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| Harrison & Kate - 11/21/11 |
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| Harrison & Kate - 11/21/12 |
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
What a Difference a Year Makes
A year ago today we tucked two little embryos inside me and promised I would make a cozy home for them to grow for the next nine months. Today we tucked two beautiful babies into their cribs and promised we'd have a fun and relaxing day tomorrow for their first Thanksgiving. No words can adequately express how grateful we are to have Kate and Harrison. They certainly have changed a lot in one year. It will be fun to see what the next one brings!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Kate Discovers Her Loud Voice
Kate figured out that she can make a lot of noise with her voice on Sunday afternoon. Chris and I hung out on the floor with her for about 45 minutes while she exercised her new skills. She cracked us up. She did it again right before we gave them baths and our usually noisy Harrison just stared at her in silence. I would love to know what they were thinking. I arrived at daycare this afternoon to pick them up and found Kate lying on her tummy showing everyone there how she can scream. :-) Here is Kate:
Sunday, November 18, 2012
One Year Old
Kate and Harrison have officially been growing for one year today. In most circumstances that would be TMI, but our journey was well documented. Our egg retrieval and fertilization was on Friday, 11/18/11. As I look at our babies through the video monitor sleeping peacefully in their cribs, I can't help but be completely awed at how they have each gone from two cells to babies who smile, interact with us, and discover something new every day. Harrison rolls from back to front easily and just today, Kate figured out she can make loud noises with her voice.
Back at Work
I returned to work and the babies started daycare on November 1. We both miss hanging out with them all day. Even though Chris has been at work most of this time, he works from home, so he came out from the office to see us several times a day.
Kate and Harrison are adjusting to daycare. Their center is across the street from my office, which is about 10 minutes from home, so it's nice they are very close. The teachers in their room are great. They have a weekly curriculum based on the month's theme. November is transportation month, so this week they are having "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" played during the day and they are fingerpainting cars. Last week's musical instrument was the trombone and apparently someone brought a trombone around to each class (no idea if it was an actual instrument or a kiddie plastic version). I'm not sure the babies are really engaged in these things, but I'm thrilled that they are given the opportunity to see, hear, and touch different things.
Our biggest concern is napping. They do not sleep nearly enough while they are there. I'm sure it's a combination of too many exciting things happening and not being given enough opportunities to sleep. I hope this improves as the novelty wears off for them and the teachers figure out when and how to get these two naps.
I count down the hours until I can go get them. Nothing at work feels as important as hanging out with Kate and Harrison. Besides the paycheck. Dang mortgages and cars and everything else. It doesn't help that I left for maternity leave with everything one way and came back to something completely different. I do my best to refrain from talking about work on the internet, so I'll just leave it at that.
We are so happy this is a short work week!
Kate and Harrison are adjusting to daycare. Their center is across the street from my office, which is about 10 minutes from home, so it's nice they are very close. The teachers in their room are great. They have a weekly curriculum based on the month's theme. November is transportation month, so this week they are having "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" played during the day and they are fingerpainting cars. Last week's musical instrument was the trombone and apparently someone brought a trombone around to each class (no idea if it was an actual instrument or a kiddie plastic version). I'm not sure the babies are really engaged in these things, but I'm thrilled that they are given the opportunity to see, hear, and touch different things.
Our biggest concern is napping. They do not sleep nearly enough while they are there. I'm sure it's a combination of too many exciting things happening and not being given enough opportunities to sleep. I hope this improves as the novelty wears off for them and the teachers figure out when and how to get these two naps.
I count down the hours until I can go get them. Nothing at work feels as important as hanging out with Kate and Harrison. Besides the paycheck. Dang mortgages and cars and everything else. It doesn't help that I left for maternity leave with everything one way and came back to something completely different. I do my best to refrain from talking about work on the internet, so I'll just leave it at that.
We are so happy this is a short work week!
Friday, October 26, 2012
Crying Over Spilled Milk
I knew it was only a matter of time before a bottle of pumped breastmilk was spilled, but it didn't make it feel any better. The babies each receive bottles of 2-3 oz of pumped breastmilk with 2-3oz of formula for most feedings. For the past couple days I've been setting aside an ounce or so per pumping session so I have enough to send with the babies to their first day of daycare. This afternoon I was putting together bottles for the next feeding and adding to my stores when I knocked an entire bottle of pumped milk over. There were tears. The phrase, "There's no use in crying over spilled milk," is total bullshit to a pumping mother!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Pictures from Oct 1 - Oct 15
A few photos from the first half of October!
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| Harrison after his 2 month immunizations. They were very sleepy and snuggly for about 24 hours. |
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| Harrison |
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| Kate |
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| Go Dawgs! |
Bless you!
Kate and Harrison are getting more talkative every day. It's really fun to interact with them. We have been saying, "Bless you!" every time they have sneezed since they were born. I think they picked up on it! About 75% of the time after they sneeze they make an "ooooo" sound. It's super cute! I was recording them playing on the floor last week and just happened to catch Harrison sneeze and bless himself.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
We survived alone!
First, it has been a while since I last posted. We used to have a routine where Chris took the babies for an hour or so each evening around 7:00-8:30 and I used that time to grocery shop, take a shower, call my family, write a post, etc. However, for the past couple weeks we have been putting them to bed at that time. When they finally go down around 8:30-9:00, we run around taking care of Lucy, emptying the dishwasher, showering and I pump before we head to bed. The later we get to bed, the less sleep - so, sleep wins out over the blog.
Back to the point. Chris went on his first business trip in five months last week and I stayed home alone with the babies. He was only gone for two days and one night, but I was a little intimidated at the thought of bathing and getting to sleep two infants and then tackling at least two overnight feedings by myself. This sandwiched in between two solo days. However, we survived and did quite well!
Our neighbor recently retired and has offered to help many times, so we called her up and she came over for two hours each afternoon. This was so helpful because I used that time to eat lunch and take care of a few things around the house. I had a friend scheduled to come over in the evening, but she got a cold, so the babies and I tackled it alone.
Bath time was handled like this: put both boppy loungers on the bathroom floor covered in waterproof pads. Undress one baby and set down on one lounger. Do the same with the second baby. Then bathe one baby, dry off and put back on the lounger. Repeat. Carry them back to their room and take turns getting them dressed. Then I held both and we rocked in the glider while we read a story and sang some songs and then I put them in their cribs. I just stood in there while they fussed and tended to each as needed.
Overnight feedings were handled the same as I do during the day. Change one baby and set down in a safe place. Change the other. Move both to the boppy loungers on either side of me and if I'm nursing, load them one at a time onto my nursing pillow and if I'm bottle feeding, just hold a bottle in each hand and take turns burping. There really isn't the sweet feeding-while-cuddling time here as I would need four hands and arms for that or a lot more time to feed one after another. We spend our time playing on the floor together and we have plenty of cuddles outside of feeding time.
I ate dinner by putting them in the car and driving through McDonalds. As hoped, they fell asleep on the way there so I ate in the car and then drove around for a while. Our new car has Bluetooth so I just pressed a button on the steering wheel and got to talk to my parents for a little bit!
Chris pre-made all my other food. He even put cereal in bowls (sans milk) and covered them with saran wrap. I had an assortment of snacks in zip locks, so it was easy to grab one and return to the floor with the babies.
I finally feel like I can take care of my children on my own! It was tiring - they took turns not going down well after overnight feedings, so I only got 4 hours of sleep accumulated over three attempts - but we were all well when Chris got home. We missed him!!
The best part: Chris surprised me by taking the next day off and sending me off for a massage in the morning. He is a wonderful husband and Dad to our kiddos.
Back to the point. Chris went on his first business trip in five months last week and I stayed home alone with the babies. He was only gone for two days and one night, but I was a little intimidated at the thought of bathing and getting to sleep two infants and then tackling at least two overnight feedings by myself. This sandwiched in between two solo days. However, we survived and did quite well!
Our neighbor recently retired and has offered to help many times, so we called her up and she came over for two hours each afternoon. This was so helpful because I used that time to eat lunch and take care of a few things around the house. I had a friend scheduled to come over in the evening, but she got a cold, so the babies and I tackled it alone.
Bath time was handled like this: put both boppy loungers on the bathroom floor covered in waterproof pads. Undress one baby and set down on one lounger. Do the same with the second baby. Then bathe one baby, dry off and put back on the lounger. Repeat. Carry them back to their room and take turns getting them dressed. Then I held both and we rocked in the glider while we read a story and sang some songs and then I put them in their cribs. I just stood in there while they fussed and tended to each as needed.
Overnight feedings were handled the same as I do during the day. Change one baby and set down in a safe place. Change the other. Move both to the boppy loungers on either side of me and if I'm nursing, load them one at a time onto my nursing pillow and if I'm bottle feeding, just hold a bottle in each hand and take turns burping. There really isn't the sweet feeding-while-cuddling time here as I would need four hands and arms for that or a lot more time to feed one after another. We spend our time playing on the floor together and we have plenty of cuddles outside of feeding time.
I ate dinner by putting them in the car and driving through McDonalds. As hoped, they fell asleep on the way there so I ate in the car and then drove around for a while. Our new car has Bluetooth so I just pressed a button on the steering wheel and got to talk to my parents for a little bit!
Chris pre-made all my other food. He even put cereal in bowls (sans milk) and covered them with saran wrap. I had an assortment of snacks in zip locks, so it was easy to grab one and return to the floor with the babies.
I finally feel like I can take care of my children on my own! It was tiring - they took turns not going down well after overnight feedings, so I only got 4 hours of sleep accumulated over three attempts - but we were all well when Chris got home. We missed him!!
The best part: Chris surprised me by taking the next day off and sending me off for a massage in the morning. He is a wonderful husband and Dad to our kiddos.
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| Self portrait |
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| Harrison |
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| Kate |
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Two Months
Kate and Harrison reached their two month birthday on Thursday, 9/27. In just the past week, the amount of crying has started to diminish and their nighttime sleep has started to get better. They still eat about every three hours during the day and need to sleep in between each feeding. Their fussiest period is still in the evenings from ~5:00-8:30 and then we start the bedtime routine (nurse, bath, cuddles, bed). They are generally asleep between 10:00-10:15. Both are smiling and vocalizing back to us. They make great eye contact and track us around the room. Here are few things we noted about each:
Kate:
Kate:
- Loves bath time - we have one every night as part of our bedtime routine and she looks like she could lie in there for a while if we let her
- Likes us to hold her standing. She has always pushed her legs straight and now that she's realized she can stand on them, she loves it.
- "Talks" to us mostly by opening her mouth and moving her tongue
- Still mostly needs cuddles to fall asleep
- Soothed by loud music; Dave Matthews Band seems to be a favorite
Harrison:
- Loves bath time - he will quiet down when we lay him in the tub even if he was screaming
- Likes to sit up straight. Leaning back isn't usually acceptable so we've taken to propping him up in a boppy with blankets behind him.
- Smiles at his own reflection in the mirror above the swing
- Makes lots of cooing noises
- Does better falling asleep when he is set down while we sit next to him rather than being held
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| Kate appears to be larger than Harrison, but they are actually the same size. Harrison just has his legs pulled up. |
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| Kate loves to stand on her legs |
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| Kate talking to us |
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| Harrison sits |
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| Cute grin from Harrison |
Friday, September 28, 2012
Everything Sounds Like Crying
I hope we haven't gone crazy. Both Chris and I think we hear the babies crying all the time. It usually happens when the babies are sleeping and there is something noisy preventing a clear ear-shot of possible crying. The worst culprits are the shower and sonicare toothbrushes. I can't tell you how many times I have turned off the shower thinking I hear both babies screaming right outside the door and all I hear is the faucet dripping. Keep in mind I shower in the evening while Chris hangs out with the babies downstairs. We have both walked, toothbrushes in hand, out of our bathroom and to the nightstand to look at the visual indicator on the audio monitor only to find it not picking up any sound. We swear we heard crying!
This is silly. Even if they are crying, it's not the end of the world. If they are awake, one of us is always with them and can respond to the crying. After we put them in their room for bedtime, one of us walks around with the monitor. If they happen to cry, they are in a safe place and they will be fine until we can get to them.
Things that we have heard 'cry':
Shower - every night
Sink faucets
Toothbrush
Breastpump
TV
Car engine
Train whistle
Sound of Chris cleaning the cat box
Lucy, particularly when she carries her favorite toy mouse around
Neighborhood dog barking
Silence, especially as both our heads hit the pillow
We are hoping this eventually goes away!
This is silly. Even if they are crying, it's not the end of the world. If they are awake, one of us is always with them and can respond to the crying. After we put them in their room for bedtime, one of us walks around with the monitor. If they happen to cry, they are in a safe place and they will be fine until we can get to them.
Things that we have heard 'cry':
Shower - every night
Sink faucets
Toothbrush
Breastpump
TV
Car engine
Train whistle
Sound of Chris cleaning the cat box
Lucy, particularly when she carries her favorite toy mouse around
Neighborhood dog barking
Silence, especially as both our heads hit the pillow
We are hoping this eventually goes away!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Make Sure They Are Breathing!
We usually get both babies to sleep in their beds sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 at night. I know, it seems late, but we are still counting the sleep between 6:30ish and 8:30ish as a nap. We could do bedtime after the ~6:30 feeding, but we've tried and they fight us pretty hard at that time.
Our nights are starting to transition from up every three hours (feeding for one of those which means we get two hour stretches) to more consistently getting a three to four hour stretch of sleep beginning at 11:00 and then up every three hours until morning. It is amazing how wonderful a three to four hour sleep feels when we had been living on a series of naps for weeks on end. By the way, we are following 'one up, both up' for feedings. There is no way we could survive feeding one, sleeping for a half hour, feeding the other which could go right into feeding the first one again, and so on. So, when one wakes up hungry they both get fed.
This past Saturday night, or technically early Sunday, I woke from a sound slumber to Chris shaking my arm saying with a slight panic in his voice, "What should we do?!"
Me: What do you mean?
Chris: Em, look at the time
Me: *roll over, look at the clock: 3:56* What? Have you been up tending to them?
Chris: No. Have you?
Me: No. This is crazy.
Chris: Right, so what should we do?
Me: Go make sure they are breathing!!
Me: Go make sure they are breathing!!
Chris: *flies out of bed and comes back* Well, they appear to be fine.
Me: Good, then we should just go back to sleep
And back to sleep we went until 5:45am. That's right - seven hours. BOTH babies slept for a seven hour stretch. It was heavenly and I'm praying for more nights like that.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
More Smiles!
We caught Kate smiling on camera this morning! Here she is:
We also got a new comment this afternoon. We were at Costco, I was pushing the stroller with the two car seats and Chris had the shopping cart. The lady handing out cereal bar samples stopped me and said the usual, "Oh, twins!" Then she says, "Are these your trainers?" What? Trainers? I was honestly trying to figure what she meant and drew a blank. "Um...I'm not sure what you mean?" Lady: "You know, your trainer children. Are these your first?" Yes they are. "Well, then they are your training children." Alright. Have a nice day.
We also got a new comment this afternoon. We were at Costco, I was pushing the stroller with the two car seats and Chris had the shopping cart. The lady handing out cereal bar samples stopped me and said the usual, "Oh, twins!" Then she says, "Are these your trainers?" What? Trainers? I was honestly trying to figure what she meant and drew a blank. "Um...I'm not sure what you mean?" Lady: "You know, your trainer children. Are these your first?" Yes they are. "Well, then they are your training children." Alright. Have a nice day.
A Visit to the RE's Office
We brought the babies to the RE's office to see Dr. NFB, our IVF nurse, and the rest of the staff yesterday. It was really fun to see them. I'm so glad they had us come at their lunch hour because we would have felt really uncomfortable walking into a waiting room full of patients with two infants. On our way out, Dr. NFB jokingly asked us if we are having more kids. As we both looked up at her to find out if our no-funny-business doctor was being funny she said, "oh, bad timing for that question?" with a huge smile on her face. :-)
It is surreal to know that we had already taken Kate & Harrison home from that office once - as 8 & 10 cell embryos - and now we were walking out with those same babies in car seats. Amazing.
It is surreal to know that we had already taken Kate & Harrison home from that office once - as 8 & 10 cell embryos - and now we were walking out with those same babies in car seats. Amazing.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Smiles!
We have now seen smiles from both Kate and Harrison!
Harrison started giving us hints of a smile last week and then clearly gave us reactive smiles on Saturday, 9/8. He is also starting to make noises and coo back at us. He noticed himself in the mirror above the swing and will smile at his reflection. Kate joined the party yesterday, 9/11, and gave me four reactive smiles in a row while we were playing on the floor. This is really fun and I look forward to more interaction with them. I was able to catch Harrison smiling on video (link below) and will work on getting a video of Kate soon. For now, enjoy our little guy:
Harrison started giving us hints of a smile last week and then clearly gave us reactive smiles on Saturday, 9/8. He is also starting to make noises and coo back at us. He noticed himself in the mirror above the swing and will smile at his reflection. Kate joined the party yesterday, 9/11, and gave me four reactive smiles in a row while we were playing on the floor. This is really fun and I look forward to more interaction with them. I was able to catch Harrison smiling on video (link below) and will work on getting a video of Kate soon. For now, enjoy our little guy:
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
An Encounter Outside Labor & Delivery
My OB's office is located at the hospital where we delivered. We were there last Friday for my 6 week postpartum check up and brought the babies to meet the staff. The appointment ran long so Chris had to dial into a meeting before we could get back into the car. While he was on his call, I walked the hospital hallways with the babies in the stroller praying that they wouldn't scream. I've given up praying for them to sleep. I wish I looked like the put-together-mom, but in reality I was wearing maternity jeans on an 85 degree day, going on 4.5 hours of broken sleep, and on-edge waiting for the ticking time bombs in the stroller to go off as I held a pacifier in Harrison's mouth with one hand and pushed the stroller with the other hand.
I walked past the elevators to the labor & delivery unit just as a clearly new dad loaded with bags and flowers got off. He saw us and said with curious eyes, "How old are your twins?" I said 6 weeks today. The excited dad then says, "We just had twins, too! We are bringing them home today! How is it?!" I looked at the eagerness in his eyes, saw that he was expecting me to tell him that it's wonderful and all I could get out was, "Uh....er....exhausting. [quick, think of something positive] But great. It's really great." The new dad was not phased at all. He said, "Cool!", and continued bouncing down the hallway. As I watched the kick in his step, I wanted to tell him that the only way he's walking with that much energy in the next six weeks is to get two wailing babies out of the grocery store. But he'll figure that out on his own.
I walked past the elevators to the labor & delivery unit just as a clearly new dad loaded with bags and flowers got off. He saw us and said with curious eyes, "How old are your twins?" I said 6 weeks today. The excited dad then says, "We just had twins, too! We are bringing them home today! How is it?!" I looked at the eagerness in his eyes, saw that he was expecting me to tell him that it's wonderful and all I could get out was, "Uh....er....exhausting. [quick, think of something positive] But great. It's really great." The new dad was not phased at all. He said, "Cool!", and continued bouncing down the hallway. As I watched the kick in his step, I wanted to tell him that the only way he's walking with that much energy in the next six weeks is to get two wailing babies out of the grocery store. But he'll figure that out on his own.
Catching-up
I have not had a chance to update my blog since the babies were born. Newborn twins are hard! If I'm lucky enough to get both to sleep during the day then I have a small window to do things like run a load of laundry or eat without a baby or two on me. And sometimes I just enjoy cuddles with a sleeping baby. If it's between the hours of 9pm and 6am, we attempt to sleep.
Anyway, we are just starting to settle into somewhat of a routine and I'm hoping to get a bit of time here and there to keep documenting our adventures. I'll go back and fill in posts as I have time, but for now I'm just starting off with current goings on.
Anyway, we are just starting to settle into somewhat of a routine and I'm hoping to get a bit of time here and there to keep documenting our adventures. I'll go back and fill in posts as I have time, but for now I'm just starting off with current goings on.
Monday, July 30, 2012
July 27: Happy Birthday, Brown Twins!
The babies were born Friday night, July 27! I'll post more details later...for now I'm lucky to have both mostly asleep and one hand free to type. We are both so very much in love with these tiny little ones.
Harrison Ronald Brown
10:11 pm
6lb 4oz
18 inches
Katherine Elizabeth Brown
10:52 pm
5lb 9oz
18 inches
Harrison Ronald Brown
10:11 pm
6lb 4oz
18 inches
Katherine Elizabeth Brown
10:52 pm
5lb 9oz
18 inches
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| Harrison & Katherine - 07.27 |
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| Harrison - 07.30 |
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| Katherine - 07.29 |
Sunday, July 22, 2012
37 weeks: Still Pregnant!
Wow, I never thought we'd make it this far, but here we are - just over 37 weeks pregnant with our busy babies. I had two non-stress tests last week and both babies passed quickly. We also had an OB appointment and everything continues to look great. Our next step is to try to talk these babies into arriving very soon. If they don't, they are getting the boot at the end of the week.
We are so ready to meet these little ones, but there are definitely parts of pregnancy that we'll miss. One of them is sitting on the couch at night watching them move all over. One thing we won't miss is being a spectacle every time we go out in public. We usually make a bet with each other before going in somewhere on how many comments will be made. On Saturday, we went out for our last date night pre-kids. We did not get out unscathed.
We walked in to the restaurant and Chris told the hostess our name and reservation time. Her mouth dropped open and she finally managed to say, "uh...inside or out?" Inside. She led the way to the table and walked between two occupied tables to get to ours. Chris and the hostess slide through fine. I, however, could not. What does one normally do when they cannot fit straight through? Turn sideways. I tried this and quickly realized that was a mistake. The lady at one table started frantically telling her husband to pull in his chair and the lady at the other table just sat there with her mouth open. Ok, cool. I found another route...while everyone inside the restaurant watched. This included one table where three people who previously had their back to me turned around. Awkward. We sat down and the hostess had to come back to ask our name to cross us off the reservations list. Seriously? Apparently "pregnancy brain" hit her hard.
Anyway, we enjoyed our dinner and before standing up to leave I checked that the runway to the exit was clear. It was, but we had to pass through the bar to get out. When we got to the bar, one guy in a group of people gives me the once over and says very loudly, "Oh my god." Which of course makes everyone else look, too. He must have repeated, "Oh my god" four times before we reached the door. THEN he says to his party, "Did you see how big that girl was?" Um, douche bag, this girl still has two working ears. And this cannot possibly be the craziest thing you've ever seen.
We laughed all the way to the car and stopped at the grocery store to pick up ice cream and tylenol PM on the way home (I just now realize how cliche that sounds - ice cream and drugs. For the record, Chris wanted the ice cream and he picked out the flavor).
We are so ready to meet these little ones, but there are definitely parts of pregnancy that we'll miss. One of them is sitting on the couch at night watching them move all over. One thing we won't miss is being a spectacle every time we go out in public. We usually make a bet with each other before going in somewhere on how many comments will be made. On Saturday, we went out for our last date night pre-kids. We did not get out unscathed.
We walked in to the restaurant and Chris told the hostess our name and reservation time. Her mouth dropped open and she finally managed to say, "uh...inside or out?" Inside. She led the way to the table and walked between two occupied tables to get to ours. Chris and the hostess slide through fine. I, however, could not. What does one normally do when they cannot fit straight through? Turn sideways. I tried this and quickly realized that was a mistake. The lady at one table started frantically telling her husband to pull in his chair and the lady at the other table just sat there with her mouth open. Ok, cool. I found another route...while everyone inside the restaurant watched. This included one table where three people who previously had their back to me turned around. Awkward. We sat down and the hostess had to come back to ask our name to cross us off the reservations list. Seriously? Apparently "pregnancy brain" hit her hard.
Anyway, we enjoyed our dinner and before standing up to leave I checked that the runway to the exit was clear. It was, but we had to pass through the bar to get out. When we got to the bar, one guy in a group of people gives me the once over and says very loudly, "Oh my god." Which of course makes everyone else look, too. He must have repeated, "Oh my god" four times before we reached the door. THEN he says to his party, "Did you see how big that girl was?" Um, douche bag, this girl still has two working ears. And this cannot possibly be the craziest thing you've ever seen.
We laughed all the way to the car and stopped at the grocery store to pick up ice cream and tylenol PM on the way home (I just now realize how cliche that sounds - ice cream and drugs. For the record, Chris wanted the ice cream and he picked out the flavor).
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| 37w1d |
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| With Chris!!! Date night! Notice my use of the hand of the top of the hip? It's supposed to make you look slimmer in pictures. Thought I'd give it a try this week. It didn't work. |
Sunday, July 15, 2012
36 weeks: Ice cream!!
I'm thrilled and honestly, surprised, to still be pregnant! I had read and heard so many stories of complications and early deliveries with twins that I assumed that would be us, too. Not to mention I started having braxton hicks contractions at 17 weeks. However, all is going really well. Don't get me wrong, I'm physically tired and have a lot of standard end-of-pregnancy discomforts, but I don't have any health problems and I'm fine to go out to eat and run errands. Now if I could just do those things without random stranger comments. Yesterday a lady grabbed my hand and prayed a blessing for the babies. At least she didn't touch my belly...?
We had our last growth scan on Wednesday and the MFM said everything looks fine with the babies. The tech snagged a few pics, but the babies are too big and just look squished. Next time we see them, it will be in person!
Baby A
Sex: Boy
Position: Vertex (head-down)
Heart rate: 139
Estimated weight: 5lbs 15oz
Baby B
Sex: Girl
Position: Oblique, but still mostly head down (she's on a diagonal - yes, my belly is lopsided)
Heart rate: 140
Estimated weight: 5lbs 3oz
The 36 week NST went really fast and the OB appointment went well. She said I'm 50% effaced and 2+cm dilated.
Back to the title of this post. At the beginning of the pregnancy, Chris made a deal with the babies that if they stayed in until 36 weeks, they could have ice cream. If they didn't, I guess they couldn't have ice cream until they were out on their own as adults. :-) For the past six months we have been telling the babies they can't come yet because they haven't earned their ice cream. On Friday, July 13th, they made it! Unfortunately, they have to wait a little bit longer before they are allowed to eat ice cream, but they don't know what they are missing yet. I will continue to eat it for all three of us.
We had our last growth scan on Wednesday and the MFM said everything looks fine with the babies. The tech snagged a few pics, but the babies are too big and just look squished. Next time we see them, it will be in person!
Baby A
Sex: Boy
Position: Vertex (head-down)
Heart rate: 139
Estimated weight: 5lbs 15oz
Baby B
Sex: Girl
Position: Oblique, but still mostly head down (she's on a diagonal - yes, my belly is lopsided)
Heart rate: 140
Estimated weight: 5lbs 3oz
The 36 week NST went really fast and the OB appointment went well. She said I'm 50% effaced and 2+cm dilated.
Back to the title of this post. At the beginning of the pregnancy, Chris made a deal with the babies that if they stayed in until 36 weeks, they could have ice cream. If they didn't, I guess they couldn't have ice cream until they were out on their own as adults. :-) For the past six months we have been telling the babies they can't come yet because they haven't earned their ice cream. On Friday, July 13th, they made it! Unfortunately, they have to wait a little bit longer before they are allowed to eat ice cream, but they don't know what they are missing yet. I will continue to eat it for all three of us.
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| 36w1d |
Monday, July 9, 2012
35 weeks down/35 days to go!
Well, 35 days to get to 40 weeks, but they will likely come earlier than that. Based on the last appointment with my OB, she is aiming for evicting them around 38 weeks if they haven't come on their own. There are several different opinions on the matter, but some studies show risks start increasing around 38 weeks for twins. The human uterus is really only made to carry one baby. After a while, it just cannot fully support the nutritional needs of two babies. For some twin moms, this point occurs earlier and is evident by slower or no growth in the babies. This is why we go in for growth scans with the maternal-fetal medicine specialist every four weeks. My ideal situation would be to go into spontaneous labor at 37-38 weeks, but I don't think I can mind control this one. :-)
I was 2cm dilated and 25% effaced last Friday at 35w0d, although this really means nothing as far as labor timing. We have our last growth scan with the MFM this coming Wednesday. That's about it for now!
I was 2cm dilated and 25% effaced last Friday at 35w0d, although this really means nothing as far as labor timing. We have our last growth scan with the MFM this coming Wednesday. That's about it for now!
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| 35w0d Taken just before some guy buying socks in Costco asked me when I was going to have 'that thing'. When I said, "A couple of weeks," he replied, "Well, I'd say you are going to have 'that thing' any minute." Thanks, Doctor! Oh, and stop calling my babies That Thing. |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
33w & 34w: Electricity is a Good Thing
33 weeks
Not much went on during this week. We had a standard OB check-up and all was fine - completely uneventful. Also had another NST and the babies passed much faster this time; no need for the buzzer! My contractions started increasing in intensity. Some were strong enough that I had to stop talking and breathe through them. They didn't occur repeatedly, so we never called the doctor or went to L&D.
34 weeks
We are so happy the babies are continuing to bake with a (knock on wood) complication-free pregnancy. I'm definitely physically uncomfortable. Nothing that you wouldn't expect from someone measuring 41+ weeks pregnant: swollen feet that feel like bricks of jello are resting on top of them, sore hips and back, lots of pulling around my belly, and I just can't take a deep breath. But I'll gladly take all of these to keep these little ones growing and healthy.
At 34w0d we had an NST and an OB appt. Chris was able to come to both! The babies passed the NST quickly again. The OB appointment was a little more eventful as we discussed delivery plans and received instructions on what to do if my water breaks or if we think I'm in active labor. We also set a collective goal to deliver as close to 38w as possible. I was 1cm dilated and both babies were still head down!
Later in the day (Friday), Chris and I were finishing up work at home when a thunderstorm started to roll through. It seemed a little stronger than normal as the rain was coming in sideways, our chairs blew off the patio, and the power went out. We considered going down to the basement, but we checked a radar map online and saw the worst of it was over.
A couple hours later the power was still out so we decided to head out for dinner. Epic Fail. On the main road outside our neighborhood we saw several downed trees - two of which had clearly been split by a direct hit from lightning. We got to the mall area and discovered all the traffic lights were out. A few restaurants had power, but there were so many people waiting for a table they were sitting all over the parking lot. Even Taco Bell had probably 20 cars in the drive through line. We got back home at 9:00 and had cereal for dinner.
I woke up at 5:30 Saturday morning really worried about the freezer dinners we made the prior weekend for post-delivery. Around 6:15 I decided to drive to my work to see if that building had power. It did! I called Chris and he brought down the freezer meals and a pack of frozen chicken that I put into the break room freezer. He also found an open grocery store and was able to pick up a cooler and a few items for food for the day, but no ice. We emptied whatever ice was remaining in our freezer into the cooler and put a few provisions in there. I was able to get on the internet at work and discovered that the power outage was wide spread and that it would take a while to get power back. It was hot outside - mid 90's and humid. By Saturday night, we had no hot water so we took cold showers (it actually felt fine) and set up an air mattress in our living room. Upstairs was just too hot to even consider sleeping up there. Great idea for sleeping, not a great idea for me to get up. It was an adventure.
On Sunday morning we went back to work to put food in the fridge as the cooler was now too warm and to charge up our cell phones. We left to find breakfast and came across a grocery store that had ice bags!!! We filled up the cooler, grabbed our cell phones from my office and headed home. This much ice allowed us to keep some things like OJ, yogurts, and apple sauce. We picked up ready-to-grill kebabs from the grocery store to cook on the grill for dinner. We also threw out whatever was left in our freezer and fridge. Sad. On the plus side, it's clean!
Sunday late afternoon the power came back on for about 5 seconds and went back off. Just enough to get our hopes up. It repeated this two more times until just after 7:00pm it came on again and stayed on!! The house cooled down enough for us to sleep upstairs and by Monday morning we moved the cooler food back into the fridge. We both had to head out for work because our internet was still down - I went into the office and Chris went to Starbucks.
We were only without power for 50 hours. Enough to spoil anything we didn't get into work or in the cooler and enough to heat up the house to the point where we were pretty uncomfortable. No A/C + 95 degrees + 34 weeks w/ twins = almost in tears. However, we are super grateful it came back on so fast. There are still many people without power.
We hope that is the end of the pre-baby adventures! Happy 4th of July!
Not much went on during this week. We had a standard OB check-up and all was fine - completely uneventful. Also had another NST and the babies passed much faster this time; no need for the buzzer! My contractions started increasing in intensity. Some were strong enough that I had to stop talking and breathe through them. They didn't occur repeatedly, so we never called the doctor or went to L&D.
34 weeks
We are so happy the babies are continuing to bake with a (knock on wood) complication-free pregnancy. I'm definitely physically uncomfortable. Nothing that you wouldn't expect from someone measuring 41+ weeks pregnant: swollen feet that feel like bricks of jello are resting on top of them, sore hips and back, lots of pulling around my belly, and I just can't take a deep breath. But I'll gladly take all of these to keep these little ones growing and healthy.
At 34w0d we had an NST and an OB appt. Chris was able to come to both! The babies passed the NST quickly again. The OB appointment was a little more eventful as we discussed delivery plans and received instructions on what to do if my water breaks or if we think I'm in active labor. We also set a collective goal to deliver as close to 38w as possible. I was 1cm dilated and both babies were still head down!
Later in the day (Friday), Chris and I were finishing up work at home when a thunderstorm started to roll through. It seemed a little stronger than normal as the rain was coming in sideways, our chairs blew off the patio, and the power went out. We considered going down to the basement, but we checked a radar map online and saw the worst of it was over.
A couple hours later the power was still out so we decided to head out for dinner. Epic Fail. On the main road outside our neighborhood we saw several downed trees - two of which had clearly been split by a direct hit from lightning. We got to the mall area and discovered all the traffic lights were out. A few restaurants had power, but there were so many people waiting for a table they were sitting all over the parking lot. Even Taco Bell had probably 20 cars in the drive through line. We got back home at 9:00 and had cereal for dinner.
I woke up at 5:30 Saturday morning really worried about the freezer dinners we made the prior weekend for post-delivery. Around 6:15 I decided to drive to my work to see if that building had power. It did! I called Chris and he brought down the freezer meals and a pack of frozen chicken that I put into the break room freezer. He also found an open grocery store and was able to pick up a cooler and a few items for food for the day, but no ice. We emptied whatever ice was remaining in our freezer into the cooler and put a few provisions in there. I was able to get on the internet at work and discovered that the power outage was wide spread and that it would take a while to get power back. It was hot outside - mid 90's and humid. By Saturday night, we had no hot water so we took cold showers (it actually felt fine) and set up an air mattress in our living room. Upstairs was just too hot to even consider sleeping up there. Great idea for sleeping, not a great idea for me to get up. It was an adventure.
On Sunday morning we went back to work to put food in the fridge as the cooler was now too warm and to charge up our cell phones. We left to find breakfast and came across a grocery store that had ice bags!!! We filled up the cooler, grabbed our cell phones from my office and headed home. This much ice allowed us to keep some things like OJ, yogurts, and apple sauce. We picked up ready-to-grill kebabs from the grocery store to cook on the grill for dinner. We also threw out whatever was left in our freezer and fridge. Sad. On the plus side, it's clean!
Sunday late afternoon the power came back on for about 5 seconds and went back off. Just enough to get our hopes up. It repeated this two more times until just after 7:00pm it came on again and stayed on!! The house cooled down enough for us to sleep upstairs and by Monday morning we moved the cooler food back into the fridge. We both had to head out for work because our internet was still down - I went into the office and Chris went to Starbucks.
We were only without power for 50 hours. Enough to spoil anything we didn't get into work or in the cooler and enough to heat up the house to the point where we were pretty uncomfortable. No A/C + 95 degrees + 34 weeks w/ twins = almost in tears. However, we are super grateful it came back on so fast. There are still many people without power.
We hope that is the end of the pre-baby adventures! Happy 4th of July!
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| 33w0d |
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| 34w1d All light is from the camera flash as we had no power OB measured my uterus at 34w0d and it was between 41 and 42 weeks. Right on track! (Twins generally measure 6-10 weeks ahead of a singleton) |
Friday, June 15, 2012
32 weeks: First NST
I had my first non-stress test this morning at the MFM office. They hooked up heart rate monitors and a contraction monitor to my belly and watched the lines print out on a piece of paper. They looked for two episodes of increased heart rates for each baby - a sign that they were active and that their little hearts responded accordingly.
Baby boy was finished in about 15 minutes, but baby girl was peacefully sleeping. So the nurse took this little device that buzzed and vibrated and stuck it on my belly near her little head. It totally startled both of them. They started kicking pretty hard. Both their heart rates jumped from 145ish to 165-170 instantly. It made me so sad that they were scared! I wanted to give them hugs. :-( Anyway, both babies passed just fine.
We had another nosy nellie comment today. Chris and I went to Chipotle for lunch and were sitting outside when a lady at the next table struck up the following conversation:
Lady: Hey, are you having a boy?
Me: Yes, and a...
Lady: I knew it! You don't look pregnant from behind and that means you are having a boy.
Me: Well, I was just about to add that we are also having a girl.
Lady: Oh. Twins! You look too small for twins.
Me: ::sigh:: Everyone is growing just fine.
Lady: How far along are you?
[WAIT! You just decided that I'm too small for twins and you have no idea if I'm 20 weeks or 38 weeks? Besides, how many twin bellies have you been around to know whether I am the right size?!]
Me: 32 weeks
Lady: Well, good luck. I wish I had gotten my two over with in one shot.
I really wanted to say, "As you thought it fair to tell me I look too small for twins I thought I'd tell you that you look too old for that skirt." Damn high road.
And, this is for our fellow UW/Seattle friends and family - we had a technician out to do some work today and he saw our degrees hanging on the wall. He said, "Washington? Cool! That's the Washington Huskies, right?" Yep! "We went there last summer. But we stayed in Virginia and just took a day trip in." Oh...so close!
Baby boy was finished in about 15 minutes, but baby girl was peacefully sleeping. So the nurse took this little device that buzzed and vibrated and stuck it on my belly near her little head. It totally startled both of them. They started kicking pretty hard. Both their heart rates jumped from 145ish to 165-170 instantly. It made me so sad that they were scared! I wanted to give them hugs. :-( Anyway, both babies passed just fine.
We had another nosy nellie comment today. Chris and I went to Chipotle for lunch and were sitting outside when a lady at the next table struck up the following conversation:
Lady: Hey, are you having a boy?
Me: Yes, and a...
Lady: I knew it! You don't look pregnant from behind and that means you are having a boy.
Me: Well, I was just about to add that we are also having a girl.
Lady: Oh. Twins! You look too small for twins.
Me: ::sigh:: Everyone is growing just fine.
Lady: How far along are you?
[WAIT! You just decided that I'm too small for twins and you have no idea if I'm 20 weeks or 38 weeks? Besides, how many twin bellies have you been around to know whether I am the right size?!]
Me: 32 weeks
Lady: Well, good luck. I wish I had gotten my two over with in one shot.
I really wanted to say, "As you thought it fair to tell me I look too small for twins I thought I'd tell you that you look too old for that skirt." Damn high road.
And, this is for our fellow UW/Seattle friends and family - we had a technician out to do some work today and he saw our degrees hanging on the wall. He said, "Washington? Cool! That's the Washington Huskies, right?" Yep! "We went there last summer. But we stayed in Virginia and just took a day trip in." Oh...so close!
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| 32w0d |
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
31w5d: MFM Growth Scan
The babies had a growth scan and fluid check this morning. They continue to do well! Both are currently head-down and I hope they have run out of room to do any more flips. Here are their stats:
Baby A
Sex: Boy
Position: Vertex (head-down)
Heart rate: 156
Estimated weight: 3lbs 15oz
Baby B
Sex: Girl
Position: Vertex (head-down)
Heart rate: 153
Estimated weight: 3lbs 9oz
The margin of error on the estimated weights increases as the babies get older. It is a calculation that averages three measurements: head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur length. Not only is it harder to get very clear shots of all these parts as they get more squished, but each baby is a different shape.
Baby boy's head measured 35 weeks, but his abdomen only measured 29 weeks. By the time these averaged out, he is right on track. Baby girl presented a little more challenge this morning. She has always been harder to measure and after the first round came out at 3lbs 3oz. The tech was concerned about the size difference between the babies so she redid the measurements and came up with 3lbs 6oz. At this point she also looked at the cord flow and placenta and everything looked fine. Then she left and the doctor looked at everything, did his own calculations and determined she weighs 3lbs 9oz. Our baby girl gained almost a half pound in 15 minutes! Bottom line: these size estimates are just that - estimates. The important thing is that we see continued growth. The MFM was happy enough with what he saw that we don't have another growth scan for four more weeks. That should be our last one!
Baby A
Sex: Boy
Position: Vertex (head-down)
Heart rate: 156
Estimated weight: 3lbs 15oz
Baby B
Sex: Girl
Position: Vertex (head-down)
Heart rate: 153
Estimated weight: 3lbs 9oz
The margin of error on the estimated weights increases as the babies get older. It is a calculation that averages three measurements: head circumference, abdominal circumference, and femur length. Not only is it harder to get very clear shots of all these parts as they get more squished, but each baby is a different shape.
Baby boy's head measured 35 weeks, but his abdomen only measured 29 weeks. By the time these averaged out, he is right on track. Baby girl presented a little more challenge this morning. She has always been harder to measure and after the first round came out at 3lbs 3oz. The tech was concerned about the size difference between the babies so she redid the measurements and came up with 3lbs 6oz. At this point she also looked at the cord flow and placenta and everything looked fine. Then she left and the doctor looked at everything, did his own calculations and determined she weighs 3lbs 9oz. Our baby girl gained almost a half pound in 15 minutes! Bottom line: these size estimates are just that - estimates. The important thing is that we see continued growth. The MFM was happy enough with what he saw that we don't have another growth scan for four more weeks. That should be our last one!
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| Their little heads are together! |
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| Baby boy has hair! It's the little spikes at the top of his head. |
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| Baby girl continues to hide her face. She is going to be a complete surprise when she is born. She actually has both her arms over her face. For reference, she is looking slightly to the left, hand up at her left eye. |
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| Baby boy. The pic is labeled B, but the tech just forgot to change the label. |
Sunday, June 10, 2012
31 weeks: Revenge of the Chocolate 'Shake'
Thankfully, it has been a pretty uneventful pregnancy week. I'll just give some highlights:
- Protein shakes seek revenge: About 20 minutes after I posted about my distaste for protein shakes last week, I knocked a FULL glass of chocolate goo onto our new carpet. After lots of sopping up using every dishtowel in our house (seriously, I think this is the first time I've done a load of laundry that was just dishtowels), and pouring water over it and vacuuming with the shop vac repeatedly, I think we got most of it out. Carpet is still a little bit crunchy. There's karma for you.
- Tdap vaccine: Check!! The new CDC guidelines for who should have the vaccine now includes pregnant women in the third trimester. I checked with my OB first and she highly encouraged me to get it done now. I really wanted to get the pertussis portion before the babies arrived. No side effects besides a sore arm and the comfort of knowing I won't accidentally pass on pertussis to my babies before they can be immunized.
- Discovered my daily energy exertion limit is one errand and one meal out. Last week we ran to Old Navy so I could pick up some comfortable cotton gym-type shorts for hanging around the house (NOT maternity pants with the hot, itchy panel) and then out to lunch. Neither of these involved a ton of walking. On the way back home, we swung by the grocery store for a few items. By the time I walked into the store I had to wave the white flag and waddle back out to the car while Chris did the shopping. I just could not move anymore. Too much ligament pulling in my belly and I felt really light headed. We got home and I took an hour and a half nap. I am SO grateful to be on orders to work from home as I'm not sure I could get a full day in the office anymore.
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| 31w0d Happily wearing my new shorts! This is one of my last maternity shirts that still covers my entire belly. |
Monday, June 4, 2012
29w-30w: Protein 'Shakes' Are Gross
Things have been pretty uneventful since I started working from home. It has really helped the contractions. I had an OB appointment at 29w6d and everything is still looking great. She took a quick look at the babies and we saw baby girl kicking her legs and baby boy practicing his breathing. The best part - they were both head down!! I would love for them to stay this way so we could avoid starting with a c-section, but I know there is plenty of time for them to flip (and flip back).
I was warned by the dietitian at 10 weeks that I wouldn't be able to eat enough to store any extra weight by 28 weeks. I honestly thought she was crazy because I was so hungry at the time. Well, she was right. I have very little appetite anymore. The babies must have crowded out my stomach. I'm still eating, of course, but I just don't have the desire to eat like I did a few weeks ago.
I'm trying to drink protein shakes to make sure I at least keep that up. Only I have a bone to pick with whoever had the indecency to label these as "shakes". What do you think of when someone offers you a shake? Hmm...ice cream, milk, maybe chopped up Oreos, blended together in a frosty tin with a big red straw. Yeah, that would be delicious. These disgusting protein goos come in cartons with warnings to refrigerate for palatability and to shake well before serving. Well, I guess that answers my question as to why theses are called shakes - that last little instruction tipped the marketing team off to damn near false advertising.
I was warned by the dietitian at 10 weeks that I wouldn't be able to eat enough to store any extra weight by 28 weeks. I honestly thought she was crazy because I was so hungry at the time. Well, she was right. I have very little appetite anymore. The babies must have crowded out my stomach. I'm still eating, of course, but I just don't have the desire to eat like I did a few weeks ago.
I'm trying to drink protein shakes to make sure I at least keep that up. Only I have a bone to pick with whoever had the indecency to label these as "shakes". What do you think of when someone offers you a shake? Hmm...ice cream, milk, maybe chopped up Oreos, blended together in a frosty tin with a big red straw. Yeah, that would be delicious. These disgusting protein goos come in cartons with warnings to refrigerate for palatability and to shake well before serving. Well, I guess that answers my question as to why theses are called shakes - that last little instruction tipped the marketing team off to damn near false advertising.
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| Mmmm, doesn't that look appetizing? Please feel free to swing on by anytime for a drink. I'll even refrigerate it for you. |
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| 29w1d Now refusing to wear paneled pants. Too hot and my belly has actually outgrown a couple of them. |
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| 30w2d Chris was happy to see a return of the curly hair. There have been a couple days where I decided not to spend the time to straighten it. |
Saturday, May 19, 2012
28w0d: OB Appointment
By all pregnancy charts, we are officially in the third trimester. Who knew trimester definitions were so ambiguous? I've read 26w6d, 27w3d, and 28w0d as the start of the third tri. I suppose I could throw another one in there if I took my full gestation of 38 weeks and divided it by three. But really, it doesn't matter.
I had a planned OB check-up yesterday. I didn't move it up after the visit to L&D because I felt fine and the contractions were staying at their normal frequency of ~4 or so per hour. Everything is looking great - weight, blood pressure, minimal swelling. It's just these darn contractions. I love the way our MFM described it on Wednesday. He said, "Your uterus is pissed off." No truer words could sum up this problem.
The doctor decided it was best to put me on modified rest - an official order to take it easy. Mainly, no more going into the office so I can avoid the commute and walking around the building, and keep my feet up on the couch. I'm not tied down, in fact, she said it is important to keep my blood circulating to avoid clots. I just need to limit physical activity. I'll work from home my normal schedule and can run an errand or go out for a meal on a weekend. But that's about it. Chris already takes care of everything at home (cooking, cleaning, yard work, Lucy chores), so thankfully this isn't too much of an adjustment. She also gave me nifedipine to take as a first try at home if I start having frequent contractions before heading into L&D. Although she was sure to remind me to call the office or head-in if I'm ever concerned or if the contractions feel different in any way.
Keep cooking and growing, babies!
I had a planned OB check-up yesterday. I didn't move it up after the visit to L&D because I felt fine and the contractions were staying at their normal frequency of ~4 or so per hour. Everything is looking great - weight, blood pressure, minimal swelling. It's just these darn contractions. I love the way our MFM described it on Wednesday. He said, "Your uterus is pissed off." No truer words could sum up this problem.
The doctor decided it was best to put me on modified rest - an official order to take it easy. Mainly, no more going into the office so I can avoid the commute and walking around the building, and keep my feet up on the couch. I'm not tied down, in fact, she said it is important to keep my blood circulating to avoid clots. I just need to limit physical activity. I'll work from home my normal schedule and can run an errand or go out for a meal on a weekend. But that's about it. Chris already takes care of everything at home (cooking, cleaning, yard work, Lucy chores), so thankfully this isn't too much of an adjustment. She also gave me nifedipine to take as a first try at home if I start having frequent contractions before heading into L&D. Although she was sure to remind me to call the office or head-in if I'm ever concerned or if the contractions feel different in any way.
Keep cooking and growing, babies!
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| Standing on our deck. I liked the change of scenery, but Chris said it messes up the consistency of the progression. Also, this reminds him that the grass needs mowed. So...we took two. See below. |
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| 28w0d |
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
27w5d: MFM Growth Scan
The babies had a growth scan this morning. They are doing so well. The sonographer was able to get some great pics of baby boy. Baby girl was facing my back so we couldn't see her face at all - we actually didn't end up with any pics of her. But, most importantly, they are growing right on track. We don't go back to the MFM for another four weeks.
Baby A
Sex: Boy
Position: Breech
Heart rate: 142
Estimated weight: 2lbs 8oz
Baby B
Sex: Girl
Position: Breech
Heart rate: 155
Estimated weight: 2lbs 7oz
A couple videos of baby boy - he was slowly opening and closing his mouth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
And, a couple of pics of baby boy:
Baby A
Sex: Boy
Position: Breech
Heart rate: 142
Estimated weight: 2lbs 8oz
Baby B
Sex: Girl
Position: Breech
Heart rate: 155
Estimated weight: 2lbs 7oz
A couple videos of baby boy - he was slowly opening and closing his mouth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
And, a couple of pics of baby boy:
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| Baby A profile |
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| Baby A in 3D |
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| Baby A in 3D - his mouth is open in this one |
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
27w2d: Trip to L&D
Well, the braxton hicks contractions finally sent us to labor & delivery on Sunday. We arrived home after breakfast and a little shopping and I noticed my contractions were more frequent than usual. I started timing and discovered they were only 3-7 minutes apart. I drank a bunch of water and rested on the couch - no change. Took a hot shower and sat back down - still no change. After an hour and a half we decided we better head in.
The triage nurse hooked me up to a monitor and sure enough, I was contracting frequently. The on-call doctor measured my cervix and it was still long and closed. After sitting on the monitors for over an hour, the nurse gave me nifedipine to try to relax my uterus. It did not work. Next came an IV with fluids; I was plenty hydrated on my own so this seemed unnecessary, but whatever. That didn't work either. So we sat... After another couple hours, they checked my cervix again and determined that it hadn't changed. Thankfully these contractions were not productive. I tested negative on a Fetal Fibronectin Test which was a good indicator that pre-term labor was not imminent. So, at 10:30pm they decided to send me home with an Ambien (sleeping pill). The nurse said they give it to their high risk patients as it not only leads to a solid 6-8 hours of sleep, but can also help calm everything enough to break the contractions. She made me take the pill before I left. By the time we got home, I was SO loopy. I sent an email to work telling them I would be working from home in the morning (barely remember this), took a shower and brushed my teeth (Chris tells me I did these things), and slept until 4:30am. The contractions did finally slow down and have been back to a couple per hour since then.
Oh, the doctor told me she wasn't surprised my uterus was contracting so frequently as it is measuring nearly full-term for a singleton.
The triage nurse hooked me up to a monitor and sure enough, I was contracting frequently. The on-call doctor measured my cervix and it was still long and closed. After sitting on the monitors for over an hour, the nurse gave me nifedipine to try to relax my uterus. It did not work. Next came an IV with fluids; I was plenty hydrated on my own so this seemed unnecessary, but whatever. That didn't work either. So we sat... After another couple hours, they checked my cervix again and determined that it hadn't changed. Thankfully these contractions were not productive. I tested negative on a Fetal Fibronectin Test which was a good indicator that pre-term labor was not imminent. So, at 10:30pm they decided to send me home with an Ambien (sleeping pill). The nurse said they give it to their high risk patients as it not only leads to a solid 6-8 hours of sleep, but can also help calm everything enough to break the contractions. She made me take the pill before I left. By the time we got home, I was SO loopy. I sent an email to work telling them I would be working from home in the morning (barely remember this), took a shower and brushed my teeth (Chris tells me I did these things), and slept until 4:30am. The contractions did finally slow down and have been back to a couple per hour since then.
Oh, the doctor told me she wasn't surprised my uterus was contracting so frequently as it is measuring nearly full-term for a singleton.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
26 weeks - 27 weeks
Friday, May 4th: OB Appointment
I had a gestational diabetes screening and an anemia check this time. I drank an orange sugary drink before my appointment and they drew blood after one hour. They said they would call if anything was abnormal and I've heard nothing, so I'm going with all is well. A very quick ultrasound of the babies showed Baby A is still breech and Baby B is still head-down. I now start going every two weeks.
Saturday, May 5th: Cap City 1/2 Marathon
No, I didn't run. Chris did! He did an awesome job and I had a great time watching the start and finish (and people watching in between). I'm so proud of him for continuing to run and training for another half. We did this race together last year and had a good time. I think running with him next year might be a bit aggressive, but I hope to run together again soon!
Friday, May 11th: Pediatrician and Breastfeeding Class
We met our pediatrician whose practice came highly recommended. We were very happy and think they will take great care of our babies. Glad to have that checked off our to-do list!
Friday evening we attended a breastfeeding class at our hospital and found it very helpful. Not only was the information great to know, the instructor went through all the resources available at our hospital: lactation consultants who visit after delivery and who are available for 1:1 appointments later, pump rentals and sales, bra fittings, baby weigh stations, and weekly support group for moms and babies.
Other Updates
I'm still having quite a few braxton hicks contractions, which are picking up in frequency. I've had a couple hour-ish long episodes of contractions 3-10 minutes apart. I have been able to stop them with a hot shower. Ugh.
I'm still sleeping pretty well, but definitely running out of energy. Acid reflux and heartburn continue to occur a couple nights per week. My wedding/engagement rings were officially retired. I'm wearing a beautiful ring Allison and Travis gave me (formerly worn on my right hand), but there have been a couple days where it hasn't fit either.
The uninvited comments on the size of my belly keep on coming. This week's theme has been, "you don't look like you are having twins." Um, ok. Do you know what a 26+ week twin belly should look like? Also, you do know that these babies still need to roughly triple their weight and I'm already carrying an extra 28lbs with another trimester to go? It frustrates me not because I want to look big (trust me on this), but that it seems to imply there is something wrong with the babies. Ah well!
Babies are very active and their little movements are getting stronger!
I had a gestational diabetes screening and an anemia check this time. I drank an orange sugary drink before my appointment and they drew blood after one hour. They said they would call if anything was abnormal and I've heard nothing, so I'm going with all is well. A very quick ultrasound of the babies showed Baby A is still breech and Baby B is still head-down. I now start going every two weeks.
Saturday, May 5th: Cap City 1/2 Marathon
No, I didn't run. Chris did! He did an awesome job and I had a great time watching the start and finish (and people watching in between). I'm so proud of him for continuing to run and training for another half. We did this race together last year and had a good time. I think running with him next year might be a bit aggressive, but I hope to run together again soon!
Friday, May 11th: Pediatrician and Breastfeeding Class
We met our pediatrician whose practice came highly recommended. We were very happy and think they will take great care of our babies. Glad to have that checked off our to-do list!
Friday evening we attended a breastfeeding class at our hospital and found it very helpful. Not only was the information great to know, the instructor went through all the resources available at our hospital: lactation consultants who visit after delivery and who are available for 1:1 appointments later, pump rentals and sales, bra fittings, baby weigh stations, and weekly support group for moms and babies.
Other Updates
I'm still having quite a few braxton hicks contractions, which are picking up in frequency. I've had a couple hour-ish long episodes of contractions 3-10 minutes apart. I have been able to stop them with a hot shower. Ugh.
I'm still sleeping pretty well, but definitely running out of energy. Acid reflux and heartburn continue to occur a couple nights per week. My wedding/engagement rings were officially retired. I'm wearing a beautiful ring Allison and Travis gave me (formerly worn on my right hand), but there have been a couple days where it hasn't fit either.
The uninvited comments on the size of my belly keep on coming. This week's theme has been, "you don't look like you are having twins." Um, ok. Do you know what a 26+ week twin belly should look like? Also, you do know that these babies still need to roughly triple their weight and I'm already carrying an extra 28lbs with another trimester to go? It frustrates me not because I want to look big (trust me on this), but that it seems to imply there is something wrong with the babies. Ah well!
Babies are very active and their little movements are getting stronger!
 |
| 26w1d Not a maternity dress! I found it in my closet and it's super comfortable. |
 |
| 27w0d |
Friday, May 4, 2012
National Infertility Awareness Week
April 22-28 was National Infertility Awareness Week. I'll start with a reminder that I have links to a couple of Resolve's websites pinned on the right side of my blog.
How we feel about infertility now
Next, this is also a good time for me to share our feelings on infertility now that I am pregnant (25 weeks). All of my posts since the embryo transfer have been happy and positive and haven't mentioned infertility. This is mostly a coping mechanism on my part to try to stop dredging up the fears that infertility stuck us with and move on.
The closest analogy for infertility that I can come up with is an open wound. Each failed cycle made it deeper and longer. Pregnancy stitched it up, but it's still tender and needs re-dressing every day. Over time, it will turn into a scar; always present, but no longer a recipient of daily attention.
For me, I got to the point where I assumed we would always come up on the wrong side of the statistics. 90% of couples get pregnant within one year; not us. Average # of eggs retrieved during IVF for a 30 year old female is 10-12; we got six. 80% fertilization rate; we had 33%. But then we beat one: 40% chance of pregnancy from IVF for our situation. Simultaneously beat another: <20% chance of multiples.
The babies and I have passed every test and examination so far. They are growing great and have all their parts and pieces. Besides some standard growing pains and lots of early braxton hicks contractions, I'm in good health. But a piece of me always keeps an eye out for the rain on our parade. I was first worried about a miscarriage, then incompetent cervix, then spontaneous preterm premature rupture of the membranes, and now I'm keeping a watch for preterm labor and other complications like preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. If you are pregnant, DO NOT GOOGLE ANY OF THESE. That is a huge mistake; the internet is full of stories you don't want to read.
All of this is to say we have not forgotten about infertility, nor are we cured. I finally let us start buying baby things at 24 weeks. I still have my injection table set up in our bedroom because I'm afraid I'll jinx this whole thing if I put it away. I want to call Dr. NFB and give her the updates she asked for on our last day, but again, I just can't open that door yet. I won't let Chris open the boxes to the carseats or the cribs yet. On a positive note, I feel more confident with each day that passes. It is really cool to feel the babies kick (except when that is on my cervix and bladder - thank you, Baby Boy) and we truly look forward to meeting them this summer.
Education Needed
Finally, in my opinion, the general population doesn't just need more awareness, but more education. I've mentioned this before - infertility is a medical condition. The World Health Organization recognizes it as a disease. It is not a mental state or the result of a couple not knowing how to make a baby. Infertility doesn't limit itself to a particular race or those with a certain socioeconomic status. Infertility is also not just a female problem: 30% of the time it is male factor, 30% female factor, 20% unexplained, and 10% both male and female.
Further, current rhetoric and pop culture usually do nothing to discredit the myths of infertility. There are extreme cases like Octomom, which was clearly the result of a mental disorder and an extremely unethical doctor. There are celebrities in their late 30's/early 40's conceiving twins and not admitting they were the result of fertility treatments. Last week, I came across a rerun of the Friends episode where Phoebe had an embryo transfer to be a gestational surrogate for her brother. They transferred five. FIVE. In all the infertility stories I've followed, nobody has ever transferred more than three and that is only after several failed IVFs and usually accompanied by poor egg quality. The goal of fertility treatments is a healthy singleton pregnancy.
Then, of course, there are the religious debates. Ugh. I don't even want to go here other than to share two comments. First, the pope recently made a speech where he called the actions of couples choosing infertility treatments and the actions of their doctors arrogant. I can tell you without a doubt that nothing about going through infertility or getting pregnant was arrogant. It has been the most humbling experience of our lives. I would have gladly welcomed any 85 year old cardinal who has sworn to a life of celibacy to spend a couple months with us while we were going through infertility treatments. I wonder if the accusations of arrogance would have been the same if he were in the room with us when we found out that our first positive pregnancy test in 18 months was going to result in a miscarriage. Or when I spent 45 minutes staring at a needle before sticking it in my own stomach.
And second, watching our babies grow via ultrasound makes me believe, more than ever before, that life is nothing short of a miracle. The reproductive endocrinologist did wonders to fertilize two eggs for us, but that is where the help stopped. Those embryos still had to implant and figure out how to turn into billions of cells to form brains, hearts, blood vessels, nerves, and functioning organs. Our babies are perfect in our eyes and I feel that God has played a significant role in their existence, despite that some religions and individuals will not recognize our children as such. May those quick to cast judgement (with no personal experience, I'm sure) never face this difficult road or watch a son, daughter, sister, or close friend struggle with it. I wonder where these same people draw the line on treatment of other diseases such as cancer? I'm guessing they would also label cancer patients and oncologists as arrogant?
How we feel about infertility now
Next, this is also a good time for me to share our feelings on infertility now that I am pregnant (25 weeks). All of my posts since the embryo transfer have been happy and positive and haven't mentioned infertility. This is mostly a coping mechanism on my part to try to stop dredging up the fears that infertility stuck us with and move on.
The closest analogy for infertility that I can come up with is an open wound. Each failed cycle made it deeper and longer. Pregnancy stitched it up, but it's still tender and needs re-dressing every day. Over time, it will turn into a scar; always present, but no longer a recipient of daily attention.
For me, I got to the point where I assumed we would always come up on the wrong side of the statistics. 90% of couples get pregnant within one year; not us. Average # of eggs retrieved during IVF for a 30 year old female is 10-12; we got six. 80% fertilization rate; we had 33%. But then we beat one: 40% chance of pregnancy from IVF for our situation. Simultaneously beat another: <20% chance of multiples.
The babies and I have passed every test and examination so far. They are growing great and have all their parts and pieces. Besides some standard growing pains and lots of early braxton hicks contractions, I'm in good health. But a piece of me always keeps an eye out for the rain on our parade. I was first worried about a miscarriage, then incompetent cervix, then spontaneous preterm premature rupture of the membranes, and now I'm keeping a watch for preterm labor and other complications like preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. If you are pregnant, DO NOT GOOGLE ANY OF THESE. That is a huge mistake; the internet is full of stories you don't want to read.
All of this is to say we have not forgotten about infertility, nor are we cured. I finally let us start buying baby things at 24 weeks. I still have my injection table set up in our bedroom because I'm afraid I'll jinx this whole thing if I put it away. I want to call Dr. NFB and give her the updates she asked for on our last day, but again, I just can't open that door yet. I won't let Chris open the boxes to the carseats or the cribs yet. On a positive note, I feel more confident with each day that passes. It is really cool to feel the babies kick (except when that is on my cervix and bladder - thank you, Baby Boy) and we truly look forward to meeting them this summer.
Education Needed
Finally, in my opinion, the general population doesn't just need more awareness, but more education. I've mentioned this before - infertility is a medical condition. The World Health Organization recognizes it as a disease. It is not a mental state or the result of a couple not knowing how to make a baby. Infertility doesn't limit itself to a particular race or those with a certain socioeconomic status. Infertility is also not just a female problem: 30% of the time it is male factor, 30% female factor, 20% unexplained, and 10% both male and female.
Further, current rhetoric and pop culture usually do nothing to discredit the myths of infertility. There are extreme cases like Octomom, which was clearly the result of a mental disorder and an extremely unethical doctor. There are celebrities in their late 30's/early 40's conceiving twins and not admitting they were the result of fertility treatments. Last week, I came across a rerun of the Friends episode where Phoebe had an embryo transfer to be a gestational surrogate for her brother. They transferred five. FIVE. In all the infertility stories I've followed, nobody has ever transferred more than three and that is only after several failed IVFs and usually accompanied by poor egg quality. The goal of fertility treatments is a healthy singleton pregnancy.
Then, of course, there are the religious debates. Ugh. I don't even want to go here other than to share two comments. First, the pope recently made a speech where he called the actions of couples choosing infertility treatments and the actions of their doctors arrogant. I can tell you without a doubt that nothing about going through infertility or getting pregnant was arrogant. It has been the most humbling experience of our lives. I would have gladly welcomed any 85 year old cardinal who has sworn to a life of celibacy to spend a couple months with us while we were going through infertility treatments. I wonder if the accusations of arrogance would have been the same if he were in the room with us when we found out that our first positive pregnancy test in 18 months was going to result in a miscarriage. Or when I spent 45 minutes staring at a needle before sticking it in my own stomach.
And second, watching our babies grow via ultrasound makes me believe, more than ever before, that life is nothing short of a miracle. The reproductive endocrinologist did wonders to fertilize two eggs for us, but that is where the help stopped. Those embryos still had to implant and figure out how to turn into billions of cells to form brains, hearts, blood vessels, nerves, and functioning organs. Our babies are perfect in our eyes and I feel that God has played a significant role in their existence, despite that some religions and individuals will not recognize our children as such. May those quick to cast judgement (with no personal experience, I'm sure) never face this difficult road or watch a son, daughter, sister, or close friend struggle with it. I wonder where these same people draw the line on treatment of other diseases such as cancer? I'm guessing they would also label cancer patients and oncologists as arrogant?
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
23 weeks - 25 weeks
I'm behind. Sorry. I still have some energy and I'm taking full advantage of it before I'm stuck on the couch or in bed. The days and weekends keep flying by as my time is fully occupied by work followed by the hundred things on our to-do list (which is getting longer, not shorter). Highlights from the past few weeks:
We attended a class at our hospital on how to care for a newborn. One of the most helpful sections was a series of pictures showing what is normal for a newborn baby. Besides that, the highlight was watching Chris bathe and redress the doll. The diaper was no problem (all of our visitors and I are very thankful for this). But the little shirt was another story. For any of you who know Chris, I'm sure you can imagine how this went down. He was the last one finished and when he held up the doll neither shoulder was fully pulled up and the snaps were mismatched. He may have yelled, "dammit" in front of everyone.
April 18: MFM Appointment
This was my last cervical check and another routine growth scan for the babies. Cervix is still long and closed. I believe the MFM called it, "embarrassingly good." Whatever that means, I'll take it. The babies looked great. Here are their stats:
Baby A
Sex: still a boy; as I said before, no question, this will not change
Position: Breech
Heart rate: 172 - he was really active during the scan
Estimated weight: 1lb 4oz
Baby B
Sex: still a girl
Position: Vertex (head down)
Heart rate: 148
Estimated weight: 1lb 4oz, yes same weight as A. MFM was happy with their weights.
Next growth scan was scheduled for four weeks later on May 16. They captured a couple short videos (we haven't figured out how to keep them private on YouTube and embed them in this blog, so apologies for just links for now):
1) Baby boy noms his hand. He is facing us in the middle of the frame with his body to the right. The dark circles are his eyes, the parts that moves are his lower jaw and cheeks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
2) Baby boy kicks baby girl. Her face is visible with her body to the left - you can see her heart beating. His legs are over the top of her head. Toward the end of the video his little kickers get going and her chest gets booted! http://www.youtube.com/watch?
April 20 - 23: Mum and Ally Visited
Mum and Ally came to Columbus to spend the weekend with us and we had a really fun time. It was so nice to see them. We hadn't seen Ally since her wedding last September - that is too long to not hug her in person! Thankfully, we had lots of time for hugs and they got to see and feel the babies kick. There was also some baby shopping, of course. Thank you both so much for the furniture for the babies. It is scheduled to be delivered this week!
Saturday, April 21: 5th Anniversary
This month also marked 12 years of being together and we have no idea how time flew by this fast. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful partner in life. I love his hugs, our conversations about nothing and everything, the vacation plans we dream of taking in the future, his sense of humor, that I feel like I can be anything and do anything with him, and I love the way he loves me, our babies, and the kitten. We have promised each other to do everything we can to keep our friendship and laughter with twin infants. I've been told it won't be easy and we fully expect this to be a challenge. I just can't imagine life without enjoying each other, even if it's only for 10 minutes in the evenings or a quick dinner date on a weekend.
April 22 - April 28: National Infertility Awareness Week
I'm in process of writing a post on this and will get it up shortly.
Bump pictures:
- Weight gain - the goal given to me was +24lbs by 24 weeks. I hit +23.5lbs at 24w0d. I'm calling this one a success!
- Still lots of kicking from the babies.
- We hit 24 weeks which is the first point (generally) that babies have a chance of living on the outside. Some key lung development occurs just prior to 24 weeks that allows babies to breathe air. Obviously they need to stay in for much longer, but there is still something reassuring about reaching that point.
- Braxton Hicks contractions continue. I've relaxed about them a little because they happen so often, but I do pay attention to the timing if I feel like I've had several in a short amount of time. I could still do without them. :-/
- I must be starting to look big because I was asked by three different people at work last week how much longer I planned to come into the office. The answer is I don't really know. Sometime over the next few weeks, I'll start working from home 1-2 days per week and other than that, my Dr and I will reevaluate at each appointment.
We attended a class at our hospital on how to care for a newborn. One of the most helpful sections was a series of pictures showing what is normal for a newborn baby. Besides that, the highlight was watching Chris bathe and redress the doll. The diaper was no problem (all of our visitors and I are very thankful for this). But the little shirt was another story. For any of you who know Chris, I'm sure you can imagine how this went down. He was the last one finished and when he held up the doll neither shoulder was fully pulled up and the snaps were mismatched. He may have yelled, "dammit" in front of everyone.
April 18: MFM Appointment
This was my last cervical check and another routine growth scan for the babies. Cervix is still long and closed. I believe the MFM called it, "embarrassingly good." Whatever that means, I'll take it. The babies looked great. Here are their stats:
Baby A
Sex: still a boy; as I said before, no question, this will not change
Position: Breech
Heart rate: 172 - he was really active during the scan
Estimated weight: 1lb 4oz
Baby B
Sex: still a girl
Position: Vertex (head down)
Heart rate: 148
Estimated weight: 1lb 4oz, yes same weight as A. MFM was happy with their weights.
Next growth scan was scheduled for four weeks later on May 16. They captured a couple short videos (we haven't figured out how to keep them private on YouTube and embed them in this blog, so apologies for just links for now):
1) Baby boy noms his hand. He is facing us in the middle of the frame with his body to the right. The dark circles are his eyes, the parts that moves are his lower jaw and cheeks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
2) Baby boy kicks baby girl. Her face is visible with her body to the left - you can see her heart beating. His legs are over the top of her head. Toward the end of the video his little kickers get going and her chest gets booted! http://www.youtube.com/watch?
April 20 - 23: Mum and Ally Visited
Mum and Ally came to Columbus to spend the weekend with us and we had a really fun time. It was so nice to see them. We hadn't seen Ally since her wedding last September - that is too long to not hug her in person! Thankfully, we had lots of time for hugs and they got to see and feel the babies kick. There was also some baby shopping, of course. Thank you both so much for the furniture for the babies. It is scheduled to be delivered this week!
 |
| My beautiful sister and mum! |
Saturday, April 21: 5th Anniversary
This month also marked 12 years of being together and we have no idea how time flew by this fast. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful partner in life. I love his hugs, our conversations about nothing and everything, the vacation plans we dream of taking in the future, his sense of humor, that I feel like I can be anything and do anything with him, and I love the way he loves me, our babies, and the kitten. We have promised each other to do everything we can to keep our friendship and laughter with twin infants. I've been told it won't be easy and we fully expect this to be a challenge. I just can't imagine life without enjoying each other, even if it's only for 10 minutes in the evenings or a quick dinner date on a weekend.
April 22 - April 28: National Infertility Awareness Week
I'm in process of writing a post on this and will get it up shortly.
Bump pictures:
 |
| 23w0d |
 |
| 24w1d |
 |
| 25w0d Uh oh, that maternity shirt is starting to look a little short. Perhaps my time to leave work will be dictated by when I don't have anything left that fits. |
Saturday, April 7, 2012
21w0d - 22w0d: We've Been Busy!
I was too busy (and I'll be honest, too tired) to post last week, so this might be a long one. I'll break it down into topics and you can skip what you want. Also, we finally added a couple pics from the anatomy scan to the prior post.
The size of my belly is as divisive as politics
I'm starting to feel big. It's harder to get off the couch and roll out of bed; bending over to touch the ground is officially out. Sorry Lucy, you're just going to have to eat the kibbles that missed your bowl off the floor. I hold my belly when going from sitting to standing to let it drop slowly otherwise it pulls the ligaments in my abdomen. I didn't even know these existed until pregnancy. It sends a pinch from the sides of my stomach down to...well, someone described it me as 'lightening crotch' and that was perfect.
People at work just can't help themselves when it comes to making comments about my belly. The problem is they can't agree on whether the size is normal. The other problem is I really don't want to hear it, but at least it gives me stories to tell. The following two exchanges occurred this past week - two days apart.
Act I - Too Small
Scene: filling up my water bottle in the kitchen, enter girl who works on the other side of the floor
Girl: "Hi. Whoa. Your belly is really small. I know I keep telling you this, but it's small."
Me: "Yeah, you do keep saying that." [Which is why I have been hiding in the bathroom stall until you finish washing your hands and leave just so we don't have to have this exact conversation.] "I'm only 21.5 weeks, there is still plenty of time for growth."
Girl: "It's not just that it's too small, it's that it hasn't grown for at least several weeks."
Me: Dumbfounded
Act II - Too Big
Scene: washing my hands in the bathroom, lady approaches the other sink. I can see her in the mirror staring at my belly.
Lady: "So, is your due date coming up soon?"
Me: [Oh boy, here we go. I knew I wasn't going to get out of this one in silence] "Nope, not due until early August."
Lady: "Oh, wow!" [Eyes really big, still staring at my midsection]
Me: [Smiled and just let the awkwardness hang out there.]
Lady: "Um... Hmm...Uh...your baby is a giant."
Me: "My baby is not a giant. There are two in there."
Lady: "Thank God."
I'm just not sure how to respond to these. "Thank you for your assessment, doctor" is what I really want to say, but that feels borderline rude to say to my coworkers. Ugh.
I have met Braxton Hicks and I don't like him
I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions for several weeks, but they have really picked up in the last two weeks. I have about 8 or so a day, most concentrated in the evenings. They don't hurt, but I just don't like my uterus getting all tense this early. I downloaded a contraction timer to my phone which has actually made me feel better because now I can clearly see how far apart they are and how long they last. Thankfully none have been consistent and they only last about 40-60 seconds. Still puts me on edge for a while.
Singled out, or I guess it should be 'twinned out'
During the past two weeks, Chris and I took a tour of the L&D section at our hospital and an all-day childbirth class. Both were very informative, especially if we were having a singleton. However, the instructors would explain something and then look at us and say, "except for you - talk to your doctor". So, here are the highlights that we learned (after talking to our doctor):
Our ultimate goal is to grow these babies to a healthy gestation and then deliver them safely. We are really open minded about the delivery and want to make sure everyone (babies, me, doctor) is comfortable. We will just take it one step at a time.
Regular OB check-up at 22 weeks, all is well
Chris was away on a business trip, so I went alone to a standard check-up. Blood pressure is still holding great, weight gain is on track, and besides the BH contractions, I've been well. Dr. B took a quick look at the babies and they were active! She commented that they are starting to get squished, B was rolled into a ball with her knees up at her face. A was a bit more stretched out. It looks like B flipped and both are currently head-down. Good babies! Anyway, she was happy with how everything looks and was comfortable with one more 4-week break between check-ups before we start going every 2 weeks.
Next up: MFM appointment on the 18th and Mom and Ally come for the weekend on the 20th! I was also sent home with the delicious looking orange drink for the gestational diabetes screening that will be done at the next OB appointment. Bottoms up!
The size of my belly is as divisive as politics
I'm starting to feel big. It's harder to get off the couch and roll out of bed; bending over to touch the ground is officially out. Sorry Lucy, you're just going to have to eat the kibbles that missed your bowl off the floor. I hold my belly when going from sitting to standing to let it drop slowly otherwise it pulls the ligaments in my abdomen. I didn't even know these existed until pregnancy. It sends a pinch from the sides of my stomach down to...well, someone described it me as 'lightening crotch' and that was perfect.
People at work just can't help themselves when it comes to making comments about my belly. The problem is they can't agree on whether the size is normal. The other problem is I really don't want to hear it, but at least it gives me stories to tell. The following two exchanges occurred this past week - two days apart.
Act I - Too Small
Scene: filling up my water bottle in the kitchen, enter girl who works on the other side of the floor
Girl: "Hi. Whoa. Your belly is really small. I know I keep telling you this, but it's small."
Me: "Yeah, you do keep saying that." [Which is why I have been hiding in the bathroom stall until you finish washing your hands and leave just so we don't have to have this exact conversation.] "I'm only 21.5 weeks, there is still plenty of time for growth."
Girl: "It's not just that it's too small, it's that it hasn't grown for at least several weeks."
Me: Dumbfounded
Act II - Too Big
Scene: washing my hands in the bathroom, lady approaches the other sink. I can see her in the mirror staring at my belly.
Lady: "So, is your due date coming up soon?"
Me: [Oh boy, here we go. I knew I wasn't going to get out of this one in silence] "Nope, not due until early August."
Lady: "Oh, wow!" [Eyes really big, still staring at my midsection]
Me: [Smiled and just let the awkwardness hang out there.]
Lady: "Um... Hmm...Uh...your baby is a giant."
Me: "My baby is not a giant. There are two in there."
Lady: "Thank God."
I'm just not sure how to respond to these. "Thank you for your assessment, doctor" is what I really want to say, but that feels borderline rude to say to my coworkers. Ugh.
I have met Braxton Hicks and I don't like him
I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions for several weeks, but they have really picked up in the last two weeks. I have about 8 or so a day, most concentrated in the evenings. They don't hurt, but I just don't like my uterus getting all tense this early. I downloaded a contraction timer to my phone which has actually made me feel better because now I can clearly see how far apart they are and how long they last. Thankfully none have been consistent and they only last about 40-60 seconds. Still puts me on edge for a while.
Singled out, or I guess it should be 'twinned out'
During the past two weeks, Chris and I took a tour of the L&D section at our hospital and an all-day childbirth class. Both were very informative, especially if we were having a singleton. However, the instructors would explain something and then look at us and say, "except for you - talk to your doctor". So, here are the highlights that we learned (after talking to our doctor):
- We will be delivering in an operating room regardless of method. Even if we have a vaginal delivery, they prefer to be set-up and ready for an emergency c-section, especially for Baby B as more complications can arise with the delivery of the second baby. Totally fine with us.
- We decided that we'll have an epidural placed (whether they immediately administer pain meds or not is up to us). Even if we start with both babies head-down, Baby B can flip as soon as A is out of the way. If she does that, we would have a breech extraction, which I've heard can be quite uncomfortable. Further, if we needed to do an emergency c-section, all they have to do is push the drugs which minimizes the chance of general anesthesia.
- They will not stop spontaneous labor after 34 weeks
- Assuming I don't go into labor on my own, my doctor is willing to let me go up to 40 weeks as long as the babies and placentas are doing well (that part is monitored by our MFM).
- There will be at least a couple nurses in the delivery room for each baby. Depending on their gestational age, there may be neonatal nurses and doctors for each as well. In other words, the fewer the people, the healthier they expect the babies.
- There are no automatic qualifiers for NICU admits. Some hospitals admit babies to the NICU if they are under x weeks gestation or under x pounds, regardless if everything else is fine. This hospital does as-needed only.
- Our hospital really encourages kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact). As soon as possible after delivery - for most babies this is immediately - they put the baby on mom's chest and cover both with a blanket. If we end up with a c-section and as long as the babies are healthy, we will do this as soon as we get to recovery, before the babies are bathed and taken for a full assessment. It helps the babies adjust quickly (regulate heart rates, temperature, etc.) and facilitates immediate bonding and breastfeeding.
Our ultimate goal is to grow these babies to a healthy gestation and then deliver them safely. We are really open minded about the delivery and want to make sure everyone (babies, me, doctor) is comfortable. We will just take it one step at a time.
Regular OB check-up at 22 weeks, all is well
Chris was away on a business trip, so I went alone to a standard check-up. Blood pressure is still holding great, weight gain is on track, and besides the BH contractions, I've been well. Dr. B took a quick look at the babies and they were active! She commented that they are starting to get squished, B was rolled into a ball with her knees up at her face. A was a bit more stretched out. It looks like B flipped and both are currently head-down. Good babies! Anyway, she was happy with how everything looks and was comfortable with one more 4-week break between check-ups before we start going every 2 weeks.
Next up: MFM appointment on the 18th and Mom and Ally come for the weekend on the 20th! I was also sent home with the delicious looking orange drink for the gestational diabetes screening that will be done at the next OB appointment. Bottoms up!
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| 21w0d |
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| 22w0d |
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