Losing my ability to breathe... already

I knew at some point that this was going to happen... had been hoping it might be awhile before the breathlessness came in but these babies had other ideas. Last night I had several episodes where my chest was heavy and burning and no matter how much I tried it seemed like I wasnt getting enough oxygen. Not a great feeling believe me. And the funny thing is that I was having these while sitting or laying down. So I checked and no, my fingers or lips werent turning blue, my capillary refill was fine... heart rate was a little up but that could be related to the 'smothered fish feeling'

But they went away so I brushed them off. My chest still feels tired this morning and I'm SOB (short of breath) when I get up to do normal tasks around the house. These babies must be pushing up hard against my diaphragm. So don't worry about me, I'll keep an eye on it and the babies are moving a lot so they aren't too bothered by it. Everything I've read online says this happens but it's abnormal for me because I never had it with Abby. We went on a walk yesterday afternoon and it didnt bother me much then, and I tend to feel better when I'm standing up... so maybe it's my posture?

24 weeks today! yay!!!! Our twins are the size of the picture I posted on here. (Just imagine one of the baby's head up instead of down. Here is what is currently going on with them:

"How your baby's growing:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon."

Well it's time for me to get Abby down for a nap so that my Mom and I can head up to Sioux Falls today and pick out some paint for her new room... things are slowly coming together. No painting for me tho :(

23w 5d Appointment Update

Sorry I didnt get this out there right away, Abby and I spent some time running around Sioux Falls and then we went out to eat with my mom and my brother Andrew. The good news is the babies are still doing wonderfully. Baby A is 1lb 6oz and Baby B is 1lb 5oz and as my OB pointed out they have reached the point where they can survive outside the womb if something happens and they come too early. (yay!!!!) Though we want them to stay in at LEAST another 4 weeks because their health will only get better. ZERO signs of Twin Twin Transfusion once again and my cervix has thinned a little but still looking good so we are now past the point of cervical incompetence issues and move onto the point of watching out for preterm labor.

I've started spotting again (sigh) but because the babies, the cervix and the placenta look so good they arent overly concerned about it and are just going to keep an eye on it. (Still very annoying and slightly scary for me) I had a feeling that Baby B flipped... and I was right. Instead of laying across the top of my abdomen she is now breech on my left side and Baby A still remains head down on my right side. It's amazing how strong they are and how hard they can kick! I just figure B got tired of playing footsie with a slightly more active sister.

I have another appointment the week after next... and I'll be back at school! (yikes!) We will be doing the glucose check (yay for orange drink stuff) and then another ultrasound and Peri appt and OB appt... the fun never ends I tell you. Dr H said that if I was having twins with 2 placentas I would be going in 4 weeks from now but because of the one placenta we go in more often. She explained that it's just hard to really know how the babies are doing without an ultrasound because kick counts are really difficult and there is no way to measure to see if the babies are growing right outside of an ultrasound. So... looks like I'll be giving you guys appointment updates here for awhile. Did I mention my blood pressure was amazing once again? 92/60?? All that walking and Abby running must be keeping me in shape... and I hadnt gained as much weight as I thought I had so we're ok there too... Dr says I still look fit and trim and she'd never guess by looking at me that I was 24 weeks with twins. (I'm measuring 31 weeks now across the abdomen)

Ok better go lay down for a nap while Abby is sleeping... this day has completely worn me out! More to come and thank you Lord for another happy report and a good day :)

Oh! and if you are wondering why there is only a picture of B... A decided she was not going to get her picture taken, her face was pressed up against my back and she never flipped... so perhaps next time we'll trick her into getting her picture taken! B took some coaxing herself and we could only get her to move her hand/arm a little to get a sneak peak of her face... little stinkers!

A quick update...

I'm starving and Abby is napping ... so writing on this blog PROBABLY shouldnt be the first thing I do. But it's quiet, the weather is gorgeous and I just wanted to write before we decided to do other things today and I didnt get back to my computer. The twins are making me uncomfortable! I'm pretty sure A (or B i guess) moved or shifted or did something because she is digging into some muscle or nerve or tendon on my left side. Normally I only feel them on the right, since they have been hanging out their so long. I guess we'll find out tomorrow when we have the ultrasound to see where they are.

Ahhh tomorrow... our ALMOST 24 week appointment. I'm so excited to see how they are doing! I wonder if they will continue scheduling the ultrasounds every other week? It's just comforting to see that everything is doing ok... by the end of the 2 weeks I'm anxious to see my babies. (how spoiled I am!) They've been a little quiet today so I'm watching that a little... can you tell I'm getting paranoid? I'm STARVING all of the time now, I swear I want to eat almost every 2-4 hours... though thats probably because I only eat a bit at a time since my stomach is starting to get squished a little lol. I'm a little worried about my weight gain since I've been gaining really fast these last few weeks. Considering how hard it was to gain in my first trimester this second has been a breeze... almost too easy. I think I've gained almost 30 pounds now! I should be happy about that because it means babies are growing good... I'm just starting to swell a little and I'm hoping it's not a sign of things to come. I want to avoid bedrest and high blood pressure at all costs. In the last 2 weeks I think Ive gained 6-8 pounds... doesnt that seem like a lot? We walk a lot and I'm just as active as always... don't eat a ton... but am still really gaining... I'll ask Dr Hermanson about that tomorrow.

Well thats it for now! Time for lunch!!!! (PS arent my pictures fun!!! I'll post more later but you can see more of them on Facebook. It was hard to do them myself but I think I got some good ones. I cant wait till the twins come! I'm going to have a blast!)

The Aftermath of Camping

Wow can I just say how tired I am and how 'hard' camping is when you are this pregnant?? In retrospect it PROBABLY wasn't the best idea to go along camping with my family the first night with Abby while Tom stayed home (because he had to work). It was just hard because Abby was in full blown craziness and wanted to run everywhere... including the roads... and frankly I can only run after her so many times before I am exhausted. I actually RAN once because she headed for the road just as a car was headed her direction... wow I haven't run while this pregnant in a LONG time. Just imagine strapping a 20 pound pack to your stomach and attempting to run... it just doesnt work... believe me.

So my poor mother had to help me with Abby because the rest of my family were too busy with camping things. She ended up having to help me a lot until Tom came... which wouldn't have been AS hard except for another child situation and my mom having to help with that too. I was so frustrated by the next morning, the babies were squrimy and I never sleep great when Tom and I are apart... Abby ended up in my bed around 2am and she is a violent sleeper... to top it off she woke me up at 8am and it was RAINING!! There was no place to go and if you know Abby you understand how frustrating this could be. I kept her quiet for as long as I could until Mom woke up and took her out to the truck, we played in the truck for about 30-45 minuets before we decided the rest of the crew was just going to have to wake up...

But I've vented enough... let's just say that part was hard. Thankfully I made it through a weekend of camping and I can feel like I didn't miss out this summer. Though this is certainly my last time camping this summer. It's interesting to think about what next year could be like? A 2 year old and 2 almost year olds? Might be too crazy for much camping. When Tom came things got easier because we could tag team and he takes such good care of me. I dont know how single parents do it, I love having a partner in crime!

Our next ultrasound is on Thursday and I can't wait! The girls will be 23w and 5 days so almost 24 weeks! Almost to that first checkpoint and than it's off to the 26, 28, 30, 32 and etc!! Yay!

Week 22- Day 4

So sorry it's been awhile since I posted. Life has just been crazy around the Dose household. The diaper party was a lot of fun, we received over a thousand diapers and it was great to have so many friends and family come celebrate with us. The weather turned out to be perfect, if a little hot, but not terrible considering the days before. It seems summer has finally come upon us!

I had been planning to post more about it yesterday but ended up getting a pretty intense migraine that knocked me out. This is my 2nd one that I've had since I was pregnant... or ever. I called Dr. H today to let her know that I had another one. She was slightly concerned last time that I had never had them before this pregnancy... she was out of the office today so I guess I'll find out tomorrow whether she wants me to just keep track of them or if she wants me to get seen by a neurologist to make sure there isnt something more going on. I know she mentioned the neurologist the last time I had a migraine but I dont know how much they could do now since I'm pregnant anyways? They certainly arent fun though, especially with Abby because being a mom you just can't stop taking care of your kid even though your head wants to shatter into a million pieces. I wonder if it is hormones or if it is something with blood flow? I just hope this is the end of them for awhile...

Well tomorrow is another day of work for me, the last thankfully for this week and Abby is playing. I kinda want to take a bath before bed to relax a little. I'm glad I felt better today than yesterday!

22 weeks!

Yay so we are starting the party preparations for the Diaper Party that will be here tomorrow. I can hardly stop thinking about it I'm so excited. When I was pregnant with Abby there was so much talk about having a baby shower but one never really got organized and in the end I never had anything. Aren't babies one of the most exciting/fun things to celebrate? It's not about the presents (although the extra diapers will be SO helpful) but rather about getting together with friends and family to celebrate the miracle(s) of life we are so eagerly anticipating.

The weather is looking to be extremely hot and humid so it looks like I will be running the AC quite a bit to try and keep the humidity out of the house. Last night the dew point was 77 at 10:30pm! It literaly felt like a rainforest.... and I've discovered that FEELING like you are 30ish weeks pregnant with that kind of heat and humidity is amazingly hard on the lungs. I kept having to take breaks and head back inside because I couldn't handle it... kept getting dizzy. Guess we've been lucky the weather has been as cool/dry feeling as it has been. Welcome to summer in August.

Makes you wonder what July will be like? Abs and I are sitting on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. She keeps getting excited and wants to throw herself onto me... which means basicly onto my stomach considering I feel like I am just one large ball with arms, a head and legs. Grandma & Grandpa Dose are coming today and we are very excited about that. We will put the finishing touches on the shopping for the baby shower and then meet Tom for supper in Sioux Falls. I have some cleaning I still need to get done, and I'll feel like doing it soon I'm sure. Having a few Braxton Hicks this morning so trying to make sure they settle before I get too wild with housework. Abby will be wanting breakfast soon though so I will wrap this up. I'll post more about the party tomorrow and try and get some pictures up. Till then!

Good News!

Well I just got back from my appointments and thankfully they were just shy of three hours total. Babies are doing amazing and for that I am so thankful. Baby B is already measuring 1lb and 1 oz while Baby A is just a little behind her at 15 ounces. Doctors are happy because they are both measuring right on with my due date and there are no signs of Twin Twin Tranfusion Syndrome once again. We are almost out of the woods with this one! Baby A is laying head down on my right side and Baby B is laying transverse across the top with her feet near Baby A's. If she stays like this I'll probably have to do a c-section but there is still time for her to flip around!

On the outside (lol) I am measuring at 30 weeks (8 weeks ahead) so she told me that if I'm getting more and more uncomfortable that is why. For twins that's normal though. My OB told me that my weight gain is fantastic but that I will be gaining more and more, so far pretty much all belly... no swelling and my blood pressure was uber low at 90/60 so we are dodging those bullets so far! Just need to get to 24 & 28 weeks like this and I'll be a happy camper.

I visited with her about the fact that I will returning to school soon. We decided that we would play it by ear as far as clinicals go and see what my body can handle. She told me that under no circumstances however am I allowed to care for any patients with suspected flu or respiratory illnesses as I will be very vulnerable to catching them because my immune system is supressed and my lungs will be squished because of the babies so it could be very dangerous if I caught anything respiratory since I won't be able to fight it off. I am excited so far that there is no sign of bedrest, babies are doing wonderful and my cervix is holding up and looking amazing.

Here's hoping for at least 6 more weeks of wonderful news!!!

A long night

Ugh perhaps anyone who has been sick while pregnant can identify with what the last 12 hours of my life have been like. OMG I cannot remember the last time I was that sick! There was a feeling in my gut the other day when I went to the fair and found out while there that Tiffany had thrown up the night before... but it was only once and frankly she looked pretty good outside of being worn out (which about everyone has that look painted on their face at the fair) And after all she threw up once, we should all be that lucky... we thought it was something she ate...

Then two days later I'm still feeling a touch of that achy, sick feeling in my chest but otherwise not nauseated at all. Too bad I ended up spending the ENTIRE night vomiting, I couldn't keep even the tiniest sip of water in my stomach for more than 5 minuets. It was absolutely horrible. And as glad as I am that the babies were moving so that I knew they were ok... having the worst stomach cramps/nausea ever AND having two wiggling babies kicking and pushing on you made it 10x worse.

So now it's almost 10am and I'm under the impression that I've been dropped off the side of a ten story building and hit by a truck. I'm trying to sip a little water every 30 minuets but it still aggravates my stomach. Tom thankfully took Abby down to my parents so that she wouldnt be trying to climb all over me while I feel so sick.

Gosh I hope she or Tom don't catch what I've had to deal with.... no one else around Tiffany has gotten this bug. Looks like I'm just lucky...

Endurance

What can I say about what has been going on lately? I cannot believe it is already the end of July and that August is right around the corner. Hard to believe!

Three more weeks and 2 days before we hit the 24 week milestone. So far things are going well, the spotting is starting to slow down *crosses fingers* and I haven't had as many contractions as I was in earlier weeks. (it wasn't preterm labor, possibly an irritable uterus) It's been a blessing to have some of the 'pressure' off of me. I didnt even realize how much I was holding onto the stress of worries and 'what if's'... guess that is a matter I should try and work on that.

The babies are moving all of the time now, occasionally I even catch a glimpse of one of them moving as my stomach jumps. I haven't gained too much weight yet, people tell me I've gained nothing but belly. It makes sense I suppose when I consider that I am still wearing pre-pregnancy shorts. I figure I'll probably start gaining in other places in a few more months lol and should just enjoy it now.

We have decided we are going to move Abby into the downstairs guest room, move the guest bed into the family room, and the twins will have Abby's old room. I'm trying to decide what color I would like to paint her room. I'm thinking a purple but will need to look at her bedding. My mom found another crib just like what Abby has now (only lighter wood) so that will go into her room. We are going to try and work with her now to see if we can get her to start putting herself to sleep. She fights me too much, kicks, twists, pinches... and I'm worried one of these times she will kick me directly in the stomach too hard... and once the twins are here it's just going to be too much to have to put all three of them to sleep. It won't be easy so we would like to start it before I head back to school. We'll probably try and avoid moving things before the diaper party so that our guests can have some privacy for now.... :)

Thanking God

Today I read a post of one of the mothers expecting twins in December like we are and I had to stop reading her blog because I was starting to cry. This mother had lost 4 babies after delivering them and had three miscarriages. Now she is in the hospital with her twins at 21 weeks and they are just praying she can get them to 24 weeks.

It just makes me appreciate the blessings God has given me. To have a body that despite all the worries is handling the pregnancy very well, to have a beautiful daughter Abigail and two more babies on the way. How can you possibly not feel that this unexpected blessing is one of the most amazing gifts ever? I love my girls already with every fiber of my being. It upsets me that people can throw away a baby because they are inconvenient or 'not perfect' or whatever reason they make up to try and justify it. Especially when there are families whom have had to endure so much loss.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)