29 and 30 weeks

These last two weeks have been a blur for me - you will soon understand when you start reading this entry.  So, please forgive me that two weeks are smushed into one but I promise to try and be more diligent on my updates from here on out.

How far along? 30 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain:  Ah ... I finally got out of my rut ... I gained 3 more pounds for a total weight gain of 25 pounds - this is probably not that great for a twin pregnancy but when there are two human beings sitting on your stomach you will take what you can get.

Maternity clothes?  Ummm, do I really need to reiterate that maternity clothes are all I can wear?  Please God let me get back to normal soon after these children arrive so that I can quite looking in my closet and crying.

Stretch marks? Nope ... but don't tell the stretch mark fairy ... I feel like she may make an appearance any day now.

Sleep: When I do sleep it is like a tornado couldn't wake me ... obviously my body realizes what hell will be unleashed on my when two babies arrive.

Best moment this week: This will be on Thursday when I finally get to leave to house with a purpose - it was awesome since there was a huge storm that day.

Miss Anything?  Freedom.

Movement:  You better believe it. Baby girl is really making her presence known now while baby boy has cooled his jets.

Food cravings:  Pineapple

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.

Labor Signs - 29 weeks:  Here is where the story gets good.  So the procardia we discussed at 28 weeks was working just fine.  A few contractions here and there but not nearly as many as before.  That is ... until 29 weeks and 1 day ... I started having upwards of 7 in an hour - which is not good at all.  I was in full blown pre-term labor.  I called my doctor and made an appointment and low and behold my contractions just kept getting stronger, oh, and I got to have another fetal fibronectin test, oh, and guess what, this one came back POSITIVE!!  Although positive doesn't really give you any information, it also doesn't deny giving birth for two weeks like a negative does.  I was immediately sent to the hospital where at least the C-note was working on Labor and Delivery and was able to get my a quiet room.  I was put in a hospital gown, which truly sucks, and put on a magnesium drip, which sucks even worse.  When my doctor came in to ask how I was I told him that I felt like I had done a bunch of shrooms to which he promptly laughed - I swear I don't know what shrooms are really like mom.  After an overnight stay and twelve hours of being on labor and delivery I was transferred to Antipartum ... this land where they try to keep you pregnant as long as possible.  I was put on another medicine - this time a pill, praise the lord - called indocin which is actually a strong form of advil (which you are not supposed to take while pregnant).  You can only take this pill before 32 weeks gestation so I was still within the window.  I was on indocin for 72 hours which seemed to stop the contractions and then was put back on procardia.  I was released from the hospital after 2 1/2 days and put on bed rest.  I am only allowed to stand for 20-30 minutes at time.  Doesn't this sound glorious?

Labor Signs - 30 weeks:  Well we hit 30 weeks which is a huge milestone for the babies so that is some great news.  We have also gotten the contractions under much better control with the procardia again.  I'm still contracting, which is something that we will never be able to completely stop, but the contractions are less in number and less severe.  My cervix is holding closed at 2 cm which is still pretty good so we are pleased with that as well.  I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and my doctor seems to think we can get to 32 weeks but that the time between 32 and 34 weeks is going to get a little hairy depending on how my body decides to react.  I'm still on "house arrest", I mean bed rest, and I am beginning to feel extremely lazy which is a feeling I completely disdain.  However, I realize that the most important thing I can do is rest for the babies which are my number one priority right now.  Baby B is experiencing some sluggish blood flow from his umbilical cord which is also known as intrauterine growth restriction - meaning he isn't getting enough nutrition.  There is nothing that can be done about this except for monitoring which means that at least I get to go to the doctor every week from here on out (i.e getting out of the house).
 
Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Just going stir crazy a la the Shining over here ... it is very hard to keep a control freak cooped up in their house while not allowing them to do anything what so ever.  I'm also scared which is something I hate to admit but it is only natural to be scared when bringing two lives into this world and being solely responsible for how they get there.  I have always worried about Baby B because he has always been smaller and his placenta is located in a difficult place in my uterus.  I trust my doctor implicitly and know that he acts very conservatively when caring for patients which is comforting.  All I can do at this point is wait - which is trying for someone like me.

Looking forward to:  Any moment that I get to open the front door and leave.



And now for the latest sneak peek of the Twins:

{yes, that is HIS foot covering HIS forehead}

 

28 weeks

Sorry for waiting so long to post this week but I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I knew that information would be pertinent to today's update.

How far along? 28 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain: Not so good in this department.  I seem to have hit a plateau, even loosing a pound according to the scale yesterday - note to self to wear heavy clothes and shoes next time :)  My appetite has slowed because I am so much less active and plus I have close to 5 pounds of babies squishing my stomach.
Maternity clothes? Yep!  And they only keep shrinking and I am really tired of wearing the same five shirts every week.  I may need to try and do a little wardrobe update this weekend while the C-note is away.
Stretch marks? Not yet ... I am almost scared to answer this question as for the possibility of jinxing myself.  Still lathering myself up with lotion and may begin with some sort of oil therapy for extra good juju.
Sleep: Still getting up a minimum of 4 times per night and having a hard time getting back to sleep.  Oh and last night was awesome.  I felt C-note get out of bed at some point and of course I just thought he was getting up for work.  Well some time during my drifting in and out of sleep he came back and got in bed.  I asked if everything was ok and he said "I thought someone was in our house and I almost grabbed the shotgun but now I think it is an animal in the attic."  I started laughing and then I started listening and there it was the sounds of a flailing animal in the attic.  C-note then informed me that we still had traps in our attic from a couple years ago and he thought that something  was trapped and dying.  He said the trap probably squished its brain to which I asked "what if it only has a hand or foot caught?  I guess you could stun it with your BB gun."  To which C-note answered "... or a hammer.  This is a strange conversation for 4:30 in the morning." I couldn't stop laughing and when I finally fell asleep I had a dream about the animal trapped in the attic.  Gross!!
Best moment this week: There were a few great moments this week.  1. we hit 28 weeks which is huge for these little babies  2. I got to hang out with my best best friends (even if only for a short time)  3.   I got a temporary handicap tag for my car making it so much less stressful to run errands and even park at work ( I know this is a sad thing to get excited about but if you were me you would feel the same way too!)
Miss Anything? Still missing normal clothes and getting day drunk with no responsibilities with my friends - those days are gone.
Movement: We are really moving now.  They constantly kick and punch me from within which is definitely the  best part of being pregnant.  I can do without the rest but feeling them move is nothing short of a miracle in my book.  I was attached to the contraction machine on Thursday just for good measure.  During this process they also monitor each baby's heartbeat.  Well, my babies aren't fans and they constantly move and kick the monitors which makes really funny noises.  Toward the end of my session on the machine Baby boy got the hiccups and it was fabulous.  It really made my year because I had just had a conversation with a co-worker who said her daughter always got the hiccups and I wanted to feel them so bad too!  And to make it even better, when I got home Baby girl got them too.  By far one of the best things on earth I could experience.
Food cravings:  French onion soup and Easter candy ... everyone knows that Easter candy is the best.   
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week .. so far.
Labor Signs:  Still kickin' it on the procardia and progesterone for the contractions.  They seem to be under better control ... honestly it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between a contraction and all the movement from the babies. TMI  alert: my cervix is hanging in at 3 cm which is great and actually completely normal.  This also tells us that the contractions that I am still having aren't necessarily shortening my cervix for the moment which means that I am still ok to work and that I won't be having the babies this weekend - all of which are a big relief to both myself and C-note.
Symptoms: Water retention has still not taken full affect but after I mentioned that in last week's post my feet began to swell the very next day!  I told you karma was a you know what.  I got the swelling to go down and hopefully I can keep it that way!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy because I know that the babies are growing and staying put for the moment which is my biggest concern.
Looking forward to: Another week marked off on the calendar.  Also, finishing up some of the things for the nursery.  I'm going to start washing their clothes in preparation and clearing the spot for the glider which will hopefully make an appearance this week.  

27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain: I think still around 22 although I am definitely getting bigger as I now measure the size of a 35 week pregnant person.
Maternity clothes? To say the least and even they are getting too small!  I have stayed consistently the same size all over my body except for my big ole belly which means  that the extra-small tops that fit my upper body and arms are like a '98 spring break midriff for my poor stomach ... awesome.
Stretch marks? Not yet ... I am almost scared to answer this question as for the possibility of jinxing myself.
Sleep:  I jinxed myself here.  I now get up a minimum of 4 times per night and I am having a hard time getting back to sleep.
Best moment this week: Getting to eat dinner with friends visiting from our home town and going to a beautiful wedding on the Charleston marshes.
Miss Anything? Still missing normal clothes.
Movement: When I got into bed last Friday night my stomach became so distorted that I began to wonder if there were more than two hiding in there ... or are they really human.  I knew someone was doing an acrobatic move to get more space but I couldn't tell who it was so thankfully I was scheduled for an ultrasound on Monday.  Low and behold it was the dark horse daughter who decided to move her tush from the left side of my body to the right side right by her brother's face.  I think she is slowly taking her time in dominating his poor little world.  She weighs in a 2 pounds 4 oz and he weighs in at 1 pound 15 oz.
Food cravings:  Nothing strange ... salty food still does the trick ... although I have been through an absurd amount of cadbury eggs.    
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week .. so far.
Gender: Still a boy and a girl!
Labor Signs:  Ah ... now this is where 27 weeks went from we are just moving along to Holy Shit!  We spoke about isolated contractions last week ... well apparently they were full blown contractions that just luckily were caught during my ultrasound on Monday.  I was immediately hooked up to a contraction monitoring system and when the sweet nurse came in and said "Oh are you feeling all these contractions?" I began to sob like a baby because I wasn't feeling all of the mild ones that were apparently running 3 to 4 minutes apart which scared me to death.  After the monitoring my doctor spoke to me about the next steps.  He put me on a blood pressure medicine that is actually supposed to help with contractions and we were to wait 24 hours to see if it was helping.  I was also going to have to come back for what is called a fetal fibronectin test - this is a protein that will show up if you are possibly in pre-term labor.  However, a negative result  from this test is much more accurate than a positive result.  A negative result gives you a 99% chance of not delivering in the next two weeks.  I was also given the first dose of steroids just in case I was to deliver - this is to help with lung development and quite honestly this is where I wanted to have the nervous breakdown I was fighting off.  Well, I went back the next day and was again put on the contraction machine as well as tested for the fetal fibronectin.  Good news is that I was not having any contractions, bad news is that the nurse mid-wife, who did the fibronectin test, put the sample in the wrong tube and you can only be tested for this once every 24 hours.  That's right, I got to go back to the doctor for a third day in a row, still with no answer ... fabulous.  I went back yesterday and thankfully my test returned a negative result which was relieving for all involved.  I will probably be monitored every week from here on out which is alright with me because this is the scariest thing I have ever been through.  I monitor my own contractions on a daily basis just to see what is going on and I will remain on the prescribed medicine to help calm them down.  It has been an extremely stressful week and I am trying to stay calm and move forward.
Symptoms:  Other than contractions I have still seemed to skirt the water retention issue .. .I hope I didn't just screw myself by actually saying that out loud.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  This week would be scared.  My doctor asked C-note if I was always this stoic which I think is quite fascinating.  I am not known for having a poker face in any situation.  In fact I am known for my uncontrollable facial expressions that get me in trouble more often than not.  However, in situations of like these I know that I must remain calm and listen to all of the information.  For all the expressions that my face can make I am still quite good at keeping my calm and trying to focus on the information being presented to me and the matter at hand.  Don't get me wrong, I broke down like a baby when I left that office and the fear that resides in me is like none other but I know that in order to keep these babies in my belly as long as possible that I must be stoic in some way and do exactly as I am told.
Looking forward to: Three of my best girlfriends in the world are coming for a visit ... unfortunately we are two women down because one is pregnant too and the other is on Spring Break with her own little ones.  However, now that we all have children (or are all close the having children) there is much less time for our annual girl trips so I am thankful that the few of us are getting a chance to shoot the breeze like old times.  It is amazing what a little time with your best friends can do for you isn't it?  I'm also looking forward to being 28 weeks on Sunday which is a huge milestone for these little babies.

didn't the groundhog {say spring was the way}

I know, I know ... I'm pregnant and resigned to stretchy knits right now but that doesn't mean I'm not ready for some warm weather and sandals.  First, let me tell you that sandals and flats would be a sweet welcome to this lady considering that she has hired her husband as her official sock putter on and  boot removal technician.  But to say the least I am just ready for a wardrobe change.  All of the below are from target ... can you believe that?!  And that red bag ... I saw it in person and it is actually more coral than red and it is a pretty bangin' bag if you ask me. 

1. Lakitia Flip flop    
2. Criss Cross Platforms   
3. Covered Wedge  
4. Embellished sandal
5. Chambray blazer 
6. Red bag

26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain: 22 lbs - all in the tummy ... or at least that is what the nice people around me say
Maternity clothes? since 15 weeks and I am highly tired of them - this would be my least favorite part of pregnancy solely because I can't buy any of the cute new things coming out and I can only wear knit which makes me feel very dumpy
Stretch marks? Not yet .. crossing my fingers.  I have been and will remain religious with the lotion.  I've been using Johnson and Johnson baby oil cream with Aloe and Vitamin E.
Sleep:  Sleep has been getting  better except for the 2 to 4 bathroom trips a night but at least I can fall asleep again when I get back in bed which had been a huge problem during the beginning of my second trimester
Best moment this week:  Last night when I got in bed they were moving around quite a bit so the C-note and I were feeling them kick.  All of the sudden I felt a sharp kick on my left rib (all four feet are in the same region which makes things interesting) and when I reached over to feel that particular spot I got a surprise ... HIS FOOT!  I could actually feel the outline of his little foot again my stomach and then clear across to the right side of my ribs C-note could feel the top of his head.  I was pretty amazing to feel one of your babies from top to toe.  Unfortunately she is too low and set back to do the same with her.
Miss Anything? regular clothes and sushi
Movement:  I think I covered some of this above but yes they move quite a bit.  because she is in the lower part of my stomach when I curl up on the couch she begins to punch me with her little fist because she is getting crowded ... it really cracks me up because she is very predictable in this way.
Food cravings:  Nothing strange.  I still like salty foods best but I have been eating quite a few Cadbury eggs as of late but that would have happened without the extra baggage inside anyway.  
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Well, not particularly except for the gestational diabetes test.  I knew I would have to fast for 1 hours ... which to a pregnant woman is a lifetime ... so I ate a rather large breakfast.  After sucking down what tasted like watered down robitussin with a nasty "fruit punch" flavor I thought I could make it.  An hour later I was doing just fine and then I went to get my blood taken and all of the sudden ... let's just say that drink didn't want to mix with the rest of my breakfast and while getting my blood taken I puked ... that poor lab tech.  She was so so stinkin' nice and I was horrified!  However, she got my blood before I puked which made my test a success ... thanks Debo for the awesome blood work!
Gender: Still a boy and a girl!
Labor Signs:   I have been having isolated contractions which may just be from the activity within my uterus.  So far I don't believe I have had a full on contraction but I continue to monitor them.
Symptoms:  My cervix has shortened some which is to be expected especially with twins and even though it wasn't drastic my doctor has but me on progesterone in order to see if we can stabilize the shortening.  There was no funneling which is great so so far I am still allowed to work and move around as long as I take long periods of rest at every opportunity. 
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy.  I really nice man at work told me that I was the happiest pregnant woman he had ever seen ... he must not know too many :)  However, it was nice to hear because I try my hardest not to complain because I am just so grateful to have these little guys in the first place.
Looking forward to: My friends here in Charleston are giving me a baby shower on Friday night and then we have a wedding to attend on Saturday.  It will be nice to hang out like a normal person.

my sincerest apologies

Well, as you can tell I have been quite absent for some time now.  But I have a good reason, or should I say two good reasons .... Baby A and Baby B.  Although still in utero these two have been keeping me pretty busy as of late.  Don't worry, there will be plenty more said about them in the future but in the meanwhile I am going to try and get back on track with the blogging (or at least I will do my best in this very pregnant state).  I am also going to start a weekly post known as "Today's Special" which will aptly tell you all of the really incredible things that people say to pregnant people, especially those of us with twins - it is entertaining to say the least.

Until next time say hello to the future:

holy moly {this is so cool}

 

I know this seems like an ordinary pocket watch but it is definitely not!  For starters this is an Elgin watch and call it personal {my maiden name is Elgin} or historical but at the turn of the century an Elgin watch was the thing to have.  But this watch goes even further than that .... this is Clyde's {of Bonnie and Clyde} watch that was found on his body after being ambushed by the police.  I know this is slightly morbid but totally cool.  This is actually about to appear in an upcoming auction - I smell Christmas present if the c-note is still reading this post.