Week 13: Peaches and Spaghetti

How far Along?

13 weeks on 12/26/12

How big are the Twinkies?

According to the The Bump, the babies are approximately the size of:
 

 

At our last sono, on 12/24, the Twinkies were measuring just a hair away from 3 inches.  (showing that they are two days ahead)

How am I feeling?

I am finally feeling "normal" again.  Yes, I still have days where I'm tired; but most days, and most of each day, I have a desire to get something done or go out and do something.  It's way different from a few weeks ago.  My mood is normal.  My emotions feel much more calm (besides the tears).  I strongly believe that it has a lot to do with also finally feeling like this is real and happening now.  I don't have constant concerns about every little thing.  I feel the Twinkies a lot stronger now.  So, I feel that everyday, all day, I'm reminded that I am indeed pregnant with twins;  I won't wake up one day and have 'this dream' to tell Chris.  

I feel completely blessed and thankful!

Weight?
  At my prenatal appointment, on 12/24, the scale actually showed that I went back down a half pound!  (Let's see what happens this week while our family enjoys some vacation time together...) 

What do I miss?

Having a drawer full of underwear to choose from.  Yeah, a bit silly, I know.  But it's something I've been missing lately.  I'm kind of tired of the same 'ol maternity underwear (even though they are super duper comfy).

Sleeping on my tummy.  Have I already mentioned this?  It's a big one for me.  I was a tummy sleeper and it's tough falling asleep any other way.  I do, however, wake up, every now and then, on my belly.  I freak out, feel bad that the Twinkies might be smushed, and then realize they are still okay.  :)

Symptoms?

Insomnia.  :(  Stuffy nose.  My lower back issues are flaring up.  Headaches.  Heartburn and reflux.  Endo aggravating me and flaring up way too often.

Annoyances?
Routine doctor appointments.  I understand they need to check on me and the babies; but do I really need to go in to the office to talk about what prenatal vitamin I'm on and pee in a cup, again, to confirm that I'm still pregnant?  My first prenatal appointment was a complete waste of time, I felt.  First of all, it was Christmas Eve morning.  I waited almost an hour.  I got a canvas tote bag, with the practice's name on it (so it's definitely something I'll never use again), filled with pamphlets and magazines that I don't need.  I didn't even see my doctor that visit.  It was just a nurse visit and we went over my, and Chris's, personal and family medical history.  We were briefly told about the prenatal testing that is recommended with each trimester... Something that could have been done at my first visit with my doc, or the one that is coming up.  I don't know.  I just don't want to overdo going in to the office when everything is going well. 

Cravings?

 Cantaloupe.  Spaghetti and meat sauce!!! Dunkin Donuts.  Barbacoa breakfast tacos.

The only thing I have given in to, so far, is the cantaloupe, once, and the spaghetti, once.  I do, however, plan on getting a lot more cantaloupe!!  ;)

  
Highlights of the week?
We went to Ikea and bought the cribs! :D   

Getting my 'good-mood' energy back has been such a wonderful feeling this week!

Another highlight was definitely when my mom went with us to our sono appointment, on the 24th.  It was her birthday and we thought it would be a great experience for her to remember.  It was wonderful having her there with us, sharing that joyous moment.  

 Belly Watch:

Week 12: Plums and Wiggles

How far Along?

12 Weeks on 12/19/12.Yay!

How big are the Twinkies?

According to the The Bump, the babies are approximately the size of:
 

(On 12/16/12, they measured approximately 2.7 inches)

How am I feeling?

Today, I started to feel more like "myself" again.  On 12/16, I went to the ER from another pregnancy scare (placenta previa; everything checked out ok.  I was told to stay in bed until the end of Monday, or until bleeding stopped.).  Then the very next night, 12/17, I went back to the ER because all day I couldn't hold water or food down, I was having horrible stomach pain (like my actual stomach —not just belly pain in general) and my temp was rising.  I was concerned about dehydration and I wanted to make sure the babies would be okay.  So, finally, today was the first day with a normal temp and no stomach pain.  (ER doc said I probably picked up stomach bug when I went in to the ER for placenta previa —go figure!).  

I'm sure the next few days will only get better. ;) 

Sad, "down in the dumps", feelings are gone; but mood swings are much more sensitive.  

Weight?
 Okay, okay, I've finally gained half a pound.  :(  It probably has something to do with the fact that I've been eating chocolate now...?  Or the fact that two little humans are growing inside my belly?  Either way, I need to keep my sugar intake in check —more than I did this past week.

What do I miss?

Not being concerned about every little thing (am I drinking enough water?  Am I eating enough fruits, veggies, protein?  If I go run errands or do housework, will the bleeding start up again?  Am I feeling both babies move or is that just one? ...)

Symptoms?

Bleeding/spotting (just a few days from placenta previa).  Extreme nausea (from stomach flu).  Hip pain (I'm assuming my body is making some extra room for the growth that is about to take place?)

Annoyances? 
Noise.  Smells.  Restlessness.  Insomnia.  Being stuck at home.

Cravings?

Pizza (which I have not given in to —yet).  Sweet bread (which I have not given in to —yet).  Chicken noodle soup.

 Highlights of the week?
Ending our first trimester!  We can't believe how quickly it's going by.
Chris felt the Twinkies move, for the very first time, on Saturday, December 15th! (and a few more times since)
We bought our very first baby items on Saturday, December 15th:

KJ felt the Twinkies move, for the very first time, on Monday, December 17th!

I can now feel the Twinkies move every single day, almost all throughout the day, and they sometimes even respond to my belly being rubbed or poked!!  :D  (oh and when I sneeze, they go nuts!!!)  I absolutely love it —every single moment.

I feel so incredibly honored and blessed that God has allowed me to experience these little miracles!  (If you don't already know, I have prayed for twins since I was six years old.  Crazy —I know!  So, this is just beyond amazing.  It's like God showing me His love, in a very tangible way, every single day.  I'm still in awe.)

 Belly Watch:

Week 11: Limes and Chocolate.

How far Along?

11 Weeks on 12/12/12.
It's really going by too quickly.  :(

How big are the Twinkies?

According to the The Bump, the babies are approximately the size of:
 

I'm so amazed that they went from prune-size to lime-size in just one week!  Wow.

How am I feeling?

There are days when I believe I'm pregnant; but most days, I feel like I'm just dreaming about being pregnant.  Still.  I wonder when it will feel real everyday, all day...

The nausea simmered way down.  But my emotions are playing crazy games with me.  I feel so sad and down a lot right now.  I should be happy.  I should be on cloud nine.  I have my moments; but mainly I just feel bummed out and "ugh".  :(  I'm thinking that maybe it has to do with the fact that my car isn't working and I'm just stuck in the house until the weekend, or until late evening, once hubby comes home.  I also think that it might have something to do with feeling super overwhelmed with decisions about choosing an OB or midwife... so much information for both sides.  A lot of decisions need to be made and I feel so lost and not in control of the situation.  I know we still have time; I just feel overwhelmed at the moment.

Weight?
 The numbers still haven't changed... yet.  :)
*But I'm also still working on cutting out sugar, fried foods, carbs, and other junk food —as much as possible.  It's not always easy, but I see those numbers staying the same and I'm loving it!!  I know soon enough the numbers will change.  I just need to keep doing my part.  

What do I miss?

Sleeping on my tummy and sleeping through the night.

Symptoms?

Exhausted.  I just want to lay down all the time.  I started spotting/bleeding (with some clots) and it's just been off and on.  Depends how much I move around, I think.  But the doc says Baby A's placenta is right on top of my cervix.  I'm hoping it moves soon.  My chest got super duper sensitive again!  What's up with that?!  They had started to feel normal —but then out of no where it came back. :(

Annoyances?
Almost everything right now.  :(  The dogs.  KJ's meltdowns and "challenging" moments.  Clutter that I just don't have the energy to take care of right now.  Back pain flaring up again.  Crazy sharp Endo pains.  :(

Cravings?

I'm still craving Hot & Sour soup from a local restaurant.  New craving of "safe" sushi started —out of no where.  Orange juice.  

 Highlights of the week?
Getting to see the Twinkies wiggle and dance around on the sonogram.  That memory will never go away!  Also, I was able to see (and feel) a jolt happen in my belly!  It was amazing and I can't wait to feel more!!

Oh, and I had my first taste, since August, of decaf coffee and some chocolate!  It was more exciting than it was delicious.  lol.  I think I missed it more because I cut it out completely.  But it was great that I felt ready to have a taste.  I felt comfortable and safe, not concerned and afraid like I had been feeling earlier on.  That's a HUGE step for me.  :) 

 Belly Watch:

12/7/12: The Twinkies are already giving me white hair!!

What should have been a nice relaxing day of hanging out with a friend, crafting with our kiddos, turned into the first big scare of the pregnancy...

I thought I just needed to tinkle... and then everything changed.  Blood... clots... light cramping... a nervous call to my doctor... pack up the kiddos... hurry over to my doctor's office... pray, pray, pray for two heartbeats!!!

My friend was such a HUGE blessing today.  Chris and I are still down to one car right now, so she picked me and KJ up so that we could go to her house to spend the day.  Then she ended up driving me to my doctor's office and waiting for me, while taking care of KJ and her two kiddos.  I can't thank her enough!

Dr. R checked my cervix and confirmed that it was still completely closed but, yes in deed, there was blood.  He did a transvaginal sono and found two beautiful heartbeats and a very very wiggly Teeny (baby A), again.  Tiny (baby B), once again was just floating around, waving every now and then.  :)  What a RELIEF! —they're okay!!  Praise God!!  Dr. R checked the length of the cervix and the lining and said it all looked great.  He then checked the position of the placenta and it is right on top of my cervix.  He says that is more than likely the cause of the bleeding and clots.  The placenta is still expected to move upward; so it wasn't a concern, he said.  I was just told to take it easy all weekend and not to over do anything.  I was so glad when he told me that I didn't have to be in bed all weekend but I definitely need to rest as much as possible and take it easy.

So, that I can definitely do!  I sure know how to take it easy around here.  Ask Chris!  lol  ;P

The great thing about this emergency is that I walked out of the office with a beautiful picture of each little Twinkie.  :)  (and since it was transvaginal, it is a much better quality than yesterday's pic)

12/6/12: 10 weeks 1 day. First OB visit

Seeing our babies is the best thing EVER right now!!! :)

I went back to my regular OB/GYN, Dr. R (he's been my doc for almost 8 years now).  He's who referred me to the fertility clinic; so I was really excited to go back to share our excitement.  It was all very normal and typical.  Weight, which I have not gained (yet)!!  Blood pressure, also the same as usual —great! :)  Leave a urine sample.  Can you believe that they actually ran a pregnancy test?!  Even though they have access to my entire medical file from the fertility clinic!  I thought it was a waste of time and just an easy way to charge the insurance some extra $$.

Dr. R was very happy to see us back.  I got my usual hug and kiss, on the cheek, from him (something that was kind of strange to me for a while) and Chris got a huge hand shake and "big bear hug"!  We quickly talked about our experience at RMA (the fertility clinic) and then I told him I have a list of questions for him but that I'd love to check on the babies first.  So, to the sonogram machine he went!

I was expecting the usual transvaginal ultrasound, but was completely surprised and excited when he started the transabdominal.  He said that we should be able to see them just fine, since they were 10 weeks now.  He was right!  They were dancing away... well, Teeny (baby A) was the wiggle worm!  Tiny was just calm and resting —waving an arm or two every few seconds.  But nothing like Teeny.  LOL!!  Teeny was trying to do back flips already.  hee hee  It was absolutely the best thing I've seen so far!!! :D

Teeny's heart rate was 174 at the 8 week check up and today, it was 179.  That was a surprise.  Tiny's heartbeat was right about the same, in the low 160's.

Because it was not an actual "sono appointment", we didn't get pictures printed out.  Now, I'm sure if I would have asked for some he would have done it for us, but since he took an extra long sono, so we could record it on our phone, I didn't want to ask for more.  And, unfortunately, Chris thought he was recording all the movements and wiggles but then realized that he somehow stopped recording six seconds into it. :(  Thankfully, Dr. R was waiting for us in his office, to answer my list of questions, and was willing to come back in and do another sono for us to record.  Again, unfortunately, during the second sono, Teeny was already done with the "show" and was back to resting.  So, the recording we have does not have the same wiggle-wiggle movements that we saw the first time. :(  BUT... we love having that memory between just the two of us.  We will never forget that moment!

A screen shot from the recording we got. 

So, about the many questions that I had for Dr. R...


Basically, I want a VERY natural birth experience.  Now, I am aware that things can come up and change what I want.  However, my goal is to have someone with the same goals, or be just as supportive.  Dr. R is only 100% on board with that plan as long as both babies are head down.  He says that if one baby is breech then it's a scheduled c-section.  He said there is no time frame requirements and that he will confirm baby positions up until I go in to labor.  But I really really really don't like that he doesn't even try to turn them before going through with a c-section.  :(

I had/have a midwife in mind and I hear that she is the best midwife, when it comes to delivering twins.  I was all on board with looking into a home birth even...  But now, after hearing all the "scary" scenarios that Dr. R presented, Chris is not so much on board with me anymore.  Honestly, even I didn't feel so sure after hearing what Dr. R said.  However, I know that, if I still took time to talk with the midwife, she would, more than likely, be able to have better scenarios to present to us because it's her area of expertise.

I feel like Dr. R told us what he did because he does not agree or even understand the point in birthing at home.  He did say, however, that if I was pregnant with a singleton then  he would say that was a great option for us.  But that because it's twins it just shouldn't even be an option.  He compared it to buckling up our kids in the car or not letting them ride in the front seat.  He said that we could choose not to buckle our child in the car because we might not experience a car accident... but we just don't even take that chance because of the serious risk it would be.  Same with a twin home birth, he says.  There is that slight possibility that everything could go well but why even take that chance?!  —The risks would be too great to chance it.  He said that he's been my doctor for a very long time and he knows all that we've gone through to get to this point —pregnant.  He wants everything to go as smoothly as possible, with the best possible results.

So, can you see how it jolted my thoughts just a bit.  I agree with what he says... BUT it's hard for me to accept that it's the only option.  He says that a twin pregnancy is a high-risk pregnancy.  I have a hard time agreeing with that too.  I see it as a pregnancy... because I believe that there can be very normal, healthy, twin pregnancies.

I don't know.  I need to talk things over with my bff (who's an awesome doula!!).  I'm sure she'll be able to help me sift through all these confusing thoughts.  BUT all in all, I was happy to see Dr. R again and share our excitement.

Our next appointment with Dr. R is scheduled for Christmas Eve, at 9:15am.  What a GREAT Christmas present... seeing and hearing our little Twinkies again!