Being home!

It's sort of odd being home and adjusting to this new life! I'm both thrilled and sad at the same time. I love having them here, holding, feeding, and being with them. But, I do miss having them inside, feeling them kick and play, even with how uncomfortable I was at the end. It's tough knowing I'll probably not be pregnant again and will never experience twins again. This chapter is over and a new one has started.

Our first night home was rough. I knew we were in for it when all 3 kids pooped at the same time, Derrick and I just looked at each other and laughed - what else could we do haha!

Things were going smooth until Sawyer decided to be up crying from 12am-5am. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. We were both trying everything, he kept wanting to nurse, he was so upset. Finally we changed his diaper at 5 and he fell right asleep. I think I have decided his circumcision was bothering him... Poor little guy!

Then on Sunday things were good, because of Sawyer's episode their feedings got off and all the sudden they were on opposite hours. Up till that point I was feeding every two hours, when one would wake up (or I'd wake one up, I'd feed him and do the next one (usually spending 10 minutes just trying to wake him). Throughout the day it was ok.

A home health nurse came out to the house. They put this order in when we discharged from the hospital because the boys were a bit jaundice. their levels have remained low enough to avoid treatment so far, but they need to be checked daily till they stop rising. First the nurse checked on me: blood pressure temperature, and scar. Everything seems to be just great! Next she checked the boys. Everything was great and they were both up 3oz from their discharge weights!! This was great news. She did a heel prick and called later to tell us that Sawyer's Bili level was up to 12.4 and Logan's was up to 12.0 - both perfectly ok numbers for a 4 day old. More good news!

Monday we had a doctor appointment. I was SO excited to see Dr. Landers and show her our boys! I knew how excited she would be for us. When Dr Landers asked Evelyn about her baby brothers, Evelyn held up her hand with her fingers high in the air, "2 babies!". Success. I love that she gets it now, all that effort getting her to understand, and she does. Their weights were the same from Sunday but that's ok, can expect them to gain every single day. Everything is looking good. Dr. Landers was both impressed and surprised when she figured out I am strictly breastfeeding the boys. I did explain to her that if necessary I will supplement, but we are doing quite well!

While we were at the clinic I weighed myself. On Monday before they were born I topped out at 175lbs. That's a 40-45 lb weight gain for me. At the clinic I am down to 158lbs, sweet! Only about 20 more lbs to go, no problem!

Dr Landers did ask how I was doing emotionally and if it was bringing up some emotion and feelings about Gabriel. The reality is that I haven't been able to think about it too much, I'm a little busy these days. But the answer is yes. It does bring a lot of thoughts, mostly about what we missed with him: baby snuggled, breastfeeding, baby cries, and other newborn things. We wonder what Gabriel thinks watching us love his little brothers and care for them the same way we so wish we could have with him.

We have had a wonderful supply of food brought to us by family. During a visit from Derrick's sister, I was able to get the boys back on schedule, eating every 2-3 hours and both eating one right after the other - finally a decent nights sleep!

Evelyn is doing SO great! She loves to hold and kiss her brothers. She wants to help by getting us things "honey can you hand mommy that blanket? Honey can you get mommy a diaper for baby Logan?" And all sorts of things. She loves it and is so proud.

Breastfeeding in general is not easy, breastfeeding twins is definitely not easy! I am trying to feed them one right after the other. When one wakes up, I feed him, then wake the other to feed him. I can do both at the same time, but I don't to often. I only do it when they are both screaming for food at the same time. When we do it, I have a hard time keeping them awake. Because my hands are too full, we also get some latching issues when I do it. Yesterday they were way off schedules and eating at very different times. I worked all day on slowly getting them back by making them wait a little longer to eat.

This update has taken some time haha! In between feedings and taking care of Evelyn life is certainly busy! We wouldn't have it any other way :)

They're here!

It was a hectic, fast, chaotic and unexpected arrival, but the boys are here!  This is bound to be long, I apologize in advance but there is lots to share as a lot has been going on!

36 weeks!

I'll start by sharing my final belly picture!  The night before their arrival I was taking my 36th week picture (I was 35 weeks 6 days). I'm so glad I did this that night because I may not have gotten final belly pictures if I hadn't (You'll see what I mean later).

 

I look how I feel, like hell. 5 days of prodromal labor along with the other aches and pains, I was feeling sorta miserable but still trying to hang in there.

Birthday! Welcome to the world boys!

Wednesday, January 23th 2013. I woke up at 5:30am and just wasn't feeling well. Sorta nausious and like acid was trying to come out my mouth.  I wondered around the house and got something to eat before crawling back into bed feeling much better.

Fast forward to 10am. Our normal waking time. Derrick was getting ready for work and I was working on getting my very pregnant behind out of bed to take him there.  I stood up and felt a gush. "Did my water break? That was weird." I walk into the bathroom. Blood. Lots of blood dripping down my leg.  Surprisingly, although I felt panicked I remained composed. I called the hospital and doula, Derrick called my mom to come get Evelyn.

When I arrived at the hospital and got a breif on my recent pregnancy history, they hooked me up on the monitors and called my OB. Because of the prodromal labor they did a cervix check. No change. So they determined the blood was not coming from cervix dilation.  After the check there was large amounts of blood again, pooling amounts. I laid there unaware.

At some point, my mom came to get Evelyn. She hung around for a few minutes to see what was going to be happening.

I sent Derrick out to the car to get our things, I knew we wouldn't be leaving. On his way out he called me to tell me they were talking c-section and had told him to hurry.  I was still hanging out on the monitor and nobody has been in to talk to me.

Then chaos happened. An anestesiologist, a surgical tech, a surgical nurse, a NICU nurse all came in and introduced themselves.  I was a little confused and still clinging to hope that we would be able to naturally deliver the twins. They kept saying "Just incase." "I'll be the surgical tech... just incase" and when they put in the IV, it was "Just incase".

Somewhere in there my mom took Evelyn home.  She knew what was happening and knew things were getting  a little to stressful for little E. We gave kisses and parted ways.

All the sudden the realization that they were going to do this c-section whether I liked it or not sunk in.  I snapped on a surgical tech and nurse that were trying to introduce themselves. "You are not doing an effin thing to me until someone tells me what the eff is going on!" And hysterical crying ensued. I was in panic mode. My doula - on her way, hurrying as fast as she safetly could.

I was in full blown panic mode. I couldn't breath,  I was crying. This was not what I wanted, this was not how I wanted this to happen. I feel lost, I don't know whats going on. I'm scared.

Finally my OB arrived. She quickly said the bleeding was coming from high up and she wanted to get the babies out ASAP - and she left.

I was trying to stall them. "Please just wait for my doula to get here" - catheter put in. "Please, she'll be here in 10 minutes." - stomach sanitized. "She's on her way, she said she'd run!" - as they are wheeling me out the door toward the OR.

Derrick had already caught on. There was no waiting. This was now an emergency c-section and it was happening now. He was crying and scared but knew something was not right, more so than even I did. I didn't want to give up on my hope of a natural twin delivery.

After Derrick assured me that this was necessary and it was happening and everything would be ok they wheeled me into the OR. We parted ways. I laid in the OR crying, tears streaming down my face. The anestesiologist was fabulous. He was holding my hand, talking to me the whole time, talking about how he knows Derrick, assuring me that he'd take good care of me and everything would be just fine.

I can feel them prepping me. Then they ask me to slide over to the surgical table. They are giving me oxygen and I continue crying. At this point it had settled in what was happening and that it was necessary, but I couldn't stop crying. The stress, the fear, the unknowing, worrying if the babies were ok... It all was coming out in tears.  I heard them check for heart tones. Two beautiful thumping hearts. A nurse came in and said "Marnie is here, she's with Derrick" and they injected something into my IV and I was out.

While I was out.

I had a birth plan, a plan that I assumed was thrown out the window as soon as the emergency situation arised (this may have been part of my hysterics as well).  Oh how happy I was to hear that was not the case at all and everything I had hoped would happen incase of a c-section did! 

There were 3 main things. A) If the boys were healthy and fine, they were to go to Derrick and Marnie immediately for skin to skin and care until I woke up. B) Nobody was to see the boys until I had woken and met them.  C) If they could, I'd like them place on me and near me, even before I had awoken from anestesia.

I meet the boys for the first time

I remember waking up in recovery. I actually felt really good, like I just had a long nap. There was a nurse around me, fumbling with monitors and screens.  I asked 100 questions: Are my boys ok? Where are they? Where's Derrick?  How did the boys do? Are they ok?

The nurse was quick to catch on:  The boys are totally fine, they came out kicking and screaming, they've been with Derrick since they were done being checked out. They were able to bring them in to you while you were still out so the boys could smell you and cuddle with you.  They are doing great and Derrick is in heaven.

I tried my best to be patient, those that know me also know that is not my strong suit.  They were waiting on some pain meds and a couple other things but promised they would get me up in 15-20 minutes. I tried to lay quiet and patient, didn't work.  The nurse continued to fill me in as tears flowed down my face... happy and relieved tears this time. Birth weights, personalities, times etc.

2:30pm, finally wheeling me away.  As they roll me into the elevator the tears are flowing and I can't make them stop.  By the time we arrive at the room I'm bawling histerically. Derrick is all smiles. They hand the twins over to me, I couldn't be happier. They appear fine, they look great. They are crying and sleeping.

These pictures are less than flattering, but I think they tell a story (and after the chaos that ensued, I imagine you'd understand!)

Arriving in the room, I see Derrick and the babies, emotions are on high!

First time seeing the boys, I look great being only minutes out of surgery haha! 

Birth Stats

Baby A: 01/23/13    12:42pm  4lbs 6oz  17.5 inches long.

 

Baby B: 01/23/13   12:43pm  5lbs 4oz 18.8 inches long

Evelyn meets the boys!

Shortly after I arrived in the room, my mom brought Evelyn by.

She looks excited and proud, but she is unsure. She seems to understand "2 babies" and tells anyone she can.  She likes to watch the babies, but does tire of them and wants to leave.  She yelled at one of the babies while I was feeding saying "No bite baby!" haha! 

The last 2 days!

Breastfeeding was going ok from the start. I won't say great, we struggled. The very first feeding went really well, the both latched and ate right away.  It took a lot of convincing and many times waking them up to get them to eat and latch again and to stay eatting and latched.  Baby A ended up with low blood sugar, we began supplementing donor milk because I don't have enough for them, my body wasn't prepared for babies arrival yet.

Baby A was poked and stuck throughout the night and by 4am and forced feedings from a "cup" his level was normal and we were set to go on as normal.

That morning Baby A's temperature was low, after some warm snuggles it was normal again and everything went on as normal.

Baby A becomes known as Sawyer Joseph, Baby B becomes known as Logan Martin!

That night we learned that both babies had lost quite a bit of weight.  Sawyer (A) was now 4lbs exactly and Logan (B) was now 4lbs 13oz. They lose a maximum of 10% of their body weight and we were literally an ounce or two away from that mark.  We spent all of our second day together force feeding as much as possible.  They'd eat from me, then get donor milk from a "cup" after that, I'd pump and they'd get that during their next feed.  I had Marnie come and check to make sure everything feeding related was good, and it was. Latches are perfect, suction is good considering their gestational age, the problem being that at 36 weeks the babies don't have the stamina to eat for extended periods of time. So although they would latch for 15-20 minutes, they weren't strong enough to get what they need. After a day of offering milk in a cup after we'd feed, they maintained their weights (Except Sawyer (A) who gained 13grams - this is a lot for a 4 lb baby!)



We had a 4 hour time period of feeding every hour for 10 minutes each and pooping in between, go figure this would happen on the night Derrick goes home to spend time with Evelyn.  Lucky for me, the nurses here are awesome and they spent a lot of time in the room helping me out.

Sawyer (A) had a touch of jaundice, he appeared yellowish. But after testing, his bilirubin levels were only 11.5 which is well below treatment level. 

I sit here awaiting our discharge. They will send out a home check tomorrow to check their weights and Sawyer's biliruben levels and we'll have an appointment with dr. Landers on Monday too.

My Recovery

The first day was rough. I was in bed the whole day with monitors, wires, IVs etc.  I only really sat up for feeding and that was it.   That night I was able to stand for awhile.  The next day the catheder was removed,  I got up, took a shower - which made me feel like a whole new person, got the IV out and was able to move about... slowly. I was still ina bit of pain despite the pain meds.

That night though, I was able to cut down to 1 percoset instead of 2, Evelyn and I were able to go for a walk together during her visit.  I was up and moving around.

On Friday, I felt really good. I was up and moving around, sore only if I moved the wrong way or over did it.  Even today I feel great aside from some incision discomfort.  Otherwise I feel mostly normal again.

The hospital stay has been wonderful. Yesterday I got a foot massage and acupuncture.  I don't do needles, I only did the acupuncture because they said it would help my milk supply come in. And wow did it work! 2 hours later I could feel it comin in, 8 hours later and I was able to pump more than enough.  Definitely worked wonders. I'll remember that if I ever have trouble keeping my supply up! Worked wonders.

Pictures from the last few days

My boys <3 td="">

Our first family photo

Sawyer Feet

Sawyer (left) and Logan (Right)

Sawyer is already a momma's boy.  everytime he gets stressed out or upset he comes to me and falls right asleep. He does not like to be put down.

Evelyn helps with a cup feeding.

Evelyn making sure Logan's heart sounds good

 

The Cause:

Dr Mayhan did follow up with us yesterday and said that she could see where the placenta was beginning to abrupt from the uterine wall, it was starting around the edges.  Placental Abruption is fatal when complete so we were lucky to have caught it in enough time.

Evelyn practices

Evelyn has two sets of "twin" baby dolls. Her current favorite set is from her cousin Tori. Evelyn has been practicing and playing with her twins. She is quickly figuring out what "2 babies" means :)

Hospital bag

Hospital Bag packing

I always start packing my bags early, I slowly add things into them as time goes on and I think of things. I started this time around 28 weeks.  I finished them around 32 weeks.  So this has been in our kitchen ready to go since then.

 

 

I got the two bags from the clinic. They have a "Pampered Pregnancy" program every patient recieves.  They give you various gifts at each scheduled appointment. I've enjoyed getting these each time. They've really stocked me up on breastfeeding supplies, formula and other various items.

 

These bags I got this week that had more formula, more coupons, and more bottles for pumping milk - all from Enfamil.  Way better than the random store reusable bags I was using. As OCD as it sounds, I like that my bag and the babie's bag match :)

 

What should I bring?

A big question with expecting mom's is "What should I bring?"  So this post is dedicated to that vary question. 

What you pack is personal preference and will vary person to person.  Being my 3rd time in, I've learned what I do/don't need, one thing I don't need is a separate "Labor Bag".  My doula takes care of all those items for me and brings way more than I would ever think to.  Some people might pack: Massage oils, music, tennis balls etc.

My Bag:

The hospital will provide a labor gown, pads, and any after care items you would need.

~A "coming home" outfit for me (Yoga pants, baggy shirt, nursing bra)

~An outfit for in the hospital (Sweat pants, nursing tank)

~My Breast cover (So I can still breastfeed when guests are there without exposing myself)

~Fuzzy Socks

~Undies (A few extra! Big for the giant pads!)

~Toothbrush/toothpaste (travel size) for both Derrick and I

~Hairbrush/binders

~deoderant

~Cell phone charger

~ Camera Charger (the camera is always in my purse)

~a few copies of the birth plan prepared by my doula
~A folded up spare bag for any items we recieve while in the hospital and things the hospital will give us

I did add a peice of paper for Derrick to grab my retainers and the laptop/cord. These are things I still need before the big day and will have to be last minute grab items. I would add my bathrobe to the list but I fully intend to labor at home in it and wear it to the hospital.
 

Babies bag (Twins)

Most of this I don't actually need, in fact I wouldn't need to bring anything aside from an outfit to go home.  The hospital provides diapers, wipes, creams, white shirts, hats, blankets, feeding supplies etc.  But I like to bring stuff as personal preference. Not all hospitals allow you to dress your newborn, but ours does and I enjoy it.

~2 blankets (I don't like the hospital ones much)

~2 preemie size outfits for each baby

~2 Newborn size outfits for each baby

~1 infant nail clipper (Which the hospital would have)

~2 sets of baby mits (Incase they scratch themselves)

~2 infant hats

~2 warmer hats (for going home in MN winter!)

~2 Nuks (Just in case!)

I've placed the bags inside the carseats so that all Derrick has to do is grab the carseats and we're off. I also put a boppy pillow with our items for quick grab.  I use these during breastfeeding in the hospital. I could use pillows and stuff the hospital has, but I like my boppys.

I do have a diaper bag packed, which probably isn't necessary given that we are minutes from the hospital, but I keep it packed  (diapers, wipes, outfits, breast cover, etc) and in the car just incase we were to have a diaper explosion or hunger strike on the way home.

That is what I bring, some people bring more, some less.  It really depends on what you think you need. I know people that bring pillows and blankets, some bring their own soaps and shower items. I personally don't want to haul all that stuff in so I just deal with the hospital stuff for a few days. Its nice to just walk in with 2 small bags,  1 for me and 1 for baby (and much easier to bring home too, you'll also be bringing home things the hospital gives you). Being only 7 minutes from the hospital has its advantages as well. If there were something I would need  for me or for the babies, I can easily send someone to pick it up. 

I also have an overnight bag packed for Evelyn, so no matter where she is those couple days she'll have 2 days of whatever she needs.

Prodromal Labor Continues + 36 week appointment

Hospitals, decision decisions.

We have spent some time now worrying about which hospital we should go to for these boys.  Both are part of the same group of hospitals and clinics.

Option A is 7 minutes away from our house (2 miles), it is the same hospital I delivered Evelyn and Gabriel in. It is also Derrick's place of employment and is close for our family and friends.   It has great ratings and can deliver babies after 34 weeks. This hospital only has a level II Special Care Nursery.
Option B is 30 minutes away for us - farther for my friends and family because its the opposite direction, it has a level III NICU for more serious problems and much more preemie babies starting at 28 weeks.

Once we hit 34 weeks our options opened up. Do we travel farther to a hospital that has a level III NICU (just in case), or do we stay close to home and go to the one that has the level II (Special care Nursery)? We were undecided. If we go to option A and the babies need more intervention than that, then I'd end up in a different hospital than them.... That would bring about a whole slew of new problems both for Derrick and Evelyn, as well as our families.

After spending some time online and asking fellow moms of mulitples I have learned a few things. A) when a mom talks about a NICU stay for their babies, they are interchanging the term NICU and Special Care Nursery.  B) A Special Care Nursery can take care of all basic problems that could arise from early delivery they just can't intubate for more than 24 hours (which is a pretty unlikely need after 35 weeks). 

So we've decided that we are comfortable trusting our option A and staying closer to home.   Hooray for making decisions!

Obviously created by a man... Prodromal Labor Continues.

I worked all weekend, which lucky for me is pretty easy. They now have me sitting and answering phones which is almost relaxing... Sometimes more relaxing than being at home - given I have a 2 1/2 year old that doesn't let me rest this much.  However, the contractions were coming SO frequently Saturday night... I'm talking every few minutes.  I was pretty miserable to say the least. It was incorporated with a low pinching feeling (where I typically feel regular contractions) and had me on edge. Lucky for me, after getting a good nights rest, they were back at it Sunday morning. I wasn't even certain I would make it to work!  But once I got there, got settled into my comfy chair and began to destress and answer the phones they calmed down. Still present, but not as frequent and not painful. 

36 week appointment

35 weeks 5 days today.  Started the morning with a BPP. Once again Baby B passed with flying colors and Baby A decided not to practice breathing.  So we earned another NST which went just fine. Its kinda crazy to see the contractions popping up on the monitor though.

 

 

After passing the NST, we saw our doctor. I have gained 5 more pounds in the last 2 weeks, this puts me up 45lbs which isn't too shabby for twins at this stage. They did the GBS swab but didn't give me the results.  These contractions are basically doing nothing. I'm only at 1cm (which is basically nothing). I feel pretty defeated. I've been battling prodromal labor pains all weekend, some not painful at all, some I actually have to breath through, only to learn that nothing is really happening.  It just would be nice to know these are actually doing something besides torturing me and keeping me on edge. I know things can change dramatically really quickly and these babies still could come any time, but it really knocked me down.  I'm trying to focus on the positive, these babies will *hopefully* have a little more time to grow and get strong.  The longer they are in the better they will be.  And truthfully there is a part of me that isn't quite ready for the pregnancy to be over, that isn't quite ready for them to be here. Derrick on the other hand, has his sights set on this week. He can't wait for these boys to get here and is really anxious to meet them.

 

 

How I cope

 

I feel like I could stand in the shower/bath all day!  I take at least 2 showers a day and take a bath every night.  Its the most comfortable places for me to be.  Standing in the hot shower is very relaxing for my back and muscles. Soaking in the tub takes the weight off and allows me some quiet time to just relax.  Its really gotten me through these last few weeks. I look forward to my nightly bath every day.  I spend a lot of time on the couch reading to Evelyn and watching movies together. My smart little girl seems to understand that mommy is a little restricted right now when it comes to playing and running around. When I'm really struggling and am planted firmly on the couch, she seems to understand and switches into "mommy mode". She'll bring me snacks (whether or not I actually want them) she'll bring me drinks, books, toys etc.  She's such a sweet heart.

 

 

Speaking of Evelyn, its so funny. I've tried numerous times throughout this pregnancy to get her to respond to the movement in mommy's tummy. Earlier on she would grab my belly in both hands and shake it saying "Earthquake!!!" (yes I taught her that).  But, she could have her hand on my belly and her hand is getting very obviously kicked and she doesn't even acknowledge that anything is happening haha.  We'll show her the rolling and kicking we see from the outside and she pays no attention that something weird is happening. Such a silly girl.

NST + prodromal labor

For the last 36 hours I've been battling semi painful, none time able, sporadic and annoying contractions. They aren't getting any closer together or more intense, they just... are. And now I understand why people end up making multiple trips to labor and delivery before they actually are admitted - false labor anyone? Because they are so random, I have to wonder - is my mind/body playing tricks on me?

Because of this and the miserable day I had yesterday, I was excited for my NST today. I asked them to make sure they get a good read on my uterine activity.

Turns out the contractions aren't in my head as they popped up one by one on the monitor.





























My assumption is that this will go on for days - hopefully even a week before progressing into anything significant.

I have a dr appointment on Monday, hopefully I'll know then if anything is happening.

35 week belly pictures!

35 weeks!

"My View" and a little Evelyn humor :)

34 weeks 5 days - BPP and Growth Scan

Today I am 34 weeks 5 days! Had our BPP and growth scan.

Baby A: head is WAY down low this week! He waited till the very last 45 seconds to practice breathing but did and got 8/8 on his BPP. He's measuring 4lbs 11oz which is 33weeks 1 day (20%).

Baby B: 8/8 on his BPP right away. Still breech with no room to flip at this point. He's measuring 5lbs 8oz which is 34 weeks 4 days (45%).

Baby A is nearly 10 days behind in growth but keep in mind, these are only estimated and can be off by 2 weeks. So baby A's size isn't a concern for now.

I've had Braxton hicks about every 5 minutes with the occasional one paired with pain. Hoping to get AT LEAST another 9 days out of these little guys!

Just waiting and planning... a longish update.

All these appointments sure do keep a momma busy. I pretty much have appointments every Monday and Friday these days. 

I am currently 34 weeks 3 days. I continue to have Braxton Hicks - oh about every 15 minutes. Occasionally they like to up it a notch and come much more frequently, rarely do they hurt or get more intense... They just are. I really thought I would feel so much worse and be in a much more miserable place than I am at this point... I really do feel good.  Aside from the typical aches and pains the only problem I have is SLEEP!  I can't sleep, I roll over and wake up, I am exhausted yet I am so uncomfortable no matter what I do that I can't fall into that wonderful deep slumber I hear so much about.  I've slept on the couch, in our recliner, in bed, on pillows, on the floor.  Doesn't make any difference.  As soon as I try to sleep I get really bad hip and rib pains and struggle to get past that.

Medically speaking, aside from the complications/worries early on and our one trip to labor and delivery for lack of movement, this pregnancy has been another basic, no problems type of pregnancy - Guess I'm just built for it!  My Blood Pressure has been good, size/weight is good, babies are growing good,  no gestational diabetes, and no preterm labor troubles so far.  It amazes me how simple this pregnancy really has been - aside from the aches and pains of course.

Preparations...
Knowing they won't stop labor at this point has me more intune and aware of whats going on, makes me nervous!   I want at least another week and a half for these boys to cook, shouldn't be a problem though, there have been no real signs of impending labor starting anytime soon. The babies have been passing their Biophysical Profiles and NSTs (although there have been a few struggles) and seem to be happy and doing well in there. I just hope that continues to be the case for a little while longer. 

Baby B continues to be breech... Stubborn little guy.   My doctor is fine with delivering baby A, then attempting to flip Baby B or pulling him out footling breech.  I can't lie, the idea of delivering another breech baby has my mind whirling.  Last time the delivery went fine, a couple hiccups on Gabriel's way out, but for the most part it was ok.  I have no doubt I can do a breech delivery, since I've done it before. The emotions are toying with me a bit though.  14 months ago I was also planning for a breech delivery - this hits close to home.  Yet, I would still prefer to deliver him breech than to have a c-section...  People think I'm nuts... Really I'm not, I just want these babies born as naturally and as safely as possible (now thats a juggling act).  I also trust that if my emotions begin to get the best of me, my awesome doula and Derrick will be able to pull me through. If I end up with a c-section then at least I can say I tried.

My birth plan is done.  Now regardless of what happens for the arrival of these guys I know my wishes are known.  While our doula was here she went ahead and installed our car seat bases too!  I didn't want to put the actual car seats in though. If we were to have an accident at least this way we would only need new bases, if the seats were in we'd have to replace the whole stinkin thing.  Trying to think things through here people - at 34 weeks with twins that's not easy to do!  I also got my double snap n go stroller finally! So excited because for the first few months especially, that's going to be the most convenient thing ever!  I was so excited when I finally got it (there was a lot of struggle trying to find one in our area!) and when I got it all put together Derrick and I both said "Perfect".  I haven't got to offically use it obviously, but it really does seem like its going to be the best thing for us for awhile.  I'm so glad I joined the local Moms of Multiples group - it was there that I got the idea of a double snap n go stroller, that advice alone was worth the membership.

Eeeep! I love it!

Names, Names, Names...
The boys still don't have names, which has me FRUSTRATED! It's hard coming up with one name, how on earth do you agree on two?  *sigh*  Hopefully Derrick completes his homework today: Going online and making a list of 5-10 names he likes.  This way, I can pick one off his list, find a name I like to pair with one of his names... I really really hope this works...  I'd like to at least have a few options available to us when they are born.  Derrick is set on "Zack and Luke".  Not terrible, sounds good together.  But both names sound like nicknames to me and he won't settle for Zachary and Lucas... *sigh again*.  I'm in love with Isaac but Derrick doesn't like it... I even said that we could do Isaac and he can call him Zack... No go.  *long deep sigh*.  This is the circus I've been trying to deal with.

Gonna have to give momma an NST...

Went in for our biophysical profile (BPP) this morning. A BPP is where they check for fluid level, 2 types of movement, heart rate, muscle tone, and practice breathing. They get a total of 8 points during the scan.

Baby B passed right away with flying colors. Baby A however did not, he got 6/8 points because he didn't practice his breathing. He bought us a NST today.

A Non-stress test (NST) measures babies heart-rate and how it corresponds to babies movements. The heart rate should increase with movement and decrease when still.

We failed the first 20 minutes and went for round 2. After that 20 minutes baby A looked good but they wanted to monitor baby B a little further... In for round 3. Finally, baby B also passed and we were able to leave.

Finally relieved everything was ok, finally able to breath that sigh of relief.

I have appointments mixed with BPPs each Monday and NSTs every Friday. If they all go like this I may need an NST for myself!

Stretchy be gone

Because of the rash I've gotten, I've spent the last week coating my belly in some Benedryl cream and lots of calamine lotion. The dr recommended hydrocortisone but I had calamine on hand so I thought I'd try that.

It's been nearly a week, I use the calamine the most because it really relieves the itch, I put it on about 3 times a day. I noticed this morning side effect of using this mix - my stretch marks are disappearing! Not what I expected but a welcome side effect none the less, who knew??