The weekend before I went back to work, I had my Fort Worth shower that was originally scheduled for the weekend of the ice storm. It was hosted by JoAnna, Stacy, Rachel and Lindsey at Times Ten Winery. The girls did such a wonderful job with the decorations, food, and just hosting. It was a beautiful, perfect shower and it was great to see family, friends, and current and former co-workers. I cannot imagine a better afternoon! George and I are so lucky to have our D/FW family. When we moved here almost nine years ago (well eight for me), we had no family nearby. Both of our parents were five plus hours away, and siblings were farther than that. Our friends became our family here and we've shared so many great moments, tears, laughs, births, and conversations with them. Now we have George's parents and sister and brother-in law close by, but I am so grateful for the relationships we have built with our friend family here and know the girls will grow up to love them as much as we do!
I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that the girls will be here in a month or less! These sweet little angels that have been prayed for even before they were conceived, and throughout the pregnancy since we were surprised with those two sweet heart beats in July and that we've watched grow from two little dots into two baby girls, are almost here! Of course like with most pregnancies, there have been some discomforts and days that I have felt less than ideal, and I reminded of those as I sit here trying to get comfortable while Ashley continues to camp out in my ribs and Annabelle kicks my bladder. However, I have LOVED this pregnancy and watching (and feeling) these sweet girls grow inside of me. There's that saying that babies are the only ones that know what their mom's heart beat sounds like from the inside, and I think that just is a perfect quote for pregnancy. I can't imagine not feeling their kicks and movements and guessing whether it's a knee or an elbow or head or bottom moving around. This pregnancy has been one of the biggest two blessings of my life, and now we are getting closer to the time where I have to share my girls with everyone else. I have tried to savor and relish in every moment of this pregnancy and although I've been told by many how difficult the first year of having twins is on every aspect of your life, my goal is to try and soak in every moment because I know it will fly by just as this pregnancy has done.
Weeks 31-33 Notes:
Symptoms: Fatigue, Rib Pain, Contractions and Difficulty Moving Around
Cravings: Nothing major -- I was still encouraged by the specialist to try and 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 24 weeks. She didn't want me burning any extra calories so that everything I consumed went straight to the babies.
Weight Gain: +35lbs by mid/late January (including between 8lb and 8.5lbs of baby); my specialist wants me to gain between 40lbs and 45lbs total
Looking Pregnant? : We're beyond looking pregnant -- more like looking like I am going to explode! These sweet girls are GROWING! I was measuring 43cm by 33 weeks.
Special Moments: We toured the hospital the first week in January. It was nice to see where to go, and just have an overall feel of the hospital. I think it's going to be a great place to deliver! Also, just knowing that Ashley and Annabelle will be here soon is so special and exciting! We can't wait to meet them!
Baby Notes:
31-Week Appointment:
This week's appointments were pretty uneventful. The specialist and Dr. Benz noted that I was having real contractions, but not enough to be too concerned. They were on board with me going back to work and seeing how things looked after a week at work. The babies looked great at both appointments and both doctors were very pleased with their growth and development. My specialist said that although 37w-38w is desirable, she thinks 35ish, maybe 36 is more realistic for me at this point.
32-Week Appointment
After a week back at work, I was certainly not feeling my best. The ankle swelling was not limited to just my ankles and by Thursday, my ankles weren't going down at night, my legs and feet were swollen. I came home Thursday night and went to bed and stayed there until I had to get up for my 11:30a.m. appointment on Friday. I was up most of Thursday night with very painful contractions and was having considerably more than my allowed 6 an hour. I got to Dr. Benz and was hooked up to the fetal monitor and had four big contractions within the first 12-15 minutes, plus several smaller ones. Dr. Benz came in and decided that she was going to check me for preterm labor signs and send me over to labor and delivery to be monitored more. She determined that I was a little bit dilated and my cervix was starting to soften, so off to Baylor I went.
While there, they continued to monitor me and my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. The doctor on call said they'd try to spread out the contractions and then we would go from there. I could be given a total of three doses of the medicine, and after one dose I was still contracting. After two doses, they had slowed but not enough however my heart rate was too high (in the 150s!) and they could not give me a third dose. They gave me a different kind of medicine which was able to slow them to 7-8 minutes apart, so I was sent home with bed rest instructions until I saw the specialist on Tuesday.
33-Week Appointment
I stayed off of my feet for the weekend and Monday and continued taking the medicine to slow the contractions. On Tuesday, I was hooked up to the monitor again and was still having contractions. They also did a growth sono and a test to check for labor. Annabelle was measuring right on track - 4lbs, 6oz and in the mid-40s percentile wise. Our little Ashley didn't have quite the growth we were hoping for - she measured 3lbs, 7oz and was right on the cusp of being IUGR (growth restricted). Dr. Papa came in and spoke with us about the situation. She said that when I came back on the 28th of January, we would measure them again and if Ashley's growth hadn't really picked up then we would go ahead and deliver them at 34.5 weeks. She said even if Ashley was growing, that she was recommending that we deliver between week 36 and 37. We were very concerned (and I was very weepy) about Ashley's growth. Dr. Papa reassured us that everything else about Ashley was perfect - her organs, heart rate, movement, breathing, etc.- she was just small. She said some babies just need to be fattened up outside the womb and maybe Ashley was one of them. We are accepting the fact that most likely, the girls will spend some time in the NICU, but we've been blessed with wonderful doctors so far and we are blessed to be delivering at a wonderful hospital with a level 3 NICU. Dr. Papa said I would most likely continue to have contractions and to keep taking the medicine and monitoring them. She also said she didn't want me to return to work until after the babies are born. This was a hard pill to swallow but I know I have to do what is best for the health of the babies and if that means staying home on modified bed rest, then that's what I have to do.
My Friday visit with Dr. Benz didn't really provide any new information. She had not gotten the report from the specialist yet, so we were not able to schedule a delivery date just yet. Dr. Benz did reassure me about the possibility of delivering the girls early. She said 32 weeks is a huge milestone and that although they may be small and have to spend some time in the NICU if delivered at 34.5 weeks, they should not have any kind of delays or permanent problems. I was reminded, again, of the wonderful doctor that I have and so thankful and relieved to have her in our lives and corner.
Bump Pictures:
Week 31:
Week 32:
Week 33: coming soon!
