35 Week Update

We have made it another week! I am officially 35 weeks, 1 day today. I never would have imagined that we would make it this far! I thought for sure that the girls would be here by now.

I had another doctors appointment this morning with monitoring and an ultrasound. Everything looks GREAT! Dr. Dupre seems VERY happy with the way everything is progressing. I didn't have any contractions while being monitoring- not even one Braxton Hicks! Both girls' heart rates looked fantastic.

The ultrasound showed that both girls are still growing as they should. Ava James still weighs less than Hadley, but she is still within a normal weight range. Ava James weighs about 3lbs11oz, and Hadley weighs about 4lbs5oz. Their rate of growth has slowed, but Dr. Dupre has assured us that that is perfectly normal with twins. After all, they are running out of room! Technically, I am carrying 8-10lbs of baby already. They will continue to grow, just not as quickly as a singleton baby would due to lack of space.

I always enjoy the ultrasounds. We have been VERY spoiled. Most pregnant women only have a couple ultrasounds throughout their entire pregnancy- we have one every week now. In the past we would have at least 2 ultrasounds a month. I LOVE seeing our little nuggets every week. It has been so amazing seeing them grow from a tiny peanut at 6 weeks to a full blown baby at 35 weeks. Life truly is a miracle! During this weeks ultrasound we saw Hadley sticking her tongue out (see picture below)...repeatedly. The tech was able to get a really good picture of Hadley's face. Even though she is still tiny, she has some chubby checks! And like every week, she had her hand(s) in her face. Unfortunately. Ava James was being a little more difficult. She has consistently had her back to the tech every week. Therefore, we were only able to get a good picture of the back of her head and her back. We could still see that she has a good amount of hair, though!

From here on out we go to the doctor twice a week to be monitored and have an ultrasound. Dr. Dupre is out of town next week so I am under STRICT orders to do absolutely nothing. There is no evidence to show that the girls would come any time soon, but you never know! I personally have NO PROBLEM being lazy for the next couple of weeks. I am so sore it is becoming VERY difficult to even walk. Getting in and out of bed and chairs has become quite a task. I have been told that I am so sore because I was so thin and narrow to begin with. Add that in with twins and I am bound to be miserable.

So far we are still looking at November 6th for our c-section (both babies are still breech and will most likely stay that way). Please keep praying for healthy, strong, full term babies!

34 Week Update

We have made it to 34 weeks!

Today we had our 34 week appointment. Everything went very well!

Both babies heart rates looked really good. Dr. Dupre made the comment that they must be "happy babies" based on how much they moved while they were monitoring them. I had a couple contractions while being monitored, but nothing like the contractions I was having a couple weeks ago. They were definitely nothing to be worried about- all normal. Dr. Dupre made the comment that everything looks "perfect" for having full term babies. Twins are considered full term at 38 weeks, but most twins are delivered between 34 & 36 weeks- so I am sure you can see why this excited me! If I can carry these baby girls to 38 weeks, I will be over the moon!!!

The ultrasound showed Hadley weighs about 4lbs and Ava James weighs about 3lbs4oz. Their weights are still within normal range, however Dr. Dupre wants us to start having ultrasounds every week to monitor their weights a little closer. As long as their differences in weight does not get any larger, everything should still be okay. Their fluid looks fantastic, which is good when looking at their weight. If Ava James was smaller due to lack of oxygen or nutrients, she would have less fluid. Thankfully, her fluid looks perfect- just like Hadley's!

The ultrasound also showed that both girls have HAIR! I was so tickled when the ultrasound tech showed us. Mainly because I was bald until I was about 2!

Both girls are still breech. In fact, they have turned a little more upright than they were two weeks ago. They seem pretty comfortable with their heads shoved in my ribs and feet dancing on my bladder. I would be VERY surprised if they flipped!

Since both girls are still breech and we are 34 weeks, Dr. Dupre went ahead and scheduled our c-section. Assuming that all goes well between now and then, we will be having a c-section on Tuesday, November 6th- ELECTION DAY! Thank goodness I already sent in my absentee ballot :) Now I have to search for some patriotic onesies....

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts! Please continue to pray for big, strong, healthy babies that can make it to 38 weeks!

How Rude!

I am going to blame it all on the pregnancy hormones, but people are really starting to tick me off with their unnecessary RUDE comments! I am absolutely amazed at the things that people will say to you when they find out you are pregnant. It is even more amazing what people will say to you when they find out that you are having TWO babies! I am not the first woman to have twins, nor will I be the last. I have kept my composure and remained the "sweet southern belle" over these past 8 months. HOWEVER, my sincerity is shot and my patience has run thin. There is only so much that an uncomfortable, irritable, pregnant woman can take. So I  have decided to address and respond to all the rude comments. Here goes nothin'...


-"TWO babies?! You are going to be so broke!"    First off, Rusty and I are responsible adults. Before making the decision the start a family, we made sure that we were financially stable. Yes, children are expensive. That is why we live on a budget and live within our means. Way to point out the fact that more people = more expenses, Captain Obvious.

-"You are going to be so tired...all the time."     Yes, we will be tired. Once again, way to point out the obvious. Life will not cease to exist if we are low on sleep.

-"Twin GIRLS? I'm sorry Rusty."     This comment pisses me off the MOST. It comes mostly from men- surprise, surprise. First off, those are my babies you are taking about- Watch your mouth. You really don't want to piss off Mama Bear. Secondly, what is SO terrible about girls? Last time I checked, if it wasn't for a strong, loving, woman, you wouldn't be here. Rusty is going to make a wonderful daddy to two little girls. Children are a gift from God- no matter what their gender may be. Yes, Rusty will be swimming in the Estrogen Ocean, but he is so excited about being a hero to two little princesses. There is something so special about a Daddy/Daughter relationship. I know because my first love was my daddy. I am so excited for Hadley and Ava James to experience that relationship with their Daddy.

-"Your house will never be clean again."     Yes, my house will be clean. Will it be as organized as it is currently? Doubtful!!! If you really knew how much of a clean freak I am (Rusty too), you would not make stupid comments such as that.

-"You will never get your figure back. Your body will never be the same!"     REALLY? You mean pregnancy changes a woman's body...who knew?!

-"Good luck (spoken in the most sarcastic tone imaginable)"     This just ticks me off...(giving the stink eye). I don't need your "luck"- Thanks, but no thanks. I need your prayers- as does EVERY parent.

-"Twins? Better you than me."     Ya' dang right!!!! God chose this path for Rusty and I because He knows that we can handle it. I see that as a compliment. He didn't chose you as a parent of twins for a reason :)

-"Life as you know it is over."     Life will change...but it's not over. Only a moron would expect things to remain the same.

-"Are you going to breastfeed?"     None ya' dang business. If I do, great. If I don't, that doesn't make me a bad mother. Last time I checked you are not a doctor or a lactation consultant, so get off me.

-"Twins? Did you take fertility treatments?"     Once again, none ya' dang business...but as a matter of fact, yes we did. Which means I am more thankful for these two little miracles than anyone could possible imagine!

-"Have fun while you can, before the babies get here."     Why? Because after you have children, life sucks?!


I am sure I have left out so many...but these are the majority of the comments that Rusty or I hear on a daily basis.

I will never understand why so many people feel that they have to "warn" you with unnecessary threats and comments. Rusty and I understand that life will change. We also understand that we will be tired, have more expenses, the house might be dirty, and I might weigh a little more. However, those are all things that we are willing to live with. Having one, two, or three children does not make you an expert on pregnancy, parenting, and childcare. You might think it does, but it doesn't. Each pregnancy, child, and parent is different. I appreciate advice, I really do. But I DON'T appreciate "scary stories" about how terrible life is going to be after Hadley and Ava James arrive.

Sorry for the vent session...I just had to get it all off my chest once and for all!!!

In closing, let me say this...Children are gifts from God. Rusty and I are so blessed to be pregnant with these two little miracles. I refuse to let any rude comment or question change my view on that. I know there will be days where I will be exhausted and frustrated, but God chose Rusty and I to be the parents to two of HIS children. That is such a compliment and we are forever grateful.

33 Week Update

We have made it to 33 weeks!

 

My doctors appointment went A LOT better this week than it did last week. From here on out, I will be monitored every week at the doctor. Sometimes I have ultrasounds, sometime I don't. This week I did not have an ultrasound- just monitoring of the heart rates and for contractions. We will get to see our baby girls via ultrasound next week. As I mentioned in my post from last week, I was having contractions every 2 minutes last week. Dr. Dupre was concerned and was considering admitting me into the hospital in order to stop the contractions. And would you believe it...this week I did not have ANY contractions while being monitored. The contractions have seemed to have slowed down- THANK GOODNESS! I will contribute this to my EXTREME laziness this past week. I finally decided to listen to my body and slow down! Even though I am working only part time now, I had made it a habit to keep myself busy while at home. I was constantly cleaning, doing laundry, organizing the nursery, giving the dog a bath, cooking, etc. I finally made the decision to LAY DOWN and DO  NOTHING over the past week and it certainly has paid off.

 

I will be the first to admit, I was not at all comfortable with the way things were looking last week. I was just about convinced that these baby girls were going to come early. Dr. Dupre could not be more excited about the way things looked this week! Both babies were VERY active in addition to the lack of contractions. In fact, they both kept kicking and punching the monitors. I am still having contractions, but they are any where from every 15 minutes to hours apart- very irregular. Nothing like last week! Dr. Dupre has assured me that this is perfectly normal. If we can keep this going, hopefully we will be able to keep them "baking" for another 3-4 weeks.

 

Another praise report- my swelling has gone down! It isn't completely gone by any means, but it is definitely better compared to a week or two ago. This has helped some of my discomfort to go away!

 

Thank you for all the prayers! Please continue to pray for healthy, FULL TERM babies :)