USF Health OBGYN

A couple weeks ago, my regular OBGYN, Dr. Sanchez at The Women’s Group, had to refer me out to a high-risk OB. I’ve started going to USF Health at Tampa General Hospital. There, they specialize in high risk pregnancies and high order multiples, so I am in good hands. I now go to the OB every 1 to 2 weeks. Every other appointment, I have an ultrasound to check for measurements, heartbeats, etc. It’s fun to get to see the babies so often. Josh and I were amazed at the 12 week ultrasound when we saw all the babies moving around! I never realized that they were moving long before I can feel them. Baby D looked like he was spinning around on his butt, and Baby A was kicking and punching. So far, the doctors have all reported that the quads are doing great. They all measure the appropriate size; have strong heartbeats, and all the tests have shown that they are developing well. That is wonderful news to get, especially after being advised of the risks a quad pregnancy can bring.

The first high risk OB that we met with, Dr. Victoria Belogolovkin, really pushed us to reduce the number of fetus’ down to 2 or even 1. She believes reduction in the fetus' may reduce the risk of miscarriage and preterm labor. Josh and I have always been totally against the idea, unless one baby was clearly not making it, or if someone’s life was in danger. Overall, we want to avoid as many invasive procedures as possible. We never planned to get pregnant with quadruplets, but God blessed us with this for a reason, so we are going to do everything in our power to make sure this is a healthy and successful pregnancy.

The next high risk OB we met with was great. Dr. Ruben Quintero is fully supportive of our plan, and he explained the things that I am at risk for in a more constructive way. At this point, everything looks positive. I am 5’7” and healthy to begin with, so that is a good starting off point for carrying quads. He advised me to be on strict bed rest at 20 weeks, and to just rest as much as possible. I’m sure the bed rest will really get to me at times, but I am sort of looking forward to it at this point. I have been so tired, that all I want to do is be in bed.

From 4 Green Beans