25 Weeks

Well, this week had its ups and downs.  The weekend was a little rough and I spent most of it lying in bed with an achy abdomen.  I'm pretty sure at this point that it's my shunt tubing, and I don't know what to do about it.  We all (both sets of parents, and Jeff and I) went out for breakfast on Saturday, but I was in so much pain that I could barely eat.  This is starting to get to me.  My mom and dad left Saturday afternoon and headed back to Redding.

On Sunday, we got some good news.  My mom called and told me that their offer for a condo was accepted and that they would have a place to stay when the babies come.  RELIEF!!!  I have to say, that made me feel a lot better.  At least I wouldn't have to worry about them being so far away.

The work week was pretty good.  It went by quickly, as my parents came back to Sacramento on Tuesday to sign paperwork and we went to lunch after I got off work.  It is really nice to spend time with them.  I am going to enjoy having them closer periodically so that we can hang out.  After lunch, they went shopping for furniture and I had another OB appointment.  The girls are doing great, moving a lot and I am now measuring at about 30 weeks (for a typical pregnancy).  She assured me that my skin WILL stretch and the babies won't tear it.  That was good to hear.

By Thursday, I was having more belly pains.  At work, I had to really take it easy and lie down a couple of times to try to relieve some of the pressure on the right side near my tubing.  When I got home, I was in extreme pain.  Jeff and I talked about possibly going in to Labor and Delivery, but I figured that they really couldn't do anything for me.  So, we waited it out.  By 1 a.m., I couldn't stand it anymore.  I felt like my belly was going to burst.  Labor and Delivery, here we come.

We arrived around 2, and they hooked me up to all sorts of monitors.  I had 2 separate monitors for the babies heart rates, and one to monitor my contractions.  YES, I was having contractions.  That, of course, made me nervous.  It's way too early to have these babies.  They monitored that stuff for a while, and also did an exam to make sure my cervix was still closed and I wasn't in actual labor.  Luckily, that was all fine.  The dr. said it was about 3 cm thick still.  That's good, but it was 4 about a month ago.

They did some blood work and hooked me up to an iv for fluids and pain medication.  I seriously felt like a human pin cushion (and have the bruises to prove it).  Jeff had a harder time watching me get stuck than I did actually getting stuck.  I think he's had some bad experiences.  It does't bother me much.  After some morphine, the pains got better and the contractions were manageable.

Because of my shunt and the concerns about my pain, they sent me down to get an ultrasound.  It was interesting.  I saw my shunt tubing on an ultrasound several months ago, and it looked nothing like it did on this one.  But, the tech seemed to know what he was doing.  Luckily, there is nothing wrong with my shunt and the babies are just pushing it into the lining of my abdomen, causing the discomfort. Bad news is there's not much that can be done about it but pain management.

They kept me there for about 12 hours total for observation and to talk with neurosurgery about the shunt.  The contractions eventually stopped and they sent us home.  They did say that if I had them again for more than about an hour, to come back in.  Everyone there was really nice.  I even got 2 meals (one huge snack and lunch).  The food wasn't bad.  Jeff was a trooper and stayed there with me the entire time, even though he just had an uncomfortable chair to sit in.

The rest of the day was spent on the couch, sleeping.  Jeff rented LINCOLN, but I just couldn't stay awake for it.  I was exhausted!!!

DATA:

How far along? 25 weeks

Babies are the size of an: eggplant (supposedly)

Maternity clothes? LOVE them!

Have you told family and friends? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Minor headaches, rib soreness and major belly discomfort.

Sleep: Sleep? What’s sleep?  So uncomfortable this week! (same as last week)

Best moment this week:  I am finally feeling Twin B’s movements.  She’s not quite as active as A, but it’s nice to feel that she is there.

Miss Anything?  Not being in pain

Number of times I get up to pee each night: I think 3-4.

Movement: TONS of movement.  I love it!

Food cravings: Pringles.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells still bother me, but not as much.

Have you started to show yet: Yup.  I feel huge.

Gender: Both GIRLS!!!

Labor Signs: Had some contractions this week.  Not real labor, but kinda scary.

Belly Button in or out? Totally flat.

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: This pregnancy being over.

Weight Gain: 145 pounds.

Highlights from our hospital trip

24 Weeks

So this week was my first week working my part-time job at Navigator.  I was hired to work 3 hours per day for 6 weeks to help out with testing and intervention.  I am SO glad to have something to do every day.  It helps me get motivated to get out of bed and muscle through the aches and pains.

My parents came to town on Wednesday.  They are still looking for a place down here so they have somewhere to stay when they come to visit.  Originally, they were hoping to find a house, but now they are looking at condos as well.  They brought down their truck so they could pick up our carpet for the living room and the girls' room.  They also brought down a rocker for me to use with the babies.

Overall, it was a good week (work-wise).  I am becoming more uncomfortable, and less able to do things at home.  Basically, once I get home from work, I lie down and check out for the day.  Sounds nice, but it's cramping my style!  I really want to have more energy so I can get things ready for the babies.  I had a goal of getting the girls' cribs put together this week, since we finally got the rug for their room.  I guess it'll have to wait.

Hopefully, I won't get so behind for next week...

DATA:

How far along? 24 weeks

Babies are the size of a: I don’t know

Maternity clothes? LOVE them!

Have you told family and friends? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Minor headaches, rib soreness and major belly discomfort.

Sleep: Sleep? What’s sleep?  So uncomfortable this week!

Best moment this week:  Had another Level II ultrasound this week.  I took both of my parents.  Girls both weigh about 1lb., 9oz.

Miss Anything?  I would LOVE to drink a whole beer….rather than sips here and there.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: We’re back up this week.  I think I’m averaging 3-4 times.

Movement: TONS of movement.  I love it!

Food cravings: Pasta.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells still bother me, but not as much.

Have you started to show yet: Yup.  I feel huge.

Gender: Both GIRLS!!!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? Totally flat.

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: Summer and wearing lighter clothes and flip flops.

Weight Gain: 14 pounds…I think.  I keep track on my phone, but it died.

23 Weeks

Sorry, late again...SUPER late.  It was a rough week, with a LOT of abdominal discomfort.  I went to L&D again, this time for pain near my shunt tubing.  They said there really isn't anything they can do.  They gave me some Lidocaine gel to rub on my belly, but it doesn't really help.  Back to the heat and ice!!!

DATA:

How far along? 23 weeks

Babies are the size of a: grapefruit?

Maternity clothes? LOVE them!

Have you told family and friends? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Minor headaches, rib soreness and major belly discomfort.

Sleep: Some nights are good. Still having trouble getting comfortable.

Best moment this week:  I can't remember.

Miss Anything?  Being able to bend over.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: As long as I fall asleep quickly, I don’t wake up as often as I used to.

Movement: TONS of movement.  I love it!

Food cravings: Ice cream.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells still bother me, but not as much.

Have you started to show yet: Yup.  I feel huge.

Gender: Both GIRLS!!!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? Totally flat.

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: Not being so uncomfortable.

Weight Gain: 13.5 pounds.

22 Weeks

22 Weeks

I am way behind on the blog this week. Sorry.  Overall, it was a good week.  I was off on Spring Break and able to take it easy and try to get some things accomplished, like figuring out a theme for the girls' room and working on our baby registry.  

Last weekend, we spent 2 days painting the girls' room and our own.  Jeff's parents came over on Saturday to help us out.  I should say THEY all painted, while I sat on the couch with crummy abdominal pains.  I have to say though, the room looks great!  On Sunday, Jeff and I both worked on painting the trim (door frames and base boards) in both rooms and the hallway.  It took most of the day, but looks pretty good.  Jeff hung up the blinds in both rooms on Monday, and now everything is ready. We also ordered a rug for their bedroom, which will arrive in about a week.  Once that gets here, we can start putting the cribs together and setting everything up.

I went up to Redding on Thursday to spend some time with my mom and grandma.  My mom's aunt (my grandma's sister) was in town visiting from Pennsylvania as well.  It was nice to hang out and relax up there with the girls.  It was funny to hear the conversations between my grandma and her sister.  My grandma has become very forgetful lately, and her sister kept trying to get her to remember things like the gold couches she used to have in her living room.  Very amusing.

The girls have become VERY active this week.  I still have trouble really telling which one is which, but I think I have an idea.  Twin A has certainly been the more active one.  She moves almost constantly and I am definitely able to see the movements from the outside.  Twin B isn't as aggressive yet, but I'm sure she'll get there.  I can't wait to meet the two of them!!

Along with the girls becoming more active, I have become a little more uncomfortable.  I am hoping that eventually, my skin will catch up with my belly and it won't be quite so tight and sore.  Until then, I am coping with a heating pad, ice pack, and lying on my left side A LOT!!!

DATA:

How far along? 22 weeks

Babies are the size of a: papaya

Maternity clothes? LOVE them!

Have you told family and friends? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not from the pregnancy  ;)

Symptoms: Minor headaches, rib soreness and major belly discomfort.

Sleep: Some nights are good. Still having trouble getting comfortable.

Best moment this week:  Spending time with my mom, grandma and great-aunt.

Miss Anything?  Not having multiple parts of my body hurt every day.

Number of times I get up to pee each night: This week wasn’t too bad.  I think I am back to about 3 times each night.

Movement: TONS of movement.  I love it!

Food cravings: None really this week.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells still bother me, but not as much.

Have you started to show yet: Yup.  I feel huge.

Gender: Both GIRLS!!!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out? Totally flat.

Mood: Blah

Looking forward to: Seeing the girls again next week.

Weight Gain: 13 pounds.