One Body, TWO Babies...

I had an email from someone recently... or at last kind of recently, asking about life after giving birth to twins. Not really wondering how it was being a Mama to twins, but more about my recovery/body/mind. Since I'm finding myself this morning with two boys who are sleeping soundly, I thought I'd give you a quick list-

• I gained 40 lbs exactly when I was pregnant. I had lost every last pound by the time I went to my postpartum appointment two weeks after they were born. I did NOTHING to make this happen. 
• While I was pregnant I got about 4 stretchmarks. Another popped up about four days postpartum- I have NO idea how/why that happened.
• I had a c-section and was never really constipated in the end of my pregnancy or postpartum. However, somehow I managed to have a hemorrhoid in the first week or two I was home- not fun, be prepared!
• I can honestly say I had no baby blues/depression postpartum. I have never in my life been as tired or as happy as I have been in the last 8 weeks (or 10 months for that matter).
• I have never in my life (even while pregnant) been as hungry as I am now. In the first couple of weeks postpartum I wasn't starving, but since then I could eat about 6 meals a day- nursing twins is no joke!
• My hair is starting to fall out (not hugely) and I'm not totally sure if it is postpartum hair-loss or in conjunction with my thyroid evening out and swinging slightly Hyper instead of Hypo. 
• My biggest fears going into my c-section were the epidural, the catheter, and having the staples removed- none were worth worrying about. 
• I'm mind is mush. I can't remember ANYTHING. For this reason we are still, at 8 weeks postpartum, writing down feedings (which side for which baby) and diaper changes. Believe me, this is important. Had we not done this we would have had no idea how long it had been since one of our little guys had poo'd when he was constipated. 
• I've found that I need to leave the house at least a few days a week. It can been me running to the grocery store (alone!!) in the evenings, or going out with the boys during the day- we are all happier on our busier days than we are just sitting at home all day.
• I have also found that getting up, taking a shower, drying my hair and putting on make up all lend themselves to a more productive/happy day. Though I LOVE to stay in my sweats al day fro time to time, I feel like I get a lot more done after I've really woke up for the day.

And here, just because this person asked for it, is what my belly looks like 8 weeks after having twins. I'd say it is getting pretty close to where it was when I got pregnant. I was no where near washboard abs before  I had the boys, so I don't think it is going to happen now :)

Weightloss: Good for Mama, not for babies

It is a well known fact that the weight babies are when they are born is rarely the weight they are shortly after birth. This held true for both of our boys. A, our smaller guy, lost some weight but only about 4-6% of his body weight which is well within the normal range. H, on the other hand was reaching toward the danger zone as he was creeping close to a 10% loss. My milk was not yet in, and my colostrum was being split between two tiny mouths. We were advised to offer each of the boys a small amount of formula. Though I wasn't super excited about it, I knew in my gut it was what we needed to do. Thankfully both boys began gaining weight. We continued offering a small amount of formula after every-other feeding up until our first pediatrician appointment.

At our first appointment our doctor told us that we could play around with our feeding a bit and see what worked best for us and the babies. My milk was in at this point and I wanted to try feeding them just breast milk. We went along like this for a couple of weeks until our two week appointment. At this appointment we learned that in one weeks time the boys had only gained a couple of ounces each. Not great. So, she suggested doing one of two things- either meet with a lactation consultant to see what they suggested OR go back to supplementing after every other feeding with a small amount of formula. After some careful thought we decided to go the formula route. It was what my gut told me to do, and I think my mama instincts were correct. We had a weight check one week later and each of our boys gained a significant amount of weight. H gained 10 ounces and A gained 7. Yahoo!

Thankfully the weight gaining saga is on the upswing and we have one more weight check scheduled for two weeks after the last, just to be sure the gain is still happening. Hopefully Wednesday will bring good news of growing boys!

Mama on the other hand is (or rather, was) dropping weight like CRAZY. On the morning of my c-section I had gained exactly 40 pounds from the day the boys were transferred. At my 2 week postpartum appointment, I had lost 42 pounds. I can assure you I haven't in anyway TRIED to lose the weight. Life with twins is busy. I am up and down off the floor constantly changing diapers, breastfeeding two babies, eating whatever is prepared in the fridge and then starting again. It is a busy that I would not trade for any other job in the world- and if it is going to make me lose weight... heck yes! I will add that after losing that first 42, I've lost nothing more and have maybe gained back a pound or two. Life if getting a little easier as I get into a little bit of a routine and my appetite is slowing coming back. Nursing two growing boys several times a day leaves me eating pretty much anytime I am not feeding another hungry mouth :)

Just in time...

With the exception of one wall hanging that hasn't yet been completed, the nursery is DONE! We hung the final things this afternoon and we both LOVE how it turned out! The pictures are FAR from professional - super fancy cell phone photos, but it is so dang easy to go that route! The wall that isn't shown is mostly white doors, two into the closet and one into the hallway. 

 Jenny Lind Cribs- I made the crib skirts (gray & white hounds-tooth) and blankets- Hubs painted the letters to match the beads of the not yet completed abacus- We made the artwork that is above the cribs out of wooden embroidery hoops we found at a thrift shop, attached and painted orange.

The dresser is from Ikea- Hubs painted the green diaper pail and the A- I made the orange and white chevron curtains (I am NEVER making full length lined curtains EVER again!)  Someday the huge abacus will be competed and hung over the dresser.

.... and because you all wanted to see it...

This was taken a few days ago at 37w3d- 50 enormous cm  and 36 lbs.

From 19 to 33...

Because life is getting pretty boring around here, its time for a photo comparison over that last several weeks- this is what 25 lbs looks like is slow motion!

19 weeks & 5lbs

20 weeks & 7lbs

22 weeks & 13 lbs
uh, two weeks and 6lbs... impressive!

24 weeks & 18 lbs
followed by two weeks and another 5lbs... that's 11 lbs in 4 weeks!

25 weeks & 19 lbs

27 weeks & 19 lbs

29 weeks & 18.5 lbs

30 weeks & 20.5 lbs

31 weeks & 21 lbs

32 weeks & 25 lbs
4lbs in ONE WEEK!

33 weeks & 25 lbs.
... dark colors really are more slimming :)

So, clearly the three of us did some serious growing between weeks 20 and 24 and then again between week 31 and 32. I saw some family last week and they both agreed that I don't look nearly as huge as they had expected at this point-- I feel plenty big, but then again I guess I don't have a singleton pregnancy to compare it to.

In other news this week is a busy one on the baby front.. Today we go tour the pediatric clinic that we've chosen, tomorrow I have a thyroid appointment to make sure my levels continue to be normal at the end of this pregnancy and Thursday we have a much anticipated ultrasound (after 6.5 LOOOONG weeks!) and OB appointment. Then comes the weekend and a few more baby tasks to be completed. Hubs and I both get a little anxious when we start thinking about the very real possibility of each weekend being our last- its time to squeeze as much as we possibly can into every free moment of just the two of us. We are both beyond excited to meet our boys, but as we keep saying- life will never ever be the same!!!

31w1d appointment

I saw my doctor this afternoon, and as usual (surprising as it is to me every single time) all three of us are doing great. All the usual things were checked and fine-- urine, blood pressure, weight gain, doppler. My blood pressure was elevated slightly from my last appointment, but he said it wasn't any cause for concern just yet.

It looks like we will have an ultrasound & appointment at about 33.5 weeks and then we will be seen weekly from there on out. CRAZY! My doctor said everything is looking perfect and though he hopes these babies continue to grow for several more weeks, I am just DAYS away from the big goal of 32 weeks!

The boys have been moving a lot in the last few days and I am dying to know what positions those little stinkers have gotten themselves into. Every night when I go to bed I can feel little bums, knees and elbows sticking out of my belly in every direction. Though we have no idea what each bump actually is, it is fun to feel each of their little lumps!

In other news my belly button is changing and freaking me out. Last night I decided that I would lay down on the living room floor in an attempt to pop my back, as soon as I got down on the hard surface I ran my hand over my bare belly and the bottom of my belly button had popped out- freaked.me.out! It happened a couple more times last night when I was getting up from the laying position. I have a feeling it is going to really pop out in the next few weeks. I've kind of expected it to happen, but it just feels so weird- I can't get used to it!

31 weeks- with an odd little point right where Baby B likes to hang out!

Horizontal Stripes...

...

22 weeks

24 weeks 

25 weeks

It looks like the boys spread out somewhere between 22 and 24 weeks, now they are just GROWING in every direction. I'm still wearing a few non-maternity things and when I put them on I always get a good laugh. Things like jackets are always the funniest. Since I'll be the largest during the summer, I don't feel like I need to buy maternity jackets, but it makes for comical situations when I try to zip the outerwear I already own!

In other news, the boys are constantly hiccuping and I find it to be about the cutest things ever... until about the 7th time in one day especially because when one little monster has them there is this super weird feeling down LOW (I'm assuming their heads) and then an aftershock with his feet up higher. After this goes on for a minute or two, his brother wakes up and starts dancing around making my belly into some kind of three ring circus. Hubs was able to feel them hiccuping last night and it was a pretty fun moment :)

Belly...

I think it looks pretty much the same... maybe a little higher, a little fuller and kinda pointy? I am feeling their little kicks MUCH higher than ever before, but only occasionally. It seems like I'm carrying really low, which seems to be 'typical' for boy pregnancies- and unfortunately I'm feeling every ounce of them in each and every one of the bones in my pelvis. Thankfully I've figured out what makes the pain worse and what helps to make it a little more bearable. Good thing they are totally worth it :)

19 Weeks

20 Weeks

19 week ultrasound

... there is sure to be an enormous amount of dirt, wrestling, farting, burping and grass stains in this house of mine. That's right, I'm about to be totally outnumbered- TWO BABY BOYS!

And, because you all have been asking for it for WEEKS.... here they are in all of their glory. The belly feels huge to me, but I can only imagine what it will look/feel like in a few weeks. I'm sure I'll look back at this picture and laugh hysterically that I thought I was 'big'!!

Everything looked great on the ultrasound. Both babies are measuring a little ahead- this is always what I hope for considering twins have a tendency to come a little early. I think they were both measuring between 10-11oz each. They were crazy in there and moving a TON, so the tech had a little bit of a hard time getting images of the legs and feet, but from what she was able to measure, they looked perfect! I had a quick visit from old wandy at the end of my ultrasound appointment to check on my cervix. She didn't give me the measurement, but she did say that it looked great and was nice and long. The only slight concern at this point is Baby A's placenta is 1.7cm away from my cervix. The ideal is more than 2cm (I think cm was the measure?), so that could possibly pose an issue for a vaginal delivery, but as we all know (or did I forget publish that post?) I have ZERO expectations for the birth of these babies. 

I'll see the same doctor again in another 4 weeks for a quick appointment and another ultrasound (what will I do if I have a singleton after this twin pregnancy!?!?). After that, I'm not sure if we'll transfer to our delivering doctor (at a hospital with a nicu) for our 27/28 week appointment or if we'll see our local doctor one more time and then transfer. I was worried about this before, but this pregnancy (knock on wood) is progressing so easily and with nearly no complications so I feel completely confident sticking with our local doctor as long as things stay the same. 

This and That...

The insomnia may kill me.

I woke up at 2:30 on Thursday morning. Once I was up and had gone to the bathroom I realized that I was starving. Eating some peanut butter crackers and drinking a big glass of water solved that problem, but it didn't solve the sleeping issue. I was wide awake for 2 whole hours. Lame. The only positive about the wake up was putting my hand on my belly when I woke up and realizing that HOLY CRAP it seemed huge and really firm.

I can feel the firmness of my uterus all the way up to just below my belly button... at 12.5 weeks. I'm nearly positive I am going to be some kind of freak show by the end of the summer. And I can't wait :)

Growth is happening in other places beyond my belly too... I'm going to need to look into some new bras in the very near future.

Hubs is hilarious about not wanting me to do things. I love it- he is so protective of me and these two little babes of ours.

I'm trying to make sure I eat frequently, but if I don't, it is very obvious when it is time to get some more food in this body of mine.

I love life without progesterone suppositories!

I love all of the changes that are happening with my body, and I'm in awe constantly of everything that is happening.

Most importantly.... 19 days until we get to see our babies again!!

Growing...

Nearly every night after dinner I lay out flat on the floor in the living room. It feels amazing on my already sore back (um, what are months 6,7 & 8 going to feel like?!?!) and while I'm there, allowing my back and hips to find their way back to normal through a series of wonderful pops, I place my hands on my lower abdomen and try to feel my uterus. Sometimes it is really easy, most of the time really, but others it takes a little more effort. With each day it seems to grow some and be easier to find. It is such a weird feeling to feel it from the outside and as a result feel it from the inside. Oh, how I can't wait to feel kicks and barrel rolls from these babes! 

Anyway, as I was laying there last night I looked at the hubs as I asked 'does it look like it is growing?' he turned with big eyes and replied with a 'YES!' Let's get one thing straight, I had some 'fluff' of my own going into this pregnancy- and I've always wondered if I'd really be able to tell when I was showing in the super early stages because it might be masked by the belly I already had. Apparently, it is obvious... at least while I'm laying flat on my back. I'll take it for now :)

I guess those maternity pants (that still haven't arrived) weren't as unnecessary as I thought. I have a feeling I'll actually be needing them, rather than just wanting them very soon.