Preeclampsia

Yesterday we had a scheduled appointment with our OB where Jennifer turned out some very high blood pressure results. A combination of that, a lot of swelling and the presence of protein in her urine was enough for the midwife who was seeing her to admit her to the hospital. After being their for 24 hours, it was determined that she has severe preeclampsia. We were told that 300mg of protein is an indicator of preeclampsia. Jenn had over 6000mg.

She is being monitored closely and we have been told that the babies will probably be delivered very soon - we are thinking by the end of this week. She was given a steroid injection today to bolster the babies' lung development in preparation for premature birth. We were told that the babies can be induced after 48 hours of that injection. She's also being hooked up to an IV and made to lay on her side permanently.

Abel and Belle continue to look great. They we be at 31 weeks tomorrow and will most likely be in the NICU for around a month. They did give us a quick tour of the NICU tonight and it is very nice. This particular hospital has separate rooms for each baby, or a double room for two babies in our case along with a recliner or pull out bed. This makes it very quiet and private. The doctors also said that because of the position of the babies, Jenn may be able to deliver vaginally and avoid a Cesarean section.

I'll try to sneak another update in as things progress and as I have time.

-Aaron

Almost 29 Weeks!

I had my bi-weekly OB appointment today with an ultrasound. Abel and Belle are looking great and are both head down. The ultrasound did show cysts on my ovaries which the OB didn't think was a major problem and that they should dissolve on their own, but he is referring me to a high risk OB just to have her take a look at them and be sure they aren't more of a concern. He did say they wouldn't harm the babies, but may rupture with delivery. My blood pressure continues to be high, so I 'm now taking my blood pressure medicine 4 times a day!

Physically, I'm having a rough time. My 1st trimester was a breeze for the most part and I rarely felt pregnant. Then, halfway through the 2nd trimester, I started feeling the weight and strain of carrying two babies. And now, being in the 3rd trimester, I really feel awful. I'm extremely fatigued (which my iron levels came back perfect, so I'm not anemic) and hurt all the time. My feet, hands, arms, back, and stomach all hurt. It hurts to walk, sit down, sit up, lie down, get up...it all hurts. I can't even go grocery shopping by myself anymore. I threw up yesterday for the first time during this entire pregnancy and heartburn continues to be a problem. I can't finish getting their clothes washed and their nursery ready and I'm running out of time. I know that some twin pregnancies are a breeze, but mine has been very difficult for the past two months and I wonder how much more my body can take. But, I trust that God will give me grace to endure for however long He has chosen to keep these babies growing inside of me...and I am SO grateful for them no matter what!

25 Weeks!

Finally! - I have a belly picture for you! Here is my 25 week baby bump - I look huge to be only 25 weeks. I had my regular OB appointment on Thursday and my belly measured 30 weeks, which as always, the midwife assured me was normal with twins. Last weekend, I went shopping with my mom and had to buy new maternity clothes because I have already outgrown the original ones that were purchased in January/February - Crazy! My OB appointment went well. My blood pressure is still high, so the midwife said they may up my medicine dosage in the near future, but for now they are leaving me at the same dose I've been on. Other than that, all was great. We had an ultrasound and Abel and Belle again received an A+ from the midwife on their measurements and weight. I also had the ultrasound tech confirm their genders once more before I started washing their clothes...she confirmed that they are still a boy and a girl. So, at 25 weeks, I feel confident that we won't have a gender surprise now. Their nursery furniture and bedding arrived this week and I also purchased their stroller. Aaron has as lot of work to do in putting all of it together. I will be working on washing their bedding and clothes and getting that in their dressers and closet. So much to do and I can't believe how fast time is flying!

In addition to the heartburn, I have never been so tired in my life as I have this past month. My body is really starting to feel the weight and strain of carrying two babies and I'm exhausted. I am enjoying sleeping now while I still can! :)

22 Weeks!

I am 22 weeks today and had my routine OB check-up. My belly measured 28 weeks (Yikes!) and the PA-C assured me that this is normal for twins. Abel and Belle's heartbeats were heard on the doppler, so thankfully, everything appeared to be well. I have been having heartburn a lot lately, which I didn't have at the beginning of this pregnancy...I wonder why I'm having it now?

We have registered at Babies 'R Us and Target...almost everything x2! I have decided not to try and breastfeed. I know that many of you will wonder why I wouldn't attempt this because breast milk is best for babies. I know that. However, I also know that breastfeeding two babies will most likely be difficult and a stressed mommy will not serve them well in other areas. Both Aaron's mom and my mom fed us formula and we turned out fine. I also don't want to invest money in all of the breastfeeding necessities, only to find out that I'm not able to breastfeed (not producing enough milk, babies not latching on, etc) and have wasted that money when it could have been spent on bottles and other formula necessities. I struggled with this decision more from a financial standpoint than I did from a "breast milk is better for babies" standpoint. Breastfeeding is free and formula is expensive. However, after thinking about it and discussing it with Aaron and my mom, Aaron and I feel at peace with this decision.

I am reading your blogs even if I'm not commenting every time - and I'm excited to see what is happening in each of your families! :)

Blue or Pink?!

How about BOTH?!

We found out today that God has given us both a baby BOY and a baby GIRL! They both looked healthy and the nurse-midwife gave them both an A+ for ultrasound stats. What more could we have asked for?!

We are naming them Abel James (formerly known as Baby A) and Belle Marie (formerly known as Baby B). They will be called Abel and Belle. (Please no joking about Belle and "A Bel." We have always liked the name Belle for a little girl for years and Aaron has recently decided that he likes the name Abel for a boy. We realize that it could sound cheesy, but we don't mean it to be rhyming twin names...it just kind of has worked out that way.)

Abel and Belle were kicking and hitting each other and Belle's butt was on Abel's head a lot during during the ultrasound...too cute!

I decided that I didn't want to find out their genders until after we left the OB office, so the tech told Aaron the news and he kept quiet all the way through the ultrasound, meeting with the midwife, and exam. When we got in the car, he said "I just want you to know that we are having a boy and a girl!" I squealed and then my phone rang. It was the OB office saying that I had forgotten my lab orders and that I needed to come back inside. I said "Okay, I'll be right there - I love you!" HAHA I told the receptionist that I loved her because I was so giddy about just finding out the news of carrying a boy and a girl and out of habit, I always tell Aaron that I love him at the end of a phone conversation. I felt ridiculous and explained myself to her when I went back in. She laughed and said that she had been confused, but when I left she shouted back at Aaron and me "I love ya'll!" Pregnancy brain.

Looks like our poll was right with the majority voting for boy/girl twins. :)

Belle's Profile


Abel Yawning

18 Week Update

I found out this week that I don't have Gestational Diabetes! At least for now...I think I will still be retested at the normal 24 week mark. But, I'm thankful for answered prayer that I don't have to deal with that right now anyway.

I wanted to have an 18 week belly picture, but haven't taken one yet...maybe I will get around to it this weekend...maybe. But, I can definitely tell that my body is growing two babies...I look pregnant now. We were at IKEA last weekend and they have a ton of mirrors everywhere and at one point I asked Aaron, "Am I really that big or is it the mirror?" He said "You're really that big!" Haha - But, he loves me getting bigger and reminds me almost everyday of that...such a sweet hubby. :)

Not much else to report - Just waiting for our ultrasound in 2 weeks!

Birthday, Baby Shower, and 16 Weeks

My sister, Grace, and me with our Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Cake!

This past week Aaron and I drove to Memphis, TN with my mom, sister and her boyfriend. My birthday is on February 14th (yes, I'm a Valentine's baby) and my sister's is on February 13th - I turned 26 and she turned 19. We have some relatives on our mom's side who live in Memphis, so we were blessed to be able to spend some time with them. We celebrated our birthdays and Aaron and I had our very first baby shower! We haven't registered yet, because we have been waiting to find out their genders so we could be color specific. But, we were showered with many gender-neutral items such as a baby bath, Diaper Genie Elite, swaddling clothes, bouncy seat, etc. My mom has bought me enough maternity clothes to last for the entire pregnancy and she bought me a twin nursing pillow. I intend to try and breastfeed, but if it doesn't work out that I'm able to, I will still use this pillow to hold them at the same time...it goes all the way around your body to give you back support. We were so grateful for my family's generosity and love for our babies.

I had my 16 week OB appointment today and saw one of the nurse-midwives. My belly measured 18 weeks, but the midwife said that is normal for twins. My blood pressure has been high for the past 3 appointments, so they started me on a prescription for high blood pressure. I'm not convinced that I have high blood pressure though, because I've always had "white coat syndrome" and get nervous at the doctor's office and my blood pressure is often high. At the dentist's office a couple of weeks ago, my blood pressure was normal (the dentist doesn't scare me like regular doctors do-lol). So, I told the midwife that I am probably just nervous and that is causing the high blood pressure. However, high blood pressure does run in my family and they felt it best to go ahead and give me a prescription. My urine sample showed sugar in an abnormal range, so I am having to have my glucose test next Thursday to check for Gestational Diabetes. I wasn't supposed to have this test until 24 weeks, but because of my urine sample, they want it done at 17 weeks. If it comes back that I don't have GD, I will still have the normally scheduled test at 24 weeks. But, if the test does show GD, I will have to go to a diabetic clinic for the remainder of my pregnancy. Praying that I don't have GD! My weight was right on track for a twin pregnancy and their heartbeats were in the 140's, so overall, I think all is continuing to go well. If I continue to have high blood pressure and am confirmed to have GD, I won't be the only pregnant girl who has ever had those issues, so I'm not too concerned.

We scheduled our BIG 20 week ultrasound for Thursday, March 17th at 2:15pm (St. Patrick's Day) - I will be so glad to finally know if I'm carrying boy/girl, boy/boy, or girl/girl twins. I have a hunch that I'm not carrying girl/girl, but hunches don't really mean too much. I will be putting a poll on the blog soon, so be sure to vote for your prediction! :)