This past Friday I went into my OB's office for my 1 hour glucose test. I have been kinda worried about this one ever since I read the book on twin pregnancies that said there is a much higher risk of GD for women with twins. However, my OB wasn't too concerned and said that I could wait until my next appointment at 28 weeks before taking the test.
Well, as it turns out, the twin book was right and I should have listened to my gut and taken the test earlier. I failed so spectacularly - my levels were 196 (non-fasting) and they want you under 135 - that my OB decided to just skip the 3-hour test and send me straight to the nutritionist.
So I'm now on a GD diet plan and testing myself 4 times a day. I must say it's a bit of a bummer - one of my only food pleasures left was fresh fruit, and I now have to restrict that severely along with all the other foods I like (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes). Boo hoo.
I also cannot STAND doing the finger prick testing. For some reason I am finding it 10 times more difficult/frustrating than doing the IVF shots. Despite soaking my hands in hot water, rubbing my fingertips to get more blood into them, etc. I can only seem to get enough blood out of them about 1/3 of the time. This means I have to prick my finger an average of 3x per try, which is really annoying - I have already wasted a ton of test strips and lancets, and they ain't cheap!
The good news is that since I started testing 2 days ago, my blood levels are almost all under target (<100 fasting, <120 non-fasting). The two levels that were over target were 121 and 124 (non-fasting) so they were only borderline over. Hoping this means that diet will solve the problem, and I won't have to do insulin. I also hope it means that my GD isn't really that bad, and hasn't had any negative effects on the babies. That part scares me, since we didn't catch this until relatively late.
In other news, my mom was here last week and we had a really lovely time. I don't think we've actually spent a week alone together as adults ever. Seeing me healthy (GD excepted!) and happy quelled a lot of her anxieties, and I think she was very surprised to see how active I still am despite the size of this belly!
I am now 28, going on 29, weeks and in my third trimester! So happy to have made it to this milestone. My OB said that she was very relieved that we were past the scariest time (24 - 28 weeks). While of course we want the babies to cook much, much longer it's nice to know that every week that goes by puts us more in the safe zone.
Our apartment is slowly filling up with gifts from the baby shower that I have nowhere to store. I am in the process of getting a closet for the nursery built, and it can't come too soon! I also have new windows and drapes coming, as well as all of the nursery furniture/gear - it's going to be a bit of a hectic time getting all of these things coordinated. My biggest fear is that the new windows are not going to make it in time - my installer gave me a date of Oct 9th, which is just before my due date and I'm very nervous about how that is going to turn out! I may be asking for trouble.
I am getting a bit more uncomfortable now, and I can see that these last couple months are not going to be quite as smooth sailing as the past few have been. The belly is definitely slowing me down more - I get out of breath and experience rapid heart beats much more when I walk around now. My nose is always stuffy, and my husband has been teasing me about how much I snore at night now (he's one to talk, by the way!) My hands and feet have also started to get numb and tingly because of all of the fluids/swelling. But despite this I'm still doing pretty well - praying that I feel this good as long as possible!
I hope everyone is doing well - am SO SO happy for Sunflower and Jen and their recent BFPs! And I have my fingers, toes, and everything crossed for MyFertilityBlog's upcoming cycle in Denver - everybody please send her best wishes!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
26 Weeks - Getting Youge
Wow, it's been a while since I posted last. I keep meaning to put together a post but lately I've been much more interested in reading and commenting than writing.
Things are going really well in general. I still feel pretty good, although my feet definitely get sore a lot faster these days when I stand for long periods of time. Belly is really growing - weight gain of about (gulp!) 28 - 30 lbs already! I am definitely going to be mid 40 lbs, maybe more, before this is all through. Sleep is so-so. I still get up 2 - 3 times in the night to pee, and lately I've been finding that around 6:30 / 7:00am I wake up and can't get back to sleep very easily. Kind of a bummer because in theory I should be trying to get as much sleep as possible right now, but what can I do?
I had my last ultrasound appointment about a week ago, and all was well. The babies were measuring a bit ahead of average at almost 2 lbs each. No wonder my belly is big, I have 4 lbs of baby in there already! I was pleased to see that they are pretty close in weight - a couple of ounces difference, but nothing too major. My cervix was measuring nice and long at 3.7cm. My biggest source of nervousness right now is preterm labor, so it was good to know that I don't seem to be in any imminent danger, but of course that can all change overnight.
Next up is my gestational diabetes test - I'm kinda worried about this one. It's a lot more common with twins apparently, so really hoping I pass. We shall see.
We hosted a baby shower at our apartment yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. We did a very non-traditional, co-ed affair with lots of good food and good company. My husband and I did a lot of cooking and prep and I think it turned out beautifully, although we were both pretty exhausted afterwards. People were so sweet though - we got a lot of beautiful gifts already, and many more seem to be arriving via the registry. Getting all of these gifts is making it all seem really real somehow.
It's going to be a very social couple of weeks - I have a good friend in town tomorrow, then my husband's work outing in the Hamptons this weekend, and then my mom comes to stay with me next week. I'm looking forward to having her, although her level of anxiety about my pregnancy gets wearing at times. If I don't call her back right away she instantly assumes something is wrong and starts worrying and fretting and calling again. I really hope I don't end up like this with my own kids, but never say never.
I have decided for this reason that the first few weeks after the babies are born will just be for me, my husband, and a baby nurse. After that we will have my parents come to stay, but no sooner - I think I will need a little time to adjust first before dealing with all of that stress and anxiety. Sometimes my mother's idea of "help" is not so helpful!
I leave you with a couple belly shots from about a week ago - I deliberately chose the ones that are more flattering and where I look smaller. Believe me when I say there are plenty where I look absolutely huge!
Things are going really well in general. I still feel pretty good, although my feet definitely get sore a lot faster these days when I stand for long periods of time. Belly is really growing - weight gain of about (gulp!) 28 - 30 lbs already! I am definitely going to be mid 40 lbs, maybe more, before this is all through. Sleep is so-so. I still get up 2 - 3 times in the night to pee, and lately I've been finding that around 6:30 / 7:00am I wake up and can't get back to sleep very easily. Kind of a bummer because in theory I should be trying to get as much sleep as possible right now, but what can I do?
I had my last ultrasound appointment about a week ago, and all was well. The babies were measuring a bit ahead of average at almost 2 lbs each. No wonder my belly is big, I have 4 lbs of baby in there already! I was pleased to see that they are pretty close in weight - a couple of ounces difference, but nothing too major. My cervix was measuring nice and long at 3.7cm. My biggest source of nervousness right now is preterm labor, so it was good to know that I don't seem to be in any imminent danger, but of course that can all change overnight.
Next up is my gestational diabetes test - I'm kinda worried about this one. It's a lot more common with twins apparently, so really hoping I pass. We shall see.
We hosted a baby shower at our apartment yesterday, and it was a lot of fun. We did a very non-traditional, co-ed affair with lots of good food and good company. My husband and I did a lot of cooking and prep and I think it turned out beautifully, although we were both pretty exhausted afterwards. People were so sweet though - we got a lot of beautiful gifts already, and many more seem to be arriving via the registry. Getting all of these gifts is making it all seem really real somehow.
It's going to be a very social couple of weeks - I have a good friend in town tomorrow, then my husband's work outing in the Hamptons this weekend, and then my mom comes to stay with me next week. I'm looking forward to having her, although her level of anxiety about my pregnancy gets wearing at times. If I don't call her back right away she instantly assumes something is wrong and starts worrying and fretting and calling again. I really hope I don't end up like this with my own kids, but never say never.
I have decided for this reason that the first few weeks after the babies are born will just be for me, my husband, and a baby nurse. After that we will have my parents come to stay, but no sooner - I think I will need a little time to adjust first before dealing with all of that stress and anxiety. Sometimes my mother's idea of "help" is not so helpful!
I leave you with a couple belly shots from about a week ago - I deliberately chose the ones that are more flattering and where I look smaller. Believe me when I say there are plenty where I look absolutely huge!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Happy and Sad
Reading everyone's posts the past couple of weeks I've had a lot of mixed emotions. There have been amazing, wonderful stories from women who have finally given birth after years of waiting (congratulations TurtleMama, Sooz, and Jay!!!) Seeing pictures of their beautiful babies and hearing the joy their 'voices' (underneath the exhaustion and craziness) is so wonderful.
And then there are the women who are still happily pregnant - furnishing nurseries, picking out names, posting their ultrasound pictures. It warms my heart to read about every milestone passed, every dream for the future.
But it's the strong, wonderful women who are still in the trenches that really move me. There were a couple of posts this week that broke my heart, and brought me back to those tense, awful days in my recent past. I have no words of wisdom - all of you are veterans, and know how to navigate the landmines associated with IF. I just wish each of you as much peace and strength as possible in the coming days, and the shortest point possible from here to getting your dream babies!
In other news, I've been very busy and productive preparing for the babies arrival. I've pretty much picked out a crib, stroller, glider, and am now starting to research infant seats. We are planning to throw a shower in a month or so, before I get too huge. I've also lined up a baby nurse for the early weeks and am very far down the line with figuring out a nanny to help me during the week. I was originally going to wait on that but have been told so strenuously by so many people how much I'm going to need help with twins that I've changed my mind. I'm also in the process of ordering new windows and blackout curtains for the nursery, as well as childproofing all of our apartment windows. And finally, I'm designing a built-in closet in the nursery for all of their clothes & toys as well as cleaning out all of our existing closets to make room for all of the new gear.
So whew! A lot going on in the past few weeks, but it's all good stuff. My belly is growing steadily - I popped out another inch or two over the weekend, and am really starting to look like a twin mama now, I think. I've been feeling really good, except for the last few days, where I've started to get a little tired and hormonal - I think this is maybe associated with a little growth spurt by the babes.
More to come soon, I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!
And then there are the women who are still happily pregnant - furnishing nurseries, picking out names, posting their ultrasound pictures. It warms my heart to read about every milestone passed, every dream for the future.
But it's the strong, wonderful women who are still in the trenches that really move me. There were a couple of posts this week that broke my heart, and brought me back to those tense, awful days in my recent past. I have no words of wisdom - all of you are veterans, and know how to navigate the landmines associated with IF. I just wish each of you as much peace and strength as possible in the coming days, and the shortest point possible from here to getting your dream babies!
In other news, I've been very busy and productive preparing for the babies arrival. I've pretty much picked out a crib, stroller, glider, and am now starting to research infant seats. We are planning to throw a shower in a month or so, before I get too huge. I've also lined up a baby nurse for the early weeks and am very far down the line with figuring out a nanny to help me during the week. I was originally going to wait on that but have been told so strenuously by so many people how much I'm going to need help with twins that I've changed my mind. I'm also in the process of ordering new windows and blackout curtains for the nursery, as well as childproofing all of our apartment windows. And finally, I'm designing a built-in closet in the nursery for all of their clothes & toys as well as cleaning out all of our existing closets to make room for all of the new gear.
So whew! A lot going on in the past few weeks, but it's all good stuff. My belly is growing steadily - I popped out another inch or two over the weekend, and am really starting to look like a twin mama now, I think. I've been feeling really good, except for the last few days, where I've started to get a little tired and hormonal - I think this is maybe associated with a little growth spurt by the babes.
More to come soon, I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
And We're Having....
...two boys! Yep, that's right, we found out on Friday. I confess Hubby and I had a moment of slight disappointment (we wanted one boy and one girl) but we are just so happy that the babies are healthy and seem to be doing well.
The anatomy scan took quite some time as you can imagine with twins, and we didn't get everything. I'm going back in about a week to follow up on the last couple of measurements. But everything we saw looked good, and it's all starting to feel much more real to me.
So now I'm going to start getting the nursery together in earnest and also start thinking about names. I am excited to start this process - this is the fun part!
The anatomy scan took quite some time as you can imagine with twins, and we didn't get everything. I'm going back in about a week to follow up on the last couple of measurements. But everything we saw looked good, and it's all starting to feel much more real to me.
So now I'm going to start getting the nursery together in earnest and also start thinking about names. I am excited to start this process - this is the fun part!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
19 Weeks
Hi everyone, I've been back from vacation for a little while now and have been having a quiet week at home. California was great - we just ate our way through the state (mainly in SF and Napa), saw lots of friends and family along the way, and got to see some spectacular scenery at Yosemite. All and all, a really nice little break.
Couple pictures from Yosemite for your viewing pleasure:
Couple pictures from Yosemite for your viewing pleasure:
Lower Yosemite Falls.
"Tunnel View" - view from just outside a long tunnel in the park.
Best of all, I had an OB appointment on my first day back in town, and everything seems to be going well. I caught a brief glimpse of the babies on ultrasound - they don't have the greatest equipment there so the picture is kinda blurry, but from what I could see the babies seem to be growing a lot!
I am feeling little kicks and flutters more often now, and my belly definitely grew a couple of inches in the last 2 weeks. I think I look about 5 months pregnant, although I am only 4 and a bit. Sigh, I guess this is just how it's going to be!
Our anatomy scan is scheduled for this Friday - cannot wait to get a really good look at the little ones and, most importantly, find out if we're having boys or girls (or one of each!) I am praying they both look healthy and normal, and that we don't find any issues. Thankfully, the results of my Sequential Scan and Maternity 21 test (new DNA test for Trisomy 21, 18 & 13) were good so at least we are over that hurdle.
I am going to try to get a bunch of domestic projects done in the next couple months, including starting work on the nursery. We also need to: 1) lease a new car (twin friendly!), 2) order some missing furniture pieces for the house (all of which include more storage), 3) clean out our closets and make room for all of the new gear coming our way, and 4) figure out all of the baby gear we need to get for the little ones. I really want to get this done before I start getting too large and uncomfortable to handle these things. On top of that, I want to start going to the gym and exercising a bit more regularly. Nothing strenuous, just brisk walks on the treadmill and elliptical machine work. I started last night and am going to try to go 3 - 4 times a week.
I've pretty much caught up on everyone's blogs, and it seems like things are going pretty well. I cannot wait for those of you who are still waiting to get what you deserve. Hoping it's just around the corner for all of you.
I will just leave you with a picture of a bouquet of peonies that I took from the front garden of our upstate house. They were just magnificent, and since they were about to wilt I decided to cut them all off and bring them to the city to enjoy. Peonies are my absolute favorite flowers, so gorgeous and decadent!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
16 Weeks 3 Days - Bump Pic
Hello everyone, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post so I thought I'd give a little status update. I think I'm officially entering the "honeymoon" period of this pregnancy. Feeling much better overall - almost normal energy level, nausea has completely disappeared. Still hungry all the time and eating a lot, but I don't get that sick feeling when my stomach is empty anymore.
I've done a fair amount of shopping for maternity clothes in the last couple of weeks. I find it so relaxing compared to normal shopping. The customer service is great - free bottles of water, restrooms, attentive staff. And I like only having a limited selection - you just pick what fits and buy it, with none of the usual anxieties about whether there might be something better at another store, or if you should wait for things to go on sale. So simple!
I got a couple of requests on my last post for a bump picture, so I finally got around to taking some (see below). And for the rest of this update I think I'll shamelessly steal from a bunch of other ladies in terms of format. I'm off for my last vacation starting this Friday - will be spending a week in California (SF, Napa, and Yosemite), cannot wait. Will post again when I'm back!
How far along: 16 Weeks 3 days
Weight Gain: 11 - 12 pounds – yikes! I've kinda stopped weighing myself because it's too alarming to see the weight piling on, and I don't think I'm going to change anything in terms of my behavior. This isn't the time to start dieting, so it will be what it will be. And what it will be is huge!!
Baby: According to BabyCenter, the little ones are now 4.5 inches, or around the size of an avocado. So I have 9 inches of baby inside me right now!
Symptoms: Can feel my stomach and the extra weight when I walk now. My legs are definitely more tired than normal when I've been on my feet for a while. I can only imagine how it's going to feel later on! Nipples have gotten swollen and very tender in the last couple of weeks. Hair is thicker, and I've noticed that it doesn't get greasy anymore, even after a couple days of not washing it. I have also developed Linea Niagara (a dark line down the center of my belly) - my husband finds it fascinating.
Sleep: Sleeping pretty well except I have to get up to pee all of the time. No matter what I do I always seem to be dehydrated in the middle of the night. So then I drink water all night, which leads me to pee all night. But I'm able to go back to sleep each time no problem. I know this because I've been having the craziest, most vivid dreams every night.
Movement: I think I might have felt my first kicks this morning! I woke up to 3 or 4 sharp little popping sensations on my right side, accompanied by slight pain with each one. I can't be sure that's what it was, but I really think it might have been the baby kicking!
Best Moment of the Week: My husband's face when I told him I felt the baby kick this morning - pure bliss.
What I’m Looking Forward To: My vacation in California starting this Friday. And when we get back I'm really looking forward to our 19/20 week anatomy scan.
Gender: No clue, can't wait to find out!
Bumpdate: Okay, first pics are below. I am wearing a non-maternity dress because it's more fitted and makes me look a lot smaller (except for my boobs, which look huge no matter what!) When I wear looser maternity clothes I look way more pregnant. I am going to start taking more pictures now that the belly is definitely here. This is going to be a (hopefully) once in a lifetime experience, so I should document it!
Monday, May 7, 2012
14 Weeks
Today I am 14 weeks - can't believe how fast things are going. My belly is definitely protruding now, and many people have asked me if I am pregnant in the last couple of weeks. We did decide to go public with the news last week, and it's been both scary and fun telling people. I do have some lingering worries about "jinxing" the pregnancy by telling people, but I'm trying not to stress too much.
We got our results from the NT Scan, and we came back fairly low risk. We could have been lower, but the results were in a range that we felt comfortable saying we wouldn't do an amnio. There are two other blood tests for Down's that I will do next week, one of which is fairly new. Apparently between all three tests (NT, plus these two blood tests) your certainty rating goes up to 99%, so that's the option we are going to go with. I just don't want to risk miscarriage with the amnio.
I saw my OB a few days ago for a monthly checkup. She did a very quick ultrasound and we saw both hearts beating nice and strong. Her eyebrows went up a little when she saw my weight gain (6 pounds since the last appointment!) She said I was still fine but I should aim for more like 1/2 lb to 1lb weight gain per week (not >1lb!)
Luckily I think my appetite is starting to diminish a little bit, so I'm hoping I won't need to shovel food in my mouth nonstop in order to avoid feeling sick anymore. I'm not feeling a whole lot more energetic - still pretty darn tired most of the time - so exercise is still a challenge. I asked my doctor to check if I had anemia, as I've been feeling unusually tired the last couple of weeks.
Other than that, it's been a pleasant week. We've had a couple of guests in town and lots of social activities, which has been a nice change of pace from my relative isolation in the first trimester. I've also just finished planning our last vacation until the babies come - we're going to San Francisco to see my brother, then Yountville for a day to visit some friends and eat at a Thomas Keller restaurant, then Yosemite for a few days. I'm excited, it's been a while since I've left New York. I want to see trees and mountains and sky...
I hope everyone is doing well. A couple of you are due any minute now and I'm eagerly awaiting your first baby pictures!
We got our results from the NT Scan, and we came back fairly low risk. We could have been lower, but the results were in a range that we felt comfortable saying we wouldn't do an amnio. There are two other blood tests for Down's that I will do next week, one of which is fairly new. Apparently between all three tests (NT, plus these two blood tests) your certainty rating goes up to 99%, so that's the option we are going to go with. I just don't want to risk miscarriage with the amnio.
I saw my OB a few days ago for a monthly checkup. She did a very quick ultrasound and we saw both hearts beating nice and strong. Her eyebrows went up a little when she saw my weight gain (6 pounds since the last appointment!) She said I was still fine but I should aim for more like 1/2 lb to 1lb weight gain per week (not >1lb!)
Luckily I think my appetite is starting to diminish a little bit, so I'm hoping I won't need to shovel food in my mouth nonstop in order to avoid feeling sick anymore. I'm not feeling a whole lot more energetic - still pretty darn tired most of the time - so exercise is still a challenge. I asked my doctor to check if I had anemia, as I've been feeling unusually tired the last couple of weeks.
Other than that, it's been a pleasant week. We've had a couple of guests in town and lots of social activities, which has been a nice change of pace from my relative isolation in the first trimester. I've also just finished planning our last vacation until the babies come - we're going to San Francisco to see my brother, then Yountville for a day to visit some friends and eat at a Thomas Keller restaurant, then Yosemite for a few days. I'm excited, it's been a while since I've left New York. I want to see trees and mountains and sky...
I hope everyone is doing well. A couple of you are due any minute now and I'm eagerly awaiting your first baby pictures!
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