26 weeks 3 days pregnant twin boys
I know....I look like I'm due any day...but I have hopefully at least 10 more weeks to go. Things are getting very difficult physically...I officially start back to work next week. I've been going to school a few hours a day to get my classroom together. Next week is inservice but we will see how I do working a full 8 hours. Being pregnant with twins has been so much different for me than being pregnant with one and it has been SO much more difficult. It drives me batty not being able to physically do things I want to do...but this is temporary and God gives me the strength to make it through another day. It won't be long and I'll have TWO precious baby boys!
Whooping cough.
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/19/12835335-cdc-whooping-cough-epidemic-worst-in-50-years
Taylor
and I are asking that anyone who plans to be close to the twins in the
first 8 weeks to go and get their Tdap vaccination. I will do whatever I
have to do to protect these babies from going through what their
brother endured.
As most people know, Gavin was diagnosed with whooping cough one day before his 8 week immunization appointment. The weekend before his appointment, he began having a little bit of a cough...no fever or any other symptoms...just a cough. I thought it was a bit strange and thought we could ask about it at our Tuesday appointment. Within 24 hours...Sunday night the cough was much worse so I took him to Dr. Coble 1st thing Monday. He did all the regular exam stuff and when he heard Gavin cough he said he was going to check him for whooping cough. I was surprised...didn't really know much about it and asked him "isn't that an eradicated disease?" He said it was for quite some time and that he has only treated 2 or 3 cases (I can't remember exactly) in his career (which was well over 30 years) but those 2 cases had been within the last couple of months. He said it probably wasn't whooping cough, but since he had seen recent cases, he wanted to be on the safe side.
We went home with our tiny 8 week old baby to wait for the results that we would get the next day.
Throughout the night, the coughing got worse and he was coughing up phlegm which I would have to suction out quickly due to the big inhale he would have at the end of the coughing spell. He would literally cough until he was out of breath...it sounded terrible.
We went back to Dr. Coble the next day for test results. I'm still thinking there is no way it's whooping cough...9 years ago it wasn't even heard of. Not to mention, after miscarriages, IVF....there's no way my miracle baby would get something that is basically eradicated! I was still breastfeeding which strengthens immunity, not one person touched him without washing their hands...we hadn't gotten out much just to church where he sat with us and one sams trip where I kept him covered. I was certain there was some simple explanation.
We arrived at the office and they didn't even let us sign in....they took us straight into a room...I'm still oblivious...I'm thinking they are hurrying to get home because we were one of the last appointments. Dr. Coble came into the room and wasted no time to tell us that our baby did indeed test positive for pertussis (whooping cough). We would be leaving through the back door and driving straight to the hospital where he would be admitted.
I remember falling into the chair in complete shock barely hearing the conversation that followed.....Greg asked what they were going to do...Dr. Coble said he honestly didn't know what to do with a baby so young...there's no cure but he was talking to doctors from Dallas about what could be done. Greg asked what Gavin's chances were and Dr. Coble told him he had a 50/50 chance of survival. I lost it. Completely lost it. But, God gave me the strength to get the baby to the hospital.
We were admitted and quarantined. Whooping cough is so very contagious....can be spread through the air. Medical personnel entered the room completely covered....even goggles!! It felt like that scene in ET where they come in for the alien. The only people allowed in the room other than medical personnel were me, Greg, Jacek, and our pastor.
After talking to doctors in Dallas, Dr. Coble started Gavin on some antibiotic ( I can't remember what it was). They had to get it from Dallas because it wasn't even available here. It isn't a cure, but doctors had some success with shortening the intensity of the disease when given this antibiotic early. They started Gavin on the antibiotic and also me, Greg and Jacek had to take it as well. Gavin's coughing spells were getting more severe and he had to be suctioned quickly....there was no way to get a nurse in time to suction so I took care of him round the clock. The antibiotic quickly made me EXTREMELY ill...so in between me throwing up I was suctioning Gavin. Greg and I weren't allowed to leave the room...no in and out so I didn't even have a shower for days. One sweet nurse finally told me they had a shower on that floor I could use If I wanted...YES please!
After continuous prayer, Gavin beat the odds....he began to improve...had none of the complications they were anticipating...the day came when we got to take him home. Someone came and taught us baby cpr, they gave us a heart monitor and oxygen and a nurse came to our house everyday....but we were home!!!
This was a nightmare to say the least. Since then, there have been so many more cases of pertussis...some states have it at epidemic levels. So many babies have died. Babies are the most vulnerable to this disease. Although most of us have been vaccinated when we were young, we need the booster shot.
"Whooping cough is causing the worst epidemic seen in the United States
in more than 50 years, health officials said Thursday, and they’re
calling for mass vaccination of adults."
I got my shot a few weeks ago, Taylor got his, Gavin doesn't need one until he's 11 and my mom got hers today. The Sherman Health Department gives the shot...it's called Tdap...on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1:00-5:30. It's $25.
