Contractions??? Really???

Let me preface this by saying I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions since I was 17 weeks pregnant with these two little princesses. I'm used to them. . .and generally they don't hurt. . .they can be uncomfortable, but not painful. . .

Well. . .last night I was quite rudely awoken at 2 AM in pain! It felt like a Braxton Hicks contraction except with a decent amount of cramping and pain added in. Not just in my abdominal area either. . .down low (like menstrual cramps), up high (like the normal BH contractions for me), and some low back pain thrown in there for good measure. The contraction lasted about 65-75 seconds, and then slowly released. I was relieved. I got up to potty, then went back to sleep.

2:37 AM. . .AGAIN, I woke up to pain. . .the same thing. . .lasted about 65-75 seconds. I tried changing positions. I tried drinking water. I tried breathing techniques. Nada. Nothing helped.

This pattern had repeated itself 3 more times by 6 AM. At 6 I woke up Si and told him what was going on. He immediately thought I should call the OB's office. Of course the OB's office is closed (it's not only the weekend, but it's a holiday weekend). I thought about going directly to labor and delivery at the hospital. . .but I was SO tired at that point. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep and see if the contractions would go away. So that's exactly what we tried. We slept for another 3 hours. Luckily, the contractions got further apart and I only had one contraction between 6:30 AM and 10 AM. YAY. I continued to have contractions throughout the day, but they were totally irregular, and were further apart then they they had been in the middle of the night.

I kept arguing with myself during the day today whether or not I should call the OB's office. I knew that my OB was out of town not only this weekend, but all week, so it wouldn't be my OB giving me advice if I called. Finally at 4 PM I decided that I should just call the OB's office. I talked to the answering service and then a triage nurse who suggested that I go ahead and go into the L&D department at the hospital I was intending to deliver at just to make sure that I wasn't actually in labor. That's exactly what Si and I decided to do.

After being hooked up to the monitor and watching the heartbeats of the girls and the peaks on my uterine "activity", the L&D nurse confirmed that I was having contractions. The good news? That's apparently relatively normal at 31 weeks, especially with multiples, I wasn't having more than 4 an hour, and the girls seemed relatively unaffected by the contractions. The nurse spoke to the on call OB for my OB's practice, and she decided to order a fFN test (fetal fibronectin test - to determine my probability of going into full labor in the next two weeks), to have my cervix checked (to check for thinning, dilation, etc.), and to give me a shot of terbutaline to calm the muscles in my uterus and hopefully stop the contractions.

Thank you God. . .the fFN test was negative (meaning there is an incredibly low probability that I will go into labor and have these kiddos in the next two weeks), I am not dilated, my cervix is still thick and high, and the terbutaline slowed down my contractions after just one shot! YAY. We were at the hospital for about 3 hours, and were so happy that they let us leave with essentially a clean bill of health. I am supposed to call and go back in to see them if I start having more than 4 contractions in an hour at any point. The nurses also told me that each person seems to have a time of day that they have the most active contractions. . .for me it may end up being in the middle of the night/early morning hours. Lucky me! I can deal with it though (I will just be tired), just as long as these babies keep cooking for a while longer! So blessed to still have my babies healthy and inside of me!!

Hope you all are having a VERY uneventful weekend!

30 Weeks - update and belly pics=)

Hello! I hope you all are well=).

We don't have another OB appointment until September 14th (silly doctors and their vacations!), so I won't have another size and weight update on the girls for 2 more weeks. Whatever will I do?! Well, I will just update you as to what is going on with me then=).

The girls and I are doing well. I have been doing the finger pricking 5x a day as recommended for the monitoring of "gestational diabetes", and all but one of my readings so far has been totally within the normal range. I had one reading on Saturday morning that was at 124, and they wanted it at or below 120. It was after I had a pile of pancakes with syrup (YUM!) though, which is supposed to be a big no-no for GD moms. 124 wasn't really a "spike" in my blood sugar either. . .I would have expected closer to 200 or even higher for what I ate!

Really, I haven't changed my diet much at all, all I have done is cut out the Kool-Aid lemonade (which I am ADDICTED to!). Crystal light and the other brands just aren't the same thing. I DESPISE aspartamine, nutra sweet, splenda, and all other artificial sweeteners. If it's not real, I don't want it! So, needless to say I'm not drinking nearly as much fluid as I was previously, but I still think I'm drinking enough. I hope I am anyway! I will be so happy when I can have whatever sugar I want again. . .on the bright side, at least I can still have my cake and ice cream (I've had both with no spike in blood sugar - YAY). It would have been a very sad day if I would have had to cut those items out too!

What else is going on? Well, miss Sheila (my partner in crime from my last post) and her husband Andy are having their precious baby boy Adam tomorrow via C-section! I am SOOOO excited for them!! Miss Sheila, I know you are going to do GREAT!! And if you need anything at all, you call me, okay?! Happy early birthday baby Adam!!

I think that's all I have to report. We are still working away on the nursery, and we still need to figure out exactly what we want to do for the curtains, but everything else has at least been picked out, just not ordered. We have the cribs, crib sets, extra sheets, changing tables, changing table pads, some diapers, etc., we just don't have much for decorations yet for the nursery (wall hangings, hamper, crib skirts, wall plates, etc.). Really I need to just get on target.com and order the items that I want that match the crib set. . .unfortunately they don't sell the matching crib set accessories in the stores, so you actually have to order it off line and they have to send it to you. It kind of stinks because I like to actually see the stuff in person before I purchase it. Maybe that's why I've been slacking on ordering it? I should probably just suck it up get on the website and order what we need since we don't have much longer before the girls get here, huh? Now is NOT the time to procrastinate! LOL.

Okay, and here are my 30 week belly pics - enjoy!







Can you believe it is September already??? I expect these two little miracles to arrive sometime in October, so we have less than two months left of being pregnant. How AMAZING is that?! It's crazy to think about really. Anyway, thanks for reading, and have a great rest of your week!

Week 29 OB visit w/ u/s pics, and partner in crime pics!

Hello, and happy Wednesday! For those of you that haven't heard already, I failed my 3 hour glucose challenge test last Friday. Boo! My baseline fasting levels for both glucose tests were fine, but once I got the glucose drink in my system my body just couldn't metabolize it quickly enough! Here were my stats:

My 1 hour level was 195 - it should have been <180
My 2 hour level was 194 - it should have been <155
My 3 hour level was 160 - it should have been <140

So today I met with the dietitian and diabetic nurse case manager. I learned what they wanted me to eat and when, and was provided with my lovely purple glucometer (YAY purple!). I have to take my blood sugar 5x a day though! Sheesh!!
Apparently pregnant women have the hardest time regulating their blood sugar first thing in the morning, so that's when I have to pay the closest attention to my diet. I probably can't have cereal or waffles for breakfast anymore (too many carbs) and if I want to do oatmeal it has to be plain unsweetened. Yuck! So breakfast will be fun. . .after that though, I pretty much eat as normal. I started the diet today and so far haven't had to change much of anything (just less milk), and my levels have been just fine. So, we shall see!!

So, on to our OB visit today (29 weeks 2 days). It went very well! The girls are doing great! There is more separation between the weights on each of the girls, but otherwise they are still doing GREAT for twins! Here are the stats:
Baby Olivia - AKA - Baby A - 3 lbs 2 oz - in the 55th percentile for a singelton=)
Baby Brianna - AKA - Baby B - 3 lbs 9 oz - A CHUNKER! In the 71st percentile for a singelton=)

Cervix is still measuring great at 4.17 cm. Woo hoo! These babies aren't going anywhere anytime soon! Oh, and I get to keep working in the office until 32 weeks, but then my OB wants me to go to "working from home" status (if work will let me do that - I sure hope so!).

Here are some pics of the girls from the ultrasound today - they actually kind of participated with the ultrasound! Woo hoo!
Here is a pic of Baby Olivia looking right at the u/s machine - it looks like you can see her eyes and everything! SO cool! (Look at the upper right quarter of the ultrasound picture)


Here's a 3D/4D Pic of Olivia - it looks a little strange, but if you look closely you can make out her nose and chin and little lips! Amazing!


And here's a pic of Baby Brianna in 3D/4D. Can you make out her features? Here little nose and lips and eyes and chin? Yay for 3D/4D pics where you can actually see something! Woo hoo!


And last but certainly not least, here are pics of me and my pregnancy buddy/partner in crime Sheila from earlier this week! I love it! Sheila is 38 weeks (with a little man) and I am 29 weeks (with two little ladies). This will probably be the last picture we have together as preggo chics, but then there will be lots of pics of us with our little ones instead! Can't wait!

Here we are - sexy mommas!!!

Hehe - we are goofy I know =)



We even dressed alike for the pics - and not on purpose!


Have a great week everyone!! Hope you all are doing well!

28 week belly pics & GCT results

Hello! My last blog posting left you without an answer to whether or not I passed my fasting 1 hour Glucose Challenge Test (GCT). Well. . . I bombed it. And not just a little. I FAILED miserably. The one hour glucose blood level needs to be under 140 to be considered passing. Mine was 175. Nice.

My baseline fasting glucose level was good though - an 84 (totally within normal limits). So, the OB is hopeful that this test was just a fluke and the 3 hour fasting Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) will show that I am cleared and don't have Gestational Diabetes (GD). He's hopeful. Me too! The babies and I love bread and pasta and cake and ice cream entirely too much to have to cut them out! I am doing the 3 hour test on Friday morning and will sit all morning in my OB office waiting room waiting each hour to be stabbed by the vampires. Fingers crossed I pass this time!!

The only other thing I have for you is your weekly dose of belly pics! These were taken tonight at 28 weeks, 2 days pregnant.



A little closer up


And a bare belly pic=)


Happy Wednesday all!

"28 Week" OB update

We had our "28 week" OB appointment on Friday. I was actually 27 weeks 4 days, but I am getting audited at work Monday through Thursday this week, so I couldn't actually miss a bunch of work this week to go to an appointment. Turns out that was a good decision because it was a BUSY day!

I was scheduled to do my Glucose Challenge Test (GCT) where they have you drink the orange flavored glucose drink, then check draw your blood an hour later to see if your body appropriately metabolizes the glucose. Normally you don't have to be fasting. Unfortunately my OB thinks that results to this test are more accurate if the woman is fasting, so I was very specifically directed not to eat anything after midnight. Pregnant women fasting is NOT a happy thing! LOL! The drink wasn't all that bad really. . . it tasted like a melted orange Popsicle. I think my body was actually happy to get something into it's system. There was a lot of the drink though (10 oz) - more than I thought there would be. I was okay for the hour after I drank it, but once they let me eat again I felt crappy! I continued to feel crappy for the rest of the day. Here's to hoping I passed so I don't have to do the 3 hour test sometime in the near future! I should find out if I passed or failed Monday afternoon. Fingers crossed!

I also got my blood drawn to check for anemia (among other things), an ultrasound, and I got my Rhogham shot. The Rhogham shot was a feat in itself! I have gotten Rhogham shots on two previous occasions. Both times I showed up in the clinic, they pulled the shot out, gave it to me, gave me a card with the date and dosage information and sent me on my way. Both times this was given to me at my RE's clinic. This time I was at the OB, and they don't do these shots in clinic. In fact, I had to go to the ER to get the shot. I had to wait an hour and a half for the shot to be prepared, then they had to do a physical before they gave it to me, then after they gave it to me I had to sit there to 25 minutes to make sure I didn't have a reaction. I had never had to do any of that previously, so I wonder what changed! I got to the hospital at 8:30 and I didn't leave until nearly 1 PM. That was a long day at the hospital!!

So, an update on the girls! They are doing wonderfully in there=). Here are the latest stats (as of 8/13/10)
Baby A - aka - Olivia - 2 lbs 10 oz - measuring 6 days ahead
Baby B - aka - Brianna - 2 lbs 14 oz - measuring 7 days ahead

There's nearly 6 lbs of baby in there! Craziness!! Olivia now has a bigger head than Brianna does (it was opposite up until this point), and Brianna has some long legs (femur measuring over two weeks ahead!). Overall both girls are in the 71st percentile for size and weight for singletons - a GREAT feat for twins. I don't think the girls have any idea yet that they are twins - or if they do they sure aren't acting like they know!! With twins often their growth slows down the bigger they get, and by they are expected to be more around the 25th to 35th percentile for size and weight. . .not my girls! Little over achievers!!

One thing that they don't seem to like though is the ultrasound. We can't get good pictures of them to save our lives! I am posting a couple of pictures, but they aren't great. Olivia had one hand up by her head the whole time, and Brianna had both of her hands in front of her face. Uncooperative they are! LOL. Here are the pictures we did get though, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Here's a picture of miss Olivia


Here's a picture of miss Brianna's head


Here's a picture of miss Olivia's hand, up by her face of course! It's the only 3D/4D picture we were able to get of the girls on Friday. Crazy kids!


That's all folks! We go back to the OB in two weeks on 8/25, so I should have another size update on the girls then. Have a great rest of your weekend! =)

27 week belly pics

Hi All!

Hope you are having a wonderful week!! It's been CRAZY hot here in Nebraska, so I have made it my mission to stay cool. Hopefully you are doing the same! Staying cool to me would usually mean chilling out in the "cool pool" in the back yard (a 10' round 3' deep pool we bought at the beginning of the summer - BEST $50 we ever spent), but yesterday the pool had a bit of a green tint to it, so we had to shock it. I haven't really been in it at all this week. It still has a bit of a green tint when I checked today. Major bummer! The green just creeps me out. But I really want to get in the pool, float around, and be "weightless" for just a little while! Maybe tomorrow. . .

Otherwise same old same old here. Having lots of BH contractions this week. Maybe the heat? I'm not sure. I'm making sure to drink lots of fluids. I'll talk to the OB about it when I go in on Friday for my pile of tests, ultrasound, and shot. Hopefully I'll get some awesome 3D pics of the girls from him that I can post too. That would be awesome!! Fingers crossed the girls cooperate!

Oh, and for those of you currently pregnant with or who have had twins before, I have a question for you. When did you stop working or even cut down on your work hours? I read in the "When you're expecting" (twins, trips, or quads) book that it's recommended to stop working at/by 28 weeks, but that's in a couple of days, so that sure as heck isn't going to happen in my case! When I last saw him, my OB said I would probably be fine to work until 30 weeks, maybe 32 weeks, but he would be able to give me more guidance after my next visit (Friday). I just want to start prepping my work if I need to so I can go to half days or work from home or stop working all together. It is getting harder each day to get up and walk around (hello pelvic pain!). Anyway, I digress. . .I said I was going to post pics!

Okay so here are my week 27 belly pics:
Si says that black makes me look smaller, so I show you this pic, then the next I pull up my black shirt and show you my white tank top instead. ..


Do I look bigger in all white? I can't really tell...


Bare belly - shield your eyes!! And what's this - the beginning of stretch marks on my hips? AHHHH!!! LOL - it was bound to happen. . .Si made sure to point them out to me today when he was taking the pictures. Thanks hun. . .


And I intended to post pictures of my fabulous baby shower that my sister in law Bridget and one of my bestest friends Lisa threw for me and the babies, but I for the life of me can't figure out how to download the pictures! I had this whole post written up and I thought I had the pictures downloaded and inserted into the blog, then when I went to preview my post - nothing, nada, none of the pics showed up! Grrr. . . so the shower pics will still have to wait. I'll post when I can!

Have a great rest of your week everyone! I will update again Friday after my OB appointment =). I can't wait to see how much the girls weigh now!

26 week belly pics =)

Hello! It's been a wonderfully busy week, filled with friends, family, cakes, and cookies so I haven't had a chance yet to to post my week 26 belly pictures! Sorry! We had a baby shower on Saturday (pictures and details to come, but it was absolutely AWESOME!), and I have been writing thank-you's and sorting baby stuff ever since!

All continues to go well with momma and babies. We don't go back to the OB until next Friday (sugar test, blood work, Rhogham shot, ultrasound), so I don't have a baby size update for you, but I am getting bigger by the day and the babies are kicking me like crazy, so I'm pretty darn sure all is well in there=).

Here are some pictures from this week. I am going to have to go clothes shopping yet AGAIN as I am running out of clothes to wear - it's crazy!!! Can someone please make a multiples maternity clothing line??? Seriously! Oh well, I guess I'm getting a taste of what it will be like when the babies are here and are growing through clothes like mad, right?

Anyway, enjoy the pics!






Hope you all are having a wonderful week!!