We did a lot of baking over the Christmas holiday, and the most important variety of that is still going on! The babies are still nice and snug (and getting snugger by the day!) inside me, and we have passed 35 weeks!
Christmas with both sides of the fam was mellow and wonderful; and I am so thankful to be feeling really good most of the time. There comes a point each day when I simply can't carry this big ol' belly around anymore, so I need to lay down, but other than that, things are as normal. No major signs of labor yet, but that could change at any moment!
I am really looking forward to our next growth ultrasound, which is on Wednesday - I'll be 36 weeks exactly, and I am so eager to find out just how much Christmas cinnamon rolls, cookies, prime rib, and cheesy potatoes the girls have packed away!
My OB again confirmed that he considers 38 weeks to be overdue for twins, so we really might be induced in about two weeks if these little ones decide to be shy about arriving before then. Two weeks - so close! We are so excited to meet you, Aubrey and Claire!!!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A little longer to cook!
Since the babies looked so well, and are continuing to grow, my OB decided that we should just let them cook a little longer! I'm so glad! Surfer and I just feel great that we don't need to give birth to them too soon, and hope to hang on for a few more weeks.
A proud mother reports
Little Aubrey grew!!! I am so proud! We went in for a final growth scan before the scheduled delivery, and found out that our darling little one gained nearly a pound in two weeks! She was measuring 3lbs 14oz yesterday, up from 3lbs at 32 weeks. Claire also gained weight, and is now at 4lbs 7oz. I hope that this means that we won't go ahead with delivery tomorrow - but I will find out for sure from my OB today. The longer I am pregnant, the less NICU time - wouldn't that just be wonderful if they could come home from the hospital with us?
I have a theory that going through surgery (my surgery, but they were along for the ride and medications) was perhaps just harder on Aubrey and caused her to plateau in growth a bit... but now that I am healthy, eating normally, and active, she's tracked right back to where she should be. ??? Maybe? Either way, we're thrilled and we hope and pray that both babies continue to chunk up! A few more days, or a few more weeks - we're getting there!
Thank you, Lord, for such wonderful surprises like this!
I have a theory that going through surgery (my surgery, but they were along for the ride and medications) was perhaps just harder on Aubrey and caused her to plateau in growth a bit... but now that I am healthy, eating normally, and active, she's tracked right back to where she should be. ??? Maybe? Either way, we're thrilled and we hope and pray that both babies continue to chunk up! A few more days, or a few more weeks - we're getting there!
Thank you, Lord, for such wonderful surprises like this!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Nearing the end of this chapter
It's so hard to actually believe that I will be pregnant for only two more days! We are scheduled for an induction on Wednesday, Dec. 17!
Surfer and I are feeling all sorts of emotions - excitement at the thought of getting to meet our two precious babies, anxiety about the birth process (maybe me more so than Surfer!), and uncertainty as to what lies ahead for our girls. I wish that this could be more of a normal birth, and that we could anticipate bringing our babies home from the hospital with us. But that is not the path we're being asked to walk. I just hope and pray that both girls do very well in the birth, and that they are healthy - and need only minimal support in the NICU.
I can't lie - I am really looking forward to having my body back to myself. To run, to jump, to sleep on my tummy, to have a margarita! And, I can't wait to snuggle my babies close and just look at them and smell them and realize that they're ours!
And until then, I am trying to enjoy the last few days of holding them inside me; cherishing their kicks and turns, knowing that this is the end of the pregnancy chapter. Next page: a wonderful adventure - becoming a family!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The magic number: 34
Well, folks: it looks like we will be having these babies, God-willing, next week! We went to the specialist today for another check-up. Both girls' doppler flow (blood flow from the placenta to the cord, brain, abdomen, etc) looked great. They were both doing their practice breathing and strengthening their little lungs, and they have both been happily active and heart rates looked great.
However, Aubrey still hadn't grown much. The tough thing for the docs is to properly assess at what point the risk to both babies of being born is less than the risk to the small baby of staying in the womb. Since there are no other signs of stress for Aubrey other than growth, the specialist felt comfortable going to 34 weeks - giving both girls just a few more days of growth in the womb and time to get strong before they are born. She said that if I was only pregnant with one baby that we'd be delivered today, but that wouldn't be the best situation for Claire as well as Aubrey.
34 weeks is just three weeks shy of "full term" for twins, and so we are hoping and praying that they will need minimal intervention and care in the NICU. We have no way, really, of knowing what their needs will be until they are born - but thankfully those needs are usually just feeding and growing, body temp regulation, and learning to suck/swallow/breathe at 34 weeks. It would be a completely different story if we were a few weeks back from where we are now.
I can't believe we're a mere 6 days away from having these babies! I can't really wrap my mind around it yet, nor the idea of laboring (in whatever sense I labor, be it regular or c-section). I am so glad, though, that they didn't need to keep me in the hospital until the birth so Surfer and I have a few more precious days together at home to process all this and get ready to meet our babies!
Lord, thank you for such wonderful care that we have been given by our doctors, and please guide our every step until the birth of the girls. Please make them strong and healthy for the birth, and allow them to thrive once they're born. Thank you so much for your grace and strength through all of this!
However, Aubrey still hadn't grown much. The tough thing for the docs is to properly assess at what point the risk to both babies of being born is less than the risk to the small baby of staying in the womb. Since there are no other signs of stress for Aubrey other than growth, the specialist felt comfortable going to 34 weeks - giving both girls just a few more days of growth in the womb and time to get strong before they are born. She said that if I was only pregnant with one baby that we'd be delivered today, but that wouldn't be the best situation for Claire as well as Aubrey.
34 weeks is just three weeks shy of "full term" for twins, and so we are hoping and praying that they will need minimal intervention and care in the NICU. We have no way, really, of knowing what their needs will be until they are born - but thankfully those needs are usually just feeding and growing, body temp regulation, and learning to suck/swallow/breathe at 34 weeks. It would be a completely different story if we were a few weeks back from where we are now.
I can't believe we're a mere 6 days away from having these babies! I can't really wrap my mind around it yet, nor the idea of laboring (in whatever sense I labor, be it regular or c-section). I am so glad, though, that they didn't need to keep me in the hospital until the birth so Surfer and I have a few more precious days together at home to process all this and get ready to meet our babies!
Lord, thank you for such wonderful care that we have been given by our doctors, and please guide our every step until the birth of the girls. Please make them strong and healthy for the birth, and allow them to thrive once they're born. Thank you so much for your grace and strength through all of this!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Each day is one day closer!
This is the strangest feeling - we have never been this close to meeting the babies, and yet it feels like their delivery is worlds away! Part of that could be that the days are so long now that I am on bedrest and time just drags on, part could be the fact that my darling girls are SO active and strong - and their cute kicks have nearly turned my insides to jello and it's so painful! But mostly, we are just so excited and eager to hold these little ones in our arms!
We had an unexpected trip to the hospital on Sunday morning because little Aubrey had slowed down her movements a lot, and they wanted to do an ultrasound and non-stress test to make sure she was OK. While there, the specialist showed us what they are tracking with her (blood flow through the cord, amniotic fluid levels, movement and practice breathing, growth levels, etc). Each thing they measure is a certain risk factor of danger for Aubrey, and they will deliver as soon as one of those triggers looks imminent. For example, if her growth has plateaued by Thursday, it is a sign that if she is in the womb longer there could be real danger to her and so they would opt to deliver. If they can't find a pocket of fluid that's greater than 2cm across, that is a danger sign and they will admit me to the hospital to be on a monitor - low fluid could mean danger for the umbilical cord, her lifeline. Overall, the specialist didn't think that I'd be carrying these girls much longer than 34 weeks, which is a week from tomorrow.
Surfer and I are just so thankful for the wonderful docs who are keeping such a close eye on our babies. I am, of course, nervous to possibly face a new challenge of the babies spending time in the NICU, but if that is where they need to be, lets have them get there safe and sound!
I just can't wait to hold their tiny little hands, and kiss their fuzzy little heads. We love you so much, babies!!!
We had an unexpected trip to the hospital on Sunday morning because little Aubrey had slowed down her movements a lot, and they wanted to do an ultrasound and non-stress test to make sure she was OK. While there, the specialist showed us what they are tracking with her (blood flow through the cord, amniotic fluid levels, movement and practice breathing, growth levels, etc). Each thing they measure is a certain risk factor of danger for Aubrey, and they will deliver as soon as one of those triggers looks imminent. For example, if her growth has plateaued by Thursday, it is a sign that if she is in the womb longer there could be real danger to her and so they would opt to deliver. If they can't find a pocket of fluid that's greater than 2cm across, that is a danger sign and they will admit me to the hospital to be on a monitor - low fluid could mean danger for the umbilical cord, her lifeline. Overall, the specialist didn't think that I'd be carrying these girls much longer than 34 weeks, which is a week from tomorrow.
Surfer and I are just so thankful for the wonderful docs who are keeping such a close eye on our babies. I am, of course, nervous to possibly face a new challenge of the babies spending time in the NICU, but if that is where they need to be, lets have them get there safe and sound!
I just can't wait to hold their tiny little hands, and kiss their fuzzy little heads. We love you so much, babies!!!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Home, for now!
After 2 weeks in the hospital, Surfer and I finally begged my OB to let me go home and finish bedrest there... and he let me, without really any hesitation! Oh, how wonderful - to walk through the front door of my own home, to see my own walls, furniture, nursery, and most of all, to not have to say goodbye to Surfer at the end of the evening!
I went in yesterday for a growth ultrasound on the girls, and the news was not as good as we hoped. Little Aubrey is still... little. She is 3lbs, while Claire is an even 4lbs - a difference too large for my docs to be comfortable with. Since last measure, Aubrey had only gained 2ozs to Claire's 11oz.
Thankfully, in all other measures, Aubrey is doing fine - her body and head are measuring small but normal, she is certainly an active little one, and she is practicing her breathing like nobody's business! The challenge is that her placenta just isn't giving her the nutrients she needs, and so she is quite skinny for her gestation.
The doc said she is j-u-s-t over the borderline of having me stay pregnant - but it looks like we may need to deliver early if Aubrey's growth continues to drop off. We will go in next week for another ultrasound and they'll measure her little belly to see if she's gaining weight - if so, we'll go another few days, another ultrasound; if not, we'll probably be delivering these little girls!
We'll be 33 weeks by then, so developmentally they should both be in pretty good shape. Still some NICU time, due to their size and gestation, but nothing as worrisome as if we were several weeks back. I've heard that each day I remain pregnant with them is approx. 3 days that they won't have to spend in the NICU.
Dear Lord, please give wisdom to the docs to decide the exact time when they should deliver - not too early, but definitley not too late. And please be with both Claire and Aubrey, help them to be a strong little fighters if they need to be born in the next few weeks!
I went in yesterday for a growth ultrasound on the girls, and the news was not as good as we hoped. Little Aubrey is still... little. She is 3lbs, while Claire is an even 4lbs - a difference too large for my docs to be comfortable with. Since last measure, Aubrey had only gained 2ozs to Claire's 11oz.
Thankfully, in all other measures, Aubrey is doing fine - her body and head are measuring small but normal, she is certainly an active little one, and she is practicing her breathing like nobody's business! The challenge is that her placenta just isn't giving her the nutrients she needs, and so she is quite skinny for her gestation.
The doc said she is j-u-s-t over the borderline of having me stay pregnant - but it looks like we may need to deliver early if Aubrey's growth continues to drop off. We will go in next week for another ultrasound and they'll measure her little belly to see if she's gaining weight - if so, we'll go another few days, another ultrasound; if not, we'll probably be delivering these little girls!
We'll be 33 weeks by then, so developmentally they should both be in pretty good shape. Still some NICU time, due to their size and gestation, but nothing as worrisome as if we were several weeks back. I've heard that each day I remain pregnant with them is approx. 3 days that they won't have to spend in the NICU.
Dear Lord, please give wisdom to the docs to decide the exact time when they should deliver - not too early, but definitley not too late. And please be with both Claire and Aubrey, help them to be a strong little fighters if they need to be born in the next few weeks!
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