37 Weeks Pregnant With Twins: Baby Boys Decide To Come Early

Last Monday, eight days ago, I ventured into my OB/GYN for a routine appointment and pre-op conversation on my upcoming C-section, which was scheduled for October 16. I was 37 weeks pregnant with twin boys and nervous and excited for another week to get ready.
Well, as they say, life doesn't care about your plans! My blood pressure tested high so, instead of risking complications, I was told to pack my bags (of course we hadn't packed yet) and head to the hospital for some tests and, most likely, birth. I was scared yet excited yet shocked. Was I ready? What is this going to be like? Were they going to send us home to wait longer or was tonight the night? I couldn't wrap my head around any of this.
Well that night was the night -- at 2:52 and 2:53 a.m. my sons were born via C-section and weighed 5.9 and 5.12 lbs. Running on adrenaline, fear, flight or fight, among other things my husband and I spent the next four days in the hospital trying to figure out how to be parents ... I don't think we'll ever figure it out.
After those four days, my mother-in-law spent the next three days with us while we tried to get accustomed to living at home with two helpless, little babies we created (I still can't believe they are our children). She helped us get some sleep (hardly any but every little bit counts) and figure out handle the hardest thing we've ever done in our lives.
It hasn't been easy. It includes hardly any sleep (and when I can sleep {i.e. sleep when they sleep} not being able to sleep), hormonal meltdowns including one lasting a few hours involving sobbing and being ready to run for the hills, poopy diapers, formula, breastmilk, pumps, stress, fatigue ... I could go on.
Well, considering I have 47 minutes until they need to feast again, I will blog later.
Embrace the chaos.

36 Weeks Pregnant With Twins: Outside Stress, Getting Sick When You're Pregnant

I am 36-and-a-half weeks pregnant with twin boys and am chugging along towards a C-section finish line -- well, not without bumps in the road.
This week has been particularly difficult. No, not because of the fatigue, kankles or restless legs -- although these issues aren't helping. My dad was admitted to ICU at his local hospital Sunday for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which was causing his kidneys to shut down -- they were giving us a 50/50 chance he'd recover. After four days in ICU, he was moved to a regular hospital room, thankfully, but needless to say it's been stressful and he still has rehab ahead of him.
On top of this, I developed a cold. Well, at least I think it's a cold -- headache, sore throat, gunky. When I woke up with these symptoms yesterday, I also woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping on it wrong. Ouch.
All in all, I was concerned about how stress affects my pregnancy. Can the babies feel stress? Will it make them stressed? Will I go into labor early from stress? I spoke with my doctor about these concerns at my latest appointment and realized a pregnancy without stress is nearly impossible. With that in mind, some doctors say it may even be good for babies (I'm talking a normal amount of stress, not some extremely stressful, freak event) because life is not without stress and it may prepare them better for when they make their grand exit from my body. All I can do is breathe, try to relax and even try to talk it out with my babies, which will help me connect with them and also get through my stress.
I.e. saying out loud, "I am feeling sad because my dad is sick but thankfully he is getting better."
With my cold, I'm gargling salt water, eating healthy, resting, sleeping even more, drinking some orange juice but also drinking plenty of water. I'm trying to keep away from medicine even though I understand it is safe to take Tylenol.
Honestly it's hard to know what I'm feeling because of the cold and pregnancy hormones, so I'm just going to try my best and keep chugging along.

35 Weeks Pregnant With Twins - Still Waiting On Definitive Preeclampsia Test Results

I am 35 weeks pregnant with twin boys and boy do I have a case of tummy troubles. I'm gassy even though I'm not eating anything particularly bad. Perhaps it's because I have two boys, at least five pounds each, pushing my stomach into my throat!
Anyway, I was directed to call my OB/GYN today for results from my 24-hour urine test and liver test to determine if I have preeclampsia. This is particularly important because if I have the medical condition my scheduled C-section (Baby A is breech) moves from October 16 to next week. Eek! Yeah, it's only a couple weeks but whatever!
This morning I awoke at 5 a.m. having trouble breathing. Perhaps it was because, like my stomach, my two growing boys are squishing my lungs. However, it may have something to do with how my life is about to change forever and the preeclampsia diagnosis. Honestly, I wake up every hour during the night to pee and toss and turn so it didn't ruin the night. Being super pregnant with twins ruins every night while my husband sleeps like an angel floating on a cloud!
So, I rang my doctor mid-morning and she was with a patient so I awaited a return call. An hour and half later she called to tell me the lab didn't do the urine test correctly so they needed to retest it and would get back with the results later this afternoon - thank goodness I don't have to do the test over again. However, the liver test was fine so that means if I do have preeclampsia, it isn't bad because, if it was, my liver would be in bad shape.
So, the hours went by and around quitting time I decided to call for the results, especially since if I was OK I needed to continue my weekly appointments and didn't have one scheduled for next week. I called and guess what ladies and gentleman? No results! The nurse said they might get them over the weekend and, if so, my doctor may contact me. If not, I am to call Monday.
This waiting reminds me of pregnancy. You know something is going to happen but there's not much you can do until it happens. Yes, I could read about preeclampsia and get ready to have premature babies but that's about all I can do and I might not even have it! Yes, you can prepare for having children by reading everything and anything and buying every baby item known to man but, honestly, you won't know until it's 3 a.m. and you're elbow deep in poopie with two crying babies looking to you for comfort.
So ... I wait. I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to feel if I have preeclampsia. I don't feel terrible but, then again, I'm almost 36 weeks pregnant with two babies so I don't feel spectacular. Although I'm still waddling myself around the house - I don't leave home much - so I should be grateful!
I thought of something today while my mind was racing at 5 a.m. over how I am going to handle two babies. Instead of thinking, "How am I going to do this," I need to think, "OK. Let's figure out how to do this." Hopefully through the sleep deprivation and recovering from a C-section I will remember this ...

35 Weeks Pregnant With Twins: Tick Tock Tick Tock, Waiting For Preeclampsia Results

I am 35-and-a-half weeks pregnant with twin boys and have heartburn from eating candy corn pumpkins. For some reason I like the pumpkins much better than candy corn-shaped pieces -- a candy corn snob.
Anyway, Tuesday, at my regular doctor's appointment, my blood pressure tested a little high so I've been on a whirlwind of worry and tests -- 24-hour urine test and a liver blood test (they took two tubes of my blood!). Apparently I needed to turn in my urine before getting pricked, according to the phlebotomist, which irritated my doctor who wanted my blood taken before the urine test so we could go over the results today at my appointment. My doctor told me next time, if they tell me something different from what she orders, then I should tell them to call her office -- so I'll be the bad guy?
So ... I went to my local lab today to drop off my jugs of pee and get pricked. Over the past 24 hours I filled the orange jug they offered and had to use a clean, empty gallon container originally used for water. My goodness it feels great to simply pee in the toilet, wipe and flush instead of peeing in a cup (I eventually threw away) so I could pour hot, stinky urine in a jug. Also, opening the fridge to make dinner and seeing two jugs of urine is not appealing.
Today I felt somewhat embarrassed so I double bagged the urine and shamefully shuffled into the building. Of course I had to wait 30 minutes for an appointment so there I sat with 2 gallons of urine watching morning talk shows featuring peppy, skinny, happy, pretty people ... ick. There was an interview with Robin Williams about his new TV show and his enthusiasm reminded me of my almost 4-year-old nephew on a sugar high. Wowza! A look into my future with twin boys coming. When I was called back to check-in, hand over my pee, and give blood, the phlebotomist glanced at my urine, looked horrified and proclaimed, "Oh my! I'm going to need a big container for all of that!"
Thanks lady. Sorry I peed too much for you. I'm only super pregnant with twins and need to drink a ton and, therefore, pee a ton.
Oh ... did I mention I'm hormonal and don't have time for nonsense?!
After pee humiliation and getting pricked, I went to my doctor's and the top number of my blood pressure went from 140 to 124, which is great! However, the lower number was 90, which is borderline bad. Boo hoo. So, my doctor wants me to take it easy and call tomorrow for my test results. If they are bad then I'm going to be a twin mama very, very soon because with twins they don't mess around. If the results are not bad, then we shall carry on. So we shall see!
My husband's response: he's excited about having the babies sooner than later. It's nice he's in a good place mentally but, honestly, I'm the one who has to go through the craziness of major surgery, enormous maxi pads, pain, learning to breastfeed, etc. So, with that in mind, it makes sense he's OK and I'm ... well ... I'm a mixed bag!
However, as he also mentioned, we're as ready as we're gonna be! Also, my stomach is 52 inches so ... yeah ... I'm ready for it not to be that big!

35 Weeks Pregnant With Twins: Attack of the Killer Kankles, Preeclampsia, Restless Legs, Carpal Tunnel

I am 35 weeks pregnant with twin boys. I had a checkup last week with my high-risk doctor and it went well, as detailed in my last post. It was my last checkup with him and he lauded me for a job well done -- referring to me as a woman with a body "made for twins" (I guess that's a compliment) -- so I was optimistic. Key word is was because my optimism got slapped in the face yesterday.
My newest development was kankles and swollen feet. So, we've got swollen, numb, achy hands which, I think, resemble baseball mitts, and swollen ankles and feet -- if I press down on my feet my finger leaves an impression ... gross. I hear this is all normal so I wasn't too worried until yesterday at my doctor's appointment when it was revealed my blood pressure is high.
Now, I realize after research (Googling it) you have high blood pressure if the top number (systolic -- look at me mom, I know big words!) is 140 above and the bottom number is 90 and above. Well my top number tested at 140 so, it could be worse but, then again, my blood pressure was great throughout my pregnancy so what gives?
Well, my doctor is concerned about preeclampsia, a medical condition characterized by high blood pressure and significant amounts of protein in the urine of a pregnant woman after 20 weeks (definition by Wikipedia). If we didn't treat it then it could turn into eclampsia, which is the life-threatening occurrence of seizures during pregnancy (again, thank you Wikipedia). Yikes! I read more about it yesterday but a lot of it was over my head so I figured out the gist.
So, my doctor sent me for bloodwork and a urine sample. Not just a simple urine sample but a 24-hour urine sample where I must pee-pee in a huge orange plastic jug ... although, seven hours in I notice this jug ain't so huge because it's almost full. According to directions, this jug must be refrigerated and, if I fill the jug, I must use a clean milk or water container for excess pee. I can't wait to deliver the frosty urine tomorrow to the laboratory before getting blood taken for a liver test -- although high blood pressure is the most visible sign, liver damage is also a sign.
My pregnancy had been going so well, minus a brief gestational diabetes scare, so this new development is discouraging. I know I'm almost at 36 weeks, which is the average for twins, so I shouldn't boo hoo. I should dig deep and unearth my inner gratefulness, wherever the hell it is!

34 Weeks Pregnant With Twins: Breech Baby, Trying The Optimistic Route

I am almost 35 weeks pregnant with twin boys and just saw an advertisement for peanut butter Pop-Tarts, so excuse me while I wipe drool from my chin.
Anyway, I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and ...
In Corner A we have a baby weighing in at 5.3 pounds.
In Corner B we have a baby weighing in at 4.15 pounds.
My fluid looks good, their umbilical cords are healthy and everything looks great except Baby A is still breech. He decided to switch sides of my belly -- moving from my right to my left -- but he's still somewhat laying across with his feet at the bottom. Picture a yin-yang and you will be picturing the position of my boys.  So, my plan is to keep chug-chug-chugging along until my scheduled C-section in T-minus 26 days! Let's hope I make it because I want those babies bigger and healthier!
My doctors, family, friends and strangers keep saying "you're almost there" and "you're nearing the finish line!" I don't think of Oct. 16 (or whenever they are born) as a finish line. Yeah, they will be out and about and I will slowly work towards getting my new body back after being taken over by two creatures for almost nine months but I'm about to reach the starting line of the craziest adventure of my life. A mother of twin boys!
I can still hardly wrap my head about the fact I will be a mother. Aren't I still a young adult and carefree? It's Friday night -- shouldn't I be drinking wine or a crisp, clean cherry vodka tonic or a seasonal fall beer while figuring out what I'll do this weekend? I don't even have a dog, an animal most couples use for practice before the big event. What if I get overwhelmed? What if I don't have what it takes to raise twins? What if I'm a bad mom? What if I lose myself?
These thoughts, and more, typically rear their head around bedtime. At first, I entertained them and, like watering a plant, they grew. They expanded and became less thought and more of a likelihood -- the unknown started to become known in my mind with assumptions and what-ifs.
That's until I started fighting back, I started answering these doubts with little bursts of optimism -- sometimes aloud, sometimes in my mind. I acknowledge the difficulty of the situation but remind myself it will be OK. I will get through the hard times and, anyway, there's no use being Debbie Downer because the boys are coming whether I am optimistic or not. It will be better if I get my mind straight now.
I know this optimism may not be a constant when the boys are here, especially in the difficult first months and year, but I can still try. All I can do is try my best, that's all any new mother can do and should expect of herself.

34 Weeks Pregnant With Twins: The Train Is Slowing Down Before Coming Into C-Section Station

Here I sit, in a men's flannel shirt (it's a Houndstooth pattern so at least I feel a tiny bit fashionable), gray yoga pants and fur-lined men's moccasins enveloping my swollen feet. I'm 34 weeks pregnant with twin boys ... or pools of molten lava, jury's still out. My hands ache and are numb, I have some lower back pain and in my vaginal area, am sore, restless legs are more restless, I'm exhausted but can't sleep ...
Sleep, perchance to dream ... what a load of crap. I've had some allergy problems recently, probably because Mother Earth ain't sure if it's fall or Indian summer, so I take Benadryl Allergy at night (as suggested by my OB/GYN). It helps me sleep a little but not much. I can't fall asleep until midnight to 1 a.m. Then I wake almost every hour, sometimes to pee, sometimes to chug water as if I haven't been chugging water all the ding dong day. Then, by mid-morning, I'm exhausted.
Mentally, I am doing OK. When I was a newspaper editor, a few years ago, I took out my stress by double checking windows and doors at night before bedtime -- Boogey Man Patrol. After quitting, this obsession stopped. Now, it's reared its ugly head, which means I am stressed about my twin boys who will be here in a month or less. Although, I'm starting to feel better because we've gotten almost everything ready and also because of a Facebook group.
Yeah, a Facebook group: The Official Group of National Organization of Mothers of Twins Club, Inc. Basically, I Googled "Twin Facebook Group" and, voilà, I found this group. It's very helpful. Mothers and expectant mothers of twins post questions and receive a wide range of answers. It helped me realize every child is different so it's going to be a lot of learning-as-you-go but it's nice to have a community of women with similar experiences, especially since I live in the boonies and am not the most social person. I know these connections, although through cyberspace, will come in handy as I raise my twins.
We have the nursery set up for the most part, figuring we may rearrange as we start caring for the boys. We have a pack-n-play (still in the box) for our bedroom so they can sleep close to my boobies for the first week or so. We have a double stroller, although it only came with one converter for our car seats ... as if we'd only want to keep one child in their car seat. Lame but the stroller was a gift so we shouldn't complain. Also, we put the stroller together and it folds up quite nicely ... but we are having trouble figuring out how to unfold the damn thing. Of course.
We have a hospital bag ready ... well except for being filled with necessary items. The empty bag is sitting near the back door ... so ... yeah ... we should start filling it up soon. I have a C-section scheduled for Oct. 16 but recently have been feeling pressure from Baby A. Throughout my pregnancy, I haven't felt him too much, Baby B is the show stopper. My OB/GYN was OK with this because it's only bad if his movements change. Well, over the past few days I've definitely felt movement and pressure down below. We have a doctor's appointment Thursday so we shall see if he's still in the breech position but I think the babies want out!
I'm ready to have my body back and start the healing process that goes on after pregnancy but I know 34 weeks is a little early for twins -- I'm pushing (not literally) for 38!