First Hospital Stay

My uterus is giving up although praise God my cervix is holding strong. Thursday was a day full of contractions. Random ones sometimes 5 mins apart and some getting stronger throughout the day. Thursday night I was having the stronger contractions that woke me up every 1/2 hr. Friday, I kept having contractions ranging in times. By 7 I'd have a few hours of strong ones 5 minutes apart. So I called the doc of call and it was the doctor that was mean. lol He told me to come to the hospital and to be prepared to spend the night. When I got there he checked my cervix and it was still closed....very good news. My uterus however is tired of stretching and carrying these babies and my body thinks it's time to go into labor. They put me on monitors for the contractions and for each baby. I continued to have 5 min contractions. The babies were doing well though with varied heart rates with their movement which is what they look for and their heart rates weren't dropping due to the contractions which is really good. They came in and brought me a big mug of water which they wanted me to drink as fast as I could without getting sick. I started on that and told the nurse that we hadn't had a chance to eat dinner and she asked if I wanted anything and I joked that ice cream would be great. She was so nice, she brought both Nick and I ice cream. The contractions continued . . . next they brought me medicine and an IV. The medicine  (Nifedipine) is supposed to make my uterus relax and calm the contractions. There was a student nurse helping and the main nurse asked if I was freaked out by blood and needles. I said no and she had the student nurse administer my IV. That was interesting. :) The girl was so sweet though and the nurse was so nice. At first she couldn't get a vein to pop and I asked her to take the bands off to me to get feeling in my arm again for a sec. lol Then she tried again and the nurse found one to use. She put the needle in and was moving it around trying to get the vein. The nurse was telling her not to roll under it. Then once she got it in she was afraid to push in it too far. lol The nurse kept telling her to push it in further. I was just thinking to myself that anyone with needle/blood issues would have passed out by now. Then she gets it in deep enough and she goes to draw some blood before attaching the IV and she forgets to clamp it and blood started squirting out every where. lol I noticed then that neither of them had gloves on. The other nurse attached the tube quickly. Then she attaches the IV and it keeps beeping saying there are bubbles. I thought of my brother because he always freaks out about air being in the IV. They kept tapping it and clamping it and got it going. She was so nice that it was hard to even tease her much about it. After all the blood was cleaned up, they and the contractions continued, they came in again. The student told me I was gonna really love her now. She had to give me a shot. lol Since my contractions wouldn't slow down they decided to give me a shot of betamethasone which is a steroid to help the babies lungs develop in case I gave birth within the next 48 hrs. That kinda freaked me out. I asked why since my cervix wasn't opening, but they said they wanted to do it in case as a "vitamin" of sorts. They told me it would but that shot stung more then any I've had. lol I thought it would be the quick sting of it going in but it kept stinging down my leg. The girl did very well at the shot and it was quick. :) So they decided at this point that we were staying the night, so they were trying to free up a regular room for us. We got settled in there and they came back to give me another dose of the medicine. They checked my blood pressure first and it had dropped to 80/50 which apparently was from the medicine. They held off another 2 hrs and my blood pressure came back up. They took the babies off the monitor in hopes that I would be able to sleep and gave me a sleeping pill. My contractions continued every 5 minutes until 6 am when they slowed down. I didn't get a blink of rest until then. The 4 bags of IV helped with my bathroom visits as well although honestly I think I am up almost the same at home. The nurse brought me some food at 5 am and I was starving. I had two bowls of cereal and felt better. I slept from 6-8 am and the contractions didn't wake me. She said I was still having them but they were significantly smaller. They decided to monitor the babies a little and then send me home. They didn't have much luck keeping the babies on the monitor because they were in there having a party. They were happy the contractions were calmed too I'm sure. I did get to hear the boys hiccups which was really cool. I know what that feels like now. He was hiccupping for a long time this morning. Anyhow, the doctor came in to see me and said he was calling in a prescription for the nifedipine for me and I am supposed to take that every 6 hours. He said he wasn't going to put me on bed rest but he wants me resting at home and getting up for small things around the house. He said the only thing I should be doing is resting at home and going to my docs appts. It didn't hit me until after he left but that means not leaving the house!!! I went home and slept a little. I started having contractions again but then they eased up. I feel like I gained a lot of water weight from those IV's. My ankles have been swollen since. They told me to drink, drink, drink. So I'm trying my best. I don't want these contractions to send me in there until another 2 weeks are up. I asked the doc how to know when to come in since I'm having them so much. He said it's hard to say. He said I made the right choice to come in this time and he said if the same thing happens again where the stronger contractions won't settle to come in again. He said it may take a few times of this and next time it may mean stronger medicine in my IV that would keep me in the hospital a few days. I don't like the sound of that. I'd read that the stronger medicine makes the mother really sick. I'm hoping things don't progress to that over these next 2 weeks. I keep saying 2 weeks because maternal fetal medicine told me if I go into labor after 34 weeks they won't stop it. I'm guessing the docs I go to are on the same page. I hope they are anyhow. Soooo....last night, contractions every 1/2 hr and this morning every 5 mins again. I'm drinking lots to try and get them to slow down and I just took my medicine. Contractions, settle already! I think those steroids beefed the babies up....lol....I've noticed my belly is now resting on my lap..........getting bigger and bigger.

Tired- end of 31 weeks

The last few days are really testing me. I've had lots of contractions. They are waking me up at night now and are getting stronger. I've got the round ligament pain back at night again. I haven't slept for more than a 1/2 hr for the past few days. I'm either up to pee or with a contraction. It's so hard to know when to go to the hospital. Thursday, I was at a church meeting and I was having contractions every 10 mins that went to every 5 mins. I went home and laid down and they dwindled off. Last night however they were all over the place. I was having strong one as well as smaller ones in between the strong ones and they didn't let up when I laid down. I had them all night. I've been having sharp pain in my belly button...it literally feels like my belly button skin is ripping from the inside. I can't get relief from it. I'm having a lot of rib pain again as well. I did take a tylenol PM at 5 am this morning and I was able to sleep until about 7. That was much needed. I've noticed all the sudden that I have all these new veins in my feet. Where did they come from? They are every where! I told Nick that I'm tired of being pregnant now. To think that I'm 2 months away from my 40 week due date is nuts. There is no way! lol I'm praying this is just one of those stretching phases and I feel better soon. At this point I can't stand without a contraction, bumps in the car are painful and I think the weight of my belly is really getting to me. Hopefully the babies are gaining what they need to to be healthy. These babies got at least 2 more weeks to stay put. I was thinking about it last night and it really has been a miracle that I've been able to carry double the weight of a normal pregnancy this long. Two normal weight babies, two placentas, two sacs full of amniotic fluid, two times the blood volume throughout my body plus the fluid gain. That's pretty amazing for a small framed 100lb body. God really blessed me through this pregnancy with being able to handle it. I honestly didn't know if I'd make it to 32 weeks. It was a big sacrifice for us financially for me to stop working but I know that was huge as far as me getting the rest I need and being able to maintain my health. I wouldn't have been able to work for some time now anyhow but I think even those early months were crucial for me to be able to take it easy.

Kicks! It's crazy how strong these little boogers are getting. I've noticed they seem to kick at the same time now so hopefully they are on a similar wake/sleep schedule. There is not as much room as there used to be and they are popping out every where and kicking hard enough to hurt. 

20 Things I Took for Granted b4 Pregnancy (in no particular order)

1. Sleep - more than a 1/2 hour at a time
   
2. Dressing - while standing and not falling
   
3. Bending - and actually reaching the object I dropped
   
4. Breathing - a full lung full
   
5. Hugging - my husband and feeling his belly instead of mine
   
6. Standing - without contractions
   
7. Sitting - without an entourage of pillows
   
8. Baths - with hot water and the ability to get in and out of the tub
   
9. Eye contact - with people without the constant gaze at my belly
   
10. Pedicures - in which I can actually reach my own feet
    
11. Belly button - that goes in instead of out
    
12. Lunch meat - the cold kind
    
13. Clothes - the ones that fit before the belly
    
14. Restasis - my dry eye medicine
    
15. Thighs - that supported my body and were in plain sight
    
16. Heels - and the balance to wear them
    
17. Grease & Tomato sauce - late at night with no heartburn
    
18. Back - laying on it while breathing and without pain
    
19. Chillin - because I want to not because I have to
    
20. Pee - the ability to hold it in general especially while laughing
    

Docs Appt Mar 28, 2008-30 weeks

Protein levels were good today but my blood pressure was up. Instead of my normal 100/70 it was 120/90. She asked me if I had a headache today and I did but I hadn't thought much of it. I just assume it's allergies. She told me to drink more water and I know I need to but it's hard for me to do. I'm not a big drinker and I just don't think about it. I GAINED AL LOT this time! I weighed 124. I seriously think Easter had a lot to do with it. I'm been eating lots of left overs and I ate a lot of food at mom and dads. So I gained 5lbs in 2 weeks! That kinda explains why I feel so big and awkward these last 2 weeks...........because I AM! The nurse said I'm still small and under average. When I think about the nurse telling me to gain 50lbs I realize that I'm all baby and belly weight. My belly top to bottom measured 32 centimeters which she said was good. It's 2-4 more for twins and mine was 2 more than normal. I'm feeling like the babies are putting a ton of pressure on me very low and they are. They said they were low the last time and this time they checked my cervix again. My cervix is still good to go so the babies are just low and getting heavier. At the point the girl is kicking like crazy. She's making up for lost time. Their kicks are getting painful now. His in my ribs aren't as bad as hers are down low. She keeps kicking a nerve that sends pain down my left leg and the weight is causing my left leg to go numb. Sometime she kicks me in my bladder and guts which makes me jumps and hurts. For some reason my left side is tender. When I lay on my side with my legs bent, she seems to get stuck in the crease of my leg. They told me when I had my ultrasounds about how low the babies can be and I'm feeling it now. They are getting stronger for sure! I'm so tired!!!!!!!!! I am up at least every hour and sometimes every 1/2 hour peeing. It's getting harder and harder to get in and out of bed and I'm feeling dizzy mostly at night. I ran into the edge of the door the other night and scared myself. lol I experienced my first leg cramp in my calf. OUCH...........the worst part is not being able to reach it to massage it out. lol I asked the doc is it can make your legs sore for a few days and she said she had that happen too. My calf turned into a ball. The midwife that I saw today complimented me once again on having no stretch marks. It is pretty amazing. I don't want to hold my breath but my skin has done some pretty amazing stretching. I'm debating on getting another massage. My mid back had really been achy but I'm not sure about that experience again. :) I've had swelling in my right ankle mostly but not much considering and the docs said I'm doing really well with not gaining weight and fluid other than my belly.

Almost 30 weeks...

Feeling very huge, tired, out of breath and uncomfortable. lol I'm getting to the point of being embarrassed to go out. People stare, and people that know me get the "YOU'RE HUGE" shocked look on their face. At this point, I really don't wanna hear how big I am.......I certainly FEEL it. I don't want to imagine how much bigger I'm gonna get...it actually scares me. I'm thankful I'm all belly but it certainly makes it hard to hide. :) Two babies are no joke!

Ultrasound 29 weeks

We have good news again! Babies look great. They now are 3lbs each! She looked at my cervix and said it's still in good shape as well! So far the contractions aren't doing anything which is good. She said it's going to be very hard for me to tell when to go to the hospital. She said if I'm at all worried about it go...but I'm going to be having more than 4 an hour at this point. The other great news is at this point if the babies are born they won't have any long lasting health problems from being premature. :) She said the 30 week mark is another milestone that means the babies are likely to do very well if born. They would be in the NICU but the outcomes would be very good. She said if I go into labor anytime after 34 weeks, they won't stop it because the outcomes are even better. She said if I don't go into labor before 38 weeks (YIKES) they would do a c-section then and not allow it to go any further. She said anything past 38 becomes high risk for still birth just like anything beyond 42 weeks with a single baby becomes high risk. She said if I have any symptoms other then contractions to go to the hospital. She also said starting at 32 weeks the doctors with put me on a monitor every 2 weeks to check the stress on the babies and monitor their heart rates. She said I look great and it's a good sign that I'm not gaining any other weight other than my belly, she said that will make things easier for me. She said some women are huge by this time. Nick asked what happens if I get completely miserable, and she said SHE WILL. lol She said I could take tylenol PM to help me sleep at night and it's just something you've gotta get through. As far as the babies positions....they are STILL the same. Boy is very head down, very low and the girl is head up. The doctor said that they are pretty comfortable and most likely will stay in those positions. She said the boy as low as he is won't move but the girl still could although most likely not. She's sitting on his head and his feet were on her head. They are pretty tangled up in there at this point as far as their limbs. It's hard to tell who's arms are who's. I did confirm that it is the boys butt that keeps popping out from under my ribs and sticking out my side. It hurts! When I push it back in he kicks. lol Her head pops out from under my ribs on the other side. I can't imagine them getting bigger. They are going to be poking out everywhere! Not many pictures this time....she took some heart and belly shots of them together but most of the shots are very abstract at this point. The feet and legs are so much bigger and thicker then last time but they move so much it's hard to catch any good shots. We could see them practicing their breathing by their chests inflating with the amniotic fluid. Pretty cool. She still has her hands up at her face and was opening and closing her mouth. He has his head down toward my back so we couldn't see his face at all this time.

The doctor got this shot of the girl. It was so cool because she was blinking her eyes. It's her head sideways and you can see her left eye open in this shot.

Follow up

Good news, yesterday my blood pressure and protein levels were normal. :) My blood pressure has consistently been 110/70. Now we're anxious for the ultrasound tomorrow. :)