Pictures of our boys

Here are some pictures of our little fellas! They are so cute!! Both are doing well! Lander now weighs 10lbs and Price weighs 6lbs 5 oz at last check! Price is the one with the big pacifier in his mouth!! He is now off of his oxygen and will hopefully be off of his monitor in about a month or so! They have both been home now for a month!! They are now two months old, but their original due date was April 13th! Really they should only be a week old! Such little miracles!

The Boys are here! 2/18/2010

Goodness! It has been a while since I have been on here! Alot has happened and we have been so very busy since the boys came into this world!

I had the boys on Feb. 18 at 6:04 and 6:06pm to be exact! Price Oneal Humbert was born first weighing 3lbs even, and then Lander Philip came right after weighing 5lbs 5oz! I went in for my regular scheduled appointment that day totally not expecting anything to have really changed. During my ultrasound the tech noticed a big drop in Price's heart rate. His heart rate had dipped into the 50's and stayed for a little while. I had no idea about this until I thought I was leaving and instead they told me they were going to take me to have their heart rates monitored. As I was being monitored everything was going good. Both of the boys heart rates were good. As I started thinking, I told the doctor I thought I may have had a contraction during the ultrasound, and that maybe that was when Price had the decel. I prayed right then and there for the Lord to let me have a contraction so we could see if that was the case. The Lord answered my prayer right away and sure enough there was a contraction, and little Price's heart rate dropped until the contraction was over! God is so good! If not for that contraction I could have went home, and something could have happened to both boys! I know are boys are here now because God let me have that contraction! He is so powerful and I have seen it first hand!

So then I was rushed over to the hospital, in an ambulance, even though the hospital was right there! Bethany was with me and told the ambulance driver my whole life story! She was taking pictures and we were laughing at how everything was happening! She was so very silly, and made everything so much less stressful! The Lord planned everything perfectly! :) Meanwhile poor Brandon is so very nervous because I called him at work and told him to come down because I was going to the hospital. The first thing the said was "Oh no I ate BBQ today! I think I am going to throw up!" All I could do was laugh! He is so crazy! I love him so much! When he got to the hospital he looked pale and paced the floors up and down! I think he was more nervous than me!

At the time we still weren't sure that we were going to have to deliver that day, but sure enough as we got into the hospital room Price's heart rate drops again, this time for a little bit longer than before. The thing about MUSC is that it is a teaching hospital, as you all know, and there was like literally 20 people in my room running around doing all sorts of different things! I felt like I was in a dream! The high risk OB on duty was in performing a c-section at the time, but saw Price's heart rate drop in real time on a monitor in the OR. Later he came and spoke with us about what he thought needed to be done. He said we could stay and be monitored more and see what his heart rate did, or go ahead and do a scheduled c-section that day and not make it an emergency. To me it made sense to not make it an emergency c section, and not put my babies at risk any longer, so it was an easy decision to make!

I went in for surgery around 5:45pm, and still couldn't believe we were about to have two babies! As I said at 6:04 and 6:06pm our little miracles were born! Brandon got to see them being born and I could here their little cries! Such a wonderful moment!! I didn't get to see the boys until about an hour or two later. They brought them in separately in isolettes, but each had to be whisked away fast as Lander was having heart issues and Price was having breathing issues.

The next morning a doctor comes in and tells us we need to sign papers for them to perform and emergency blood transfusion on Lander as he was losing a lot of blood when they took out his umbilical line. All day we waited to hear something back. Every time we called to see if we could go up and see them they would say give us another hour. This put us on edge, but deep down we knew everything would be fine.

Sure enough the boys are doing pretty well considering what they have been through! They are now 3 weeks old! Really only 35 weeks old and still supposed to be inside of me! They are still both in the level two care unit at MUSC. Lander weighs 6lbs 6oz and is so chunky! He is taking all of his feeds by bottle and steady gaining weight! He does have Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, meaning he has at least one or two extra electrical pathways in his heart making him have episodes of tachycardia. He also has skipped beats or premature atrial contractions. He is on medicine for this and is doing well. Price now weighs 4lbs 3oz! He is getting so big! He is having some issues with not having enough oxygen in his blood, and he has VSD or ventricular septal defects, which are tiny holes in between the septum of his heart. He may also need to go on meds to make sure not much blood gets to his lungs. Even with the problems they have, we are so very blessed and happy that they are here with us!! We can get through anything with God! I have no doubt that we can handle anything that needs to been done for these two precious baby boys God has put in our lives!! We love them so very much and thank all of you for all of your prayers! They made it hear because the Lord listened to all of you!! Thanks so very much!

Update on our boys

Well as of today I am 31 weeks and 2 days. I will be 32 weeks on Tuesday! Praise the Lord! He has been so very good to us! I don't think the doctors thought we would make it this far, especially with both boys! We are so very blessed! I know we are not there quite yet, but I trust God is going to see us through to the end (which is not that far off ;)).

As of today things are still stable. Fluid levels are within normal range for both boys. Lander's arrythmia is looking better, we just had two skipped beats today, way better than when the doctors first diagnosed it. Both boys passed their BPP tests today with no problem. Price's blood flow is still intermittent, but still has forward flow. Some of the doppler's today actually had a few good runs with no absence. I pray it can stay this way for a couple more weeks! We check growth on Monday. This will be a very deciding appointment on whether to deliver at 32 weeks or try and eek out a few more. If Price has grown and Lander is not too big, we will watch them a few more weeks. Our goal will then be 34 weeks!

We would like to thank everyone again for your prayers and support. We are so thankful to be blessed with so many wonderful friends and family members. Our God is so awesome! He has really shown us how to trust and lean on him. I can't wait to meet our little guys! Not too much longer! :)

So very sorry once again for posting so late! These appointments two days a week are really wearing me out now. My whole body hurts! I am just now realizing it is not that easy carrying twins! :)

So far things are staying pretty stable and there have been no drastic changes. This is very good, although with the all the complications we have going on things can change for the worse at anytime. I am very confident now, though, since I have now reached one of the big milestones: 30 weeks!:) All of the doctors are so happy that I am still pregnant! Now we are looking to 32 weeks. If I do make it to 32 weeks with no major changes, we may take it a couple more weeks. Like I said, what we have been doing since week 21, just watch and wait!

The boys fluid levels are pretty much staying the same now at each appointment. Baby A, the small baby who is now named Price :), now has around 4.5cm and Baby B, the bigger baby now named Lander :), has around 7.5. We are watching each closely for signs that may mean we need to deliver. At each appointment the main concerns for Price are his blood flow and whether he is still growing or not. He now weighs 2lbs 1oz. We check growth every 2 weeks. If his blood flow ever gets reversed or if he shows no signs of growth or slowed growth for him, we will need to deliver. I know he is going to be a small baby, but pray that he is well developed. It took him about 8 weeks to gain 1lb, so he is going to be small at birth.

The main concerns for Lander at each appointment are to check his body, skin, brain, heart, organs, etc. for hydrops, which means fluid build up. We also have to watch his heart very closely to make sure he doesn't go into heart failure from all of the fluid and blood he has to tolerate. He also still has the arrythmia that we have to watch. He now weighs right at 4lbs. He is actually pretty big for his gestational age, so we have to watch him for signs of distress because of this. Being too big is not so wonderful for him, so we also have to watch him and see how he tolerates this. If either of the boys show any signs of distress, we will then deliver. Like I said, my bags are packed!

On Monday, we have another appointment with the pediatric cardiologist to check their hearts again, especially Lander's. We also have our regular old ultrasound appointment. Brandon says the boys are movie stars because they get to be on the tv so much! ;) We also have tons and tons of pictures! The good thing about all of this is that we do get to see these sweet little boys every week! I love it! ;) They are too cute! I think they may have my big ole' lips! ;)

We want to thank everyone for all of your prayers and support. The Lord has been so very good to us, and blessed us beyond measure! He is so mighty and powerful! This whole experience has helped us grow in him, and I know he has a great plan for all 4 of us! We still have a long road ahead of us, but I know without a doubt we will make it through!

So sorry everyone that I keep posting so late! I haven't been feeling so well lately. I guess that is just boils down to being in the third trimester with twins! I am so very uncomfortable now! :) But I wouldn't have it any other way! :)


I am glad to post that as of yesterday everything is staying pretty stable. The boys are still passing the nonstress tests and are very active! They kick each other all the time! We have very few moments during the ultrasounds where they are actually being sweet to each other! ;) The fluid levels are also staying around the same at each appointment. I am now 29 weeks and 3 days and am hoping to make it to at least 32 weeks. This is still a very early delivery so I am still really nervous about that. This means the boys will definitely be preemies and will have a stay in the NICU. I just pray that they are healthy and just need to stay there to grow stronger.

At my next appointment on Monday, we will check their growth again. This will help them have a better idea of when we will need to deliver the boys. If the smaller baby is still growing and the bigger one shows no signs of heart failure or distress, we will continue to keep them in as long as possible. Please be praying that he is still growing, as this will help them stay in and be able to grow more. Please also be praying that he has reached 2 lbs. That would be excellent!

Once again thanks everyone for your support and prayers. We are getting closer to getting them here with us! Once they are here, it may be another long journey, but I know we will get through that also!

Update!

I am so sorry everyone that this has taken so very long for me to post this time! I usually post from Brandon's laptop, and he has been working really late all this week. By the time he gets home I am ready for bed!

I am now 28 weeks and 3 days. We had another appointment today. Everything is pretty much staying stable for now. Fluid levels are staying stable also. The smaller baby, Baby A, actually had a little bit more fluid today. They found a pocket that measured around 4cm. This is great! He now has more room to move, and he sure knows how to flip and flop now! His blood flow is staying stable also, although they did find some instances of absent flow again today. We will just have to keep a close eye on it. Both boys are very active and have grown. The bigger baby, Baby B now weighs 3lbs. 6oz. The smaller baby gained 6oz and now weighs 1lb. 11oz. He is still small for his gestational age, but is still growing so that is a good sign! We would like for him to at least make it to 2 lbs. before we have to deliver. I pray he will be there at my next growth check. Both boys also passed their nonstress tests with ease! This is good also. The doctors told us we had a "boring" appointment today! But for us "boring" is wonderful! ;)

They are hoping they can at least make it 4 more weeks with things staying stable. If I make it to 32 weeks and things are still stable they may let them stay in a little longer. We just have to wait and see. Please be praying that things can stay stable for at least 4 more weeks! Our little boys will be here before we know it! We are still trying to decide on names. It is harder than we thought! I promise they will be named soon though!

Once again we want to thank everyone for your support and prayers! Our God is such an awesome God! He is answering our prayers and has kept our little boys safe thus far. I trust him completely and know he has a wonderful plan for both of our cute little boys! I can't wait to meet them! They are so cute on the ultrasound pictures now! Thanks again everyone!

Today's appointment went well. The fluid levels on both babies were looking better! Baby B, the bigger twin, had around 8.2 and Baby A had around 3.2. Much better readings than last week! Normal ranges from 2 to 8cm. God is so good! I just hope they can stay this way for a while. They always seem to fluctuate. This was the first appointment that we didn't leave there with something new to worry about! Praise God! What a relief!

We also have to do tests called BPP's, basically nonstress tests, on the babies at every appointment. This is done to check signs of health on both boys. They check for breathing, movement, fluid levels, heart rates, etc. Both boy passed yesterday's testing. We also have to check the bigger twin for signs of any fluid build up on his body and heart failure as his fluid levels are so high and he has more blood pumping through his body. So far he is hanging in there! Next week we check growth again. Please be praying that the smaller twin is still growing. If he has shown no signs of growth they will be looking to deliver sometime very quickly. He is still very small, so I pray he can at least make it to at least 2 pounds before we have to deliver. His slow growth is due to his small share of the placenta and only having a 2 vessel cord instead of the normal 3. He also has less blood flow.

Please be praying for growth of the smaller baby. I pray we can at least hang on until 30 or 32 weeks. Thanks once again everyone for your prayers and support! It means so much to Brandon and me! We love each and every one of you! God has truly blessed us!

Latest update

Once again I am sorry for posting so late! We had another appointment on Monday. Everything was pretty much the same, but the fluid levels are still off. I also had to go get another fetal echo done on both of the babies hearts. The bigger baby, baby B, still has an arrythmia. They also found that he is having runs of 3 or 4 beats that are 350bpm. The doctor said that it is not happening that often, but is happening none the less. Something else to watch. Now I have to have fetal heart rate monitoring once a week to make sure it doesn't turn into runs that happen over a 30 to 45 minute period. This is called atrial flutter. The main thing they will be checking is to see if his heart is in any kind of stress because of all of the excess fluid and blood that his little heart has to pump. If it is ever stressed, we will have to deliver. I am 27 weeks now.

I have another ultrasound appointment tomorrow. Please be praying that the fluid levels can even out. I am not sure how much longer baby B can tolerate so much fluid. I am starting to get more nervous at each appointment because I just want to get them here safely! It is starting to take a toll on me. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! We couldn't make it through this without them! This has been such a trying time for us. It helps to know so many people care for our boys just as we do! Thanks again!

I just wanted to post how thankful I am that God has given me the most wonderful husband in the world! He has been such a blessing and I love him so very much! He is working so hard and taking such good care of me and our little boys! I could not get through this without him. He means the world to me, and is the love of my life! I love you so very much Swedy! Thank you for everything! Little mama and the boogie bears love you so very much! I thank God for you every day! They will be with us before you know it, but you are ready! Love you!

Sorry it has taken me a while to post! This week has really worn me out! I have been down to MUSC three times this week. It is really starting to take a toll on my bedridden body now!

We had another appointment on Thursday and had another ultrasound done. This is becoming the norm for us now! :) Everything was pretty much the same except for the fluid levels. The bigger baby now has 9.6 which is above normal, and the little baby had 2.6 which is really low. It is actually the lowest his has ever been. This was really disappointing because the levels have been pretty stable until now. It's like we are back right where we started. I am trying to stay positive though. The doctors still have no clue as what our actual diagnosis is because things jump around to something different every week. We still may have TTTS and SIUGR, most likely a little of both. At our next appointment the doctors want us to go have another echo done on both of the boys hearts just to make sure they are functioning right. Just still have to take things appointment by appointment.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers. We really need them. It is becoming really easy to get discouraged everytime we go and something else is wrong. I am trying to stay positive and know that God is in total control! I am trying not to grow weary and stay strong for these little boys! They are so cute! We get to see them every couple of days, and I can't wait to actually meet them! Thanks everyone so much! We really appreciate everyone's support and prayers! We are so blessed!

Today's Appointment

Today's appointment went pretty well considering! I kind of knew what we were in for if everything was staying pretty much the same, which it was. The only thing that was off today were the fluid levels. The bigger baby had 9cm today and the little baby had 3.5. One level went up and the other down, but not too major of a problem. The little baby also grew 6 oz so this was wonderful news that he is still growing! Lets hope he keeps it up!

God is so good! I went in today with a list of questions to ask, but before I even got to them the doctor had already answered them! It was great! They actually were right on with the plan that Brandon and I had decided to take with our little boys! It was so reassuring because here lately I felt like they haven't been listening to us at all! The doctor who is usually negative actually had a pretty positive attitude today! Praise the Lord! We were also worried because we saw an ultrasound tech today that we had never seen before, but she was awesome! We also actually had a doctor come in himself and check some of the readings again. This was such a blessing to us! They really care! We were told that every doctor and specialist in the obgyn office know who were are and know everything about our case. This is also very reassuring! They say we are the talk of the whole office! :)

Our new plan as of today is for me to now be seen twice a week with ultrasounds and stress tests of the babies. I will be going in every Monday and Thursday every week. They also gave me steroid shots today to help develop the lungs of the babies because we are more than likely in for an early delivery. They say everyday we can keep them in the survival rates go up. If we can make it to 28 weeks our chances are even higher. I am now 26 weeks! I just hope we can at least get two more good weeks! The latest they will deliver will be 32 to 34 weeks. That would be even better! Either way they will probably be here early! Brandon and I both feel very comfortable with this plan, and are glad the doctors agreed! I was told today though to have my bags packed and ready as I could be admitted or even deliver at any time from here on out. This kind of scares me, but being monitored twice a week means they will have a better clue as when we need to deliver. The reasons they will deliver right away are if the babies are in any kind of distress or if the blood flow ever gets reversed. These are reasons for a quick delivery. I pray that this won't happen though!

All in all things went well today! Our God is so awesome! Thank you everyone for all of your prayers! We are still really in need of them! God is listening! He has gotten us this far, and I trust he will get our little boys here to us! I am going to just keep trusting in him! Thanks again everyone! I hope you can understand all of this! It is hard to explain everything in writing! God Bless! ;)

Our little boys

As most of you know, Brandon and I are expecting identical twin boys. Up until Dec. 3 we had no clue that they were even identical or had any problems. We thought that they were fraternal all along. I was 21 weeks along at the time. We were told our little boys had a rare syndrome called twin twin transfusion syndrome. We were in total shock as they discussed survival rates and "options" with us. We were thrown right into thinking that we were going to lose one if not both babies. Our options were 1. to do nothing and watch 2. selective termination 3. laser surgery to separate the blood vessel connections that the boys shared. With this surgery come risks of losing one or both of the babies. We had a hard time processing all of this information because at the time we were just in shock. We had no idea things were this serious.

On Dec. 8th we got a call from a surgeon in Miami, FL telling us they wanted us in Florida that Thursday for a consult on the surgery. If we were candidates for the surgery, it would be done that Friday. This was all happening way too fast for me and Brandon! We did not want to jump into a surgery where we could lose our babies. I had done my research online, and found a website that had a lot of information on TTTS. I got in touch with the founder of the website and also got in touch another surgeon who has lots of experience dealing with this syndrome. His name is Dr. De Lia. He was the first to pioneer the surgery back in the 80's. To make a long story short I called him and we declined the surgery due to the information he had given me during our phone call.

At our next appointment our doctors told us it was probably a good thing we didn't jump into surgery! A week ago all they knew to do was throw us into surgery! Everything had pretty much stablized for the time being. Since then fluid levels have pretty much stayed the same over a 3 week period. This is good news!

They are now worried that the little baby has something called Selective Intrauterine Growth Restriction. They don't think he has a lot of placenta share. This means he gets less nutrients and blood to help him grow. This can cause him to stop growing at anytime. He also has a 2 cord nutrient vessel instead of the 3 he is supposed to have. At our last growth check he had grown 4 ounces. At this point they say any growth is good! He also had absent end flow of his umbilical cord at our last appointment. This is not good, but the blood flow can stay like this for weeks and sometimes it can return to normal. It just means we may have to be monitored even more than we are now!

I am now 25 weeks along. Our next appointment is Monday Jan. 4th. We are also checking growth at this appointment. This is going be a big appointment for us. If the little baby's blood flow is not better and he is not showing signs of growth, they are going to discuss "options" with us again. From what I know their options suck! :) We are going to fight for both of our little boys! I have also started doing my research on SIUGR and know that there is hope past 24 weeks for both boys! I have a good feeling though that our little one is growing and will continue to grow! If we can make it to 28 weeks our chances our wonderful! :)

We want to thank all of you for your support and prayers! I has really meant a lot to us! We completely trust in the Lord and know he will get us through this no matter what! I started this blog because it is easier to post here than it is on facebook. I will post again on Monday after our appointment. Once again thanks to all of you! We love you all very much! :)