Sunday, December 29, 2013

Hello Third Trimester! (Weeks 26 thru 30 - December)

The pregnancy continued to zoom by, and I could hardly believe it when December rolled around. George said he has hoped and prayed that we would make it to New Years without bed rest or early labor and we are almost there! I feel so incredibly blessed for a relatively complication-free pregnancy. I know many are not as fortunate and I thank God every day that our sweet girls continue to grow and develop.
 
December was a fun and busy month for us. We started getting items from our registry in the mail pretty regularly, as well as things we had ordered from the nursery. On December 3rd, I had a diapers and book shower at work. Everyone was so generous and my kindergarten team did such a wonderful job putting it all together. The girls got so many great books, as well as a ton of diapers. I know the diapers will be a huge help to us when they arrive! I've read that twins can go through as many as 20 diapers a day! We will certainly be even more thankful for my co-workers' kindness in a few weeks.





 
The following weekend, December 7th, was supposed to be my shower in Fort Worth. The metroplex got hit by a terrible ice storm and we had to cancel and reschedule for early January. I was very sad about this, but knew that it was in the best interest of everyone's safety. My one-hour glucose test was also supposed to be on Friday, December 6th and that too was cancelled due to the bad weather. Thankfully I was able to reschedule for Monday and get that over with.

The second weekend in December was my shower in Houston. I am so lucky to have five girlfriends that I have grown up with that still remain some of my best friends. We have been together through high school, college, marriage and now babies. They have all been so sweet, supportive and kind throughout the fertility struggle and pregnancy and there aren't words to describe how blessed I feel to have them in my life. I can only hope and pray that Ashley and Annabelle find true friends like them! We started out the weekend at my parent's house with George's parents. George and I are so lucky to have parents that have accepted each other into our families and enjoy each other's company as if they've been family for years. On Saturday was the shower was at Cortney's house, and we had a great turn out. The girls got lots of great gifts and I was eager to put them away and start organizing the nursery. Thank you Cortney, Megan, Taryn, Kellye, and Jenna for a perfect shower! That evening, George and I attended his company Christmas party in Houston and I am proud to say that I lasted until almost 11p.m. in heels! That's a huge accomplishment these days!

 
 
 
 

The rest of December was spent preparing for and celebrating Christmas. We were lucky enough to have my parents here for five days and we got so much accomplished. My mom helped me to pretty much organize and finish the nursery (huge relief!) and my dad helped George complete MANY projects around the house. I finally feel like I can breathe a little easier and like we are ready for these sweet girls. Next on the list is more organizing after my Fort Worth shower in January, and packing hospital bags for myself, George and the girls. Plus I need to figure out items needed for newborn pictures. We are getting there, slowly but surely! We enjoyed a big family Christmas at George's parents' house in Granbury with both families and both of his siblings. I cannot wait until next Christmas to have the girls here and have them take part in our family traditions!


We are so blessed with wonderful parents!

Buckmaster Family

Trying to figure out how to put on the adorable carseat covers! Parenting Fail #1!

Finally done!

I am ready for these to be filled with my sweet girls.

Guarding their sisters' room

Working hard in the nursery

Organizing!


December Notes:

Symptoms: Fatigue -- I noticed a major slow down this month. Growing 2 babies is hard work! There were also: spider veins on my legs, constant ankle swelling (from being on my feet all day), rib pain (because sweet Ashley loves to hang out in and under my ribcage), acid reflux and the start of contractions.

Cravings: Nothing major -- After our last appointment with the specialist, I was trying to eat higher fat foods and drink Boost drinks 2-3 times a day to put some weight on the babies.  




Working Out: The specialist put an end to working out at my last appointment. She didn't want me burning any extra calories so that everything I consumed went straight to the babies. This has been one of the most difficult parts of pregnancy for me! My mental well-being took a bit of a hit, but I have been able to bounce back and tell myself that it's only temporary and it's in the best interest of the girls. I can do anything for them! :)
 
Weight Gain: +30lbs by the end of December (including between 6lb and 7.5lbs of baby)

Looking Pregnant? : Yes and yes! These sweet girls hit a major growth spurt this month! I was measuring 38cm at my 28 week appointment, which means I measured as if I were 38 weeks pregnant with one baby.

Special Moments: I feel them all of the time now, and I love that I not only feel them kicking and punching but moving around too. The moms and aunts got to feel them at Christmas and we guessed whether we were feeling knees or elbows. Whatever it was, it was pointy! I love feeling them move and seeing them move. I will miss that so much when they arrive!

Baby Notes:

26 / 27 Week Appointment:

My 1-hour glucose test was scheduled for the Friday of the ice-storm. So after fasting all night, it was cancelled. Not fun! My Friday appointment was also cancelled, but I was able to get both rescheduled for Monday. I ended up failing my 1-hour glucose test and having to schedule the 3-hour. Not fun! Also, Dr. Benz said the babies were taking all of my iron and making me severely anemic so I began super strong iron supplements twice a day. My "labor check" (there's a more scientific name but that's what I call it) came back negative, so that meant I was not in danger of going into labor in the next two weeks! Yay!

28 Week Appointment:

We had an appointment with the specialist, and she was very happy that I had gained 6lbs since our last appointment two weeks ago. Our little one was no longer considered IUGR (growth restricted) and had moved up to the 29th percentile. Yahoo! Great news! Everything looked great with the girls, and she scheduled us again for after the new year. She said although my lofty goal of working until almost 37-weeks and delivering between 37 and 38 weeks is not impossible, that she feels like 35-ish is more likely. I had been having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions this week, and she said if I have 4 in an hour that I need to call. She said there is nothing to worry about, that my body is just starting to get ready for labor and delivery.

29 Week Appointment:

Prior to my 29 week appointment with Dr. Benz, I had the 3-hour glucose test. Let me just say that this test is awful. There's no way to put a positive spin on it. You have to fast for 12+ hours (only sips of water allowed) and then your blood is taken at fasting level. You have to drink a super sugary drink (YUCK!) and have your blood taken at 1-hour, 2-hours, and 3-hours post-drink. AWFUL! The first hour was the toughest and I felt like I was going to either throw up, pass out, or maybe both. But I got through it and my results were just fine. After the awful glucose test, I went up to Dr. Benz for some time on the fetal monitor to check their heartbeats, movement, and for contractions. Dr. Benz was very pleased with their heart beats and movement and said I had two small contractions in 30 minutes. She said that was normal and not to worry. I didn't even feel them, which was nice! Then I had a sonogram and the girls had grown even more! Baby A (Annabelle) was 3lbs, 2oz and Baby B (Ashley) was 2lbs, 14oz! This made my weight gain for the week easier to hear, knowing that it was all baby. I loved hearing that they are growing and thriving and getting ready to make their debut!

30 Week Appointment:

I was eager for my 30-week appointment, as I had been having lots of contractions (although always under 4 an hour) and they had even woken me up one morning because they were quite painful. I got hooked up to the fetal monitor and had two sizable ones right away. Then I had a big one and Dr. Benz came in to take a look. She said that the babies looked great -- perfect heartbeats and movement patterns. She said contractions were going to be a normal thing now, and when I started having them to lay down and drink water. If they don't stop, then it's true labor. She reminded me that with twins, you don't make it full term. She said it's a total rarity and that most people deliver about a month or so early. She said no bed rest for now, but to take it easy as much as I can. This I don't mind, because I have really felt the exhaustion from carrying two babies kick in this past week. She reiterated how important rest is, and said to call if I can't make the contractions stop. I got another ultrasound and as always, loved seeing the sweet girls. Their sweet eyes were open, which makes me look even more forward to my appointment with the specialist next week and seeing them in 4-D.

Bump Pictures:

Week 28:



Week 29:




Week 30:


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