Today was my 34 week OB appointment and, well, I guess it was not as uneventful this time as I would have liked. Nothing too serious but still some things to cause me worry.
The ultrasound went great. Both babies looked good, with good heartbeats. Both of these bugs are camera shy and we haven't seen anything but their backs and the backs of their heads for the past three ultrasound scans. At the end of the scan the tech gave me their estimated weights - Baby A is at 4lbs6ozs, and Baby B is at 6lbs1oz. The she says that can't be right because last time they were both measuring a week ahead and now Baby B is still a week ahead but Baby A is a week behind.
I then go into a different room for my appointment with Dr. OB. She says that the growth discordance is not a huge problem at this point - they may just end up being different size people. But (I hate the But) she wants to do a NST exam just to be sure that there isn't placental problems or overcrowding going on - in which case we'd have to deliver. Add to that the fact that the amniotic fluid level for Baby A is starting to get lower and we may be looking at some IntraUterine Growth Issues. Common in 1 out of 4 twin pregnancies.
So, I will have a NST exam weekly until delivery at this point.
The other glitch today was that my blood pressure is looking a little higher than normal. Normally it's on the low side and it is starting to go up - not high at this point but higher than MY normal. So, she wants to keep a closer eye on that. So, I have to have that checked once a week now also. Another common problem in a twin pregnancy.
So, neither issue seems to be completely out of control at this point, but both will still require some extra monitoring. I'm glad though that we're so close to being considered full-term at this point. That is one thing that really eases my mind a bit. I feel like they would both be OK should we have to deliver at any time.
I am going to try not to worry too much - and hope that we're just going to end up with one little chunky baby and one little peanut.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Uneventful Chaos
I'm still here - no babies yet.
Had another uneventful OB appointment today - will be 33 weeks tomorrow. Heartbeats still good, growth still good and I've gained a total of 42 pounds so far. Getting so big I can barely move around much. But I will take it for another 3 weeks or so - just to make sure these boys are a good enough size to be able to come home from the hospital right away.
I'm now at weekly appointments until the babies decide to arrive. Another ultrasound next week and I'm thinking that will probably be the last one since we only do them every 4 weeks and next week I'll be at 34 weeks plus. I don't foresee myself getting to 38 weeks without giving birth. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've been having more frequent BH contractions and I've been feeling pretty crampy at night and I think the nesting is starting to kick in some. Woke from a nap the other day with an overwhelming urge to organize things.
We've got to do some serious organizing too. The room is not even close to being ready. It is painted and the wallpaper border is hung but that is it! We've got to purchase the carpet, assemble all the furniture, put it in the room, finish washing clothes, and put them in the closets, and wash bottles/nuks, etc and get that stuff organized too. Hopefully it will all get done - I don't think we'll have much time for that after the boys get here. It'll be too chaotic then.
I've also been trying to cook and freeze casseroles so J and I have something to eat the first few weeks with new babies. Thank goodness work agreed to the part-time hours, with part-time vacation. It has helped immensely with my swelling and with my ability to get stuff done around here without complete exhaustion.
Still no names picked yet.
It seems like I wouldn't let J do anything for so long and now time seems to be running out and now I feel like I won't ever get all of the things done that I need to before the babies make their appearance. Having dealt with IF for so long I just couldn't let myself get ready for babies too early. I still struggle with that every day, and with each thing I buy, or wash, or put together. It is still just so hard to imagine that babies will be at the end of this all.
Had another uneventful OB appointment today - will be 33 weeks tomorrow. Heartbeats still good, growth still good and I've gained a total of 42 pounds so far. Getting so big I can barely move around much. But I will take it for another 3 weeks or so - just to make sure these boys are a good enough size to be able to come home from the hospital right away.
I'm now at weekly appointments until the babies decide to arrive. Another ultrasound next week and I'm thinking that will probably be the last one since we only do them every 4 weeks and next week I'll be at 34 weeks plus. I don't foresee myself getting to 38 weeks without giving birth. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've been having more frequent BH contractions and I've been feeling pretty crampy at night and I think the nesting is starting to kick in some. Woke from a nap the other day with an overwhelming urge to organize things.
We've got to do some serious organizing too. The room is not even close to being ready. It is painted and the wallpaper border is hung but that is it! We've got to purchase the carpet, assemble all the furniture, put it in the room, finish washing clothes, and put them in the closets, and wash bottles/nuks, etc and get that stuff organized too. Hopefully it will all get done - I don't think we'll have much time for that after the boys get here. It'll be too chaotic then.
I've also been trying to cook and freeze casseroles so J and I have something to eat the first few weeks with new babies. Thank goodness work agreed to the part-time hours, with part-time vacation. It has helped immensely with my swelling and with my ability to get stuff done around here without complete exhaustion.
Still no names picked yet.
It seems like I wouldn't let J do anything for so long and now time seems to be running out and now I feel like I won't ever get all of the things done that I need to before the babies make their appearance. Having dealt with IF for so long I just couldn't let myself get ready for babies too early. I still struggle with that every day, and with each thing I buy, or wash, or put together. It is still just so hard to imagine that babies will be at the end of this all.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
30w6d
Traveling home for the shower my family had for me went well. I do know now why they tell pregnant women not to travel late in their pregnancies. The ride in the car was so uncomfortable - and it was only about 2 1/2 hours. It was great to see my family, who by the way were completely shocked by how huge I am! Of course they haven't seen me since February.
Then shower was beautiful and I have to say that my family and friends have been so generous! We have everything we need - I mean everything. I don't think we'll have to purchase anything for these two little bugs - except toys. That's one thing we didn't get any of - which is fine since they won't even know what toys are for about 6 months anyway. Diapers may be another thing - we did get lots but according to my estimated calculations what we got may only last us for about 2-3 weeks. Yikes! We also have enough gift cards to help with that too though.
So aside from getting the furniture delivered and set-up and actually in the room, I think we're on our way to being ready for these babies to arrive.
Had my 30 week appointment with Dr. OB yesterday which again, thankfully, went fine. Ultrasound showed Baby A vertex, still facing down (so no cute pictures - he must be shy or stubborn) and measuring 3lbs10ozs, and Baby B still transverse and measuring 4lbs3ozs. They are in the 57% and 63% for weight. That eases my mind quite a bit because I am very fearful of having them and they being too small and having to spend a lot of time in the NICU. But growth seems good and if they stay put for at least a few more weeks they should be good size to be able to come home right away after birth. Blood pressure still good, weight gain at 40 pounds (OMG) but I have so much swelling in my feet, ankles, and calves, that I think I'd lose a good 5-10 pounds if it weren't for them. I have been extremely tired lately too - I get up, get to work, and by 10am I'm ready for a nap. So, Dr. OB wrote me out of work half-time. I'm talking to my boss today about reducing my hours. I'm hoping it's OK with them and they don;t ask me to go out completely. I figure if I can work part-time I can stay until the babies are born. I just need a little more rest. Carrying 8 pounds of baby is tough - especially when you consider that I still have another 5-7 weeks to go.
Skipped childbirth class last night. We had a substitute teacher and I was completely exhausted. Figured I wouldn't miss too much. Next week's focus is on medication. Plus Thursday we have a parent's survival skills class where we will learn diaper changing, caring for umbilical cords and circumcisions, taking a temperature, giving a bath, and all other real-life practical things you'd need to know for baby. Looking forward to that one - A little secret about me - I have never changed a diaper in my life.
Then shower was beautiful and I have to say that my family and friends have been so generous! We have everything we need - I mean everything. I don't think we'll have to purchase anything for these two little bugs - except toys. That's one thing we didn't get any of - which is fine since they won't even know what toys are for about 6 months anyway. Diapers may be another thing - we did get lots but according to my estimated calculations what we got may only last us for about 2-3 weeks. Yikes! We also have enough gift cards to help with that too though.
So aside from getting the furniture delivered and set-up and actually in the room, I think we're on our way to being ready for these babies to arrive.
Had my 30 week appointment with Dr. OB yesterday which again, thankfully, went fine. Ultrasound showed Baby A vertex, still facing down (so no cute pictures - he must be shy or stubborn) and measuring 3lbs10ozs, and Baby B still transverse and measuring 4lbs3ozs. They are in the 57% and 63% for weight. That eases my mind quite a bit because I am very fearful of having them and they being too small and having to spend a lot of time in the NICU. But growth seems good and if they stay put for at least a few more weeks they should be good size to be able to come home right away after birth. Blood pressure still good, weight gain at 40 pounds (OMG) but I have so much swelling in my feet, ankles, and calves, that I think I'd lose a good 5-10 pounds if it weren't for them. I have been extremely tired lately too - I get up, get to work, and by 10am I'm ready for a nap. So, Dr. OB wrote me out of work half-time. I'm talking to my boss today about reducing my hours. I'm hoping it's OK with them and they don;t ask me to go out completely. I figure if I can work part-time I can stay until the babies are born. I just need a little more rest. Carrying 8 pounds of baby is tough - especially when you consider that I still have another 5-7 weeks to go.
Skipped childbirth class last night. We had a substitute teacher and I was completely exhausted. Figured I wouldn't miss too much. Next week's focus is on medication. Plus Thursday we have a parent's survival skills class where we will learn diaper changing, caring for umbilical cords and circumcisions, taking a temperature, giving a bath, and all other real-life practical things you'd need to know for baby. Looking forward to that one - A little secret about me - I have never changed a diaper in my life.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Time keeps on slippin into the future....
Wow, lots has happened since my last post. Sometimes I don't even know where the time goes. J and I are both starting to freak out a bit at the number of days left until our little bugs could arrive. Of course anythings possible but that ticker says 70-something days and I've been subtracting 30 from that number all along, since 50% of twins arrive early. I am hoping that I can make it to 36 weeks though - just so that they have sufficient cooking time and hopefully will not have to be in the NICU at all.
That's only about 6 weeks left to go.
I had my 3 hour Glucose test last week. While it was worse than the one hour it still wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The worst part was sitting at the lab for 3 hours! I read 3 entire magazines in that time. Luckily two days later I found out that I passed. Whew! Apparently even though you can eat and drink normally prior to the one hour test, it is not wise to drink chocolate milk before the test. I think that's what must have thrown off the one hour results. But for now I can continue to eat my carbs and not be overly concerned.
My appointment with Dr. OB earlier this week was again, thankfully, uneventful. No ultrasound this time, just measuring, weighing, blood pressure, and all the other normal things. I am up 33 pounds at 29 weeks. Dr. OB also informed me that I am now measuring the same size as someone pregnant with a singleton at 40 weeks. Have to keep an eye out for signs of PTL now but so far I've only had some slight BH contractions that go away with drinking water or moving around.
My co-workers had a shower for me yesterday. I work with a bunch of very generous people. We got clothes, gift cards, bouncy seats, diaper bag, toys, bedding, and 4 boxes of diapers! Hard to believe that they would want to have a shower for me after I haven't attended one in a few years. But I think since they all knew about our IF struggles they all understood, to some extent, why I wasn't attending.
We began our childbirth classes this week too. Of course everyone in the class had questions for us during the break about twins. We were the most popular couple in the class. I even had a woman who is due in just 4 weeks let me cut in line for use of the bathroom. How bad is that?! She said it would be easier for her to wait with just one baby pressing down on the bladder than for me to wait with two.
I think that the classes will be helpful but not sure how much of the relaxation tips really help. I guess I'm a bit skeptical that breathing is going to help with that level of pain. Looking forward to the class that actually teaches us about all of the different pain relief options available to us.
My family is having a shower for us next week - over the holiday weekend. Luckily Dr. OB said it was OK to travel the 2 1/2 hours to go to it. My sisters were a bit worried about whether I'd be there or not. I'm excited to see them - they haven't seen me since February when I was about 10 weeks along. Boy, will they be shocked!!
After that J and I will have our hands full putting things together, washing clothes, and getting things in order. I'm very thankful for that - thankful that we are getting closer to my hands being full rather than empty.
That's only about 6 weeks left to go.
I had my 3 hour Glucose test last week. While it was worse than the one hour it still wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The worst part was sitting at the lab for 3 hours! I read 3 entire magazines in that time. Luckily two days later I found out that I passed. Whew! Apparently even though you can eat and drink normally prior to the one hour test, it is not wise to drink chocolate milk before the test. I think that's what must have thrown off the one hour results. But for now I can continue to eat my carbs and not be overly concerned.
My appointment with Dr. OB earlier this week was again, thankfully, uneventful. No ultrasound this time, just measuring, weighing, blood pressure, and all the other normal things. I am up 33 pounds at 29 weeks. Dr. OB also informed me that I am now measuring the same size as someone pregnant with a singleton at 40 weeks. Have to keep an eye out for signs of PTL now but so far I've only had some slight BH contractions that go away with drinking water or moving around.
My co-workers had a shower for me yesterday. I work with a bunch of very generous people. We got clothes, gift cards, bouncy seats, diaper bag, toys, bedding, and 4 boxes of diapers! Hard to believe that they would want to have a shower for me after I haven't attended one in a few years. But I think since they all knew about our IF struggles they all understood, to some extent, why I wasn't attending.
We began our childbirth classes this week too. Of course everyone in the class had questions for us during the break about twins. We were the most popular couple in the class. I even had a woman who is due in just 4 weeks let me cut in line for use of the bathroom. How bad is that?! She said it would be easier for her to wait with just one baby pressing down on the bladder than for me to wait with two.
I think that the classes will be helpful but not sure how much of the relaxation tips really help. I guess I'm a bit skeptical that breathing is going to help with that level of pain. Looking forward to the class that actually teaches us about all of the different pain relief options available to us.
My family is having a shower for us next week - over the holiday weekend. Luckily Dr. OB said it was OK to travel the 2 1/2 hours to go to it. My sisters were a bit worried about whether I'd be there or not. I'm excited to see them - they haven't seen me since February when I was about 10 weeks along. Boy, will they be shocked!!
After that J and I will have our hands full putting things together, washing clothes, and getting things in order. I'm very thankful for that - thankful that we are getting closer to my hands being full rather than empty.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
26w6d
OB appointment went well again yesterday. Ultrasound was good - both babies were facing toward my back and wouldn't roll over so we didn't get many good pictures. But growth is good and both babies still are measuring close in size to one another. One baby is 2.4 pounds and the other is 2.5 pounds. Both have hair too. Baby A is head down and B is transverse (is that right??) and sitting in my chest right now, which explains my inability to breathe.
Everything else is normal except I failed my Glucose Challenge Test. Result came back at 160 and should have been under 140. Now I'll have to do the 3-hour fasting test sometime in the next two weeks. Hopefully this one goes better and I don't really have Gestational Diabetes.
They also noticed that one baby's left kidney is slightly larger than the right. If it remains only a slight difference, as long as he's able to urinate when he's born we're OK. If the discrepancy in the sizes grows he'll have to see a urologist when he's born and possibly have surgery to correct what could be a urinary tract obstruction caused by a congenital defect. Hopefully that won't happen. It is hard not to freak out when your OB says, "Now don't get upset..." But after hearing what she had to say and doing a little research myself (albeit at Goo.gle University) I do feel fairly confident that even if there is a problem it is correctable and nothing really life-threatening.
I think I'm starting to have Brax.ton Hick.s too. Not sure, because I don't know what they're supposed to feel like, but I do think that's what's happening today. Mostly when I sit in my horribly uncomfortable chair at work. If I get out of the chair and move around they go away. Feels like cramps though. I'm assuming it's normal since they go away when i change positions but if you've got any thoughts on them, please share.
Next appointment - 2 weeks
Everything else is normal except I failed my Glucose Challenge Test. Result came back at 160 and should have been under 140. Now I'll have to do the 3-hour fasting test sometime in the next two weeks. Hopefully this one goes better and I don't really have Gestational Diabetes.
They also noticed that one baby's left kidney is slightly larger than the right. If it remains only a slight difference, as long as he's able to urinate when he's born we're OK. If the discrepancy in the sizes grows he'll have to see a urologist when he's born and possibly have surgery to correct what could be a urinary tract obstruction caused by a congenital defect. Hopefully that won't happen. It is hard not to freak out when your OB says, "Now don't get upset..." But after hearing what she had to say and doing a little research myself (albeit at Goo.gle University) I do feel fairly confident that even if there is a problem it is correctable and nothing really life-threatening.
I think I'm starting to have Brax.ton Hick.s too. Not sure, because I don't know what they're supposed to feel like, but I do think that's what's happening today. Mostly when I sit in my horribly uncomfortable chair at work. If I get out of the chair and move around they go away. Feels like cramps though. I'm assuming it's normal since they go away when i change positions but if you've got any thoughts on them, please share.
Next appointment - 2 weeks
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Crying Spells
My sisters mailed out the invitations for the shower they are having for me. I cried when I got it in the mail - It is so cute. A Noah's Ark picture since we're having two. It's planned for fourth of July weekend and I am praying that Dr. OB allows me to travel for it. It's about 3 hours away and I'll be 30 weeks at that point. She was a bit hesitant to let me go 2 hours away last month. I really want to travel home for it - after all they planned, plus the fact that I haven't seen my family since winter.
My co-workers are also planning a shower for the same week - during the week though after work one evening. I cried when they told me about it and they emailed the invite to all staff. Dealing with other people's pregnancies after our loss and subsequent months of treatment, I can honestly say that I was not the nicest person to be around at work. It is a lot to deal with and we are all entitled to our feelings and coping mechanisms. It's just very nice of them to still plan a shower for me, even though I didn't attend either of the past two they've had for other people in the past year.
J and I went garage sale-ing and found a ton of baby clothes for all ages from newborn to 2 years. They were so cute - I cried when I got them home and started sorting them by age. Ducks and frogs and trucks. So many cute little tiny clothes. Hard to imagine that we will have two little people wearing them soon.
It has een extremely HOT here the past few days and I am really swollen in my ankles and hands. Nothing extreme enough to warrant medical attention but not comfortable either. I cried the other day because my feet were so swollen that it almost hurt to walk.
Are you noticing a pattern here? I have suddenly become an emotional wreck. The tiniest things set me off and I can't control it.
Don't EVER watch Finding Ne.mo when you are hyper-emotional. I could NOT stop the tears last night while watching that movie. The part where the Dad tells the ne.mo baby fish egg that he'll never let anything happen to him (like in the beginning of the movie) is when the tears started and continued throughout the entire movie. Every scene showing how much the Dad loved his Ne.mo and every kick I felt during the movie set off the water works.
I never imagined it was possible to love two people (whom I've yet to meet) so much and I just keep praying that things continue to go as planned and we can meet these bugs in about 90 days.
My co-workers are also planning a shower for the same week - during the week though after work one evening. I cried when they told me about it and they emailed the invite to all staff. Dealing with other people's pregnancies after our loss and subsequent months of treatment, I can honestly say that I was not the nicest person to be around at work. It is a lot to deal with and we are all entitled to our feelings and coping mechanisms. It's just very nice of them to still plan a shower for me, even though I didn't attend either of the past two they've had for other people in the past year.
J and I went garage sale-ing and found a ton of baby clothes for all ages from newborn to 2 years. They were so cute - I cried when I got them home and started sorting them by age. Ducks and frogs and trucks. So many cute little tiny clothes. Hard to imagine that we will have two little people wearing them soon.
It has een extremely HOT here the past few days and I am really swollen in my ankles and hands. Nothing extreme enough to warrant medical attention but not comfortable either. I cried the other day because my feet were so swollen that it almost hurt to walk.
Are you noticing a pattern here? I have suddenly become an emotional wreck. The tiniest things set me off and I can't control it.
Don't EVER watch Finding Ne.mo when you are hyper-emotional. I could NOT stop the tears last night while watching that movie. The part where the Dad tells the ne.mo baby fish egg that he'll never let anything happen to him (like in the beginning of the movie) is when the tears started and continued throughout the entire movie. Every scene showing how much the Dad loved his Ne.mo and every kick I felt during the movie set off the water works.
I never imagined it was possible to love two people (whom I've yet to meet) so much and I just keep praying that things continue to go as planned and we can meet these bugs in about 90 days.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Flat Orange Soda...Yum
Finished the Glucose Challenge Test this morning - and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The drink was sweet but not terrible. Maybe it helped that Dr. OB gave it to me beforehand and I had the chance to chill it in the refrigerator first.
The only side effects from the drink are some dizziness and now feeling pretty tired. Glad I took the day off of work to nap in case I needed it. Formerly Pregnant co-worker told me she needed to afterward.
Next OB appointment is on Monday. They won't have my results yet - I think it takes about a week for them to get them. But I'm not too worried. J is diabetic and I've used his tester a few times this past week. I checked a fasting level, and levels after eating and drinking two big glasses of OJ. All of those results were normal so I'm hoping the GCT results will be fine.
Ultrasound on Monday too! I'm excited about that and J is able to go to this appointment with me. I love every peek inside that I can get.
The only side effects from the drink are some dizziness and now feeling pretty tired. Glad I took the day off of work to nap in case I needed it. Formerly Pregnant co-worker told me she needed to afterward.
Next OB appointment is on Monday. They won't have my results yet - I think it takes about a week for them to get them. But I'm not too worried. J is diabetic and I've used his tester a few times this past week. I checked a fasting level, and levels after eating and drinking two big glasses of OJ. All of those results were normal so I'm hoping the GCT results will be fine.
Ultrasound on Monday too! I'm excited about that and J is able to go to this appointment with me. I love every peek inside that I can get.
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