30 WEEK TWIN PREGNANCY UPDATE

How far along: I am currently 31 weeks Update is for week 30!

Total weight gain: gained 22 lbs total and really feeling it!

Maternity clothes: All of my maternity clothes I have bought since the beginning of the pregnancy are still fitting well, however I think another month and I will need to bump up a size in shirts! Pants I am still wearing a size smaller than my original size in maternity.
Stretch marks: No new ones, just the few I have had since the progesterone bloat in the beginning!
Sleep: Sleep has been super rough in week 30! I am so uncomfortable, and so big when I try to adjust it takes a ton of work. Between all the trying to get comfortable and having to pee a couple times a night I am barely getting 4 hours of sleep at night. I am so lucky I am able to sleep all day if needed. I can usually get a good 2 hour nap in durring the day.
Happenings this week: We had our 3D/4D ultrasound on Wednesday! We barely got any pictures of Baby Alexandria again :( She is just too low! We did get a better look at how they are both positioned, She is all sprawled out with her head down and feet under my ribs. Her butt was on Aidens head the entire time, her poor little head is squished down into my pelvic floor. He is all folded up like he is doing yoga. (Aunt Dani would be so proud!) His head under my ribs and his butt by her shoulders with his little legs over his head! Neither look too comfortable! Here is a few pictures we got from the 3D ultrasound.

Best moment of this week: Our 3D/4D Ultrasound/!
Miss anything: Subway!! Since lunch meat is a big no no I have not had Subway since before being pregnant! I watched a ton of Real World this week and Subway is a sponsor and now I cant get it outta my head! LOL
Food cravings: Water and Juice
Anything making you queasy or sick: Going into cold weather is still making me nauseous!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: A few braxton hicks here and there, nothing painful, just annoying.
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out and painful!
Wedding rings on or off: While I can keep them on all day, I cant at night, so if I am home I just leave them off.
Happy or moody most of the time: I had my first "I can't do this anymore!" breakdown this week! I had a headache for 3 days straight, was so uncomfortable, and the pain from the "pregnancy arthritis" in my hands is almost unbearable in the morning. After I got over that day its been a good week, maybe slightly more emotional.
Looking forward to: I start weekly Non stress testing this week, I am excited just to be checked every week, it will give me nice piece of mind and a heads up if these babies think they are coming anytime soon!
Size of Baby: At our last appointment 2 weeks ago Aiden was 3 pounds and 11oz! Alexandria was 3 pounds 1 oz! They are well on their way to 5 pounds by birth which is great for twins!

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness, tired, some cramping, bad skin, horrible horrible arthritis in my hands, also last night I went to stand up and couldn't walk! My leg felt like it was broken along my left pelvic bone! I couldn't put any weight on it. This happened about a month ago too...it must be my hips spreading. After about an hour I was totally fine. 

29 Weeks pregnant with Twins!

29 Week Twin Bump! 

How far along: 30 Weeks! Update is for week 29!

Total weight gain: gained 22 lbs total and feeling all of it in my back!

Maternity clothes: Shoes! I normally run a size 6.5 and just bought new flats, I had to buy an 8.5! The next day they were pretty big so I am assuming that I had swollen feet when I tried them on, so an 8 would probably be perfect. Hoping I go back to my normal size once the babes arrive!
Stretch marks: I did get some new ones this week...which is no surprise cause they are feeling BIG!
Sleep: I used to be able to sleep most of the night and only have to get up once at around 5AM to pee....but the last few days its been 4-5 times a night! Between that and the leg cramps I am really not getting any sleep! I am so lucky I am not working and can nap during the day because the long nights are rough!
Happenings this week: We had an MFM ultrasound and a regular OB appointment. Both went well, the babe are still growing at a great rate. Baby girl is in the 37th percentile and the tech said she had more hair than she has seen on an ultrasound in a long time! Baby boy is in the 73rd percentile! (he didn't have so much hair! lol) At the OB they gave me our "end all" date! If the babes do not come before February 3rd they will be given an eviction notice! The tech also turned on the 3D ultrasound for just a couple seconds...long enough to catch this picture of Aiden! He looks JUST like me! it will be really interesting to see if any of Adam's features end up coming out later! Wish we could have gotten one of baby girl! I also packed the twins diaper bag...you can see what's in it here.... Twins Diaper Bag

Best moment of this week: Getting to see the 3D of baby boy! It was like meeting him!
Miss anything: My skin! I have always had pretty good skin, but wow have the hormones really done a number on my skin! I am so broken out on my shoulders/chest and get some painful breakouts on my face too! Its such a change I don't know what to do with it, no idea how to do my makeup!
Movement:Lots of movement from both! Baby girls kicks have started to be pretty painful sometimes so I have to shift around to get her to move!
Food cravings: Water! (not the worse craving to have)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Going into cold weather actually makes me nauseous!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Not this week! 
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out!
Wedding rings on or off: ON,
Happy or moody most of the time: Its been a happy week!
Looking forward to: 4D ultrasound next week! Cant wait to see our little girls face!
Size of Baby: Aiden is 3 pounds and 11oz! Alexandria is 3 pounds 1 oz! They are well on their way to 5 pounds by birth which is great for twins!

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness, tired, some cramping, bad skin.

What's in my diaper bag, TWINS!

I have had a few people ask to share what I plan to carry in our diaper bag. I have done a lot of research on what to pack in your diaper bag as well as your hospital bag. Here is what's in our bag!


The bag! I figured we were going to have enough to carry with us so I didn't want a huge bag to lug around. I also know myself, and the bigger the bag the more "crap" I will allow to build up in there. (I am sure my purse has a mint from last year stuck in the bottom still!) We found this Carters brand bag at Babies R Us. It's really light weight which I am a big fan of. It also has a ton of pockets which again I am hoping helps make me more organized, instead of just stuffing everything in.

Hand sanitizer! This is more for me than me worried about the babies being around too many germs! (I am a big believer in them being exposed to germs to help build their little immune systems) I have the most sensitive nose/gag reflex to smells! I do NOT do well in public restrooms, especially in restaurants with a full stomach. I NEVER use public restrooms if I can avoid it! However when I do I spray perfume on the top of my shirt and pull it over my face the whole time I am in the stall to keep me from gagging! ( I know...I am weird) Sooooo knowing I will have to use more public restrooms with my hands full  I am hoping the nice strongly scented hand sanitizer will help! (and okay...kill some germs too!)

Face and Hand wipes these are more gentle than butt wipes so they can be used on sensitive faces and also are safe on hands that go into their mouths constantly. They can also be used to clean binkys that have dropped on the ground. 

Binkys right now, I only have 2 in the bag (one for each) as I don't plan on giving them to them for the first couple months to avoid nipple confusion. I am sure I will add  couple more into the bag once they are the babies best friends. 

Baby lotion For me, for babes! I have dry skin and I am constantly putting on hand lotion, With the added hand washing after diaper changes  I am assuming I will be using this more than them! 

A change of clothing for each baby, and a pair of PJ's (2nd change of clothing) for each baby. Starting with just the one outfit change, as I am packing the bag like we are just leaving the house for a few hours. If we plan to be gone for more than 3 hours I would add an additional outfit just in case! 

Headband for baby girl...I hate going up to people and not knowing their baby gender! And I don't want people to mistake baby girl for a baby boy :) So I am hoping headbands help the situation until they get old enough to be able to tell :) 

Diaper changing pad this one has a spot for wipes/diapers and turns into a little clutch which is nice to keep your hands free!

Diaper rash cream I am a huge fan of rash cream! We put it on my niece every time we changed her and she never got a rash, I don't want my poor babes to ever have to deal with something that sounds very uncomfortable! 

Mini plastic bag dispenser I never knew these existed and I love them! This little dispenser holds mini powder scented bags to hold diapers or soiled cloths! Genius! 

Diapers and wipes this little cloud bag is the perfect place to hold diapers and wipes all together so they are not getting shoved in your big bag! This bag is what some of our crib sheets came in from Target its perfect for things like this. 

 Hats and Socks The babes will come in the middle of winter so extra hats will come in handy...and I am always seeing babies with one sock on! So I imagine extra socks will come in handy

 Burb cloths I have 4 total in the bag for all the little messes 2 will make!
Toys I just put this one little soft rattle in so far, I am sure once they get older I will add some other little toys to keep them occupied when needed!

We also have 2 receiving blankets in the bag. There is still a ton of room in the bag to add more! Would love to hear feedback from the current mommies if I missed anything! 

28 Week twins pregnancy update!

How far along: 29 Weeks, update is for 28 Weeks.
Total weight gain: gained 20 lbs total I am still pretty far under the "typical" weight gain, but it sure feels like a lot! BUT I am pretty sure I have gained at least 5 pounds in my nose! Its unreal how big my nose has gotten! I am excited to get my "normal" face back after the babes come! At least I have not had any bloody noses which usually comes with pregnancy so I have that to be thankful for!

Picture on the left is before being pregnant right is my giant honker today! 

Maternity clothes: For some reason I have been putting off buying new bras, I got down to only one bra that I could squeeze into and decided it was finally time to bite the bullet and go shopping! 1st of all....I had NO idea how much I had grown! The tummy really out shadows the top half so proportion wise they felt the same size.  However I started as a 38DD and I am now a 38F F! What the heck is an F?! Luckily motherhood maternity had plenty in stock. And let me tell you...I am mad at myself for putting it off for so long! Nursing bras are soooo comfy! I also bought nursing tops for when the babes get here.
Stretch marks: No new ones!
Sleep: Sleep is rough! I have never wanted a king size bed before...but it would be awfully nice right about now!
Happenings this week: Not a whole lot, babes have had a pretty quiet week. (thankfully) Had a couple of really sleepy days, assuming they were doing some extra growing! But the last few days I have had a lot more energy, which is awesome!
Best moment of this week: It was a pretty boring week. But I would say starting to get kicks that are stronger and stronger is a lot of fun! I love to see my stomach move when they do its a great reminder that there are really two little lives in there!
Miss anything: Being mobile! I can no longer spend the day shopping (or even a couple hours) without really paying for it later. The longer I am on feet my back hurts and I start to cramp.
Movement: Lots of movement from baby girl Alex! There is not a 1/2 hour that goes by that I don't feel her wiggling all over the place! Baby Aiden is a little more laid back! But when he kicks its with lots of POWER! The kicks are starting to get a little painful but I love it!
Food cravings: My dad had to go and tell me that Dr. Pepper twizlers are yummie and now that's all I can think about and cant find them anywhere!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Going into cold weather actually makes me nauseous!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Not this week! 
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out!
Wedding rings on or off: ON,
Happy or moody most of the time: Its been a happy week!
Looking forward to: Ultrasound on Tuesday! I love to see our babies and see how big they have grown!
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! My next apt is on December 2nd, I am hoping for 3 pounds each!

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness, tired, some cramping.

27 Weeks pregnant with Twins! and Celebration time!

We have reached our first goal!! 28 weeks!! At 28 weeks the twins can be born and have a 98% chance of survival. Also at this point if they are born our hospital is able to handle them so they can stay with me instead of having to be airlifted to a children's hospital. Its hard to believe that just a few months ago we were very worried about making it to this point. We had so many issues in the beginning it seemed like making it to 28 weeks was a large task. Now my Dr. told me that he sees no reason why I wont make it to 38 weeks! What a difference! However I am still thinking in baby steps, because I like to take things in strides, AND of course why not have more milestones to celebrate?! SO our next goal is 32 weeks. At 32 weeks most babies not only survive but 95% have no long term issues from being premature. Most twins are born between 34-37 weeks, with little to no NICU time, so being told at this time it looks like we can make it to 38 weeks is huge! It seems so far away, AND soooo close! 10 weeks is no time at all! Below is an update for how week 27 went...(lets just say they made us work for our first goal)





How far along: 28 Weeks, update is for 27 Weeks.
Total weight gain: gained 20 lbs total I am still pretty far under the "typical" weight gain, but it sure feels like a lot!
Maternity clothes: Okay...Buddha belly had a growth spurt this week! Quite a few of my shirts are getting to be too short all of a sudden! Luckily since I am not working I don't have to worry to much about my fashion choices! Oddly my maternity jeans are all getting bigger on me, I think all the weight is just switching to the belly.
Stretch marks: No new ones! (knock on wood!) Still no linea nigra either! (I am really hoping to not get one cause it kinda weirds me out!)
Sleep: Sleep is tough! Turning over is a production and poor Adam is slowly getting less and less room because I need my 20 pillows around me! (and no 20 is not an exaggeration!)
Happenings this week: Monday morning I woke up feeling really unwell. I had some really bad cramping for about an hour. After Adam left for work and I started to concentrate on how the cramps were feeling I realized that they were kinda coming in waves. Starting in my back then wrapping around to my lower abdomen. I also realized I had not felt Baby Alexandria move yet that morning (she is usually my more active one) As the cramping started to get worse I decided I should call the Dr. it was still really early so I had to call the on-call Dr. I left a message then got in the shower, the hot water on my back really helped relieve the pain. By the time the Dr called back I was in way less pain, just really weak feeling. The nurse told me it sounded like contractions and I needed to go into the hospital right away. Luckily Adam was at his closest office so he came home to take me in. By the time I got to the hospital I was just feeling sick no more cramps. They hooked me and babes up and said everyone looked great. The nurse said a few times that the twins were testing better than most do at 27 weeks with their stress test, so that made me feel better! They kept me to observe any contractions for a few hours, made sure that I ate and got some fluids in then sent us home. I had a Dr. apt a few days later and he told me to just get used to it. He said my uterus is now measuring the size of a 40 weeker so getting contractions from here on out will be normal. He said anytime the contractions are intense or last longer than an hour I needed to call...and every time they will send me into the hospital. They do not like to chance it with twins because they come early so often. SO we made it to 28 weeks on Thursday! But not without some drama from our little nuggets!
Best moment of this week: A BABY!! Our good friends Matt and Kate welcomed their baby girl, and we got to go visit her in the hospital! She is perfect and beautiful! Adam got to hold a newborn for the first time, and said it really hit him that it was all going to be happening for us soon!
Miss anything: Being mobile! I can no longer spend the day shopping (or even a couple hours) without really paying for it later. The longer I am on feet my back hurts and I start to cramp.
Movement: For the last 3 mornings they have been fighting each other! I can feel them in there kicking one another! The other day it go so intense I had to push on them for a while to get them to stop! Silly babes, must be fighting for leg room!
Food cravings: None this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Besides the day I was in the hospital this week was pretty good, I had hardly any nauseous moments!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Just the cramping on Monday, braxton hicks or real contractions I hope we dont have any more for a while! They were not pleasant!
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out!
Wedding rings on or off: ON,
Happy or moody most of the time: Its been a happy week!
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving, and a nice long weekend with Adam next week!
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! My next apt is on December 2nd, I am hoping for 3 pounds each!

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness, tired, some cramping.

Pregnancy diary 26 weeks with Twins

How far along: 26 Weeks.
Total weight gain: gained 18 lbs total (I packed them on last week :O)
Maternity clothes: Jeans, and most of my shirts. I still have some longer shirts that fit, but most of my tanks and shirts are too short and the belly tries to stick out! SO we stick with the nice long maternity shirts! I have actually gone down a size in my maternity clothing...my weight is shifting all over and just moving to my belly I think.
Stretch marks: I got stretch marks about week 8 due to all of the bloating from surgery and fertility drugs. They really have not gotten any worse. I was using Bio-oil, however the bleeding I had happen to coincide with using the bio-oil. SO I have given it up just in case! I am using aloe vera from time to time.
Sleep: Still getting up a few times a night to go pee and/or from leg cramps. My arms also are starting to cramp up. This week I have slept most of the day away, I am really tired and worn out. Thinking they must be going thru a growth spurt.
Best moment of this week: Our Shower last Saturday! It was a ton of fun, maybe more booze and babies than "baby shower" but totally what we were going for. Just a fun laid back time to celebrate with all of our friends.
Miss anything: Bending over! Being able to shave my legs without pain, and sleeping on my stomach! Baby girl hangs out so low that bending over is incredibly painful! I really have to evaluate if I need whatever I just dropped on the floor! I also miss cuddles with the husband, I am just too uncomfortable to cuddle anymore :(
Movement: Still lots of movement, they are not as crazy as they were last week, but I have really cut sugar out of my diet since eating wayyy to many sweets between our shower and Halloween! So, that could be why!?
Food cravings: Still not many. This week I suddenly wanted chili cheese Fritos (which I have not ate in years) Adam happened to be at the grocery and got them...and they really were not everything I dreamed about, so that craving quickly went away.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Any sort of activity after eating. or going from a warm car/house into cold weather. There is so little room in my stomach now days that food just kinda sits on top so the smallest change in temperature or moving too much makes it all come back up.
Have you started to show yet: Um...I am a whale!
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Nope! Baby girl hangs out so low sometimes I think she is trying to crawl out down there, but no real signs yet thank goodness!
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out!
Wedding rings on or off: ON, but I have noticed some swelling this week.
Happy or moody most of the time: This week I have been too tired to be moody!
Looking forward to: Just getting past this week, where I think they are in a growth spurt. I am soo tired.
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! Hoping they are starting to put on that baby fat this week!
What You’re Doing: We had our shower this week, and it was a ton of fun. See shower pictures here... http://yougottababyinthere.blogspot.com/2014/11/twins-baby-shower.html
I am also working on filling out this AMAZING diary for tracking our fertility and pregnancy diary.. she made the entire thing from scratch and its unreal. Check it out here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVT8kadHTxY&list=UUYjEOmLGEFKL29HuPj4k-XQ

 

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Back pain, and dizziness.


What baby is doing this week: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches (about the size of a scallion) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles should soon begin to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three months.
See what your baby looks like this week.

Twins baby shower!

Two of my dear friends Samantha and Christy threw Alexandria and Aiden the cutest baby shower this past weekend! I really wanted it to be a fun laid back not to "baby" atmosphere and they really nailed it! It was a co-ed shower and there was lots of food and adult beverages to go around.

We also held a poker tournament where the buy in was a pack of diapers and $10 we kept the diapers and the winner walked away with the cash! It worked out great, the guys had a blast playing poker, the winner walked away with cash and we scored major diapers! The boys also decided to make the poker thing going and have a game every month. I thought this was a great idea, as with babes coming we wont be going out much anymore! This was the couples can come over and girls can have a movie or craft night while the boys play. And our few friends with babies/kids can bring them.

I have been asked to share some pictures from that day (admittedly I didn't take ANY!) So here are some that friends caught of the action! I am glad someone got some because it really was a beautiful set up by my girls :)

So much yummie food!

Our two signature drinks

For some reason Samantha and I were obsessed with these Gumballs!

Sweet treats and paper straws

Jell-O shots!

I love love loved our ombre cakes!

The Sugar Scrub shower favors I made for our guest

 Recipe for the sugar scrubs can be found here... http://diybyagirlwithaplan.blogspot.com/2014/11/diy-sugar-body-scrubs.html

Shower day bump!

Signature Drinks

Week 25 pregnancy update and Vasa Previa

Week 25
How far along: 25 Weeks. (Today is actually the start of week 26 but this update is for last week!)
Total weight gain: gained 14 lbs total
Maternity clothes: Jeans, and most of my shirts. I still have some longer shirts that fit, but most of my tanks and shirts are too short and the belly tries to stick out! SO we stick with the nice long maternity shirts!
Stretch marks: I got stretch marks about week 8 due to all of the bloating from surgery and fertility drugs. They really have not gotten any worse. I was using Bio-oil, however the bleeding I had happen to coincide with using the bio-oil. SO I have given it up just in case! I am using aloe vera from time to time.
Sleep: Still getting up a few times a night to go pee and/or from leg cramps. My arms also are starting to cramp up.
Best moment of this week: Well....a couple weeks ago my perintologist told me baby Alex had Vasa Previa he told me a little about it at the office, however after some more research I found out its an extremely scary condition. If undiagnosed 99 percent of the time you loose your baby :( Lucky for me they "found" mine. It is basically a condition where the cord is not attached to the placenta, it is attached to her sac. SO if you go into labor when the sac breaks she would suffocate and bleed out. (Yeah...that scary) Catching it is key! You usually go into the hospital about 30 weeks and they preform a C-section early around 35 weeks as to stop the chances of you going into labor. So we spent a couple weeks realizing this was our reality. Realizing that our babies would be born early by C-section and I would be spending weeks in the hospital. Welp on comes our appointment this past Monday and get this....NO VASA PREVIA! They spoke to soon! Its not something that goes away, its simply that I never had it to start with! Baby Alex's cord was laying on top of her head and kinda pinned down near the cervix. The cord is also attached extremely low on the placenta. (but attached!) So in an ultrasound it looked like a Vasa. Lucky for us the cord moved and they could see better this last time. We couldn't be any happier! Not only was it extremely scary for baby girl, but we also didn't want baby boy to be born so early when they were not ready! This appointment couldn't have gone better! It was actually the first appointment I have ever left since being pregnant with ZERO conditions! ALL GOOD IN THE WOMB!!
Miss anything: Bending over! Being able to shave my legs without pain, and sleeping on my stomach! Baby girl hangs out so low that bending over is incredibly painful! I really have to evaluate if I need whatever I just dropped on the floor!  
Movement: SO much movement. My little wiggle worms have been very active this week! And while I can see lots of little bumps I cant wait to see the whole weird alien thing happen!
Food cravings: Still not many, I mostly just want water or juice.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Any sort of activity after eating. or going from a warm car/house into cold weather. There is so little room in my stomach now days that food just kinda sits on top so the smallest change in temperature or moving too much makes it all come back up.
Have you started to show yet: OH YEAH
Gender: A baby girl and a baby boy!
Labor signs: Nope! Baby girl hangs out so low sometimes I think she is trying to crawl out down there, but no real signs yet thank goodness!
Belly button in or out: Still very in! I have about a 3 inch scar above my belly button from a prior surgery and that is popping out! Its also a little painful?!
Wedding rings on or off: ON, with plenty of room still.
Happy or moody most of the time: So happy! I am never moody, however I am a little more sensitive, and cry at happy things extremely easy.
Looking forward to: My co-ed shower on Saturday! Going to be more of a booze and babies party than your typical aweeee baby shower.
Size of Baby: At my 25 week appointment Aiden measured 2.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound and 11oz! Aiden was in the 80th percentile and Alex in the 25th. I was worried about the difference but the doctor said its totally normal. Its normal for baby A to be smaller because the have less room and also normal for boys to be bigger! Hoping Baby girl catches up this week!
What You’re Doing: We spent last Saturday taking baby classes! We had a Breastfeeding class, a Newborn care class, and a CPR and safety class. While there was not a ton we didn't already know...we did learn some new stuff and just got a much more comfortable feeling! But we did get a big wakeup call in the breastfeeding class when the teacher handed me a second baby for practice! I could barely hold onto 2 dolls! (let alone 2 squirmy babies!) SO that will take some getting used to!

 

Sleep: Sleep is difficult. I get up every 3 hours or so to use the bathroom. I can’t lay on my back or my right side because I have a hard time breathing. When I lay on my left baby girl goes crazy. Also, my heartburn tends to flare up at night.

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, back pain, tiredness, heartburn, difficulty bending over.


What baby is doing this week: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — 1 1/2 pounds — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

24 Weeks Pregnant!

I know its been quite a while since I have updated, so thought I would try to start doing weekly post that I keep getting request for! Up until now honestly I was too scared to post, like if I talked about it that it wouldn't be real/or something would happen. Its been a rocky pregnancy but our little munchkins are thriving every time we have an ultrasound! Now that we have hit 24 weeks the first sign of viability I can start to relax. 24 weeks was our 1st goal and we have passed it and on our way to our next goal of 28 weeks!

My giant 24 week twin tummy!

How Far Along: 24 weeks and 4 days
Size of Baby: At my 21 week appointment Aiden measured 1.1 pounds and Alexandria measured 1 pound. Both well above the 50th percentile for a singleton! So that's great! Thinking by now I they should both be about a pound and a half.
What You’re Doing: We had a low key weekend this past weekend which was nice. We are trying to slowly buy things we will need for the twins, diapers, clothing, etc. Our rocker came in this weekend so we now have all furniture in the nursery! Just a few more decorative things and it will be done! I am sleeping while I can because sleeping is hard these days, I just cant get comfortable, have heartburn no matter what I eat. (I never had heartburn in my life before pregnancy!) This week will be pretty laid back as we have a big weekend planned. Saturday we have an all day birth/childcare/infant CPR class. A birthday party on Sunday and lots to do between!

Cravings: I don’t have many cravings. Most food just does not sound good to me...once in a while something will get in my brain and kinda stick but its usually something like a slushie, or lemon flavor. Not like I HAVE to HAVE this right now!

 

Sleep: Sleep is difficult. I get up every 3 hours or so to use the bathroom. I can’t lay on my back or my right side because I have a hard time breathing. When I lay on my left baby girl goes crazy. Also, my heartburn tends to flare up at night.

Sex of Babies: A beautiful baby girl, and a handsome baby boy!

Weight Gain: 12 pounds, recommended weight gain for twins is minimum 24 pounds by 24 weeks, but my doctors say babes are happy and above average so they are happy!

Names: Alexandria Rosemary and Aiden Patrick. (baby girl is known as baby Alex for short)

Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, back pain, tiredness, heartburn, difficulty bending over, and new this week if I try to do ANYTHING other than sit after eating more than a couple bites of food I get sick. (Adam and I had Red Robin Saturday, I barely ate but it all came up in the parking lot! Adam joked he should go get his 14 dollars back)

Fetal Movement: The last 4 days baby girl has been crazy and baby boy has been REALLY quiet. (to the point I got out our heart monitor to check on him a couple times!) But he must have just been in a weird position because today he has been going crazy just like his sister. I pretty much do not go 10 minutes without feeling one or the other move. When both get going at the same time it almost tickles or makes me feel like I am on a roller coaster. I LOVE IT!

What you’re looking forward to: Seeing both babies at my ultrasound next Monday, and getting some answers to a few questions I have with the doctors.

What baby is doing this week: Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at about 1 1/3 pounds. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Twins at 24 weeks

I think that's all of the update! I will update again next week, after my appointment.

Still in shock...

I don't even know how to write this post..I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones, the shock, or the fact I got up too early today but I can't even figure out what emotion I feel. Wonder maybe? Blessed? Happy...happy for sure. Mostly SHOCK! 

Let's see...last Friday they did an "early" ultrasound, I was still bleeding and they wanted to give me some piece of mind and verify things were okay. We went in hoping to see a baby, maybe a heartbeat, and hoping that even thou I had all the bleeding things were perfectly normal. Well...we did see a baby! And a perfect little heartbeat! The baby measured at 6 weeks and 1 day which is exactly right. We were so happy. I did have a small tear in my placenta, which could have caused some of the bleeding. The tear was already starting to heal and they were not to worried about it. They tried measuring the heart beats per minute but it was too faint, too early to get a good read on it. They were happy and felt extreemly reassured that the blood was not a sign of something majorly wrong. 

But that was not it....there it was...a second spot! When my doctor saw it she thought the spot was a twin I was miscarrying, it appeared smaller and didn't have a heartbeat. They assumed that was causing the bleeding. But then her assistant saw a second yoak sac! They couldn't see a heartbeat, but when they measured the second sac It measured perfectly :) 6 weeks 1 day just like twin A. She told us she was really optimistic that it was simply too early to see the second heartbeat and asked me to come back in the following week.

Today was my 7 week appointment. I read about a million cases of the same thing happening to people. Seeing twins but only 1 heartbeat. It was about a 50/50 spilt between going back to see the second and the other twin simply disappearing (disappearing twin syndrome, where it is just absorbed by the body) Adam had a work retreat so Samantha came with me to get our answers after yet another long week! And....we are officially the proud parents of two perfectly sized twins with two perfect little heartbeats! While we didn't get to hear the heartbeats yet they were able to measure them. Twin A's heart rate was 124 and twin B's 136. Both in the perfectly normal range. 

We are elated...shocked....happy...so in love with our two little nuggets! It's funny, I just had two of the most emotional unreal months of my life. I am drained, tired, still sick from all the meds. And still scared because I am still on restrictions due to the bleeding. But none of that really matters today/anymore. All I know is that we best the odds, we had a successful IVF on the FIRST try! Not only did one of our embies decided to stay with us but TWO of them did! It's almost like having two successful IVF rounds in one! 

I am writing this post in the Seattle airport at midnight getting ready to board a plane home to Indiana for a wedding. We have not told our families it's twins yet! We are thrilled we get to tell them in person, keeping it a secret for the last week has been ROUGH! I don't know how people hide it until they are further along! It's toooo exciting not to share! For now I will simply save this post and keep it a secret for a couple more days :) 6/26/2014

http://flipagram.com/f/EbK5jniYJK

The shit they don't tell you about IVF

Now that we have finished our first IVF cycle I thought I would share some of the stuff I learned along the way that was NOT in any sort of flyer! The world of infertility is a strange foreign place and it helped me so much along the way to have lots of information, and lots of women to talk to who we're going thru the same thing. So here goes the shit no one tells you....

1. I cannot stress this point enough if your thinking about IVF, look into "guarantee" programs!!! Guarantee programs or multiple cycle programs give you multiple tries at IVF for one fixed price.If unsuccessful  and you don't not bring a baby home you get your money back. You can read more about attain programs here: Our IVF Diary- you gotta baby in there?: IVF through Attain Fertility
It's so sad to me how many IVF ladies did not know programs like this existed! There is so much riding on This and I can't imagine the heartbreak of the cycle not working on top of thinking well there went 22k and when we are ready to start again it's another 22k! Right now I am pregnant and having a lot of complications it's very scary but the one thing that helps keep me grounded is we have more tries waiting for us if this does not turn out how we hope!

2. The drugs make you extremely bloated! I never really experienced bloat during a period so I had no idea what this would be like! I gained about 5 pounds during my stim meds which is normal but went up about two sizes! As soon as I had my egg retrieval the pounds disappeared and bloating went down within a couple days.

3. As soon as your feeling back to normal after the egg retrieval you start progesterone...and it sucks! Bloating bloating and more bloating. Lots of nausea, achy bones, and general feeling of ickyness!

4. If your not scared of needles you will be! I have never been even a little scared of needles but after
endless blood draws and shots you will learn to HATE needles!

5. Your veins can go "bad" after so many blood draws if your using the same vein they will get harder and harder to get blood out of. By the time they were trying to put in my IV for the egg retrieval the had to try 5 different times to get a good vein.

6. When you unpack your meds label and organize them! There are so many it's hard to keep up and being organized makes it easier on days your running behind.

7.  Naps are your new best friend...I have not taken a nap in my entire adult life...now it's a daily occurrence! Between the meds and the emotional roller coaster your sleepy all the time!

8. Most annoying side effect of the stim meds....headaches 24/7

9. Follistim is the easiest shot...Menopur BURNS! No way to stop it.

10. The trigger shot is scarier than it looks. It's just another shot.

11. Your robbed of that..."oh my gosh look at the two lines we are pregnant!!" Moment. If you get a positive pregnancy test you still have to have a second HCG test before they declare you pregnant. So you basically are in this weird limbo for a few days...are we excited or not? I am almost 6 weeks pregnant and I am still in this limbo. I have had 3 HCG test they all come out nice and high. But I bleed almost every day. So while I am pregnant there could be something wrong...we just want to relax and celebrate but it's not an option for us. Yet.

12. Your husband even as amazing as he is, as supportive, and caring as he is. It won't be right! His reactions to things, his support will piss you off...he doesn't understand. Just remember he is trying, and no no one in the world knows exactly what your going thru, but they try. Just remember this as you want to rip your husbands head off because he is answering work emails while you think he should be watching you inject yourself with the umpteenth needle.

13. You will discover you have 3 types of friends if your open about your IVF journey. 1. The ones that don't really acknowledge that your going thru any of this. The idea that something as "private" as baby making has become a weird routine of medical procedures and daily activities for you makes them uncomfortable. 2. The ones that want to know the pertinent info. Most of your friends/family fit into this category. They are genuinely interested, care, and want to know how things are going, they think of you, pray for you,but never want to overstep your boundaries. Then you have the 3rd kind the ones that want to know exactly when your period starts, watch you inject yourself and will tell you your crazy when your crying over the fact that you chipped a nail. They won't feel sorry for you they will just be there for you then help you to the next step. I imagine for each person what they need during a fertility journey. For me I needed friend number 3 while I appreciate the other types of people, I  NEED the 3rd. I need someone to go over every detail with me, to google the symptoms, and to make me laugh when I don't know what else to feel.


14. The 4th friend.. A whole new friend I didn't know I would love or need so much! The Instagram community! You would NOT believe the infertility community on Instagram! I got to go thru my cycle real time with women all over the world. There were at least 8 other girls having the exact same procedures as me within a few days of me. It was great to get on and say "how many eggs did you get?"  "Did you have this happen?"  " is this symptom normal?"  The only thing I would recommend doing that I didn't is having a second IVF/fertility account than your personal account. I didn't think to do this at first because I am very open. However there have been a few times I wanted to ask weird kinda TMI questions to my IVF sisters that I didn't want to have to expose my co-workers etc to. Like "did anyone have clotting with their implantation bleeding?"

15. IVF takes over your life!! There is no way around it. Multiple doctor appointments, sickness from the meds. Etc. your whole life is run on the cycle. Guess it's preparing us for when a baby runs our life!

16. Most importantly none of it is more than you can handle, everyone from your doctors to your friends/family are there to help you. You will get thru it!

We can't believe it!!

      We can't believe it and are still in shock....but we gotta baby in here!! I always thought it would work, but can't believe it worked on the first try! After years of blood work, tears, shots, surgeries, we are now just a "normal" couple expecting a baby! 

     We of course didn't make it thru our TWW (two week wait) without any hiccups! On Wednesday I started spotting, which quickly turned into heavy bleeding and clots :( I thought it was over. It was devastating! I assumed the bleeding was my period we had a very long night of crying and searching the internet to find any possibility of pregnancy after such a heavy bleed. Dr google and my nurse I called at my RE all said it didn't sound good and to prepare for the worse. 

     Luckily I didn't have to wait long my appointment to have the blood pregnancy test was on Thursday morning. My nurse told me we really wouldn't know either way that day because if I showed pregnant they would need to confirm I didn't miscarry the baby by checking my levels a couple days later.  Anything over a 50 on the terse is positive...on Thursday my HCG levels were 264. So we knew it worked! We just didn't know if we were still pregnant. The day before my bleed I was very busy at work getting ready of a big event and I was tossing around big heavy 50 pound boxes, my nurse told me that could have caused the bleeding and a misscarriage. 

    So,we waited two more days. Saturday morning we drove to Seattle for our 2nd beta test. Our appointment was early and quick. Just the blood work and back home to wait for,that phone call. To be honest I thought it was over...when I first had the transfer I had all these cramps, tingles, movements in my tummy. But the longer it went the less I felt any different. Adam on the other hand never gave up hope he was just sure our two little embie sap were staying for life!

    The call came quick...quicker than we expected. I answerd the phone barely being able to breath. The nurse made idel chit chat....how are you...oh fine you? The whole time I was trying to read her voice is this a happy call? Or the call she probably dreads? Then she said it...well your HCG is level is....768!!!! Congratulations your officially pregnant everything looks great! I was in shock! I let her finish telling me that the thyroid test etc they ran were also normal so we are all set. Then I realized I didn't know what to do next everything with my RE was about getting pregnant, I always knew the next step. Is this fails then we try this...if your period starts then we start stims...etc. I quickly thought back to all my paperwork...there was no info beyond 2nd beta to confirm pregnancy. So I asked the nurse...ummm what do we do now? She laughed like she had gotten this dumbfounded question a million times. And let me know I just needed to schedule a 7 week ultrasound where they could confirm how many of the embryos took. (My numbers are consistent with just the one taking...or that both took and the blood was me loosing one) and we should get to see a heartbeat too! We hung up the phone and Adam just looked at me and said I told you so! I have never been so happy to concied he was right...I was wrong. 

                            Look at me keeping my NYE resolutions! 

    We spent the next hour calling our family and friends to let them know, it was the best! Samantha had planned to be here when we got the call but it came so quick she missed it! She called when on her way and I told her we hadn't heard yetto  but to hurry over cause we wanted to go to lunch to kill time. We were getting in the car to go to lunch and I just blurted it out. She was in shock kinda hugged me, acted confused, and then got in the car. About 5 minutes into the drive she started crying and said it just hit her. We are so so lucky to have amazing friends and family to share this journey with. I know it's "taboo" to share to soon, or not proper etquitte but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. Our family is the world to both of us having a child is not just about Adam and I. It's about our family our babies will become who they are because of our family not just because of us. Having their support and our amazing friends support has been amazing! There is also no way to get thru something as forgien as making a human in a test tube without the help of a lot of ladies who have been thru it before! I am so lucky to have some family who had IVF and then to meet an amazing group of ladies going thru it real time with me! Okay enough of my oscar speech! Just wanted all of you to know how much you mean to us! 

We gotta baby in here!! 

Things they should have told the husband going in

1) Your wife will be unavailable for the next month. She has been replaced with a pod person who will find irritation in everything she once found cute. Tread lightly.

2) She will cry for any reason under the sun. Happy, sad, angry, tired, shinny object, because she loves me, and most important...just because and it's okay! ;)

3)She will be irrationally angry at you for things that don't warrant the pure unadulterated hatred coming your way....she knows it just love her even more.

4)Despite what she says, she will need you more than ever. Be supportive.

5)She is getting hundreds of injections for your potential future child and you can't compete.  Try anyway. ;)

6)You will start to hear phrases like "it's for the baby"( it's not, it's a trap).

7) Needles are no joke. If you accidentally put the needle in on a test run while working up the courage to do it for real, don't abort and pull the needle out. You will hear something along the lines of, "Why would you do that to me?" You have poked the bear walk away slowly.....and don't make any sudden moves.

8)There will be no more cuddling of any kind. If she was the game operation....there is no safe zone! They all set off the ALARM!

9)During the transfer, there is a "drive through window" where the embryologist will hand over your future baby to the doctor. It's weird and feels a little Mr Rogers....just go with it. And order the #4 it's good luck.

10)She is the love of my life and I appreciate her suffering through all of this for our future baby. I didn't realize how much of an emotional roller coaster it would be for me. There are ups and downs all over the place. Never miss an opportunity to tell her you lover her or kiss her. You won't know how much little gestures mean. And no matter how crazy the request, do it anyway.

Transfer day!

                                         Adam tucking our babies in.

Today was our transfer day! Out of our 10 embryos we had 5 that were perfect little hatching blast! We had 3 not make it and 2 they are watching overnight to see of they will start to hatch overnight so they can be frozen tomorrow. We had 2 of or perfect embies transferred today, and they put 3 snow babies on ice. Hopefully tomorrow we will be adding the other two to the iceberg. 

The procedure was not too bad, it was just really uncomfortable. You have to fill your bladder to the brim and then they spend 45 minutes pushing on it. Apparently I have a speed bump on the way to my uterus..so that took them a little longer than usuall, but it all worked out in the end. We got pictures of the two perfect little embies we implanted which I LOVED! I feel pretty much the same, a little more crampy and extremely aware of every twinge, bubble, tickle I have in my tummy. It was a pretty emotional 45 minute appointment it was very unreal everything we have been doing for the last three years has lead up to this! Adam gets a goofy little smile everything I now refer to myself as a "we" it's pretty cute and I hope that smile sticks around for the whole 9 months! 

I was sent home with instructions to relax and take it easy for the next two days. After that they told me just to not overthink any of it. Sure easy for you to say! The next two weeks is going to be looooong! Laying here with my feet up is not helping with the overthinking! Luckily it's time for bed tonight...off to dream of sticky babies! 

Xoxoxo

Our little embie family, and a transfer date!

We are now three days past egg retrieval and all 10 of our original fertilized embryos are still thriving! Yesterday when we got our update all 10 were ranked at the hugest grade. However today we did have just one drop down to a "fair" condition. The nurse said they are changing and growing minute by minute so there is always a chance that one can catch up.  We are beyond thrilled so far! It's a little scary to think that any tiny little factor could make our prefect little embryos become fair or poor embryos. But are just hoping for the best. We are hoping to transfer 2 and then will freeze the rest. Ideally this round will be successful and then we have plenty of frozen to make brothers or sisters. We would also love to have extra to donate. It's un-imagable to me that some people don't even have the very small choice that we had. We would love to be able to help other couples. 

We will be doing a five day transfer of the embie babies on Tuesday! We are so excited, nervous, happy, scared...we actually don't know what to feel. Every update about our little embies is so exciting! I will now go the next two days withou hearing anything! We won't know how they are doing until we go in for the retrieval on Tuesday! Then the hard part comes...the dreaded two week wait. The time between implantation and the pregnancy test to see is all of this worked out! We are going to have to keep really busy durring that time!

In other news I am officially done with the needles, but have started new medication...progesterone. So far it's horrible! I take it morning and night in a suppository form and I am sick within 20 minutes. I am nauseous, crampy, and cranky...I know what your thinking dad...poor Adam ;) (don't worry I am being nice...I even used all my allotted energy today to bring him breakfast in bed and cook dinner) 

In two days in this building our dreams will come true...and we couldn't be more excited! Or scared! I will update you all after our transfer! 

Egg retrieval day!!

Yesterday was our egg retrieval, all and all things went well :) 

36 hours before my retrieval I took my final shot! The big momma of all shots! The trigger shot...it was more intimidating than painful! Adam had to give it to me because it went in my back really dint hurt too badly. But my butt is still a little bruised feeling 3 days later.

The day before egg retrivial I had to take a pregnancy test. If the trigger shot worked it would come out positive, and it did so we were all systems go for the retrieval! 

Here we I am arriving at the surgery center. My husband and my Samantha..both are the best support a girl could ask for! 

We went into the surgery center at 7:30am and by 8 I was brought back and prepped. The worse part of the whole thing was when they put in my IV for some reason they couldn't find a vein. It took her several tries and 3 different areas before they finally got it going. Pretty painful and slightly traumatic for both the hubs and I! (And I think the nurse too!) by the time she got done I looked like a pin cushion! 

The surgery went well it was very quick and I was asleep for the whole thing. Once out of surgery I woke up really quickly and felt back to normal (well IVF always in pain, nauseous, over emotional normal) within 20 minutes. 

When I woke up they let me know that they were able to collect 15 eggs! All off my right side. My left side is engulfed in a cyst and pretty much non-functional after I had a non-cancerous tumor removed years ago. They were able to drain my cyst durring the surgery, which I was very happy about! This cyst has been causing me a ton of issues for a year now so I am glad to be rid of it! (Well for a while until it fills up again)

As the day went yesterday the pain started to catch up with me. Not a ton of pain, just uncomfortable. They tried to give me oxy codeine but I don't take anything stronger than Tylenol so they just gave me prescription strength Tylenol. I only had to take it at bed time and it really helped me sleep. I woke up feeling good. I tried working but the more active I was the more pain I was in. So I made it until about 1 before coming home. I got home and passed out! Pretty par for the course for me these days...my husband joked that this is how he finds me everyday! 

Today they called with our egg report...out of the 15 fertilized we had 12 that were mature enough for incementation and of that 12 we had 10 that survived! We are pretty happy with this and just hope they all survive! 

We will get another report tomorrow on how the eggs are doing and if we will have a 3 day transfer or a 5 day transfer! Hoping for a 5 day as these are more successful because they can better see how the embies are doing. 

Needle poke count is now at 41! 41 needles stuck in me in just under 2 weeks! I really am a human pin cushion!