Perinatalogist - Here We Come!

I had an appointment with my regular OB office this morning and I've officially been handed off to a perinatologist.

I knew it was coming but it still strikes that moment of fear... Is something wrong?

My blood pressure was normal at 120/78 and no protein or sugar in the ole urine so that's all excellent. Both heart beats were strong but he didn't tell me what they were this time.

I saw a different doctor in the practice and it was my first time with him. He's a man of few words.

I asked if I should be concerned about an incompetent cervix and he didn't seem concerned. He said most are caused by an anatomical defect with the mother - either because of previous D&C or abortion or a cervical biopsy. He said carrying twins doesn't necessarily increase the risk.

He went right into, "Are you seeing any specialists yet?". And then proceeded to tell me he thinks I'll feel better seeing a specialist.

Feel better?!

Is there something noted in my chart?

I'm recalling an episode of Seinfeld when Elaine was classified as a "difficult patient".

Thank God I knew it was normal to be referred or else I think I would've freaked out.

So, I have my first appointment next week on the 9th and that's when I'll find out the sexes (I hope!).

I do feel better knowing that I'll be seeing a group of doctor's who specialize in high risk pregnancies. And, the even better news?

I get to have sonograms every 4 weeks so I get to see the babies more often!

Info on Nursery Stuff

I had a few questions regarding some of the stuff I posted for the nursery:

* The unisex bedding (picture #3) is called Circle Time Blue by Alli Taylor. I found it at Babies R Us.

* The rocker is from Walmart but I'm not sure if it's still available. It was one of the cheapest upholstered rockers I could find and comes in 2 pieces. The chair is unupholstered around $160 and then you buy the slip cover for another $60-some. It looks like the slip covers are currently unavailable on-line so I'm not sure if they will be stocked again or not? I might have to revert to Plan B.

Since I'm officially 18 weeks today, here's a quick update:

How far along? 18 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Between 8-10 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes
Sleep: Pretty good - still waking up every few hours with hips/arms/shoulders asleep from being in the same position
Best moment this week: No calls to the on-call doctor!
Movement: Feeling both a few times per day now. I do have a funny story. Sunday was my chore day and I vacuumed the entire house (don't worry, hubby carried it from one floor to the other). Every time I turned on the vacuum, Baby B went nuts. I joked with Todd that it must be a boy because it hates the vacuum.
Food cravings: Still lovin' that pasta!
Gender: Still thinking a boy/girl but we'll know on July 8th!
Labor Signs: No, thank God.
Belly Button in or out? I just looked and it's sort half and half. Rut roh!
What I miss: I really don't miss a thing.
What I am looking forward to: Getting to work on the nursery and my baby shower
Weekly Wisdom: Take it easy and rest as often as you need to.
Milestones: Since twins typically come between 35-37 weeks, I've officially hit the 1/2 way mark!

Nursery Ideas & Belly Pic

I've mentioned before that I love to decorate and that my obsessive-compulsive self has already designed the nursery for any possible combination that may be growing in my belly.

Here's a preview. The background on each is the paint color:

Twin Boys
Theme: Vintage Baseball



Twin Girls
Theme: French Chic



Boy/Girl
Theme: Chocolate Brown/Blue



I'm still finalizing some of the details like hampers, lamps, etc. I'm happy with what I have so far.

Now, I just need to know which direction to go!

It's 18-week Eve so I thought I'd go ahead and post a belly pic. First of all, I swear I own more than the striped shirt I'm wearing. I think I was wearing that same shirt a few weeks ago in a belly pic.

I'm also including an actual belly shot. My apologies ahead of time if I make anyone sick or cause you to go blind.

Update - We're all OK

I lasted through the night and called the doctor's office first thing this morning. I continued to have the same cramping and back aches throughout the night and only got about 4 hours of sleep.

The doctor checked my cervix and it's still long and closed. Phew! She checked both babies heartbeats and they were both strong.

So, we have one or two explanations. I have a bladder infection or I might have some scar tissue as a result of my tubal pregnancy surgery and as my uterus grows, it's not only pulling on my ligaments but it's also pulling at the adhesions. She took a urine sample and sent that to the lab so I'll know by tomorrow if I need antibiotics.

She told me to rest in bed for the rest of the day and said I might benefit from a support belt. She said I'm measuring the same as a singleton pregnancy at 27 weeks.

I am so happy that I went. Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. I kept praying that the cramping would just go away and when it didn't, I got really scared. Thanks to everyone for your concerns - for now, crisis has been diverted! :)

On a happier note, the doctor made a guess on the babies' sexes. It was based on heartbeats alone so I'm not putting much into it but... she thinks it's a boy and a girl. Baby A's heartbeat was still in the 160's and Baby B's had dropped to 145. So, she thinks B is a boy.

I think it's nap time now.

Scared and Hoping That I'm OK

I just got off the phone with my OB's on-call doctor. I started having mild period-like cramps earlier today but it wasn't consistent and I chalked it up to growing pains.

On my way home, I started getting a lower back ache. At first, I thought it was just from sitting in the car but it has continued off and on for the last 3 hours.

It's not unbearably painful and nothing seems to be timely or consistent. It feels like AF is coming in a few days.

Of course I consulted Dr. Google first and everything that showed period-like cramps and backache said Pre-term labor.

The doctor said to take it easy tonight and to call the office in the morning to try to get in to make sure everything is OK. I don't have any spotting or bleeding and no pelvic pressure. She said it could be round ligament pain which can present as cramps. I always thought it was more of a stabbing pain?

If anything gets worse, I'm supposed to call her back.

I hate this. All of the feelings of the ectopic are coming back. That scared, pit in my stomach feeling. I hate not having any control over this. I hate not knowing if anything is really wrong.

Treating Myself

I decided to go shopping today. My main goal was to buy some new bras.

Yes, you might remember I bought some about 1 month ago. I'm convinced I am becoming a one woman dairy farm.

Before pregnancy, I was a 38C. I jumped up to a 38D and those started getting tight.

I decided to go to a local department store, Kohl's (not sure if they are countrywide?) because I really don't want to spend a lot of money on something that I will no longer need in about 8 months (at least, I hope not?).

I walked into the lingerie department and went to the "Full Figured" rack. Dear God, is that me now? Clearly, the D cups weren't working anymore so I had no choice.

I had to go for the Big Momma Double D's. I picked it up off the rack and seriously started laughing. There is no way in HELL that is going to fit me. I could wear the cup as a hat!

I grabbed a 38DD and a 40DD and went into the fitting room.

Laaaaaaaaaaa!

We have found comfort! What a difference a good fitting bra makes!

I can't believe I've gone up 2 inches and 2 cup sizes. I know one thing for sure... these babies aren't going to starve!

Honk! Honk! Milk truck, comin' through!

With the bras out of the way, I was making my way to the counter and came across a little maternity department. Who knew?

They had about 5 racks of clothes and I had a good time! I ended up finding a pair of white capris, knit yoga shorts and 4 tops. I got all of that plus the 2 boulder-holders for $165. I didn't think that was too bad?

Since I haven't posted one in a few weeks, here's a 16 1/2 week belly pic. Note the new bra...

Uninvited Guests

Ah, my old friends paranoia and doubt.

They have come for a visit.

My main goal (like everyone's) was to get out of the first trimester so I would be in the "safe zone".

Now, I'm learning about incompetent cervix. I had heard of it but I never really thought about it. One of my blog friends, Tiffany, was suddenly diagnosed with it at 20 weeks and ever since then, I can't get it out of my mind. Tiffany is still doing OK and we hope those boys hang in there!

Tonight, I stopped at an acquaintance's house to pick up some maternity clothes. She has 2 year old twins. Within 5 minutes of talking, she said, "Make sure they check your cervix".

She started dilating at 25 weeks and was put on strict bedrest. They didn't do a cerclage. Her twins made it to 35 weeks, thankfully.

I'm so afraid of this silent risk. There aren't any symptoms and there's no diagnosis until you have an ultrasound or go into premature labor.

I haven't had my cervix checked since the NT scan at 12 weeks and I won't again until my 20 week scan.

Please. Someone tell me that I'm just being paranoid. Tell me it's just those feelings of IF re-surfacing.

I'm sure if I called my doctor's office and begged to be checked, they would. But, what if everything is OK? I don't want to be "that" patient.

Everything about this pregnancy has been so easy to date. There's still a big part of me that's just waiting for something bad to happen. Not a great way to live, I know.

Ok, dear old friends. Thanks for visiting but it's time for you to go home now.

I Just Couldn't Help Myself

Todd & I went to the mall tonight and stopped in the Carter's store.

I don't really know why I wanted to go in there - I guess to feel like I'm getting closer to actually making some purchases and moving forward. I'm so tired of being in this state of limbo where I don't know what the babies are and I can't get anything done.

I guess you have to understand my personality. I'm a do-er. I start a project and I won't go to sleep until it's done. If you thought I was bad with the baby names, I have another secret.

Decorating is one of my hobbies. I've always been really good at picturing what a room should look like and then I search and search until I find the components of it. I've always known what I wanted the nursery to look like - for any possible combination that might be growing in my belly.

I have the bedding, accessories, everything displayed in Powerpoint slides like a storyboard.

I know. I need professional help.

And because I already have all of these things picked out, it's driving me crazy that I have a plan and I can't implement it for another 4 weeks.

So, tonight we stopped in Carter's. We were on our way out and Todd says, "Look at this!". I hesitated because I haven't bought anything yet and I'm almost afraid that I'll jinx an otherwise perfect pregnancy (to date).

But, I just couldn't pass them up.





In other news, my OB's office called today and my cystic fibrosis test came back normal so I'm not a carrier. That means the babies are safe.

I also scheduled my 20 week u/s appointment so we will officially know the sexes on July 8th (assuming they cooperate).

Weekend Update

We had a good weekend. Saturday, my sister had my niece's first birthday party. I can't believe Kaitlyn was born a year ago! There were lots of kids there and it was a little overwhelming. While I'm more comfortable around kids since getting pregnant, I still felt those pangs of jealousy. Those feelings of "Everyone has a kid but me". Even though I'm pregnant, I was the ONLY woman that wasn't chasing a child and it still hurt.

Yesterday was a very lazy day. I didn't even get out of my pajamas. I felt really, really tired all day and I couldn't figure out why... until 2:30 am this morning.

I woke up with horrible stomach cramps. For the first hour, I thought I was going to puke and then for the last 2 hours, it felt like someone was wringing my stomach. I never got sick (which might've helped). The pain was always above my belly button so I don't think it's baby related at all. I think it must be a bug of some sort. I had sweet and sour shrimp for dinner so I guess it could've been that? My stomach still feels all knotted up and at one point, I thought maybe I was getting a UTI. I've had plenty of them so I know exactly what one feels like. There isn't any pain when I pee so I guess maybe the babies have shifted a little and they are resting on my bladder. Anyway, I stayed home from work today just to be safe. I really can't afford to waste any of my PTO days but I figured I'm checking my work email every once and while and maybe that will count as working from home.

Todd just called me with some other news. His company was sold off about 3 weeks ago and everyone has been speculating about their jobs. His boss (who was assigned to a contract with the old company) told him in confidence that she thinks they'll be getting rid of the rest of the accounting department in about 3-6 months. That's great timing. He thought something might be going on so he started getting his resume updated last week but now that it's real, it's really, really scary.

We haven't been able to build up our savings account to the point that it can maintain us for any length of time and now it's even more stress with the babies coming. He is very talented and has a lot of accounting experience so I know he'll find something but with today's job market, I don't know how long it will take. Please pray for us and that he'll find a good job that he likes soon.

Baby Names

After yesterday's post, I had a few people ask if I had any guesses on the sexes. For the first 10 weeks, I thought it was 2 girls. After seeing them on 2 ultrasounds, I'm beginning to think it's a boy and a girl.

I know the old wives tale about the heart rate being an indicator and, if there's any truth to it, I have 2 girls. Yesterday, Baby A was 156 and Baby B was 164.

Todd & I have had names picked out since my ectopic 18 months ago. Sad, I know.

Here's our Top 3:

Girl
1. Taryn Ashley
2. Kendall Marie
3. Cara Michelle

Boy
1. Matthew Frederick (Fred was my grandfather)
2. Christopher Todd
3. Jonathan Michael

Vote for your favorite at the survey to the right!

15 Weeks

I had an appointment with my OB this morning and everything went fine. I was sort of hoping she'd do an ultrasound but nope. I did get to hear the heartbeats and they were both strong and normal.

She gave me the option to test for Cystic Fibrosis and since it was only blood work, I agreed. I don't think that either of us are carriers but I figure it's better to be cautious and aware of potential risks.

How far along? 15 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: +8 lbs since my last OB appointment on May 4th.

Maternity clothes? Definitely!

Stretch marks? Not that I can tell

Sleep: Better

Best moment this week: Hearing the heart beats this morning and knowing they are OK

Movement: Still feeling light tapping where Baby A is but not consistently or everyday.

Food cravings: Nothing specific

Genders: Won’t find out until my 20-week appointment – BOO!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: I had an offsite "fun" meeting with the other managers in my department on Monday. It was a day of sun on the lake. For the first time, I really craved a beer.

What I am looking forward to: 20 week appointment to learn the sexes

Weekly Wisdom: Take things one day at a time

Milestones: Every day