31 Week Ultrasound

I went for my 31 week ultrasound. It was awesome. I love seeing the babies. Both babies are head down so all of those times I've been feeling Alexis, it's been both of them kicking me (that explains a lot). She measured them, listened to their heartbeats, got some pictures, and checked my cervix.

Alexis weighs 3lbs 14oz, has a heartbeat of 141, and looks perfect. She is measuring 10 days ahead of the average singleton (3lbs 5oz) at 31 weeks. She gained roughly 2 pounds in the past 6 weeks.

Nathan weighs 4lbs 13oz, has a heartbeat of 134, and looks perfect. He is measuring 24 days ahead of the average singleton (3lbs 5oz) at 31 weeks. He gained roughly 3 pounds in the past 6 weeks.

I am happy to know that of the 6 pounds I've gained in the past 6 weeks, 5 of them were the babies. ;)

She checked my cervix and it was 5cm long, very thick, and closed. This is as good as it can be which is great because it means no pre-term labor issues and no bed rest. I am praying I stay closed, thick, and long the whole time, especially since I will be having a c-section anyways. I don't need to dialate.

So the doctor called me a couple of hours later and told me that they are perfect and I am good at growing big, healthy babies (Luke was a 9 pounder). We are going to plan a repeat c-section for 38 weeks. I am hoping to do it Friday, October 22nd, with my doctor. Of course I could have the babies before that, but I really hope they stay put until at least 36 weeks.

I am just so thankful for these blessings. Each time I see them, hear their heartbeats, and feel them move, I feel overwhelmed with thanksgiving. God has truly blessed us beyond measure. I am grateful for all of the prayers because I know that prayer is powerful and God hears and answers them. So far everything is perfect and I just pray it stays that way and we deliver hearty, healthy babies at term.

25 Week Doctor's Appointment and Ultrasound

Today I went for my 25 week doctor's appointment and ultrasound. Yes, I just had an ultrasound last week, but that was at the hospital with an ultrasound specialist. They do more when you have twins or are high-risk. It's fun to get to see them so much.

Well, everything was better than perfect. They looked great. Nathan gained 5oz since last week and weighed 1lb 13oz. He had a heartbeat of 130. Alexis gained 4oz since last week and weighed 1lb 14oz. She had a heartbeat of 140. So they both almost weigh 2 pounds. The best part is that they are measuring 6 and 9 days ahead of their due date (based on singletons). We got some great profile pics and some decent ones of them from the front. The first two are of Alexis (first - front, second - profile) and the second two are of Nathan (first - front, second - profile).




After the ultrasound, we had a regular checkup which was really more of a question and answer session since they had done an ultrasound and didn't need to measure my stomach and had already checked the heartbeats. I got weighed (gained 8 pounds for a total of 20) and had my blood pressure taken (perfect). Then we talked about things.

During my ultrasound they checked my cervix and it was almost 5cm thick/long which is better than perfect she said. She actually said, "I wish our singletons were that good." Basically it's a great indicator of pre-term labor risk, so I have very very very low risk. That is great news as I do not want to go on bedrest or have the babies early.

We discussed how I should take care of myself. I need to start taking 2000 units a day of Vitamin D to keep my risk of pre-term labor down, keep taking my prenatal vitamin, drink 120 oz a day of water, stay out of the heat (minus being in the pool), not do any lifting, rest, eat good, and just in general relax. All of those things sound good to me.

We discussed travel and she said I could probably go to the beach one more time in a few weeks but I had to come in and be checked first. After that I am on restriction which is fine since we figured I wouldn't want to travel anyways.

She told me that if everything keeps going the way it is going, my blood pressure stays good, and the babies keep growing (ie are doing better in there than they would do outside), there is no reason I can't go to 37 or even 38 weeks. I am praying I can do that and I think if I do we are going to have some nice-sized babies. I am thrilled!

24 Week Ultrasound

Today we went for our 24 week ultrasound. It was awesome! Both babies are still perfect. We did some quick measurements, double checked the genders (nothing changed - thank GOD!), measured their heartbeats, saw them with 2D as much as we could (Nathan was hard to see), and then got a 3D of Alexis' face. It was incredible!

Nathan (Baby A) was 1 lb 8 oz (3 oz bigger than average for a singleton at this point) and had a heartbeat of 143. He is also head down and very far down so most likely will stay that way (not that it matters as I will be having a c-section).

Alexis (Baby B) was 1 lb 10 oz (5 oz bigger than average for a singleton at this point) and had a heartbeat of 145. She is breech (again not that it matters).

Here are some pictures. We didn't get too many great pictures of Nathan, but a lot of Alexis.

Alexis' Sweet Face

Alexis' Profile

18 Week Ultrasound

We had our 18 week ultrasound today. It was great. Both of the babies measured perfectly (each weighed 8 oz), had no defects (including cleft lip which Ashley has), and had heartbeats of 148. Baby A is a boy and Baby B is a girl. We are naming them Nathan Reid and Alexis Faith. Here are the pictures from the ultrasound.Baby A - It's a boy!

Baby A - Profile

Baby B - Body

Baby B - Profile

Baby B - It's a girl!

12 Week Doctor's Appointment and Bonus Ultrasound

Today I went to my regular OB for a 12 week check-up. I figured I would just get the usual things done - weight, blood pressure, urine check, and a doppler heartbeat check. I got lucky and the doctor wanted to do an ultrasound to really make sure she saw both hearts beating and could tell their heartbeats were strong.

So I got to see our precious babies again. YAY! They looked just as cute as they did on Friday. Today they were turned the other way. We saw Baby B moving around a lot. We saw B's heart just a flickering. She said it was very strong. Baby A looked like it was sleeping. Baby B "kicked" Baby A and A started moving around like crazy. We saw A's heart flickering as strong as Baby B's. B's looked really strong also.

I didn't change weight by a single ounce which the doctor said is fine since the babies look good and I started out overweight. We discussed weight gain and she recommended about 0.6 pounds a week until the end. She said the main thing is to eat healthy when I am hungry. That is my focus. I am going to watch the scale but I am going to eat when hungry and aim to eat a lot of good healthy things - fruits, veggies, dairy, protein, whole grains, and water. I don't want to gain more than necessary but want the babies to get everything they need.

She said to come back in 4 weeks for another check-up. I don't know if they will do another ultrasound then as I will be 17 weeks and we did one with Luke at 18 weeks and found out his gender. They sent me to a specialist last time since I had a cleft to have more detailed ultrasounds done. I am pretty sure they will do that again, but I wouldn't mind finding out a little early what the genders are.

I am so happy that I am doing great and the babies are doing great. God is awesome and our prayers are being answered.

12 Week Ultrasound

We had our 12 week ultrasound today. It was awesome! Both babies are perfectly healthy. They measured them, looked at them, checked their heartbeats, and checked for Down's Syndrome indicators. Both babies measured great, looked great, had heartbeats of 165, and had no indicators of Down's Syndrome. I got my blood drawn for further analysis and will find out Tuesday what the chances of either baby having Down's Syndrome. We have no reason to think that either should. It was awesome. Here are the pictures.

Baby A - Measured 12 weeks, Heartbeat of 165Baby B - Measured 12 weeks, 3 days, Heartbeat of 165

Both Babies

I Feel Like a Kid at Christmas

Ever since we found out we were having twins and that we would get a bunch of extra ultrasounds, the next one being at 12 weeks, I started the countdown like a kid starts on the first day of December for Christmas. I kept saying, "Only 4 (3, 2, 1) week(s)". I googled what babies look like at 12 weeks in utero and got even more excited.

Well now we are exactly 4 days away and I cannot wait. I am really happy that we have a lot going on this week - Bible study, playdates, Durham Bulls game, and church - between now and Friday morning, not that I am wishing my days away, but so that we will have fun things to keep us busy and occupied until the big day.

We are going to a specialist that deals with high-risk pregnancies. All twin pregnancies are considered high-risk, but we are not high-risk based on anything else. They check you more, they do more ultrasounds, and overall they have to keep a closer eye on you (especially close to the end as pre-term labor is more common in multiple pregnancies).

We are potentially going to be getting a CVS done. CVS is Chorionic Villus Sampling and is basically a prenatal test that detects chromosomal abnormalities such as Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Disease, and more. It doesn't check for tubal issues. This is a procedure where they take a sample from the placenta(s) and test them. They also do the ultrasound to check on things as well.

At first, I was totally opposed to having it done as I would not terminate my babies no matter what their potential "defects" might be. Lee and I believe that all babies are a precious gift from God and are supposed to be here for a reason, whether they are "normal" or not. Plus, I am pro-life no matter what the situation. I also felt like if there is any risk, why take it.

I have thought and prayed about it, and I really don't think we are going to do it, but we are going to discuss it more with the counselor and/or doctor to see what the real pros are compared to the risks. I don't want to just close the door if it could potentially help the babies.

I ask that you would lift us up in prayer for the ultrasound and the potential test. Please pray that our minds will be calm when we go in to get the ultrasound done and that we will listen to the counselor, but then go to The Counselor for our decision. Please pray that whatever we do, The Physician will be with the physician during the procedure and keep the babies safe. Again, please pray that the babies are healthy and that the ultrasound and/or test will show exactly that.

God is in complete control of our lives, my pregnancy, and the lives of these babies. He knew them before the foundation of the world. He knew we would be their parents and that they would be our children before Lee and I were even born. He is knitting them together in my womb and has them in His hands. I have prayed a hedge of protection around them and myself and I know that He is watching over them all the time. He knows everything about them and has a perfect and wonderful plan for their lives. I can't wait to see them again and meet them this Fall.

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 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.