Sunday, January 12, 2014

Twin Pregnancy

Pregnancy Update (Warning: Long with lots of useless information)-

Okay, this is where things get a little (or a LOT) crazy. When I went back to Yuma on September 16th, I ran to the lab so they could officially record that I was pregnant and I could make an appointment with the doctor. Did that, and my appointment was on September 25th. Then I went back to Sierra Vista to stay with my mom and family while we did the funeral and went through all of grandma's things. My mother stayed till the 25th, but by the 21st, I was so sick that I needed Linwood to come get me. I couldn't figure out how to deal with trying to act normal when I felt like I had the flu mixed with hypoglycemia. And you know that when young(ish) married women get sick, the first thing everyone things is, "Oh, mmmhmmm, she's pregnant!" I always knew about morning sickness, but I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to actually go through it.  
I accidentally went to the doctor on the 24th and had to spend all that effort gettting ready AGAIN the next day. It was enough to make a lady cry. My husband has been so good and nice, he brings me anything I need, tries to make me as comfortable as possible, and I even woke up on the couch on night and he was asleep on the floor beside me. I wake up at all hours of the night to go to the bathroom and to eat. I'm like a bottomless pit and no matter when or what I eat, an hour later I'm hungry again. I'm trying to figure out what foods help me not be sick, and it seems like if I can keep protein in my system, that helps. It's hard for me to eat so much like this, but I know that I have to try to stay healthy.
So about the doctor visit on the 25th, I had a full exam and an ultrasound and guess what? Of course, there would be twins lurking in my super-terrified uterus. Why not? I'm not even kidding. I'm happy and scared and uncomfortable. I know that all of those emotions are just going to multiply too, so right now, we are just trying to take in the reality that, like Devin & Haley, we will start out with two carseats.
Oh man.
Anyway, the doctor told me that it is common to feel worse with a twin pregnancy because of higher levels of hormones than would be present in a single pregnancy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not downplaying a single, I’ve just not experienced it so twin pregnancy is all I have to compare anything to. I AM NOT COMPLAINING. I thank Heavenly Father every day for this crazy thing that has happened to me. I have a happy home, a nice husband, and two arms-just right for two babies?!
So, I got to see the babies again on October 16th and this time I was amazed, Baby B was wiggling around like a crazy while Baby A just floated around nonchalantly. Everything was still looking really good at this point.
Next, I had a bloodwork appointment on October 23rd and my nuchal translucency ultrasound on November 4th. That was the COOLEST thing! It was the first time Linwood got to see the babies and I was 12 weeks and 4 days. We heard the heart beats for the first time too. The babies were good and got measured and we got to watch them wiggle around for a while. Then the lady asked if we would like a gender prediction and of course we said YES! Her verdict was… Two girls! We asked if it was too early to be certain and she said that she was confident, but to wait till our next scan to start buying pink. Wow, so trying to think of girl names now! We really don’t agree on anything and at this point we are just having a hard time not spilling the beans that we are having twins. We are surprising our families at Christmas with that interesting piece of information. By then we should also know for sure if they are girls! Then I shall start buying things and I will never stop!
My regular appointment with my doctor was two days later on November 6th, where I was measured and listened to the heartbeats. Fun, fun! Next appointment will be December 4th and hopefully the anatomy scan will be around December 12th, when I’m 18 weeks. As for now I’m catching up on my rest and movie watching. Oh! I’m also online shopping, which I love. The only hard part is waiting on it all to arrive in the post. So far the things I’ve bought that are pregnancy-related are prenatal vitamins, belly butter, and Bio-Oil to combat stretch marks. I’m already applying these regularly because I’m afraid… Hopefully they help? I’ve heard that stretch marks are genetic, and my mother never got them. However, my mother never had twins and I think there is only so much your poor skin can deal with. I made the mistake of Google-ing twin preggo bellies. UGH. I have never been one to think that pregnancy is a beautiful thing and now my beliefs have been solidified. I think they (pregnant women) look deformed and I’m about to get on that bandwagon. So, I’m using creams and oils to try and make myself believe I have some control, which is a joke.
For the babies, what I’ve bought so far are two baby books, and I may have accidentally placed an order with Carter’s. Well, in my defense, the onesies came out to be like 3 dollars apiece so I don’t feel very bad at all. Now the hard part is waiting for December when I can surprise everyone and tell them that I’m sorry I lied to the people I told that I wasn’t having twins. I just wasn’t ready to share that yet.
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January 12, 2014
Another update, Christmas in Tennessee was amazing and everyone on both sides of the family was so surprised! I’m now 22 weeks along and getting bigger! Linwood and I definitely had a hard time keeping the secret, especially after our 18 week ultrasound and confirmation of two girls! Now I’m getting all kinds of advice like, “Sleep now, you won’t be able to later.” Well, duh! I would sleep if I could. Now that the morning sickness is over (16 weeks for me), I am getting too chubby to be comfortable. I didn’t realize that the stretching out would be so painful. I did find something I love though, it’s called the Baby Belly Band, and I got it on Amazon. It helps support my poor lower abdominal muscles while I’m up and doing things. I’ve learned not to lift things, to just let Linwood do it when he comes home. I’m tired a lot, but I have started to feel the babies kicking me, which mostly feels like I’ve swallowed a bass speaker. Kinda thumpy in there! Linwood hasn’t been able to feel a kick yet, but one of the twins got in a funny position and was making my stomach look deformed and he thought that was cool. All in all, things are going well, my doctor is happy with how things look, I get a bonus ultrasound next Monday, and the visits are starting to get closer together, which makes me feel better. The longer in between appointments, the more nervous I feel. However, it does help that I can feel them move some now. That is a comfort. So, I’m happy and just trying to ride this thing out with a good attitude about it because we are so blessed. I feel like a positive outlook is very important, and even on bad days we should look around and see how lucky we are. Maybe we don’t have everything we want, or we don’t have perfect health… This life is short though, and we are given many amazing things while we are here to make it better!

~Rachel

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