Today, I am 20 weeks along. I have been seeing the doctor every week to have my cervical length measured and to check blood pressure, weight, glucose, etc. since twin pregnancies are at a higher risk.
I cannot express how excited I am to have finally reached the halfway point of this pregnancy. It has been rough thus far, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The thought of meeting my new family is so exciting.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
It's a Boy and a Girl! (18 weeks)
It has been a while since I've updated. At my last appointment, we found out that with 99% certainty, we are having a boy and a girl. The little girl is up higher and the boy is lower. Right now, they are right underneath my belly button. I can feel fluttering every now and then but it isn't as constant as I would like. I want to be able to feel them move all the time. I can't wait. Both are doing well. They have strong heartbeats and their gestational age is a few days ahead of their actual age. At this rate, they may run out of room before their due date. (Hopefully not too much sooner.)
We've purchased a few onesies and some diapers. I made a registry at Babies R Us and Target so I wouldn't forget any of the stuff I liked. It's never too early to start planning for these little ones. We're still living in the rental house in West Fort Worth. It sucks. This house is too small and it is in such horrible shape. I trip over something everytime I walk around and I'm worried that I'm going to fall and hurt the babies here soon. We're still in this lawsuit with the builder. Our trial date is set for June. I'm praying that they will just buy it back. Kevin and I don't like living there. We have the lot that we want to build on but we have to sell this house first. We just sent an email to a broker to have it listed on the MLS websites. Hopefully we can sell it soon so that we have time to get this other house built and a nursery set up before the babies are born.
This pregnancy has taken its toll. I am fortunate to not be vomiting anymore. Or at least I haven't in the past three weeks. Whew! Now, I have carpal tunnel in both wrists and swelling around my right ankle. It kills me to stand for very long and my wrists are in pain every morning. It is difficult to turn door knobs, brush my teeth, or anything else that requires me to grab or hold anything. It's not too bad compared to what some women have. I can handle it. If I deliver at 36 weeks, then I am half way there!
I'll write more soon.
Charla
We've purchased a few onesies and some diapers. I made a registry at Babies R Us and Target so I wouldn't forget any of the stuff I liked. It's never too early to start planning for these little ones. We're still living in the rental house in West Fort Worth. It sucks. This house is too small and it is in such horrible shape. I trip over something everytime I walk around and I'm worried that I'm going to fall and hurt the babies here soon. We're still in this lawsuit with the builder. Our trial date is set for June. I'm praying that they will just buy it back. Kevin and I don't like living there. We have the lot that we want to build on but we have to sell this house first. We just sent an email to a broker to have it listed on the MLS websites. Hopefully we can sell it soon so that we have time to get this other house built and a nursery set up before the babies are born.
This pregnancy has taken its toll. I am fortunate to not be vomiting anymore. Or at least I haven't in the past three weeks. Whew! Now, I have carpal tunnel in both wrists and swelling around my right ankle. It kills me to stand for very long and my wrists are in pain every morning. It is difficult to turn door knobs, brush my teeth, or anything else that requires me to grab or hold anything. It's not too bad compared to what some women have. I can handle it. If I deliver at 36 weeks, then I am half way there!
I'll write more soon.
Charla
Sunday, March 7, 2010
13 Weeks
We had our 12 week appointment with the doc on Feb. 25th and it was the first time we had actually seen a head, torso, legs and arms of each baby! It was even more exciting when we saw one of our little jumping beans kicking his or her feet. I looked over at Kevin and asked if he saw it. Of course he said yes. I am still nauseated and throwing up every day or so. The doc has instructed me to be proactive with my use of phenergan. She wants me to take it even before I feel sick so I can improve the quality of my life and not throw up so much. One day, I actually threw up six times starting at 1 a.m. She also said that if I continue to throw up, it's possible that I'll end up having to have an IV started to rehydrate. I still have to take the phenergen every 6 hours or so because the nausea is so bad. I missed half a days work last Thursday because it was so bad. I'm exhausted too, but then again, with two babies, it makes sense. I'm praying that I will not have this nausea for the entire pregnancy. Even if I do, the extension of our family is worth it.
At 12-1/2 weeks, I swear that I could feel the little flutterings of the babies. It felt like butterflies, but it isn't anything I have ever experienced. I haven't felt it in a day or two, but I think they changed positions on me. I can't wait to feel and let Kevin feel the kicks of both babies. I think we have another three weeks to go for that. At our last appointment, the sonographer said he could tell the genders during the next sonogram, which will be again on March 15th. Hopefully he can see something that day! I can't wait. Vomiting and nausea aside, this is a truly amazing experience.
Charla and Kevin
At 12-1/2 weeks, I swear that I could feel the little flutterings of the babies. It felt like butterflies, but it isn't anything I have ever experienced. I haven't felt it in a day or two, but I think they changed positions on me. I can't wait to feel and let Kevin feel the kicks of both babies. I think we have another three weeks to go for that. At our last appointment, the sonographer said he could tell the genders during the next sonogram, which will be again on March 15th. Hopefully he can see something that day! I can't wait. Vomiting and nausea aside, this is a truly amazing experience.
Charla and Kevin
Monday, February 15, 2010
10 Weeks
It was snowing on the day of our last doctor's appointment (Thursday, February 11th) so they moved up my appointment by an hour and a half so they could get out of there earlier. I saw the sonographer first. Both babies are strong and active. One had a heartbeat of 170 bpm and the other had a hearbeat of 180 bpm. The sonographer said that he would be able to tell us the sex in about four weeks. I'm so excited.
Two hours after I got there, I finally saw Dr. Bradford. She had been called away to do a delivery. She came into the room wearing her surgical booties. She confirmed that everything looked great and requested that I see her again in two weeks to hear the heartbeats with a doppler. Normal pregnancies require you to see the doctor every four weeks. Twin pregnancies require every two weeks since they are considered high-risk.
The past few weeks have been challenging to say the least. I have had nausea everyday and I throw up every other day. This has decreased from twice everyday. Most pregnant women don't actually throw up but the symptoms are exaggerated with twins. I can't sleep past 8 hours at a time, even though I'm more exhausted than I've ever been. I start to feel nauseated because there's no food in my stomach. There have actually been times that I've woken up at 4 a.m. to grab a bowl of cereal just so I would have something to throw up. The first trimester is a rough road, but it will get better.
At this point, so many things are going through my mind. Kevin and I want a new house. We're in a rental, which is less than 1,000 square feet. It's extremely small, doors don't close all the way, and cold air from outside is let in. The toilet doesn't work well. I could go on and on. Kevin is talking to the guy at the bank about what we can do to get a loan approved so we can get this new house started. Ultimately, we need to sell the other house to do so. It's complicated by the ongoing three year lawsuit with the builder of our other house. Kevin and I have been in this lawsuit since we got married so we haven't had much time together without some kind of stress. It kills me that some people have no pride in their work and they can't take responsibility for the terrible job they did. Of course, it's all about money and it's all about them. Where are the people who truly care about others? I'm convinced that they don't exist anymore.I do not want to raise two babies in this house...even for one minute. I have always dreamt of being able to decorate the nursery and have everything set up when they arrived. I am really worried that this won't happen and that we will have to move again with two babies.
On the flip side, we are already shopping for baby stuff. We got some unisex clothes the other day and a travel diaper changer. We're still debating on a crib and changing table. We actually found a perfect one at Babies 'R Us. It has the crib and the changing table connected. We have plenty of time to look, so we'll see.
Kevin is starting to get more involved. He is helping me out a lot. Most of the time, I can't stand for very long without nausea so Kevin takes over and does whatever I can't. Of course, I'm sure I will have to pay for it when I feel better. Time will tell.
Two hours after I got there, I finally saw Dr. Bradford. She had been called away to do a delivery. She came into the room wearing her surgical booties. She confirmed that everything looked great and requested that I see her again in two weeks to hear the heartbeats with a doppler. Normal pregnancies require you to see the doctor every four weeks. Twin pregnancies require every two weeks since they are considered high-risk.
The past few weeks have been challenging to say the least. I have had nausea everyday and I throw up every other day. This has decreased from twice everyday. Most pregnant women don't actually throw up but the symptoms are exaggerated with twins. I can't sleep past 8 hours at a time, even though I'm more exhausted than I've ever been. I start to feel nauseated because there's no food in my stomach. There have actually been times that I've woken up at 4 a.m. to grab a bowl of cereal just so I would have something to throw up. The first trimester is a rough road, but it will get better.
At this point, so many things are going through my mind. Kevin and I want a new house. We're in a rental, which is less than 1,000 square feet. It's extremely small, doors don't close all the way, and cold air from outside is let in. The toilet doesn't work well. I could go on and on. Kevin is talking to the guy at the bank about what we can do to get a loan approved so we can get this new house started. Ultimately, we need to sell the other house to do so. It's complicated by the ongoing three year lawsuit with the builder of our other house. Kevin and I have been in this lawsuit since we got married so we haven't had much time together without some kind of stress. It kills me that some people have no pride in their work and they can't take responsibility for the terrible job they did. Of course, it's all about money and it's all about them. Where are the people who truly care about others? I'm convinced that they don't exist anymore.I do not want to raise two babies in this house...even for one minute. I have always dreamt of being able to decorate the nursery and have everything set up when they arrived. I am really worried that this won't happen and that we will have to move again with two babies.
On the flip side, we are already shopping for baby stuff. We got some unisex clothes the other day and a travel diaper changer. We're still debating on a crib and changing table. We actually found a perfect one at Babies 'R Us. It has the crib and the changing table connected. We have plenty of time to look, so we'll see.
Kevin is starting to get more involved. He is helping me out a lot. Most of the time, I can't stand for very long without nausea so Kevin takes over and does whatever I can't. Of course, I'm sure I will have to pay for it when I feel better. Time will tell.
Friday, January 22, 2010
TWINS!
That's right...twins! We waited to see the doctor for about an hour before we had the ultrasound done. I had been sick with a cold (and morning sickness) for the past week. I missed three days of work because of it. As soon as I got in the doctor's office, my head started to feel heavy, so I stood up and walked around. Then, I started to feel nauseated and light-headed so I grabbed a wet paper towel and put it on my neck. The nurse saw me and asked if I was okay. I asked if they had some crackers, which she was able to provide me, along with some Sprite. It helped for the moment.
When I finally got called back, the doc performed a transvaginal sonogram (since the babies are so small). I have been reading seven different pregnancy books, so I had an idea of what to expect and what to look for. I knew that we should be able to see the heartbeat on the screen but I figured it was a little too early to hear it. Dr. Kaufmann asked how many babies we wanted and when we said two, he said, "Your wish is my command." Sure enough...two little black areas showed up on the screen. After a little manuevering, we saw a grey shadow...Baby A. Then a second grey shadow...Baby B. The nurse pointed out the heartbeat and when they saw both heartbeats, they turned the sound on. I couldn't look away from the screen! How amazing! Baby A had a heartbeat of 117.19 bpm and Baby B had a heartbeat of 131.58 bpm.
It still hasn't totally sunk in yet. Two of everything: crib, clothes, stroller, bouncy seat, etc. and DOUBLE the diapers! We're going to be swimming in diapers! It's going to be a challenge, but people do it everyday. I'm sure we can handle it. The toughest part for us will be picking out names. We're struggling finding one name that we both like, much less two.
I have another appointment with my new OB next Thursday so I will write more then. In the meantime, I will continue to struggle with this cold and morning, noon and evening sickness. :(
Heartbeat Pics:
Baby A
Baby B
When I finally got called back, the doc performed a transvaginal sonogram (since the babies are so small). I have been reading seven different pregnancy books, so I had an idea of what to expect and what to look for. I knew that we should be able to see the heartbeat on the screen but I figured it was a little too early to hear it. Dr. Kaufmann asked how many babies we wanted and when we said two, he said, "Your wish is my command." Sure enough...two little black areas showed up on the screen. After a little manuevering, we saw a grey shadow...Baby A. Then a second grey shadow...Baby B. The nurse pointed out the heartbeat and when they saw both heartbeats, they turned the sound on. I couldn't look away from the screen! How amazing! Baby A had a heartbeat of 117.19 bpm and Baby B had a heartbeat of 131.58 bpm.
It still hasn't totally sunk in yet. Two of everything: crib, clothes, stroller, bouncy seat, etc. and DOUBLE the diapers! We're going to be swimming in diapers! It's going to be a challenge, but people do it everyday. I'm sure we can handle it. The toughest part for us will be picking out names. We're struggling finding one name that we both like, much less two.
I have another appointment with my new OB next Thursday so I will write more then. In the meantime, I will continue to struggle with this cold and morning, noon and evening sickness. :(
Heartbeat Pics:
Baby A
Baby BTuesday, January 12, 2010
5-1/2 Weeks
I am completely exhausted, yet I can only get 8 or 9 hours of sleep. I used to be able to sleep 12 or 13 hours. Sunday was the first day that I really felt a wave of nausea. I slept with a trash can next to the bed. I have placed a trash can in the storage closet of my classroom in case I need to duck away. Gingerale and saltines - that's what I take to work for when I get sick.
The doc had my blood drawn again yesterday to check my hCG levels again. As of 4:30, my levels were 42,432. Wow! That's higher than I was expecting for how far along I am. Based on my calculations, the levels should have been right at or a little below 20,000. Some people attribute high hCG levels to multiples and others have attributed it to a boy. While my mother in-law hopes for a girl, Kevin and I hope for a healthy baby.
Thursday, January 21st will be my first ultrasound with the fertility specialist. I will be 7 weeks by then and we will hear a heartbeat. I picked an obstetrician! I haven't met her, but I hear she is one of the best in Fort Worth. My 8 week ultrasound with the OB will be on January 28th and I can't wait. Kevin is happy but the excitement hasn't hit yet because there's nothing to see. I know he will be excited when he hears the heartbeat and sees the little one for the first time. I know that I will be crying!
Charla
The doc had my blood drawn again yesterday to check my hCG levels again. As of 4:30, my levels were 42,432. Wow! That's higher than I was expecting for how far along I am. Based on my calculations, the levels should have been right at or a little below 20,000. Some people attribute high hCG levels to multiples and others have attributed it to a boy. While my mother in-law hopes for a girl, Kevin and I hope for a healthy baby.
Thursday, January 21st will be my first ultrasound with the fertility specialist. I will be 7 weeks by then and we will hear a heartbeat. I picked an obstetrician! I haven't met her, but I hear she is one of the best in Fort Worth. My 8 week ultrasound with the OB will be on January 28th and I can't wait. Kevin is happy but the excitement hasn't hit yet because there's nothing to see. I know he will be excited when he hears the heartbeat and sees the little one for the first time. I know that I will be crying!
Charla
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Baby Coming Along
Yesterday I had another blood test and after anxiously awaiting the results, the call came in at 5 p.m. My levels increased from 236 to 1938. Wow! Things are looking good for baby Hawley. I need to go back in on Monday, January 11th to have my levels checked again. I made an appointment with an ob/gyn who was recommended to me. She is one of the best doctors in town. My 8-week ultrasound will be on Thursday, January 28th. We will get a heartbeat that day. I can't wait!
At this point, I'm feeling a little nauseated at the smell or taste of certain foods; meats mainly. I gag when I brush my teeth and I'm hungry every two or three hours. None of which is normal for me. My skin is extremely dry and it feels like I'm itching all the time. I have heartburn and I sneeze constantly because I can't take any of my meds. All of this is uncomfortable but it's a small price to pay for this little ball of cells that will soon be baby Hawley!
Charla
At this point, I'm feeling a little nauseated at the smell or taste of certain foods; meats mainly. I gag when I brush my teeth and I'm hungry every two or three hours. None of which is normal for me. My skin is extremely dry and it feels like I'm itching all the time. I have heartburn and I sneeze constantly because I can't take any of my meds. All of this is uncomfortable but it's a small price to pay for this little ball of cells that will soon be baby Hawley!
Charla
Friday, January 1, 2010
Pregnant! (4 Weeks)
A few months ago, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which makes it more difficult to get pregnant. We decided that because of the difficulty, we would start trying to have our first child now. After talking to the doctor, he suggested clomid to produce an egg. A few days later, I went in for an ultrasound. I had a follicle that was 14 mm. According to the nurse, 18 mm is minimum for a viable egg. The following Monday, I went back and the ultrasound showed a 17.97 mm follicle and another approximately 13 mm. I was instructed to go home and inject myself in the stomach with Ovidrel, an hCG hormone which induces the release of an egg. What are the odds? On our third anniversary, December 17th, I went in to have my first intrauterine insemination done. This procedure involves the "washing" of sperm and injecting it into the uterus through the catheter. The procedure took all of five minutes and then another ten minutes laying there afterwards.
On December 31st, the anniversary of our wedding reception, I returned for a blood pregnancy test. The nurse called me later that afternoon with good news. According to the beta hCG test, anything above a 5 indicates a pregnancy. My level was 236. Normal at this time is 5-420. She wants to see me again on Monday to make sure my levels are still rising. As of now, I don't "feel" pregnant. I haven't experienced any symptoms, other than a little mild cramping last night. I've told a few people but I don't want to make a formal announcement until I get the first ultrasound and/or blood test results that show an increase in hCG levels. I'll write again when I know more.
Charla
On December 31st, the anniversary of our wedding reception, I returned for a blood pregnancy test. The nurse called me later that afternoon with good news. According to the beta hCG test, anything above a 5 indicates a pregnancy. My level was 236. Normal at this time is 5-420. She wants to see me again on Monday to make sure my levels are still rising. As of now, I don't "feel" pregnant. I haven't experienced any symptoms, other than a little mild cramping last night. I've told a few people but I don't want to make a formal announcement until I get the first ultrasound and/or blood test results that show an increase in hCG levels. I'll write again when I know more.
Charla
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