3 months already!

I am so sorry for no updates! Life with twins is sort of hectic. But I wanted to post a pic of the babes, who are doing so well. They are on height/weight target for singletons at their age and are developmentally right on schedule, if not a little ahead :) They like to smile and try to talk, are just starting to notice their hands and hit at things. They need to be entertained while they are awake, which is tiring but great.

Here are some photos. I am off to read everyone's blogs now for your updates. So sorry to be MIA for so long!

liw

Just born:




2.5-3 months:

They're Here!

The girls arrived at 37w3d via c-section on June 19th. I never went into labor, but my BP was rising and my kidneys failing so my OB decided not to wait until the 23rd. The experience of childbirth was odd since it was not the way I always imagined it and now I am recovering from a cesarean, however it was nice not to have to labor for hours.

In any case the girls are great, Baby A at 6lbs2oz and 19 inches and Baby B at 5lbs4oz and 18.5 inches. They've lost some of their initial weight but have already started gaining it back. We're home now after 4 days in the hospital, and it is an AMAZING experience, although a very tiring one and a bit nerve wracking, mostly because I worry about them. However, they have been doing great and didn't need any NICU time which is a huge relief. I love them more than anything!

36 week belly shots

Just a few:






At my OB appt today she said I must have been meant to have twins. My NST the babies were great but I didn't even have a single contraction! Maybe we will make it to 38 weeks after all. Isn't that just unheard of for twins?!?!

I'm hoping for sometime this week. Stay tuned...

Another quickie update

35w3d today, and I've got my c-section scheduled for 38w - but hoping to go a bit earlier than that. DH wants me to last as long as possible. Yeah, I think in another week I will be more than ready. My bp started to rise about a week and a half ago, so I was put on bedrest and have had about a million lab tests done for pre-eclampsia, but luckily no signs of it, and now my bp is lowering again, phew! All tests show the girlies doing well, and at our last growth check at 34 weeks they were 5lbs10oz and 5lbs2oz. So now we just wait it out - 18 more days at the most.

Quick Update

Because I am simply too tired to blog, but I do actively read all the blogs on my blogroll. The act of writing is just too overwhelming though.

So it turns out the GD is not so bad, and I actually only borderline failed so it has been easy to control my sugars with diet alone. It has to be the PCOS and my pregnancy weight gain that did it since I'm a pretty skinny girl normally. Oh well, not too much longer now to try to get through it.

I am 32w1d today. I would LOVE to make it another 3 weeks. I have this number in my head - 35 weeks - where I feel like we would be safe. Lungs, the last thing to fully develop, would be in really good shape by then, especially with twins since they develop sooner. My OB said the very latest I will be allowed to deliver is 6/23, which is 38 weeks, although typically twin mommies do not make it that far.

At our scan a week ago, Baby A was 4lbs5oz and Baby B was 3lbs13oz, which is 55th/60th percentile for singletons so really good for twins. Despite this, I am not huge. My OB said it is because I am tall and have a lot of room to distribute well. We get weekly NSTs, and they have been doing well. Since Baby B is in breech we will most likely be doing a c-section. In fact I am planning to ask my OB about this tomorrow. I just want to make sure that's the plan.

The nursery is 95% completed, and my Baby Shower was amazing, got to see lots of friends and family, and they were so generous with my gifts. We hired a Baby Nurse who is a former NICU nurse and EMT, and she will be staying with us full time for 3+ weeks after the girls come home, which is a HUGE relief, especially for my husband, who was starting to get worried.

Other than that, just biding my time and hoping these two cook for as long as possible. Off to read the other blogs. Wishing everyone well, especially those set to deliver soon and those still on their journey to mommyhood (or second/third time mommyhood).

I Have GD

I failed the first test - 179. Which is absurdly high. I took the 3 hour test and of course I failed that too. My OB called early the next day herself, so I knew it was bad news. I said "I'm guessing that since you're calling that means I failed". Yep. Sorry. Now go meet with a clinical nurse specialist to get on a special diet and hopefully won't need insulin. So I will do that tomorrow.

I know me and my willpower and amazing ability to diet, so I KNOW that I can do this - I can lower my carbs to almost nothing. The only thing I am terrified of is the possibility of pre-eclampsia. I had my BP and urine checked a week ago and all was normal, but then I noticed my feet were starting to get a little puffy. Not my face or hands though thankfully. It seems my feet get better when I spend more time with them elevated. Still, I am scared. I would say it is my worst fear. At 28w2d it is way too early to have a complication like that. At least if it happened later I would feel better about it.

Anyway...at least the babies are doing well. All I care about is having them cook as long as possible and getting them here safely.

BTW, I think they are pretty cute:

Baby A

Baby B

I hate (the possibility of) Gestational Diabetes

UGHHHHHHHHHHHH

Evidently I must have failed the stupid Glucose Screening test because my doctor's office called today and they NEVER call unless they have to. I know the glucose results came in today so that would be the reason. Unfortunately, I was out and missed the call so I guess I will get the official news tomorrow.

The most frustrating thing is that I don't have any of the three main risk factors:
1. Overweight pre-pregnancy - No, my BMI was about 19 pre-pregnancy. So definitely not!
2. Family history - Not ONE person, immediate or extended, has diabetes.
3. Hypertension - My BP was above normal just once, when I had to get stitches for my sliced open thumb. But before that and always after that it has always been perfect.

Except, of course, there is the matter of my "mild" PCOS and although I never tested positive for insulin resistance, I was on Metformin for 2 years and it did help with ovulation, etc. So there must be something to my insulin situation that is less than perfect.

I don't want to take this 3-hr test but I guess I will have to. I am so bummed. I REALLY just wanted everything to be going well for once. I am mostly scared that I will have GD and I am worry about its effect on the babies.

On a happy side note, I had my 4D scan today and the girls are super cute. They look like DH and have his button nose (thank goodness!)

I will post some photos once we have them uploaded.

Third Trimester?

I am 27 weeks today, so according to some sources I am third trimester, and according to others not until next week. Whatever, I am going to consider it the third tri!

I had a scan at the peri's today, so here is the update:

Baby A is 2 lbs 8 oz
Baby B is 2 lbs 4 oz

Checked cord flow, heart and amniotic fluid, all looks great!

Since I have been having some contractions, they did an internal exam on my cervix, but it is still nice and long, measuring over 4 cm, which is a HUGE relief!

Both babies are active, but Baby B is especially so.

I am working from home every day now. It is too much to commute into the city. I have been having contractions and getting tired/breathless, so I said that was it. My wonderful boss and colleagues have been amazing and it is very easy to work from home.

This week we "took off" Thursday and Friday so my husband can paint the nursery. We have 2 colors of pink from the Disney Behr paint collection. Next week the furniture will be delivered and we can organize the closets, wash the clothes, etc.

We finally got some things out of the way:

- Pre-registered for the hospital L&D
- Registered for an infant CPR class @ Red Cross
- Signed up for cord blood registry
- Chose a pediatric practice

We still have a few items on the list, but we are getting close. My shower is in less than 3 weeks, and I am so excited!

Here are some belly shots from today, 27 weeks:





When the nursery is ready, I will post some photos. My next peri appt is at 31 weeks, so probably no baby updates till then (let's hope). My GTT is on Wednesday though, I REALLY hope I pass!

Saw the girls today...

And they are doing great!

Baby A is 1 and a half pounds, and Baby B is 1 pound 5 oz, so Baby A only weighs 3 oz more than Baby B, which is not significant. They are on target for singletons, which is good news. Hopefully they will continue to gain weight so well! The peri said everything was going along beautifully, which gives me a BIG sigh of relief. Also, we got clarification on the cord insertion of Baby B - it is ECCENTRIC and not marginal, which is much better and should not cause any problems. Baby A's placenta is still low BUT it is moving up, and they are both transverse at the moment, which means I have about a 50/50 chance of having a c-section, and still may be able to do a natural birth!

I pre-registered admission for the hospital today, and we need to pick a pediatrician soon actually, before 28 weeks was recommended. I can't believe how quickly everything is happening.

We were told not to air travel, so no babymoon! I would have loved a weekend in Palm Beach, but that's ok, we'll just try to go to a local spa or something.

I got one pic of Baby B's cute head which I will scan in and post later :)

23w2d

Thank you for everyone's relaxation advice. I think I've come a long way in the past week or so from following your suggestions. I have an OB appt tomorrow and a peri appt to check growth on Friday, so we'll see how it all goes. Hoping for everything to be uneventful of course.

Here are some belly shots from today (a couple from the front this time):







Yes, I'm wearing a bikini in one! Sorry if it's gross. I've never been so LARGE everywhere before. Goodbye, stick legs and skinny arms!

UPDATE: Went to the OB today and everything was normal! BP, urine, and my b/w all came back great - low homocysteine and normal thyroid. I am SO relieved! Tomorrow is the peri, so I am just hoping they gained a good amount of weight and do not have too much of a variance between them. I have the 1 hour GTT on 4/9, so we'll see how that goes.

Also, I should tell you that weird scar above my belly button is from when I took out my infected navel ring about 8 years ago. It left that scar which I am pretty sure will turn into a stretch mark as my tummy expands.

22w1d

Belly shot:





For a little perspective, here is a pre-pregnancy photo:




Please excuse that I never show my face. I want to maintain some level of privacy given the extremely personal nature of this blog.

In other news, I sliced my finger opened this past weekend, had to rush to get stitches and found out they couldn't do it because of the way it was cute. I ended up having an anxiety attack over the fact that I may have needed stitches and a tetanus shot. They took my bp in the midst of this and it was higher than usual so of course I FREAKED out even more, and my anxiety rose all weekend. I got myself in a bad situation when I started checking my bp constantly, getting so anxious before I did it each time and winding up with not only high readings but ridiculously high pulse rates over 145. DH made me do some relaxation and try again, and I always ended up with normal readings after that. Not being satisfied with that, I paged my OB who said, of COURSE your bp will be higher in an situation like that, so calm down. Unless it is consistently high, she is not worried.

Since I am prone to anxiety and OCD, I am definitely worried my ability to make myself crazy. Hopefully I can keep this under control as I realize it can and will lead to problems and I am only making my situation worse.

If anyone has advice on how to control anxiety without medication, I would appreciate it. Keep it mind I am not able to do yoga or work out because of the low lying placenta of Baby A, so I am somewhat limited in options!

20 weeks!

If I were pregnant with just one baby, we'd be at the halfway point. Since we're having twins, I probably past that point a couple of weeks ago. I've gained about 26 lbs and about 12 inches around on my waist. I'd love to say all of the weight is in my mid section, but even my arms appear to be getting chubby. Oh well! Anything for the babies.

In any case, we had the rest of our anatomy scan on Friday @ 19w4d, and both babies look great. All of their organs look good, their limbs are measuring appropriately, Baby A is 11 oz and Baby B is 10 oz. Their amniotic fluid situation is perfect and I've still got a very long cervix, which is ideal.

Of course, there are a couple of things that we need to keep watch of. Baby A's placenta has not moved up yet. This should still happen as the uterus moves up, especially after 20 weeks. So until then I am on restricted activity. Baby B has an eccentric or marginal umbilical cord insertion. An eccentric insertion is nothing to be concerned about, but if it is marginal, that means it did not implant in the best possible place in the placenta. This hopefully won't cause any problems with growth discordancy, but we'll have to keep monitoring them for their growth to make sure. It's pretty common that one twin outgrows the other, but hopefully not by too much. It's also fairly common for a twin pregnancy to have a cord issue with one or both of the babies. Generally it's a problem at delivery, but since we know about it well in advance we can watch it. However, this is just another reason why I will most likely have a Cesarean delivery.

However, the peri is not too concerned and is keeping me on my regular monitoring schedule for now, so I won't be back there until nearly 24 weeks. Just hoping all goes smoothly until then (fingers crossed!)

Here are a few new belly shots from today:







Finally starting to look pregnant and not just like I had a big lunch!

Not much to update

I've been working from home, since I've now had 3 doctors tell me to take some time off and relax. TMI ahead - The good news is I haven't even had a hint of spotting or irregular coloured urine in 8 days!! That, coupled with my scan on Tuesday that revealed my cervix was 4.41, which my OB said "couldn't be any longer", and she saw no signs of PTL. So, my new job is just to relax and keep the girls cooking. I am 18w5d today, so 19w on Monday. Our complete level II sono is this Friday at the peri's. I am a tad nervous but everything has looked so good on our partial scan and through all the first and second trimester screening tests that I am mostly excited to see the babes again and all of their cute little organs and parts.

Other than that, we have friends coming over to visit from the city tomorrow. And, I will attempt to go into work just for Monday only IF I am feeling up to it. My cute hubs will drive me to/from, and hopefully I will remain seated for most of the day. I'm sort of craving human interaction! It's definitely been lacking and limited.

We started to get some baby items, a double stroller and car seats that click in. We were going to go with Peg Perego, but the safety ratings on the Graco seemed so much better, so we decided to go with that. And, it was so much less expensive. I still don't want to get too much just yet.

That's pretty much it. Oh, and it's snowing like crazy here! A nice excuse to stay inside anyway.

It's been a really long time

Sorry everyone, but with the holidays and first trimester sickness, and with just how busy I've been at work, it's been hard to update the blog. I have, however, been reading all of your blogs, yet only commenting for those who need some support and are going through rough situations. I think of you often, and wish you all the best.

As for my updates (warning: pregnancy related), here they are:

- I am 17w3d today
- The NT scan went great, and our risk for down's is 1/2700. This is substantially lower than my age group, so we are happy.
- I've gained about 16 pounds, so pretty much on target for what my peri is looking for.
- The partial anatomy scan showed no issues except Twin A has a low lying placenta (but not a previa). The peri expects this will resolve itself as the pregnancy moves along, but I have been put on pelvic rest - no sex or working out. Fine with me!
- I did have an incident on Tuesday where I had a couple of spots of blood drip out when urinating. However, that was it, and I got an emergency u/s which showed the twins were just fine, and my cervix was still very long. OB thinks it is because I have this violent cough which acts up at night, and prescribed me tylenol with codeine, which she said was ok to take at this point. I have also begun to work from home. The 2 hour commute each way is too much for my body to handle I think. The OB was pretty clear that I need to be more careful and slow down.

Evidently I woke up this morning from a sex dream. When I went to the loo, my urine was slightly darker as if it could be tinged with blood, but then that stopped right away. I think the combination of my coughing fit last night coupled with the possible orgasm in my dream triggered some slight possible spotting. So unfair! It's not even my fault if I O in a dream! Anyway, I checked the heartbeats with my doppler, and they were both fine. Stressful!

Oh yeah, and the twins are 2 girls! Dizygotic (fraternal) of course. We are thrilled!

Here are a couple belly shots for y'all:

Sono Pics

I realized that I hadn't posted any ultrasound photos since the first one at 6w1d. Here are Baby A and Baby B (I really have to come up with better names) at 11w2d:

Update on NT

We couldn't do it today, because my uterus is tilted pretty far back and it needs to be done with the above the belly u/s, not the vaginal one. She tried but also said we should probably wait till 12-14 weeks anyway. For Baby A she was able to get a bit of a look at the neck and said it looked quite thin that she couldn't even take a measure, so that was a good sign. Other than that, Baby A is on target and Baby B is a day ahead. Everything else was normal. We also couldn't hear the h/b with the doppler because of the same uterus issues. Oh well! I will go back on New Year's Eve for another try at the NT test. I will be exactly 13w. I guess that will be a pretty significant day!

NT Test Today - 11w2d

Thanks to the supportive ladies who posted. I guess my nausea abated for awhile, and then started coming back with a vengeance. I can hold more food down know, which is great because when I met with the peri on Monday she told me I should be gaining 45 lbs in this pregnancy, and it should equate to a pound a week in the 1st and 2nd trimesters. So far I have gained about 5. So, not there yet, but at least I am not losing weight anymore.

The babies are looking great, getting bigger and really quite active! They were kicking and flailing their little arms and bouncing up and down on Monday's sonogram. We were exactly 11 weeks, and she said everything looks just the way they want it to look at this point. My cervix is in good condition and long enough, but I need to get it checked every 1-2 weeks apparently. She also reviewed the laundry list of what makes twins high risk, and it sort of freaked me and DH out. But I guess they have to tell you everything up front. I think I am going to be at the doctors at least every 2 weeks, if not more often. I am trying to figure out what to do about work. I was recently promoted to a management position, and I am worried about my sudden absences. DH and I agreed that we would do whatever it takes to have these babies, and I don't want to sacrifice their health or well being at all, but I can't help but have some nagging concerns about work.

Anyway, the NT test is today, so we'll find out the downs syndrome risk. I would be more nervous if we hadn't had an u/s just 2 days ago. However I guess I have no idea of what the outcome would be at this point of the NT test, so I am just praying everything looks normal with my little munchkins.

As for the belly update, I am still not getting any larger in the stomach, except for the nighttime bloating. I guess I will "pop" when the time is right.

Update...

Nothing really new to report, I haven't had an u/s in 11 days (!!) so I have NO idea what is going on in there. I was really sick last week, vomiting nearly every day after dinner. I think I figured out that greasy food really sets me off (cheesy/oily, like baked ziti, pizza, grilled cheese and fries - I puked after all of those meals.) However ever since Sunday, the 10w mark, I have been feeling alot better. My appetite is not normal, but I can tolerate the thought of more food, and I have not thrown up once. My nausea is very minimal indeed. At first this worried me, but I then read up on how HCG levels peak at 9-10w and decline, so perhaps that is why. Maybe my body is used to the levels finally! I also had my progesterone checked at 9w and it was 49, so I have spent a week tapering off the PIO shots and the Estrogen tablets and patches. One more week and I will be completely done.

I see the MFM doctor on 12/17, but I don't think it is for an u/s. However my NT test is on 12/19 and I have an appt with the OB after.

Lastly, my belly is sort of bloated, but I don't think this counts as showing. I have been keeping a measure on my waist around my belly button. It is around 31-32 in the morning and 34 in the evening, which leads me to believe there is definite bloating going on. It is normally 26, so I am definitely putting on some wideness. I'd love to just "pop" so I can feel confident in this. I know my RE said after having so many good u/s that my odds of having a m/c drop to 5% or less for each baby, so that helps, but I am still nervous. Should I be wishing for my nausea back or just be glad it is finally tapering off? I don't know.

Still here, still preggers!

Amazingly enough! I went to my new OB on Monday for an initial appointment, and I really like her. She's thorough, nice, and young (that last part I don't LOVE, but she came highly recommended). Net net, I didn't get an u/s that day, but I did get a referral to the MFM doctor since due to the IF/twins/some other issues I am considered "high risk." My first appointment with her is in early December.

I had an u/s today with the tech at my OB's and everything looks great. Apparently I have a tilted uterus (who knew?), so we couldn't see anything on the "above the belly" u/s, and had to revert to the old fashioned wanding that I am used to. I was told my cervix is long, and this is a good thing. All of this stuff is new to me. But on to the best part - the babies are measuring perfect - right on target, with nice, strong heartbeats (175 and 182). They have cute little circles for limbs and nice looking yolk sacs. I blurted out my gut reaction which was "they look like baby mice." I think the tech found that odd and DH gave me a funny look. But they sort of do! I'll scan in the photos and post them. Baby A was even bopping around a little! So funny to see him/her moving. Still, I couldn't be happier. However now I have to keep it together for 3 weeks until my next ultrasound. That's going to be a bit of an emotional challenge.

I feel pretty good overall, other than the nausea, which is not constant but more like comes and goes, sometimes resulting in actual vomiting and sometimes just gagging and heaving. The acne is the only other real pregnancy thing, I break out every few days. Yesterday I finally started getting my appetite back, which is good. Food was a complete turn off for about 2 weeks. I still don't love to eat, but there are times when I actually do feel hungry instead of completely put off by food. Oh yeah, and none of my pants can zip up anymore! This is my favorite part. Just a smidge of a poufy belly and overall a little "wider". I like that my body is changing. That's what makes it feel more real to me.

7w2d

Dare I say it? Things are going well. I had my last u/s at the clinic today with my RE. DH had to miss the scan because he was stuck in traffic, so I ran up as we were already 30 mins late. That was a stressful situation in and of itself.

It went as well as it could have. The babies measured 7w1d and the heartbeats were strong. My RE said they looked "great" and "healthy". He was so sweet and we had a tender moment together actually. He told me how happy he was for DH and me and how he loves the fact that he gets to help get such good people pregnant. He said he was sorry about how hard it was for me to get here, and that I was a sweetheart! I was floored at how genuine he was. I nearly cried.

I have an appointment on Monday with a high risk OB that my RE recommended in my area. I'm glad to be moving so quickly on this. I still have to go back to the clinic to get my b/w monitored for e2 and p4, since I was an FET cycle. Eventually I will be weaned off all the meds, but for now we are continuing full-force.

It almost doesn't seem real. I can't believe there are 2 babies living and growing inside of me.

Otherwise, I am pretty much fine. I do want to puke pretty much constantly. But what can I expect, I guess that happens with twins. Honestly, I don't mind it very much. Guess I should just feel extremely lucky, and blessed.