Belly Shots 25-27 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

27 weeks

Wowza... I get even more huge every week! I'm going to spare you the bare belly shots from here on out, because stretch marks made their first appearance this week. It started with two tiny lines under my stomach on Tuesday, then when I woke up this morning there were a couple more... Maybe it's because I'm still measuring 9 weeks ahead according to my OB; my belly is the size of someone pregnant with one baby at 36 weeks right now. I still have my belly button though, thanks to a deep innie to begin with. Interestingly enough, I weighed the same at this appointment as I did 4 weeks ago; still a total gain of 40 lbs. I've noticed my face looks a little fuller, so it's not just in my belly any more though.

Other milestone moments this week, besides stretch marks: I woke up in the middle of the night to what I think are the first hiccups I remember feeling. My crappy sleep might be getting to me, but my little ones can wake me up at any time and I'll still love feeling them move. I also had my glucose test today- I'll find out tomorrow if I didn't pass. I wore and bought my first XL maternity top too- the one in the 27 week picture (so much for the recommendation of buying your pre-pg size). Most of my small and medium pants are still fitting, thank goodness. It is hard to justify buying new maternity clothes when any day could be my last pregnant day . But a girl's got to have more than a shirt or two that fits!

My OB was very laid back and reassuring about the contractions and hospital stay that I had last week- he's not at all concerned about a higher risk for pre-term labor and the babies showing up earlier because I had them. He thinks (as I do) that it was a isolated event. I start OB appointments every other week now that I'm pretty much in the 3rd trimester (according to different sources, the 3rd trimester starts anywhere from the beginning of week 26 to week 28). Our next perinatologist appointment (and u/s) is next week on the 8th. I think that means between the two doctors, I'll pretty much have doctor appointments every week until the twins are here!

Sleep Issues

Within the last week, my sleeping pattern has changed. I had been pretty thankful for most of this pregnancy so far that I was only making one or maybe two bathroom trips a night. I occasionally woke up with back pain, but was still able to get good chunks of sleep in. But now my sleeping pattern is totally different.

Since my hospital stay, I've been waking up about ever two hours to go to the bathroom. I still limit my drinking for a few hours before I go to bed, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. It is disappointing how little I actually go when I do plod to the bathroom- I think, "I woke up for that?" Then when I waddle back into bed I have the hardest time falling back asleep. Sometimes I think hunger is keeping me up, so I trek to the kitchen to see what I can find. But if I eat something, then I usually get heartburn or acid reflux before I can fall asleep again.

Other times, after I am back in bed my head doesn't let me fall back asleep- I immediately get consumed with thoughts about the long list of things left to be done. It usually goes like this: paint the room (choose a color), wash clothes, changing pad cover, diaper bag, window coverings, mobiles, pack hospital bag, diapers, wipes, wall art, twin nursing pillow, miracle blanket, baby books, update registry, get school stuff done,... paint the room, wash clothes, changing pad cover, diaper bag... (over and over again)

So here it is 6 am on a Sunday morning (keep in mind this is coming from a girl who up until months ago could sleep in until 11 am any day) and I'm sitting on the couch, running through the list in my brain once again, while my husband will be peacefully slumbering for probably another 5 hours. I figure I'll let him, because his days are numbered, too.

Dressers Ordered, Check!

After searching the Internet a little bit today, I found the following dressers and decided to go with them for our babies' room. The shorter dresser will work perfectly for a changing table. Thanks to online shopping on overstock.com, our babies got a Christmas present today too! Hopefully they will be delivered before the end of my winter break so I can start putting things away in them.

I also ordered letters from this website for the babies' names above the crib. I liked the ability to choose between so many fonts. We chose the Tango BT font and will be painting them white. So progress was made today!

Work Today... Who Knows About Next Time?

After finally hearing back from my OB's nurse yesterday afternoon at almost 5 pm, I was told it would be ok to "try" work today and see how it goes. So today I braved the 5 and 6 year old hyped up on Christmas, Santa, and the impending snow storm and I am happy to say I survived without any problems. (My computer contracted a virus so I was unable to use it; a major inconvenience when you are trying to get caught up after being gone unexpectedly for two days--- but personally and physically I had no problems)

My kinder co-workers helped me shuttle my class to and from lunch, special classes like art, and the bus, as well as got my mail for me throughout the day so I didn't have to walk all the way down to the office. One co-worker even hauled my holiday gift loot to my car for me. I hope their generosity continues because it really saved me a lot of steps and energy today.

I plan on going in next week while we are off of school and finishing getting everything set for the remainder of the school year (while taking it easy, of course). My other goals for the week off: packing the hospital bag (I learned the hard way this week not to let your husband pick out clothes when in a pinch- he seriously grabbed one of his Tshirts with a skull and a small hole in the front for me to wear), and get as much done in the babies' room as possible (getting it completely done might be too lofty of a goal at this point, but I'm going to try). I think a big chunk of stress about possible bedrest will be alleviated if those things get taken care of.

My next OB appointment and glucose test is on December 30th... I hope after chatting with my OB I can get a better picture of what my January will be like. In the meantime, I am unsure of how to handle the NICU nurse that said she'd be calling every few days to see how I'm doing "on bedrest." I am thankful that she is so caring to go out of her way to help so I don't want to cause any bad feelings. I'd love some advice about what I should say to her when she calls.

Stay tuned for the finished quilts as well! My friend is just finishing up the edges and I am SO EXCITED to see how they turned out and share them with all of you!

Hospital Trip Update

I was released last night at about 9 pm. I would have been able to leave earlier, but they wanted me to get the Rhogram shot (because I have O neg blood type) before I left and there was some miscommunication with the pharmacy about whether I would need blood taken before they would send up the shot- which in the end, they didn't need (because they could use the vials that were taken earlier in the day). Along with my Rhogram IM shot, I also got the second dose of the Betamethasone steroid IM shot for lung development (which needed to be given 24 hours after the first dose). Thank goodness the PIO shots I had up to 12 weeks made me a pro at getting shots in the bum- I hardly blinked at the injections.

I feel great physically, and haven't had any contractions since I was weaned off of the magnesium sulfate. There still hasn't been official word as to why they think I had the contractions- especially since there there no other indicators for pre-term labor- the doctors/nurses all said on paper I look fabulous- all my numbers look great. I know I am no doctor, but I do know my body and my job/lifestyle better than everyone else- and I think this past week really took a toll on me- I stayed up late the two nights prior, didn't drink as much water as I usually do, had long days at work all week, among other stressors (including a classroom full of hyped-up-on-Christmas 5 and 6 year olds, buying a new vehicle, a late night baby class besides getting ready for the holidays myself). I feel deep down that this was an isolated incident and a hard hitting reminder that I need to get back to making a better effort to limit everything I do, despite having that in-the-2nd-trimester-golden-period where I have the energy level of pre-pg me.

That being said, I am unsure of what the future holds for me. I am still waiting for follow-up information from my OB (he's in surgery today). I was told differing opinions from just about every nurse/resident/midwife/doctor that came into my room yesterday. My official discharge papers has the section marked that includes: continue normal activities during the day while the minimal activity/bedrest/work restrictions section is not marked. I was told to follow up with my OB at our already scheduled appointment December 30th- but I need to figure out what's happening with me and work before then.

I mentioned already that one nurse said we shouldn't travel for the holidays- which I am ok with, and we're not planning to do now (also because of the foot of snow that is expected during the time we should be driving the 4 hours). A NICU nurse had stopped by and gave my husband a tour of the NICU- she called today and is of the opinion that I should be on complete bedrest from here on out. She's planning on calling every few days to check on me. But she's not my doctor. I am really frustrated about this for a few reasons: it seems like she is taking it upon herself to tell us what to do- to my knowledge she did not get any of our information and does not know about any of my past pregnancy information, all she is aware of is that this is an IVF twin PG and that I stayed overnight with contractions at 26 weeks. I know she sees the worst of the worst situations, but I trust my OB's advice over everything else. We chose him because he is laidback- I'm not a very laidback person and I needed that from my OB to balance me out.

OF COURSE I want to do what is absolutely best for our babies- I think that should go without saying- but I don't necessarily think complete bedrest is what is absolutely best for them right now- especially since through it all, the two of them and their uterus environment were and continue to be in great shape. I really think this was an isolated incident. 12 weeks of bedrest means financially we won't be able to have enough to even buy diapers with the additional 6 weeks of unpaid leave I'd have no choice but to take. It also means I'd only get 6 weeks with them after they are born, as opposed to the 12 I'm hoping for. It also means their momma is going to be under a great deal of stress- and that's no good for all of us either!

So here I sit, waiting for my OB's nurse to call so I can get an idea whether I should be on bedrest, go to work tomorrow, plan on being done with work, or returning on January 4th. Not knowing is driving me insane.

*Please, no negative comments regarding my post- this is my place to vent and get it all out there, and I really don't need more stress to add to an already difficult situation.

Hospital Details

So Sunday morning I woke up feeling like crap. I thought I just needed to make a trip to the bathroom. Except that it didn't really stop after that. I was feeling intermittent, painful lower abdominal cramps accompanied by lower back pain. And while I am no stranger to back pain, usually mine is of the upper back variety. After about two hours, I called in to see what we should do (still not convinced that I just wasn't extremely constipated). Since they don't mess with twin pregnancy, I was instructed to head to the birthing center right away.

The birthing center at our hospital of choice is 45 minutes away. During that first drive, the cramping almost completely subsided. We were shown to a room and I still wasn't very worried, per se- I just had a feeling that they were going to be ok. I was given Zofran for the cramp-induced nausea, trebutaline for the cramps, and steroids to speed up their lung development in the chance that things would progress and not be able to be stopped. Then I started to get a little worried. I was hooked up to three monitors; one for each baby and one for the cramps to see if they were "contractions." According to the nurses at that time, they were not, and they did not seem sure what was causing my issues. A nurse did an u/s- but she wasn't really trained in how to do them, so it basically just gave her an idea where to put the monitors. The babies were doing fine while we were there- great h/b and still moving a lot as usual. My cervix still felt good according the the nurse. I was sent home about 4 hours later.

Side note- while driving home, I called my mom to let her know about the day's events. I thought I would wait until I knew what was going on before causing her unneeded worry. After I explained that we were headed home and things appeared to be fine, she told me that she had actually had a dream that morning that woke her up that the babies were born today, and couldn't get back to sleep. That really made me thankful that I waited to call her until it was over. Or what I thought was over.

After the 45 minute drive home and about a half hour, my husband left to go grocery shopping since I was doing fine. Then the cramps came back with a vengeance. This time, I did not feel that the babies were going to be just fine- I was given meds before and the pain was worse then ever. I started sobbing that it was too early and they couldn't come now. I called my husband and told him I needed him home right then. We called the birthing center and then headed right back. That 45 minute+ drive in slightly bad road conditions was the most excruciating thing, and cliche as it sounds, seemed to take forever.

This time when I was hooked up to the monitors, it was showing that I was in fact having contractions, and the nurses were concerned that the trebutaline didn't last very long to stop the cramping. I was started on magnesium sulfate- a muscle relaxant, that thanks to The Southern Belle Baby, I had just read all about and what to expect. It is some wicked stuff. I also got a u/s from a u/s tech this time and things still looked good on the babies side of things. I had some more intense cramping so my dosage of the mag sulfate was upped and I was told I would be at least staying the night. A catheter was put in (fun, fun) and I made it through the night with only one more cramping occasion. Since it was contractions without a shortening/soft cervix my OB is not calling it preterm labor. Today I only had one minor cramping incident, and so I've been slowly weaned off of the mag sulfate throughout the day. I should be able to go home tonight if things continue to go well.

I am unsure of what this means from now on- one nurse said we wouldn't be able to travel to our families' for Christmas- another said I should stop working, the NICU lady that took my husband for a tour while I was resting believes I should be on bedrest... I am concerned about the future, but ever so thankful that throughout it all, our babies were doing well and despite the contractions, nothing else was worsening/looking badly. They have 12 weeks to keep bakin'....

In the Hospital

I am in the hospital for pre-term contractions. Everything is ok with the babies right now but they are keeping me overnight. Please send prayers our way that I can go home asap and everything continues to be ok with the babies. Thanks.

So Excited!

I am getting my Christmas present a little early! My dear sweet husband is trading in his truck (which is unable to hold 2 carseats) for a Honda Pilot for me! A Pilot was our top pick for a new vehicle, but we weren't sure we'd be able to get one. We also considered other 3rd row seating SUVs like Explorers, or Mountaineers and minivans. My husband found a really good deal yesterday and so we test drove it and decided it was doable financially. We agreed he'd now drive my car (the less reliable vehicle of the two) every day unless he needed the Pilot for hunting/ice fishing/etc. I've had my car since 2002, so it is exciting to have something new to drive! I cannot wait to see two car seats in the back. It is the perfect size for two kids and two rather large labs. :) We get to bring it home on Monday.

Those Darn Pregnancy Hormones

I cried while watching a holiday Christmas commercial.

I got misty-eyed while listening to Silent Night on the radio in my car.

When I'm really overtired and I don't get a nap after school I end up crying.

And I've turned into a patience-less crazed kindergarten teacher who cannot wait, like never before, until school is over for the rest of this year (yes, I mean 2009- but it sounds better that way, doesn't it?). My poor students have unfortunately borne the wrath of this crazed kindergarten teacher an embarrassing amount lately.

Yesterday a somewhat regular substitute in our school saw me for the first time and exchanged the usual, "Oh! You're pregnant! What are you having?"conversation. She had true shock on her face when I told her a boy and a girl. I needed to tell her that yes, I am sure it is twins. Then she followed up her comments with, "I'm glad it's you and not me!" (Which, for the record, is the first time someone said that to me. Personally I think that's really rude to say!) I couldn't help it- pregnancy hormones and all- and replied: "I'm glad it's me and not you, too."

Clothing Crisis and Then Some

Something has happened in the last month or so- I got HUGE. I just finished my typical Sunday-figuring-out-what-to-wear-all-week project, and I discovered that a lot of the maternity clothes I had worn just won't cut it now. Either there isn't enough chest space (just how big are those going to get anyway???), or the shirts are too short to adequately cover my belly. I removed those shirts and a few pants from my closet, and now the closet is pitifully sparse. My few non-maternity shirts that I was able to wear somewhat recently also are a little laughable now. Crap and oh my gosh- how the heck am I going to make it to March???

Now that I'm 25 weeks, I've also had an impending sense of needing to get every last little thing done and ready. I always have in the back of my mind that a student I had last year (a twin) was delivered at 27 weeks. That's only 2 weeks away from where I am at now. We don't have the room done (painted, curtains, OR all the furniture) , we don't have a diaper bag, we don't have a changing pad cover, we don't have enough newborn clothes to cover a boy and a girl... it is a long list of things left to be done.

Major setback today too: the plan to refinish the changing table and dresser I had as a baby is no longer. After working on it for a while today, my husband concluded that is isn't possible to fix the tracks of the drawers. Now we have to find a white changing table/dresser for the room. I'm disappointed to say the least. I'm also disappointed that we could have picked different cribs in a non-white color if we knew what we know now. But it is too late to disassemble both cribs and return them. What can I do though? It is what it is- and white is what the furniture will be.

Perinatologist Appointment

Today we met the perinatologist for the first time. It is amazing how much more quickly he zipped through the u/s than all the u/s techs we've seen! It was great to see the babies again- I know that most people get one or two u/s during their pregnancy, but 7 weeks has been a long time for us to wait to see them again!

At 18 weeks they were both transverse (sideways)- I'm happy to say that now both babies are head down, facing each other (although this could change at any time). That would explain why I feel the most movement high in my belly. One is 1 lb 9 oz, and the other is 1 lb 10 oz. Dr. J said my cervix is a "super star" at just over 5 cm. I breathed a little easier after that, because a shortened cervix is more likely with a multiple PG, and the most likely cause for bedrest at this point. This too could change at any moment though. Dr. J also mentioned that 32 weeks is his magic number- that babies born at that time fair as well in the long run as a full term baby. That was something I hadn't heard before, but I still let him know we were shooting for 38 weeks. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but for now, that's a good goal for me to have.

At the last u/s I got very lightheaded after about an hour. This time I lasted maybe 20 minutes on my back before I almost fainted. Everything started to get dark and it started to sound like I was in a tunnel. When I mentioned that I felt lightheaded, the nurse quickly had me turn on my left side and put a cold, wet towel on my face for a little bit. Dr. J did the rest of the u/s with me laying on my side, which was interesting.

Our next appointment with the perinatologist is in 4 weeks. Our next appointment with my OB is in 2 and a half weeks, and then I should start seeing him every 2 weeks. So basically, once I hit January (and the third trimester) I will be seeing a doctor almost every week. I can't believe how fast this is flying by; but yet the IVF in July seems so long ago.

Sweet Pea (our baby girl who is on the right side of my uterus)

Little Bean (our baby boy who is on the left side- he always has his hand by his face!)

Their heads side by side

Belly shots: 22 weeks - 24 weeks

22 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks
The bare belly shot

Our first appointment with the perinatologist is tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait for our u/s to see how my little ones have grown!

Happy Viability Day, My Little Ones!

Happy Viability Day to you, Happy Viability Day to you

Happy Viability Day dear Little Bean and Sweet Pea,

Happy Viability Day to you!

I am now 24 weeks, which means that my babies have a greater than 50% chance of survival if they came out right now. It also means that if there was a problem I would be sent to the birthing center and not the ER. I still tell my little ones "38 weeks" every day- lest they get the wrong idea that I want them to come sooner!

How my babies are growing according to babycenter.com: My babies are growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces each since last week. That puts them at just over a pound. Since they are almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), they cut a pretty lean figure at this point, but their bodies are filling out proportionally and they'll soon start to plump up. Their brains are also growing quickly now, and their taste buds are continuing to develop. Their lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help the air sacs inflate once they hits the outside world. Their skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How far along: 24 weeks (but measuring at 32 weeks last week)
Total weight gain: 37 lbs since 6 weeks
Stretch marks?: No, but wondering how long I will be able to say that
Sleep: Getting more used to sleeping on my side. The acid reflux is adding a new level of difficulty to sleeping though.
Best moments this week: Viability and getting the tour of the birthing center
Food cravings: hot dogs (but that has now passed)
Sex: Boy and girl!
Labor signs?: Nope
Belly Button: Disappearing
What I miss the most: Being pain-free and having energy to get everything done
What I am looking forward to the most: Our u/s on Friday- the first one in 7 long weeks.
Milestones: Viability!

Crossing Another Thing Off the List

We had our childbirthing class today. Because our hospital is a 45 minute drive from our home, and because I can barely function after a full day teaching, the evening classes just weren't an option so we went with the all day long from 9 am to 5 pm option. Although you are encouraged to take the class in the third trimester, we went with December because I didn't want to miss out because of bedrest or preterm labor. I couldn't imagine adding the stress of feeling that I didn't know enough because I missed the class on top of the stress we'd have if we went into preterm labor!

Going into today, I can't say I was excited, really- mostly because I could have used today to recover from a long week at school after a long holiday weekend of traveling and the shower. I can't say I really learned that much, but that in of itself was good, because it made me feel like I really am knowledgeable about this whole giving birth thing. Very little of it had to do with a twin birth (as I figured), but we made sure to ask questions when something came up that I wasn't sure how it pertained to us.

We did get a birthing center tour, which was something I had been really looking forward to. The entire center was recently remodeled so the room are really nice. Although I'll be delivering in a OR room no matter what, it was reassuring to hear that I won't get whisked into the OR until the last moment. Our hospital is a level 3 NICU (which is why we are driving 45 minutes to deliver there) but we didn't get to tour that part. I was a little disappointed in that. The NICU babies are housed in room with the moms in really deluxe rooms.

Coming up next: Baby Care Basics in two weeks and Infant CPR a few days after that. On top of holiday stuff, December is going to be a busy month for us!