Week 31 - Ultrasound

It's amazing what can be learned from an ultrasound that you can't get from a regular doctor's visit. Thursday I had my doctor's visit and I left feeling like everything was fabulous. Friday was a different story.

During the ultrasound I learned that Baby A (Jackson) only weighs 3 lbs and Baby B (Brooks) weighs 4 lbs. 1 oz. I also found out that my cervix is shortening and getting thinner which puts me at risk for preterm labor. I go back for another ultrasound in 2 weeks. If at that time the baby's weights are still drastically different then the situation will be addressed at that time (not 100% sure what he meant by this). He said it could just be that all babies are different and grow at different rates or it could be something wrong with the placenta. Cross you fingers that all goes well in 2 weeks. I need Brooks to quit stealing all the nutrients and to let Jackson have some!

He told me to take it easy and to try to stay off my feet. I left the office with my head spinning.

Sunday we went to the hospital for the bi-weekly Non-Stress Test. I got to lay in a hospital bed for about an hour with my belly connected to a fetal monitor. Both babies did great during the test; I go back again on Thursday morning. I'm eager to go to the doctor on Thursday to see what he recommends after all these findings.

We have a baby shower at our house on Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing all our family and friends. Plus it gives me reason to get the house completed, cleaned and nursey finished!

Week 31 - Doc Appointment

Everything went great at the doctor this morning.

Blood pressure and weight gain are both in check, heartbeats are good; we are moving right along.

From this point on I will see Dr. S. once a week, I have to go to Mercy Hospital every Sunday and Thursday for a Non-Stress Test (NST) and I have two more ultrasounds (one tomorrow and then again in about 3 weeks.) I didn't realize that towards the end the babies would be monitored this much.

The NST checks their fetal heart rate while they are in motion. I have to eat before I go to insure the babies are awake. This is a standard test performed to confirm that both babies are doing well. Since I have twins, I need the test twice a week. Here is more detailed information on a NST and what it tests.

I will report tomorrow on the ultrasound. I can't wait to see out how much the munchkins have grown!

We've decided to do a c-section so unless the babies try to come early expect their arrival sometime the week of November 8th.

Doctor's Appointment - 27 Weeks

Each time I go to the doctor the same things happens. I pee in a cup, I get on the scale, they check my blood pressure, listen to the heart beats and then the doctor measures my belly with a measuring tape (real scientific, right?!). This is a very subjective measurement that basically gives the doctor an indication of how the babies are growing.

Week 27 appointment went as usual. Pee in a cup, weigh, blood pressure check, heart beats (good) and then out comes the measuring tape.

Doctor S. measured my belly and said that he didn't think I was meausuring as big as I should for this far along in the pregnancy and for having twins. He went back to his charts several times to see what I measured last month and I had grown 2 inches but he didn't think that was really enough. He said that since I had an ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday that we would know more about what was going on then. He didn't seem too overly concerned, but then again Doctor S. has a good poker face. So, that was that and I left the office.

After my appointment I went to Panera to get some breakfast and while I was there my cell phone rang. It was Doctor S. He said that he had been thinking about it and decided that he wanted me to have the ultrasound on Friday instead of waiting until Tuesday. Now I was concerned. I could hardly concentrate the rest of the day and I didn’t sleep Thursday night. Was something wrong with my babies?

All the worrying was for nothing! Both babies are doing great. Baby A weighs 2 lbs. 1 oz and Baby B weighs 2 lbs. 5 oz. Baby A is head down and Baby B is head up. I go back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound. At this rate, they are predicting that the babies will weigh close to 7 lbs if I carry all the way to 37 weeks. I can’t believe I could have TWO 7 lb babies in my belly!

I’m ready for them to get here so I can stop worry about them. I know, I know…I will worry about them until the day I die, but at least I can quit worrying about their safe arrival. Then I can move on to worrying about something else!

9 weeks and counting!

Doctor's Appointment - 23 Weeks

This morning I saw my doctor for my monthly visit. During this visit I learned quite a few things. First of all, he reminded me again that I’m carrying TWO babies and not one and second of all, that anything I’ve been told about carrying one does not apply to carrying two. Everything is different with two. With that being said…here is a recap of my visit.

• Earlier in the week, I had a bit of a fainting spell and have been very tired. He told me that I have low blood pressure and it is especially low for carrying twins. It’s very important that I stay hydrated to keep my blood pressure from dropping, which is why I almost fainted on Monday.
  
  
• I gained a whooping 8 lbs. this month! Yes, you read that correctly…that is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. This brings the grand total to 18. I knew these babies had grown…just didn’t realize I grew that much too, although Sabrina did point out on Saturday that I now have a "booty".
  
  
• The doctor asked me if I was still working full-time and I basically looked at him like he was crazy. “Why wouldn’t I still be working full-time”, I thought. He said that bed rest is common when carrying twins; therefore, I need to limit my extracurricular activities to try to keep bed rest at bay. He said I’m to rest after work and on the weekends and that I may have to cut back my hours at work as we get closer to D-Day. I’m not very good at doing nothing. I’m glad the nursery is painted so I won’t have to worry with that project and I guess washing the cars is now out of the picture.

• In my opinion, he used the words “high risk” too many times during our conversation, but it is what it is. Having twins is high risk.
  
  
• I got to hear the heart beat of Ellis and Jackson. They are doing great!

A friend of mine had twins last November and she's been warning me about all these things. I will admit that I have doubted all she’s said up until now. This pregnancy has been so easy that I figured her issues wouldn’t be my issues. All I can do is take it one day at a time and hope for the best and remind myself that I can only control what I can control…rest and relax.

On a lighter note, when I told the Doc that my belly exploded this month…he laughed and said “just wait until next month.” Thanks Doc for making me laugh. I needed it today!

My next appointment is in 4 weeks when they will screen me for gestational diabetes. After that I see him ever two weeks and then every week. The next ultrasound is scheduled for Sept. 7 (28 weeks). Sept. 7 can't get here soon enough!

This and That

It was an exciting week with the news of us having boys coupled with a little vacation in Colorado, then it was back to reality. Here’s a recap.

18 Week Ultrasound -

I'm half way through this pregnancy which meant it was time for the ultrasound. I was so anxious leading up to the big day that sleeping somehow just got overlooked.

We arrived at the doctor's office to see a newly hatched baby girl in the waiting room. She couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. Will I have one or two of those, I asked myself? Within a matter of minutes I would find out.

We were then led to a room that had mood lighting and a really large plasma TV hanging on the wall. If it wasn't for the doctor's examining table, you would have thought we were getting ready to watch a movie.

It's was now time for Baby A to show it's stuff...and there it was in all its glory up on the big screen. Yes, we are having a boy. I looked over at Trent and he was BEAMING! He always wanted a boy and here he was. He asked the nurse if she was certain that it was a boy and she confirmed. Leave it to Trent to double and triple check everything...including the sex of this baby.

Now it was Baby B's turn and it's Boy #2 for the Bridges'.

As soon as the technician left the room, Trent pulled out his phone and a flurry of texts were on their way. He was one happy man!

Next the doctor came in and looked over everything and said we were good to go.

After the appointment we went to lunch and savored the news and our time together. It was such a relief knowing that both babies were doing great and pretty close to the same size. Baby A weighed 8 oz and Baby B weighed 9 oz.

For selfish reasons, I was really hoping for a boy and a girl but two healthy boys is just as wonderful and exciting. Having two of the same sex means they can wear the same clothes, play with the same toys and share a bedroom.

I'm going to have my hands full. Testosterone is about to rule our house!

I tried to scan a few pictures from the ultrasound, but they didn't come out very clear. I'll try to get the DVD of the ultrasound uploaded for those interested to see. It was one of the coolest things we have ever experienced (and yes, I just used the word “cool”). Seeing those two little lives moving around inside me really put it all into perspective. We saw 20 toes, 20 fingers, 4 hands, 4 feet, etc. Technology has come a long way and the 4D ultrasound showed their faces with such clarity (even if they did look a bit alien like).

Baby Names -

We are pretty sure we have the names narrowed down.

Baby A – Jackson Trent Bridges
Baby B - Ellis Clayton Bridges

Kathleen made them their first monogrammed onesies. They are so cute and tiny! Thank you Aunt Kathleen.


Vacation –

We spent a few days in Denver/Boulder, Colorado with good friends. We went to a Rockies game, enjoyed some down time, a little hiking, and partook in a lot of eating!

Since horseback riding is one of the frowned upon activities for a pregnant woman, I went hiking while others went for a ride in the mountains. Here is a picture of “the Duke” and a “Man with No Name”. Yes, they named themselves prior to the ride.

We all went hiking on July 4th. The scenic view in the mountains was breathtaking and I swear the sky is much bluer up in the mountains. We had a lot fun and did not want to return to the heat and humidity of Oklahoma.

Baby A and Baby B

Baby A and Baby B still seem like a figment of my imagination. Even though I know they are in there, until I actually see them at the ultrasound, it still seems a little unreal. Can two lives really be inside me?

A friend of ours had a baby girl on Monday. Her new born pictures were so precious. It's still hard for me to grasp the fact that two of those are going to come out of me!

We find out the sex of the babies on Tuesday! Baby A and Baby B will finally have names (or at least we can start narrowing down the list anyways).

If you haven't voted for what we are going to have you only a few more days.

We are officially in countdown mode!

Out of the Woods

Soon after we found out about having twins, we read in a couple of books about the Vanishing Twin Syndrome. This is where one of the babies during the first trimester quits growing and is absorbed back into the body. Needless to say, we have had a lot on the brain since learning about this syndrome. My friend Sean, who is a baby doctor, recommended that we quit worrying and quit reading books and the internet. Turns out she was right!

I haven’t been able to concentrate or think much about anything else leading up to today’s appointment. I told the doctor I just wanted to see that both babies are still in there. He looked at me like “what, you don’t think they still are?” I’m pretty sure he thought I was crazy!

The ultrasound confirmed that both babies are in fact still inside and doing great. We got to see them move all around. I can’t even put into words what a sight this was. They are little wiggle worms. To see them progress from two miniature peanuts just four weeks ago to two actual bodies with heads and arms and legs was breathtaking. Mother Nature is somethin' else!

Doctor is 80% certain they are not identical twins. We'll find out the sex in 7 weeks. Trent is pretty confident they are boys!


I feel like I can breathe again! We are out of the woods.

Twins!

We had to wait a couple of weeks before seeing the doctor for the first time. Oh, how the days dragged by. But once we did our lives forever changed...again. Twins! I still can't believe it. I wish I could have seen Trent's face when the doctor told us, but I was too busy looking at the monitor that I quite frankly wasn't sure what I was looking at.
The doctor pointed out the two new lives and we heard two heart beats. I still get choked up thinking about it. We are truly blessed!