I've been having a lot of appointments as of late due to the pre-e and gestational diabetes. At the last growth scan on Friday, it was difficult for them to get all of the measurements because the boys are getting so big. :) They estimate that Baby A is 5 lbs. 10 oz and Baby B is 4 lbs. 13 oz. The flow of blood through their cords is also slowing down which is prompting a 37w delivery. Baby A is still breech so we will most likely be having a c-section. If by some miracle Baby A flips then we will have an induction around 37w instead.
My blood sugars seem to be controlled with the diet change and meds for now. It's crazy, but now that I can't have certain things, they are ALL that I crave. Things I haven't had forever- like doughnuts. But the good news is once I am delivered my blood sugars should return to normal within a few hours and I can then have sweets again. :)
My blood pressure is still a bit high, but they aren't too concerned especially with as frequently as I'm being seen. Most weeks I have at least 3 Dr appointments which include 2 NST's and 1 BPP u/s.
I can't believe that my boys will be here so soon! I'm really going to miss feeling them move and squirm in my belly. I can't wait to see them and see what they look like and get to know their personalities out of the womb. I feel like I have a good idea of their personalities in the womb already and they are two very different little boys. :)
Hubby and I are trying to enjoy our last few weeks as a couple. It's been nice to have this last Christmas together as a couple and imagine how different our next holiday season will be. :) We were hoping to go out to eat and maybe a movie but it's so hard with my bedrest restrictions. Plus, most days I just don't feel like going out. We have been watching a lot of movies at home, which has been great.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Belly Photos 34w1d
Hubby took a couple of more belly photos for me today. I love how they turned out.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Pregnancy Photos
Hubby did some pregnancy photos on Sunday. I'm happy with how these turned out. We are hoping to do a few more photos this upcoming weekend. I've been so hesitant to have any belly pictures taken, but now as we are getting to the end of the pregnancy, I know how much I'll miss having my babies in me and I want to document it as much as I can.
Home Again
I got released from the hospital yesterday. Yeah! They ended up keeping me two days because it turns out the first Dr misinformed me and I do have gestational diabetes. 2 of the 3 values on the 2-hour fasting glucose test were 1 point over the new cut off. I was taught how to slightly change my diet and monitor blood sugar. My blood sugars were out of whack in the hospital because of the steroid shots. But, by yesterday morning they had stabilized and I was allowed to go home.
My instructions now that I am home are to follow the GD diet, monitor blood sugar 6 times a day and take an oral diabetic med 3 times a day. My preeclampsia is very mild, which is great news. We are hoping that it will not progress quickly so that we can keep the babies in a couple of more weeks. I've been placed on a stricter "modified" bedrest than before. Basically, they want me resting with my feet up all the time, but I'm allowed to get up to grab food, use the bathroom, shower and go to Dr appointments. My appointments have doubled. I now will have 2x a week NST & BPP ultrasounds with MFM and will see the diabetic RN once a week as well. I also have weekly appointments with my OB moving forward. One of the MFM Dr's that checked in with me yesterday told me it would be good to bring my hospital bag to each appointment- because at any one of them coming up I could be told we are going to deliver.
The whole breech/vertex trying to flip babies is stressing me out. I'm going to try the acupuncture/moxa, chiro thing and then leave it in the Lord's hands. I would love to experience a vaginal delivery for many reasons, but my stressing out about it isn't helping anyone. If it works and we have two head down babies- great, if not- then I'm trying to reconcile myself to a c-section.
I'm doing much better emotionally now that I am home again. It was so stressful and scary to be in the hospital and not have "control" over what was happening. I'm glad that they did find out about these two new diagnoses' so that we can take proactive steps. I'm hoping that the next time I'm hospitalized it's at least two weeks from now and it's to deliver the boys. It looks like we will get to that 2-week mark at this point as the boys don't seem to have been affected by any of this. All of the NST's in the hospital and u/s's show that they are doing fine. It's a huge relief to know that they aren't being negatively impacted.
My instructions now that I am home are to follow the GD diet, monitor blood sugar 6 times a day and take an oral diabetic med 3 times a day. My preeclampsia is very mild, which is great news. We are hoping that it will not progress quickly so that we can keep the babies in a couple of more weeks. I've been placed on a stricter "modified" bedrest than before. Basically, they want me resting with my feet up all the time, but I'm allowed to get up to grab food, use the bathroom, shower and go to Dr appointments. My appointments have doubled. I now will have 2x a week NST & BPP ultrasounds with MFM and will see the diabetic RN once a week as well. I also have weekly appointments with my OB moving forward. One of the MFM Dr's that checked in with me yesterday told me it would be good to bring my hospital bag to each appointment- because at any one of them coming up I could be told we are going to deliver.
The whole breech/vertex trying to flip babies is stressing me out. I'm going to try the acupuncture/moxa, chiro thing and then leave it in the Lord's hands. I would love to experience a vaginal delivery for many reasons, but my stressing out about it isn't helping anyone. If it works and we have two head down babies- great, if not- then I'm trying to reconcile myself to a c-section.
I'm doing much better emotionally now that I am home again. It was so stressful and scary to be in the hospital and not have "control" over what was happening. I'm glad that they did find out about these two new diagnoses' so that we can take proactive steps. I'm hoping that the next time I'm hospitalized it's at least two weeks from now and it's to deliver the boys. It looks like we will get to that 2-week mark at this point as the boys don't seem to have been affected by any of this. All of the NST's in the hospital and u/s's show that they are doing fine. It's a huge relief to know that they aren't being negatively impacted.
Monday, December 6, 2010
33w2d Update
Today I had a busy day scheduled of tests and appointments. I was doing a repeat glucose test. This time it was a fasting 2-hour test. My OB explained to me (at my last appointment last Thursday) that the guidelines for the test had recently changed from the 1-hour non-fasting test or the 3-hour fasting test to a 2-hour fasting test. My blood pressure was also a bit elevated at my last OB appointment, so she ordered another 24-hour urine collection test to check for spilled protein. She suggested I do it on Sunday and just bring it to my glucose test on Monday morning. I did as she suggested and brought it to the glucose test. The test itself was boring. I did get a bit shaky towards the end, but that was it. After the test I ate a peanut butter sandwich that I had brought with me and a bunch of almonds. I felt much better after the food/protein.
I then headed over to MFM for my weekly NST and a cervix check u/s. My blood pressure was high in the NST room- 139/82. They suggested I lay there and relax during the test and then we would re-check. The boys did great for the NST this time. They then re-checked my blood pressure, and it went up again to – 145/91. At this point they ordered a urine test to check for protein, and I explained that I had JUST dropped off the 24-hour jug but went ahead with their test as well. (No protein was found in this test) I then had the cervix check, and it is shorter, but not concerning at this point. The boys looked great on u/s- had the right fluid levels, heartbeats and all the other good stuff they check for. They kept asking me the classic preeclampsia questions and the only one I could say I did have was a headache. I’ve had a headache since Saturday afternoon. It’s been pretty bad, but my blood pressure at home hasn’t reflected a rise, so I wasn’t that concerned. The u/s tech left, and I waited for a Dr to go over results and send me on my way. But then the tech came back and told me that the Dr (not my regular one- she was out) wanted a bio-physical profile u/s to double check on the boys because of my headache/high blood pressure. So… I had that done. The boys both passed with flying colors. The Dr then came in and told me she was concerned about me (not the boys) and wanted to admit me to the hospital for a couple of days for observations, but that she would check in with my primary OB and get back to me. WHAT?!? I mean, I know my blood pressure was a bit high, but it has been MUCH higher than this. She didn’t get a hold of my regular OB (off duty) but spoke with her partner and they agreed to admit me for the purpose of monitoring the babies, monitoring my blood pressure and administering steroid shots to help the boys’ lungs mature.
So, for now I am in the hospital. My test results came back, and my glucose test had 2 values that were in the normal range and one that was out of the normal range, but the Dr wasn’t concerned. My 24-hour test was *barely* over the limit. They want it under 300 and it was at 340. My blood pressure has been much lower in the hospital. At admission it was 132/80 and at the most recent check tonight it was 123/74. I’m hoping after my second steroid shot tomorrow, I will be discharged. Also, my regular OB will be back tomorrow so I can go over all the results with her and figure out her plan.
Luckily, we have great insurance that will cover all of this hospitalization. If it didn’t, I would be a bit upset and stressed. As it is, I’m trying to roll with everything and stay calm. So far – so good. The biggest relief is that none of this seems to be affecting the boys. Hang on babies… just 2 more weeks and we’ll be at 35 weeks, and you’ll have a much higher likelihood of coming home with us with no NICU time.
I then headed over to MFM for my weekly NST and a cervix check u/s. My blood pressure was high in the NST room- 139/82. They suggested I lay there and relax during the test and then we would re-check. The boys did great for the NST this time. They then re-checked my blood pressure, and it went up again to – 145/91. At this point they ordered a urine test to check for protein, and I explained that I had JUST dropped off the 24-hour jug but went ahead with their test as well. (No protein was found in this test) I then had the cervix check, and it is shorter, but not concerning at this point. The boys looked great on u/s- had the right fluid levels, heartbeats and all the other good stuff they check for. They kept asking me the classic preeclampsia questions and the only one I could say I did have was a headache. I’ve had a headache since Saturday afternoon. It’s been pretty bad, but my blood pressure at home hasn’t reflected a rise, so I wasn’t that concerned. The u/s tech left, and I waited for a Dr to go over results and send me on my way. But then the tech came back and told me that the Dr (not my regular one- she was out) wanted a bio-physical profile u/s to double check on the boys because of my headache/high blood pressure. So… I had that done. The boys both passed with flying colors. The Dr then came in and told me she was concerned about me (not the boys) and wanted to admit me to the hospital for a couple of days for observations, but that she would check in with my primary OB and get back to me. WHAT?!? I mean, I know my blood pressure was a bit high, but it has been MUCH higher than this. She didn’t get a hold of my regular OB (off duty) but spoke with her partner and they agreed to admit me for the purpose of monitoring the babies, monitoring my blood pressure and administering steroid shots to help the boys’ lungs mature.
So, for now I am in the hospital. My test results came back, and my glucose test had 2 values that were in the normal range and one that was out of the normal range, but the Dr wasn’t concerned. My 24-hour test was *barely* over the limit. They want it under 300 and it was at 340. My blood pressure has been much lower in the hospital. At admission it was 132/80 and at the most recent check tonight it was 123/74. I’m hoping after my second steroid shot tomorrow, I will be discharged. Also, my regular OB will be back tomorrow so I can go over all the results with her and figure out her plan.
Luckily, we have great insurance that will cover all of this hospitalization. If it didn’t, I would be a bit upset and stressed. As it is, I’m trying to roll with everything and stay calm. So far – so good. The biggest relief is that none of this seems to be affecting the boys. Hang on babies… just 2 more weeks and we’ll be at 35 weeks, and you’ll have a much higher likelihood of coming home with us with no NICU time.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
1st NST
I had my 1st Non-Stress Test today. It was interesting. They found the boys' heartbeats and placed the monitors. Then every couple of minutes they had to come back and readjust because the boys were moving so much. After 1/2 and hour they hadn't seen the proper number of accelerations of heart rates for either baby. So, they consulted with Dr Paek. She ordered a u/s. Luckily, they had a u/s room available. I went there and an intern did my u/s. Through all of this my blood pressure was elevated- so they kept monitoring it until it dropped back to normal. Also, I lost 3 1/2 lbs. from last week, which they were a bit concerned about.
After an hour of trying to get all the measurements another u/s tech came in and found 3 of the 4 right away. She continued looking for the last measurement while the intern took the u/s report to Dr Paek. Dr Paek came in and isn't concerned at all. The boys look fine on u/s, and I come back in a week for another NST and a cervix check u/s.
I have an appointment with my primary OB tomorrow. I'm hoping to go over a few labor items that came up with our doula last week. I'm also hoping to find out if there is any way to relieve all the pain I've been having. I have a feeling there isn't, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
After an hour of trying to get all the measurements another u/s tech came in and found 3 of the 4 right away. She continued looking for the last measurement while the intern took the u/s report to Dr Paek. Dr Paek came in and isn't concerned at all. The boys look fine on u/s, and I come back in a week for another NST and a cervix check u/s.
I have an appointment with my primary OB tomorrow. I'm hoping to go over a few labor items that came up with our doula last week. I'm also hoping to find out if there is any way to relieve all the pain I've been having. I have a feeling there isn't, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Anatomy Scan
We had our almost 32-week (31w2d) anatomy scan of the boys on Monday. They are both doing well. They are estimated to be 4 lbs. 4 oz and 4 lbs. 5 oz. They are measuring in the 70th percentile which is ahead of even singletons at this point. They both are practicing breathing and growing well. My cervix is looking great, so I've been taken off of ibuprofen again. Overall, my Dr is really happy with how the pregnancy is progressing. I have an appointment with her in 2 weeks and set up our 4-week appointment too- which is the week of Christmas. It is crazy to think that we are getting so close to delivery!
Monday, November 15, 2010
MFM update
Cervix check went well today. It is the same length as last week. I saw my regular Dr there and she isn't concerned and is backing my meds down to 1x a day. I've gained 4 lbs. this last week which is concerning. My Dr believes it is water weight and told me to push fluids. Baby A is still breech and Baby B is vertex. I checked out the spinning babies website today and we may try some of the moves to get Baby A to flip.
I had a great church baby shower on Saturday. We got two big group gifts- our double snap n go and our baby monitors. We also received a bunch of clothes, my diaper bag and gift cards. It was so nice to have the women in my church do this for us. My sister came up for the weekend and attended the baby shower along with my best friend. My sister was able to help me get more stuff done around the house including setting up our co-sleeper and organizing the linen closet to make room for baby items. She's the best!
Hubby and I have figured out what else we need and have started purchasing the bits and pieces to finish our layette and the nursery. We ordered the "baby condiments" as hubby calls them today. (diaper wipes, baby shampoo/soap, baby lotion, diaper cream) I've been using online ordering as I'm still on modified bedrest. I did do some quick shopping at a consignment store today and was able to get 4 sleep n' play 0–3-month size outfits and 3 pairs of 0–3-month size pants for $15. However, after shopping I was SUPER tired and had to come home for a nap.
I'm looking forward to our first prenatal appointment with our doula Kate tomorrow night. I'm excited to start working out a plan for our birth and learning coping techniques. We have figured out a lot of our preferences for the birth, and we are both aware that we will need to stay very flexible with what we've chosen as so much can change and change quickly with a multiple birth.
Hubby has been so wonderful through all of this. He cooks, cleans, runs errands, takes care of the dogs, takes care of me and works full time. I'm so blessed to have him as my husband. He's so excited to be a papa and is going to be great.
I had a great church baby shower on Saturday. We got two big group gifts- our double snap n go and our baby monitors. We also received a bunch of clothes, my diaper bag and gift cards. It was so nice to have the women in my church do this for us. My sister came up for the weekend and attended the baby shower along with my best friend. My sister was able to help me get more stuff done around the house including setting up our co-sleeper and organizing the linen closet to make room for baby items. She's the best!
Hubby and I have figured out what else we need and have started purchasing the bits and pieces to finish our layette and the nursery. We ordered the "baby condiments" as hubby calls them today. (diaper wipes, baby shampoo/soap, baby lotion, diaper cream) I've been using online ordering as I'm still on modified bedrest. I did do some quick shopping at a consignment store today and was able to get 4 sleep n' play 0–3-month size outfits and 3 pairs of 0–3-month size pants for $15. However, after shopping I was SUPER tired and had to come home for a nap.
I'm looking forward to our first prenatal appointment with our doula Kate tomorrow night. I'm excited to start working out a plan for our birth and learning coping techniques. We have figured out a lot of our preferences for the birth, and we are both aware that we will need to stay very flexible with what we've chosen as so much can change and change quickly with a multiple birth.
Hubby has been so wonderful through all of this. He cooks, cleans, runs errands, takes care of the dogs, takes care of me and works full time. I'm so blessed to have him as my husband. He's so excited to be a papa and is going to be great.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Crafty!
I've had a lot of time on my hands and with that time I've been doing some sewing. Here are some of the items I've completed:
The first quilt was made by my mother-in-law prior to her passing away 5 years ago. We found it among her belongings shortly after she passed away with a note on it for my husband and I to have it for any future children. We took it home with us at that time. It was almost completely done. She had pieced it, done the binding and backing and was in the process of hand quilting it. I finished the remaining blocks by machine quilting.
This last project is something I made for an online baby shower I'm participating in. I decided to make some "boutique" burp cloths. I found this adorable ladybug fabric (the nursery theme for the gal I'm giving to) and then got some coordinating fabric to go with it. I added the fabric edges to the burp cloths and voila- "boutique" burp cloths. I love how they turned out. Hopefully, she will love them too.
Now that I have these baby projects done, I'm going to start on some Christmas projects. The first is finishing my winter/Christmas quilt that I started last year. It is pieced together and I need to quilt the backing to it and bind it. But I'm far too big to be crawling around and pinning it together so I will wait until my sister is in town this weekend for her to help me. The other 2 projects are needlepoint Christmas stockings for the boys. I haven't done needlepoint in a LONG time, so hopefully I'll remember how it goes quickly. My goal is to finish these 3 projects this month or at LEAST before the babies arrive.
The first quilt was made by my mother-in-law prior to her passing away 5 years ago. We found it among her belongings shortly after she passed away with a note on it for my husband and I to have it for any future children. We took it home with us at that time. It was almost completely done. She had pieced it, done the binding and backing and was in the process of hand quilting it. I finished the remaining blocks by machine quilting.
The second quilt was also made by my mother-in-law for us prior to her passing. When my husband phoned his stepdad to let him know we were having twins his stepdad told him he had just found a quilt top with our name on it. Wow! It had been 5 years by this point, and he had JUST found this quilt top for our future children. I think my mother-in-law knew what she was doing. :) This was sent to me as just a quilt top. I found a cute flannel fabric for the backing and tried to match the binding to the blue on the front of the quilt. I then quilted it all together and bound it. I'm really happy with the finished product and overjoyed that our boys will each have a special quilt from their deceased grandmother.
This quilt was made by me. It is another one made from the Elizabeth Hartman pattern I bought last year. I decided I wanted to make quilts that were the same pattern but different colors for the boys. This one is oranges and browns with green accents. This quilt and the other both have an animal print for the main print and also have an owl print. (Hubby loves owls.) I love these fabrics and have had a great time putting it all together. The quilt is backed in very soft minky.
This is the second quilt I made. It is in greens and whites with an orange accent. I love that both quilts have animal prints and they each have a color from the other quilt- yet they are each unique. The fabrics in this one are adorable too. I love them! I hope our boys will love snuggling with these quilts as much as I loved making them for them.
Now that I have these baby projects done, I'm going to start on some Christmas projects. The first is finishing my winter/Christmas quilt that I started last year. It is pieced together and I need to quilt the backing to it and bind it. But I'm far too big to be crawling around and pinning it together so I will wait until my sister is in town this weekend for her to help me. The other 2 projects are needlepoint Christmas stockings for the boys. I haven't done needlepoint in a LONG time, so hopefully I'll remember how it goes quickly. My goal is to finish these 3 projects this month or at LEAST before the babies arrive.
Doctor Updates
I had two appointments yesterday. The first was with a lactation consultant at the breastfeeding center at our hospital. The second was with MFM for a quick cervix check.
The lactation nurse was amazing. She really asked me a lot of good questions regarding what I wanted to get out of our meeting. She had great suggestions for things for me to do once the babies are here to try and get them both exclusively breastfeeding. She pointed out that with twins it can take a long time to figure it all out- especially if they are early. It was good to hear that there is a "normal range" like any other developmental milestone for breastfeeding with babies. I am happy with how everything went and feel much more confident after practicing some positioning with weighted baby dolls. My arms were SORE after all that holding. Hopefully I'll have babies a bit smaller than 8#'s each, just so I can build up to that weight.
My MFM ultrasound was really quick. They also did a fFN test. (The nurse called later and the test was negative.) But then my Dr was in surgery, so I waited and waited. Finally, they asked if I would be willing to see another Dr. Of course! It was someone I had seen before. She looked over past u/s's and told me she is concerned because my cervix is once again shortening. It is 1 cm shorter than 2 weeks ago when Dr P took me off of the meds. So, Dr C put me back on ibuprofen 3x a day and I go back in a week to be re-checked by Dr P. It's a bit disappointing that this continues to happen. I feel like once again my body is failing me. But good news during the u/s too. The tech was able to see (and show me) that both babies are practicing breathing. Yippee! So, if they do come early there is less of a chance of them needing a lot of breathing assistance. The babies are getting so big. Plus, I am starting to see differences on the u/s with their facial features which leads me to believe we have fraternal boys a baking. It's hard to see in the pictures below, but Baby A's nose is becoming a bit longer and Baby B's nose is still snub like mine. I am loving these little ones soooo much! Baby A is breech still and Baby B is still vertex. They still have time to move, so I'm hoping Baby A will flip soon.
The lactation nurse was amazing. She really asked me a lot of good questions regarding what I wanted to get out of our meeting. She had great suggestions for things for me to do once the babies are here to try and get them both exclusively breastfeeding. She pointed out that with twins it can take a long time to figure it all out- especially if they are early. It was good to hear that there is a "normal range" like any other developmental milestone for breastfeeding with babies. I am happy with how everything went and feel much more confident after practicing some positioning with weighted baby dolls. My arms were SORE after all that holding. Hopefully I'll have babies a bit smaller than 8#'s each, just so I can build up to that weight.
My MFM ultrasound was really quick. They also did a fFN test. (The nurse called later and the test was negative.) But then my Dr was in surgery, so I waited and waited. Finally, they asked if I would be willing to see another Dr. Of course! It was someone I had seen before. She looked over past u/s's and told me she is concerned because my cervix is once again shortening. It is 1 cm shorter than 2 weeks ago when Dr P took me off of the meds. So, Dr C put me back on ibuprofen 3x a day and I go back in a week to be re-checked by Dr P. It's a bit disappointing that this continues to happen. I feel like once again my body is failing me. But good news during the u/s too. The tech was able to see (and show me) that both babies are practicing breathing. Yippee! So, if they do come early there is less of a chance of them needing a lot of breathing assistance. The babies are getting so big. Plus, I am starting to see differences on the u/s with their facial features which leads me to believe we have fraternal boys a baking. It's hard to see in the pictures below, but Baby A's nose is becoming a bit longer and Baby B's nose is still snub like mine. I am loving these little ones soooo much! Baby A is breech still and Baby B is still vertex. They still have time to move, so I'm hoping Baby A will flip soon.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
SPD
I had my 28-week appointment with the OB yesterday. I came with a list of questions and was holding them when she came in. She said "Oh? You have questions? I'll go over my stuff then we'll go over yours." Yeah! I now know how to get her to slow down and answer my questions. Blood pressure, urine test, baby heartbeats and measurements/weight gain were all fine. She wants to see me in 3 weeks and then after that every two weeks.
I asked her my questions. First one was about the horrible pain I have been having centered on my pubic bone when I walk, roll over in bed, stand up from sitting, sit down from standing, etc. She told me it was symphysis pubic dysfunction, which is what I figured. Basically, the cartilage in my pubic bone is popping in and out of place as everything relaxes (preparing for birth) and gets inflamed. She said that there really isn't anything to do for it. She told me that some women find relief with floating in water or a belly band. My other questions were all relating to delivery. Basically, she won't commit to anything until we are closer as the babies could move, my health could decrease or we could run into another problem. She said she and her partner are happy to do vaginal deliveries, but that she sees 3 things working against me: my weight (overweight starting pregnancy), the babies' weights/sizes (still measuring about 1- 1 1/2 weeks ahead) and that this is my first birth/delivery. So- we won't know what type of delivery up until delivery. Great. But I'm glad she is open to a vaginal delivery at all. When I went to check out there weren't any appointments available in 3 weeks, so I'll see her in 4 weeks.
After my appointment I wandered down two floors to the maternity/infant boutique and the breastfeeding clinic. I signed up for an appointment next week to meet with a lactation nurse to go over what to expect and how to prepare for breastfeeding twins. I'll have the appointment right before a cervix check at MFM.
I am almost finished with the last baby quilt and will hopefully post pictures later this week of all 4 of the ones I had a hand in making. I did finish the baby shower gift and I'm mailing it off today. Hopefully the gal I'm sending it to will like it. Our new washer and dryer that we ordered about 3 weeks ago was delivered on Monday and I've been slowly washing all of the baby stuff we have. I'm almost through with all of the washing and have been trying to figure out what to do to organize it. So far, I have size newborn and 0-3 months in the dresser. The rest of the clothes 3m-18m I have hanging in the closet. I have the hats and socks regardless of size in the dresser. I have NO idea where I'm going to put all of the blankets. But I'm sure I'll figure it out
I asked her my questions. First one was about the horrible pain I have been having centered on my pubic bone when I walk, roll over in bed, stand up from sitting, sit down from standing, etc. She told me it was symphysis pubic dysfunction, which is what I figured. Basically, the cartilage in my pubic bone is popping in and out of place as everything relaxes (preparing for birth) and gets inflamed. She said that there really isn't anything to do for it. She told me that some women find relief with floating in water or a belly band. My other questions were all relating to delivery. Basically, she won't commit to anything until we are closer as the babies could move, my health could decrease or we could run into another problem. She said she and her partner are happy to do vaginal deliveries, but that she sees 3 things working against me: my weight (overweight starting pregnancy), the babies' weights/sizes (still measuring about 1- 1 1/2 weeks ahead) and that this is my first birth/delivery. So- we won't know what type of delivery up until delivery. Great. But I'm glad she is open to a vaginal delivery at all. When I went to check out there weren't any appointments available in 3 weeks, so I'll see her in 4 weeks.
After my appointment I wandered down two floors to the maternity/infant boutique and the breastfeeding clinic. I signed up for an appointment next week to meet with a lactation nurse to go over what to expect and how to prepare for breastfeeding twins. I'll have the appointment right before a cervix check at MFM.
I am almost finished with the last baby quilt and will hopefully post pictures later this week of all 4 of the ones I had a hand in making. I did finish the baby shower gift and I'm mailing it off today. Hopefully the gal I'm sending it to will like it. Our new washer and dryer that we ordered about 3 weeks ago was delivered on Monday and I've been slowly washing all of the baby stuff we have. I'm almost through with all of the washing and have been trying to figure out what to do to organize it. So far, I have size newborn and 0-3 months in the dresser. The rest of the clothes 3m-18m I have hanging in the closet. I have the hats and socks regardless of size in the dresser. I have NO idea where I'm going to put all of the blankets. But I'm sure I'll figure it out
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
27w4d
I had my appointment with MFM on Monday to do an anatomy scan of the boys and check my cervix. The cervix is back to the normal range. Woo-hoo! The plan moving forward is to stop all ibuprofen, continue modified bedrest and follow up in 2 weeks. Dr P did say that if I have a lot of contractions, I should take some ibuprofen to calm it down. The boys have doubled in size since last scan! Baby A is breech right now (stinker!) and his weight is estimated at 2 lbs. 11 ounces. Baby B is vertex right now and his weight is estimated at 2 lbs. 12 ounces. All of their organs are growing appropriately, and they have the right amount of amniotic fluid. It was fun seeing how big they have gotten. My blood pressure is still under control with the 2 x a day meds.
The babies are moving around A LOT now and I love feeling it. (That is when it isn't painful!) Last night I thought I felt Baby B have hiccups. It was a lot of what felt like rhythmic bouncing. :) I am starting to be able to distinguish between kicks/punches and rolling movements. Every once in a while, a baby will do something and if I'm watching my belly I can see my belly move.
Our doula search has gone well. We met with 4 doulas of varying ages and experience levels. We found our doula last week. After she left our home, we looked at each other and both said, "she's the one!" We finished our final interview on Monday of this week just to make sure that last week's doula was THE one. She is! I'm really excited that we'll be working with Kate. She is the right mix of care, compassion and practicality that we need. Hubby is attending a class she is teaching next week that is for partners only all about support methods. We are tentatively scheduling our first prenatal appointment with her for the week before Thanksgiving. She suggested we get both of our prenatal appointments done before 35 weeks, just in case the babies make their appearance around then.
Yesterday was my 33rd birthday and it was nice. I spent the day relaxing at home. I had many phone calls and emails from friends and family wishing me well. It was nice to have down time to reflect on the last year. Every year for the last 11 years on my birthday my "birthday wish" has been to be pregnant or have children soon. This year I didn't have to wish for that, and it was wonderful. My wish this year is that my body will be strong enough to grow these babies to term.
I've been keeping busy with crafts as well. I have a baby shower gift to finish for an online shower I'm participating in. I'm also finishing the quilt my mother-in-law pieced for our children before she passed away. I have a winter quilt to finish too. I will post pictures of the projects once I get them finished. So far since I stopped working, I've finished 3 baby quilts. It takes me a bit longer now, as I have to rest after being upright sewing, but I'm confident I'll get them done soon.
The babies are moving around A LOT now and I love feeling it. (That is when it isn't painful!) Last night I thought I felt Baby B have hiccups. It was a lot of what felt like rhythmic bouncing. :) I am starting to be able to distinguish between kicks/punches and rolling movements. Every once in a while, a baby will do something and if I'm watching my belly I can see my belly move.
Our doula search has gone well. We met with 4 doulas of varying ages and experience levels. We found our doula last week. After she left our home, we looked at each other and both said, "she's the one!" We finished our final interview on Monday of this week just to make sure that last week's doula was THE one. She is! I'm really excited that we'll be working with Kate. She is the right mix of care, compassion and practicality that we need. Hubby is attending a class she is teaching next week that is for partners only all about support methods. We are tentatively scheduling our first prenatal appointment with her for the week before Thanksgiving. She suggested we get both of our prenatal appointments done before 35 weeks, just in case the babies make their appearance around then.
Yesterday was my 33rd birthday and it was nice. I spent the day relaxing at home. I had many phone calls and emails from friends and family wishing me well. It was nice to have down time to reflect on the last year. Every year for the last 11 years on my birthday my "birthday wish" has been to be pregnant or have children soon. This year I didn't have to wish for that, and it was wonderful. My wish this year is that my body will be strong enough to grow these babies to term.
I've been keeping busy with crafts as well. I have a baby shower gift to finish for an online shower I'm participating in. I'm also finishing the quilt my mother-in-law pieced for our children before she passed away. I have a winter quilt to finish too. I will post pictures of the projects once I get them finished. So far since I stopped working, I've finished 3 baby quilts. It takes me a bit longer now, as I have to rest after being upright sewing, but I'm confident I'll get them done soon.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Cervix Update
I had my re-check with MFM today to check the length of my cervix. It was good. It is a bit longer than last week. My Dr wants to start seeing me every 2 weeks if next week's anatomy scan is fine. She is having me continue with the meds and modified bedrest "couch potato rest." I'm glad that these changes have helped the cervix. The boys looked great and are not having any negative side effects from the meds. Baby A moved out of his head-down position that he has been in since week 10. He was transverse! Baby B was also transverse. Both of them have their heads on my right side and feet kicking the left side.
Ffn test came back negative from last check. They will re-do it at the anatomy scan. AND I passed the 1-hour glucose test, which is a huge relief.
Ffn test came back negative from last check. They will re-do it at the anatomy scan. AND I passed the 1-hour glucose test, which is a huge relief.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
25w3d Update
I'm feeling the babies move all the time now! It's great! They both are active and usually are active at the same time. It's crazy that they are getting so big and strong to the point that sometimes I can see their movement in my belly. :)
I did my repeat 1 hour glucose test yesterday. I think I will get the results at my OB appointment on Thursday. I'm hoping that once again I've passed it. We shall see.
I had my bi-weekly MFM appointment yesterday. I'm glad I did. Over the weekend I felt a lot of vaginal pressure and had a bunch of contractions. The appointment was a quick cervix u/s and blood pressure check. Blood pressure is doing well with being on the meds 2x a day. Cervix is not doing so well. It has shortened quite a bit since the last u/s 2 weeks ago. They did a FFN swab to check if the cervix is also softening and I found out today that the test was negative, which is good. Dr P prescribed 600mg of ibuprofen 3x a day and resting with my feet up as much as possible to combat the shorter cervix. She said that this *could* be the start of pre-term labor, so we need to watch it closely. I have an appointment for next Monday to do another cervix check. I hope it's the same length or longer. I NEED to keep these babies in as long as possible. Oh- and all the pressure I felt was most likely because both boys are head down and fighting to be on top of my cervix. In fact, Baby A was pummeling my cervix with his little fist during the u/s. What a stinker!
I did my repeat 1 hour glucose test yesterday. I think I will get the results at my OB appointment on Thursday. I'm hoping that once again I've passed it. We shall see.
I had my bi-weekly MFM appointment yesterday. I'm glad I did. Over the weekend I felt a lot of vaginal pressure and had a bunch of contractions. The appointment was a quick cervix u/s and blood pressure check. Blood pressure is doing well with being on the meds 2x a day. Cervix is not doing so well. It has shortened quite a bit since the last u/s 2 weeks ago. They did a FFN swab to check if the cervix is also softening and I found out today that the test was negative, which is good. Dr P prescribed 600mg of ibuprofen 3x a day and resting with my feet up as much as possible to combat the shorter cervix. She said that this *could* be the start of pre-term labor, so we need to watch it closely. I have an appointment for next Monday to do another cervix check. I hope it's the same length or longer. I NEED to keep these babies in as long as possible. Oh- and all the pressure I felt was most likely because both boys are head down and fighting to be on top of my cervix. In fact, Baby A was pummeling my cervix with his little fist during the u/s. What a stinker!
Monday, October 4, 2010
24w2d
I haven’t blogged at all about meeting with my new OB (now that the midwives can’t cover me) because I’m still quite upset about it. All I will say for now is that she was what I expected, and not at all what I had hoped for. With that being said (hubby thinks I may have gone into the meeting with too many hormones running around) I’m sure she will be able to get me safely delivered and hopefully I’ll be able to have some of the things I’d like done as well.
Last Monday we had another anatomy scan at MFM. Both boys look great. They are each measuring about 1.5 lbs. We finally were able to get all of the heart measurements on Baby A, and all looks well. Baby A for now is head down and Baby B is transverse with his head on Baby A’s feet, so he received a lot of head kicks during the ultrasound. My blood pressure was high at the Dr's office, so I've been bumped to taking the beta blocker two times a day now. Here are some adorable pictures of my boys:
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| Baby A profile |
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| Baby B profile |
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| Baby B 3-D face |
On Thursday my two sisters, my parents and my grandmother arrived for a visit and for my baby shower. It was so nice to see my family again. We had a great time together. They were super helpful. They cleaned my whole house- twice. They helped my husband finish putting together the nursery. They pampered, spoiled and took fantastic care of me. One sister left last night, and the rest left this morning (about 20 minutes ago.) I miss them all already.
Baby Shower! My two BFF’s threw me a wonderful open house baby shower on Saturday. It was perfect. I’m not a baby shower game person, and they knew that, so I wasn’t exposed to that ridiculousness. I was able to chat with dear friends and family. I was extremely showered with gifts. It was fantastic. Our little guys have plenty of clothes to get them through their early months. It was overwhelming to look at the stack of opened gifts. I am so very blessed.
Now that we have the nursery mostly put together and clothes for the boys, I’m having a hard time not freaking out. I’m concerned that somehow, I’m jinxing the pregnancy or the boys’ health by doing these things early. At this point I’m not to viability and I’m still a wreck. I had a mini breakdown right before the shower and then a couple after the shower, but luckily, I have a great husband that can talk me down from my anxiety produced freak outs. I know that it isn’t logical to feel this way, but it lurks in the back of my mind.
This week we interview our #1 choice for a pediatrician. She has come highly recommended by several people. I am familiar with the practice as well (the girls I nannied went there) and it’s close to home which is great. I hope that our meet-and-greet goes well and we will have one more thing checked off of our “get ready for baby” list.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Part of the Club?
My church is great. I love it. One thing that is/has been hard is that it is so family focused. Hubby doesn't attend with me, which isolates me and makes me different from every other couple that attends. Also, we were the only married couple in the congregation without children and had been the only ones for years. However, I've been able to make some friends through my church job of working with the kids. I also go to a church sponsored quilt group. I'm the type of person that has a few very close friends and I'm fine with that. I'm friendly with everyone, but only close with a small select group.
Anyway, now that we are expecting it seems like I'm being inducted into the "club." The fertile club. I can't tell you how many people that normally smile and don't even stop to say "hi" at church are now stopping me to chat about the babies, give advice or stranger still- give me hugs. I'm trying to accept the attention and love/support that they are giving me and our family and be gracious about it. HOWEVER, it seems really crappy to me that only now that we are having children, they are including us. This week alone we have two dinner invitations and a family bringing dinner over to us. I keep trying to focus on the good and not look back, but it's incredibly difficult. Infertility will always be a part of me. There were many, many, many Sundays when it was painful to be at church surrounded by families. During those hard times there were very few (I can count them on one hand) people that would stop and talk to me or offer support of any kind. Granted I'm a very private person and we didn't disclose our infertility or treatment struggles with those at church, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have liked someone to say "hi" or invite us to dinner. These are women and men that I've known for years (we've been in this area 10 years) and yet only now have they extended a hand of friendship. I don't know how to react. I guess for now I'll go with the flow and take them up on their offers of friendship, if nothing else for my kiddos sakes. But I wonder how true of a friendship it can be if it's only based on the fact that I am now able to reproduce.
Anyway, now that we are expecting it seems like I'm being inducted into the "club." The fertile club. I can't tell you how many people that normally smile and don't even stop to say "hi" at church are now stopping me to chat about the babies, give advice or stranger still- give me hugs. I'm trying to accept the attention and love/support that they are giving me and our family and be gracious about it. HOWEVER, it seems really crappy to me that only now that we are having children, they are including us. This week alone we have two dinner invitations and a family bringing dinner over to us. I keep trying to focus on the good and not look back, but it's incredibly difficult. Infertility will always be a part of me. There were many, many, many Sundays when it was painful to be at church surrounded by families. During those hard times there were very few (I can count them on one hand) people that would stop and talk to me or offer support of any kind. Granted I'm a very private person and we didn't disclose our infertility or treatment struggles with those at church, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have liked someone to say "hi" or invite us to dinner. These are women and men that I've known for years (we've been in this area 10 years) and yet only now have they extended a hand of friendship. I don't know how to react. I guess for now I'll go with the flow and take them up on their offers of friendship, if nothing else for my kiddos sakes. But I wonder how true of a friendship it can be if it's only based on the fact that I am now able to reproduce.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Multiples Birthing Class
We attended a multiples birthing class offered by our hospital over the weekend. It was great. The instructor was very informative and gave us all the information in hand outs as well so that if anything was forgotten (pg brain!) you can review it later. The class was small, only 5 couples, compared to the regular birthing class next door that had a packed house. Most of the couples were within a few weeks' gestation of us, so it was nice to compare notes etc. I'm feeling much calmer and more relaxed after the class. I was able to get a lot of my questions about the multiple birthing experience answered as well as questions regarding the hospitals policies. She covered a lot of breast-feeding info and I'm feeling good about that too. I think we will sign up for the "Day about Baby" class and the breast-feeding class offered at the hospital too. I ended up canceling our class for this upcoming weekend- "Bringing Baby Home" because of the class length. The birthing class was 3 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday. The BBH class is 7 hours on Saturday and 7 hours on Sunday. There is NO WAY I could sit that long. I'm hoping I can find a BBH class in the area that isn't over 2 days but is broken up over a month or so.
I saw my MFM OB today and all is looking good. My boys are doing great (just checked heartbeats, fluid around them and placentas today) and my blood pressure is still low. She is going to keep me on the same meds and see me in two weeks for the anatomy scan. I also had the nurse test my at home blood pressure cuff. The reading was WAY off of the reading the nurse took, so now I am looking for a new machine for home. I'm hoping that we can return this one to the pharmacy as it was so far off.
I saw my MFM OB today and all is looking good. My boys are doing great (just checked heartbeats, fluid around them and placentas today) and my blood pressure is still low. She is going to keep me on the same meds and see me in two weeks for the anatomy scan. I also had the nurse test my at home blood pressure cuff. The reading was WAY off of the reading the nurse took, so now I am looking for a new machine for home. I'm hoping that we can return this one to the pharmacy as it was so far off.
Monday, September 6, 2010
14 years
Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful husband. I know that I've picked the right partner for me. We've been through so many ups and downs during our marriage, and he has always been there to support and love me. I'm so excited to be entering this new phase in our life with him. He's going to be an amazing dad. I love him so much.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
20w1d
Wow! I'm 20 weeks pregnant! I can't believe it! I am so grateful to have made it this far with healthy babies. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity to be pregnant and experience this time with my little ones. I am incredibly lucky that each of our IVF transfers has resulted in a pregnancy. I am overjoyed that my little guys are thriving and do so well.
Now with all that being said many things have happened this week that I need to complain a bit about. I feel bad complaining, as I am so grateful that I was able to get pregnant and this time stay pregnant, but as my therapist pointed out that doesn't mean I can't gripe a bit like other pregnant women.
My midwife's office phoned on Wednesday to let me know that they had received the report about my high blood pressure from MFM. Sharon explained to me that with this added complication I am now too high risk for them to provide my care. She told me they would be transferring my care to one of the OB's they work with in their practice. I felt like they were dumping me. :( I've been seeing these women for 10 years for well woman care and chose their group in particular based on their birth philosophies. Now I am being transferred to an OB and who knows what her practices and philosophies are regarding birth. It seems unfair that I no longer can choose my own provider because of factors out of my control ie: twins and high blood pressure. I know (logically in my non-emotional part of my brain) that this is the safest option for me and my babies, but it still is a bitter pill to swallow. She then transferred me to scheduling to transfer my scheduled appointments to the new Dr. I meet with the new Dr on the 23rd. I had one last appointment with one of the midwives on Friday. I love them so much, I was in tears telling her how frustrated I am to be shuffled to someone else. She was so sweet and understanding. She once again explained that they feel I'll get safer care with the OB and that their insurance won't actually cover them delivering me. She gave me a book about high-risk pregnancy and told me I can still call the midwives anytime for emotional support. I asked her a few questions about the OB, and she told me that she is a dedicated physician that gives 110% to her patients, but that yes- she has very different practices and philosophies from the midwives. :(
Work. I let my employers know that it was time for me to scale back and bring in the new nanny. I was hoping we could all work together to figure out a plan, but they decided the timeline and schedule without me. So.... I will be done with employment on the 16th. The new nanny starts Tuesday, and I'll have 2 days of overlap to show her the ropes. Then from Thursday through the next Thursday, I'll work afternoons and she'll work mornings (she committed to work afternoons for her current family for the next 2 weeks). It's harder letting go of this job than I thought it would be. My little 3-year-old is having an extremely hard time with it. Her parents explained that I had to rest at home to take care of the babies, but she is unhappy about that solution. Her solution is for me to lie in her bed, and she'll take care of me. How sweet is that? I have been trying to be upbeat and excited about the new nanny and telling her how much fun it is. After I say anything about the new gal, the little one will say "I only love YOU, Miss Emily." It's a hard concept for her to wrap her mind around that she can still love me and the new nanny. I hope the next 2 weeks go smoothly.
The blood pressure meds seem to be working which is great. They make me really sleepy, so I've been taking them at night right before bed. This makes waking in the night for bathroom trips tricky, as the meds also make me dizzy and lightheaded, but it is better than taking them during the day.
This week I met with two of my best friends to start planning my baby shower. I still can't believe that I'm going to have a baby shower! They are great, and they wanted me to just give my opinions on a few things. The shower is planned for the 1st week in October. My parents and grandmother will be driving up from Utah, and my sister will be driving up from Oregon for it. I'll be 24 weeks pregnant, and hopefully still just resting at home and not on bedrest or in the hospital at that point.
Today will most likely be my last day doing music with the children at church. The leaders of the children's organization know what is going on with my health and have been supportive of my leaving at any point that I feel it is right. I would love to continue doing this job, but I don't think I can do it much longer. I would rather they find someone to replace me now then have to find an emergency replacement at some point when I have to stop outings completely. I'm still planning on going to worship each week (as that is sitting) and then I'll just leave after that to rest at home instead of working with the children.
Now with all that being said many things have happened this week that I need to complain a bit about. I feel bad complaining, as I am so grateful that I was able to get pregnant and this time stay pregnant, but as my therapist pointed out that doesn't mean I can't gripe a bit like other pregnant women.
My midwife's office phoned on Wednesday to let me know that they had received the report about my high blood pressure from MFM. Sharon explained to me that with this added complication I am now too high risk for them to provide my care. She told me they would be transferring my care to one of the OB's they work with in their practice. I felt like they were dumping me. :( I've been seeing these women for 10 years for well woman care and chose their group in particular based on their birth philosophies. Now I am being transferred to an OB and who knows what her practices and philosophies are regarding birth. It seems unfair that I no longer can choose my own provider because of factors out of my control ie: twins and high blood pressure. I know (logically in my non-emotional part of my brain) that this is the safest option for me and my babies, but it still is a bitter pill to swallow. She then transferred me to scheduling to transfer my scheduled appointments to the new Dr. I meet with the new Dr on the 23rd. I had one last appointment with one of the midwives on Friday. I love them so much, I was in tears telling her how frustrated I am to be shuffled to someone else. She was so sweet and understanding. She once again explained that they feel I'll get safer care with the OB and that their insurance won't actually cover them delivering me. She gave me a book about high-risk pregnancy and told me I can still call the midwives anytime for emotional support. I asked her a few questions about the OB, and she told me that she is a dedicated physician that gives 110% to her patients, but that yes- she has very different practices and philosophies from the midwives. :(
Work. I let my employers know that it was time for me to scale back and bring in the new nanny. I was hoping we could all work together to figure out a plan, but they decided the timeline and schedule without me. So.... I will be done with employment on the 16th. The new nanny starts Tuesday, and I'll have 2 days of overlap to show her the ropes. Then from Thursday through the next Thursday, I'll work afternoons and she'll work mornings (she committed to work afternoons for her current family for the next 2 weeks). It's harder letting go of this job than I thought it would be. My little 3-year-old is having an extremely hard time with it. Her parents explained that I had to rest at home to take care of the babies, but she is unhappy about that solution. Her solution is for me to lie in her bed, and she'll take care of me. How sweet is that? I have been trying to be upbeat and excited about the new nanny and telling her how much fun it is. After I say anything about the new gal, the little one will say "I only love YOU, Miss Emily." It's a hard concept for her to wrap her mind around that she can still love me and the new nanny. I hope the next 2 weeks go smoothly.
The blood pressure meds seem to be working which is great. They make me really sleepy, so I've been taking them at night right before bed. This makes waking in the night for bathroom trips tricky, as the meds also make me dizzy and lightheaded, but it is better than taking them during the day.
This week I met with two of my best friends to start planning my baby shower. I still can't believe that I'm going to have a baby shower! They are great, and they wanted me to just give my opinions on a few things. The shower is planned for the 1st week in October. My parents and grandmother will be driving up from Utah, and my sister will be driving up from Oregon for it. I'll be 24 weeks pregnant, and hopefully still just resting at home and not on bedrest or in the hospital at that point.
Today will most likely be my last day doing music with the children at church. The leaders of the children's organization know what is going on with my health and have been supportive of my leaving at any point that I feel it is right. I would love to continue doing this job, but I don't think I can do it much longer. I would rather they find someone to replace me now then have to find an emergency replacement at some point when I have to stop outings completely. I'm still planning on going to worship each week (as that is sitting) and then I'll just leave after that to rest at home instead of working with the children.
Monday, August 30, 2010
19w2d Update
I had my MFM appointment this morning. They ended up doing a full anatomy scan this week instead of waiting for my appointment next week. It was great watching the boys move and kick and squirm as they were measured. Baby A once again was not cooperative. However, I did finally get to see his adorable profile! (I'll post pics later) Both babies are doing well. My cervix is still long and doing well. My blood pressure was on the high end of normal 138/88. The plan moving forward is that I'll be doing daily blood pressure monitoring at home and taking a beta blocker at night. I'll be seeing my MFM Dr every 2 weeks now instead of once a month. She also told me it was time to ramp down and work and prepare to leave.
I'm glad that there is a plan. I'm relieved that my Dr isn't overly concerned and that this seems manageable and that we caught it early. I'm a bit sad that I have to leave work earlier than planned. I spoke with my employer and luckily, they nailed down the contract with the new nanny just this last weekend. She is going to speak with her husband and the new nanny and hopefully work out an overlapping schedule for the 2 of us for a bit and then I'll be gone. She did offer to pay me cash for any after hour or weekend work, which is nice, but I'm not sure if I'll take it or not at this point.
The nice thing about leaving work earlier than planned and not being on bedrest is I'll be able to finally finish all the quilting and craft projects for the boys. I'll also be able to finalize the nursery and get it all set up with hubby.
I'm glad that there is a plan. I'm relieved that my Dr isn't overly concerned and that this seems manageable and that we caught it early. I'm a bit sad that I have to leave work earlier than planned. I spoke with my employer and luckily, they nailed down the contract with the new nanny just this last weekend. She is going to speak with her husband and the new nanny and hopefully work out an overlapping schedule for the 2 of us for a bit and then I'll be gone. She did offer to pay me cash for any after hour or weekend work, which is nice, but I'm not sure if I'll take it or not at this point.
The nice thing about leaving work earlier than planned and not being on bedrest is I'll be able to finally finish all the quilting and craft projects for the boys. I'll also be able to finalize the nursery and get it all set up with hubby.
Friday, August 27, 2010
High Blood Pressure
I've been a bad blogger! I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. Well, here is my update for today. I had my routine monthly midwife appointment (18w6d) and right off the bat my blood pressure was high. The nurse took it again and then left. She came back and said I would need blood work, urine testing, and possibly more monitoring. Great. My midwife came in and once again told me I would need the testing. She also told me that she was going to have me see MFM on Monday AM. In the meantime, I've been put on temporary bedrest. So, this weekend will consist of resting, praying, peeing into a jar (for 24 hours at least) and trying not to stress. I feel normal (for being pg with twins-my new normal) and so I think that the high blood pressure is just an anomaly. At least I hope it is!
My midwife did a quick u/s and the boys look fine and have strong heartbeats, so hopefully this isn't affecting them too much.
My midwife did a quick u/s and the boys look fine and have strong heartbeats, so hopefully this isn't affecting them too much.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
16w4d Growth Scan
We had a growth scan at MFM today. I was a bit nervous, as our spina bifida blood work had come back a bit high, but the tech said that she would be looking at the spine today and could let me know if it looked normal. She also asked us if we wanted to know the genders. OF COURSE!!!
She started with Baby A. Just like last time, this baby was in the wrong position for most of the things she needed to measure. We were able to tell right away that it was a boy! VERY clear. :) She worked and worked to get the measurements for him and then gave up and moved to Baby B. Just like last time, this baby was in the perfect position for all of the measurements. We were able to see that this baby is a boy as well! VERY clear. :) She finished his measurements and went back to try Baby B again. No luck. Their spines both look great and were measuring normally. They are both measuring a bit big for their age, which is pretty consistent with the last measurements. She then measured my cervix, and it looks fine.
The Dr came in to discuss the results and answer any questions. It was a pretty quick visit with the Dr and then we were out the door.
I am ELATED that we are having two boys. :) So happy and giddy and excited.
She started with Baby A. Just like last time, this baby was in the wrong position for most of the things she needed to measure. We were able to tell right away that it was a boy! VERY clear. :) She worked and worked to get the measurements for him and then gave up and moved to Baby B. Just like last time, this baby was in the perfect position for all of the measurements. We were able to see that this baby is a boy as well! VERY clear. :) She finished his measurements and went back to try Baby B again. No luck. Their spines both look great and were measuring normally. They are both measuring a bit big for their age, which is pretty consistent with the last measurements. She then measured my cervix, and it looks fine.
The Dr came in to discuss the results and answer any questions. It was a pretty quick visit with the Dr and then we were out the door.
I am ELATED that we are having two boys. :) So happy and giddy and excited.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
14w3d
I'm officially (by every way of counting) in the 2nd trimester. :) I'm glad that we are past the scary miscarriage time, but I'm still a nervous nelly about every twinge. I don't usually think of myself as unable to tolerate pain and discomfort, but man I've been hurting lately. I wonder if it is usual pregnancy stuff or specifically twin pregnancy stuff that is going on and hurting. In any case, by the end of the day I'm usually wiped out and my back and abdomen are super sore and painful. Other than the random pain, I'm doing well. I'm still tired, but I think that is to be expected. The food issues are slowly going away and I'm able to eat more food than before. I am concerned that I didn't gain my 1 lb. a week last week (lost 2) but hopefully the 1 lb. a week is the average and I'll make up for it this week or the next.
Going public was really bizarre and is still hard for me on many levels. Everyone has been great. All of the responses have been supportive. I've had many intrusive questions asked (to be expected with twins I suppose) and have started figuring out how much to tell the general public and how to respond. I'm not planning on hiding the fact that we did IVF or donor sperm, but that is our children's story to tell and not ours. Those that are close to us will know and have been told, but as for the rest.... I don't think they need to know all of our details. I have had a couple of random freak-outs about telling people. For some reason my brain associates people knowing with something bad happening to the babies. I'm trying to work through it, but it's very hard to be public for that reason. I guess I'm just a private person and having the attention on me is harder than I anticipated.
The babies have been harder to find with the doppler lately. I will find a heartbeat only to have the baby move away and have to find it again. I swear my belly grew overnight last night. I went to bed and felt pretty normal sized and then noticed today after naptime that my belly seemed/felt HUGE. I guess those babies are growing and growing and pushing out my belly. The bad thing with them growing is that my pre-baby cushion (that was in my belly area) is now being pushed up on top of my belly, so I have 2 bumps! ARGH. Hopefully soon it will even out into a respectable baby bump instead of a baby bump with a muffin top.
Baby house preparations are moving along. Our contractor was scheduled to come tomorrow to install our new washer/dryer hook ups but has now moved the date to Friday. The office was decluttered (thanks to my sister) this past weekend and all that is left is to move the guest room furniture to her house. We have picked out our new washer and dryer and the paint for two of the rooms. I'm having a hard time picking paint for the baby room. Project wise- I've picked up fabric for the baby quilts. I'll post pictures soon. One quilt is green with white and the other is orange with brown.
Going public was really bizarre and is still hard for me on many levels. Everyone has been great. All of the responses have been supportive. I've had many intrusive questions asked (to be expected with twins I suppose) and have started figuring out how much to tell the general public and how to respond. I'm not planning on hiding the fact that we did IVF or donor sperm, but that is our children's story to tell and not ours. Those that are close to us will know and have been told, but as for the rest.... I don't think they need to know all of our details. I have had a couple of random freak-outs about telling people. For some reason my brain associates people knowing with something bad happening to the babies. I'm trying to work through it, but it's very hard to be public for that reason. I guess I'm just a private person and having the attention on me is harder than I anticipated.
The babies have been harder to find with the doppler lately. I will find a heartbeat only to have the baby move away and have to find it again. I swear my belly grew overnight last night. I went to bed and felt pretty normal sized and then noticed today after naptime that my belly seemed/felt HUGE. I guess those babies are growing and growing and pushing out my belly. The bad thing with them growing is that my pre-baby cushion (that was in my belly area) is now being pushed up on top of my belly, so I have 2 bumps! ARGH. Hopefully soon it will even out into a respectable baby bump instead of a baby bump with a muffin top.
Baby house preparations are moving along. Our contractor was scheduled to come tomorrow to install our new washer/dryer hook ups but has now moved the date to Friday. The office was decluttered (thanks to my sister) this past weekend and all that is left is to move the guest room furniture to her house. We have picked out our new washer and dryer and the paint for two of the rooms. I'm having a hard time picking paint for the baby room. Project wise- I've picked up fabric for the baby quilts. I'll post pictures soon. One quilt is green with white and the other is orange with brown.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
NT U/S
Yeah! We still have 2 babies. The NT scan was great. Both were in the normal range. We did opt for the blood work and will find out about that in about a week and half. The ultrasound itself was VERY long approx. 1 1/2 hours. This was due to Baby A not cooperating and showing the nuchal fold that needed to be measured. Baby B was in a perfect position, and the sonographer even gave us a gender guess (boy) and we got a bunch of cute photos. (Photos posted are pictures of photos as our scanner is broken) To finally get Baby A in the correct position they had me roll around, walk around the room and do all sorts of contortions. They ended up brining in a new sonographer who was able to get the measurement after 1/2 an hour. She also did a 3-d scan from the top down with both babies in one shot. It didn’t really look like much. As my husband pointed out the babies looked like "Han Solo frozen in carbonite."
We also met with the twin program coordinator. She gave me weight gain guidelines, food guidelines and a ton of other twin pg info.
We meet back with our MFM people in 4 weeks. After the appointment I had my midwife appointment. We once again got an ultrasound and she answered my questions. Also, I passed the 1-hour gestational diabetes screening. Woo-hoo!
Now that all is looking well, we are going public with our news.... scary and exciting!!
We also met with the twin program coordinator. She gave me weight gain guidelines, food guidelines and a ton of other twin pg info.
We meet back with our MFM people in 4 weeks. After the appointment I had my midwife appointment. We once again got an ultrasound and she answered my questions. Also, I passed the 1-hour gestational diabetes screening. Woo-hoo!
Now that all is looking well, we are going public with our news.... scary and exciting!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
NT Scan Tomorrow
Our appointment with the maternal fetal medicine group is tomorrow and includes our NT ultrasound. I am excited to see the babies again and nervous. I'm not nervous about something being genetically wrong with one or both of the babies, but more that somehow there will only be one baby. Irrational, I know, but still, that is my fear. Hubby and I were able to pick up both heartbeats (we think) on the home doppler Sunday night. So... that is a good sign, right?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
GD testing
I've been a bad blogger. There hasn't been much to report on. Up until this week my pregnancy symptoms have been the same as in the past.
This week I feel I have turned a corner with regards to nausea. It is much less and when it hits it lasts for shorter periods of time. Yippee! I still have food aversions and the super sniffer, but more types of food seem palatable now.
I have started wearing some maternity pieces. By the end of the day NOTHING seems to fit, even if it did in the morning. All of my pants are getting tighter. I've been able to mix in some elastic-waist skirts and some stretchy dresses with high waists to alleviate the no-pants-that-fit situation.
Hubby and I have been able to find one of our little one's heartbeats on the home doppler pretty consistently. Hopefully, we will be able to hear the other one soon.
Today I did my 1-hour gestational diabetes test. I feel it is pointless. I've had my midwife; the lab techs and the nurse at MFM tell me that most moms of multiples fail the 1-hour test. I'm prepared for that and the fact that I'll probably need to do the 3-hour fasting test in the near future.
In exactly one week I'll be having the NT scan and meeting with the MFM people for the first time. I'm excited to find out more twin info and hear about the twin program. I'm nervous about the scan and pray that all will look ok. We've decided not to have the blood screening that goes along with the ultrasound as once again it is fairly inaccurate with twin pregnancies.
The home renovations/improvements are slowly moving along. We have quote done for the relocation of our washer and dryer (which means we can buy new ones with a higher capacity!!) and have almost decided on the flooring for the house as well as the paint colors. My sister was kind enough to come to town last weekend and help clear out the guest room closet and bookshelf (soon to be nursery) as well as organize my pantry and clothes. We don't have a clue on paint/decor for the nursery, but I think I've found cribs and possibly the dresser I want. I've also picked out the infant car seats we will register for. It still seems strange to be looking at these baby things and actually making it plans. It scares me to death that somehow by making decisions that will affect the future with babies I will jinx the whole thing.
Physically I am still exhausted all of the time. I am feeling more stretching, pulling and pain as the babies expand their home for the next 6 months. I also feel slow- as in I can't walk or do anything fast or even at a normal speed anymore. Despite the inconvenience I am so incredibly happy that we have babies on the way.
This week I feel I have turned a corner with regards to nausea. It is much less and when it hits it lasts for shorter periods of time. Yippee! I still have food aversions and the super sniffer, but more types of food seem palatable now.
I have started wearing some maternity pieces. By the end of the day NOTHING seems to fit, even if it did in the morning. All of my pants are getting tighter. I've been able to mix in some elastic-waist skirts and some stretchy dresses with high waists to alleviate the no-pants-that-fit situation.
Hubby and I have been able to find one of our little one's heartbeats on the home doppler pretty consistently. Hopefully, we will be able to hear the other one soon.
Today I did my 1-hour gestational diabetes test. I feel it is pointless. I've had my midwife; the lab techs and the nurse at MFM tell me that most moms of multiples fail the 1-hour test. I'm prepared for that and the fact that I'll probably need to do the 3-hour fasting test in the near future.
In exactly one week I'll be having the NT scan and meeting with the MFM people for the first time. I'm excited to find out more twin info and hear about the twin program. I'm nervous about the scan and pray that all will look ok. We've decided not to have the blood screening that goes along with the ultrasound as once again it is fairly inaccurate with twin pregnancies.
The home renovations/improvements are slowly moving along. We have quote done for the relocation of our washer and dryer (which means we can buy new ones with a higher capacity!!) and have almost decided on the flooring for the house as well as the paint colors. My sister was kind enough to come to town last weekend and help clear out the guest room closet and bookshelf (soon to be nursery) as well as organize my pantry and clothes. We don't have a clue on paint/decor for the nursery, but I think I've found cribs and possibly the dresser I want. I've also picked out the infant car seats we will register for. It still seems strange to be looking at these baby things and actually making it plans. It scares me to death that somehow by making decisions that will affect the future with babies I will jinx the whole thing.
Physically I am still exhausted all of the time. I am feeling more stretching, pulling and pain as the babies expand their home for the next 6 months. I also feel slow- as in I can't walk or do anything fast or even at a normal speed anymore. Despite the inconvenience I am so incredibly happy that we have babies on the way.
Friday, June 25, 2010
9w6d Prenatal Appointment
I had my first prenatal appointment today with a midwife at my OB/Midwife group. It’s strange being a “regular” pregnant gal and waiting with the pg bellies in the waiting room. I got there early and then she was running late so I had a LOT of time in the waiting room. The nurse took me to the room and went over a folder full of paperwork that they give to everyone. My question about each item was “is that the same for twins?” The answer was no. SOOOO, the folder full of info is not that helpful for me. She went over my family history and my medical history. Because of my family’s diabetes and the fact that I’m overweight and the fact that I have twins on board she suggested I do the 1-hour glucose test sooner than when they normally do it. Yippee. Luckily, because I had a cold, she told me to wait until next week to do it. She checked my pulse (RACING) and my blood pressure (perfect.) She then left and I waited for the midwife. She arrived and went over my list of questions. Most of them she had general answers for and some she had no idea. Um, yikes! BUT the good news is that I will be referred to Eastside Maternal Fetal Medicine for care and I’m sure they have info on multiples. She then attempted an abdominal u/s. But, due to my tilted uterus and her incompetence with the machine we couldn’t see the babies that well. (She couldn’t distinguish between my bladder and one of the babies. C’mon! I should have run the u/s!!) However, to her credit she did warn me that she wasn’t trained as a u/s tech. So now I have to call on Monday to set up an appointment with EMFM and then I go back to the midwives at week 13.
Positives of appointment:
Saw a midwife I’ve previously seen and like
A midwife can delivery me if I don’t have complications
An epidural does not have to be placed if midwife is delivering
If all looks fine, I won’t be automatically induced at any point, but allowed to progress until I go into labor
Got a referral to EMFM
Got a list of meds I can safely take to help with the cold
Bummers of appointment:
I’ll have to deliver in the hospital in an operating room
I can’t fly past 24 weeks (which means I can’t cheer my hubby on at his ½ marathon in October)
On average most of their twin patients cut back their work hours or stop working at 24 weeks
I can’t be seen more frequently by their office unless problems develop
Didn’t get to hear or see the babies
General confusion over what tests needed to be run and what had been done recently at the RE
Positives of appointment:
Saw a midwife I’ve previously seen and like
A midwife can delivery me if I don’t have complications
An epidural does not have to be placed if midwife is delivering
If all looks fine, I won’t be automatically induced at any point, but allowed to progress until I go into labor
Got a referral to EMFM
Got a list of meds I can safely take to help with the cold
Bummers of appointment:
I’ll have to deliver in the hospital in an operating room
I can’t fly past 24 weeks (which means I can’t cheer my hubby on at his ½ marathon in October)
On average most of their twin patients cut back their work hours or stop working at 24 weeks
I can’t be seen more frequently by their office unless problems develop
Didn’t get to hear or see the babies
General confusion over what tests needed to be run and what had been done recently at the RE
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
8w4d Ultra Sound
I'm floating on air. The ultrasound was fantastic. Each baby had a strong heartbeat around 175 beats per minute. Baby A was facing us, and we could see its head, arms and legs. We were also able to clearly see the umbilical cord with blood flowing through it. It was amazing! Baby B had its spine facing us, but we could still see its arms. We've officially graduated from our RE's office. I had an appointment with my midwife today, but they called to cancel it due to 3 emergencies within the office. I've rescheduled the appointment for next week. Below are some pictures from the appointment for your pleasure. :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pregnancy Update
I bit the bullet and made an appointment with my midwife. Now that I'm carrying twins, I'll also be followed by the OBs in her practice. I'm nervous about the appointment because it feels scary to move from my RE to the general pregnancy population. I've been researching and there is a great maternal fetal medicine practice at our hospital that I'm going to ask to also be followed by. They have a twin program that helps you figure out nutrition, rest, bed rest, exercise and also has a perinatologist on site to follow the babies. Plus, they offer lactation support/classes focusing on multiples and birth classes focusing on multiples. I called them today and they have to have me referred from either my RE or midwife/OB. I will be seeing both the RE and midwife on the same day, so I'll ask both of them.
Pregnancy symptoms are still in full swing. I've been able to tame the nausea a bit by wearing psi acupressure bands on my wrists. I wore them all day yesterday and was able to eat (I didn't crave anything or particularly want to eat but I was able to) and them I took them off at night and I was nauseous within minutes. I've worn them today as well and they seem to help. The other HUGE help has been ginger. Ginger chews, crystallized ginger, ginger gum and ginger tea. I tried ginger ale (with actual ginger and low in sugar) but the bubble upset my stomach too much. Because I haven't been able to eat much, I've lost more weight. This is concerning as all that I've read recommends that twin mom's gain weight early as they lose stomach space earlier and the babies generally come earlier. Hopefully, with the nausea backing down I'll be able to start gaining.
I'm back at work full time and it's going well. I'm taking it really easy, and the girls and the parents are very happy to have me back. I have a "strategy" meeting (per the parents request) with them in a few weeks to figure out my exit plan and the hiring of a new nanny. It's going to be tricky, but I think we'll be able to make it work for everyone. It's been nice that the girls both nap still as I've been able to put my feet up and sometimes even sleep during naptime.
While my employers have been great, they have also been scaring me. They keep telling me twin horror stories, birth horror stories and in general scary pregnancy stuff. I am SO nervous about the babies anyway and constantly worry about them and their added "info" stresses me out even more. I'm sure they are coming from a "helpful" place, but it's not helping. If it continues, I will have to say something to them.
DH is over the moon excited for the twins. He rubs my belly (still just my own fat at this point) and talks to them every night. I'm trying to engage with the twins, but I'm still having a hard time not guarding my heart. I had hoped that passing the date of our loss and seeing the heartbeats would help, but I'm still super nervous. All our friends and family that we've told are excited too. Sometimes TOO excited. But I'm know they are just excited and happy for us.
Pregnancy symptoms are still in full swing. I've been able to tame the nausea a bit by wearing psi acupressure bands on my wrists. I wore them all day yesterday and was able to eat (I didn't crave anything or particularly want to eat but I was able to) and them I took them off at night and I was nauseous within minutes. I've worn them today as well and they seem to help. The other HUGE help has been ginger. Ginger chews, crystallized ginger, ginger gum and ginger tea. I tried ginger ale (with actual ginger and low in sugar) but the bubble upset my stomach too much. Because I haven't been able to eat much, I've lost more weight. This is concerning as all that I've read recommends that twin mom's gain weight early as they lose stomach space earlier and the babies generally come earlier. Hopefully, with the nausea backing down I'll be able to start gaining.
I'm back at work full time and it's going well. I'm taking it really easy, and the girls and the parents are very happy to have me back. I have a "strategy" meeting (per the parents request) with them in a few weeks to figure out my exit plan and the hiring of a new nanny. It's going to be tricky, but I think we'll be able to make it work for everyone. It's been nice that the girls both nap still as I've been able to put my feet up and sometimes even sleep during naptime.
While my employers have been great, they have also been scaring me. They keep telling me twin horror stories, birth horror stories and in general scary pregnancy stuff. I am SO nervous about the babies anyway and constantly worry about them and their added "info" stresses me out even more. I'm sure they are coming from a "helpful" place, but it's not helping. If it continues, I will have to say something to them.
DH is over the moon excited for the twins. He rubs my belly (still just my own fat at this point) and talks to them every night. I'm trying to engage with the twins, but I'm still having a hard time not guarding my heart. I had hoped that passing the date of our loss and seeing the heartbeats would help, but I'm still super nervous. All our friends and family that we've told are excited too. Sometimes TOO excited. But I'm know they are just excited and happy for us.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
6w3d Ultra Sound
We had our 1st obstetric ultrasound today with our RE Dr. Opie. I was a nervous wreck on the way there and then he was running late, so I had even more time to be nervous.
He started the ultrasound and immediately said "Here is one pregnancy and here is another one." WHAT?!? We are expecting twins!! He then measured both and they are right where they should be and we were able to see their heartbeats. He took a lot of measurements and pictures and a video to show the heartbeats. He wants to see me again in two weeks. I made our next appointment, and we were given a disc with the pictures and video on it. Without further ado here are our two little ones:
He started the ultrasound and immediately said "Here is one pregnancy and here is another one." WHAT?!? We are expecting twins!! He then measured both and they are right where they should be and we were able to see their heartbeats. He took a lot of measurements and pictures and a video to show the heartbeats. He wants to see me again in two weeks. I made our next appointment, and we were given a disc with the pictures and video on it. Without further ado here are our two little ones:
I feel like a huge weight has been lifted now that I've seen heartbeats. I'm in shock right now, and the whole "expecting twins" thing hasn't really set in yet. But I'm cautiously happy and so very, very grateful for these babies. I pray that they will continue to grow and develop the way that they should.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Lame Super Power
I have a new super power thanks to the pregnancy. It is the super powerful sense of smell. It is the WORST super power. I smell every little thing. The dogs are super smelly to me and they never were before. I can smell the food from the night before clear through the whole next day. I can identify spices in the food I eat before I even taste it. Ugh. Not a good super power.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
6w0d
Today I am 6 weeks 0 days pregnant. I am so grateful to have made it this far. Last pregnancy on this day I was in the hospital awaiting my D & C. Not good. Today is good.
I'm having LOTS of pregnancy symptoms which I am taking as a good sign. I am queasy all day long. I was severely ill until I had my acupuncture in the afternoon. About five minutes after she placed the 2 needles for nausea, I felt SO much better. I have MAJOR food aversions- don't even mention seafood in my presence. I swear I've gone up a cup size, and the girls are super sore. The IVF bloat is slowly receding but is still there.
I am so happy that our LO is still with us at this point. I pray that our u/s on Tuesday goes well and shows a nice healthy bean(s).
I'm having LOTS of pregnancy symptoms which I am taking as a good sign. I am queasy all day long. I was severely ill until I had my acupuncture in the afternoon. About five minutes after she placed the 2 needles for nausea, I felt SO much better. I have MAJOR food aversions- don't even mention seafood in my presence. I swear I've gone up a cup size, and the girls are super sore. The IVF bloat is slowly receding but is still there.
I am so happy that our LO is still with us at this point. I pray that our u/s on Tuesday goes well and shows a nice healthy bean(s).
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Symptoms
I know this is perverse, but I'm really excited that I'm having nausea, tender breasts and a heightened sense of smell. It is helping make this pregnancy seem real. I am also super, super tired all of the time. I love that I can't open the fridge without gagging (well at the time I don't love it.) I love that I am now sleeping in my sports bra to alleviate discomfort. I love that I have an underlying sense of sea-sickness. All these things (to me) point to a nice sticky baby that will be here for the entire pregnancy. I hope so. I pray with all my heart, mind and might that this time our little one will make it home with us.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Cautiously Hopeful
I'm cautiously hopeful that this pregnancy will continue to grow and thrive. I had my 2nd BETA done today and the nurse, Sarah 2, was very pleased with the rise. She scheduled me for an ultrasound during my 6th week of pregnancy. I'm still having cramps, but she thinks it is completely normal. I hope so. Here is the chart that shows the rise in hormones.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
BETA
I had my first BETA today and it was great! My number is 213.8, which is much higher than it needs to be to be considered pregnant at my clinic. The nurse told me they want it to be at least 50, so I'm looking good. I had to take a digital test today to see the "pregnant" so here it is:
I head back on Tuesday for a repeat BETA and hopefully it is still looking good. I'm still having some cramps, but they are much milder than before. I just pray that this one is a sticky bean this time.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Good Day
It's been a good day. The spotting is gone today. Hooray! The cramps have lessened today. Hooray! I was able to go out to lunch with my DH and BFF. Hooray! And.....
I got a positive HPT for the 2nd day today. Hooray! I am pregnant. Hooray! Tomorrow is my BETA. Hooray! I hope that it will show a nice strong number.
I got a positive HPT for the 2nd day today. Hooray! I am pregnant. Hooray! Tomorrow is my BETA. Hooray! I hope that it will show a nice strong number.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Letter to our 3
Dear Baby(ies),
Please snuggle in for a long 9+ months. Make yourself(ves) at home. Know that your dad and I can't wait to hold you in our arms and have waited and prayed for you for so long. Just hang out and grow and do your thing and we'll do ours to prepare for your arrival. We promise to do our best to be loving, supportive parents and do all we can to help you grow and thrive. We love you with all of our hearts.
Love,
Mama & Daddy
Please snuggle in for a long 9+ months. Make yourself(ves) at home. Know that your dad and I can't wait to hold you in our arms and have waited and prayed for you for so long. Just hang out and grow and do your thing and we'll do ours to prepare for your arrival. We promise to do our best to be loving, supportive parents and do all we can to help you grow and thrive. We love you with all of our hearts.
Love,
Mama & Daddy
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Losing Hope
This cycle is not looking good. I have had extreme cramping (similar to the cramps I experienced with my miscarriage) for the past 2 days. I contacted the nurses at the RE and Sarah 2 called me back. She seems to think that it will be ok. She said that early pg symptoms are very, very similar to AF symptoms and that they get women calling freaked out about cramping/spotting/bleeding that then go on to be pg. I hope that is the case, but I have a bad feeling about it. Even if I start bleeding, she said I should come in for the beta on Saturday. Please Lord, let this work.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Testing out the trigger
I've decided once again to test out the hcg in my system so that I'll know if a ++ test is a true ++ versus a trigger ++. I started testing today, which is 10 days past trigger. The test was a complete and thorough negative. I'm really excited. This means that any ++'s I have going forward could mean that one (or more) of the little ones have stuck around.
Mother's Day is always a bittersweet day for me. Today has been one of my better ones. I'm sure it's because I'm in the hopeful mode with this current IVF cycle. I did have a few tearful moments when I missed my little Rowan and realized how prego I would have been if we hadn't lost her, but other than that it's been pretty good. I spent the day on bedrest hanging out with my man. He's the best and I would rather spend time with him than anyone else. I also was able to talk to my mom on the phone and wish her a happy Mother's Day which is always nice.
Mother's Day is always a bittersweet day for me. Today has been one of my better ones. I'm sure it's because I'm in the hopeful mode with this current IVF cycle. I did have a few tearful moments when I missed my little Rowan and realized how prego I would have been if we hadn't lost her, but other than that it's been pretty good. I spent the day on bedrest hanging out with my man. He's the best and I would rather spend time with him than anyone else. I also was able to talk to my mom on the phone and wish her a happy Mother's Day which is always nice.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Shock and Awe
I'm in shock. Our IVF nurse called yesterday and one of our embryos made it to freeze!!! How awesome is that?!? We had written off both of the embryos that were left as they were graded at such a low quality on day 3. However, one of them continued to grow and made it to freeze. Our first (and only) tot-sicle. :) This makes me really happy on several levels. For one thing, it gives me great hope for the 3 that were graded well on day 3 and were transferred. It also gives me hope for a sibling down the road, or as my DH put it a "hail Mary" shot if this time around doesn't work. Our nurse (Sarah 2) was super happy too. She was bursting with the news. :)
Today I'm doing great. I'm hoping that the blastocysts(s) are hatched and attaching to the lining. Tomorrow they should start implanting and burrowing in for the long haul.
Today I'm doing great. I'm hoping that the blastocysts(s) are hatched and attaching to the lining. Tomorrow they should start implanting and burrowing in for the long haul.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Here they are...
We have pictures from our day 3 transfer of our three little embryos. We've decided to name them Hank, Dean and Triana. Hopefully, by today they have graduated and become blastocysts. Tomorrow they should start hatching out of their shells and then Saturday they hopefully will attach to the lining and snuggle in for 9 months.
Bedrest is going ok. I'm having a hard time not feeling isolated. The last time I was going through this my 3 BFF's were all out of work and available to call and visit. Now all 3 of them are working. I've had family and friends check in via text, email and phone, but I'm still really missing social interactions.
I'm happy to be taking this time to allow the babies to snuggle in. I'm blessed that I have the opportunity to have this time off from work to do this at all. I just know that with this being our last shot at conceiving our little one(s) I want to be able to look back and know that I've done all that I can to try to make it happen.
Bedrest is going ok. I'm having a hard time not feeling isolated. The last time I was going through this my 3 BFF's were all out of work and available to call and visit. Now all 3 of them are working. I've had family and friends check in via text, email and phone, but I'm still really missing social interactions.
I'm happy to be taking this time to allow the babies to snuggle in. I'm blessed that I have the opportunity to have this time off from work to do this at all. I just know that with this being our last shot at conceiving our little one(s) I want to be able to look back and know that I've done all that I can to try to make it happen.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
PUPO
I'm officially pregnant until proven otherwise. We had our embryo transfer today. I was nervous all of last night and this morning. I was POSITIVE that none of our embryos had made it. We didn't get a call from the clinic telling us to stay home, so we headed in an hour and fifteen minutes early for acupuncture.
I enjoyed the acupuncture prior to the ET as it really helped me relax. I know that's not the only reason for it prior to ET, but it sure helped me. We then went back and met with our RE. He came in and told us he had really good news and a conundrum. The good news was that we had 3 grade-4 embryos (lab grades 0-5, with 5 being the best and hardly giving 5's out) and 2 that were below a 3. He was hesitant to only put back 2 as my prognosis is medium-low with a pregnancy with 2. However, if we put back 3 our prognosis almost doubles for a take home baby. The percentage of triplets goes up, but if we were willing to take the risk, we would be more likely to have a baby. We opted to put back 3. We signed paperwork, got pictures of our embryos and waited for the transfer.
We went back to the OR and they set up everything. We saw our babies on the screen and then they brought them in and transferred them to me. I then was taken back to our recovery room and had acupuncture again. The acupuncture after wasn't quite as relaxing, but that was mostly due to side effects I was having from the meds they gave me to relax my uterus.
After the transfer we grabbed some lunch to take home and now I am all tucked into my bed and resting. Oh, and we had a lovely surprise when we returned home. Some dear friends had sent us a basket of daisies (my favorite) and a lovely note.
I enjoyed the acupuncture prior to the ET as it really helped me relax. I know that's not the only reason for it prior to ET, but it sure helped me. We then went back and met with our RE. He came in and told us he had really good news and a conundrum. The good news was that we had 3 grade-4 embryos (lab grades 0-5, with 5 being the best and hardly giving 5's out) and 2 that were below a 3. He was hesitant to only put back 2 as my prognosis is medium-low with a pregnancy with 2. However, if we put back 3 our prognosis almost doubles for a take home baby. The percentage of triplets goes up, but if we were willing to take the risk, we would be more likely to have a baby. We opted to put back 3. We signed paperwork, got pictures of our embryos and waited for the transfer.
We went back to the OR and they set up everything. We saw our babies on the screen and then they brought them in and transferred them to me. I then was taken back to our recovery room and had acupuncture again. The acupuncture after wasn't quite as relaxing, but that was mostly due to side effects I was having from the meds they gave me to relax my uterus.
After the transfer we grabbed some lunch to take home and now I am all tucked into my bed and resting. Oh, and we had a lovely surprise when we returned home. Some dear friends had sent us a basket of daisies (my favorite) and a lovely note.
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