33 Weeks Pregnant and A Hospital Stay

How far along? Currently 34 weeks and 3 days!

How big is the peanut? At our scan yesterday both girls are weighing in at OVER 5lbs! My little chunk-munks! 

Total weight gain/loss? Still hanging around 10 pounds..

Maternity clothes? Now that I'm no longer working (well talk about that later..) it's pretty much pajamas all day every day (and I'm lovin' it!)

Sleep? Sleep has been a bit better this week other than random insomnia attacks where I'm awake for a few hours.

Best moment this week? Finishing my last day of work until next school year last Friday!

Symptoms? The heartburn is still CRAZY, the waddle is still real, and after our stay in the hospital I learned that I am having some contractions, but they are very irregular. 

Food cravings? None. I'm literally having to force feed myself.

Food aversions? Everything, especially meat!

Gender? Two sweet little girls!

Labor signs? Some light cramping, but I don't think it will amount to anything anytime soon!

Belly button in or out? Barely in

What I miss? Drinking water without getting heartburn...

What I'm looking forward to? Getting the nursery 100% ready (still....)

Bump? Oh yeah....

When you realize how big you really look in the reflection of a window...... Whoa babies!

Please excuse the no makeup. I am enjoying this no work no get ready thing!

The no work and hospital craziness all started LAST Thursday at my regular doctors appointment. I've always had high blood pressure, but it's actually been a bit better while pregnant. It was 160/100. The doctors have been pushing for me to come out of work since about 28 weeks, and I've been fighting it honestly. I was doing good, I had no complications, and to me it just seemed like overkill... well I decided with blood pressure like that, it was time. I told my principal on Friday that it was my last day until next school year. It is a bit bittersweet. I really thought I would make it through the entire school year, and we have a lot of people leaving this year that I won't get to finish out the year with... but my baby girls are more important! So resting and getting ready for their arrival is my main priority for the next few weeks!

Then on Monday at the high risk doctors Baby A's (Eva) fluid had decreased significantly. She was not under the cut-off for action, but it had still went down a lot, and my blood pressure was up. After blood work that showed no signs of pre-eclampsia or HELLP, the doctor told me just to make sure she was still hitting her kick counts the next few days and to call the OB if she didn't. Tuesday she hit them, after me drinking coffee which I haven't had the whole time I've been pregnant, and it taking almost an hour after it took Ellie only 3 minutes. I was on edge all day Tuesday questioning myself if she was moving. Then Wednesday she didn't hit her kick counts, and again Ellie hit her's in 3 minutes. I drank coffee, cold water, walked around, played music, everything.. and she just wasn't having it, so I called the OB.

Mom went with me to the doctor to have a BPP done (they check the babies' fluid, movements, muscle tone, practice breathing, etc) and Ellie was doing perfect. Eva's fluid was back up, and she was moving, however she failed the BPP because even after 30 minutes she was not practicing breathing. While some doctors/pregnant mommies might think this is nothing to worry about, these girls have passed their BPP's in under 10 minutes (for BOTH!) every. time. I just didn't feel comfortable going home, and the doctor wanted me monitored just a little bit longer... so off to labor and delivery we went.

Let me just say as a plus size, third trimester, twin to-be mommy... the NST monitors they make are not for us. It took the nurses an hour to get both babies hooked up, and it took about 5 straps, a belly band, and a handful of towels and washcloths for pressure. It was SO uncomfortable. We weren't there 2 hours and both girls had passed their NSTs (YAY!). The doctor still wanted me monitored throughout the night and to see my high risk doctors the next morning.

Pretty sunrise from my hospital room

They struggled to keep both girls on the monitor all night. I literally met every nurse on the floor that night, and it usually took three of them about an hour to catch Eva and get her on the monitor. Homegirl was showing out and moving all over the place. She did the same thing the next morning at the high risk doctor and was practicing breathing her entire ultrasound. I told Tyler she must have heard me fussing at her and she knew I didn't want to spend another night at that hospital unless something was really wrong! The doctors both said the girls were perfect, and just having a lazy moment on Wednesday and sent us home with me on strict orders to rest since my blood pressure was 120/60 in the hospital the entire time....

So here we are! Back and home and resting. My OB did tell me that this probably would not be the last time I ended up in the hospital being monitored before they made their arrival. I hope that isn't the case, because it definitely isn't fun, but whatever it takes to keep these girls cooking a few more weeks and healthy I'll do it!

Our goal right now is to keep them in until at least 36 weeks, and if all still looks good then, we will take it day by day. I would LOVE to make it as close to 38 weeks as possible so they can pack on more weight (they are doing good at it now!), and hopefully have a very little chance of NICU time!

32 Weeks Pregnant with Twins!

I wish I would have started these sooner.. seeing as how at most we only have 5 weeks of pregnancy left! Better late than never, right?

How far along? We turned 33 weeks this morning!

How big is the peanut? At our last scan (over a week ago) Baby A was 3lbs 12oz, and Baby B was 4lbs 3oz! They are around 18 inches long.

Total weight gain/loss? I've only gained 10ish pounds.

Maternity clothes? All day every day that I have to wear clothes, however I must be honestly... anything but a t-shirt is pretty uncomfortable now. 

Sleep? What's that? Very little, honestly. Between the constant repositioning of myself, getting up to use the bathroom, and moments of insomnia... I'm lucky to get a solid three hours a night.

Best moment this week? Seeing both babies pass their first BPP with flying colors, and seeing that they have HAIR! (Their daddy was born with a ton of hair, and me? I was bald until I was two... so I just knew one was going to be bald and the other have a head full.)

Symptoms? Heartburn, waddle, swelling... still no definite Braxton Hick contractions though!

Food cravings? Mashed potatoes and Key Lime Crunch Greek Yogurt are the only things that sound appetizing to me

Food aversions? Meat

Gender? Two sweet little girls!

Labor signs? Not that I have noticed....

Belly button in or out? Barely in

What I miss? Sleeping on my belly

What I'm looking forward to? Getting the nursery 100% ready

Bump? Oh yeah....

I was reminded again this week at our high risk doctor's appointment how blessed I am. (As my Mom calls it, I'm having a "prayed up" pregnancy!) We had an early appointment and there was a couple in the waiting room that all the nurses and even doctors seemed to know them and speak. When we went back in the ultrasound room the tech was explaining all parts of the BPP (bio-physical profile, or fetal well-being test) to us. When she began to check the blood flow through the cord she explained to us what would happen if blood flow was no sufficient. She then told us the couple we saw were in their 28th week, and one of her twin's blood flow had started to reverse itself. They were waiting on one small marker to show on the ultrasound and she would have to deliver within 24 hours. Wow was all I could say. She seemed like a very healthy, younger woman... and here I am starting with health problems and having my original OB call me a "timebomb." (That's another story for another day...) We are definitely lucky these girls have staying in for so long, with no signs of stress or preterm labor. God is sure blessing us!

33 weeks down, at most FIVE to go!

Fresh New Start: Where I've been, Where we're going...

That's been the motto of life lately around our house, and so it will be for this blog. Part of me is upset with myself for letting the blog go for so long untouched - especially with all that has happened in life lately. 

I've deleted all my old blog post. It was something I debated for a while, but decided it was what what I needed to do to change this blog to what I wanted it to be. Today starts my blogging journey as Courtney the wife, Courtney the teacher, Courtney the soon to be mom.

Life is changing, and it's changing quickly. I wish I would have documented this pregnancy journey more than I have (especially considering I'm 31 weeks along, and the twins could make their debut at any time). So I'll use this post to recap, not for any of you all, but for myself. To never forget these moments, because sometimes pregnancy and life are hard, but oh some of these moments are the best of my life.

January 2015

Tyler and I decided it was time to come off birth control. We weren't planning on getting pregnant right away, but from my over-use of WebMD, BabyCenter, and Google I knew it would take a cycle or two for me to regulate. I had been on birth control for 9 years... so off we went! I bought ovulation kits, and a few pregnancy test and stored them in our bathroom drawer telling no one what we were doing.

March 2015

Two cycles, and no positive ovulation test. I thought it was just a fluke, or I didn't really know what I was doing. We decided that we would try through the summer, and if nothing happened then we would consult the doctor.

August 2015

Back to work I went... we had a few "late" periods, that ended up in heartbreak with a negative pregnancy test. Then my cycles just quit. I wasn't having a period. I called and scheduled an appointment with my OB.

September 2015

The doctor basically said my body was "confused." It wasn't that I didn't know how to use the ovulation test, it was that I wasn't ovulating, and from the looks of it hadn't in years. I left the doctors office after a sonogram with a prescription to start my period and a prescription for 50mg of Clomid. The doctor said we would check back in a month with another sonogram to see if the medication worked at fixing my cycle. He made sure I understand the goal for the first two cycles was just that - to have a normal cycle, not to get pregnant. He even joked when he had me sign the paper that said I understand Clomid raised your chances of conceiving multiples that we would worry about pregnancy in a few months, right now we just had to get back "normal."

So my period came a week later. It was the worst, especially considering it was the first time I had one in months. I took Clomid days 5-9 as instructed, and waited for the horrible side effects. Thankfully, there were very little. I was told I would be uncomfortable around cycle day 14, as that would be ovulation day and it was something my body hadn't done in a while. CD 14 came and went.. and there was no pain. I was convinced this cycle of Clomid didn't work.

The doctor had decided since pregnancy wasn't our goal this month that we wouldn't do scans to check egg production. I started hurting pretty bad around CD 21, and just brushed it off as menstrual cramps because it was getting close to that time. Especially since part of the reason I had been on birth control for so long was to deal with the horrible cramps I had.

October 2015

My period was set to start October 9th, one day before Tyler's birthday. I knew it would come. Just for giggles, I decided to take a pregnancy test on October 5th.. knowing that I wasn't pregnant, but even if I was, there wouldn't be a line. I guess curiosity got the best of me. So there it was, an afternoon after working all day, several days before my missed period, knowing it was the worse time to take it... and there was a line. Or was there?? It was so faint. I immediately called Tyler and told him to come home... now. Poor fella came running in the house thinking I was dying. I showed the test to him and he saw nothing, until he held it up to the light like I did... and there it was. The tiniest, lightest, little pink line. 

We panicked. We did not expect this. I immediately regretted taking a test and told myself there was no way this was really happening, and that I had just set myself up for failure taking a test so early. I Googled some more and saw where it was suggested to wait 48 hours before taking another test. Yeah right.... I only had one other test, and it was a digital, so I took it... and there it was: Not Pregnant. My heart sank, I cried... and decided I'd buy some more test after work the next day and we would see where it went.....

It took five days. Five days from the first sign of the pink line to actually see pregnant on a digital test, and when it finally said pregnant, I was overjoyed, scared, excited... there are not enough words for the emotions. I told my mother, who knew about me taking Clomid, and scheduled my first OB appointment. He fit me in right away.

First OB appointment was just routine. Paperwork, pregnancy test, talk with a nurse... and schedule your first ultrasound for three weeks later. I thought I would never make it three weeks.

Over the next three weeks I joked with Tyler about twins. His grandfather, and my grandfather, are both sets of twins... I had gotten a really early positive, and the sickness was awful, but I was mostly just playing with him.

November 2015

Tyler could have killed me the morning of our first ultrasound, because I scheduled it for the earliest possible time - 7:15, and mind you we live 45 minutes from the doctor's office. As we walked back into the ultrasound room I joked again about twins, and he laughed it off.

As soon as she started the ultrasound, I saw. Two perfect little sacs, with two perfect little fetal poles... my eyes searched for a heartbeat and I saw one, and then two before she could even finish saying, "I have a surprise for you two...." Tyler was white. I had convinced him to try and record the ultrasound on his phone, and bless his heart, he was so shocked he just sat there with his camera open on his phone. We were having two babies! They were measuring a week behind what they were suppose to.. measuring in at 7w1d instead of 8w1d, but both babies, in separate sacs with separate placentas were measuring just the same. The ultrasound tech said not to panic, that we may just have the dates wrong. After discussing with the doctor, I didn't ovulate on CD14, however that pain I felt on CD21 was ovulation pains... and these sweet babies were measuring just as they should. We set up our first appointment with Maternal Fetal Medicine, and said we would wait until we received a good report from them two weeks later to tell our extended family.....

To Be Continued.....