16 & 17 Weeks

Thursday, August 31 - 16 weeks
We're 16 weeks along in this journey and I cannot wait for my doctor's appointment this afternoon!

It's been almost 5 weeks since my last appointment, and it's been 8 weeks since my last ultrasound! Today I have a feeling of excitement for my appointment, and that feels a lot better than nerves and anxiety. I haven't had any terrible dreams in the last couple weeks, although we are approaching the timing in my pregnancy when I started getting uncomfortable and having issues. I really don't like comparing the pregnancies, because carrying two babies is completely different than carrying one, but it was so recent, it's hard not to compare sometimes.

I've been feeling so good lately, pregnancy wise, though. Sometimes, I don't feel like I'm pregnant at all, which is wonderful. Of course I have some groin and low uterus stretching when getting up after I've been sitting/laying for a while, but I know that's perfectly normal for this gestational age. I have very normal energy level -- considering how exhausted I am from back to school and starting my masters, I'd say that I've been feeling really good.

At my last appointment, they told me at 16 weeks they'd start checking my cervix to monitor it for any changes. Today, we start that. It's a little nerve-wrecking to watch for your cervix to begin failing, and hoping for the best, but going off of the way my body's been feeling, I think we'll be in the clear today. I should be going back every two weeks until 24 weeks, which is what they told me last time. I don't know what's so significant about 24 weeks, but we'll see what they say today. I just can't wait to look at that screen and see Little Brother's body moving all around, look at his face developing and just watch him for a little bit - soak it in, realize that this is really happening again.

Update after appointment: It was SO good to see you, little brother!! The ultrasound tech and I were both surprised to see that you were basically folded in half today! I can't imagine you're that squished yet, but maybe you just like to fold up -- just like Anna did. You looked good. We were able to watch you move your arms and legs a lot, wave, open and close your mouth, and just wiggle all around. It was also confirmed today that you are indeed a boy. It was so reassuring to see all of your fingers and toes, your beautiful little face and perfectly growing body.

My cervix is holding up very well. They don't want it to be under 2.5 and mine was measuring a 5, so I was (and doctors were) very pleased. I'll be going every two weeks for an ultrasound to check my cervix, placenta, and fluid around baby. This will end at 24 weeks because technically then baby will be "viable", so placing a cerclage (stitch closing the cervix) is not seen as effective at this gestational age - this is what was explained to me this afternoon. I'm hoping that everything continues to go well.

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my mind around bringing home another baby. It just feels very surreal. I think I'm still struggling to really accept that we'll be having another child in our house later this winter because I'm still afraid to get my hopes up. I see my growing belly. I saw him moving all around today. I'm slowly starting to feel the beginning flutters. But I still had to tell myself at the ultrasound today, "that's my child". I feel like I'm on the outside looking into someone else being pregnant. It sounds weird to put it into words - I don't know how to explain it. Of course I'm excited to have another baby, but I still have this fear in the back of my mind that we won't be bringing him home.

Friday, September 8th - 17w, 1d
Hey little brother! It's been a week since your appointment and just another week until I'll see you again. It's a good feeling knowing that I'm going so often right now. This was about the time I started to feel off and funky with the twins, so it's really reassuring to feel so normal right now. I really cannot complain about this pregnancy at all.
Your little flutters are becoming a little more noticeable, although still few and far between. I'm excited for when they get stronger so Daddy and Anna can feel them - I think Anna's going to love that!

Daddy and I have started talking about names for you. We have a couple ideas, but nothing that we absolutely love yet. We plan to keep your name a secret until you're born - most likely because it won't be decided on til then anyway!
We also bought you a new stroller this last weekend. We were up visiting friends and we all went to Buy, Buy, Baby and they had a nice stroller on clearance for super cheap. We took it back to our friends' place to see if we liked it and we did. We got such a good deal. So now we'll plan on selling Anna's old car seat/stroller combo so that we can get you a new car seat that fits in with this type of stroller. Your closet is full of stuff - diapers, wipes, clothes, toys, books, etc. I'm getting excited to start working (watching Daddy work) on your room. Hopefully once things settle down for him at work he'll be able to start spending time on it.

Monday, September 11 - 17 w, 4d
Not too much to update here. I've been feeling really good the past few days. I haven't felt much movement from you, but I know it's still early. I'm really looking forward to my appointment on Thursday. It's just an ultrasound - no doctor visit. Just looking forward to more good news.
Daddy, Anna and I went to Hobby Lobby this weekend to try to get some ideas for your bedroom. They had some cute stuff that gave us a few ideas, but nothing set in stone yet. Daddy has a lot to do in your room before we can even think to start decorating. I can't believe we're almost half way through this pregnancy already. It feels like it's flying by! I know February is going to be here before we know it.

Wednesday, September 13 - 17w, 6d
I've started to have a fear creep slowly back into my thoughts over the last day or so. I'm terrified that when I go for my ultrasound tomorrow that you aren't going to be moving. I'm so afraid that you won't have a heart beat.
Physically, I've been feeling just fine and I have had no signs of issues, but something is making me really nervous. I don't know if it's because things are finally starting to settle down with work, school, home, etc., so I'm thinking about you more often. I don't know if it's because we're just getting closer to the day when the twins were born (19w, 4d), or the anniversary of when Alayna died. There's a lot of sadness approaching and I guess I'm just expecting something else to go wrong, too.

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.

16 Weeks

Wednesday, March 5 - 16w5d
Four months pregnant! This week several people have commented on how much you're starting to "pop" and show, and its so much fun to be obviously pregnant now instead of that awkward stage. This past weekend, I thought I felt a little flicker in my belly, but when I stopped moving to concentrate, it went away and I haven't felt anything since. Daddy says its all in my head! I know I've been saying this for a while, but I can't wait til I can feel you in there! It should be happening anytime soon. Go ahead, little one, your mommy wants to know you're in there so kick away!

Health-wise I feel like I'm on a very slow incline. I can feel things loosening up, but there's still a lot to get out. My sinuses are still pretty junky, but again, slowly getting back on track. Then, poor Daddy started coming down with something Sunday, but of course things never hit him as hard as they do me. But you know its a rough winter when this is the second time he hasn't felt very well.

Despite feeling crumby, your Daddy's been working super hard on all of his projects for you. He had to disassemble your crib so he could get it out of your room so he can redo the floors in there. He also got a very old rocking chair from someone in Papa's family and has restored it for your room. Of course when he got it I thought he was crazy because it looked like it would crumble to pieces, but now that its all fixed (and has lots of squishy padding), we both take turns sitting in it in the living room! I'll put up a picture next week because the fabric will give away your gender. Speaking of.... people are dying to know what you are!! We're telling the rest of Daddy's family on Sunday at Great-grandma Danner's 100th birthday party, and then we'll tell everyone else. Yesterday I found out what Aunt Katrina is having, and I am super excited! It's going to be so fun watching you grow up with your cousins!

Developmentally, this week you're the size of an avocado and you'll be going through a growth spurt over the next couple weeks. You'll grow a couple inches and double your weight.... no wonder it looks like I'm showing much more. Your eyes and ears are close to their final position, the patterning on your scalp has begun -we can't see hair yet, but your hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are growing, and you've started growing toenails. Your heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day and the amount will continue to rise. And you can hear my voice! Better start reading to you! :-)

Thursday (3/6/14)-- I finally got my Tobi in the mail today! I'll be starting it this evening and cannot wait to finally start feeling like myself again!

**Voting on Baby's gender will close on Saturday evening! Get in your guess by then before we spill the beans!!**