23 Week Bumpdate

(Sorry the picture is blurry, don't know what happened there)


How far along: 23 weeks
How far along am I measuring: not sure, but I feel like bigger every day
Weight Gain/Loss: +16.7lbs (as of 22 weeks.) I choose not to weigh myself in between Dr's appointments because I know its important for me to gain weight and I don't want to obsess over it.
How Big are Babies: Size of grapefruits! As of last week they were both 15 oz, but over the next 4 weeks they should double in size!
Major Achievement for Babies: Their faces are fully formed! Now they just need some more fat to fill out :)
Maternity Clothes: Yup. By some miracle I'm still able to fasten my jeans with a hair tie, otherwise I'm exclusively in maternity clothes.
Sleep:Getting worse. I have more heartburn at night now so have to start proped up with pillows and then all night toss and turn from side to side. We're thinking of investing in a big recliner for me to sleep in now and for nursing once the babies are born.
Movement:Yes! I'm starting to notice more of a routine to their movements, but it is getting harder and harder to tell who's who in there. Last night Baby B had a serious case of the hiccups and I saw my belly move from the outside for the first time! It was crazy awesome!
Food Cravings: Veggie subs and PaneraBread Broccoli Cheese Soup
Food Aversions: Eggs, Fruit, Vegetables.... pretty much anything healthy sounds awful.
Genders: Baby A - GIRL!!!! Baby B - GIRL!!!!!
Symptoms: Round ligament pain is getting worse. Fatigue, Acne, Insomnia. I've also been having episodes of what I think is low blood sugar. I'm having to be much more intentional about what I eat and when especially the further along I get.... the bigger I get, the less room there is for food.
Best Moment(s) This Week:  Getting one of the cribs and the changing table put together! It took Bob (with me supervising :) over an hour to put the first crib together, so needless to say the other one is still sitting in the box. If anyone wants to volunteer to put it together let me know, because I can't lift the pieces by myself.
What am I Looking Forward To: Still waiting for Bob to be able to feel them. I'm excited to be able to "see" them move more and more. BabyMoon!! My WONDERFUL aunt and uncle are letting us stay in their vacation home up north in a few weeks to get away and we're so excited!!!!

Also, once again my OB has brought up the question of how we want to have the babies. And, once again, I said "I don't care," She looked at me and responded, "You know, you really should care."

Let me clarify for you all. Its not that I don't care because I have no preferences and no opinions, or because I have no knowledge.... I say I don't care because I understand that this is a high risk pregnancy, and, thus, a high risk delivery. I'm ok with doing whatever method is safest for my children (and me).

I'm absolutely, positively not set on a "all natural birth," never have been, never will be. I'm way to big of a wimp, and I'm all for modern science and the advancements in pain management (and if you have a different opinion, that's fine, I just don't need to hear about it).

After much talking Bob and I are currently leaning towards an elective c-section. While we still have plenty of time to make our final decision, and we could very well change our minds, this is what we are feeling is the safest option for us. Currently, neither baby is considered fully head down, and if it remains that way, we'll have to have a c-section any ways. Our biggest concern at this point is that if we go for a vaginal delivery, Baby A will come out fine and then Baby B will turn or there will be a cord prolapse, etc requiring an emergency c-section. Fortunately, at our hospital, they always delivery twins in the OR so that if a c-section is necessary, they're already set up.

In all my research I've found a very common trend among mom's of twins who've had c-sections. They either 1) hated their experience or 2) loved it. AND the ones who hated it, didn't want c-sections and required emergency c-section of either one or both of their babies and those who loved them had elective c-sections.

I've had quite a few people ask me this question, so that's why I thought I'd just throw it out here. Again, we could still change our minds on what we chose to do, but based on babies' current positions and researching c-section vs vaginal birth of twins (which does happen successfully!) we're leaning towards at scheduled c-section at 37 weeks. I'd welcome any imput or personal experiences (but I WILL be getting an epidural, you'll never convince me otherwise)  :)

B&B

22 week bumpdate & Ultrasound Pics

How far along: 22 weeks
How far along am I measuring: approx. 29 weeks.
Weight Gain/Loss: +16.7lbs
How Big are Babies: Ultrasound estimated that both girls are approximately 15 oz! Dr's were very pleased that they're the same size. At 22 weeks babies average 11 inches long. Our girls are currently in the 30th percentile for size, but both my OB and Perinatologist are totally fine with that.
Major Achievement for Babies: They now look like miniature newborns and are developing tooth buds beneath their gums.
Maternity Clothes: Yup. Aside from my jeans, I'm exclusively in maternity clothes. I did a little shopping last week and tried on some maternity clothes with one those wonderful "belly pillows." In care you don't know what those are, they're a pillow that you velcro around your belly and they're supposed to show you what you'll look like 4 months further into a singleton pregnancy. Let's just say, I'm going to be huge!! I was having a very hard time finding shirts that aren't huge on me now that will still fit by the end of the pregnancy.
Sleep: Not great.... I've got about 6 pillows that I have to sleep with and I'm constantly switching from one side to the other and it takes forever to get situated because I have to rearrange all my pillows every time. I take a nap almost every day too. :)
Movement: I love it! I've felt them kick from the outside a couple of times, but everytime I put Bob's hand on my belly they stop moving... little stinkers. Thankfully they like to nap at the same time as me during the day, but they always start flipping around when I'm ready to go to bed at night.
Food Cravings: Veggie subs and PaneraBread Broccoli Cheese Soup
Food Aversions: Eggs.
Genders: Baby A - GIRL!!!! Baby B - GIRL!!!!!
Symptoms: GERD symptoms are MUCH better. I'm having a lot more round ligament pain and back pain, which is just par for the course. Acne, Fatigue, I have a little bit of swelling now but mostly just in my hands and feet at the end of the day. Wedding ring still fits, for now! Sadly, I have now developed "chins" Just this week I feel like I have all this extra skin and flap under my chin and, sure enough, I've got chins.
Best Moment(s) This Week: Seeing baby girls at the ultrasound yesterday.
What am I Looking Forward To: Cribs and changing table are ready to be picked up and I'm so excited to start putting the nursery together!! I'm also still anxious for Bob to be able to feel them move. I'm starting to feel them react to his and my voice too :)

Unfortunately, neither of the girls were overly cooperative at the ultrasound yesterday, so we didn't get many good pics, but here are some of the ultrasound pictures from 18 weeks and from yesterday. Baby A is in the exact same spot as she was a month ago... with her head tucked down under my right hip and doing a headstand with her legs flipped over top of her. Baby B is on top. She is currently laying transverse, and while she's usually more active, she's much more cooperative at ultrasounds. Baby A refuses to move, even though she has plenty of room, making it difficult to get all of her measurements. I love that we can already tell their, very different, personalities.

18 weeks - 1/31/13

Baby B sucking her thumb :)

Baby B

I think this pic and the next are so cool! You can see the thin membrane that separates them and one of each of their feet - Baby A on the right and Baby B on the left.

This is one of my other favorites! They are touching each other!! While the membrane keeps them from having actual skin-to-skin contact with each other, they can still push in to each other's sacs . Again Baby A is on the right side of the picture and Baby B is on the left.

 

Baby B's entire body (upper right) with Baby A's limbs pushing in (bottom Left).

Baby A's profile

22 weeks - 2/28/13

                                                        Baby B being shy and hiding her face.

 

Baby being stubborn and refusing to move. This picture took a lot of work for the ultrasound tech to get :)

Oh yeah! And we finally agreed on one name!!! We were so sure were having boys that we had an entire list of boy names we liked and no girl names and up until now haven't agreed on any. So we now have one first and middle name picked out (I think it'll be Baby A, but we haven't decided that for sure yet either.) And no, we're not sharing what the name is... just that we now have one of them :)

Trip to the ER & 21 week Bumpdate

Yesterday afternoon we had our first "major" scare of our pregnancy. I was feeling kind of off for the last few days; really tired, extremely sore, worse headaches... you know... pregnancy symptoms. Well around 3:45pm I stood up to use the bathroom (again!) and I all of the sudden had terrible stabbing pelvic pain. No bleeding, no back pain, no shortness of breathe. Just terrible pain in my pelvis. I couldn't even stand up straight. The only way I could describe it was if I straightened up, I felt like everything would just snap. I thought maybe it was just round ligament pain (which is pretty awful) but even after sitting down for 10-15 minutes it didn't get any better.

I called my OB's office, spoke with the nurse who said they'd run it by another Dr in the office and call me back. Not even 5 minutes later, the nurse called back and said I needed to go to the ER to be checked out.

Immediately after hanging up I started crying, told Bob what was going on and we left for the hospital. The only comfort I had was that I could still feel both babies moving.

We spent almost 3 hours in the OB triage wing of the ER.

Good news: Both babies' heart rates were normal and both babies were moving around like crazy! I was on a monitor for more than 2 hours, and there were no contractions, my cervix is still high and closed. And urinalysis was normal.

Bad news: They have no idea what happened. Story of my life. According to the ER Dr. the most likely cause(s) are 1) bladder spams 2) round ligament pain (though doubtful because of where the pain was located) 3) one, or both, babies could have shifted position and could now be sitting in such a way that they're pushing down on the nerves in my pelvis.

I had a follow up appointment this morning with the NP at my Doctor's office. She agreed with the ER's evaluation and said she thinks its probably stretching because the babies' have moved.

In comparing this week and last week's bump pictures, I think it looks like they're sitting a little lower, so maybe, hopefully, that's all it was.

How far along: 21 weeks
How far along am I measuring: 28 weeks! The NP laughed when I asked her and said she'd only tell me if I promised not to freak out because I'm supposed to be measuring big :)
Weight Gain/Loss: +15lbs
How Big are Babies: every website says differently... but averages about 3/4 of a pound and 10.5in long. Ultrasound next week will give a more accurate measurement.
Major Achievement for Babies: They've developed eyelashes and eyebrows; They will now start to get the hiccups!! Also, they are now able to kick each other.... let the fighting begin :)
Maternity Clothes: Of course. Still, somehow, managing to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans.... however the whole using a hair tie to hold them shut... not going to last much longer... I can hardly zip them.
Sleep: Pretty good. I wake up feeling sore, but I sleep soundly through the night.
Movement: Yup :) I love it! I've had a few moments where I panic if I don't feel anything for a few hours, but I know its still so early that its not concerning to not feel them all the time. I think I felt one of them have the hiccups a few days ago! It was a very strange sensation :)
Food Cravings: Salty food and Subway veggie subs
Food Aversions: eggs still... otherwise nothing in particular. It depends on the day.
Genders: Baby A - GIRL!!!! Baby B - GIRL!!!!!
Symptoms: Only new symptom is this annoying sensation that I have something stuck in my throat. No pain, no difficulty breathing or eating, just the feeling that I have a pill stuck. I finally called my OB (I think they're pretty sick of me calling) and they've switched my GERD meds to Prevacid and have referred me to GI. First consult is next week Friday. Apparently it can be a side of effect of pregnancy because of increased indigestion and the possibility that the esophageal flap isn't closing all the way  ???? sounds pretty crazy to me, but the Prevacid has helped so far.
Best Moment(s) This Week: Reassurance at the hospital that both babies are doing well. Feeling more and more movement :) Oh, and I ordered the cribs yesterday! Got a great deal by buying a bundle package and got the matching changing table for only $30!
What am I Looking Forward To: Ultrasound next week. I love seeing our baby girls :)  I also can't wait for other people to be able to feel them move. Bob is constantly asking me whether or not they're moving or if they're awake and I'm excited to be able to put his hand on my belly to feel it for himself :)

19W6D Bumpdate

 

How far along: 19 weeks and 6 days!
How far along am I measuring: Dr. U didn't tell me at my last appointment :(
Weight Gain/Loss: +13lbs
How Big are Babies: They are about the length of a banana! At our last ultrasound at 18 weeks, Baby A was approx. 7oz and Baby B was approx. 8 oz.
Major Achievement for Babies: They are can hear outside the womb
Maternity Clothes: Yup! Have been wearing maternity shirts since about week 8. I call still wear my pre-pregnancy jeans but they have to be held together with a hair tie.
Sleep: Really depends on the day. I go through phases where I sleep great and then sleep terrible. The last few nights I've had really bad indigestion so I've had to sleep up against my headboard, resulting in some intense neck stiffness.
Movement:YES!!!!! First time was Feb 5th :) I felt Baby B move. I've now felt both of them move, though rarely at the same time. Baby B all day and Baby A usually kicks in around the time I go to bed. It doesn't feel like any thing distinct yet... just like a couple of butterflies have been let loose in my stomach.
Food Cravings: Salty food
Food Aversions: Eggs! No eggs for me! I've tried numerous times and always end up throwing up right after.
Genders: Baby A - GIRL!!!!  Baby B - GIRL!!!!!
     We were VERY surprised by this! We thought for sure it was either two boys or one of each, but we're VERY excited! Shopping has been a lot of fun!
Symptoms: Nose bleeds... I get at least 2-3 a week sometimes more. Still very rarely throw up after eating in the morning. Headache, indigestion, back pain, fatigue.
Best Moment(s) This Week: Feeling consistent movement and finding out genders :) Also, I finished my baby registry, which was a lot of fun!
What am I Looking Forward To: More movement... especially excited for when Bob will be able to feel them move from outside my belly :) And I'm anxious to see them again... next ultrasound is at 22 weeks.

I still can't believe we're more than halfway there! My Dr. again brought up delivery and I flat out told her that I trust her to do her job and I'm ok with whatever method is neccessary to get the girls out safely. We still have quite a while before we need to decide anything, but I've already decided not to make a birth plan (other than getting an epidural) and to be flexible because there are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong and it hugely depends on where they're positioned.

B&B

Quick Pic Update

I'm so sorry for the HUGE delay in updates!! I've been trying on and off for the last 5 weeks to update and for some reason my blog wouldn't let me update anything! So, rather than try to update you on everything from the past 5 weeks, I decided to post my Bump pics and then do my next "bumpdate" at 18 weeks.

 

Also, we have our next ultrasound tomorrow and, assuming they cooperate, we get to find out their genders!!!!!!

 

 

14 weeks

 

15 weeks

 

16 weeks

 

17 weeks

13 Week Bumpdate

Today we are at exactly 13 weeks!!!! You'll have to bear with me as this is my first official "bumpdate" and I'll probably play around with what I actually write about. For now, I'm sticking with a format I've seen a number of other people do :) If there's anything else or different anyone wants me to add let me know!!

How far along: 13 weeks!
How far along am I measuring:  Dr's appointment next week, but I like its around 20 weeks.
Weight Gain/Loss:  +2.5lbs (but that was as of 10 weeks)
How Big are Babies:  Their about the size of a peaches this week. Ultrasound next week to find out actual size.
Major Achievement for Babies: They are forming teeth and vocal cords!
Maternity Clothes: Yup! Have been wearing maternity shirts since about week 8. I call still wear my pre-pregnancy jeans as long as I wear them really low and have my bella-band on
Sleep: Much better now! I had pretty bad insomnia the first 6-7 weeks. Now I sleep like a rock and sleep about 12 hours a night!
Movement:  Not yet :( I was told that I'll probably feel it earlier that a singleton pregnancy though!!
Food Cravings:  French Fries. I woke up this morning desperately wanting apples and oranges; time to go grocery shopping!
Food Aversions:  Sweets! I do NOT like sweets at all! I also don't like most food in general.... it just doesn't appeal to me.... I eat WAY less now that I'm pregnant that I ever did before.
Genders:  Don't know yet. But, we did find out we are having a 14 week ultrasound, and they said if the babies are cooperative, we may be able to tell genders!! And we will share genders once we know.
Symptoms: Round ligament pain and cramping are my biggest symptoms right now. I'm stretching like crazy though, so I'm sure that's why. Good news is, no stretch marks (or, as I like to call them, "baby marks") yet. Still have some nausea, usually when my blood sugar starts to drop, headaches, big/tender breasts, acne, and getting fatigued quickly.
Best Moment(s) This Week: Hitting the 2nd Trimester!!
What am I Looking Forward To:  14 week Ultrasound and Dr's appointment and possibility of finding out genders. I'm also anxious to feel movement :)

Time for An Update

I can't believe how quickly time is going! I had to go back and read my last post because I wasn't sure where I'd last left off....

Today I'm 11 weeks 2 days! Can you believe it! Only another week and 5 days until I'm officially into the 2nd trimester.... or, as I've been referring to it...into the safety zone. I'm ready to feel "safer" in this pregnancy. While we have no medical reasons to worry, there's something about being in the 1st trimester that leaves me sitting on edge.

We had our second ultrasound with Dr. D at 7w5d and were able to hear both babies heartbeats! Baby A's was 150 BPM and Baby B's was 157 BPM. They were both measuring 14.77mm! After the ultrasound we met with Dr. D in his office and were told that we were officially graduating!!! As much as we love our RE's office, its exciting to be moving on to our OB.

I had my first... well, first 2 appointments at my OB's last week. I went in Thursday to meet with the nurse so she could give me a big packet of information telling me everything I'm not allowed to do for the next 9 months. Then I went back Friday for my actually OB appointment.

At both appointments I was informed (numerous times I might add) that this is a "high risk pregnancy." However, because I have no underlying health issues, the only reason that its high risk is because its twins. Also, because they're fraternal twins, its even lower high risk. So, basically they're not really worried, but they have to treat it like a high risk pregnancy because there are two babies. Fine with me! More ultrasounds means getting to see my babies more! :)

I was also told that they're very happy with the way both babies are growing! Particularly that they're going at exactly the same rate! Apparently that's one of the biggest things they monitor in twin pregnancies... that both babies are growing at the same rate.

After the not so fun physical exam, Dr. U did an ultrasound and I couldn't believe how big they're getting! It was done at 10w1day; Baby A measured at 10w2d and Baby B measured 10w5days! Big Dutch babies... I knew it!!! I was a little bummed to be able to hear their heartbeats again, but I could definitely see them! The craziest part of the entire thing was that they were both moving! Both of them were flailing their arms, kicking their legs and wiggling their entire bodies! It's so crazy that there are two little people inside me, doing gymnastics, but I can't feel a thing... yet! :)

Dr. U informed me that we'd be following up with MFM (maternal-fetal medicine) for all future ultrasounds and testing. While she didn't go into much detail about this, I do know a little about it. My understanding is that with any high-risk/multiples pregnancy, the mom has to be monitored by MFM for all testing because they had get more specific/accurate measurements and results. (I could be WAY off tho! I'll let you know once I know more).

So, even though I continue to see my OB every 4 weeks, I won't have another ultrasound until 20 weeks. I didn't realize how spoiled I've been being able to see them every 2 weeks... Now I have to wait 10!

The strangest part of my OB appointment was when she asked me how I wanted to have my babies. Of course my response was "medicated," but I didn't really think about picking in advance if I wanted a C-section or not. She said at about 25 weeks or so they'll ask me again how I want to have them and if I want a C-section they'll just schedule it for 37 weeks, otherwise I can just wait until my body goes on its own... but if I don't go by 38 weeks, they'll induce me.

Obviously its WAY to early to decide that... and there may be circumstances that prevent me from being able to decide (pre-term labor, one or both babies breech, etc...) but it's certainly not a decision I thought I'd have to be making.

Pregnancy wise things have been going well. Everyday is a milestone; everyday I feel a little better; everyday I look a little bigger :) Good thing we didn't try to keep our pregnancy under wraps for too long; there's no way I could hide this bump even if I wanted too!

Next OB appointment is January 4th, I'll try to have a "bump" photo by then. I've been a little too self conscious to post any pictures as I feel that I'm way bigger than anyone else at 11 weeks :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

B&B