Thursday, March 11, 2010

Waiting...

Well, we've been here since Tuesday afternoon now. (It's currently 7:30 Thursday night). We started with a routine checkup in Franklin on Tuesday without a thought given to the idea that something could go wrong...all the other checkups had gone perfectly. Now we are praying that the amniocentesis was effective and will buy more time in the womb for Mattie and Sophie. Without going into too much detail, Twin to Twin Transfusion sydrome is when twins share a placenta and because of some problems with the veins that run through the placenta, one twin doesn't recieve enough blood and nutrients and the other recieves too much. This presents itself when the twin recieving too much blood, the "receiver" (Mattie) has too much fluid in her sac and the baby not recieving enough, the "donor" (Sophie) doesn't have enough. Amniocentesis Reduction is a procedure to pull some fluid out of Mattie's sac in order to keep her from being overloaded and to give Sophie more space to move around, hopefully encouraging her to start producing fluid again.

The Amnio reduction went well yesterday and at first glance the heartbeats seemed to improve a little. They were already pretty good and the sizes and weights of both girls are fairly normal, so these are all good signs. Unfortunately, Mattie's heart beat still isn't exactly right, and they have not been able to confirm Sophie's bladder on ultrasound or through monitoring yet, and that is what we are waiting to learn tomorrow. From what I understand, if both girls are doing well, and Sophie is producing fluid, we will continue waiting with Amber on bed rest. (Not sure if that's at the hospital or at home). Every day the babies can stay in the womb safely increases the odds of health after birth. If Sophie is not producing fluid or if they are not responding well, the doctors will discuss how soon a c-section needs to be performed.

Amber has recieved two doses of steriods which will help jumpstart the girls lungs and other organs when they are born early. Basically, it's a game of trying to decide which environment is better for the girls at 28 weeks, in the womb or the NICU. Obviously, the first choice is to stay in the womb as long as it is safe for the girls. Either way though, we know God is in control and we're trusting in Him. If you see this tonight, please pray for the ultra sound to reveal Sophie's bladder and both girls practice breathing.

We have so much to be thankful for already and we look forward to thanking God for bringing us through all of this.

9 comments:

  1. The Huffs are praying for you guys. Hang in there, and let us know if you need ANYTHING.

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  2. Amber and Josh we are, have been, and will continue praying for you both and your babies. Sandra and I remember well when they told us "if he lives 3 days he might make it" about Jeff. You know he is 36 now and he and wife have 2 boys of their own and one recent young man {a highschool senior} kinda of a foster situation. God is so good.
    Uncle Steve & Aunt Sandra

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  3. I love all you guys so much, and I am praying diligently for health and peace of mind for all of you. I so admire your faith--it never seems to waver. You two are amazing, and Sopie and Mattie have the best parents ever!

    Loads of love,
    Natalie T.

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  4. Just want you guys to know you are in our thoughts and prayers!!! Keep looking up. God is the great physician.

    Love, Amanda and the Crew @ Main Street

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  5. I am so glad you have a blog so I can keep up with the latest. I haven't seen Amber in a long time but as soon as I heard the news about the twin girls, it brought back memories of nervousness and excitement all in the same emotion. I wanted to be able to hold my twins, Blake and Annyston, for the first time and just to see their faces, little toes, and even hear that cry for the first time. There were some complications with my pregnancy as Amber probably knows, but we got through it and now I have 2 beautiful children who I cherish very much. I pray that you have the same. Bo, Blake, Annyston, and I continue to pray for you everyday! It is so sweet to hear my 3 year olds pray for "those little twin girls."
    We love you and are thinking of you always,
    Shannon Barker
    P.S. If your family needs anything, please let me know.

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  6. amber and josh, we have been keeping up with the twins progress on FB -- so thanks for the blog. we are so.oo excited that you maybe coming home soon. we will keep you in our prayers and for God to continue to bless all of you !!! with love, ricky and karen thompson :o)

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  7. AMBER & JOSH,
    YOU ALL ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.FOLLOW DOCTORS ORDER AND TAKE CARE. WILL KEEP UP WITH YOUR PROGRESS. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND WE WILL KEEP PRAYING FOR YOU ALL.
    ROSE AND MACK HARMON
    SAVANNAH CHURCH OF CHRIST

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  8. Hey! My name is Gina Bryan and my daughter goes to CA and my husband is a firefighter and knows Chad. We have a daughter who is a dwarf. I also had all of the ultrasounds and was scared to death for the last 3 1/2 months of the pregnancy. The road ahead is hard and you always wait for something else to happen but you have to keep your spirits up and you will make it through this! You are right that it is fun to see your baby more often. I had 20 ultrasounds over a period of about 2 months. I felt like I knew exactly what she was going to look like before she was born.

    Hang in there. We are praying for you guys!

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  9. Hope everything is still going ok. Got a text from Natalie this morning about their arrival!! Just wanted you both to know we are all praying. We had a prayer chain going last night via calls and texts! You all will continue to be in our prayers during the days ahead! Much love, Stacy Carnal

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