Joy to the World...

May you and your family be doubly blessed this Christmas.

Merry Christmas from the Coulter family.

Peas in a Pod

These two are already teaming up. They are adorable apart, but together, they're just... just... amazing.

Already we're seeing slight differences in their personalities. If you notice, Maleah likes to burrow down into her blankets with her feet poking out; she's definitely a cuddler. As for Madelyn, she likes to be tightly wrapped and held--but not too close to her face. hehe ~A

Babies Coming Home!

Just a few days after entering the world at 34.5 weeks, the Coulter girls are getting ready for their trip home. The pediatrician said today that if they continue to progress as they have the past few days, they will be going home on Saturday morning.

This truly has been a blessing--even down to the timing. Being so close to Christmas, I will almost have ten full days of being with the girls before having to go back to work. I could not have asked for anything more.

God is so cool! He has answered every request to the utmost. We did not like having our girls in NICU, but they have been on the fast track and have passed up babies that were born far later in pregnancy. Every child is different, and our girls are children of the Most High!

Thank you again for your prayers. Please pray for Madelyn, that she would maintain her strength. She has been getting more worn out than Maleah. Also, pray that their feeding continues to be good. They love food (just like their Daddy), but they have problems with the harder bottles. They seem to like to nurse.

Also, please continue to remember Maranda. She has been so wonderful, and she seems so at ease with the girls. I just want her to have the confidence in God and in herself that we all have in her. :-)

Life is good. ~A

The gang's all here!

Madelyn Rayne and Maleah Grace Coulter began their lives outside of Maranda's womb on December 15, 2006, at 10:10 a.m. and 10:11 a.m. respectively. After having very severe contractions, Dr. McCullough decided to go ahead with the C-section, as she felt that was best in our situation.

Madelyn Rayne was born at 4 lbs, 15 oz and 17 " long. She was taken to NICU for observation, but she has had very little trouble breathing, having never had to be placed on oxygen. She is breathing on her own, and Maranda has even begun to breastfeed her in the NICU. She is doing exceptionally well, Praise the Lord.

Maleah Grace was born second at 5 lbs, 6 oz. and 17" long. She had a little more difficulty breathing on her own in the beginning, but she needed minimal assistance. Already she is off of the oxygen and is quickly catching up with her sister. She is now beginning to eat, but she isn't yet to the breastfeeding stage. This picture is more frightening than her actual status. She really is doing very, very well! The tubes were merely to help her, as she was breathing on her own.

It looks more and more like the girls will be identical, but nothing is definite as of yet. Their blood types came back as the same, which suggests they are identical twins, but it isn't impossible for them to be fraternal. We will receive the tests from the placentas back by Monday, which may give us a better idea.

Maranda is doing quite well, and she has been awesome during this whole experience. She is now a little sore, but she's very relieved and happy that the girls are now here. She will probably be able to go home Monday.

Doctors are very hopeful that the girls will be able to go home in 5 to 7 days, but nothing is for certain. We are very excited with their progress, as they have been "perfect" for babies born at this gestational age. The nurses are especially ga-ga over these babies, always telling us how cute they are and how excellently they are doing.

We praise God that He has watched over them so well and has set His angels around them while they get ready to go home. We are so overwhelmed. But now... I must go back to the hospital. I have just come home to get a few things. More pictures and updates to follow!

~A very proud Daddy

Almost There!

It won't be long now until the girls will be here. Maranda started having very painful contractions a few days ago, and they haven't let up much since then. They got down to about a minute and a half apart, and they were very intense. She has started dilating, but the nurse practitioner says that her water will probably break before she dilates any more.

And that would be just fine with Maranda (as long as the girls are healthy). The ultrasound showed that the girls are at a very healthy weight. These may be slightly larger estimations than what they really are, but the ultrasound measured the girls a 5 lbs, 10 ounces and at 5 lbs, 7 ounces. That's over 11 pounds of baby!

Maranda has had extreme back pain (as one can only imagine carrying that much weight). Both girls appear to be head down, so vaginal birth is still an option. However, the angle of the babies are not as a singleton would be when he/she is head down. The bodies cannot simply be straight up and down to allow "easier" passage. So it would be at an angle, then down. For this reason, a C-section may still be order, even if Maranda goes into labor with both babies being head down.
We will be listening very closely to Maranda and to Dr. McCullough should water #1 break.

Yes, since the girls are in two separate sacs, Maranda will experience her water breaking twice. And from what the nuse practitioner said today, this could happen at any time. She could feel the head of Baby A (Madelyn , we think), and she was not fully engaged yet. But there was a tremendous amount of pressure on the membrane. She advised keeping towels and plastic nearby at all times...

So now we just wait, and Maranda gets checked daily at the doctor's office until the time comes. Thank you all for your prayers. Maranda has been truly a warrior when it comes to this early stage of labor. She is definitely uncomfortable and finds it hard to rest. Pain medications (from the doctor) do not seem to make a dent in the amount of pain she's in. She is learning to cope until water #1 breaks.

Please continue to pray that Maranda have strength and endurance. We also pray for rest and peace over her. Tonight she has been able to sleep for about thirty or forty-five minutes I would guess. This has been one of the longest periods of sleep for her in days. So please keep her in your prayers.

We're very excited and eager for the girls to arrive. We believe for healthy babies with healthy lungs and perfect deliveries. We believe that Maranda will heal quickly, and the girls will be able to breast feed (almost) immediately.

Thanks again, and I will try to post again soon. ~A

Beginning Week 35

And that means that Maranda will soon stop taking the Turb, the drug that slows contractions. While we are excited that this means the twins will be here sooner than later, we want them to still hold off for another week or two. There's a huge difference between week 34 and week 36. It could actually mean the difference between having to stay in NICU or not having to go at all.

Maranda's mother is now living with us for a little while. She is helping Maranda throughout the day and has already been busy doing projects to keep herself busy. She had the wonderful opportunity to accompany us to Summit Hospital. We've now had to go to Labor & Delivery about 7 or 8 times now. We're beginning to know all of the nurses by name.

We'll be sure to keep more posts coming, as we haven't been posting as much lately. ~A