34 weeks!!!!!!!! - Induction date, inaccurate baby weights & feeling better!

We have made it TENNN whole weeks since I went into early labor at 24 weeks! Sooo thrilllled to make it to 34 weeks!!! What a miracle, I'm still in shock that we've come this far. It will be 10 weeks of bed rest on Monday, so nuts. It hasn't felt like that long though, thank goodness!! I'm so grateful for my mom's fun company and sacrifice! Without her the babies definitely wouldn't still be in there. 

 

Well sadly we weren't able to get accurate weights on the babies at the high risk office today. It was very hard to get what they needed for the BPP measurements because of the babies positioning. Claire is stacked right on top of Cameron, which explains my egg shaped belly, ha ha. But they both passed with good results on their practice breathing, cord and placenta functions, and activity levels. We love our wild babies! Because of their positioning, Claire showed as weighing only 3 lbs 14 oz, and Cameron came in at 4 lbs 13oz. She said it's give or take a pound because of their positioning, which is a lot. So, she could be almost 5 and he could be almost 6 lbs. You never know! But I highly doubt that she's only gained 1 lb 6 oz in the last 5 weeks. It's gotta be off because her placenta, fluid and cord still look really great. Either way, we will see how much she weighs very soon! Eek! :)

Tiny heartbeats 

If I don't pop in the next two weeks, I will be induced on Friday, May 13!! Yes, Friday the 13th...that's so our luck, ha ha. Jk, don't believe in that. But, still super funny. Can't believe that 2 weeks from tomorrow WE WILL HAVE TWOOO BABIES!!!!!! We're still in total shock. So nuts, and so very exciting! We've wanted children so badly for 9 years, now that we are getting them I'm thinking we're going to be like ok what do we obsess over now?! Lol. It's going to be a big shock finally getting something that we've wanted so badly. 

Only two more weeks of bed rest!!!!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Both babies are head down still, so a natural birth it is, unless there's a complication. I'm super duper nervous, but I'm so grateful to not have to have a csection no matter what. It will be a much quicker recovery, especially since I suffer from excessive and painful scar tissue. Dr. O says natural is more healthy for the babies as long as we don't run into any issues. So, pray for me folks, cause I'm getting pretty terrrrified, ha ha.

Oddly enough, I feel pretty darn good! Today Dr. O said, "how are you doing, because you look like you feel a lot better than when I saw you last!" I was like yeah I actually do!! My headaches have gone away, so the low dose blood pressure meds are helping more this time around. And my neck, back and rib pain has lessened, although my round ligament pain has returned. And, I don't look half dead, lol. Weird, but I will take it! Maybe I can enjoy these last couple of weeks more :) He's going to check my dilation next Thursday, I'm curious to see if I've dilated more. Things are definitely starting to feel different down there, and not just pressure wise. Total weight gain during this whole pregnancy so far is only 10 lbs! I've gotten more puffy in the last couple weeks, the babies fluid is now maxed out, and the babies get bigger every week...yet I'm not gaining. Not gonna complain!! Takes a lot to grow two tiny humans! :)

Here's some quick snapshots from today, love these people! So nice to be able to be up a little more now that bed rest isn't nearly as effective and my blood pressure has been better. I don't do anything but sit up more, no walks or cleaning or anything, ha ha. 

 

 

3 common misconceptions about twins!

1. Fraternal twins are not identical in any way. People often say to parents of boy/girl twins..."are they identical?" No! The word identical means exactly alike. Even fraternal twins of the same sex are not identical. Some can look very similar, but they're not identical. I think I might need these onesies, ha ha!

2. Twins cannot run in a man's family on the male's side. Only women can carry the "twinning gene" (she releases more than one egg). Twins are not the result of two sperm fertilizing one egg. As soon as a sperm penetrates an egg, its tail detaches and the egg then physically changes instantly so other sperm are unable to get in. So, either the woman ovulates two eggs and each are fertilized by a different single sperm, and the result is fraternal twins. Yes, guys...you can congratulate yourselves for this one, along with the ladies. Or, one egg is fertilized by one sperm and the embryo splits as it grows, resulting in identical twins. This is completely random and has nothing to do with the sperm or egg. It is extreeeemely rare for two sperm to fertilze one egg, but the embryo dies off early on because it cannot continue to grow with 3 sets of DNA. A baby is the result of two sets of DNA...one set (23 chromosomes) from the father and one set from the mother.

3. Fraternal twins are no more alike than other siblings born at different times. They look different, can be different sexes, they develop at different rates, can have different eye, hair, and even skin colors if they have mixed race parents. Cool! They just happened to be "wombmates" is all...

Photocredits: Google images

NIAW (National Infertility Awareness Week)!!! - April 24-30, 2016

NIAW came at the PERFECT time for me last year. I almost didn't check it out because I wasn't sure that I could emotionally handle it. We had just lost our first baby, Cannon, to a miscarriage the month before after struggling for 8 years to start a family. I sobbed 24/7, was angry, beyond heartbroken, felt so alone, and was absolutely terrrrified to try another embryo transfer. I wanted to just be done and never experience this horrible pain ever again. 

I heard about NIAW through a friend. I was able to find the comfort and support I needed at the time from people just like me. Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed reading all of the success stories. And I bawled my eyes out while reading of others heartbreaking losses. It was extremely therapeutic for me. My husband even liked to hear some of the stories. I urge those who are currently struggling (publicly and privately) to check out this website, as well as local support groups. There are many other great websites out there as well. This online event (still trying to find the Facebook invite for 2016), coupled with much prayer, renewed my hope and faith for our family's future. You could have knocked me over with a feather if you would have told me a year ago, "in about a year from now you guys are going to be expecting and almost due with beautiful, healthy twins!!" 

I thought all hope was lost after I miscarried our first pregnancy. Now I see that it was silly to think, though very easy to think at the time. Over 7 million couples suffer with infertility. That's 1 in 8. Blake and I are 1 in 8! You're not alone. Please NEVER give up on your dreams of starting a family! There are so many options out there. Our babies came to us in such a special way. EMBRYO ADOPTION ROCKS!!! So grateful to my Heavenly Father for guiding us to these precious little souls. I am so excited for NIAW again this year! 

www.resolve.org.

Photocredits: resolve.org and google

33 weeks!!!!!!! - Stinkin Preeclampsia, babies' room & visitors!

Hooray, we've reached 33 weeks!! We can't believe it! I'm amazed that the twinnies are still in there every morning that I wake up. Good little babies! There's a light at the end of the tunnel now, only three more weeks max! Could even be sooner.

32.5 weeks, I'm too pooped to do a 33 week one ha ha

And good thing I'm almost done because this Preeclampsia is gonna be the death of me, stress wise. Grrr!! Tuesday I woke up with a horrible headache and it still wasn't gone by Wednesday at 3pm. That's one of the signs I'm supposed to watch for, headaches that don't go away with Tylenol. My head was just killing me, I was dizzy, nauseated, and was seeing spots and bright lights. So I texted Dr. O and he said to go to OB Triage for some bloodwork to make sure my liver and kidneys still looked good. So, off we went. Blah, soo sick of that place. Just the thought or mere mention of magnesium makes me shutter, ha ha. But, better to go in and be safe than sorry. Poor Mom and I ended up being there for SEVEN hours though because they were slammed. My blood pressure was 156/105 when we got there, not good. And it didn't drop below 140/100 for hours. They told me my bloodwork came back excellent though, which is good because that means the Preeclampsia hasn't started to damage any organs yet. If it had started to the babies would need to come out. Glad my organs are hanging in there, but unfortunately I'm just going to have to suffer with the yucky symptoms. Two and a half of those seven hours was waiting for the doctor on call to make a decision and give the ok to release me. He was stuck in surgery :( I seriously almost walked out, ha ha. At almost 1am I ended up being told to go rest at home and take a higher dose of Tylenol. Yeah, wasn't thrilled. I almost had a pregnant lady meltdown when the nurse said that's what the doctor said!! Nothing like waiting and waiting just to hear that. I felt horrible, returned with symptoms they told me to watch for, etc...and this is what they say!? So livid. Poor Mom had to listen to me rant, ha ha. They said I did the right thing by coming in, if symptoms keep worsening my bloodwork definitely needs to be monitored. But, my headache was going on 36 hours at that point, I was tired, their triage beds are less comfortable than concrete, and I felt like no one was listening to me. I had become more swollen (I have duck lips now lol, normally very thin. And my thighs are huge!), and the babies also hadn't moved nearly as much as usual yesterday either. So that also had me concerned. But, while we were there they also did NSTs and BPPs. The babies did great and passed, but poor Cameron had to be buzzed with the weird buzzer thingy because he was sleepy. They needed him to be more reactive was all, and it doesn't hurt them or me. It's just a little noise maker to wake them up, but it always makes me so sad because it totally makes the babies jump :( I don't like that they're probably scared! Makes me want to snuggle them for hours and tell them it's ok, ha ha. Least it has only happened on two occasions, they're normally very wild babies and don't need stimulation. Anyways, I'm just waiting to hear from my doctor as to if he wants me to start taking my low dose blood pressure meds again or if he wants me on something stronger. Blood pressure isn't terrible today, but something definitely needs to happen though. My bp is slowly climbing daily and having a headache for two days straight isn't normal, or fun. Hoping my body can hang on a little longer so that the babies can cook for another week!

Dr. O didn't end up re-checking my cervix at my Tuesday visit because he said sometimes it can trigger labor. And he wants me to try to hang in there as long as possible, so we don't know if I've dilated past 3cm or not. But, I feel like Claire is going to fall out any second from all the pressure, ha ha. That's normal with twins though. We're just grateful the babies are doing great, are healthy and hanging in there. What I thought were Cameron's little feetsies going bonkers all the time are actually Claire's, he he. She's one wild little lady. She's stretched out all the way from the bottom to the top of the uterus (on my left side). And Cameron is curled up in my ribs on the right, ha ha. She must have decided she was sick of her brother being the uterus hog, lol. Both are still head down. Lop sided bellies are funny though, I can feel and tell exactly where his little bum is cause my belly is popped up and extra hard right there. I swear they're armed with tiny knives or forks though, lol. Their movements are getting pretty sharp and sometimes painful. Can't wait to meet these two!! If we can keep my blood pressure down and organs healthy, I just may go to 36 weeks and have to be induced! Who would have thought, SOO amazing! And funny, given everything that has happened since 24 weeks. Here's a funny pic of their positioning, some have asked where they are and how they're presenting. No, I do not have any artistic abilities...ha ha.

Since I didn't have my BPPs at the high risk office today and had it at the hospital last night instead, we weren't able to have the babies measured :( I'm sooo bummed. So we will have to wait until next Thursday to see how much they approximately weigh. 

We had some awesome visitors on Tuesday from Blake's family! His cousins came to visit and we also got to see this adorable smiley little munchkin! Totally made my day, he's so stinkin cute! They also brought me some of my favorite snacks...jolly ranchers, gummy worms and orange fanta :) Woo hoo! Their mom was sick but she sent a gift with her kids, thanks for the beautiful blankets Aunt Beth!

 

We have started on the babies' room!! Mom and dad bought me the wall decals I've been dying for and they look more adorable than I thought they would! So glad I decided to do Pooh Bear years ago. That's what my nursery was done in as a baby, and the twins even get to use my Pooh crib comforter! And then we also have a new one :) Their changing table arrives tomorrow, and their dresser and organizer baskets came today. I'm doing a mix of blue, pink and green with the Pooh Bear theme. Can't wait to get everything put together! We decided to only do one crib for now because so many twins still like to be close and snuggly with their twinnie after birth. Once they get bigger and start to bother each other we can get another crib. It's starting to seem more real that we have babies on the way, but still so surreal. Blake's cousin said it took her like a month to come out of shock and be like hey I actually have a baby, and he's mine! He he, so I'm sure we will be the same way. It's going to be quite the shock seeing two beautiful babies in a crib after so many years of wishing for a family and after suffering a loss. It's going to be soo amazing! We have waited 9 long years for these little cuties! Still can't believe the Lord blessed us with two. We feel like it's maybe because angel baby Cannon couldn't stay with us? I have been thinking about him/her a lot lately. I miss him terribly and can't help but wonder what would have been. But we are so very grateful that Heavenly Father sent us these two precious little sweeties! We know that Cannon has been watching over Cameron and Claire to make sure they get here safely and healthy! :) I will have to post more nursery pictures once it's more put together. I stood up for a few minutes to stretch my back and to put on some decals. Had to feel like I did something and didn't just watch from my recliner, ha ha. Slinky is still trying very hard to figure out what the heck is going on, it's going to be very interesting to see what he thinks of the babies! I keep thinking of the movie Ice Age...when the sabertooth calls the baby "the pink thing", lol.

 
 
 

Itty bitty! - Preemie vs Newborn Clothes

We are really hoping the insurance will cover the babies being re-measured this coming Thursday! We're so curious to see how much they have grown and approximately weigh. Last time (nearly 4 weeks ago) Cameron weighed 2 lbs 13 ounces and Claire was 2 lbs 8 ounces. According to my pregnancy app, the babies should be packing on a half pound each per week now, so we shall see. It would explain my major belly growth over the last 3 weeks, ha ha! I'm seriously noticably bigger every other day. It's insane. Getting pretty hard to get out of bed. It started out as a super cool sly gator roll, and now I just look like a flailing walrus. Lol!

 People keep telling me, "Oh don't get preemie clothes, just get newborn. It'll be fine." But, the average birth weight for full term twins is only 5.5 lbs. I am not going to be having 7-9 lb babies, ha ha. They will weigh 9-11 lbs combined, and that's if we're lucky. We're thinking they'll definitely be using the preemie clothes we bought. But, we are so grateful that they're healthy and still growing! Check out how tiny these clothes are though, so precious. I was shocked at the difference between the preemie and newborn. Preemie size is as wide as my hand, and I don't have big hands. The preemie and 3 months comparison was even crazier. We are so grateful that they weren't born at 24 weeks though, they would have been micro preemies. They're still going to look super tiny in their carseats!

32 weeks!!!!!! - Back and forth we go, when it stops...nobody knows!

Ok, sorry for the late update! Have been having phone issues, vision is blurry on magnesium, plus I'm exhausted. We got home yesterday evening though. Babies are still cooking, it's a miracle!! So, recap...was admitted to the hospital Monday because of contractions, almost passing out, and testing positive for the fetal fibronectin test. They put me back on the magnesium (boooooo!!!) for the contractions (5-6 mins apart, but I don't feel them all) for two days. They reduced my dose after one day because I was having a bad reaction because my magnesium level was too high. After that scary episode (extreme headache and could barely breathe - so scary, I was crying, thought I was going to die!) we needed to see if my contractions started up again without the mag, so they took me off. They did progress but not by enough. I also dilated from 1cm to 3 overnight (exciting!), so we thought it was GO TIME on Thursday morning but it wasn't. I quit progressing so he sent me home. Soo glad though, the babies need to bake longer anyway. Plus, I was crying because those dang hospital beds hurt my back so freaking bad. Lovvve my cloud bed, so happy to be home! We're getting so sick of the back and forth though. It's getting harder to hold it together emotionally, always in limbo it seems. Story of our lives, lol. Hopefully I won't get admitted again when I go for my NSTs on Monday, ha ha. Mondays hate me. Every time I've been admitted...yep, a Monday!

Oh!! We also thought my water broke one night! But they said it was likely just discharge or from the progesterone suppositories. I'm still not convinced lol, even after they swabbed me to double check for ferning. Reallly felt like fluid, never have had discharge, definitely wasn't progesterone, and I definitely didn't wet my pants. It has been quite the ride the last month and a half, I'm getting way too familiar with the hospital, ha ha! But I'm glad my doctor and his partners like to play it safe and have the babies and my health as top priority. We're not gonna like the final bill though I'm afraid, yikes...already over $6,000 and that doesn't include two of the stays :(

Dr. O is hopeful that the twins can stay in another week or two. He said I'm a real trooper. I follow up with him next week. He will check me again then to see if I have dilated any more. He said it's very common for women with twins to dilate and then stay at that measurement for a bit, so to not worry. Apparently twins are a whole other ballgame. Most women pregnant with twins at this stage also have contractions and it doesn't mean you're in full blown labor. Still sounded iffy to us to be sent home, but so far he's been right. Blake is terrified I'm going to have them at home or in the car. I am at least feeling some of the contractions now though, so that's good. The tightening that starts at the top of your uterus is a really different sensation, ha ha. I had some semi-intense cramping down low dozens of times a day at the hospital, and some back labor. But it has lessened quite a bit. At least I'm officially 32 weeks today!!! So unbelievably grateful to our Heavenly Father for watching over us, so happy the babies will be bigger and healthier :)

My belly is getting so big, not sure how much bigger I can get, ha ha. My ribs hurt soooo bad. The babies are so wiggly and my belly pops up and stretches out in the funniest ways. Cameron is bigger than Claire so my belly is a little lop sided, he he. They're both still head down and side by side. I'm sure the babies are happy to be home again too and not have monitors strapped to my belly 24/7. Poor things. My belly is sooo sore!! :( Getting extremely excited to meet these little pumpkins! Thinking we might have to ask people to stop praying for full term and pray for 34 weeks instead, ha ha! I'm huge and feeling tonnns of pressure. I'm afraid Claire is going to fall out, ha ha. Dr. O said he probably won't let me go past 34 or 35 anyways because of the Preeclampsia. Praying all keeps going well and that I can still have a natural delivery!

The lighting was weird so my shirt looks funny, but here's a hospital belly shot! I'm definitely getting more puffy, legs especially, and my face.

Monday's hate me! - Back at the hospital

Monday's just really hate me!! They kept me overnight again after my NSTs yesterday. Not because the babies didn't do great on their tests, but because of a near fainting episode yesterday before my appointment (holy scary - thanks for saving me mom!), contractions, and testing positive for the ffn (fetal fibronectin test - 90+% accuracy on telling whether you're going to deliver within the next two weeks). This magnesium sulfate drip is going to be the death of me, ha ha. Makes you feel beyyyond miserable, but great stuff!. We shall see what the day and what news Dr. O brings. For now, I'm trying to keep it together. I'm so exhausted and so glad this is almost over. And I am also just hoping my head doesn't explode, ha ha :(

31 weeks!!!!!! - A growing belly, an empty leg & hormone changes!

Yippee yippee yippee!! We have made it another week! Only one week away from our FOURTH goal, I can't believe it! I have renewed faith in my body, and these little babies are just amazing! Almost all of my health problems over the years ended up being due to food allergies that I didn't know I had. I was always sick with something, nothing ever seemed to go my way, etc., on top of suffering from infertility. Even though I'm much healthier now a days and have been able to lose some weight, I still really questioned how well my body would respond to bed rest and preterm labor. But it has put me in my place for sure! I wasn't sure I could do this, but look how far we have come! Thank you for your constant prayers and support! The human body is an amazing thing.

This week I have all of the sudden become a food monster! Mom said I must have an empty leg ;) I am eating so much food it's ridiculous. I will be totally full from something, and then less than two hours later I'm starving again. According to my books and phone app, the babies are each packing on a half pound per week at this point. So I guess that explains it, ha ha. Gotta feed my growing belly and babies! But seriously, it's an insane amount of food...lol. Putting my hubby to shame. Best part about it, not gained any weight, ha ha!

Also this week, I have all of the sudden started sleeping like crap. Was still awake at 5:30am this morning, not cool. I used to fall asleep right away, slept soundly, and could sleep for over ten hours. Now, my brain won't shut off, I have terrible night sweats and hot flashes during the day, and I don't sleep soundly at all. I read that this would probably happen towards the end, I guess at least it waited this long to kick in, ha ha. I also keep dreaming that I get out of bed and my water breaks, ha ha. The babies are also much bigger than they were, and they're very active. Which is soo great, but that also keeps me up. Their movements feel a lot different now than a couple of months ago. I can tell they're running out of room. Instead of cute little bumps and kicks, I'm getting stronger head butts, pointy foot and hand jabs, little bums grinding across my belly slowly, etc. All of the sudden my belly is all distorted looking and then goes back down, he he. So cool!! You can see my belly move from across the room now. Cameron loves to curl up in a big ball and hang out in my ribs. Makes my belly look lop sided, ha ha. Claire seems to still be very low, she loves to head butt me and kick her little feet fast at the top of my belly, ha ha. But neither of them like it all at when I lay on their side of the belly, I can seriously feel them kicking the bed, lol. Poor things must be so squished. Still can't believe that there's two in there! I don't know how much more my ribs can handle, they've become quite sore. To say the least. And being on bed rest doesn't help...constantly laying on ribs that feel like they're gonna snap or burst open like something from an alien movie isn't pleasant, lol. But I am sooo happy they're still healthy, both head down, and growing! We get to measure them again in two more weeks. We're so curious as to how much they've gained!

My blood pressure has stayed down! I'm going on three days now without the low dose meds even and am doing fine. When I saw Dr. O on Thursday he didn't like that the meds were making me feel super itchy. It felt like I had ants all over in my hair :( Since I'm a weirdo when it comes to medications (allergic to benadryl - I know!), he wanted me to stop taking it for a few days since he has never had a patient experience that reaction before and see what my pressure did. It was ok to try since it was a low dose, and things are going just fine. Pressure was 111/67 last night. Today it was elevated some after showering, but that's normal. Hopefully things keep going well! I have become more puffy, especially my legs and face. But, we're hoping that it will progress slowly so that the kiddos can stay in there longer. We shall see, hopefully I don't wake up one morning looking like the Michelin Man! Cause then it's back to the hospital we go :(

Oh!! I'm no longer a dragon! Thank heaven for Prilosec!!! My throat was just absolutely raw, it was awful. 

Home again, hallelujah!! - Preeclampsia, amazing nurses, and a dragon!

We are soooo happy to report that we only had to stay ONE night in the hospital! Got home yesterday evening and passed the heck out. So happy because I got less than 2.5 hours of sleep there and Blake got maybe 5. Boo! Not good when you are exhausted, already stressed and have high blood pressure. Anyway, I ended up not even having to be admitted, was just under observation for my blood pressure and the 24 hour urine test for Preeclampsia/Toxemia. Sadly, I did fail my urine test. Doctor doesn't like to see numbers above 300 and I came back at 360. So my case is considered mild for the moment thankfully (my nurses have seen results in the 1000s), but that can change fast. Preeclampsia/Toxemia is not something to take lightly. It can cause liver and kidney failure in myself, stroke, seizures, etc., if it gets out of control. The babies are also at risk for stroke, placental abruption, and other not good things. So, we are praying hard that my low dose blood pressure meds keep my pressure below the scary point so that these precious little ones can still grow. We are luckyyy if they're in the 3-4 pound range right now, they still need to chub up! Preemie clothes would drown them right now, and they're verrry small clothes. I will be 31 weeks on Friday though, yay!!! Only 5 weeks til full term, we have been unbelievably blessed! We can do this!

As far as the blood pressure, anything over 140/90 is a concern, and I'm supposed to head straight back to OB triage if it's 160/105 or over. Luckily my meds are keeping me around 130/80 for now. Doctor said we could have a few days, a week, or a few weeks. You just never know how fast the sickness will progress, but we are so relieved to be resting at home for now. I was so surprised when they said we could go home! He was really happy with blood work though, so my liver and kidneys are still good. The condition can't go away unfortunately, only delivery can make that happen. So, we're on the lookout for increased swelling in my face and hands, headaches that don't go away with Tylenol, an increase in the shiney lights I am seeing once in awhile, liver pain, etc. And of course contractions as well. I've been feeling an increase in pressure and more discomfort. Was registering small contractions on the monitors while at the hospital, but it's mostly irritability. Still have only felt the one painful one so far and it was over quickly.

While at the hospital, I received another round of steroid shots for the babies lungs, which is great! They still look awesome! They gave the nurses grief with the belly monitors again, so we know they're ok, he he. And I didn't end up getting an IV or anything, so I'm not covered in bruises, yay! So happy that my doctors trusted me to be good at home, we would have been looking at weeks in the hospital most likely. We're sooo grateful for attentive and cautious doctors, amazing, hilarious, and comforting nurses (Cindy is amazing!!), and for all of your prayers and support!

A not so fun recent change...holy stinkin heartburn!! Like, bring you to tears bad. We're way past regular pregnancy indigestion. It started about two days before the hospital and has just gotten worse. I feel like someone has poured acid or nail polish remover down my throat and then lit it on fire. Not fun. I'm sure stress doesn't help, though I'm trying my best to relax. Doing pretty good, although I can't help but feel like a giant ticking time bomb, lol!! But, hello Prilosec, please work! Of course being laid down constantly because of bed rest doesn't help. With that, and the increased pressure of my growing uterus pushing up on my diaphragm, it keeps the stomach sphincter open that normally isn't. So, that results in free flowing magma, ha ha. I'm a momma dragon. So grateful the twinnies are still in there, I will be a dragon for as long as needed!!

Follow up with Dr O. and the high risk office as well on Thursday :) At delivery, if I haven't gotten too sick from the preeclampsia, we are still hoping for a natural birth! Especially since they're both still cephalic (head down). Much quicker recovery time. If my pressure is too high or my liver and kidneys aren't looking good, a csection it is. Either way, we will be thrilled beyond belief to welcome these two precious little souls that found their way to us in such a special way!

NSTs turned into hospital admittance! Poop.

Well we are bummed to say that I'm back in the hospital. Went into OB Triage for my first NSTs this morning and a thirty minute appointment turned into 3.5 hours, which turned into being admitted, ha ha. My blood pressure is high (highest so far is 167/114). Hadn't had any issues so far with my blood pressure, so I was surprised. But, I've started feeling a little more crummy the last few days and am seeing stars every so often. I'm also having some mild contractions, but mostly my uterus is just "irritated". I was able to feel a few of the contractions this morning though finally! It was so scary having them before and not feeling a single thing. One contraction was way worse than the others but I've been fine since. Just feeling extra pressure.

On the bright side though...We are staying positive because I'm 30.5 weeks now, I'm getting a change of scenery (though it's a pricey one, lol!), we caught my pre-eclampsia early, don't need an IV or gown yet, I have some of the same amazing nurses as my last stay six weeks ago (they even remember me!), hoping to only be here for a day or two, and the babies look fantastic!! We shall see what happens though. Hoping the babies can stay put for another couple weeks at least. We want chubby babies! So far, I've received another steroid shot in the rear (ouch!) for the babies' lungs and some mylacon for my horrible heartburn. They're going to keep an eye on my blood pressure and see if my water retention worsens or the proteins in my urine increase. 

Please keep the babies in your prayers! Thanks for your love and support. 

30 weeks!!!!! - Third goal met, BPPs, more visitors & baby goodies!

Wow, I can't believe I am typing this!!! So unbelievably grateful to hit 30 weeks today! This is huge for us!! My heart is so full, I was hoping with all my being that we could make it to 30 weeks and beyond, but didn't know if that was going to happen. I have tried soo hard to be positive and calm for the babies' sake because you could plainly see my cervix start to contract on the ultrasound screen when I got really nervous. And I've done pretty darn good for being a worry wort spaz head my whole life, but I was still terrified beyond belief at times because I was afraid we might lose one or both them. BUT! I will be on bed rest for SIX weeks on Monday, so crazy! Yay!! Definitely doesn't feel like that long, maybe half. Babies' survival rate is 95%+ now!! Next goal is 32 weeks.

So happy that my Momma is here to help keep these precious little pumpkins in my belly, we honestly don't know what we would have done without her. We will forever be grateful for her sacrifice, service, and love! My granny is also amazing for traveling back and forth from Utah to my parents house to watch my cute little niece while my mom is here with me. I'm sure my gpa misses her terribly. It's hard to be away from your spouse, other children, grandchildren, your own bed, etc., for this long! And who knows how much longer it will be. These little babies could stay in there for one more week, or another six weeks and be full term. Ya never know, lol! But we are so grateful for all of the amazing people in our lives. You are literally helping save our babies. 

Yesterday we had the babies' first BPP testing at the high risk office. No more cervical checks,  yay! The BPP (biophysical profile) test is a belly ultrasound that checks their fluid, heart rates, practice breathing movements, kicks/movements, kidney function, and cord flow. They passed with flying colors and cooperated better than usual, ha ha! So happy! We even got a couple of partial face shots of Claire finally. I love getting to see these cute little babies on the screen! I think their noses look the same :) My grandma and aunt are in town so they got to come also. So fun! Claire's heart rate was 165 and Cameron's was 161. They are both growing great, we get to have them re-measured in three weeks. Hoping they will have doubled in weight again and be in the 4-5 pound range by then. Still so tiny though! Average birth weight for twins at 36 weeks is only 5.5 lbs.

Both babies are still head down, and poor Claire is being squished by her brother still. The face shot of her lips all squished to the side is so cute, yet really sad, ha ha. Wish we could've gotten better 4d ones of her but she's just so low down there that it's difficult. On Monday we start the NSTs (non stress test) at the hospital. Normally you'd do that at your OBs office, but we go to the hospital because we're blessed with twinnies. That testing is the heart rate and contraction monitoring (those monitors made my belly sore while on hospital bed rest, I have NOT missed them ha ha), it makes sure the babies aren't under any stress. 

 

 

 

My grandma and aunt brought a ton of baby items with them because they thought we could use some stuff now since we aren't having the shower til after the babies are born. Soo many great and fun things from my cousin and his wife, thank you Janet and Cody!! So grateful for everything, in perfect condition! Also, my sister in law sent a ton of boy clothes from her and a friend. Cameron is totally set on newborn and 3-6 months clothing. And I will be getting a ton of girl clothes from my sister. Was so fun going through it all, so cute! Thanks to my parents for the awesome Rudy's onesies that Blake wanted so badly, to my Aunt Pammy for the really beautiful afghans, and to my Gma, Aunt Kim, cousin Logan, Great Gma, and Aunt Karen for all the adorable baby gifts! We are getting SOO excited for the twins arrival! What a fun way to celebrate reaching 30 weeks...family, good food and gifts!

 

 

 

 

My belly has definitely kept a growin! It's very hard and painful to roll over in bed now. Feels like I have a bowling ball pressed down on my intestines when laying on my back. Probably because I've got six pounds plus of babies and their luggage down low now, lol. I have horrrrible heartburn all of the sudden!! And I am getting weaker everyday from being on bed rest. So happy they're still in there though!! We are definitely being watched over! Since I was able to quit taking the Nifedipine (prevents contractions - don't worry, it only does good for so long), I no longer have terrible migraines, night sweats or the feeling of not being able to take in a full breath. So nice! My high risk doctor was right, I feel like a million bucks now being off of that stuff. Still doing the progesterone suppositories though because they're vital for keeping the babies in there, along with bed rest.

As far as food, I'm still loving meat, goodies, potatoes, veggies, fruits, etc. My face looks a little puffy now along with my legs, but I've only gained a total of 10 lbs. So happy with that! I did lose almost 20 something from being so sick in the beginning, so if you count that it's 30 lbs. But it's only 10 lbs from my pre-treatment weight :) The babies' movements are less jabby, crazy, and constant now. And more twisty and rolly for the most part. They still bang around in there, don't get me wrong, but the jabby movements decrease as you get further along cause they're getting more squished in there. We still need them to plump up, so I know they're only going to get more squished in there. Poor things. 

Thanks for all of your thoughts, prayers, messages, gifts, etc! You are loved and so appreciated!