her thumb and she got a really good shot of baby A's face. We haven't really said ok baby A is Melody and Baby B is Madison because we know they can turn and also when they are delivered I don't want to be stressing about them not mixing the babies up. Destinee has already informed us that when they come out Melody is the one on the left and Madison will be the one on the right, she is so cute!

(the above picture is "Baby A" looking right at us, and the one below was showing "Baby B" open and close her mouth [the arrow is pointing to her tongue])

After she finished doing her part of the sonogram our Doctor came in, he was so SWEET this time. Not that he wasn't last time I think he just didn't want to give us false hope so we took it as him being harsh. He came in and did his part of the sonogram and said the babies look good. One of them weighs about one pound 9 ounces and the other one weighs about one pound 10 ounces. It's hard for them to know exactly since they are joined at the chest so they can't get a very good measurement of their chests. He said they are growing lung tissue which is really good because that was one of the fears to begin with is that their lungs wouldn't develop. He took a lot of time looking at their heart,... to make a long confusing story short he basically said if they make it to full term he is just not sure how long they will live after that. It may be a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or months we wont know though until after they are born and we see if their heart will be able to support them both and for how long. That was much better to hear than they have a zero chance of survival.

My amniotic fluid level is good, he said if I was going to develop too much amniotic fluid that it would have already happened by this point so he is not concerned with that.
My blood pressure is also good. Our doctor spent a lot of time with us answering questions and just trying to offer some comfort. He wanted to make sure we were all on the same page as far as their birth goes so we talked about that for a while. He told us that he respected our wishes and would do everything that he could to take care of the babies and myself. He also let us know that modern medicine only goes so far. Were pretty sure what he was taking about was the fact that they just can't do open heart surgery on conjoined twins. He is referring us to a cardiologist and a neonatologist so we will be seeing all three doctors from now on and they will be meeting often to make sure that they are all on the same page.

Oh and such good news, we go back to see our doctor in two weeks! I cant handle that this whole waiting a month thing, it almost drove me crazy but two weeks I can do.

The only concern I had was every once in a while I can't get a full breath. It's not like I'm not breathing I just can get a good full breath sometimes. He said that was due to the fact that my uterus is already the size of a full term uterus and we have two big babies in there. I said I am ok with that as long as it is normal!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

(our family is growing by 4 feet)

9 comments:

The Sappingtons said...

awwww, what a blessing to hear that the doc visit went better this time. God is good. We love to read your updates. We eat them up! we are praying for you guys and we love you!

Michelle said...

Wow, Vanessa! That is so great that it went so much better! You know, modern medicine may only be able to do so much, but we serve a God that is the Great Physician!
We pray for you all every day, please keep the updates coming!! Yay for every two week visits!!

Blessings!

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear this one went better, and that you'll be going every 2 weeks now. The new ultrasound pictures are cute, you can totally see them! Can't wait to see you guys! WHEN IS KENYA'S PARTY???? We are soooo Dallas-bound. Anisa wants to wear her matching princess nightgown with Kenya. Love to all of you!

The Johnson Family said...

I am so glad to hear that things went well at your appointment!! The pics look so clear, I love the pics of their little faces!!

Homegrown Tribe said...

God is so amazing! So glad to read an update and we will keep you in our prayers.

brittany

Shahrzad Baber said...

Hi Vanessa, I dont know if Jason reads these comments, but Im a friend of his Shahrzad, Ive known him for a while and I started reading a blog through a friend and I am just amazed by your story... #1 I pray to have the faith that you guys do, each entry you write amazes me... I am praying for you guys, just today I shared the story of your beauiful girls and of your faith to a some people at work who are also praying for you all... it amazing to see God taking care of you and the twins... secondly I love your little girl kenya, she is the cutest, most precious girl I have ever seen, how lucky she is to have parents like you and Jason.... I will continue to pray for you all.... thank you for sharing your story and your amazing faith!!!!!

Barbie said...

Hi Jason & Vanessa!

We love you dearly and please DON'T STOP giving us all these updates okay?
And....i copied the picture of the kids on the couch & put it on my desktop! i just love it too much!
i say AMEN to Destinee's prophecy!
We love you forever!
Barbie and Willie

JC Stitches said...

We were on a trip when I saw your comment on our blog, and I am just now figuring out how to comment on yours! I am so sorry it has taken us so long. We have been praying for you, and we are proud of you for doing the right thing. It just comes naturally to love your children and protect them and do all you can for them, doesn't it? God is wonderful to put that instinct in us. As prepared as we were for the birth of Joshua and Caleb, it was even better than we expected. And as prepared as we were by the doctors for their death, we were so hopeful that they were wrong and that God would prove them wrong. He did prove them wrong, but in very different ways than we expected. The whole journey was a wonderful miracle from God, and it forever changed our lives. We are so blessed by Joshua and Caleb. I miss them so unbelievably much, but I would not take them from Jesus. I know God is loving them more than even we did, as amazing and hard to wrap my mind around as it is! Joshua and Caleb were connected at their chest, and shared a heart and a liver as well. They did have one good lung that they shared, which allowed them to breathe for the hour and a half that they lived, but they each only had "nubs" of lungs that were no good to them. We had no way of knowing any of that before they were born. We were told they could live hours, days maybe even months, but no one knew for sure because of their lung capacity. I hope this doesn't give you more than you wanted to know, I just felt like we should help you if we can.We too had lots of trouble with our doctors, and went for two other opinions. Please contact us if there is anything at all we can do for you, we would be honored to help you in anyway we can. We love you and feel a close bond with you, even though we haven't actually met! You can contact us through our website, www.miracletwinboys.com or by email at rosecrance@miracletwinboys.com. Please do not hesitate if you have questions, we will be honest and share any and all of it with you. We want to use our experience to Glorify God, in whatever way he wants to use us. We will continue to lift you all up in prayer. God is Good, and he will hold you in his hands through this. Love, Crystal and Matt Rosecrance

Anonymous said...

Hi guys from Oregon! We think of you often and we will keep you in our prayers as you go through this unsettling time. May your hearts have peace through this and may God knit your family ever tighter together. Blessings and love ya, Amy Smith.