33 weeks!

Boy a few weeks ago I wasn't sure if I was going to make it this far! And here we are!


I had my weekly appointment yesterday and had a couple special people there with me! Yep, M&B! The first portion was of course the ultrasound. M&B really enjoyed seeing their girls on the screen again, although it was difficult to tell what was what. Last time they got to see the ultrasound, the girls were small (20 weeks) so it was easier to know what you were looking at. Baby A got a 6/8 on her biophysical profile and Baby B got a 8/8. The only thing we didnt see with Baby A was the practice breathing movements. Last week both girls did everything they were supposed to in a very short amount of time, but this time it took the whole 30 minutes per baby to get the breathing movements. Baby B waited until the very end to do hers, but Baby A wasn't playing along. The tech said that was the most common one to not see (the breathing movements) on the ultrasound though.

Baby A was measuring 4lb 7oz I think (I was distracted and dont remember the exact weight), and Baby B was all the way up to 4lbs 14oz. I just dont understand that, considering Baby B was 3lbs 12oz last week. But its all just a measurement estimate anyways. It just seems to be inaccurate compared to the previous measurements. So we'll see! M&B got a few ultrasound pictures, including a couple 3D facial shots of Baby A. Baby B was still turned in towards my back so we couldn't get any good shots of her. I think the one they got of her (regular black & white picture) was of her spine.

Then I had the NST. I had to go in there alone because its done in this room about the size of a closet. Well they hooked up Baby A and the Toco (contraction monitor) and I think they forgot about me. I was in there for a LONG time. I read a whole magazine! I started to get cranky! I texted M, who was out in the waiting room, to let her know that I was still stuck in the chair hooked up to Baby A. Not too much later, they came in and switched it over to Baby B. Both babies did great on those, and I was actually having a few contractions. I never really felt them....maybe one or two of them. But they werent enough to concern anyone.

Then the nurse checked my BP and it was 110/70. My weight went up by 2 pounds, and my urine analysis came back clean...no protein or ketones.

When it was time to see the doctor (not my usual doctor) I had M&B come back with me so they could talk with her. I know M was pretty nervous about Baby A not getting the 2 points for her practice breathing movements. The doctor said it wasnt that big of a deal yet and we'll recheck at my appointment next week. She also said my results for the GBS (Group B Strep) test came back positive. I wasnt very happy about that! I never had GBS with either of my boys so I dont know how the heck I have it now! Its a common bacteria found on the skin, the vagina, and anus (which they swabbed all of when I was in the hospital a couple weeks ago...ugh) and some people are just carriers of it without ever being sick or anything. I couldn't find anything definitive last night on the internet about how someone can go from not having it, to having it. But its fairly common and they will put some antibiotics in my IV when I'm in labor and that will keep the babies from possibly picking it up as they pass through the birth canal. But still, I'm pretty ticked that all the sudden I have GBS.

It was really cute when M&B were calling the girls by all the different names they had picked out, trying to see which names the girls responded to. I think they are getting closer to nailing down the names for sure, but only time will tell. And it looks like they will have plenty of time to decide! And no, I wont be telling you their names....thats up to Mom & Dad. ;)

Here's the girls' 33 week development:

• Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
• Baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
• Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in baby's brain will give her the skills she needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, she may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
• While most of her bones are hardening, her skull is quite pliable and not completely joined.
• The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
• Baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
• Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

And here is my 33 week belly. I took it late in the day so I look a bit tired. M&B made us dinner last night (chicken enchiladas) and they were fantastic! So we got to spend quite a bit of time with them, which was really nice. We will hopefully see them again on Sunday. It's just such a relief that they are here and we have our 'middle of the night' labor plan and our daytime labor plan. Now we can all just relax and wait for the show to begin! :) (but hopefully not for a few more weeks!)

20 weeks!

Well I will jump right to the good stuff since I know you've all been waiting....

We had the ultrasound this morning and both babies are measuring right where they need to be. Both have all organs and body parts, no deformities or anything. And both babies are.....

GIRLS!

The choice on the poll that got the least votes is what they ended up being. Even I was wrong, as I was sure there were one of each. But there were clearly no boy parts on either baby. I could just sense the visions of pink & purple girly things going through M's head. Hopefully one of them will grow up to like hunting/fishing/sports for B's sake, but I know they are both going to be daddy's little girls.

We got some good pictures of the babies so I will post some but will leave out the gender shots. I dont know how they'd feel about their babies' girly bits being put on the internet, so I will err on the side of caution and not post those here. Each picture tells you which baby you're looking at.




















So congrats to M&B on your two healthy beautiful baby girls! Now we just cruise on through to the finish line! :)

Appointments

Well I will have my first official 'new OB' appointment on Wednesday at 2pm. I wish I could have an ultrasound just to check in and make sure the babies are doing well. I think they are just going to weigh me, measure me, check my cervix, talk about any concerns, etc.

I also scheduled my big ultrasound for December 8th at 9am. That's only a month and a half away!

9 weeks pregnant!

No belly picture today. I am going to wait until next week. I think we'll see more change every 2 weeks or so. :)

Here is the 9 week update: Baby is officially a fetus and no longer an embryo!

• Baby has begun movement - While still too small for you to feel, your little one is wriggling, shifting, and dancing already! Makes you almost wish for a window to peek in whenever you want!
• Most joints are formed now - and trust that your little one is practicing bending and flexing.
• Fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in the palm of its hand - This is amazing to see! At only nine weeks, if you happen to have an ultrasound, you may observe your infant fascinated by everything he or she can lay their fingers on (mainly other fingers, toes, ears and nose!
• Fingerprints are already evident in the skin
• Average size this week -- length 0.9 inch (2.3cm), weight 0.07 ounce (2gm)
  

I'm doing ok...dont want to bore you with any complaining so I will just say I am still having difficulties eating. I almost asked for an anti-nausea medication at the doctor's office today, but I would rather wait it out and see if it passes soon rather than have to take a medication. It's perfectly safe for pregnancy, and MANY girls I know have to take it, but they are also actually vomiting and I am not. So I will hold out and see if it gets better. Ginger Ale helps sometimes...other times the carbonation makes it worse. I'll live. ;)

Now here's the best part of this post: ULTRASOUND PHOTOS! :)

Baby A's body and Baby B's head:

Baby A (the little circle in with the baby is his/her yolk sac) and Baby B. If you look really hard you can see little arms on Baby B.

Here is a 3D photo of the babies. She isnt sure which is which since she had to rotate the screen so much to get a good shot of both of the babies. The baby in the front looks bigger just because its closer to the ultrasound wand. You can see the umbilical cord connecting with the yolk sac with the baby in the back.

Ultrasound

Today's ultrasound went great! Both babies are growing well and measuring right where they should be. They were both in sync with heart rate...176bpm. I got some good pictures and even a 3D photo as well.

I will post a better update in a few minutes...I am going to scan in the ultrasound photos. :)

The moment we've all been waiting for!

Well, we had our ultrasound this morning. M&B got to be in the room with me, which was awesome. The room was small so the monitor was turned towards the tech and they were standing behind her. I couldn't see anything! I laid there patiently, waiting for the tech to say something...ANYTHING. Eventually I just said "Well is there one or two!?!?" And the tech said, "It looks like there are two sacs here." I said "I KNEW IT!". I just knew it! She had to check and make sure both sacs had babies with heartbeats and they did.

Baby A's heart rate was 138 and Baby B's heart rate was 156. Nice and strong! They gave me an estimated due date of May 3rd, but since its twins they will be born in April. M&B were absolutely thrilled. It seriously made my day...no, my whole YEAR...to see the looks on their faces when they saw their BABIES on the screen for the first time. Now they get to do all the fun planning and shopping, and choosing names. The names part wont be easy but I'm sure they will choose SOMETHING before the babies are born. ;)

So today was an awesome day. M&B got to meet my doctor and she answered all of our questions and let us know what to expect with monitoring and such with a twin pregnancy. I need to gain 35-45 pounds (yikes!) and M wants me to start NOW. haha

We need nicknames for the babies so they dont have to be known as Baby A and Baby B for the rest of the pregnancy! Anyone have any suggestions? :)

Appointment

Well today I had my baseline U/S and bloodwork. They could only get me in at 4pm today so my results wont be back until tomorrow morning. But once they're in, they will forward them on to Shady Grove. I do know that my lining is thin (yay) and the Lupron is working and has suppressed my ovaries. There were no follicles to be seen (yay). So now we wait for my estrogen and progesterone levels, and my blood pregnancy test which will be negative. Once the results are faxed to Shady Grove then my nurse will call and let me know that I can stop the Lupron and start the Del Estrogen. Yay for bigger needles!

I just cant believe that in a little over 3 weeks we'll be transferring again! Hopefully for the final time! I had a new radiologist do my U/S today so I got to tell our story all over again. Everyone I tell is so supportive and thinks its so neat what technology can achieve these days.

On a sad note, there was a notice on the desk when I signed in that my old doctor, Dr. Agee, had died recently. He retired at the end of last year, and apparently it was because he had a terminal illness and didn't tell anyone. He finally succumbed to it, whatever it was. He delivered Quinnie and it was a wonderful experience. Dr. Agee was my favorite doctor I've ever had. So sad. I cried on the way home today because I was remembering all the silliness and the jokes during Quinn's birth. I'm glad that some of my pictures from Quinn's birth have Dr. Agee in them. Such a nice old man.