34 weeks!!

Brief recap of doc appt:

• All looks good.
• Doc thinks decent chance I'll make it to 36-37 weeks.  Told the hubby I'm likely to get REALLY cranky now...  We'll probably end up scheduling week 36-37 if we make it that far, which would be mid-September.
• I don't need to time my contractions anymore, now he's only concerned about the big ones.  Yay!
• But, I need to start pricking again, just to see what the GD is doing.  Boo.
• We're definitely have a C-section.  But, doc says recovery is often not much worse than v*******.  Stairs are fine, picking up babies is fine (he said, don't go unload a beer truck, but you're not an invalid!), lots of the rumor mill no-nos are fine.  Of course, unless I want an excuse.
• He did suggest as much help as possible the first month, particularly if we're going to try to breast feed (and he's speaking from his wife's experience with twins). Hint, hint...  :)
• I'm also allowed to move around a little more, make myself lunch, refill my water, etc.  I may have already started doing that a little bit, and I'll tell you, it's not like I have a whole lot of energy to do much more than what I'm doing anyway, but I do feel a little less like a prisoner, even if it's just that slight mental change and not much actually changes in my life.

Home stretch!  Now I need to start preparing mentally for what's to come...

cool kids' stuff

Props to my sis for coming across this stroke of genius. It's a chalkboard that came as a giant wall sticker. They had various shapes, but we wanted something whimsical to go with Seussville, so we cut out the Dali mirror-inspired shape. Then we just peeled off the backing and stuck it on the wall. Instant chalkboard! How fun is that?! Or am I already turning into a Martha Stewart mom?...

Oh, yeah, and still no babies.   My dad is starting a pool to guess the date if anyone wants in...

for the kids

I don't really know if I've left the impression throughout my pregnancy that I love it or I hate.  I like to think I'm like most women, who, if they are really honest with themselves are somewhere in the middle, and it's just that you only hear from the ooshy gooshy ones who love it.  In any case, lest these kiddos read this one day in the future (Mom, I can't believe you blogged, that is so 2000s!), I think it's important to keep a list of all the things I have been through for them these past 8 months.  You never know when it'll come in handy, and from what I've been told, God provides pregnancy amnesia to convince women to have more children.

• Extreme exhaustion - I think I fell asleep standing up at work once...  The exhaustion also ruined our social life since I was sleeping about 11 hours at night the first trimester.  The hubs kinda loved it, though, no lie.  The other side of this is during the third trimester, I'm exhausted again, but this time it's due in part because I only sleep about an hour at a time and never more than 2.5 hours.  Perhaps it's preparation for feeding the kiddos, but it sure feel like I'm starting the race a marathon behind...
• Worry - Yeah, this started early.  Sure, that's partly my fault for being a worrier (do people still say "worry wart"?), but I was getting better until I suddenly had 5,398,392 new things to worry about.  Like, whether or not these kiddos would be healthy and who we could con into coming to care for them for a week so we can continue taking marvelous trips...
• Dietary restrictions & modifications - No sushi.  No alcohol.  And when the gestational diabetes issue crept up, No ice cream (except when I sneak into the kitchen and help myself to a spoonful...), No cereal, carbs and sugars only with proteins, only eating at certain times, making sure to eat at certain times, etc., etc.  For all of you out there who live in some kind of fantasyland that a pregnant woman gets to eat for two (or three!) in my case, eating while pregnant is not that kind of joy.
• Carpal tunnels - some of the other things I'd heard of, but carpal tunnels from pregnancy was a shocker.  It started late in pregnancy and is worst at night, but it's steadily worsening, so it'll be a battle whether I do something about it (can you?) or have the babies first...
• Reflux - I have nothing to say about this.  It's just gross.  And awful.  And has contributed to the destruction of the enjoyment of food.
• Constipation - You would rather I have nothing to say about this.  Everything was going along swimmingly until I had to eat more protein to counterbalance the carbs/sugars for GD, then my mostly vegetarian body struggled to keep up with the more difficult to digest meats and animal products. 
• Round ligament pain - This is the pain from the stretching or pulling on the ligaments around my uterus (I think).  Suffice to say, I think it's been worse from carrying two and is getting worse as they are growing, growing, growing!
• Gas/Indigestion - More to ruin eating.  Funny thing is that now that I have a watermelon as a belly, I have a really hard time distinguishing among anything that's going on.  Contraction, gas, baby kick, full bladder?  Who knows?...  It's all just discomfort at this point.
• General discomfort - Which deserves its own heading.  Everything from trying to pick something off the ground, get into bed, get comfortable in bed, roll over (it's REALLY HARD now!!!!) sit, stand.  I think the only place I was comfortable from the 2nd trimester on was in the pool and since I've been on bed rest for much of my late pregnancy, that hasn't been an option.  My mother sweetly said, when I got up and walked by her (on my every 15-20 minute trip to the loo), "I'm glad that's not me!"  Thanks, Mom!  :-)  She's always trying to make me feel like a strong woman...  I have to admit, even sitting on the toilet seat (and we got some pretty spiffy new ones when we remodeled) is MUCH more uncomfortable with the extra weight.  Take a watermelon with you next time and put it in your lap.  It feels REALLY different and not in a good way.
• Headaches & vision floaters - OK, so these may or may not be pregnancy related, but since these crazy hormones seem to cause everything else and if they're at all related to fatigue...
• Nausea - I thought I had escaped this really common one, and then it hit me today.  Probably my punishment for starting this list.

I may have forgotten one (or five) already and reserve the right to come back and supplement the list.  But, kids, all's I gotta say is that you better be really stinkin cute!

Work day...work away

The deal I've been working on for years is this close to being final. I worked more than I've worked in awhile today moving it forward. Nevertheless, my boss and I decided it was time for me to give it a rest and transition it over. So, at the end if my work day, my partner came to the house and took away all my files. Good thing because my contractions did increase and I was zonked and slept hard during my nap. There might have even been drooling....

The other fun thing from today is that this is my first post from my phone! I found an app that I can use to post from anywhere. This will be handy when I need to share the news that the real excitement is about to begin. So, don't worry, you won't miss a thing. Supposedly, it posts pictures easily, too, although I haven't tried, yet. Perhaps an activity for tomorrow...

diapers galore

Every baby is different and I currently don't have any, but it sounds like on average, we're looking at 10 diapers per baby day (it's also a nice round number that multiplies easily).  This will also change over time, but this ain't science, so it'll do.  That makes for 20 diapers per day, 140 diapers per week, 600 diapers per month, or 7300 diapers in the next year!  Well, they'll probably need fewer towards the end, so maybe just SIX THOUSAND...  Our environmental footprint is about to explode.  (And that's whether we use cloth or disposable, still lots of waste, just different forms.)

We are already stockpiling as if we are about to be hit by a hurricane, thanks to many generous family members and friends.  And by those calculations, this is but a mere dent in what we'll use...

the time is nearing...

Just got out of the doc's office.  Sylvia is now 4 lb. 8 oz. and growing steadily around the 37 percentile.  Rafael is now 5 lb. 6 oz. and growing rapidly.  That's a grand total of just shy of 10 lbs. of baby in my belly (not to mention the extra parts they each come with).  So, please excuse the waddle.  I asked about the difference in sizes (almost a whole pound) and the doc didn't seem concerned since Sylvia is still growing at a good rate, which I'm guessing means that Rafael isn't stealing her lunch, perhaps he's just trying to avoid wimpy white boy syndrome.  If they keep growing like they did the past 2 weeks, at 36 weeks ("term" for twins), Sylvia would be 6 lbs. and Rafael would be 7 lbs. 10 oz.!

Doc said, no question, definitely a C-section, which we had pretty much decided on anyway.  Since the second baby is so much bigger than the first, it would not be safe to have a v****** delivery.  She didn't think there was any reason to schedule one, though, and so, we're still on the SURPRISE waiting game.  Not my fave, but I'm supposed to try to learn to let go of control...  In the end, doc said everything looks good, I'm just big, explained how I have no ab muscles, and concluded with, "See you in 3 weeks, if you're still pregnant!"  I'll take that as a good sign!

Some profile pics of the kiddos from today.  Either Rafa also has the fat lips or the tech got the pics backwards (which is also possible--note the scratching out of one letter to the other...)

Rafa (or maybe Sylvia) facing up, forehead right, chin left

Sylvia (or maybe Rafa), facing up, forehead left, chin right.  This one didn't scan so well, so apologies if it's hard to tell what's going on.

33 weeks

OK, one day shy of 33 full weeks, but here's the belly update and a reminder of where we started...

Week 4

Week 33

more belly

And even more to come...

another day, another doctor's appointment

Heartbeats are good.  Movement is good.  Fluid is good.  We're all good.

Doc even said that if I make it another 10 days, at 34 weeks, he'll lift some of my bedrest restrictions.  Woo hoo!! 

That being said, I was so tired today, I dozed off and on until 11am and am pretty wiped out for the rest of the day.  So, even if the restrictions get lifted, I'm not sure I'll be able to do a whole lot more than what I'm doing now, anyway, which is very little.

Good news is that doc said if we HAD to deliver now, the outcome would likely be excellent.  Yay!  Not that we want to, we still want to try to get to 36 or 37 weeks, but it was still very reassuring and wonderful to hear.

I think I'll celebrate with a nap...

carpal tunnel syndrome

Who knew that pregnancy can also cause carpal tunnel syndrome?!  Mine has so far been fairly tolerable.  I get it mostly during the night, but stretch and shake out my hands when I get up for all my restroom breaks.  So far it has been fairly minimal during the day, although today my hands are a little more stiff and swollen than previous days.  Hopefully, it's an anomaly and not a sign of things to come.

Not to belittle the total awe I have of the human body and the miracle of life, but this is one of the few minor kinks that could still be worked on...

On another note, I was given permission to sit up from time to time so long as my contractions don't get worse.  My hips have really embraced the breaks.  I've even enjoyed a few meals at the dinner table, which, even though I have to sit about a mile away from the table, is significantly less messy than trying to eat lying on my side.

We might hold on longer, but only 18 days until Labor Day.  That's nutty.  It's getting close.  These kiddos could be here any day now...  Oh, my...

ah, the little things

I know at this point most people are just checking the blog to see if we've landed ourselves in the hospital with two little ones.  So, I'm mostly posting to let you know, sorry, not yet. 

The excitement of today was conquering the monumental (seeming to me) challenge of clipping my toenails!  To put it in perspective, imagine running about a mile or two (the exhaustion I get from showering), then strap a watermelon to your belly, and attempt to contort your legs so that you can reach and see your toes and then you'll understand how my morning pedi went...

32 weeks!

And still hanging on!  Not much to report except that this is the date that it seems like most docs start breathing easier.  So, woooooooo hoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! 

The belly continues to expand.  But, the kiddos must be expanding faster.  My belly is so tight that it's getting harder to tell when I have contractions since it sort of feels like I constantly have one long one.  I also have to run to the bathroom much more frequently, which is also a guessing game because I keep getting kicked in the bladder, so I never know if the urge is truly a bathroom break need or just another swift kick.  The other change I'm really noticing is that it's getting harder and harder to breathe well.  I have to consciously take bigger breaths to get normal amounts of air.

It's still pretty incredible to think that in about a month or less, our little family of 2 will be 4...

tgif and randomness

TGIF!  Which doesn't really mean a whole lot to me, since I work about the same amount every day of the week--just enough to keep up with everything that I haven't passed on to everyone at the firm.  But, it does mean I'll get to have more of my hubby's company the next couple days (unless I send him on lots of errands...).  This is perhaps the first weekend EVER that I have absolutely nothing on the calendar (tonight doesn't count).

We might actually sell Cybil this weekend.  And by "we" I mean my hubby along with the help of a friend whose wife graciously volunteered him to help.  Love you guys!

I have my first signs of stretch marks on my belly.  They yucky red, permanent kind.  Boo.

Only 23 days left until Labor Day!  Yay!


I've stopped pricking my finger for the time being.  My glucose levels are within normal unless I splurge on dessert, wait too long to eat, or take the contraction medication, so I think we're pretty confident we can keep this under control.

And, I finally signed up for Amazon Mom to get all the random things we still need to get and have started putting together a hospital bag.  Now that I'm getting closer to 32 weeks, I guess I'm admitting it's okay to prepare for having to go to the hospital.  As if denying that possibility really made a difference...

Our rug for the nursery came in.  Yeah, so I've gotten a rug for the nursery, but no monitor. 

week 31 ultrasound

Watch out Angelina, here comes Baby A.  Check out her full lips!!  She's the pic on top.  Baby B wouldn't stay still for his pic, so he's a little blurry (on bottom).

gratitude

I have to pause for a moment to say thank you to everyone.  Really, everyone.  I am in the middle of writing thank you notes and it occurred to me that although we're trying to be good about making sure everyone who sends us a material gift gets a thank you note, that falls incredibly short of all the people who should be getting thank you notes. 

It seems like everyone we know has showered us with love, prayers, words of encouragement, uplifting emails, visits, meals, gifts, phone calls.  I can't even tell you how much that has helped us during this adventure. 

I'm sure you've all heard it before (and probably most anyone who's reading this doesn't need to learn this since we seem to have the best friends and family in the world), but if you ever hear of someone who could use a little pick-me-up, don't wait to be asked, don't ask what to do, just do something.  Even if it's just an encouraging note.  It does make a difference.  And feel free to call me out if I don't do this in return.  I should have already learned this lesson...

Thank you thank you thank you.  For everything.  We are incredibly grateful.

doc appointment

Another week, another doctor's appointment... 

Babies are growing.  Not quite as much as I had hoped and he's starting to outgrow her (which can be bad if he starts stealing too much from her).  She is 3 lbs. 8 oz. and he is 3 lbs. 14 oz.  I'm guessing their decline is because I've changed my eating habits to try to keep the blood glucose in check.  Somewhere, there's the perfect balance of contraction meds, blood glucose, and calories.  Just gotta figure it out...

They kiddos are totally crammed in there.  She's head down and now he's breach, so they're sort of like yin/yang or the pisces fish. 

I think it might be the only way they can fit in my crammed belly.  I'm still counting contractions and that seems to be the main thing for me to watch.  I'm now allowed 6 an hour, so if they're less than 10 minutes apart, take the meds, if they still don't stop, call the doc...

We got a couple new pics.  They're not spectacular, but hopefully the hubby can scan tomorrow and I can post sometime in the near future. 

So, it sounded like everything was okay.  At least, the doc didn't send me immediately to the hospital or tell me I needed to do anything differently.  She just said, see you next time!

She was leaving my appointment to go perform surgery on a baby who didn't look good, so say a prayer for those parents...  So grateful we're at 31 weeks!!

31 weeks!!!!!

Over 4 weeks of bed rest down.  Only 27 days left until Labor Day.  Woo hoo!!


Contractions are picking up a little, and I'm now taking my contraction meds as necessary rather than on a regular schedule (which might contribute to their picking up a little).  But, the contraction meds raise my blood glucose and I'm also testing that right now, so I'm trying to find the right balance of meds, blood glucose, etc.  Of course, also a part of that equation is work, rest, and whatever else I do with my day.  So, what that means is that I'm tracking pretty much my every move.  It's tiresome.  I'm starting to figure out a few tricks to make it easier.  Most of the time I just suck it up, but every once in awhile I lose it.  Tracking everything, watching what I eat, when I eat it, how much I eat, not being able to take care of myself so others having to deal with all these restrictions.  You get the idea.  Oh, and throw in only sleeping about an hour at a time at night, maybe one 2.5 hour bit at some point each night and raging hormones, I'm sure.  So, men out there (if there are any out there that read a preggo lady's blog...), be very patient and understanding with your preggo wives.

Time to prick the finger.  Which, by the way, I've started to master.  Now, if only I could learn to swallow pills with just water, I'd really be a grownup!  

c-section or v***nal delivery?

Many people have asked me whether I'm planning on having a C-section or a v***nal delivery.  The hubs doesn't like the v-word, hence the code name.  This is a difficult question for me.  Years ago, I would have said that doctors too often default to a C-section because they have more control and why don't they let more women deliver v***nally?  Now, after coming to terms with fertility and all the other drugs and medical treatment I'm undergoing to ensure the health of these little guys, I have more of an attitude that the most important thing is having two healthy babies in our arms and some of the details surrounding how they came to be are not that important.  The overwhelming feeling I have about all of this, in spite of all the medical help, is that it is a miraculous journey.

On top of that, I'm incredibly terrified of having one baby v***nally and then having to have a C-section for the other and having to recover from both!!  My doc is very laid back and happy to do whatever we want to do (unless there's a major issue, of course).  His wife delivered her twins v***nally, so I know he's comfortable with that.  I have been trying to learn what the benefits are to having a v***nal delivery, because with twins, it is definitely less risky to have a C-section for the safety of the babies.  My doc said the main thing is not having the scar tissue for future pregnancies.

I know many people have some very strong opinions on the matter and I would love to hear them!  (I may not agree end up deciding what you think is best, but I do want to hear.)

Please be respectful of others who may disagree, but otherwise, post away!

all is good!

One of the big lessons for me in this adventure is that much of medicine is an art, not a science.  Of course, the doctors work within a framework, but within that, there is quite a bit of variation on how to address various things and what the "right" decision is.  So, when searching for a doctor, seems to me, the biggest criteria shouldn't be whether you neighbor likes them, but whether they ascribe to a similar philosophy and approach as you do.

I don't think my 2 docs could be more different.  One is VERY laid back and not worried about very much, really.  The other, very strict and conservative about most everything.  So, went to the laid back doc today and he doesn't seem to be worried about anything.  I recently did the 1-hour glucose test and had slightly elevated glucose.  I opted out of the 3-hour because it made me so ill before.  So, I've just been testing my blood sugar to see if I might have gestational diabetes.  My numbers are not ideal, some elevated, some okay.  Today's doc is not concerned about a few spikes here and there, so long as there isn't a pattern of it getting worse.  He did mention that my other doc would probably disagree and would probably put me on insulin.  But, since I have twins and will deliver early, anyway, he's not terribly concerned.  Monitor it and continue a healthy diet, but I'm allowed to splurge on Italian Ice from time to time.  How does he know me so well?!?!  He also said I could reduce my contraction medicine and see how my body does because he thinks I might be able to get off of that.  That will also help my glucose levels because that medication causes my glucose to go up, so hopefully the contractions will continue to stay away and I can get off of that medicine and that will help keep the glucose in check.

So, all in all, I think everything is moving along well.  I have been much more exhausted these past few days than in the past, and continue to realize what a toll this is taking on my body!

We might be getting closer on baby boy's name...

the nursery - part 2

We (and by we, I mean the hubby since all I did was lie on the sofa and chat with him while he worked) made some great progress on the nursery this weekend!  Ok, I did do a little online shopping, which counts, but the fruit of that labor has yet to arrive on our doorstep.

My sis and I had started the painting in the nursery and the hubby put on the final finishing touches this weekend.  He also hung Dr. Seuss pics and applied wall stickers to the walls and door.  But, probably the biggest improvement is that we started putting away diapers and getting things out of their boxes.  I should have taken a before pic, but the room was quite full of boxes before the hubby cleaned out the closet and started putting things away.  I think we filled our recycling bin (and we have the giant trash can sized ones) with all the broken down empty boxes. 

Here are a few pics, taken with my phone, so not great quality, but you get the idea. 

30 weeks!!

I celebrate just about every day that passes, but the weekly milestones are really big deals.  34 days until Labor Day.  One more month, kiddos, we can do it!!

Below is the belly for those interested in its growth.  Some days it feels like the belly's not getting any bigger, the kids are just invading the space for my lungs, my stomach, my bladder, etc.  I've always felt lots of movement out of Sylvia.  In the hospital, they said it was because of her position.  Baby B, however, was the one who was really active in the hospital.  Which is comforting since I didn't feel his movements much.  Well, now I'm feeling them both.  And often.  I'm getting used to it, although there are definitely times when it takes me by surprise.