Pregnancy
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Primigravida
Pregnancy |
Welcome to my page devoted to the period during which Judith was pregnant with our twins.
Last update: April 1997. (effectively).
See this homepage for info since the fist week of their life.
*************************** RECENT NEWS ********************
***** I'm placing the important recent news up front to make it easier to spot, especially since I did not have time to update this page for quite a while. I'm going to put the pictures after the birth on a separate page to give our readers faster loading.
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I've been quite busy and have not had time to update this page in 3 months. A lot has happened. I shall try to get some new ultrasound pictures shortly.
Judith is doing well as can be expected. Her womb is very large and places a lot of pressure on internal organs and is causing her lower ribs to be splayed outward. This creates a lot of back pain and makes. Squishing the internal organs means she has a hard time squeezing in any food.
AT 31 WEEKS: (17th March 1997) the kids had an estimated weight from the ultrasound of 3.5 lbs each. Each baby is still on track for normal weight of a singleton. Hooray!
Our next goal is to reach 34 weeks. At 34 weeks, the kids will be developed enough to have the birth at our local birthing center, instead of 30 miles away in Sacramento.
************** END OF 19 MARCH UPDATE *********************
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end of 33rd week of gestation!
AT 20 WEEKS: The kids were: 10 inches long. Their heads are 2 inches in diameter (ok, technically, about 59 mm).
Well, we had a bit of a scare. On 21 March Judith was admitted to the hospital to monitor and ultimately slow down premature labor.
Judith in hospital, hooked up to 3 monitors, which display analog numeric values as well as create a strip chart. The twin heartbeats (which are very fast!) are indicated numerically and with an audible signal. "Kicks" by the babies are also audible as sharp noises, similar to the sound made when blowing into a microphone to "test" it.
Here is a close up of the read-out:
The left number is the heartbeat for "Pacific" on Judith's right side. (The rate at that moment was 150 bpm.) The number on the right is the heart rate for "Atlantic" on Judith's left side. The middle number is a relative measure of how much Judith is currently contracted.
As seen on the next chart, the key is the trend in the measure. A typical 4 minute contraction is illustrated here:
This was a weak contraction.
She was released late the next day, and has been on strict bedrest ever since. The muscle relaxant drugs have unpleasant side effects, but seem to be working. She now gets twice-per-week check-ups and there has been no further advancement of the labor. We are hoping to make it at least until 7 April, because at that point (34 weeks) she can have delivery here in Davis instead of 30 miles away in Sacramento. From the standpoint of the kid's development, it will be very beneficial if they can make it another 2 weeks to 21 April (36 weeks). Those are our two goals at the moment.
When she finally is allowed to go into labor, the monitoring will be the same as seen here. So, we had a bit of practice for the "big event!"
************** END OF 3 April UPDATE *********************
Just a quick update for now. Needless to say, I've been busy! First a picture of Judith holding Anna and reaching out to Karen.
Now a picture of Judith with Anna
Finally, a picture of Karen with Daddy's left hand holding hers
OK, some basic news. After 12 hours, Judith became fully dilated, but the first baby (Anna) got stuck in the wrong position and so a Cesearean was done. Anna was born 6 lbs 8 oz at 6:23 pm on 25 April. Karen was born 5 lbs 2 oz at 6:24 pm. Anna has been doing wonderful. Karen is not as well developed; the first night she stopped breathing and we were very concerned. We think she will be released today, being 2 May. Anna is 19 1/2 inches; Karen is 19 inches; so both are good size.
The full names are:
Anna Sonjesif Eash Grotjahn. Which means: graceful, wise, goddess of fertility and agriculture.
Karen Ebbaliv Eash Grotjahn. Which means: pure, strong in will to live.
That's all for now. (2 May 1997)
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What does "primigravida" mean? (first-time mother)
So, being first-time parents, and after many years of "trying",
we are quite excited about Judith's pregnancy. This page is our
way of sharing our experience with our friends. I hope to be
adding pictures and other info to this file during my spare time
over the next few months.
The "due date" would be 22 May, but twins usually arrive
about 2 weeks earlier. There is an obvious space problem
in the womb!
If you want to actually see this in stereo, I have a tutorial on my stereo photography tutorial home page.
NOTE 1: all the pictures below were made by grabbing frames from a hand held video camera using the "SNAPPY" device.
NOTE 2: some pictures below are "thumbnails". If your cursor changes shape when placed on a picture, click the left mouse button at that point and a bigger picture will appear. (Yes, this file will be seen by people who are unfamiliar with web pages....)
Here is another picture of Judith:
Now for some other ultrasound pictures of baby "Atlantic"
and baby "Pacific"
At 8 wks: we have fetus "Atlantic" (pretty imaginative names, huh?)
(They have their own "oceans" and one is "anterior" and
the other is "posterior".....)
The letters "FCM" mean fetal cardio movement, which is pretty
amazing since they are about 2 cm long at this point!
... and let's not forget fetus "Pacific"
... and here is "Atlantic" again, note the ring-shaped yoke sack "above" the elliptical fetus.
Below are ultrasounds at 11 weeks. Here is fetus "Atlantic" who is a bit of a "camera ham" due to placement in the womb. The head is on the left and the fetus's limbs are pointing "upward"
Here are both fetuses
At 15 weeks, a "doppler" amplifyer was used to hear the twin heartbeats (which are very fast!):
At 19 weeks, an ultrasound showing both heads (looking left)
... an image showing the developing brain hemispheres
... and a picture showing the spine
In case you are looking for "resemblances" here are the paternal grand parents:
Ok, I guess its a little early for that.....
That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by....
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