Sunday, January 20, 2013

31 weeks, a hospital visit, and 32 weeks

31 Weeks
Jen and I got to take one last picture together this week before Ellie was born!!! 
31 weeks and 38 weeks!


I can't wait to see little Ellie!! Jen started having contractions early Monday morning, so we all expected to see Ellie pretty soon.... but little stinker was comfy cozy inside of mommy's tummy and kept us waiting all week. All the while, poor momma was miserable the whole time we were waiting for her.

I went back to work this week and it was rough. My kids were so excited to see my belly after 2 weeks. They were so funny! One of my little boys looked at me with wide eyes and asked if I now have THREE babies in my belly now! Ha! 
But the week was flat out exhausting. It hurt so badly to walk the 5 miles back and forth from my room to the cafeteria, then back to the gym and then to the Library, etc. I literally walk slower than a turtle these days and my kids constantly begged to just walk ahead of me in line because I was so slow. Poor kiddos :)

Well, I continued truckin' through the week. 

and had to scoot my seat back in the car...running out of room!

Friday morning, I noticed I started having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions than normal. They didn't hurt, so no big deal. They hadn't let up by early afternoon, so I decided to call my doctor. I'm not typically one to call for little things like that, especially since they didn't hurt, but for some reason I decided I needed to this time. The on call doctor told me it was probably nothing, but go ahead and go to the hospital to get monitored-just in case.

I had been told to go get monitored at the hospital 2 other times during this pregnancy, but, me and my medical expertise, decided not to go...even though I had incredible side pain both times. And this time, I had no pain, no significant problems, but actually decided to go.

And thank goodness I did! After I got hooked up to the monitors, they realized I was having pretty big contractions every 5-6 minutes. I let Michael know I was at the hospital, but decided I wasn't going to tell anyone else since Jen was sitting at home begging for her contractions to start and i really really didn't want to rain on her parade and take away all the fun, exciting attention away from them, so as long as we could get everything under control, we were going to hang onto this secret until after Ellie came. It was, however, SUPER hard not to say anything to everyone  :/

I ended up getting:
 an IV
 monitored for over 6 hours
a shot of Terbutaline in my arm to stop contractions (that hurt like the dickens!!!)
an ultrasound to check on the girls (they looked "perfect" and "mighty active" and at that point in time, they were both head down and weighed around 4lb2oz)
a swab test to predict if I would go into labor in the next 2 weeks (negative--thank you Lord!!)
a steroid shot in my booty to help the girls' lungs develop faster, just in case (which also hurt like nobody's business!!!)
my cervix checked- not dilated :) and still 4.4cm at the top (which means my body wasn't trying to start going into labor)

The contractions slowed down considerably and everything looked good, so I was finally able to go home late Friday night.

Even though I was laying in a hospital bed for 6 hours hoping they could stop my contractions, I don't think I fully let the reality of everything sink in. The next morning, I woke up and couldn't stop sobbing.The Lord is so faithful and was keeping our girls safe. He gave me the discernment to actually go into the hospital this time. Only He knows their birthday and knows how they'll enter this world. While I am so ready to see their sweet faces, I am praying for the Lord's perfect timing.

Needless to say, we decided that Friday would be my last day of work. I hadn't planned on stopping quite this early, but it's definitely the best thing for all three of us. 

32 Weeks

can you believe how big this belly has gotten!? I can't even imagine how much more I can grow.

My first few days not working and "taking it easy" really turned into a "fast and furious race to try to get everything done before the twins come....with a little bit of rest thrown in between."  I've realized they could literally be here any day now and I have hardly anything done for them. I had SO much laundry to do, I needed to pack our bags, wash all of the car seat inserts, swing and bouncer fluffy inserts, organize the nursery a little better, hang up something on the walls, and several other things. It was a verrrry slooooooow process because, like I said before, I walk slower than a turtle and I can hardly bend over or move around. :)

Steph came over to keep me company on Tuesday and we got a little crafty and made the girls some onesies!!

I had my Perinatal appointment Wednesday morning. Everything still looks great with the girls!! I will never get tired of hearing the doctor day they look "perfect". It's so reassuring, especially after Friday. 
In just 4 days since having the sonogram at the hospital, Emily flipped again and Madelynn completely moved positions. They move SO much!! And they are weighing 4lb 8oz and 4lb 10oz :)  I am SOO happy they're getting so big!! I asked about the margin of error with the weights and she said it was probably around 6oz or so, so even on the low side they're over 4lbs.
It's funny how we get so excited about them being 4 pounds. If the doctor told me there was a chance that Bryson could have been 4 pounds at birth, I could have cried myself to sleep with worry every single night. Sure, I wish they could be a full 7 pounds, but for twins, that's just impossible. I'm just praying they'll be healthy and strong no matter how big (or small) they end up being.

My OB appointment was Thursday and my doctor said everything looks good with me. My blood pressure is still good (115/71), no swelling, i've gained around 35 pounds...and I worked hard for those 5 pounds over the last month! It's starting to get a lot harder to eat as much, but I'm sure working on it!! My doctor also said that he'll be very happy if I make it to 35 weeks and shocked if I make it to 37 weeks. He mentioned that he'd hate to be Michael if I do happen to go that long! haha!

Ok, now that my weekly updates are turning into novels, here is a comparison picture of when I was pregnant with Bryson at 32 weeks and 32 weeks with the girls. I just can't even believe the difference!!
Oye Ve!

Yay for making it to 33 weeks!!  We're still praying to make it another 3 or 4 weeks :)

5 comments:

  1. That pic is crazy! Glad you decided to play it safe and quit working until the girls arrive. Also glad that you went in and they took care of you. I've had the steroid shots in the booty for the lung growth - not the best, but thankful that they can do it. The pics of the monitor brings back so many memories for me including ones of me listening to the nurses try to get multiples on the monitor in the adjacent room at the hospital. You get double the fun. It is weird to think that they could be here any time now. And, 4 lb twin girls is awesome! Both of my girls were just a shade over 6 lbs and they were term, singletons, so your girls are going to be great! And lastly, you look perfect! :) Relax and praying for you all!

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  2. I am so happy you are done with work for the duration of your pregnancy! After your facebook post about getting literally no sleep and then having to teach, I just couldn't imagine how you would do it. I'm so happy those sweet baby girls are getting to cook a little longer. You look AMAZING!!!! Also, do you need anything??? I have a swing (a nice one that has barley been used), lamb seat, extra boppy, and much more that I would be more than happy to drive out to you. Just let me know!

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  3. You are so sweet not to rain on your sisters parade! What a great big sister you are, I know both Jen and Steph are lucky to have you! If the time ever comes that I get to be pregnant with one of my sisters I hope I will do the same thing and let her have the attention.

    Good call to stop working now. I sit behind a desk all day and I was ready to stop working at 32 weeks with one baby! I am impressed you made it this long! Praying those girls can keep cooking and mommy can get lots of rest!

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  4. Yay!!!! I cannot believe how fabulous you look - you are going to bounce right back :)

    I'm so happy that your sweet girls are hanging in there, and will keep you all in my prayers and send healthy pregnancy vibes!!!

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  5. Praying you're doing well this week and getting bursts of energy through the day and loads of rest.

    Hugs to you and your sweet family!

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