Thursday, April 30, 2009

Another new doctor! (Week 26)

So, I went to go see my doctor again yesterday. He went over the ultra sound results with me. My placenta is totally covering my cervix now (it was just covering it half way before) which is bad. The weight of the placenta and the weight of the boys on top of it is a recipe for disaster. So, I am off work and I need to rest as much as possible. I can be on my feet for a little bit at a time, but mostly I need to be sitting or laying down. 

Because of the complete placenta previa, I now need to go to another doctor in Edmonton. Edmonton has more resources if something goes wrong during the c-section and the doctor I will be going to  has more experience with placenta previa and Monochorionic/Diamniotic twins. So in the long run, it is better...I just really don't want to have to drive to Edmonton every week.....It hurts me to be in a car for 15 minutes, let along 1 hour! But again, this is what we have to do to make sure our boys are healthy.

My belly is getting bigger and bigger....it is so cool to see my belly move when the boys kick me! They kick so hard now...it keeps me up most nights!

Love you all!



Monday, April 27, 2009

Another trip to emerg! (Week 26)

Dallas and I made yet another trip to emergency last night. At about 9:30pm, I was in major pain all over my stomach and all over my back. My belly was also getting hard, then soft. We tried laying down, and the pain did not stop. Because of the fact that we are at a high risk for preterm labour, we decided to go to emergency at 10:30pm. We were seen right away and hooked up to the fetal heart beat machine to do a "stress test".  This test basically measures the babies heart beats for 20 minutes as well as any contractions I have and it tells the doctor if the babies are OK.  It was nice to hear their little heart beats again. We could also hear every time they kick. It sounded like a little "thud". I would tell Dallas "That was Kennedy!" or "That one was Dylan!". They were kicking like crazy. Actually, their kicking is starting to hurt now....and if you look at my belly you can actually see it move when they kick!

After the stress test, they called our doctor who advised them that we are  at high risk for preterm labour and that he would like a Fetal Fibronectin test done.  This test will tell if you are going to go into labour in the next two weeks. 

Luckily, both tests came back negative. The babies are fine, but once again I am not. The pain I am feeling is "normal".  I can take Tylenol for it, but basically I there is nothing else that can be done. The doctor at the hospital also advised that I am not to work for the rest of the week. I see my doctor on Wednesday, who will assess the situation at that time, but it is looking like I am done work. Because of the Placenta Previa (placenta covering my cervix) and because of the fact that the boys are identical, I am at a higher risk of having them early and any physical work adds to the risk. 

So, there will be a lot of resting in my near future. I am still in a lot of pain but I can take it! As long as the babies are happy and healthy, I am fine with dealing with the other side affects.

Lots of love!


P.S Here are the pics from the ultra sound last week!


Kennedy
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Dylan
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Third Ultrasound! (week 25)



The ultrasound went good today...Both babies are the same size, which is always a concern. They were so active it was driving the ultrasound  tech nuts! Kennedy is still on my left side head down and Dylan moved during the scan from laying across my stomach to breach position (head up). Both boys are healthy and happy and still perfect!

Monday, April 20, 2009

New apartment! New Cribs! (week 25)



The weekend went pretty good. The twin sale was crazy! There were so many people....Dallas and I were not ready for it! There were tables and tables of clothing to go through...you had to be aggressive if you wanted anything good. We ended up getting about 40 name brand outfits for $100. We were shopping for 6 month size clothing. They have these type of sales 2 times a year. If you join the Edmonton Twin and Multiples club then you can sell your clothing as well.  After the clothing sale, we went to Babies R Us to register! That was tons of fun as well!

Then on Sunday, we went out to Wetaskiwin to check out the Walmart there for cribs. We were having a hard time finding two for a reasonable price. We ended up with two cherry finished solid wood cribs that convert from crib to toddler bed to single bed to double bed! There are beautiful!! We also picked up bedding coordinated which are jungle themed! They are cute!

We also found out that we got the 3 bedroom apartment down the hall from us! It is HUGE! There are also 2 bathrooms....we are so excited to move in! It will be so much easier when family and friends come to visit! We will be able to move in at the end of the month! 

Next thing is another ultrasound on Wednesday! I will let you know how it goes!

xoxoxo

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Doctors update! (week 24)


So, my doctors appointment on Wednesday went as good as it could I guess. He looked over my ultra sound and my placenta has not moved at all....so that means c-section and off work at 28 weeks. Because it has not moved, there is a risk of premature labour as well as other complications. So, 4 more weeks of work...crazy! Also, I found out that I have a stomach ulcer.....that is what all the pain is in my upper belly...not acid reflux but a stomach ulcer. It does not hurt the babies at all but it sure does hurt me lol! My doctor gave me medication to help deal with the pain and it has been working so far so lets keep our fingers crossed!

We also heard the babies heart beats again....it always makes me feel good to hear them both beating so strong! Not that there is any doubt with all the kicking they both do! 

I have also been told that I will be getting ultra sounds every two weeks. Just to make sure the babies are ok...I am ok with that! I love to see our itty bitty babies!

Today, Daddy D and I are off to Edmonton for a huge "Twin Sale". Basically, tons of twin and multiple moms get together to sell their baby stuff! We are excited!! We will let you know how it goes!

xoxoxo

P.S. the babies are 8 1/2 inches long right now...the size of an envelope! That is why I am holding up two envelopes to my belly...that is the position the babies are in as well!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Daddy's two cents


 Cat puts so much effort in dating this life changing experience, I thought I should leave my print in the sand.

It's now been 24 weeks with about sixty weeks to go. If  I had my way anyways. Not to say I can't wait to see my boys, but your way of thinking changes. In work, I take the time to get the 8 foot ladder instead of using the 6. I view a products worth a little differently. Not to mention throwing a chewing habits out the window in fear of a baby picking up the wrong bottle. All this in 24 weeks and now I'm supposed to instill these values to my children. Its a little quick and scary in this BOYS point of view.

So far so good. I've heard all these horror stories of what happens to your wife when the buns are in the oven. I could count the days she has taken her pain out on me with my thumbs. Here's the secret boys. 1) subscribe to www.whattoexpect.com, you get a weekly email that lets you know what she's going through. 2) Have a commercial supply of crackers and tums for that heartburn. 3) Learn to listen and not give your opinion... she doesn't even know why she feels that way. With these three easy steps and a women who truly loves you it will be an easy 36 weeks.

What else from the dads point of view... hmm? I guess I'll just finish with sayin how good life is. We're living our dream of 10 years past, we have love to spare and now two healthy boys to give it to. The only thing I would change is Ontarios economy.

Daddy D




Monday, April 13, 2009

Babies in ribs and itchy belly! (week 24)

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There has been a few things going on this week....The first thing is that Kennedy has found my ribs! I am assuming it is his little feet that are pressing on them, but really who knows! It hurts so bad! It actually started April 10th in the evening. We had a pretty bad day with pain....I had a lot of pain from acid reflux that day...I still can not believe that acid reflux can feel like someone has punched you in your stomach and left you breathless....but it does.  After dealing with that all day, the rib pain followed. It is only in my left side which is why I know it is Kennedy. Dallas and I went for a midnight walk to try to get him to move positions, but it didn`t help...The walk was nice though! The next day, the pain was almost gone and he has only been hanging out in my ribs for a bit each day now. 

This week also brings with it the first time that my belly has been itchy....really itchy! It feels like my skin is stretching and it burns....well....I guess my skin is actually stretching but you know what I mean!

I worked nights over the weekend, and on Sunday when I woke up in the afternoon from sleeping, I found that the Easter Bunny came! I can not remember the last time I hunted for Easter eggs! Holidays are really hard because I miss my family so much....Being in Alberta with Dallas is great and I wouldn`t change anything... but I am such a family girl and at times like these, I really miss everyone. He made Easter really special for me. That is why I love him so much...he gets me...the real me...He is my perfect soul mate! He is going to be the most amazing daddy in the world!

I have another doctors appointment on Wednesday to go over the ultrasound results and to make sure the little monkeys are doing ok...I will let you know how it goes!

xoxoxo

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

SICK!! (23 weeks)

I am now on day 7 of having a really bad cold.....luckily I have 5 days off in a row from work, so I am concentrating on getting healthy. The babies are moving like crazy! It seems that Kennedy is still head down and facing out and Dylan is laying right across my belly from my belly button out to my right side. Both positions are not good for giving birth naturally but there is still time to change. 

I had my mind set on the fact that I will have a natural birth, but everything is pointing towards a c-section so I have accepted that. At my last ultrasound, I was told that my placenta is still covering my cervix...it hasn't moved like I was hoping for. So, I am dealing with the fact that I will most likely have a c-section. 

The most important thing is for the babies to be born into this world with as few obstacles as possible. If that means for us to have a c-section that that is what we will do in order for them to be healthy. 

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Second Ultrasound (22 weeks)

So, I went for our second ultrasound to make sure the twins are growing ok. They are great! They are both about the same size....Kennedy was hyper and moving a lot....Just like he always is. Dylan was relaxed and calm as normal...We even saw him yawning! Here are some pics...

Kennedy Alexander
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Dylan Bruno
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Thursday, April 2, 2009

1st OBGYN appointment (week 22)

So, we had our first OBGYN appointment. Up until this time, we have been seeing our family doctor. We have had some concerns because we haven't had a second ultra sound as of yet.  Our OBGYN had the same concerns so he booked us an asap ultrasound for Friday. This ultrasound will check to see if my placenta has moved (it is low and  partially covering my cervix) and it will check to make sure that the twins are both growing at the same rate and that they do not have Twin to Twin Transfusion syndrome. TTTS happens with identical twins who share one placenta. One baby ends up getting more food and nutrients and ends up growing larger than the second baby. It can be fixed with surgery, but it can happen at any time during the pregnancy so extra attention is needed to monitor it.

In all reality I should have been monitored more closely since my first ultrasound at 16 weeks when we found out the babies shared one placenta, but lack of communication and appointments being cancelled on me has caused 7 weeks to go by without it being monitored. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the babies are both happy and healthy.

The boys have names! (week 21)

After name lists and many discussions, we have picked names for our boys! Twin A's name is Kennedy Alexander and Twin B's name is Dylan Bruno.  We picked Kennedy and Alexander after the boys grandfathers and we picked Bruno after the boys great-grandfather. We are both very happy with the names. It feels really good to actually call the boys by name now instead of Twin A and Twin B.

Also, this week we had to make another run to emergency. I have been having really had pain right below my ribs. It felt like someone punched me and left me breathless. It started Monday March 23rd and continued over to the next day. So, Dallas and I rushed to emerg to see what was going on.

It turns out the pain was from acid reflux....I never ever knew acid reflux could cause so much pain! It was awful. The doctor gave me some medication to take for it. It took about 24 hours for it to kick in. The pain is pretty much gone for now...heartburn is still severe though! Oh...the joys of pregnancy!

The boys are kicking!! (week 18)

The past couple of weeks have been filled with Dallas and I coming to terms with our twin pregnancy. We are both so excited! Everything is now "times two!" It is truly our dream come true.

I have been sick still.....really sick. They say that morning sickness ends after the first trimester but we are now into the second trimester and it has gotten worse. Every day is a challenge but I keep thinking of my itty bitty boys and the pain I am going through is all worth it. 

I saw my family doctor on Wednesday March 4th. He asked if I have felt the boys move. I told him that I think I am, but I am not quite sure. I told him I feel "fluttering" in my belly. He said that is the boys moving around. I went home and told my oldest sister this and she said to eat something, lay down and pay attention to the babies. I did this and I felt the boys kicking me so much!

Feeling them kick has really opened my eyes. I knew I had two babies in there but feeling them kick really makes it a reality! It is the best feeling in the world! In another couple of weeks, Dallas will be able to feel them as well!

Pregnant with twins!! (Weeks 1 to 16)

Dallas and I found out we were pregnant on Thursday November 27th 2008. I missed my "monthly friend" which should have came the Tuesday that week. I felt sick at the time....really sick. We figured we would try the test "just to see". 

Dallas was in the shower after work when I took the test. I wrapped it up in a paper towel  and we waited until he was finished. I handed him the test and told him that if there are two lines, it means we are pregnant. I can remember the look on his face.... He looked surprised and maybe a bit shocked. He looked at the test and look at me and said we are having a baby! I started to cry right away. The two lines were very very dark....which I though was a bit strange because I was only two days late. Little did we know that there were two babies instead of one! Two babies means double the amount of the pregnancy hormone, which also means dark lines on the pregnancy test.



We found out we were pregnant with identical twins on  Tuesday February 17th 2009. We had an ultra sound that day after a trip to emergency the day before because of some light spotting. I had been so extremely sick for the past 16 weeks. I was taking Diclectin for the morning sickness but nothing seems to take it fully away.  The ultrasound technician allowed Dallas to come into the room with me right from the beginning of the ultrasound. Usually, dads have to wait until after the measurements are taken to come in and see the baby but she allowed him in right from the start. 

I couldn't really see the screen that good and I was in a lot of pain from her pushing on my belly. Dallas had a great view of the screen. He thought he saw two heads but second guessed himself because he had never looked at an ultrasound before. I jokingly stated "Make sure there is just one baby in there!". She said "No.....there are two!" We couldn't believe our ears! We had always talked about having twins together when we were young. We would say "When we grow up and have twins...". Now, we have them!!! The first thing Dallas said after the initial shock was "So...does this mean we can get rid of the cat!" the first thing I said was "What am I going to do with TWO babies??"

We found out that they were identical baby boys.  We also found out they are Monochorionic/Diamniotic.  Monochorionic  means one placenta (food source) and Diamniotic means two different sacs. About 60 to 70% of identical twins are Monochorionic/Diamniotic. These types of twins happen when the egg splits 3 to 8 days after fertilization. 

So, we went home and called our familes to tell them the great news!