a big decision

So, yesterday I went to my weekly doctor's appointment and it was fairly routine. Blood pressure still really good, so no preeclampsia still. Which is a very good thing! Just legs that keep holding more fluid; just when you think they can hold no more.

Then we started talking about the due date, and how if things kept up this way (nothing happening cervix-wise, and baby A still not dropping down further), that I'd for sure make it to 38 weeks. But THEN she said in the same breath "but since the babies are such a good size, I could always induce you a week earlier at 37 weeks since you're so uncomfortable."

Wha? She has never mentioned anything like this before; probably because twin pregnancies quite often don't even make it THIS far. I was kind of shocked, and instantly confused about how to respond. She told me to take the week and think it over, and let her know next week.

Now, as I was getting dressed to leave, and as it took almost 10 minutes to put my pants, shoes and socks on due to my lack of ability to really bend my legs or ankles anymore; I have to admit it sounded tempting to go one week earlier. Get rid of this water. But, since I'm done with work after today, I'm hoping that things will improve and I'll get a tiny bit more comfortable.

If we DID decide to do it, they'd test their lungs the day before to make sure they were mature, and then the next day they'd induce. It's a hard decision! On the one hand, they always say that at 37 weeks, a baby is fully cooked. And if they truly are over 5 pounds now (baby A almost 6) then they'll be even better off in two more weeks.

Then again, they always say you should keep babies in as long as you can; it's the best place for them.

Then AGAIN, my thighs are currently the size of my former waist; my calves and ankles the same size as my former thighs. And my feet- well, I can't see any veins or bones anymore. And it's all very uncomfortable. So, if things don't get better now that I'm done working- I'll be tempted to just go for it one week early.

So- that's our decision we need to make by next Wednesday at my appointment. It seems like such a big decision! Like playing God or something. I feel like it's a lot of pressure. Even though it's only one week sooner; it feels like a big deal.

In the meantime, this weekend will be full of lots of resting, thinking and discussing.

Bottom line; we're either meeting these girls in 2 or 3 weeks from today. And that's pretty darn exciting. :)

~M

P.S. Every 3 months, they re-set the rankings on Top Baby Blogs. Will you take a minute and click on the button below and vote for me? I'd be ever so grateful! :) You can vote every day too; you know, if you feel like it. :)

Have a great weekend!

another week gone by

Happy Friday everyone! Sorry I was MIA yesterday; I had a busy day! In the morning we had a meeting with our future pediatrician, and then late afternoon I had another follow up doctor appointment with my OB.

The meeting with the pediatrician went well. We really liked her and she is quite close to our apartment which is nice. We felt a little silly, because all the books say you’re supposed to meet with/interview your future pediatrician beforehand; but we really didn’t know what to ask. I looked a few questions up on line on the bus ride there, but mostly we just chatted with her. We talked about immunizations (we’re just going to stick to the standard AMA schedule of immunizations), breastfeeding, etc. She was very nice and her practice seems great; so we’re pleased.

My OB appointment went fairly well also. My swelling is even worse this week (honestly? I did not think it was possible, but sadly, yes.) but my blood pressure is still great (110/70) and I had no protein in my urine. (Don’t you love getting updates on my urine?) So, no preeclampsia yet! My doctor still thinks I could be at risk for it, since my swelling/edema is so bad, so I will go in weekly to be checked out from now on. She took some blood again just to be safe and I should get those test results back today.

My legs are so crazy swollen. I almost had to ask the nurse yesterday after my appointment to help me put my socks and shoes on, because I was unable to bend my legs- my skin was so tight! Yikes. Also, I gained another SEVEN pounds in one week; and I know it’s mostly fluid because my babies sure didn’t grow that much, and I know I didn’t gain that much fat in one week. So, just more fluid. I really hope I reach a point where I can’t possibly retain any more. I took a cool bath last night, hoping that would help. Online it says swimming helps, so I thought a bath might help too? I don’t have access to a pool, so it will have to do. I might try to take one every night to see if that helps at all.

As promised, here’s where we are with our “to do” list. We’re almost done! I’ll pack my hospital bag this weekend, and maybe do a couple of the other things; but we’re pretty prepared! (You know; as prepared as anyone CAN be for something like this….)

1. Talk to insurance company and get any and all info we need for hospital stay, adding babies to insurance, etc.

2. Take our classes! This is coming up soon, and I’m excited. We start our Childbirth class series on May 1st! This goes for 3 Sundays, and then we have breastfeeding and caring for a newborn in mid May.

3. Find a pediatrician. My OB has one that she’ll have us use in the hospital on the day, but still we need one for after that. Found an awesome one and she’s only about 20 blocks from us!

4. Do some spring cleaning. We need to deep clean the house a few more times (or perhaps hire someone to do it towards the end) before the babies arrive. I also want to do another “purge” of things we can give away to the Salvation Army. Have already had the cleaning lady come once (from my awesome Groupon deal) and have one more. Will probably use it in the next couple of weeks. Not sure if we’ll get to the purge part for Salvation Army, but we’ll try.

5. Buy our cloth diapers and some wet bags. Yes, we do plan on cloth diapering. At the beginning, we’re going to do a mix of disposable and cloth, and slowly move towards just doing cloth as they get bigger/we get better at it.

6. Wash all newborn clothes, crib sheet and mattress pads.

7. Stock up on food, toiletries, cat food & litter.

8. Test out breast pump and make sure I have all necessary parts. Wendy SO generously gave me hers, so I just need to take a look at it and make sure I understand how it works. Still need to sterilize.

9. Purchase a few last minute items like a baby monitor. Mostly we have what we need though.

10. Line up a cat sitter.

11. Pack hospital bag.

12. Make a birth plan.

13. Buy some nursing tanks and bras.

14. Put the bassinet together.

15. Attach the changing pad to the dresser.

16. Make a few meals ahead of time and freeze.

It’s so crazy that SO soon we will have a family of four instead of two- family of five if you count Lucky the cat. :) It could still be four more weeks, or it could just be a couple of weeks away. Wow!

That’s all for now! I’ll be better about blogging next week; it should be a little calmer of a week. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

~M

hot in the city

So, summer has officially descended on New York! It is in the upper 80's today, and VERY humid. Normally it's not my favorite, but it's especially unpleasant while I'm pregnant. It's only going to get warmer though; so I'm glad I won't be pregnant in July and August!

I started back at work today on a "see how it goes" basis. I have to say, my swelling is just as bad as it was last week. Sitting all day; no matter how many little breaks I took, still takes its toll. I have a doctor appointment on Thursday to check back in (check my BP, urine, etc.) and she'll give me her advice about continuing work then.

It's hard, because even though I'm uncomfortable at work; it's so boring at home on bed rest. And so hard to lay there all day with your feet elevated above your heart. So, both have pluses and minuses. Of course, if mine or the babies' safety were at stake, I'd stay home for sure- no question. We'll just have to wait and see what my doctor says.

Today I started my new method of commuting; the express bus. Normally I take the subway to 42nd street and then transfer to the cross town shuttle. With the express bus there are no transfers or subway stairs. Plus, there's no waiting underground in the hot summer for a train. It DOES cost more, and surprisingly takes a little longer because of traffic; but I think it will be good. Less stairs is always good with puffy feet and a super heavy belly!

I wonder if mother nature makes the last bit of pregnancy so uncomfortable, so that you're even MORE excited to meet your baby. If so- it sure is working! :)

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day weekend!

~ M

*photo found here

my unexpected trip

As I mentioned yesterday, I am staying home from work the rest of this week due to the swelling in my legs and feet. It has worked out fine so far; I'm actually able to do a decent amount of work from home, so that's helpful.

On Tuesday when I went to the doctor, they drew some blood to do some tests for other symptoms that may point to preeclampsia. I wasn't too worried, since my blood pressure has been normal, and no protein has shown up in my urine. I DO have Shrek-like feet; but other than that, I feel ok. However, this morning I got a call from my doctor, who said that my blood results were back and that my blood platelet count was low, and that I should go to the hospital right now to get checked out. This can apparently be another indicator of preeclampsia.

I was sort of half listening to her and half panicking in my head. She said the phrase, "I'm hoping we won't have to deliver you today"; something I hadn't really considered until she mentioned it. So, I listened to her tell me that I shouldn't worry too much, that she was just trying to be cautious since my pregnancy was high risk, and something like preeclampsia could progress quickly; so we don't want to miss anything. Still though, she said I should pack a bag in case, because I might need to spend the night.

Once I was off the phone I felt a tad overwhelmed, trying to think of everything I needed to put in my bag; all the while NOT trying to think about my 33 week old babies that would most likely be fine if we had to deliver them, but I'd much rather they stay inside and cook a little longer.

A shower, a change of clothes and a 20 minute car ride later; I was at the hospital. My wonderful husband met me there. It didn't really become very real feeling until I was all checked in, and told to change into my gown and then hooked up to 3 monitors; one for Baby A, one for Baby B, and one to measure contractions. I also had a blood pressure cuff put on. Then it started to feel very real.

Here was the monitor by my bedside:

The heart rates of the babies were awesome, which was good. I had a tiny bit of protein in my urine- but not enough to really indicate preeclampsia. The bed was REALLY uncomfortable. I was so uncomfortable for hours. You're not allowed to lay flat on your back in your 3rd trimester, so I was on my back with a couple of rolled up bedsheets underneath my right hip. After about 20 minutes of laying that way, my left hip and lower back started hurting so badly. But, not much to be done. I tried to shift a couple of times, but that just shifted the babies' heart rate monitors; so I mostly had to stay still.

After a couple of hours, I got some blood drawn, so that they could check my platelet levels again. I had 3 blood pressure readings done; all normal. My feet and legs were still gigantic however.

After more hours of waiting, the high risk OB, Dr. Wong, came in and talked to me about the results. My platelets were now normal. My blood pressure was normal, and so was my urine. So, they were letting me go. All the doctors I spoke to that day, however, made it very clear that I could just be on my WAY to getting preeclampsia, and that I'd have to be monitored closely.

But for today, I got to go home. Home with my babies still safe inside me where they belong. A huge relief.

The doctors both apologized that I had to come in, which I just completely dismissed. I would go to the hospital every day if I had to, to make sure my girls were going to be safe!
All in all, a slightly stressful day; but I feel happy now, knowing that for now they're just fine, and so am I. I don't know yet if I'll have to continue on bed rest; my doctor will probably tell me tomorrow. I'd be ok with it, but it's not my favorite option. Of course I won't fight it; it's just that even these last 2 days of semi-bed rest have been hard and a little boring. So... a possible 4-5 more weeks does NOT sound appealing. We'll see though.

One day at a time.

~M

P.S. If you are having an alcoholic beverage of any type right now, you could go back and re-read this entry and play a drinking game I like to call "take a drink every time Mariah says 'preeclampsia'". Fun for everyone!

weekly wednesday update

This weekly Wednesday update is coming to you from my living room. That's right; I am stuck at home on the couch for the rest of the week. I saw my doctor yesterday, and she was concerned with the amount of edema (fluid retention) I have in my legs and feet. It has gotten pretty bad, so I've been confined to my house for the rest of this week to put my feet up and see if the fluid will go down a little. No fun! So far, my blood pressure is normal still, so there's not a worry of pre-eclampsia yet. I go in again on Friday to check in again.

How far along? 32 weeks 6 days!

Total weight gain/loss: As you may remember, 2 weeks ago at my last appointment I gained 7 pounds in two weeks, for a grand total of 24 pounds. Well, this week was even worse. I gained TEN pounds in two weeks. Now, by looking down at my legs, calves, ankles and feet I know that most of this is fluid. But it still sucks. I'm now up a total of 34 pounds. Ugh. I can feel it, too. My doctor really wants to try and get some of this fluid gone; so I'm hoping this bed rest helps.

Stretch marks? Yes.

Maternity clothes? Yep. But today it's just a maternity tshirt and jammies. I guess if I'm going to include a photo in this post I should change my clothes. :)

Sleep: Oh, it's pretty much the same. Not great, but I'm used to it.

Best moment this week: I was walking across town earlier this week, and it was pretty hard. I was huffing and puffing a bit, and just feeling huge. Then a random lady smiled at me and I smiled back. Then she said "You just look so cute!". I sure didn't FEEL cute, but it made me feel really good. :) Thanks, random lady

Movement: Yep! And also recently, they have finally been getting the hiccups. It's really cute. I THINK it's Baby B getting them, but it's hard to tell. I love it though!

Food cravings: Nope!

Genders: Still two girls!

Labor Signs: Still the occasional Braxton Hicks contractions. Also, at my checkup yesterday she checked my cervix. It's still closed, but it's apparently softening up. My doctor said it doesn't mean a lot, but it is progress!

Belly Button in or out? I think it’s as out as it’s going to get.

What I miss: Still missing having normal sized feet and legs.

Weekly Wisdom: It's kind of crazy how much things change each week when you get to the third trimester! Each week seems so different than the last.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our girls! I don't want them to come yet, but every week that goes by it just becomes more and more real; and I get more and more excited!

Milestones: I feel like hitting 33 weeks is a milestone. It's just so crazy to me how close we are!

And here's me, 32 weeks, 6 days! No work bathroom pic today; so my bedroom will have to do instead. Not sure why the quuality is so bad, but oh well. Puffy face, and tired eyes, but have to post a pic every week to keep a record!

 

~ M

P.S. Thanks for all of your votes; I really appreciate it! We're up to # 42- yay!

weekly wednesday update

How far along? 31 weeks 6 days!

Total weight gain/loss: 24 pounds to date. Not thrilled about that, but whatever. I have another appointment on Tuesday, so we’ll see what happens then.

Stretch marks? Yes.

Maternity clothes? Yep. But today I’m only wearing maternity pants! Ok, that sounded like I WASN’T wearing a top. I am; it’s just not maternity.

Sleep: Last night it was suck-a-roo. Woke up lots, but then also had trouble falling back to sleep after I did wake up. Verrrrrrry sleepy today.

Best moment this week: In childbirth class, we were practicing our breathing exercises, and we did an exercise where we held a handful of ice for 60 seconds and breathed through the pain to see if it helped (it did!). Anyway, Ian and I were breathing together and practicing the techniques and it was just a cool feeling to know that in just a few short (ok, probably 6 regular) weeks we’ll be breathing through my REAL labor pains!

Movement: Yep! They have definitely slowed down in their movement, but a quick Google search (I know, you shouldn’t do that, but oh well) tells me that babies don’t move as much later in the 3rd trimester, because they’re runnin’ out of space. So, since these girls are especially cramped, it makes sense. Though today they are moving plenty. :)

Food cravings: Not really. And today I couldn’t think of ANYthing I wanted for lunch. I ended up ordering lentil soup and a smoothie and an orange, but nothing honestly sounds good. Not even ice cream. I KNOW!

Genders: Still two girls!

Labor Signs: Just the Braxton hicks still, which are definitely happening more often. My uterus is going to be well practiced by the time labor comes!

Belly Button in or out? I think it’s as out as it’s going to get.

What I miss: Not having cankle/fankles. Oh, not familiar with the terminology? Well, basically, my calves are swollen, but so are my ankles and feet. And they’re all the same size; melding in to a cankle/fankle. It’s SO attractive.

Weekly Wisdom: When have a belly that sticks way out, it's WAY easier to drop food on it.

What I am looking forward to: Washing baby clothes. I’m going to tackle that in the next week or so, and it should be fun to wash and fold all the tiny clothes. Also- I have another growth ultrasound on Friday, so I get to see them! Last time they were so squished, you couldn’t really see much, but it’s still nice to see them in some way or another.
Weekly Wisdom: If you have swelling/water retention in your pregnancy, compression stockings DO help a little; though they certainly don’t fix the issue.

Milestones: I feel like I might be running out of “milestones” at this stage of the game. Or at least they won’t be coming so frequently.

And here's me, 31weeks, 6 days!

Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror from the front and think "hmm. My belly isn't THAT huge." And then I see my profile, and think "ahhhhh. Ok. Yes, yes it is."

And folks? I still have 6 weeks left...

egads.

~M

swollen

Well, couldn't think of a cutesy or clever title for this post. Maybe because my feet, ankles and calves are so swollen that it's clouding the clever part of my brain.

I have to say, the swollen lower extremities is so far one of the most unpleasant parts of being pregnant. And these aren't just mildly swollen, people; these are just, well, ridiculous. I'd post a picture, but I'm not that brave. They truly are kind of disgusting. I can barely tie my shoes (like, I can't tie a bow, only a very tiny small knot) and my work shoes barely fit. I just take them off while I'm at my desk, and put them on to hobble to the bathroom.

To be fair, it's not this bad every day. I went to my childbirth class and breastfeeding class yesterday, so I was sitting in a little classroom for 5 hours. Then afterwards we went out to dinner; so, more sitting. So today I am paying the price. Tonight I'll go home and put my feet up really high for the entire night to hopefully remedy it.

I also usually wear compression stockings (I know; can you handle the sexiness???) to help out, but they were already so swollen this morning, that I didn't think it would help. You're supposed to put them on first thing in the morning before your feet get swollen.

It's kind of funny how cocky you can get about not having certain pregnancy symptoms, and how quickly you can be proven wrong. Like, I remember thinking "no stretchmarks yet! I just have a feeling I won't get any!" and then BAM! A few days later, they arrived. And they arrived with a vengeance. And just a few weeks ago, my mom asked if I had any swollen feet issues, because she had struggled with that in her pregnancies. "Nope!" was my blissfully ignorant answer. And then, BAM, BAM! Swollen feet, ankles, calves. So, lesson learned. Just because something is going one way during your pregnancy at that point in time, doesn't mean it can't quickly take a turn in the opposite direction!

Thanks for listening to my whining! I'm off to hobble to the bathroom. (Do you think they make Crocs that are acceptable for work?) And then tonight; many hours of blissful feet putting up.

~M

weekly wednesday update

How far along? 26 weeks 6 days! Getting so close to the third trimester!

Total weight gain/loss: To date, 16 pounds. I had a doctor appt. yesterday, and hadn't had one in four weeks. I gained four pounds between then and yesterday. I'm hoping at this point to only gain the weight of the babies; so, maybe 6-9 more pounds? But I don't know if this is realisitc. I know I'm doing really well weight-gain wise, but I'm starting to get quite uncomfortable, so I'd like to just gain the necessary weight from here on out. We shall see. :)

Stretch marks? Yes. Yesterday when I was getting my ultrasound from my OB she was all, "You know, you should put some vitamin E oil on those; it might help." OH! You think? Gee, I haven't been doing that twice a day for the last 22 weeks or anything. Sigh.

Maternity clothes? Yep! Nothing new to report here.

Sleep: Still the same. I wake up lots, but always go right back to sleep. I think I'm pretty lucky; I'm hoping it stays that way.

Best moment this week: Had a fun night out with my mister last night. We went to see Colin Hay at City Winery and it was a lovely evening out. I stayed up too late, but it was worth it. :)

Movement: Yep! Some days more than others, but it's very consistent now. I do notice when time goes by and I haven't felt anything; but then I usually feel a kick and it's very reassuring. I wish I could always tell which baby was kicking, but I can't. Also, Baby B switched positions! Her head used to be on my left side (she's laying horizontally, or "transverse") but now it's on my right. Baby A is still being all responsible and head down, ready to rock and roll! I asked my doctor if it was likely that she'd move at this point. She said possible, but not likely. So, cross your fingers she'll stay where she is!

Food cravings: No, not really.

Genders: Still two girls! If they're not girls? Well, they'll be wearing a lot of pink in the first part of their lives.

Labor Signs: No- not yet. I think MAYBE I've had a couple of random Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing else.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but I suspect any day it will be out. I know! Can you HANDLE the suspense??? WHEN will her belly button be out? I can't take it!!

What I miss: Even though sometimes I do wish I was more physically comfortable, I still don't miss anything. I love being pregnant and having my girls always with me and all safe and cozy.

What I am looking forward to: I have a growth ultrasound next Friday, and so I get to see how big they are!

Weekly Wisdom: I finally am really feeling my limitations. It's weird. Even throughout my life in times I haven't been in the best shape, I've always been able to keep up with people physically. Now I just feel that I have to walk slower and just take my time more. Sometimes it's annoying, but it's totally unavoidable and necessary. Not really wisdom, but whatevs.

Milestones: Don't know that I hit any milestones this week....hmm. Oh- my ankles and fingers have started mildly swelling? Whee! Not too bad yet, but I know it will start to get worse as the weather heats up. So, that's a pretty darn exciting milestone. Puffiness. :)

Aaaannnnd... here I am. 26 weeks, 6 days.

Yep, that belly will be HUGE; as I still have about 11 weeks to go. As someone so kindly put it today:

Male co-worker: "When are you due?"
Me: "Oh, around the end of June." (sees his reaction...) "With twins."
Male co-worker: (seems relieved) "Oh, I was going to say, you look like you're due any day because you're so big, but twins makes sense."

Nice, huh? :)

Have a lovely Wednesday! :)

~M