I did it! We made it to full term!!!!
It's 4:30 in the morning and I should be asleep but here I am, up since 3 after only sleeping two hours. Why am I awake? Because today is my scheduled c-section!!! In less than 4 hours, we get to meet our twins! How the hell am I suppose to sleep with this much excitement?
Patrick's alarm will go off in thirty minutes and we'll get everything to go to the hospital. We have to be there at 6... surgery is scheduled for 7. I can't believe the day is finally... already... here!
Everything is ready for them. WE are ready for them.
I didn't really expect to make it this far. I'm 37 weeks, 4 days today. I made it to full term, made it to my goal date, and could probably make it further if I had to. I'm so proud of my body. By mid-day, I'll be a mom! I can't believe it.
Thank You, God, for this amazing blessing!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Playing the Waiting Game
Patrick and I have a bet going as to when the babies are going to come. After my little vay-cay in the hospital, we've been pretty much convinced that they could come at any moment. My contractions have been picking up despite the higher dose of Procardia AND the addition of P17 shots that are meant to stave off preterm labor. Every week at my OB appointment I get nervous because I think he's going to check my cervix, tell me I'm dilating, and send me to the hospital. But every week he checks me, tells me my cervix is still closed, praises how well I'm doing, and sends me on my way.
So my money has been on next Thursday, April 25. I'll be 36 weeks, have a checkup and ultrasound appointment that day, and it's a full moon. Again, I've been telling myself that I'm going to go to the appointment, U/S is going to show a short, dilating cervix, and they're going tell me it's time. Patrick thinks the cervix check and full moon are going to put me into labor for the next day, April 26. After today's appointment, though, which showed still no cervical change, I'm really starting to think that I might make it to my scheduled date! My doctor thinks I'll make it... barring the random rupture of membranes.
We'll have to see what happens over the next few days. Patrick came down with an upper respiratory virus a couple days ago. It only lasted about three days- he told me he felt like he was getting sick Monday night, I made him go to the Redi-clinic Tuesday so they could treat him before it got serious, they told him he had a fever and it's a virus, he was miserable Tuesday night, missed work Wednesday, better by last night, and back to work today. He's pretty much just been dealing with a nasty cough. I was really hoping I wouldn't catch it, but I woke up this morning with that pre-sick scratchiness in my throat. I've upped my vitamin C intake in an effort to help fight it off. The last thing I want is to get sick right now. I would be devastated if my water broke during a coughing fit and I had to deliver them early, while sick, and be unable to see or care for them because of my illness. I did tell my doctor about it this morning, though, and he acknowledged that it was going around and told me that if I do catch it, just take Tylenol and Mucinex as needed and I should be fine. I'm praying it just goes away.
I must say, I'm pretty damn proud of my body! It may have given me a really hard time getting pregnant, but it's doing an amazing job now that I am.
We have everything we need ready for these babies. The nursery still needs some finishing touches that I haven't been able to do while on bed rest, but they won't be sleeping in there at first so we have some time to get it done. All their clothes, bedding, and fabric stuff has been washed. Stuffed animals and soft toys have been steamed (our washer and dryer have a really nifty steam sanitizing feature for non-washable fabric items). Strollers, rock&plays, bassinets, cribs, changing stations, and car seats are all assembled and ready. Bags are packed. Hospital checklist hung on bathroom and back doors. We are ready!
Now we wait.
So my money has been on next Thursday, April 25. I'll be 36 weeks, have a checkup and ultrasound appointment that day, and it's a full moon. Again, I've been telling myself that I'm going to go to the appointment, U/S is going to show a short, dilating cervix, and they're going tell me it's time. Patrick thinks the cervix check and full moon are going to put me into labor for the next day, April 26. After today's appointment, though, which showed still no cervical change, I'm really starting to think that I might make it to my scheduled date! My doctor thinks I'll make it... barring the random rupture of membranes.
We'll have to see what happens over the next few days. Patrick came down with an upper respiratory virus a couple days ago. It only lasted about three days- he told me he felt like he was getting sick Monday night, I made him go to the Redi-clinic Tuesday so they could treat him before it got serious, they told him he had a fever and it's a virus, he was miserable Tuesday night, missed work Wednesday, better by last night, and back to work today. He's pretty much just been dealing with a nasty cough. I was really hoping I wouldn't catch it, but I woke up this morning with that pre-sick scratchiness in my throat. I've upped my vitamin C intake in an effort to help fight it off. The last thing I want is to get sick right now. I would be devastated if my water broke during a coughing fit and I had to deliver them early, while sick, and be unable to see or care for them because of my illness. I did tell my doctor about it this morning, though, and he acknowledged that it was going around and told me that if I do catch it, just take Tylenol and Mucinex as needed and I should be fine. I'm praying it just goes away.
I must say, I'm pretty damn proud of my body! It may have given me a really hard time getting pregnant, but it's doing an amazing job now that I am.
We have everything we need ready for these babies. The nursery still needs some finishing touches that I haven't been able to do while on bed rest, but they won't be sleeping in there at first so we have some time to get it done. All their clothes, bedding, and fabric stuff has been washed. Stuffed animals and soft toys have been steamed (our washer and dryer have a really nifty steam sanitizing feature for non-washable fabric items). Strollers, rock&plays, bassinets, cribs, changing stations, and car seats are all assembled and ready. Bags are packed. Hospital checklist hung on bathroom and back doors. We are ready!
Now we wait.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
*Warning-this post contains TMI*
Pregnancy is a beautiful, weird, stressful, scary, amazing time.
A lot of times, I feel like my body is no longer my own... but I have no problem giving it up for my two little babies. I continue to be surprised and amazed by the things happening with my body.
I'm not going to lie, the first few months were hard. I was constantly nauseous, often sick, and had a really hard time eating and keeping food down. I was lucky that I only lost six pounds during that time (my doctor said he's seen some women lose 20 pounds or more and need to be hospitalized) but knowing how important weight gain was for the twins, not being able to eat was stressing me out.
It was also weird to me when the food aversions kicked in. The most unexpected... and strongest... was my aversion to meat. Especially chicken. I loooooove chicken! But once the morning sickness kicked in, just the thought of chicken made me retch. I couldn't look at raw meat of any kind, or any big piece of cooked meat. The only way I could eat meat was if it was small enough pieces to be mixed in with other food. Eventually, I started craving beef and it would make me feel better after I ate.
Weeks 6-12ish I pretty much lived on potatoes, pb&j, crackers, and cereal. Then potatoes started making me nauseous. Pretty much half the things I put in my mouth, as soon as it touched my tongue, would instantly make me want to puke. The next couple weeks I mainly just ate snacks. Those were the hardest weeks.
I was so relieved when my morning sickness finally went away. I still had aversions, but I was finally having cravings, too! Patrick and I joke that the twins are going to come out speaking Spanish. I want Mexican food all the time! Nachos are favorite and I eat them at least once a week. I'm also loving hamburgers with lots of tomatoes, chicken fried steak with white gravy, Chinese food, and fried shrimp.
My weirdest craving to date: peanut butter and banana sandwiches. That may mot sound weird to most, but I have not eaten bananas since third grade. A kid I went to school with use to poke holes in them and squish the insides out through the holes and it was so gross! I haven't been able to even look at bananas without gagging since then. So for me to want, and eat, and ENJOY anything with bananas is pretty amazing.
My appetite has really picked up within the last month or so, and after getting the steroid shots, I have been ravenously hungry! My food aversions are officially gone and I'm eating like a stereotypical pregnant woman. If its food, I want it. And if I want it, there is not going to be any left when I'm done. And within thirty minutes of stuffing my face, I'm going to want a snack... and another snack thirty minutes after that.
But I'm gladly eating everything in sight because I know it's helping my babies gain weight.
I thought I loved food before I got pregnant, but it's crazy how absolutely amazing food can be now! Especially when eating something I'm "craving"... I've actually caught myself humming while I chew it makes me so happy!
Another bodily change that caught me by surprise was the boob leakage. I mean, I knew it would happen, but I started leaking colostrum at 18 weeks! The first time it happened, Patrick and I were cuddling on the couch, watching a movie, and when we got up to go to bed, I thought I had spilled some water on myself because I had a wet spot about the size of a quarter on my left boob. But when I took my bra off, I realized I had been leaking! My left had leaked a quarter-sized spot completely through my bra and my right had left a spot the size of a nickel just on the inside of the bra. Luckily, my leakage tends to happen at night so I haven't had any embarrassing incidents yet, but I have had a few times where I have soaked spots the size of my palm on my sleep shirts.
One night, I was laying in bed in my pj pants, watching the twins move my belly, when all of a sudden, after a particularly active bout of movement, my whole stomach tightened up and colostrum just flowed out of both boobs. It lasted a few seconds, my stomach relaxed, the flow stopped, and the babies started moving again. A few minutes later they had another really active bout, and the same thing happened. This repeated itself a few more times for about thirty minutes, until the twins finally calmed down and went to sleep. It was pretty interesting.
What has sucked, though? I've gotten mastitis... twice. I didn't even know you could get it while pregnant but apparently you can. Both times has been in my right boob and it hurts like a sonofabitch! The first time was much worse and I had to go on antibiotics because my whole boob was swollen, red, and hot to the touch with big, hard lumps that were so tender I couldn't wear a bra. The second time my boob just got swollen with those hard lumps, but it wasn't as painful and cleared up on its own after a day or so with hot showers.
I'm hoping this all means that I'll have a plentiful supply once the twins come.
One of the most amazing things has been feeling the babies move. Now that they're bigger and stronger, it can get uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful, but I love feeling them.
I feel Olivia a lot more because she's in the front, her body coming up the right side of my stomach with her butt right below my ribcage, and her placenta is posterior. Harrison is on my left side, but he sits further back towards my spine, and his placenta is anterior. They both had their feet on my right side for a while, so my ribs on that side got quite a workout, but as Olivia has dropped further into my pelvis, Harrison has gotten enough room to move from "oblique" to fully vertex and has moved his feet to my left side. His placenta is close to my ribs on that side, so while I do feel the strong rib kicks, I'm more protected on that side.
I mainly feel him when he is attempting to escape through my belly button. Little man is convinced that this is the way out and he likes to punch me square in the middle, then drag his fist around in hopes of finding the escape route. Sometimes he's shy when I rub the body parts he sticks out and pulls them back, and other times he'll let me rub them for a while.
Baby girl, on the other hand, has come to love being rubbed! Since she's so far forward, I can usually feel some body part close to the surface so I tended to kind of mess with her a lot. At first she would pull back whatever was sticking out, then she started "playing" with me (I'd rub or poke and she would hit back, then move her arm or leg and stick it out somewhere else until I rubbed or poked the new spot. She'd keep it up for 10-15 minutes and if I didn't rub her, she would just stick the arm/leg out further until it got uncomfortable) Now, when I rub her, she will actually wiggle and push into my hand!
She is also apparently convinced that the best way out of my stomach is to just bust through... and if she can take one of my ribs with her that'll be even better. This child is so active, and STRONG, it makes me wonder if she actually will just bust out! I'm definitely getting worried that she'll break my water.
Feeling them move is one thing, SEEING them move is another. It's amazing and I love to watch them, but it is crazy. Patrick gets a bit weirded out when they're particularly active because he says it's too "Alien"-ish and I have to admit that when both of them are really moving, it does look a bit.... odd. The other morning, it was like they were fighting in there! I had a flurry of movement along the midline, then they separated and my belly went flat in the middle as they bulged out the sides like they wanted away from each other!
And while I usually just see Harrison's fist or part of his foot sticking up, Olivia likes to push out her whole foot, or stick out and move around her entire lower leg, or whole arm! These are not little movements. When she gets going, you can see it through my clothes!
Those are the biggest changes for me... or at least the most significant. Since this is getting pretty long I'll bullet-point the rest of my pregnancy quirks.
-Peeing has become a chore. Olivia has settled on my bladder so I have to go a lot, and I have learned to shift around on the toilet to make sure my bladder is empty. Otherwise, when I lean over to wipe (which has gotten a bit difficult as well) I pee on my fingers. Luckily, I'm a fast learner so it only happened twice, but it was still gross. Pair my toilet aerobics with getting up 4-6 times a night to pee, and I have started thinking that a catheter might be the way to go. Or at the very least, I have debated getting some Depends. Oh, the shame!
-Acne. Not too much on my face but my chest is not very pretty and my back is AWFUL! It's really gross. I was lucky as a teenager that I never really had skin issues so this is a pretty major insecurity for me now. I blame little boy with his testosterone.
-Back hair. Not a lot, and not very noticeable, but Patrick pointed it out to me when he was scrubbing my back one night. He says they're dark, but thin and fairly short, and go down my spine. He's started calling me "Were-wife". I again blame Harrison.
-Weepiness. While I don't cry randomly or extremely easily, I'm definitely much quicker to cry over things that affect me. Something that would normally just be touching, will now make me cry, and I cry when I get angry, which I normally don't do. Oh... and I did cry because Patrick threw away (or ate, I can't remember now) some left-overs that I was just going into the kitchen to get. This one I blame on Olivia.
-Pregnancy brain is a real thing. I forget things all the time. I say stupid things that make no sense. I got out of my car once without even turning it off! Thank goodness my sister was with me and said something or I would have just waddled myself into the store and left my car unlocked and running!
-Insomnia. Everyone tells me "get plenty of rest before those babies come!" Yeah right. I have a hard time falling asleep at night, it's hard to get comfortable, impossible to stay comfortable, turning over has become an Olympic event in my book, and I'm up every few hours to pee. Sometimes I wake up hungry or have a hard time falling back asleep and get hungry, so I have to argue with myself over whether or not I should go eat something or stay in bed and hope for sleep.
-Swelling. Luckily, I haven't had much swelling in my feet or hands. My feet have only in the past few weeks started to get puffy as the weather warms and, though I switched my wedding set for one of my mom's gold bands that's a bit bigger, just in case, I don't think it was really necessary. The unfortunate victim of my swelling has been my lady bits. Now, I have been unable to see anything happening south of my navel since about 20-24 weeks, but I like to sit in the bathroom sink to do my makeup (and yes, I usually get ready in the buff... the bathroom gets hot!) and I couple weeks after I lost sight of my "southern belle", I was getting ready to go somewhere and caught a glimpse of her as I was hoisting my pregnant self onto the counter. I was horrified by what I saw! A lady on one of the due date boards described herself as looking like she was "smuggling bratwursts" and I have to say that's a pretty accurate description. I had no idea that would happen! I asked Patrick why he hadn't told me my girl parts were so grossly swollen and he just shrugged and said because he didn't think it was important and he thought I was sexy no matter what. Good man. But I still have not gotten back on that counter or tried to look down below again. Patrick is helping me groom what I have now named my "mystery jungle" this weekend in preparation for delivery, and I wouldn't be surprised if we discovered new plant species down there!
Well, now that you all know waaaayyyy too much about me, I'll leave it at that. I'm 35 weeks tomorrow and so thankful every day to have carried these babies so long and made it this far. Only two and a half more weeks until my c-section date! I want them to bake that long and make it to term but I am so ready to meet them!! Some days I think I'll make it, others I feel like I'll go into labor at any second. Either way, I know they'll be in great hands and, chances are, they'll be perfectly healthy. Makes all these pregnancy discomforts totally worth it!
Thank You, God, for blessing us with these two little miracles and for giving me the ability to carry and grow them for as long as I have.
Pregnancy is a beautiful, weird, stressful, scary, amazing time.
A lot of times, I feel like my body is no longer my own... but I have no problem giving it up for my two little babies. I continue to be surprised and amazed by the things happening with my body.
I'm not going to lie, the first few months were hard. I was constantly nauseous, often sick, and had a really hard time eating and keeping food down. I was lucky that I only lost six pounds during that time (my doctor said he's seen some women lose 20 pounds or more and need to be hospitalized) but knowing how important weight gain was for the twins, not being able to eat was stressing me out.
It was also weird to me when the food aversions kicked in. The most unexpected... and strongest... was my aversion to meat. Especially chicken. I loooooove chicken! But once the morning sickness kicked in, just the thought of chicken made me retch. I couldn't look at raw meat of any kind, or any big piece of cooked meat. The only way I could eat meat was if it was small enough pieces to be mixed in with other food. Eventually, I started craving beef and it would make me feel better after I ate.
Weeks 6-12ish I pretty much lived on potatoes, pb&j, crackers, and cereal. Then potatoes started making me nauseous. Pretty much half the things I put in my mouth, as soon as it touched my tongue, would instantly make me want to puke. The next couple weeks I mainly just ate snacks. Those were the hardest weeks.
I was so relieved when my morning sickness finally went away. I still had aversions, but I was finally having cravings, too! Patrick and I joke that the twins are going to come out speaking Spanish. I want Mexican food all the time! Nachos are favorite and I eat them at least once a week. I'm also loving hamburgers with lots of tomatoes, chicken fried steak with white gravy, Chinese food, and fried shrimp.
My weirdest craving to date: peanut butter and banana sandwiches. That may mot sound weird to most, but I have not eaten bananas since third grade. A kid I went to school with use to poke holes in them and squish the insides out through the holes and it was so gross! I haven't been able to even look at bananas without gagging since then. So for me to want, and eat, and ENJOY anything with bananas is pretty amazing.
My appetite has really picked up within the last month or so, and after getting the steroid shots, I have been ravenously hungry! My food aversions are officially gone and I'm eating like a stereotypical pregnant woman. If its food, I want it. And if I want it, there is not going to be any left when I'm done. And within thirty minutes of stuffing my face, I'm going to want a snack... and another snack thirty minutes after that.
But I'm gladly eating everything in sight because I know it's helping my babies gain weight.
I thought I loved food before I got pregnant, but it's crazy how absolutely amazing food can be now! Especially when eating something I'm "craving"... I've actually caught myself humming while I chew it makes me so happy!
Another bodily change that caught me by surprise was the boob leakage. I mean, I knew it would happen, but I started leaking colostrum at 18 weeks! The first time it happened, Patrick and I were cuddling on the couch, watching a movie, and when we got up to go to bed, I thought I had spilled some water on myself because I had a wet spot about the size of a quarter on my left boob. But when I took my bra off, I realized I had been leaking! My left had leaked a quarter-sized spot completely through my bra and my right had left a spot the size of a nickel just on the inside of the bra. Luckily, my leakage tends to happen at night so I haven't had any embarrassing incidents yet, but I have had a few times where I have soaked spots the size of my palm on my sleep shirts.
One night, I was laying in bed in my pj pants, watching the twins move my belly, when all of a sudden, after a particularly active bout of movement, my whole stomach tightened up and colostrum just flowed out of both boobs. It lasted a few seconds, my stomach relaxed, the flow stopped, and the babies started moving again. A few minutes later they had another really active bout, and the same thing happened. This repeated itself a few more times for about thirty minutes, until the twins finally calmed down and went to sleep. It was pretty interesting.
What has sucked, though? I've gotten mastitis... twice. I didn't even know you could get it while pregnant but apparently you can. Both times has been in my right boob and it hurts like a sonofabitch! The first time was much worse and I had to go on antibiotics because my whole boob was swollen, red, and hot to the touch with big, hard lumps that were so tender I couldn't wear a bra. The second time my boob just got swollen with those hard lumps, but it wasn't as painful and cleared up on its own after a day or so with hot showers.
I'm hoping this all means that I'll have a plentiful supply once the twins come.
One of the most amazing things has been feeling the babies move. Now that they're bigger and stronger, it can get uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful, but I love feeling them.
I feel Olivia a lot more because she's in the front, her body coming up the right side of my stomach with her butt right below my ribcage, and her placenta is posterior. Harrison is on my left side, but he sits further back towards my spine, and his placenta is anterior. They both had their feet on my right side for a while, so my ribs on that side got quite a workout, but as Olivia has dropped further into my pelvis, Harrison has gotten enough room to move from "oblique" to fully vertex and has moved his feet to my left side. His placenta is close to my ribs on that side, so while I do feel the strong rib kicks, I'm more protected on that side.
I mainly feel him when he is attempting to escape through my belly button. Little man is convinced that this is the way out and he likes to punch me square in the middle, then drag his fist around in hopes of finding the escape route. Sometimes he's shy when I rub the body parts he sticks out and pulls them back, and other times he'll let me rub them for a while.
Baby girl, on the other hand, has come to love being rubbed! Since she's so far forward, I can usually feel some body part close to the surface so I tended to kind of mess with her a lot. At first she would pull back whatever was sticking out, then she started "playing" with me (I'd rub or poke and she would hit back, then move her arm or leg and stick it out somewhere else until I rubbed or poked the new spot. She'd keep it up for 10-15 minutes and if I didn't rub her, she would just stick the arm/leg out further until it got uncomfortable) Now, when I rub her, she will actually wiggle and push into my hand!
She is also apparently convinced that the best way out of my stomach is to just bust through... and if she can take one of my ribs with her that'll be even better. This child is so active, and STRONG, it makes me wonder if she actually will just bust out! I'm definitely getting worried that she'll break my water.
Feeling them move is one thing, SEEING them move is another. It's amazing and I love to watch them, but it is crazy. Patrick gets a bit weirded out when they're particularly active because he says it's too "Alien"-ish and I have to admit that when both of them are really moving, it does look a bit.... odd. The other morning, it was like they were fighting in there! I had a flurry of movement along the midline, then they separated and my belly went flat in the middle as they bulged out the sides like they wanted away from each other!
And while I usually just see Harrison's fist or part of his foot sticking up, Olivia likes to push out her whole foot, or stick out and move around her entire lower leg, or whole arm! These are not little movements. When she gets going, you can see it through my clothes!
Those are the biggest changes for me... or at least the most significant. Since this is getting pretty long I'll bullet-point the rest of my pregnancy quirks.
-Peeing has become a chore. Olivia has settled on my bladder so I have to go a lot, and I have learned to shift around on the toilet to make sure my bladder is empty. Otherwise, when I lean over to wipe (which has gotten a bit difficult as well) I pee on my fingers. Luckily, I'm a fast learner so it only happened twice, but it was still gross. Pair my toilet aerobics with getting up 4-6 times a night to pee, and I have started thinking that a catheter might be the way to go. Or at the very least, I have debated getting some Depends. Oh, the shame!
-Acne. Not too much on my face but my chest is not very pretty and my back is AWFUL! It's really gross. I was lucky as a teenager that I never really had skin issues so this is a pretty major insecurity for me now. I blame little boy with his testosterone.
-Back hair. Not a lot, and not very noticeable, but Patrick pointed it out to me when he was scrubbing my back one night. He says they're dark, but thin and fairly short, and go down my spine. He's started calling me "Were-wife". I again blame Harrison.
-Weepiness. While I don't cry randomly or extremely easily, I'm definitely much quicker to cry over things that affect me. Something that would normally just be touching, will now make me cry, and I cry when I get angry, which I normally don't do. Oh... and I did cry because Patrick threw away (or ate, I can't remember now) some left-overs that I was just going into the kitchen to get. This one I blame on Olivia.
-Pregnancy brain is a real thing. I forget things all the time. I say stupid things that make no sense. I got out of my car once without even turning it off! Thank goodness my sister was with me and said something or I would have just waddled myself into the store and left my car unlocked and running!
-Insomnia. Everyone tells me "get plenty of rest before those babies come!" Yeah right. I have a hard time falling asleep at night, it's hard to get comfortable, impossible to stay comfortable, turning over has become an Olympic event in my book, and I'm up every few hours to pee. Sometimes I wake up hungry or have a hard time falling back asleep and get hungry, so I have to argue with myself over whether or not I should go eat something or stay in bed and hope for sleep.
-Swelling. Luckily, I haven't had much swelling in my feet or hands. My feet have only in the past few weeks started to get puffy as the weather warms and, though I switched my wedding set for one of my mom's gold bands that's a bit bigger, just in case, I don't think it was really necessary. The unfortunate victim of my swelling has been my lady bits. Now, I have been unable to see anything happening south of my navel since about 20-24 weeks, but I like to sit in the bathroom sink to do my makeup (and yes, I usually get ready in the buff... the bathroom gets hot!) and I couple weeks after I lost sight of my "southern belle", I was getting ready to go somewhere and caught a glimpse of her as I was hoisting my pregnant self onto the counter. I was horrified by what I saw! A lady on one of the due date boards described herself as looking like she was "smuggling bratwursts" and I have to say that's a pretty accurate description. I had no idea that would happen! I asked Patrick why he hadn't told me my girl parts were so grossly swollen and he just shrugged and said because he didn't think it was important and he thought I was sexy no matter what. Good man. But I still have not gotten back on that counter or tried to look down below again. Patrick is helping me groom what I have now named my "mystery jungle" this weekend in preparation for delivery, and I wouldn't be surprised if we discovered new plant species down there!
Well, now that you all know waaaayyyy too much about me, I'll leave it at that. I'm 35 weeks tomorrow and so thankful every day to have carried these babies so long and made it this far. Only two and a half more weeks until my c-section date! I want them to bake that long and make it to term but I am so ready to meet them!! Some days I think I'll make it, others I feel like I'll go into labor at any second. Either way, I know they'll be in great hands and, chances are, they'll be perfectly healthy. Makes all these pregnancy discomforts totally worth it!
Thank You, God, for blessing us with these two little miracles and for giving me the ability to carry and grow them for as long as I have.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wake Up Call
Well, it's been an unexpected couple days.
I'm 32 weeks pregnant now and the last few weeks have been pretty easy and uneventful. At 27 weeks, Olivia (baby A), decided to flip head down and settle into my pelvis. My cervix was still measuring 4cm, with no funneling, but her head was putting pressure on it and my Braxton Hicks were picking up so my doctor put me on modified bed rest and prescribed Procardia to calm down the contractions. I've been back once a week since then to make sure everything was still doing good... and it has been.
At my 31 week appointment last Thursday, we did another ultrasound, which showed my cervix had shortened a bit... down to 3cm. Olivia's head was putting a lot of pressure on it, but there was still no funneling, and everything was still closed up tight. Harrison had also flipped head down, squeezing his face down as close to his sister as he could. They were estimated to weigh 3.5lbs each, my uterus was measuring 37/38 weeks, so my doctor was very happy with how my body was handling the weight/size/etc of a singleton pregnancy at term. I mentioned that I was still getting some contractions even on the Procardia, which he said could be expected at this point, but he recommended starting P17 (progesterone) shots once a week to calm my uterus a little more, and gave me a prescription/orders to go have steroid shots at the hospital "just in case". The steroids are two shots, spaced 24 hours apart to help mature the twins' lungs in the event that they do decide to come early. We didn't have time to go that day and since it wasn't anything urgent we didn't want to take up the nurses' time during their busier nights and weekends. We were planning to go Monday, but a leaking pipe in our bathroom had me spending the day waiting on the plumber.
On Tuesday, Patrick came home at lunch time and we headed to the hospital for the first shot. Despite all my IVF experience with shots, needles, and blood draws, I was a little nervous about the steroid because I had heard somewhere that it's not very pleasant... it was no worse than PIO. The nurse took my blood pressure, gave me the shot, listened to the babies on the Doppler, and then showed us around Labor & Delivery since all the tours have been booked since February.
Wednesday, I woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour and a half until Patrick got up for work, then puttered around the house with him as he got ready, ate breakfast, settled on the couch when he left, then got ready for my 10am checkup at the OB. I left the house thinking it would be a quick checkup, then I'd run over to the hospital for my second shot, and I'd be home within two hours. That didn't happen.
My appointment with the doctor was pretty quick and routine. My doctor did check my cervix since it was time for my Group B Strep test anyways, and my cervix was still high and completely closed and everything seemed perfect. Next up, the hospital.
This time, after the shot, they hooked me up to the monitors "for about 30 minutes" to check on the babies. Well, turns out I was having contractions. Olivia HATES the Doppler or the monitors and always tries to get away, so she was doing her best to try to escape under my ribs, which made the contractions worse. Since I had taken my Procardia two hours before, I should not have been having that many contractions (one every 3-8 minutes) and they were also pretty uncomfortable.
Four hours, three shots of Tributaline (not pleasant), two bags of IV fluids later, I was still contracting every 5-10 minutes, though they were much less intense, so I was admitted. They immediately started me on magnesium and it finally helped.
Patrick left work and came to be with me just before I was officially admitted and I could tell he was totally flustered when he got there. The "overnight" bag he packed contained our toothbrushes, toothpaste, my deodorant, my phone charger, iPad, two pairs of his boxers, one of his t-shirts, and a pair of his jeans. My mom came after work and brought me some pj pants and relieved him for an hour to go get dinner (I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything besides ice chips that night), check on the dogs, and get some clothes to sleep in. Poor guy was beside himself!
I didn't get much sleep that night. The nurse came in every two hours to check on me and I had to stay on my back to keep the babies on the monitors. The lady in the room next to mine had a little girl just before midnight and it made me smile to hear the baby cry. I got about a four hour stretch of sleep between 1-5 but then I couldn't sleep any more.
Patrick had to go in to work that morning because he was working on a big case with one of his top agents and they were hoping to get it done before the holiday. He went home at six to take care of the dogs and get ready to go in.
The on-call doctor from my OB's office came in to talk to me at about 7. He told me the babies were doing awesome and my contractions were pretty much gone. He said the plan was to take me off the magnesium at noon and put me back on the Procardia at double my original dose. If the contractions stayed away, I'd get to go home the next morning. He also cleared me to eat and drink whatever I wanted. The nurse immediately brought me some jello, applesauce, cereal, and a sandwich. My grandma came to visit around 8 or 9 and stayed until almost noon. I think I drifted off to sleep for about an hour while she was there.
At noon they came and turned off the magnesium and put me back on the oral meds. Patrick left work and came back to the hospital around 1 or 2 that afternoon. He had taken the dogs to my mom's because they were majorly stressed at home.
The nurses had gotten me permission to shower that night because I felt so gross. Shift change is at 7 am and 7pm, so as soon as the night nurse came in she capped off my IV, covered the site with plastic, and freed me from the monitors for a greatly appreciated shower. The soap in the shower is the all-in-one, body wash/face wash/shampoo industrial stuff, but it was what I had and I scrubbed every inch of my body that I could reach! What is it about being in a hospital that makes you feel so dirty?
Last night I slept even worse. My back and neck hurt and nothing I did helped me get comfortable. My longest stretch of sleep was about two hours. There were two more babies born last night, too. I was just counting the hours until morning and my potential release!
My OB was on call today and he came to talk to me when he got there around 8 am. He said I was having random contractions on the Procardia but they were mild and some contractions are totally normal and expected, he just didn't want me having 6 or more an hour, and not as intense as they had been on Wednesday. My bed rest has been upgraded from "modified" to "strict", but he said I could go home. Good news is, the twins still seem happy staying put... my cervix hasn't changed or dilated from the contractions, but even if something changes, I've gotten the steroids to help their lungs and we are at a "good" place in the pregnancy if they HAD to come early. My next follow up is Thursday and I'll have another ultrasound so we'll have a better idea of exactly how much things have changed.
This was a pretty big wake up call for us! I had gotten pretty content with how smoothly everything has been going and wasn't really worried about not making it to my c-section date of May 6. Now I'm focusing my goals two weeks at a time... First get to 34 weeks... Then to 36... Then concentrate on the 1.5 weeks until the original eviction day.
I'm also packing mine and Patrick's hospital bags this week and we are making plans of exactly what to do with the dogs while we're at the hospital. We need to be ready. Anything could happen at this point.
The nurses at the hospital were so nice! I'm very happy with the hospital in general. They sent me home with a bag of goodies for the babies even though they're not here yet. Diapers, some receiving blankets, some bulb syringes, etc.
I'm just so happy to be home and that the babies are still where they need to be! Now they just need to stay there for a few more weeks! I'm excited to meet them, but we're not ready yet, and neither are they. I want them to be able to come home with us. That's the most important thing... keeping them out of the NICU. Just a few weeks left!!
... Sorry if this post is jumbled, or all over the place, I'm still exhausted, even after a nap this afternoon.
Thank You, God, for keeping my babies safe and growing inside me for a little while longer. Please keep my contractions away and let the twins stay in until May.
I'm 32 weeks pregnant now and the last few weeks have been pretty easy and uneventful. At 27 weeks, Olivia (baby A), decided to flip head down and settle into my pelvis. My cervix was still measuring 4cm, with no funneling, but her head was putting pressure on it and my Braxton Hicks were picking up so my doctor put me on modified bed rest and prescribed Procardia to calm down the contractions. I've been back once a week since then to make sure everything was still doing good... and it has been.
At my 31 week appointment last Thursday, we did another ultrasound, which showed my cervix had shortened a bit... down to 3cm. Olivia's head was putting a lot of pressure on it, but there was still no funneling, and everything was still closed up tight. Harrison had also flipped head down, squeezing his face down as close to his sister as he could. They were estimated to weigh 3.5lbs each, my uterus was measuring 37/38 weeks, so my doctor was very happy with how my body was handling the weight/size/etc of a singleton pregnancy at term. I mentioned that I was still getting some contractions even on the Procardia, which he said could be expected at this point, but he recommended starting P17 (progesterone) shots once a week to calm my uterus a little more, and gave me a prescription/orders to go have steroid shots at the hospital "just in case". The steroids are two shots, spaced 24 hours apart to help mature the twins' lungs in the event that they do decide to come early. We didn't have time to go that day and since it wasn't anything urgent we didn't want to take up the nurses' time during their busier nights and weekends. We were planning to go Monday, but a leaking pipe in our bathroom had me spending the day waiting on the plumber.
On Tuesday, Patrick came home at lunch time and we headed to the hospital for the first shot. Despite all my IVF experience with shots, needles, and blood draws, I was a little nervous about the steroid because I had heard somewhere that it's not very pleasant... it was no worse than PIO. The nurse took my blood pressure, gave me the shot, listened to the babies on the Doppler, and then showed us around Labor & Delivery since all the tours have been booked since February.
Wednesday, I woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour and a half until Patrick got up for work, then puttered around the house with him as he got ready, ate breakfast, settled on the couch when he left, then got ready for my 10am checkup at the OB. I left the house thinking it would be a quick checkup, then I'd run over to the hospital for my second shot, and I'd be home within two hours. That didn't happen.
My appointment with the doctor was pretty quick and routine. My doctor did check my cervix since it was time for my Group B Strep test anyways, and my cervix was still high and completely closed and everything seemed perfect. Next up, the hospital.
This time, after the shot, they hooked me up to the monitors "for about 30 minutes" to check on the babies. Well, turns out I was having contractions. Olivia HATES the Doppler or the monitors and always tries to get away, so she was doing her best to try to escape under my ribs, which made the contractions worse. Since I had taken my Procardia two hours before, I should not have been having that many contractions (one every 3-8 minutes) and they were also pretty uncomfortable.
Four hours, three shots of Tributaline (not pleasant), two bags of IV fluids later, I was still contracting every 5-10 minutes, though they were much less intense, so I was admitted. They immediately started me on magnesium and it finally helped.
Patrick left work and came to be with me just before I was officially admitted and I could tell he was totally flustered when he got there. The "overnight" bag he packed contained our toothbrushes, toothpaste, my deodorant, my phone charger, iPad, two pairs of his boxers, one of his t-shirts, and a pair of his jeans. My mom came after work and brought me some pj pants and relieved him for an hour to go get dinner (I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything besides ice chips that night), check on the dogs, and get some clothes to sleep in. Poor guy was beside himself!
I didn't get much sleep that night. The nurse came in every two hours to check on me and I had to stay on my back to keep the babies on the monitors. The lady in the room next to mine had a little girl just before midnight and it made me smile to hear the baby cry. I got about a four hour stretch of sleep between 1-5 but then I couldn't sleep any more.
Patrick had to go in to work that morning because he was working on a big case with one of his top agents and they were hoping to get it done before the holiday. He went home at six to take care of the dogs and get ready to go in.
The on-call doctor from my OB's office came in to talk to me at about 7. He told me the babies were doing awesome and my contractions were pretty much gone. He said the plan was to take me off the magnesium at noon and put me back on the Procardia at double my original dose. If the contractions stayed away, I'd get to go home the next morning. He also cleared me to eat and drink whatever I wanted. The nurse immediately brought me some jello, applesauce, cereal, and a sandwich. My grandma came to visit around 8 or 9 and stayed until almost noon. I think I drifted off to sleep for about an hour while she was there.
At noon they came and turned off the magnesium and put me back on the oral meds. Patrick left work and came back to the hospital around 1 or 2 that afternoon. He had taken the dogs to my mom's because they were majorly stressed at home.
The nurses had gotten me permission to shower that night because I felt so gross. Shift change is at 7 am and 7pm, so as soon as the night nurse came in she capped off my IV, covered the site with plastic, and freed me from the monitors for a greatly appreciated shower. The soap in the shower is the all-in-one, body wash/face wash/shampoo industrial stuff, but it was what I had and I scrubbed every inch of my body that I could reach! What is it about being in a hospital that makes you feel so dirty?
Last night I slept even worse. My back and neck hurt and nothing I did helped me get comfortable. My longest stretch of sleep was about two hours. There were two more babies born last night, too. I was just counting the hours until morning and my potential release!
My OB was on call today and he came to talk to me when he got there around 8 am. He said I was having random contractions on the Procardia but they were mild and some contractions are totally normal and expected, he just didn't want me having 6 or more an hour, and not as intense as they had been on Wednesday. My bed rest has been upgraded from "modified" to "strict", but he said I could go home. Good news is, the twins still seem happy staying put... my cervix hasn't changed or dilated from the contractions, but even if something changes, I've gotten the steroids to help their lungs and we are at a "good" place in the pregnancy if they HAD to come early. My next follow up is Thursday and I'll have another ultrasound so we'll have a better idea of exactly how much things have changed.
This was a pretty big wake up call for us! I had gotten pretty content with how smoothly everything has been going and wasn't really worried about not making it to my c-section date of May 6. Now I'm focusing my goals two weeks at a time... First get to 34 weeks... Then to 36... Then concentrate on the 1.5 weeks until the original eviction day.
I'm also packing mine and Patrick's hospital bags this week and we are making plans of exactly what to do with the dogs while we're at the hospital. We need to be ready. Anything could happen at this point.
The nurses at the hospital were so nice! I'm very happy with the hospital in general. They sent me home with a bag of goodies for the babies even though they're not here yet. Diapers, some receiving blankets, some bulb syringes, etc.
I'm just so happy to be home and that the babies are still where they need to be! Now they just need to stay there for a few more weeks! I'm excited to meet them, but we're not ready yet, and neither are they. I want them to be able to come home with us. That's the most important thing... keeping them out of the NICU. Just a few weeks left!!
... Sorry if this post is jumbled, or all over the place, I'm still exhausted, even after a nap this afternoon.
Thank You, God, for keeping my babies safe and growing inside me for a little while longer. Please keep my contractions away and let the twins stay in until May.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Halfway There!!
I'm 20 weeks! I have officially passed the halfway point on my pregnancy!
I'm not going to lie, the first few months were hard. I was constantly nauseous, often sick, and had a really hard time eating and keeping food down. My mom got me the book "Mothering Multiples" and I had to stop reading it because it was saying how important it is to gain 20 pounds by 20 weeks, and talking about all the bad things that are more likely to happen when you don't gain enough, fast enough. At the time, I was nearly 16 weeks, still puking daily, and down 6 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight so I was getting really concerned and disheartened because there was no way in hell that I'd be able to put on 26 pounds in 4 weeks and I felt like I was hurting my babies. A few days later, I woke up, threw up bile like I normally did, but after that, I was hungry. I ate some breakfast, not really expecting it to stay down... but it did! And I felt better!
That whole day I stuffed my face. I was so friggin HUNGRY! I kept waiting for the nausea to kick back in but the more I ate, the better I felt. The next morning, I woke up starving... and threw up within 10 minutes. But again, after that, I was hungry, and as soon as I ate, I felt better. I started feeling cautiously optimistic that my morning sickness was over.
I had my 16 week check-up a couple days later, and while I was really excited to be able to eat again, I was worried about what my doctor would say about my lack of weight gain. We had our ultrasound first and it is always so amazing to see our beautiful little babies. We asked the tech if she could tell their genders. She said she thought baby A is a girl, but baby B had his/her feet pulled up and wouldn't show us the goodies, so she couldn't give us a guess. (But I took home the DVD of the ultrasound and CSI'd it... played it in slow motion, freeze framed, etc... and I'm pretty positive I see boy parts!!! Eeep!) The babies were both transverse. A's head was on my right side, feet on the left, just above my pelvic bone, and B's head was on the left, feet on right, just at my belly button.
Even though I hadn't felt any movement up to that point, I had told Patrick a few days earlier that I thought I felt a head or shoulder or something shifting, from the OUTSIDE, just to the left of my belly button. Turns out, that's EXACTLY where baby B's head was! It was really awesome to get that confirmation that I probably had felt my baby.
After the ultrasound, we met with the doctor. He was really happy to hear that my morning sickness seemed to be going away. When I mentioned that I was worried about my weight gain, he told me that I am the one that was suffering. He said that the babies would take what they need no matter what, and that they were measuring perfectly on track, and that's what really mattered. He told me to eat whatever I could or whatever I wanted, whenever I could, or whenever I wanted. He told me my cervix measurements would start at my next appointment, at 20 weeks, and I would be having my anatomy scan at that point as well. As we were leaving, he stopped us and told us that he was "extremely happy" with the way the twins were looking and measuring and that he thinks we are progressing "perfectly". It really meant a lot to me that he said that and it really calmed my fears that I wasn't hurting my twins.
Later that afternoon... I FELT MY BABIES MOVE!!!! It was one of those breath-taking, world falls away, nothing else matters, amazingly beautiful moments that happen so rarely in life. I never thought those fluttery little tickles would affect me so deeply. The excitement, I expected. The instant bonding and overwhelming relief and love, that caught me off guard. I think that, until that point, I was still so worried and focused on the negative things that could happen and still some-what in disbelief that I was actually pregnant, I hadn't really allowed myself to truly bond with my pregnancy. In that moment, I fell head over heels in love with my babies. It became REAL!
Two weeks later, Patrick got to feel baby B from the outside. For some reason, they tend to get shy when Daddy tries to feel. They'll put on a show for my mom, my sister, sister-in-law, or mother-in-law, but as soon as Patrick puts his hand on my belly, they get quiet. But he has managed to catch a flutter here and there. Over the last two weeks, those flutters have turned to kicks and jabs, and they have gotten STRONG! The other night, baby A was tap dancing in there and I told Patrick to come feel. As soon as he put his hand on me, baby A gave him a good kick. You should have seen his face! He pulled his hand away as if he'd been burnt.
Patrick- "The baby kicked me!"
Me- "Yeah, I know."
Patrick- "No... like... kicked me! Hard!"
Me- "I know, its amazing isn't it?"
Patrick- "It was like really strong. I didn't expect them to be so strong. It was a little weird."
Ha! He was a bit weirded out, but now he loves to feel them.
Yesterday we had our anatomy scan. The twins are still measuring perfectly and they actually cooperated and showed us everything we needed... including genders!!!! Patrick was fully convinced that they were both boys, and, though I've always had a feeling they were boy/girl, I was starting to doubt since they have had identical heart-rates from the beginning.
Well, we're having.... A GIRL AND A BOY!!!
Baby A... our feisty little fire-cracker... is a girl. We are naming her Olivia Celeste (Celeste after my mom). She is currently breech, sitting on my cervix, with her head just to the right of my belly button, and she likes to occasionally kick me in the cervix.
Baby B... our laid-back little fighter... is a boy. He'll be Harrison Rodger (Rodger after Patrick's grandfather). He is still in the same position he was a month ago- transverse across the top of my uterus with his head on my left, feet on my right next to his sister's head. He likes to kick me in the ribs.
Both babies are estimated to weigh 13 oz and still have a heart-rate of 150 bpm.
My cervix is also measuring 4cm! Which is awesome!!
Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better appointment. My weight is still on the low side so my doctor wants me to get whole milk, real butter, and full-fat versions of everything and just eat. We are starting bi-weekly appointments now, but my doctor said I only have to have cervix checks once a month for right now since I'm doing so well. I do have to do the 1-hour glucose test next time, and my appointment isn't until 11:30 am, so I'll be starving, but its all good.
We are so ecstatic! I cannot wait to start shopping for my boy and my girl!
Thank You, God, for giving us these two amazing blessings!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
I've been a Slacker...
I have been a bad blogger. I'm sorry for the lack of updates, I'm going to try to be better.
Both babies are doing good, but this nausea has really been kicking my ass. I have about one really bad day a week where I can't keep anything down and have to cancel my clients, and I've been to the doctor twice for excessive vomiting.
Last week we had a bit of a scare because I started spotting and cramping. They took us right away for an ultrasound at the OBs office and everything was fine. My doctor said it was probably from my violent puke sessions (I threw up twice while there) and told me to take it easy, take my phenergan every 3.5 hours, try to sleep a bit, and if I was still throwing up that night to head to the hospital for fluids. Luckily it didn't get to that point and I felt better after more meds and a nap.
The upside was that we got to see the babies again. Both had heart rates of 164... And I got to see them move!
I'm at 12 weeks already and had to cave yesterday and buy some maternity pants... eeep! I can't believe it!... But things are definitely growing. I'm having my NT scan done next week andI'm hoping we get an early guess at genders because the suspense is killing me. Patrick is convinced that they're both boys and that they are his good luck charms. He is a Notre Dame fanatic and they've gone undefeated so far. He says it's because I'm growing their future star players. He actually rubs my belly and tells them to grow strong so they can play for Notre Dame one day... It's pretty sweet.
I can't believe how quickly time is going by. We've decided that I'm going to stop working after Christmas, which is only 7 weeks away! It's been bitter-sweet making my clients' last appointments with me and I know it's going to be rough when I'm actually doing their hair for the last time for who knows how long. With the holidays being so hectic, it's going to be here before I know it!
Speaking of the holidays... I'm both excited and nervous for Thanksgiving. I'm nervous because of the above mentioned nausea. I'm so excited for the food, but I'm worried I won't be able to stomache much of it. I'm having some MAJOR food aversions... mainly to meat. I can handle small amounts mixed with other things, but I haven't really had any meat in about 5 weeks.
Veggies are iffy. Sometimes I want them, sometimes the thought turns my stomache. I've been sustaining myself, for the most part, on potatoes, pb&j sandwiches, pasta, crackers, and cereal. (Thank goodness for cereal! It's about the only variety I get.)
My doctor says my nausea should start getting better now that I'm heading into my second trimester, but that it could hang around until twenty weeks... or even beyond! I'm praying it goes away soon and that I can enjoy the Thanksgiving feast. More importantly, I want to be able to stop the meds.
My nausea medicine makes me constipated (horribly so), and my constipation medicine makes me nauseous. My "super" nausea medicine is a suppository... and it gives my diarrhea... within ten minutes.
At least I'm off the progesterone and estrogen. I stopped earlier this week without any issues. My butt cheeks are very thankful for the stop.
Everything is progressing... and FAST. Sometimes I still have a hard time believing its real.
Thank You, God, for this amazing gift You're giving us.
Both babies are doing good, but this nausea has really been kicking my ass. I have about one really bad day a week where I can't keep anything down and have to cancel my clients, and I've been to the doctor twice for excessive vomiting.
Last week we had a bit of a scare because I started spotting and cramping. They took us right away for an ultrasound at the OBs office and everything was fine. My doctor said it was probably from my violent puke sessions (I threw up twice while there) and told me to take it easy, take my phenergan every 3.5 hours, try to sleep a bit, and if I was still throwing up that night to head to the hospital for fluids. Luckily it didn't get to that point and I felt better after more meds and a nap.
The upside was that we got to see the babies again. Both had heart rates of 164... And I got to see them move!
I'm at 12 weeks already and had to cave yesterday and buy some maternity pants... eeep! I can't believe it!... But things are definitely growing. I'm having my NT scan done next week andI'm hoping we get an early guess at genders because the suspense is killing me. Patrick is convinced that they're both boys and that they are his good luck charms. He is a Notre Dame fanatic and they've gone undefeated so far. He says it's because I'm growing their future star players. He actually rubs my belly and tells them to grow strong so they can play for Notre Dame one day... It's pretty sweet.
I can't believe how quickly time is going by. We've decided that I'm going to stop working after Christmas, which is only 7 weeks away! It's been bitter-sweet making my clients' last appointments with me and I know it's going to be rough when I'm actually doing their hair for the last time for who knows how long. With the holidays being so hectic, it's going to be here before I know it!
Speaking of the holidays... I'm both excited and nervous for Thanksgiving. I'm nervous because of the above mentioned nausea. I'm so excited for the food, but I'm worried I won't be able to stomache much of it. I'm having some MAJOR food aversions... mainly to meat. I can handle small amounts mixed with other things, but I haven't really had any meat in about 5 weeks.
Veggies are iffy. Sometimes I want them, sometimes the thought turns my stomache. I've been sustaining myself, for the most part, on potatoes, pb&j sandwiches, pasta, crackers, and cereal. (Thank goodness for cereal! It's about the only variety I get.)
My doctor says my nausea should start getting better now that I'm heading into my second trimester, but that it could hang around until twenty weeks... or even beyond! I'm praying it goes away soon and that I can enjoy the Thanksgiving feast. More importantly, I want to be able to stop the meds.
My nausea medicine makes me constipated (horribly so), and my constipation medicine makes me nauseous. My "super" nausea medicine is a suppository... and it gives my diarrhea... within ten minutes.
At least I'm off the progesterone and estrogen. I stopped earlier this week without any issues. My butt cheeks are very thankful for the stop.
Everything is progressing... and FAST. Sometimes I still have a hard time believing its real.
Thank You, God, for this amazing gift You're giving us.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Welcome To Pukey Town
Who-ever decided to name "morning sickness" should be kicked in the shins. The name is misleading and offers a false hope for relief.
This is not just limited to the morning... it lasts all day.
I had been somewhat nauseous right around the time I first got my BFP, but I'm thinking that was more related to the low blood sugar attacks I sometimes get when I don't eat like I should. Once I started eating better, the nausea went away. Then, last Thursday, as I was reaching to turn off the water in the shower, this wave of nausea came over me and all I could do was think "Oh no!", grab a towel, and try not to bust ass as I lunged for the toilet.
That nausea has been with me ever since. And nothing I do really seems to help it. If I don't eat, I just get hunger nausea on top of the other nausea, and if I do eat, the food just feels like its sitting in my stomach until it makes me sick. About the only thing that doesn't make me feel sick is fruit, but that doesn't do much about my hunger.
Thank goodness I had an appointment with my OB today and he has prescribed me some Zofran so we'll see how that works. I would have preferred to find a natural remedy, but at this point I just need to EAT!
I do keep reminding myself that the morning sickness is a good sign, and, honestly, I will take this times a billion to have healthy babies.
On a positive note, we got to hear the heartbeats this week!! It was the most amazing thing! Baby A is measuring great, Baby B is about 2 days behind, but both had heart rates of 119bpm on Tuesday, which is awesome. At today's ultrasound, B was still measuring two days behind, with a heart rate of 122, and A had a heart rate of 139, still perfect for where they are.
Baby B's sac looks a lot smaller than A's, which sort of worried us a bit. The technician and doctor assured us that everything looked great and, since B is further from the cervix, it might just be a bit more difficult to get a good picture of him/her.
Speaking of him or her... I have had a feeling from the beginning that we have a boy and a girl. My mom feels the same way and some of my friends have also mentioned it. Patrick says its two boys... but I figured that was more just wishful thinking on his part. At the OB appointment today, my doctor said he's putting his money on two boys (I'm guessing he's going by the heart rates). Now I don't know what to think!
Today's appointment proved informative in a lot of ways!
We went over the list of all the things I can't do or eat. All the tests they recommend and how often I'll be seen. How much weight I should gain... 35lbs if anyone's wondering, which actually surprised me because it seems like not very much for twins and I'm starting out at 118.
My OB also told me that I have a zero percent chance at a vaginal delivery, and that there is only one doctor in the area that he knows of that will even attempt a vaginal with twins. He says the risk of something happening is much too high and he prefers for everyone to be safe... so C-section it is.
My due date is May 24, but my "goal date" is May 3 (37 weeks). I'm also not going to be allowed to work past 28 weeks and will probably go on modified bed-rest at that point. Since I'm a hairdresser, he said he might have me stop working as early as 20 weeks, depending on how big I'm getting and how my cervix is holding up.
All this information was a bit unexpected to me, and it really made me think about how drastically everything is going to change... and how SOON! I could potentially need to stop working in three months! It was a little overwhelming.
Twenty weeks will put me at the end of December, which is my busiest time of year, so I'll probably be ready to quit by then! At least it will give me plenty of time to get ready for the twins.
Thank You, God, for the wonderful gifts You have given us. Please keep my babies strong, healthy, and growing inside my uterus until May.
This is not just limited to the morning... it lasts all day.
I had been somewhat nauseous right around the time I first got my BFP, but I'm thinking that was more related to the low blood sugar attacks I sometimes get when I don't eat like I should. Once I started eating better, the nausea went away. Then, last Thursday, as I was reaching to turn off the water in the shower, this wave of nausea came over me and all I could do was think "Oh no!", grab a towel, and try not to bust ass as I lunged for the toilet.
That nausea has been with me ever since. And nothing I do really seems to help it. If I don't eat, I just get hunger nausea on top of the other nausea, and if I do eat, the food just feels like its sitting in my stomach until it makes me sick. About the only thing that doesn't make me feel sick is fruit, but that doesn't do much about my hunger.
Thank goodness I had an appointment with my OB today and he has prescribed me some Zofran so we'll see how that works. I would have preferred to find a natural remedy, but at this point I just need to EAT!
I do keep reminding myself that the morning sickness is a good sign, and, honestly, I will take this times a billion to have healthy babies.
On a positive note, we got to hear the heartbeats this week!! It was the most amazing thing! Baby A is measuring great, Baby B is about 2 days behind, but both had heart rates of 119bpm on Tuesday, which is awesome. At today's ultrasound, B was still measuring two days behind, with a heart rate of 122, and A had a heart rate of 139, still perfect for where they are.
Baby B's sac looks a lot smaller than A's, which sort of worried us a bit. The technician and doctor assured us that everything looked great and, since B is further from the cervix, it might just be a bit more difficult to get a good picture of him/her.
Speaking of him or her... I have had a feeling from the beginning that we have a boy and a girl. My mom feels the same way and some of my friends have also mentioned it. Patrick says its two boys... but I figured that was more just wishful thinking on his part. At the OB appointment today, my doctor said he's putting his money on two boys (I'm guessing he's going by the heart rates). Now I don't know what to think!
Today's appointment proved informative in a lot of ways!
We went over the list of all the things I can't do or eat. All the tests they recommend and how often I'll be seen. How much weight I should gain... 35lbs if anyone's wondering, which actually surprised me because it seems like not very much for twins and I'm starting out at 118.
My OB also told me that I have a zero percent chance at a vaginal delivery, and that there is only one doctor in the area that he knows of that will even attempt a vaginal with twins. He says the risk of something happening is much too high and he prefers for everyone to be safe... so C-section it is.
My due date is May 24, but my "goal date" is May 3 (37 weeks). I'm also not going to be allowed to work past 28 weeks and will probably go on modified bed-rest at that point. Since I'm a hairdresser, he said he might have me stop working as early as 20 weeks, depending on how big I'm getting and how my cervix is holding up.
All this information was a bit unexpected to me, and it really made me think about how drastically everything is going to change... and how SOON! I could potentially need to stop working in three months! It was a little overwhelming.
Twenty weeks will put me at the end of December, which is my busiest time of year, so I'll probably be ready to quit by then! At least it will give me plenty of time to get ready for the twins.
Thank You, God, for the wonderful gifts You have given us. Please keep my babies strong, healthy, and growing inside my uterus until May.
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