We had our appointment on Monday...like, more than a week ago.
It's too confusing to refer to Twin A and Twin B, because they move all around in there and it's never really the same - so we call them Big Twin (or, as my doctor says, Hog Baby) and Little Twin.
Big twin is...a hog. No, really. The doctor called her the Hog Baby, which is one of the many reasons I love him - nice, funny, and smart. Hog Baby is measuring exactly on track. No drama for her. 2lb 7oz.
Little twin is...hanging in there. 1lb 10oz. Over 14 days she grew an appropriate amount for 13 days. This was good enough to earn us another two week reprieve! Yay! As long as she keeps it up, and continues to look healthy, there is no need to rip the babies from my uterus of doom.
I am totally excited to meet these girls, but not yet! Not just yet.
With Kindness....
Thank you very much for all the nice comments. Really. I do read them all and I appreciate every single one. I promise I wasn't trying to make drama by not posting. I've been completely exhausted and every time I thought about posting, I just took a nap or ate cheese instead. Or, I ate cheese THEN took a nap. Either way, it probably involved cheese and nap, is what I'm getting at.
I have returned a few emails, but I promise to return all of them soon.
A group of my local mommy friends organized to bring us meals so that we wouldn't have to worry about cooking. And oh my sweet baby jeezus it was the best thing ever. I never realized how much of a relief it is to not have to worry about dinner or cleanup.
I'm not an overly emotional person, but every time I think of how nice people have been? It makes me a little weepy.
Verclempt, if you will.
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| Talk amongst yourselves... |
With Ouchiness...
So, I'm off work on short term disability. Not on strict bed rest or anything. Just, "hey, take it really easy and gestate two properly sized humans, mkay" rest. If this little baby doesn't keep growing, we are going to have some pretty little preemies, and I figure the best I can do is eat well and sleep often. The doctor agrees.
Yesterday I cried mid-afternoon because my body hurts so bad. My fingers and hands and feet are so swollen. I seriously cannot fit my feet into one pair of shoes. If I have to go out, I wear my running shoes untied. Today I took the dogs out to pee in Mark's shoes and I looked like a pregnant clown (partly due to the shoes and partly due to my hobo-like appearance and rosy cheeks).
I can't even open a water bottle without wincing.
And yes, I know, woe is the pregnant lady, etc. But wow. I have hip pain, back and neck pain, and can't stand more than a couple minutes without getting a hot flash and feeling light-headed. It's pretty much all I can do to take a shower these days. I typically save up all my energy to play with Olivia and then I nap while she naps and when Mark gets home from work.
I sleep sitting up. Like the Elephant Man.
Being nauseated and in pain for 6 months is just...exhausting. I am sure that Mark would agree, since he is working and then coming home and doing every single thing around the house. I love him.
With Cuteness...
Oh, but my daughter. You guys? She is so much fun right now. She's getting so smart and funny and just full of The Mischief. She knows about half of the alphabet, she grabs the remote and starts pressing the buttons while screaming "WORD WORLD," she dances and laughs and smiles.
I have pictures to post but not right now. Because I don't feel like it, basically.
We switched her to a big girl bed and she loves it. The past few nights, she has grabbed her blanket, said bye to Dad, the Dogs, and the TV (Parenting WIN!) and then climbed the stairs while yelling "BED!"
I love her.
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One Year Ago: 38 Weeks, 6 Days
Two Years Ago: Possibly Changing My Name to Wilford Brimley
Three Years Ago: What? I have a blog?
62 comments:
I am so glad you are ok, and it is totally understandable not to post right now. Can't wait to see the pics of Lil Miss O, she sounds so cute! I hope all is well that ends well with the twins, I bet they are going to be adorable.
Take Care,
Manya
So glad to read that you are doing alright and that the babies are hanging in there. I'm thinking about you and sending good gestating vibes your way. Hopefully those babies hang out in your belly for several more weeks.
"...eat well and sleep often..." sounds like a good idea to me! Keep growing those little cuties as long as you can.
And so many mad props to Mark for stepping up. Life can't be easy for either of you.
We are so glad to hear that everything is going well. Resting and eating cheese is a perfectly acceptable pastime when gestating twins. Jen, you complain as much as you need to, to anyone you want. Pregnancy is hard, and twin pregnancies are painful. If anyone has something to say about your complaints, well, we've got your back.
Hang in there, kid. You are doing an amazing thing in my book and you deserve to enjoy your cheese, your naps and your beautiful daughter as much as you dang well want to!
Oh yay!!!! Keep hanging in there, Jen!!!
so here is something that might make you feel better...or worse...but I'm gonna take the chance, so here goes....little twin is already 8 oz bigger than maria was when she was born (and obviously she is now the coolest 5 yr old around). did i help? no. ok. well then, I'm an asshat. ;-) but anyway, keep up with the resting and eating. and unfortunately, i understand the swelling pain. i gained almost 40 lbs in the last 2 weeks before maria was born (technically 30 of it was in the last week). yah. they called me the "michelin man". no joke. it was funny. and then i tried to laugh and it hurt. which was also funny. it was a vicious cycle. lol. ;-)
Oh goodness Jen, you poor thing. I was miserable at the end of my pregnancy, had bad contractions, not BH but the real deal, for 3 1/2 months, everything in my body hurt. I too slept sitting up. And I was only carrying 1. They need to stay in there as long as possible and I know you are doing everything you can for them. They have a good momma. :o)
I'm so glad the babies are doing well and hanging in there. Keep it up! I'm also glad to hear you're at home. It makes perfect sense to me.
Thinking good thoughts...
Jen, I'm so glad you posted this and that you and the girls are okay, I'm almost crying here at work! Prayers still headed your way - get lots of rest. All of this will be behind you and this time next year, we will be hearing baby stories about your twins and Olivia!
Hang in there. Not much longer to go. I know how exhausting it is. I'm not going to blow sunshine and butterflies up your ass, but you're so close. Gestate just a bit longer and then it'll be a whole new meaning to exhaustion. The new one will be a good tired, though, and you'll have your body back.
"Today I took the dogs out to pee in Mark's shoes"... So that's probably not how you meant it, but it's how my tired brain read it.
Glad to see you're hanging onto your humor, you're a role model :) Good luck, and fingers crossed!!
ps. I hear twinkies help babies grow lots. just saying.
I am a lurker(and fellow infertile who is now pregnant, too!) and started reading just before your fet this summer. love your blog.
Just wanted to tell you how happy I am that everything is ok! Have been worried for those babies. pregnany IS hard esp when there are 2 PLUS the added stress of whats going on. hang in there!
I've been checking every day for news, I'm like a baby stalker! Beyond relieved the girls are still cookin' away. Now go eat some cheese and take a nap.
I'm so glad to hear from you and to her that peanut is doing better and that walnut is still strong. Yes, I've named your babies.......You don't mind, right?
Keep taking good naps and eating lots of cheese and make your husband go on ice cream runs if you need it.
Arrg, you should have consulted with me before this post. I can't believe you called it a uterus of doom because I've used nearly the exact same expression...only I say womb of doom because it rhymes. See? Next time get with me and I'll help you with the rhyming part. It's kind of my thing. Glad the girls are doing well. :)
So glad to hear the babies are doing well, especially the little one!
I can only imagine how physically rotten you feel at the moment. Just with a regular singleton, the late months of pregnancy with my second child were miserable. While there are many things that sound completely awesome about having twins, the gestation part sounds super, super rough on the body.
But--gestation is better than crazy-early preemies, so I hope you get to hang in there for a while more! Very glad you got short-term disability and that you can take it easy on yourself. Keep on keeping on.
I am so happy to here you are getting as good of news as you can hope for. Yay!!!!! Win!
Woe is the pregnant lady, indeed. I am only gestating 1 human. I am 11.5 wks along and woe is me, seriously. I have no energy, dizzy all the time, headaches nonstop, and vomit on the regular. Good times! Worth it? Hell yeah. Fun? Uh-uh.
Have someone take a picture of you as a hobo in your husband's shoes. What a visual. I'm SOOOO glad you're still gestating but so sad that you have to be in pain to keep those guys cooking. Thank goodness there's a reward at the end!
I never post because it makes me feel weird, like I'm stalking your life and admitting to it, but I have to say I'm so glad you let us know everything is going ok. I think I've checked your blog like 500 times in the past week, just so you know.
And I just want to add that Josie Duggar was 1lbs, 6oz when she was born and she's healthy now!
So glad the twins get to gestate for awhile longer. They kept threatening to take Elliot early {26 weeks, 29 weeks, 32 weeks...} and then he would do something to impress the docs enough to earn him another two weeks in the womb. And now look: here I am! Hopefully delivering at full term next week! WOO HOO!
You can do it. :)
so SO SO glad to hear you are doing well. Sorry that you're in pain! I remember finally understanding why people with chronic pain go a little crazy. thank goodness it's temporary. still sucks though. Hang in there. Thanks for the update! Continuing to keep you and yours in my thoughts.
Thanks for spending the energy on the update! We will all multiply the energy and bounce it back to you in good gestating vibes and wishes for easing of your aches and pains a bit....
well, at least I can hope the internet can transmit such a thing!!
It's great that you've taken to focusing on eating, sleeping, growing babies, and staying happy with the munchkin. I hope all you ladies and wonderful Mark keep on keeping on for lots more weeks. One day at a time, one week at a time.
As a mom to 16 month old triplets, our itty bitty of the three is doing great, great, great, still on the itty bitty side, but a brilliant little charmer who holds her own with her two 'hog' brothers.
I wish nothing but smooth sailing to you. Do what you need to do for your family, and don't worry about the rest of it. You'll get to it when the magic energy fairy chooses to give you something to work with.
All our best to you!!
SO SO SO Happy to hear that things are going okay!!! SO HAPPY.
Whoa. I have hitherto unsuspected powers! I've been thinking about you, wondering how you were, and last night I checked your previous post for the first time to see if any news had popped up in the comments. And then lo! You post this morning. So VERY VERY happy to hear that you and the little ones are hanging in there.
I am so glad you had time to post something and that that something was so good!! Very happy for you!!
Oh and when I read about you walking the dogs in Mark's shoes, I totally read it as walking the dogs to pee in Mark's shoes. Ha ha!! made me laugh!
take care of those babies...all three of them.
you know i was worried when i turned and told my husband two nights ago: "jennepper hasn't posted anything in FOREVER! i'm worried!"
just realized: am stalker.
and so happy that everything is okay. keep gestating. i'm about 2 weeks behind you.
Word World is a fave in our house too!
It sounds like pregnancy carple tunnel- which I had and hurt like a beyotch! Major sympathy from me on that one!
Also, I continue to have warm fuzzy feelings and fat baby thoughts for you and your womb.
Yippee, Yay and Duper-Fabulous news!
I had no doubts there would be good news. It just couldn't be any other way.
I'm so glad everything is going well with the babies. I think it is definitely helping the smaller twin that you are resting and eating plenty. I know I never weighed myself when I was pregnant with our twins. Someone had the nerve to ask me how much weight I had gained with the boys. I flat out told them, "I don't know. It's in my doctor's chart and she didn't want me to know. I was told to gain as much weight as I could."
Keep taking care of yourself and I'm so glad to hear you have such great friends to make you dinners!!! Those are great friends indeed!
We totally give you permission to not post while nothing is happening, as long as you promise to post if something DOES happen! Now, go eat some cheese.
Glad to hear that things are not so dire. Keep up the good work - eating and sleeping as your main activities becomes difficult! Good luck, and keep baking those girls.
I totally understand the not posting, but I was so worried about you and the babies! I'm so glad to hear things are on a good track.
So glad to hear that everything is going well for the babies! Sorry to hear that you are so uncomfortable! I *lived* in Acorn fleece slippers for the last few months I was carrying the girls. I went everywhere in them (and by everywhere I mean, to hospital for my NSTs...). To quote their amazon description "With its memory foam insole, soft and cushy upper, and indoor/outdoor sole, you'll keep coming back for more each and every day." That seemed like a lot to ask of a slipper, but they already had me at "If you have wide feet this slipper will fit you nicely as it has a nice gentle stretch to it." Now it sounds like I have some kind of stock in this company. I do not. But I would recommend investigating a good pair of slippers with an outdoor sole. Much more forgiving than any pair of shoes.
I'm so glad that everyone is staying put for a couple more weeks. Grow babies, GROW!
For the swelling, seriously, get out and get some Jobst support stockings. The good $30 knee highs that you have to be measured for and get from a pharmacy. Then get a good (one of the really hard ones) stress ball and work your hands on it throughout the day. I was in my third trimester last year at Christmas and an aunt gave me an ugly golf ball themed stress ball. I totally dismissed it at first but it was the only thing that would keep my fingers bending. Swelling sucks, you can do something about it.
Hi Jen. I've never posted before but have been reading your blog for months. My daugter went through hell trying to get pregnant and finally, after 4 years, two miscarriages, 6 unsuccessful IUIs,one in vitro resulting in twins with one baby always measuring way behind the other from the beginning. Doctors didn't give the smaller baby much hope initially but the peanut just stuck in there. Well, my little granddaughter was born weighing 4 lbs 3 oz and my grandson weighed 6 lbs 1 0z. They are both doing well, breathing on their own and maintaining their body temps. Hang in there! I'm rooting for you and your babies!
Yay!
I just have to comment about you eating cheese, my twins are 7 weeks old now (born at 34 weeks and 3 days) and my whole pregnancy I couldn't get enough cheese, we would buy huge blocks of mild cheddar and it would be gone in no time. Keep up the good work, medicine is amazing now a days.
Being pregnant is a bitch and I don't care how you get pregnant, it's still a bitch! Take care of yourself and we will all cross our fingers that you get to gestate as long as possible!
So glad the girls are hanging in there! I feel for you. I am 12 weeks pregnant and MISERABLE. Nausea is the worst. And I"m just housing one baby, so I can't even imagine what you're going through. The things we go through for our kids. Definitely worth some guilt trips in the future!
Oh Jen, hugs. I so know where you're at right now.
I felt SO MUCH better after I stopped working. I mean, I still had a hard time but being well rested and not stressed about work helped a lot. It also helped the babies to gain weight because I wasn't expending as much energy.
Couch, bonbons, etc. :)
Again, hugs. Twin girls = SO MUCH FUN!
And yay Olivia! Some kids don't even have helf the alphabet coming into kindergarten. :)
I'm so glad you are back! Better yet, I'm glad you and the babies are okay. When you didn't post for a while I worried something was wrong. I'm glad... for now... everything is going good. And it's good to hear you are taking it easy and getting all the rest and relaxation you can. Take care of yourself!!
Granted I was not growing two people inside my biosphere, but by the 7th month I referred to my feet as "The Italian Loaves" (of bread). I began to wear my stepfather's socks, because mine were too tight (and my husband's too big).
I was essentially homebound and captive on our couch during "Snowmageddon 2010" in the Northeast, and exhausted from dealing with my nearly 3-yr old while my husband shoveled snow endlessly. At nights I slept in our uncomfy recliner (wooden armrests, need I say more?) and needed help to make it to our first floor powder room, which is the size of an airplane bathroom. Hence, I began to call the whole thing "Business Class" b/c I couldn't fully recline, barely could move, and the bathroom was an ordeal. Ya know, kinda like flying in general.
I share to distract ;o)
P.S. My husband's stepmom has twin daughters who are 28 yrs old. I thought of you last week and asked her their sizes at birth . . . one was 3 lbs, 13 oz, and the other was 4 lbs, 15 oz. Both are now 5 ft, 6 inches tall, LOL. Just another size-disparity story to keep you going and growing.
Phew on several fronts...glad to hear that you are doing ok (well as OK as one can be when she has to wear her husbands shoes out in public) and glad to hear (after reading all of the comments above) that I am not the only weird-o around here who was checking up on you 2x a day like a real life friend (or stalker as the case may be!)
Best wishes to you to keep those wee ones cooking!
Hi Jen. Google led me to your first wilderbeast beta post at 2pm, and now it is 4:30pm and I have spent my afternoon reading up to the present day. I love your writing style, and your ability to bravely discuss pregnancy and babies with such sincerity and humour. I wish you all the best with the twins, and will be following your blog to follow the progress of you and all your little ones.
I've been a lurker for years and have IVF twins. Twins is hard on your body, no matter how much rest you get. If you haven't already, you should get yourself a snoogle pillow and a shower stool. I felt pretty silly the first time I took a shower sitting down, but it's actually kind of nice and beats falling. You might want it post-delivery for a while too.
Hang in there - you're doing great. At this stage, every day and every week is a little victory for you and your babies. You're in my prayers.
So glad to hear from you. Glad it was mostly good news. It sucks that you are so ouchy. Sweet folks and precious sweet smart babies do make it all easier to take. So so glad to hear about the babies.
Yeah Jen! What a relief!
Love the blog. I have been reading it for 2+ years, but have never left you a comment before today.
Thanks to IVF, my husband and I have 19 month old fraternal twin girls, Erin & Emma. Erin, our baby A as well, was IUGR which was discovered at our 18 week growth scan. She was about 5 days behind. She was two weeks behind when we had the scan repeated. The MFM doc thought for sure she was either Downs and/or dying. Devastating as I had already had 5 miscarriages before the twin pregnancy. We did an Amnio on both babies at 22 weeks, which came back normal for both girls. I'm not very religious, but I got down on my knees and professed my profound gratitude to God, Jesus and any other divine entity that would listen. Although the Drs never commented on it, I know that the IUGR was a result of insufficient weight gain. At 22 weeks, I had only gained about 10 pounds. But once I read up on IUGR (Shrimpy Baby Syndrome as one of your readers called it) and forced myself to eat and rest more, baby A had normal growth for the rest of the pregnancy. She never caught up with her sister, but she maintained her own and I carried until 35 weeks when sever preeclampsia forced an emergency c-section. Erin weighed 3lbs 13 oz and Emma weighed 5lbs 2 oz. Both girls were perfect and did not spend one minute in the NICU. Erin, aka Peanut, is still very small. She only weighs 17 lbs at 19 months and still wears her 6-12 month Old Navy jeans. Other than being a light weight, she is just fine.
So my best (unsolicited) advice to you is: 1) eat up and sleep as much as you can. Eat in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. Oh, yes there will be hell to pay afterwards. 19 months out and I am still a fat f@ck. But I've got my girls and husband and they don't seem to mind the extra fluff. 2) get yourself a pair of Crocs. I know, I know. They are ugly, but they are also super duper wide. They were the only thing I could squeeze my feet into, until they were too tight as well. I had to put my feet up for several hours before going out just to fit into them. Twin pregnancies give "barefoot and pregnant" new meaning. And 3) Baby's R Us has a small, but nice selection of preemie clothes (you probably already know this.) Regardless of when you deliver, you will need them for your little peanut, if not both babies. I really liked the long sleeved onsies that snapped up the front by Carters. I did not like the PJ's or pants that were footed. The babies just got tangled up in them. Stick with pants and pj's with no feet (Old Navy socks are the best as they stay on. Get the ones that are terry cloth on the inside and are sold in a 3 pack.) And don't buy the little preemie layette gowns. They were absolutely adorable, but useless.
I wish you the best of luck and many more weeks of pregnancy.
Halle-fuckin-lujah. I'm glad everyone is still healthy. Screw the blog. Pull up a block of cheese & get some rest.
As a gestationally challenged twin mom survivor, I wish I had some words of wisdom on the pain front. Pregnancy massage didn't work for me- I spent the whole time burping from acid reflux which detracted from all the zen of the experience. If you can get your butt to a pool and float, that helps. But then you have to put on a suit... Ah well... Hang in there!
So, so glad to hear that you are doing, if not well, okay and that the twins are using their time wisely. I will continue to stalk your blog until "I hear those babies cries" to quote Martin Short. Have some more cheese...cheese always helps. And if cheese doesn't, bacon will!
thank you for posting! we've been worried about you! glad you're still hanging in there. when's the next growth scan?
Don't forget to join your local Mothers of Twins club! They can really help you with meals and such too. Plus, they will be a huge source of help, support and information once you have had the babies.
This site will help you find them!
http://www.nomotc.org/index.php?Itemid=43&option=com_clubsearch
I only had one baby in the womb and that was bad enough on the ole bod, i feel for you! All these biotches that say "I just love being pregnant?" They don't have hip, back, crotch, and foot pain. Or they lie. They probably lie. I remember I went to Babies R Us and tried to write a check and had to ask the lady to fill out everything but the signature for me because holding the pen hurt so bad. And one time I was limping because my pubic bones separated, and my friend said "look at her waddle!!!" I shouted "i'm not waddling, my crotch is broken!!!!!!" Pregnancy is a beautiful painful thing.
I just stumbled across your blog and just couldnt stop reading and laughing. Even though i do have drama in my life it is not pregnancy,fertility related. Im a mom of a 2.5 year old, my husband and i are both in the Coast Guard. a Seriously the way you talk is like how my friends and i do! Im letting elmo babysit before we go to tumbling class, but i really wanted to let you know how much laughter you brought to my life! I wish you and your family all the best and cant wait to read more of your adventures! u have a new follower and not in a creepy 40 year old man in his mothers basement way. And i also have an unusual love for cheese. I love going to the olive garden and the waiters face when it takes me like 5 minutes to say done with the Parmesan cheese! Any way, please take care of yourself and your taco party ( but blog when you can)
Hooray for good news and babies who are growing!
Also? Cheese is damn good. I think Little Twin can always use some more cheese in her, so you are being an excellent mother. Kudos. :)
I'm so happy to hear the update, I was getting worried. Sorry for the aches and pains, but happy that hog baby and little one are OK for the moment.
I just had my second baby (15 years after the first one) and had a lot of issues with pain and lightheadedness. One of the best things I did was to get a shower chair to use (inexpensive, can get at walmart, some drugstores, etc.). It kept me from falling over, and let me sit in the shower long enough to relax a little. It came in handy after my c-section, too.
Best of luck to you, and congrats!
what.a.relief
glad things are looking up! Hope you and Mark and Olivia have a wonderfully Merry Christmas- take it easy!
What a great hubs is, that Mark guy.....
Bake little babies...
so glad you are back. and you are fine (except for water bottle opening) and babies are fine. and eldest child is great and still supercute.
just sending lots and lots o' warm and snuggly thoughts your way. or, actually, maybe just some cheese. and ice cream. and extra-wide shoes. mmhmm. yup. that'll do it.
you're doing great, jen... hang in there.
Hope your twinsies bake longer. My one baby boy couldn't wait and was born at 31w 1d on 12.10.2010, he weighed 3 lbs 8 oz. He is tiny but is doing great.
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