35 Weeks

Just a quick update on my pregnancy... I'm up to 35 weeks as of yesterday!! For twins, that is really great. Hopefully by next week the twins will be at a point where they wouldn't need any NICU time if they were born then. Even at this week, they are pretty close to ready to live outside my uterus. And let me tell you... I am very ready for them to live outside my uterus.

I've given this pregnancy the title of the most physically challenging thing I've ever done. College basketball practice every night for 2 hours from September through February has nothing on this pregnancy. I am exhausted all the time and I hardly do anything. I have lots of aches and pains that just won't let up. When the babies move, it hurts. When I stand up, my sciatic nerve gets angry. I sleep with a heated rice bag on my butt or knees or ankles (depending on the night), a pillow between my legs, and my arms in a funky position so that my hands don't go numb (which they always do anyway). I'm still getting some sleep though, so I can't complain too much.

In fact, I can't complain at all. So many twin moms are faced with preterm labor, bed rest, gestational diabetes, and all sorts of other problems. My pregnancy has been boring. My doctor appointments are so quick it's not even worth the copay. It's such a blessing, though! My babies are growing steadily and at the same pace ( 4lbs 10 oz, and 4 lbs 12 oz as of last Tuesday). And at this point, the doc is willing to let my body and babies decide when it's time to come out, which is wonderful! I'm not going to lie, I'm dying to have that "Oh my gosh, it's time!" moment.

The babies should be around 5 pounds each this week, and around 18 inches long. I can't wrap my mind around how much baby is in there right now... 10+ pounds and 36+ inches?! I've had soooo many people tell me that I don't even look like I'm having twins. They must be all snuggled up in there. There's still time for my belly to get to that grossly huge point, though! I could have 4 more weeks!

Oh, last thing... as of this past Tuesday, I am officially on maternity leave! I have celebrated each day this week with 2 hour naps while my son takes his. It's amazing. I'm trying to get all the sleep in that I can before those babies get here!

Which hopefully, will be soon!!! If we're being official, there's 34 days until my due date, but it will be less than that.

Here's to spontaneous labor at week 38! Momma is ready to meet you, my boys!

My family on the 4th of July!

31 Week Update

This week I had an appointment with the specialist, and it was a very helpful and exciting conversation.

It looks like at this point, I will be having my VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)! Baby A, Maverick, is head down and most likely will stay that way now. When he flipped head down, he must have crowded his brother because now Tucker is transverse (sideways). The doctor was not at all worried about that. If after delivering Maverick, Tucker is still breech, we have a few options. He will try to turn the baby externally first, and if that doesn't work, he will do a breech extraction (with a strongly recommended epidural... oh, darn).  He does not foresee any problems with a vaginal delivery as of right now. He will continue to watch the size of the babies to make sure one isn't much bigger than the other, but that hasn't been an issue thus far. They measured 3 pounds, 5 ounces, and 3 pounds, 6 ounces this week.

He calmly discussed a few of the things that could go wrong, just so I am aware of what could happen. Not once did he try and talk me out of a vaginal delivery, so I'm very happy about that. He did say there is a 15% chance that one baby will be born and they could need to do a C-section for the second. That would be my worst nightmare... I'm going to ignore that possibility. I will have my doula there making sure we have exhausted all options before I have to have a c-section.

I asked him lots of questions about delivery, many of which weren't answered the way I had hoped. After taking my child birth class, I was hoping that I would be able to use a lot of the pain management options they suggested. Unfortunately, with the added risks that come with a VBAC, I won't be able to move around during labor as freely as I wanted. I will be hooked up with 3 monitors (one for contractions and one for each baby) as well as an IV. The nice thing is that I don't need to go to the hospital until contractions are 5 minutes apart. That gives me time to labor at home in the shower or bath tub, on the yoga ball, etc. I'll just have to be cautious since the hospital is about 50 minutes away!

He briefly mentioned induction around 38 weeks, by breaking my water. I've learned a lot from the VBAC community. So many of them are crazy DOCTORS ARE EVIL people, but they have some good points about what is medically necessary and what isn't. I could be wrong, but in my head, if they break my water too early there's got to be a bigger chance that I'll have a repeat c-section. Once water is broken, there are only so many hours before the baby needs to be out. What if my body isn't ready? What if I have the typical "failure to progress"? I guess I don't see the rush. I understand that twins are pretty full term at 38, but will it really hurt to wait until my body decides to start labor?

I'm pretty obsessed with reading birth stories, twins and singletons alike. It seems to me the ones where labor starts naturally tend to be faster and require less intervention. Those who are induced seem to have long labor and more interventions. There are only so many beds in a hospital, and if you have crazy preggo ladies lined up waiting to have their babies, they might try to hurry the process for those sitting pretty at 4 cm.

I'm hoping he gives me a say in the matter. Who knows though, I might be begging him to induce me at 38 weeks. I will have made it through almost all of July by that time and I know I will be huge and probably pretty miserable. But the doctor and I agreed the best case scenario would be for me to go into labor on my own.

I guess I need to relax a little! And trust God. My goal is to have healthy babies. I can't focus on what could go wrong.

So, I have around 7 or 8 weeks left, and I am going to try to enjoy my sleep and being pregnant. I will try to enjoy the time I have with my son, the last few weeks of him being an only child. I'll do my absolute best to not hate every day I still have to be at work. I will definitely enjoy the "go sit and put your feet up!" that I get from family and friends. I will enjoy the last weeks of having two sets of feet poking me to say, "Hi Mommy!".

I can't help but be excited and anxious though. I have a business card in my purse with numbers to call when I'm in labor... I have the diaper bag ready to go... I have two car seats ready to be put in my van...and I have two little boys inside of me that I am dying to meet!

And no matter what it takes to meet them, I am ready!

This Week's Stats:
How far along? 31 Weeks, 2 days.
How big are the twins? over 3 pounds each, and about 18 inches long! Picture a pineapple or coconut! 
Total weight gain/loss? About 35 pounds... Hopefully breastfeeding two babies will get that gone quickly!
Maternity clothes? Of course, or anything I can find that will fit this big belly! 
Sleep? Getting difficult. Sometimes I wake up and can't go back to sleep for an hour or two. I get a lot of leg cramps or restless legs. Heartburn is gone thanks to the prilosec! 
Best moment this week? Hearing that Maverick is head down!
Symptoms? Exhaustion. Leg cramps. Swollen hands and feet. Some back pain. Typical 3rd trimester stuff. It's nothing I can't handle!
Food cravings? Not much... I hardly finish meals, for the first time in my life. Guess my stomach is just too crowded.
Food aversions? Nothing really.
Labor signs? I've had a Braxton Hicks contraction a few times. Some pelvic pain, not enough to ever worry about. 
Belly button in or out?Neither. It's neutral. 
What I miss? Diet Pepsi. Being able to bend over.
What I'm looking forward to?  Calling Jer and saying "IT'S TIME!" 
Bump? See below...

Over the Hill

Well, the halfway mark is in the rear view mirror and we're counting it down. Eighteen weeks, one day, if I were to go full term. My belly is huge, my babies are moving, and my energy is dwindling! Yesterday was the first day I kind of wanted to say, "Being pregnant sucks!" I'm very careful to say anything like that, though. So many people aren't able to experience the miracle of pregnancy and it would be so very inconsiderate to whine about my pregnancy aches. The joy of carrying a child far outweighs the aches and pains that come along with it.  But if we're honest, it's not always fun.

I had it in my mind to have everything done by 30 weeks. Painting, nursery decor, baby clothes washed and put away, deep house clean, gardens planted. I figured that by 30 weeks I would be starting to slow down. I don't know if it's the fact that I just spent the weekend at a youth convention with our church youth group, or if it's just starting earlier than I expected, but I am definitely starting to slow down.  Did I mention this belly is huge? I mean, I'm already looking like I am 30+ weeks (compared to my first pregnancy). By the time I hit 30 weeks, I'll need a crane to help me out of bed.

So now I feel like I need to get a lot done very quickly. Do you know what it is like to get something done with an almost 2 year old??? Nearly impossible. (Especially when he is this cute!)

I can hardly keep up with cleaning and laundry, let alone try and get painting and projects done! I'm sorry, I'm whining again. Whatever gets done will get done, and everything else will have to wait!

We're coming along with names. Picking two names is twice as hard, go figure. Jer and I can't seem to agree on anything. My names are too trendy, his names are too boring. And of course someone always knows SOMEONE with that name that you don't like. We have some front runners, though. Hopefully we can decide soon. I know we have time, but I hate calling my children A and B!

Here's a quick synopsis of my pregnancy this week:

How far along? 21 Weeks, 6 Days
How big are the peanuts? The size of papayas! Baby A weighs 13 oz and Baby B weighs 12 oz (as of last week's ultrasound)
Total weight gain/loss? Um yeah, no. I'll just say this... when I weighed in last week I almost cried.
Maternity clothes? Of course. Even those are getting snug! Don't they make twin maternity clothes?!
Sleep? Is a beautiful thing. We're averaging 10 hours at night, with the occasional midnight bathroom run.
Best moment this week? Coming up with a name that just fits. Now I just have to convince Jer.
Symptoms? Low energy is pretty much it right now. I am blessed!
Food cravings? Loaded cheese fries with ranch. Ice cream. 
Food aversions? None right now.
Gender? Two Boys, baby!
Labor signs? Nope, thank you Jesus!
Belly button in or out? It's getting frighteningly close to out...
What I miss? A bigger wardrobe.
What I'm looking forward to? Baby shower in a few weeks!
Bump? Absolutely. This pic is from Sunday:

Twenty week Twins!

Do you ever get ready in the morning, head out the door, and just feel like it's going to be a great day? Today was one of those days. Coffee in hand, birds chirping, it's already over 30 degrees at 9am, and today I'm 20 WEEKS!

I am officially halfway!! Hopefully, I'm over halfway. I for sure don't want those twinsies coming too early but I think if I was still pregnant at 40 weeks I might just die. The babies are the size of bananas! They are 6.5 inches crown-to-rump, or 10 inches total, and about 10 ounces! My sister pointed out to me that if they were laying feet to feet they would be the length of a full term baby already! That's a lot of baby.

We had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound last week and it looks like the babies are doing wonderfully. Their heartbeats are strong and they are measuring right on time. We couldn't get all the measurements because they were moving so much so I have to go back next week for another ultrasound (oh, darn!). Here's some shots of the babes!

I am in love already! And beyond excited. I found a forum yesterday for twin moms and a bunch of the ladies would post their pictures of their newborns and excitedly post, "they're here!" (ok, some of them would say "their here!" but I'm sure in their after birth haze they weren't thinking about grammar). Anyway, to see those precious little miracles made me tear up. I still sometimes can't get over the fact that I'm going to have two babies at once. Is it too soon to pack my hospital bag???

As far as pregnancy goes, I'm doing great. The babies are getting much stronger and I'm starting to feel them way more often.  I don't really have any annoying pregnancy symptoms right now other than low energy. I am starting to notice my limits though. Monday night I came home from work and cleaned/cooked for hours... Tuesday I woke up with back pain and was exhausted all day. Oh well. I am so grateful for a smooth first half of this pregnancy. I assume the second half won't be a breeze, but I'm ready for it! 

The picture on the right is from over the weekend, a few days before 20 weeks. I had to compare it to a picture from my pregnancy with Easton, so that's the pic on the left. How far along was I there, you ask? Ummmm.... well.... 30 weeks. Yikes, I know. In my defense, I had just eaten a huge lunch in the pic on the right! I know I will have a much bigger belly than before, but if I'm showing about 10 weeks ahead, what am I going to do at week 35? 38? I will be looking full term so soon! Oh, how uncomfortable. 

I don't mean to whine, I wouldn't trade this for the world. How many people can say they are growing two little lives inside of them? It's amazing. I am so blessed that God gave me the chance to do this. So I'm going to suck it up, and be grateful! I do appreciate your prayers as I start off on the second half of pregnancy.  There are a lot of risks that show up in the second half, but I'm going to take it one day at a time. 

As always, thanks for reading! 

10 Things I Learned at Childbirth Class

Saturday I went to my first birthing class. My doula had some friends that were having their first childbirth education class and I offered to go be a guinea pig and give feedback. Honestly, I did not think I would learn that much. After all, I have 3 whole pregnancy apps and I've already had a child. But I have never been through labor, so I thought I could at least get a few tidbits of helpful info. I got much more than I expected. Here are some of the things I left with:

1. Childbirth classes are important. If you are pregnant with your first, find one and take one. You learn a lot of terms from your doctor but a lot of doctors don't really thoroughly explain them. Also, during labor, nurses and doctors ask you a lot of questions and expect you to weigh the pros and cons quickly while you are in pain. Having a plan in place and knowing what will be thrown at you is very helpful. 

2. Bringing your husband can make it awkward.  Most of the guys in the class seemed a little squeamish at some of the terms. They can get on board with uterus, vagina, cervix, etc. but when you break out perineum, mucous plug, and episiotomy they start squirming.  Then show them a video of a baby's head popping out followed by the delivery of the placenta, and their faces start getting pretty white.  I know its different with your own kid. My husband will hopefully be able to look past the gross parts and melt at the sight of his boys being born. But in a classroom setting and some random woman's lady parts on a big screen, different story. Luckily, my hubby was working.

3. Not bringing your husband and instead bringing your friend/doula is even more awkward.  I knew we only had to make it through introductions before we could explain that she was my doula and not my significant other. I'm kicking myself in the pants for not introducing us as Susan and Carol (Friends fans will get it). After explaining to the class that she was filling in for my husband who had to work, I though the awkward part was over. Silly me. Of course we're going to try out some of the labor positions and then get massages from our partners. I couldn't help but laugh the whole time. I guess if my doula will be there during labor/birth, I might as well get used to it getting awkward! She's great though, we had a lot of fun. Any day spent talking about babies is a good day for me!

4. By the end of your pregnancy, your bladder looks like a pancake. I knew that it gets squished, but actually seeing a diagram of your bladder at week 4 and again at week 40 makes you wonder how it fits any liquid in there (think grapefruit size before, chocolate chip cookie after). And I will have 2 babies laying on it. The last few weeks of my pregnancy will probably be the only time in my life I will be asking for a catheter.  Side note: The lady said I should be drinking 3-4 liters of water a day. Liters? Lady, this is 'merica. I don't know what the heck you're talking about.

5. One day of growing a baby expends as much energy as walking uphill 5 miles. I have two babies I'm cooking, so I'm going to take the liberty of saying its 10 miles for me. I walked 10 miles uphill today in addition to working my job, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of my 1 year old, what have you done? 

6. There are 4 stages in labor. Here's my version: 

• Early labor, Phase 1: "Ouch, this really hurts, but sure, the families can come visit for a little while."
• Active labor, Phase 2: "I'm only how many centimeters? Why again do I want to avoid an epidural? Also, get the family out of here before I punch one of them!"
• Transition, Phase 3: "I'm NEVER doing this again! OOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW. I swear to sweet baby Jesus, if you touch my head one more time I'm going to throw you out the 3rd floor window."
• Birth, Phase 4: (ahhhh push it, P-P-Push it real good!) "He's here! Baby A is here! *cue the tears* Holy crap that hurt, what a big head. Wait, you mean to tell me I have to do that again?! The second one is breech? Excuse me, you're going to stick your hand where?!?!?!"

7. Yoga Balls help during labor. This one is self explanatory. I want a pink one.

8. It's helpful to bring a pair of shorts for laboring.  This one wasn't really part of the class, it was a conclusion I came to after watching/trying out some of the laboring positions. I think squatting in a bottomless and backless gown is probably not so comfortable. Or attractive.

9. The "he-he-who-who" breathing is not going to help, unless your goal is to hyperventilate. Breathing through a contraction is important, but the quick short breaths in all the movies isn't going to help any. Controlled deep breaths are more helpful. Apparently, grunting through pushes is also helpful. We practiced. I'm a grunting pro now. 

10. Husbands should be preparing for labor. 15-20 pushups a day and nightly massages will help him be ready to support his laboring wife. I told my husband this. He laughed. Thanks a lot, babe.

There you have it. Ten random things I learned from childbirth class. There was much more, but I won't bore you with it all. I strongly encourage all you preggo ladies to attend one. Just don't wait until right before you give birth. Watching some random lady push a baby out takes at least a month or two to recover from.