Saturday, January 28, 2017

16 & 17 Weeks

January 11 - 16 Weeks today!
Morning:
According to my apps (yes, I have three), you're about the size of avocados - around 4.5 inches long. That's nine inches of babies!! All of my apps say that I should start feeling you soon, and I cannot wait! I can only imagine the shapes and sizes that my belly is going to be with two of you moving around in there!

The products I ordered should be complete either today or tomorrow, so we'll be revealing your genders before the weekend. People (especially co-workers, haha!) are getting very antsy - it's been pretty funny!

Evening:
The order is here! Waiting anxiously for Daddy and Anna to come home so we can make our little announcement. :) I am so surprised at how involved everyone has gotten (especially at work) with these two little beans already. I don't know if its because you're twins that makes it more exciting or what, but it's wonderful knowing we have so much love and support for these little ones!

January 13 - 16+2 weeks
The word is out:


You're both boys!! Anna is going to have two little brothers (even though sometimes she still says you're "girl babies")! I love the way my shirt turned out and Anna is very proud to wear hers - she even added in her own touch of the cape for the picture, which I thought was so perfect.

The shirts came in a day early so that was exciting because people were asking me like crazy! Daddy and I had a bit of fun with it and only showed one side for about an hour before posting the picture above - just had to drive people nuts one last time! :)


Yesterday we received your double stroller in the mail and we all couldn't wait to open it. Of course Anna had to try it out right away and she loved it. Unfortunately Anna's old infant car seat isn't really compatible with the new stroller, so we'll be looking to sell her travel system set and purchase two smaller infant seats for you guys.

Now that we know & have announced your genders, I'm getting very anxious to start on your bedroom! We don't have a specific theme picked out yet, but have a couple ideas. We also don't have any names set in stone and probably won't for a while. I'd like to keep your names to ourselves until after you're born so there's a least some element of surprise.

It's crazy to think I'm almost half way through this pregnancy already!

January 14 - 16w, 3d
Horray for a three-day weekend! Right now, my biggest struggle is food, and I hate it. I want to eat everything in sight, but I have to watch my blood sugars so I don't develop gestational diabetes. It was around this time in my pregnancy with Anna that I struggled with post-dinner time highs, and I wish I would have written down what we ate all the time!
I'm struggling because I'm trying to eat healthier, but I don't feel like I'm taking in enough fat and calories that way, and I don't seem to ever feel full. Last night I cheated at ate a ton of pizza because I was just so hungry! I'm hoping my CF doctor and dietitian have a few ideas and suggestions of fatty foods that are not going to spike my sugars.

January 18 - 17 weeks!
Anna and I went shopping over the weekend and got better snack and meal (breakfast & lunch) options for me. It's slowly starting to come back to me about what I lived on -- peanut butter, jerky and cheese! I've also started drinking one Boost drink with my lunch at work to help get a little extra calories and protein instead of having water. I'm curious to see what my weight will be next week at my CF appointment. I'm also wondering what my lung function will look like. I don't feel like the boys are squishing my lungs at all - in fact, today they felt so low they were going to fall out! By the time I get to my appointment, I will have been off Cayston for just about two weeks, so we'll see how they're still holding up.

I went to my first local "Moms of Multiples" meeting last night at a church in town and met with three other moms who have twins (and some with other children, too). It was so nice being able to chat and hear their twin pregnancy experiences. I've also been able to meet another local mom with 18 month old twin boys, who loaned me a book about being pregnant with multiples that's been pretty interesting so far. One of the women from the group last night met up with me today to lend me her belly brace/support. As soon as I found out we were having twins, Tim and I always joked that I would need one by the end of my pregnancy -- we were right! I'm almost half-way through (which is crazy!) and I definitely feel "heavy" sometimes. I think it'll really help this spring when I'm getting a lot bigger and still working. I've been trying to, and will continue to try more, to sit as much as possible throughout the day, but sometimes the discomfort is worse when I get up after sitting for a long time. Sometimes I feel it's best do shorter intervals of sitting/walking/standing. I just keep reminding myself that the discomfort I'm feeling now is nothing compared to what it can/will be later, so I'm really trying not to complain!

Speaking of almost being half-way through, twenty more weeks and these little guys will be considered full-term. That would put us at June 7th. I really hope I'm able to make it past the end of the school year so that I don't have to use my sick days/maternity leave for bed rest. As of right now, on our last day of school, I'll be exactly 35 weeks, so I feel like it's do-able, but I'm really going to have to take it easy in April and May at work.


January 20 - 17w, 2d
I was really uncomfortable yesterday throughout the day, but mostly in the evening. I don't know if I stood too much at work, plus taking Anna swimming was just too much on my body, but I was sore. Plus, it felt like the babies were teaming up and laying together on the lowest part of my uterus! At some points I couldn't tell if I was starting to get mini Braxton Hicks, or if it was just the position of the babies, because my whole belly wasn't hard, just the bottom part. Either way, I had Tim help me put Anna to bed so I didn't have to lift her the rest of the night, and I tried to go to bed a little earlier.

This morning I woke up and had a little bit of pinkish-brown mucus-y discharge when I went to the bathroom. From what I've read and talked to people, pink/brown is old blood and if it was red, it'd be new blood and potentially a problem. I'll definitely be calling MFM this morning, just to let them know, but I'm feeling totally fine this morning and definitely not as uncomfortable as I did last night.


January 22 - 17w, 4d (Sunday)
You two have been keeping me on my toes these last couple days. MFM wasn't too concerned about my call on Friday morning, saying that as long as it wasn't bright red and I wasn't having any contractions, I should be fine. Then Friday afternoon it came back as I was packing the car to head to Bloomington then DeKalb - of course...

So I called MFM again, just to be on the safe side. I was uncomfortable throughout the day on Friday, but tried to sit as much as possible. After talking with the nurse, and she consulted the doctor, they decided it was better to have me come in and get checked just to make sure there weren't any problems. So I headed off to Springfield to see what these little boys were up to! First they did an internal ultrasound to check my cervix and the tech was "very pleased". It was measuring just fine and showed no sign of thinning or shortening. Also, we were able to see Baby A's little head way down low, so that confirmed the very low discomfort I'd been having! Then she did an external ultrasound and you two were moving all over the place! I even saw (I think) Baby B moving his arms back and forth, looking like he was trying to push/hit his brother!! Both placentas looked great, fluid levels were normal, both heart rates were in normal range and both boys were very active. All in all, everything looked great. Phew!

They gave me the all-clear to continue my activities as planned, and didn't even tell me to take it easy. They're going to call me on Monday to follow-up and see how I'm doing. Yesterday we did lots of shopping with Linda & Roger, and I had to sit for breaks frequently, but I was able to get a lot more rest/relaxation today which made me feel better. I'm really going to try to take it easy at work this week - wear comfy shoes, sit when I can, drink even more than I am now, etc. I'm hoping this is just a growth spurt/position issue and it goes away. I cannot imagine being this uncomfortable (plus more as they get bigger) for another 20 weeks!

January 23 - 17w, 5d
Oh boys - you just can't let me relax! It's been one heck of a week! I woke up this morning with a terrible headache and tried to get myself to drink lots and lots of water to help get it to go away, but nothing seemed to help. Aside from the headache and feeling really tired, I wasn't feeling a ton of pressure or discomfort down below like I had been Friday & Saturday. I was still having a little bit of discharge, so I was keeping an eye on that, too. Well, around 10:50 this morning at work, I started bleeding - like a period! Thankfully I have amazing co-workers and I was able to leave to head straight to MFM to get checked while I knew my kids would be in good hands.

Originally, the MFM office suggested I go to the local ER because they typically don't see patients for things like this before 20 weeks, but I told them I'd be much more comfortable seeing them (since they know about my CF & history) than a random person in the ER. The nurse on the phone talked to the doctor and he agreed to see me. When I arrived, they checked my blood pressure which was completely normal and pulse ox was 99%. I had another internal ultrasound to check my cervix. We saw Baby A's feet kicking away way down low, which means he was now breech. My cervix looked just fine - again, no signs of labor, thinning or shortening.
She then did an external ultrasound to check on the boys. They both had high heart rates today because they were so active. Baby A was 175, and Baby B was 168. Baby B was nice and squished, folded in half and we saw him kick himself in the head at one point. The tech was great, took her time, measured what she needed and took lots of pictures for me. One of the 3D pictures, I swear Baby A looks a lot like Anna did from one of her 3D pictures. Baby B was harder to see because he was rolled up into a ball. The tech was very pleased to see them moving so much and also said my fluid levels and placentas looked normal.
After the ultrasounds, they did an exam to check for any active bleeding. She could not see any - just brown old blood. So, overall, everything looked normal again, which is good to hear, but also annoying to me because I felt like I got no explanation as to why I was bleeding!
After everyone looked me over, the doctor came in to chat with me before I left. He said that it's not completely uncommon for women to have bleeding in twin pregnancies due to the extra blood supply and pressure. He said I could probably expect to have spotting throughout the pregnancy and this could potentially put me at risk for preterm labor (which I'm already at risk having twins), but everything looks completely normal today. He was very happy that I was willing to come into MFM today instead of going to the ER because he said they know me (CF + twins) and any time you have bleeding, it could be a sign of labor, but thankfully today its just there to stress me out - haha. We joked about how Anna's pregnancy was so easy, that this one couldn't be just as easy, too!

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful team taking care of me. Not once, Friday or today, did I feel like I was inconveniencing them by coming in on such short notice. Everyone was kind, took their time with me, and answered any questions I had. They all commented on how I can call any time I have questions or concerns.
Hopefully I won't have to go back within the next two weeks, before our big anatomy scan coming up. I'm looking forward to watching them spend lots of time examining and measuring each baby. They seem so big on the screen, but I'm curious how they're measuring for their age. Let's hope I don't have to go back until then, and that they behave!! :)

January 24 - 17w, 6d
Bleeding slowed down a significant amount last night after my appointment and seems to be back in brown stage as of this morning- which I'm hoping means it's the end. I still have a slight headache, but they gave me the okay to take Tylenol, so I'll probably keep that handy today.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

14 & 15 Weeks

December 28th - 14 weeks! Hello second trimester!

Note: This one was taken in the evening - all others were in the morning.
December 29 - 14w, 1d
You're definitely growing! Look at that belly already! I've been having lots of stretching pains over the last week or so and according to my apps, you're both about 3.4 inches long and about 1.5oz. That's about 7 inches and 3oz of baby + placentas + your sacs....I guess that belly makes sense! Looking back at my pregnancy with Anna - this belly is about the same size as I was when I was about 23/24 weeks along with her!

Just got a call back from MFM! You are both very low risk for any chromosomal abnormalities! We also found out some gender news - so I immediately called Daddy!!! :)

December 31st - 14w, 3d
Daddy and I are going to get a new (used) car today. We're trading in our beloved Mazda 3 which we bought together a month before we got married. Its been with us for six years, four moves, a wedding, a baby and over 157,000 miles!
Even though we're planning on sending Anna to preschool in the fall, and Daddy will just be taking the two of you to Grandma's, there's no way we'd comfortably be able to fit both of your car seats in our "blue car". The plan is to upgrade to a Mazda 6 wagon, and I hope everything goes smoothly.

January 2 - 14w, 5d
Happy New Year! Thankfully everything went very smooth on Saturday, and Daddy and I came home with a new car. :) It has the right amount of space for our growing family and gets decent gas mileage for Daddy's commute to/from work. We are really liking the fact that it's a used vehicle (2005) because it's already broken in and we don't have to worry about trying to keep it fresh and new with soon to be three kids.

Pregnancy-wise, I've been feeling alright. I'm still having lots of stretching/pain in my low, low abdomen and groin area, but I know that's normal, it's just annoying. I notice it the most when I've been sitting a while and then get up, and also if I've been standing for a long time. With all of the stretching I've been feeling my body doing, and watching my belly grow by the day, I cannot wait to see you two at our ultrasound on Thursday! Daddy's thinking about coming with too in case they're able to confirm your genders. Let's hope you're both cooperating, otherwise we'll have to wait another 4 weeks!
I've also been experiencing some head aches on and off over the last couple days. I'm wondering if it's because I'm not drinking enough water. We bough a 40-pack of water bottles today at Sam's, so hopefully that'll help me, especially with going back to work tomorrow.

Unfortunately, winter break has come to an end. Luckily tomorrow is just Teacher Work Day, so it'll be a nice ease back into the week. I'm looking forward to getting back onto a schedule & routine, but will definitely miss sleeping in and having some lazy days. It's hard to believe this school year is already half way over. It's also hard to believe that I may not finish this school year! On the last day of school, I'll be exactly 35 weeks, so we'll see how my body holds up! I plan to get in contact with a couple of my favorite subs to see if they'd be interested in covering me at the end of the school year, if need be. I'd really like to make it to the end of the year, but I know there are so many unknowns with twin pregnancies as I've written about before.
Well, better get to bed! 4:45 will come way too soon!

January 6 - 15w, 2d
We know your genders!!! I had an ultrasound yesterday and you were both very cooperative and we were able to confirm your genders. Daddy and I are very excited!! We're not sharing just yet because I'm having some things made to help make the reveal a little more fun. Nothing over the top, but something cute. Hopefully they'll be done by next Thursday so we can share our news Friday.

I couldn't believe how big you both looked on the ultrasound yesterday, although the tech said you're probably about a pound a piece (so still very tiny). They didn't measure you at all because you're still so small, but will start measuring next appointment, which will also be our big anatomy scan. With all of the stretching and pain I've been having down low, I thought for sure the ultrasound would be really low yesterday, too. It wasn't. She was looking at you both up higher than expected and she said the top of my uterus is probably just above my belly button - wow! So I guess this belly is babies already :) You were both sideways, each of your heads facing a different direction. I got to see you moving all around, kicking legs and and bending arms. I asked how they determine who's baby A and baby B -- baby A is the one closest to the exit, basically. So the twin on the bottom is baby A, and the one on top is baby B. I'm assuming you'll stay in those positions most of the pregnancy until (hopefully!) you start turning head down to make your exit.

Surprisingly I've only gained 2lbs so far, which made me a little worried, but the NP didn't seem to think it was an issue. They really want me to keep a close watch on my sugars to help avoid gestational diabetes. My blood pressure was totally normal. And all of the blood work I had done around 11-12 weeks came back normal. Even my A1C was 4.6!! Woo hoo! That's within normal-people (aka: non-CF) range! I hope that I'm able to control my sugars with diet and not insulin this pregnancy. So far I've been doing pretty good, just struggling with dinner being a bit on the high end after two hours. Hopefully I can get/keep them under control to avoid further issues.

For now Daddy and I are keep our lips sealed so we don't give your genders away yet. It's was really hard at work today, but I'm going to try my best not to say anything. I'm glad that Daddy and I can settle on names and start coming up with nursery ideas. :-)