So I am 26 1/2 weeks along now...we had another appointment today in St. Louis. We were a little disheartened because the mass had grown a considerable amount...so keep the prayers coming for the blood supply to the mass to be interrupted and the mass to stop growing!
The good news is that the mass has not greatly affected the esophagus or trachea at this time. Baby A is still able to swallow and the lung development looked fairly normal. There is a fair discrepancy in the fluid levels again but both babies seem to be getting good blood supply so right now we will just keep watching this. Baby A was 1lb 14 oz and Baby B was 2lbs 9 oz : ) Both heartbeats were strong!! So the plan right now is still just continue to wait and watch. I think that is the worst part for Preston and me. 36 weeks is still the goal!!
We follow up next week in Cape Girardeau and then the following week in St. Louis.
Thank you so much for all the prayers!
Love,
Liz, Preston and babies
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
24 week update
Just wanted to give everyone the weekly update from today's visit.
It was fairly good news...the first answer to prayer was that the amniotic fluid level in both sacs were very similar and right in the middle of the normal range. So, they were not as concerned with twin to twin transfusion syndrome. The other thing is that Baby A's (the one with the mass) fluid level had decreased so another sign that he/she is still able to swallow and 'recycle' the fluid. The mass on Baby A's neck had grown slightly but not as much as the week before and the trachea and esophagus are not being affected at this point. So I think the doctor's were pleased as well because we do not have to follow up again until two weeks from now (September 22).
Both are still growing and very active (they already like to kick and punch each other - must be boys : )! Baby A was 1 lb 9 oz. and Baby B was 1 lb 12 oz.
Dr. Vlastos said he would put our 'energy' (aka prayers) towards having the mass stop growing or reducing in size. This is what I continue to prayer for...a complete miracle!!!!
Thank you all, again, for all the prayers! It means so much to Preston and me!!
Love to all!
~Liz
It was fairly good news...the first answer to prayer was that the amniotic fluid level in both sacs were very similar and right in the middle of the normal range. So, they were not as concerned with twin to twin transfusion syndrome. The other thing is that Baby A's (the one with the mass) fluid level had decreased so another sign that he/she is still able to swallow and 'recycle' the fluid. The mass on Baby A's neck had grown slightly but not as much as the week before and the trachea and esophagus are not being affected at this point. So I think the doctor's were pleased as well because we do not have to follow up again until two weeks from now (September 22).
Both are still growing and very active (they already like to kick and punch each other - must be boys : )! Baby A was 1 lb 9 oz. and Baby B was 1 lb 12 oz.
Dr. Vlastos said he would put our 'energy' (aka prayers) towards having the mass stop growing or reducing in size. This is what I continue to prayer for...a complete miracle!!!!
Thank you all, again, for all the prayers! It means so much to Preston and me!!
Love to all!
~Liz
Thursday, September 1, 2011
23 week update
We went for our first follow up in St. Louis today. The good news is that Baby A (the one with the mass) is still able to swallow and the trachea is still functioning and intact. We saw some pretty cute pictures of the little ones today!
The mass has grown in size, not alarming, but I think kinda what the doctor's expected. He also mentioned the possibility of twin to twin transfusion syndrome (when one baby gets more blood flow and nutrients than the other since they are sharing a placenta) due to the discrepancy in fluid in the two babies amniotic sacs. He wasn't alarmed but there is a bigger discrepancy this week compared to last and Baby B's sac is more 'form fitting' which makes you believe that Baby A may be getting more nutrients and blood. However, Dr. Vlastos did say that Baby B is still moving around alot, which is good! We will continue to follow up weekly at this point and monitor the mass as well as the amniotic fluid. So far, we are really pleased with Dr. Vlastos. He probably spent 45 minutes with us, answering questions and going over the ultrasound.
Thank you so much for all the prayers and support....it is so comforting to know that these little ones are covered in prayer! I am still praying for a miracle...that the mass stops growing (or goes away) and that we don't have to deal with the twin to twin transfusion treatments. However, the goal is to still just keep those babies in my belly until as close to 36 weeks as possible.
Love you all!
~Liz
The mass has grown in size, not alarming, but I think kinda what the doctor's expected. He also mentioned the possibility of twin to twin transfusion syndrome (when one baby gets more blood flow and nutrients than the other since they are sharing a placenta) due to the discrepancy in fluid in the two babies amniotic sacs. He wasn't alarmed but there is a bigger discrepancy this week compared to last and Baby B's sac is more 'form fitting' which makes you believe that Baby A may be getting more nutrients and blood. However, Dr. Vlastos did say that Baby B is still moving around alot, which is good! We will continue to follow up weekly at this point and monitor the mass as well as the amniotic fluid. So far, we are really pleased with Dr. Vlastos. He probably spent 45 minutes with us, answering questions and going over the ultrasound.
Thank you so much for all the prayers and support....it is so comforting to know that these little ones are covered in prayer! I am still praying for a miracle...that the mass stops growing (or goes away) and that we don't have to deal with the twin to twin transfusion treatments. However, the goal is to still just keep those babies in my belly until as close to 36 weeks as possible.
Love you all!
~Liz
Friday, August 26, 2011
22.5 week update
I know I have talked to some of you but I just wanted to give everyone an update on the babies. We went to Cardinal Glennon in St. Louis this week and initially had an echocardiogram, MRI, and more detailed ultrasound imaging. We met with the high risk obstetrician, pediatric surgeon, and neonatologist to go over the findings. Good news...at this point, both babies are healthy with good heart and brain function as well as overall development. But Baby A does have a rather large (approximately 5 cm) mass on his/her neck...they couldn't be 100% for sure, but most likely this mass is a cervical teratoma and it has grown to the size it is in four weeks or less. So, the risk of this is that the tumor will continue to grow as it has and obstruct either the esophagus or trachea. It is being supplied by the carotid artery, which is one of the main arteries up to the brain.
So...where do we go from here....the information we got from these surgeons and specialists was to pretty much watch and wait. Watch to see what the mass does and wait for the babies to mature as much as possible (the ideal time would be 36 weeks and we are 22 1/2 weeks right now) because Baby A will need to have this mass removed after delivery and needs to be as strong as possible. I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for the prayers and I guess my first prayer is for a miracle, to prove medical science wrong and for the mass to stop growing or even regress in size. My second prayer is for me to be able to keep these little ones in my tummy as long as possible to give Baby A the best chance at survival after delivery and the most likely eminent surgery.
We will be following up weekly at this point to keep an eye on the mass and the baby's swallow and lung function. Please continue to pray and I will do my best to keep everyone updated.
So...where do we go from here....the information we got from these surgeons and specialists was to pretty much watch and wait. Watch to see what the mass does and wait for the babies to mature as much as possible (the ideal time would be 36 weeks and we are 22 1/2 weeks right now) because Baby A will need to have this mass removed after delivery and needs to be as strong as possible. I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for the prayers and I guess my first prayer is for a miracle, to prove medical science wrong and for the mass to stop growing or even regress in size. My second prayer is for me to be able to keep these little ones in my tummy as long as possible to give Baby A the best chance at survival after delivery and the most likely eminent surgery.
We will be following up weekly at this point to keep an eye on the mass and the baby's swallow and lung function. Please continue to pray and I will do my best to keep everyone updated.
Love you all!!
~Liz
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Prayers for the babies
We just had our 22 week ultrasound...the babies are both growing well but they did see a 'growth' on Baby A's chin. Our doctor doesn't really know what it is (it looks like a goiter) but anyways it is rather large and it grew in only four weeks which is somewhat concerning. I just ask for prayers for the healing of it and for the doctors. We have an MRI tomorrow and then an appointment Thursday with the specialist in St. Louis. Right now we will just be waiting
Love you all and we will likely see most of you soon!
~Liz and Preston (& babies)
Love you all and we will likely see most of you soon!
~Liz and Preston (& babies)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
18 week appointment
Both are doing wonderful. Baby A is in the 75th percentile and Baby B 89th percentile on the growth charts. One was 8 ounces and the other 8.5 ounces. And just because I'm sure you all want to know about my cervix... the doctor said she was really surprised.... it is still long for this stage of pregnancy (especially with twins). So that means no bedrest in the near future! Yeah!!!!
The pictures are labeled at the top left corner as to which baby and what feature!!!
The pictures are labeled at the top left corner as to which baby and what feature!!!
Love you all!
~Liz
Monday, June 27, 2011
14 week appointment
Just an update...thanks for all the prayers! We had an appointment today and got to hear the babies' heart rates for the first time! Everything still looks good. Both heart rates were in the 140's. We will have another ultrasound in 4 weeks.
Love to all!!!
Love to all!!!
~Liz
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