Well, I can honestly say that carrying two babies is much different than carring one. I didn't think I would feel or see a difference until maybe the halfway point or even further along. Well, I was wrong.
Things that are different with 2 than 1:
*Bladder - I have to go the bathroom at least 2 times an hour during waketime and I get up at least 3 times during the night. It doesn't matter how often I go, I always feel like I have to.
*Uterus stretching - I can feel my uterus stretching everyday. Sometimes it is a pulling ouchy sensation and other times I can just tell as my tummy seems bigger at the end of every day. I don't remember feeling that at all with Luke until a few months and even then it wasn't that much.
*Thirst - I could drink water all day long and find myself doing just that (which might have something to do with the bladder issues). I can tell the babies need more hydration than a singleton.
*Hunger - I am starving and must eat something every couple of hours. I don't eat massive quantities of food in any one setting, but I do find that I am needing to eat a lot more. The good thing is I am actually craving healthy stuff (fruits, pretzels, etc). I am going to try to eat a lot of good stuff and stay hydrated.
*Hormones altogether - I have lots of hormones. I can cry easier and much more. Things affect me more than they did with Luke. It's amazing how I can feel so much all the time. I thought I was an emotional person before this pregnancy.
*The need for rest - I can't do things for more than 30 minutes before I have to sit and prop my feet up for a while. I find myself needing a good 8 hours at night and a nap most days.
It is amazing how much happens and how fast with multiples. Even as little as they are right now, they have completely taken over my body and my life. I guess it is just in preparation for October.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
8 Week Survey
How Far Along? 8 weeks
Maternity Clothes? Yes, my belly is already expanding
Stretch Marks? Just from the previous pregnancy unfortunately
Sleep? For the most part I have been getting a good amount of sleep. I do wake up to go to the bathroom at least a couple of times at night. It is hard to get comfortable at times. I imagine it will only get more interesting.
Best Moment this Week? Our 8 week ultrasound where we saw the babies, measured them, saw and heard their heartbeats, but most surprisingly found out we were having TWINS!
Genders? We won't know for a couple more months unless something shows up on ultrasounds between now and then. I have a feeling at least one will be a girl. Who knows? With twins it is difficult to have a real feeling like I did with Luke.
Belly Button In or Out? In
Cravings? Water, Pineapple, Sour Patch Kids, Pretzels, Lemonade, French Fries, Carby Things
Aversions? Milk, Peanut Butter (can't even stand to smell it), Fish, Chicken at times
What I Miss? I missed caffeine for a couple of weeks, but now I have no desire for it.
What I Am Looking Forward to This Week? Eating, resting, growing the babies, and starting to make plans for the babies.
Milestones? We are past the 8 week mark, we saw both babies on the ultrasound, they had strong heartbeats, and measured perfectly. "They" say that if you see the babies and hear/see the heartbeats then your chances of miscarriage drop significantly.
Other Thoughts? I have been struggling with a little bit of anxiety that something might happen to one or both of the babies. I think it has something to do with my past miscarriage. I have to keep reminding myself that they both looked perfectly healthy on the ultrasound and that my miscarriage was very early last time. If you could pray for peace in my mind and heart that would be great.
Prayer Requests? Pray for peace in my mind and heart. Pray that I will be able to get things done and rest. Pray that I will be able to eat enough to grow healthy babies. Pray that the logistics will all work themselves out. THANKS!
Maternity Clothes? Yes, my belly is already expanding
Stretch Marks? Just from the previous pregnancy unfortunately
Sleep? For the most part I have been getting a good amount of sleep. I do wake up to go to the bathroom at least a couple of times at night. It is hard to get comfortable at times. I imagine it will only get more interesting.
Best Moment this Week? Our 8 week ultrasound where we saw the babies, measured them, saw and heard their heartbeats, but most surprisingly found out we were having TWINS!
Genders? We won't know for a couple more months unless something shows up on ultrasounds between now and then. I have a feeling at least one will be a girl. Who knows? With twins it is difficult to have a real feeling like I did with Luke.
Belly Button In or Out? In
Cravings? Water, Pineapple, Sour Patch Kids, Pretzels, Lemonade, French Fries, Carby Things
Aversions? Milk, Peanut Butter (can't even stand to smell it), Fish, Chicken at times
What I Miss? I missed caffeine for a couple of weeks, but now I have no desire for it.
What I Am Looking Forward to This Week? Eating, resting, growing the babies, and starting to make plans for the babies.
Milestones? We are past the 8 week mark, we saw both babies on the ultrasound, they had strong heartbeats, and measured perfectly. "They" say that if you see the babies and hear/see the heartbeats then your chances of miscarriage drop significantly.
Other Thoughts? I have been struggling with a little bit of anxiety that something might happen to one or both of the babies. I think it has something to do with my past miscarriage. I have to keep reminding myself that they both looked perfectly healthy on the ultrasound and that my miscarriage was very early last time. If you could pray for peace in my mind and heart that would be great.
Prayer Requests? Pray for peace in my mind and heart. Pray that I will be able to get things done and rest. Pray that I will be able to eat enough to grow healthy babies. Pray that the logistics will all work themselves out. THANKS!
8 Week Ultrasound Pictures
Here are the rest of the pictures from the 8 week ultrasound. Enjoy! :)
This is a picture of both of the babies.
This is a picture of Baby A measuring 1.41 cm and 7 weeks 5 days gestational age.
This is a picture of Baby B showing a heartbeat of 158.
This is a picture of Baby B measuring 1.27 cm and 7 weeks 4 days gestational age.
This is a picture of both of the babies.
This is a picture of Baby A showing the heartbeat of 154.
This is a picture of Baby A measuring 1.33 cm and 7 weeks 4 days gestational age.
This is a picture of Baby A measuring 1.41 cm and 7 weeks 5 days gestational age.
This is a picture of Baby B showing a heartbeat of 158.
This is a picture of Baby B measuring 1.27 cm and 7 weeks 4 days gestational age.Nutrition and Weight Gain while Carrying Multiples
I am learning so much everyday about twins, carrying multiples, and how to take care of them once you get them safely delivered into the world. One of my major concerns was with gaining weight during pregnancy with the twins. I am overweight going into this pregnancy and if it was a singleton pregnancy, I wasn't planning to gain much because it is okay not to with one baby if you are overweight.
I found a great book called "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy." It's all about nutrition and weight gain while carrying multiples. It goes through how much weight you need to gain in total with twins, triplets, or quads if you are underweight, regular weight, or overweight when you start your pregnancy. It then gives you the high and low necessary weight gain for each category. It also breaks it down into how much you should gain by each couple of weeks.
I learned so many interesting things. First, it doesn't matter what your starting weight is, you MUST gain a good amount of weight when carrying twins. For my weight level, I HAVE TO gain between 30 and 35 pounds. I also learned that when carrying twins you MUST gain the weight fast (before 28 weeks) as they don't have as long of a gestational age. Most twins are born by 37 weeks if not even earlier. If you don't gain weight, your babies will suffer much more than a single baby.
Well, this was partly exciting and partly overwhelming because so far I have lost 2 pounds (even though my stomach already looks about 2-3 months pregnant). I should have gained about 5-7 pounds by now. So, I am on a mission to gain some weight. I never thought I would have a hard time with needing to gain weight, but I started thinking it was one and that I wouldn't need to gain more than 15 to 20 pounds.
I have to eat around 3,500 calories, aim to get a lot of really good stuff into my diet each day:
4 servings of dairy
Lots of protein
Lots of fiber/whole grains
Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Lots of water
Limit soda (it breaks down the babies' ability to absorb calcium and iron)
This is going to be a challenge as I already feel full after just eating a little bit. I am going to be working on eating every couple of hours so that I can still get in the amount of calories I need.
My number one priority right now is these babies. I want to gain whatever necessary to help them achieve an optimal birth weight. I want to be able to carry them as long as possible to help them be as healthy as possible. I also want to stay very peaceful, calm, and rested so that I don't get my blood pressure up so that we don't have any problems. These babies are soooooo important to me already. I want both healthfully and happily brought into the world.
Please pray for me as I carry these babies, healthfully gain weight, and nourish the twins.
I found a great book called "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy." It's all about nutrition and weight gain while carrying multiples. It goes through how much weight you need to gain in total with twins, triplets, or quads if you are underweight, regular weight, or overweight when you start your pregnancy. It then gives you the high and low necessary weight gain for each category. It also breaks it down into how much you should gain by each couple of weeks.
I learned so many interesting things. First, it doesn't matter what your starting weight is, you MUST gain a good amount of weight when carrying twins. For my weight level, I HAVE TO gain between 30 and 35 pounds. I also learned that when carrying twins you MUST gain the weight fast (before 28 weeks) as they don't have as long of a gestational age. Most twins are born by 37 weeks if not even earlier. If you don't gain weight, your babies will suffer much more than a single baby.
Well, this was partly exciting and partly overwhelming because so far I have lost 2 pounds (even though my stomach already looks about 2-3 months pregnant). I should have gained about 5-7 pounds by now. So, I am on a mission to gain some weight. I never thought I would have a hard time with needing to gain weight, but I started thinking it was one and that I wouldn't need to gain more than 15 to 20 pounds.
I have to eat around 3,500 calories, aim to get a lot of really good stuff into my diet each day:
4 servings of dairy
Lots of protein
Lots of fiber/whole grains
Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Lots of water
Limit soda (it breaks down the babies' ability to absorb calcium and iron)
This is going to be a challenge as I already feel full after just eating a little bit. I am going to be working on eating every couple of hours so that I can still get in the amount of calories I need.
My number one priority right now is these babies. I want to gain whatever necessary to help them achieve an optimal birth weight. I want to be able to carry them as long as possible to help them be as healthy as possible. I also want to stay very peaceful, calm, and rested so that I don't get my blood pressure up so that we don't have any problems. These babies are soooooo important to me already. I want both healthfully and happily brought into the world.
Please pray for me as I carry these babies, healthfully gain weight, and nourish the twins.
Friday, March 26, 2010
A Million Things Going Through Our Minds
Well it's only been a day and a half since we found out that we are having twins. In that time, I have already had what feels like a million thoughts going through my mind and I think most of our family has been thinking the same things.
Main Things I Have Been Thinking:
1) Everything related to the pregnancy - "Will they be safe, healthy, grow right?" "How long will I be able to carry them, full-term, longer?" "How big will I get?"
2) Everything related to the birth - "When will it be?" "How long will they be in the hospital?"
3) Everything related to the early stages - "Will we get sleep?" "How will we feed them?" "Will they wake each other up?" "Will they wake Luke up?" "Will they get on a routine like Luke did?"
4) Everything related to logistics - "How will we set up our house, the nursery, our lives for these babies?" "Will I be able to pick Luke up on time from preschool with two babies?" "Will we be able to go to church before the babies are 1?" "How will we keep all that laundry up?" "How many diapers are we going to go through each day/week?"
It's overwhelming when I think too much. I am just going to take it little by little. Just today my awesome sister told me she would loan me her crib, glider, highchair, and carseat. My mom is going to loan me her pack n play that matches the one I have. I know that God will provide for our every need. I know that people will do everything they can to help us. I also know that I have the most amazing husband who will do anything to make our lives easier and better.
Please pray for my potential to worry, the health of me and the babies, and that all of those questions will be answered in due time. :)
Main Things I Have Been Thinking:
1) Everything related to the pregnancy - "Will they be safe, healthy, grow right?" "How long will I be able to carry them, full-term, longer?" "How big will I get?"
2) Everything related to the birth - "When will it be?" "How long will they be in the hospital?"
3) Everything related to the early stages - "Will we get sleep?" "How will we feed them?" "Will they wake each other up?" "Will they wake Luke up?" "Will they get on a routine like Luke did?"
4) Everything related to logistics - "How will we set up our house, the nursery, our lives for these babies?" "Will I be able to pick Luke up on time from preschool with two babies?" "Will we be able to go to church before the babies are 1?" "How will we keep all that laundry up?" "How many diapers are we going to go through each day/week?"
It's overwhelming when I think too much. I am just going to take it little by little. Just today my awesome sister told me she would loan me her crib, glider, highchair, and carseat. My mom is going to loan me her pack n play that matches the one I have. I know that God will provide for our every need. I know that people will do everything they can to help us. I also know that I have the most amazing husband who will do anything to make our lives easier and better.
Please pray for my potential to worry, the health of me and the babies, and that all of those questions will be answered in due time. :)
The Beginning of Ash & Lee Plus 3
So yesterday I went to my first official doctor's appointment. I had blood drawn a couple of times to check the HCG levels right after I found out that I was pregnant (around 4ish weeks). Yesterday was my 8 week appointment where you get the full physical (won't go into that), they check your blood again, and give you an ultrasound (at least that is how they do it at my doctor's office).
Well after I had had all the less-fun stuff done, we did the ultrasound. After what happened last time I prayed that I would see a healthy baby. We did!!! She measured the baby and (s)he measured right at the due date. We saw the heartbeat and listened to it (one of the most amazing things in the world). The heartbeat was strong (in the 150s). Tears had already filled my eyes and my heart was full.
Then the technician said, "Here's something you probably didn't expect." I said, "Twins?!?!" She said, "YES!" I said, "Are you serious?!" She said, "YES!" Then we checked to make sure it wasn't just an empty sac. It's crazy how quickly Lee and I both thought, "Please let it be another healthy baby." Sure enough we saw another blob. She measured it and it measured around the same as the first (a day or two younger). Then we saw another strong heartbeat (in the 150s). This time laughter filled the room.
Everything looked great. We got the whole run-down on twins (more check-ups, more ultrasounds, what else to expect). The due date is the same (November 5th) but they said we hope to go 37 weeks (October 15th). We are thrilled to add two blessings to our family this Autumn.
If you could keep me and the babies in your prayers that would be great.
PS I give all the praise, honor, and glory for this pregnancy and these twins to God. Lots of prayer went into this pregnancy and I believe with all my heart that He not only heard but answered the fervent prayers of many. Thank you for praying!
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