Photo of the boys

Upon popular request, here they are at 3 weeks holding hands.
Baby B is on the left and Baby A is on the right.

The boys have arrived

They're here! They were born on August 20, at 38 weeks. Baby A weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces. Baby B weighed 5 pounds 9 ounces. We think they're perfect in every way.

Having babies so much better than I ever dreamed it would be. It was worth everything we went through and more.

I plan to come back and write a more eloquent post as soon as we get a handle on things. But I just wanted the internets to know that this story has a happy ending.

Still pregnant

37 1/2 weeks and here I sit. When I had that sub-chorionic hemmorhage, a bunch of people told me stories about women they'd known who had one, and then carried the pregnancy forever and ever, post-term even. I didn't believe any of those stories could be possible. And yet here I am, the poster child for one.

At my 36 week ultrasound, the babies were measuring around 6 pounds each. That's a lotta baby in there. I am so thankful they're both doing so well. I'm also so ready to have them be doing well on the outside. They've really outgrown the confines of my belly.

My c-section is in 5 days. I've been trying to move things along with acupuncture, partially in the hopes that they'll be born sooner, and partially just to get my body moving along the same timeline as the c-section.

It still seems completely surreal that Alain and I will have babies at the end of this. I've stopped trying to make myself believe that and decided that once they're in our arms, they'll seem real enough.

Belly shot - 35 weeks

Here's what the belly is doing now. I finally got some stretch marks in the last couple of weeks. I think it's just stretched to the limit.

3 weeks and counting until the c-section, but I wouldn't be too surprised if the kids decide to join us on the outside a little earlier. It is so nice not to be worried about pre-term labor anymore. I thank my lucky stars for that every day.

I haven't had an ultrasound in a while but the boys seem to be doing fine based on the NSTs. One has his head really far down, and the other's head is still up in my ribs. I think they're running out of space.

C-section birth plan

I wanted to post my birth preferences for a scheduled c-section, in case they're helpful to anyone. I've gone over the "Birth Preferences" part of it with my OB and he's said all of these things are possible. One caveat - I originally stated that I wanted the cords to pulsate for 2 minutes before they were cut or clamped. My OB said that this is possible for a singleton baby, but with twins it poses a risk to the second placenta. So I removed that but if you're having one baby, you could ask about that if it were important to you.

I think the audience for the "Baby care preferences" section is really the nurses and the pediatrician, and I haven't talked to them yet, so I'm not 100% sure of the reality of those requests.

Birth preferences

Drugs and Anesthesia

Jen is allergic to (drug allergies).

Jen prefers a spinal for pain relief, using the smallest needle available to prevent headaches. She would like the catheter put in after anesthesia is administered.

Please do not administer sedatives without Jen's express permission, either before or for the repair portion of the surgery. It is important to Jen not to feel drugged or be unable to remember the events of the birth.

Jen would like to avoid nausea medications. Zofran gives her migraines and Phenargan makes her drowsy and would make it difficult to interact with and breastfeed our babies. If dangerous uncontrollable vomiting makes nausea medication absolutely necessary, Jen's choice would be Phenergan.

Positioning

Jen prefers that her arms not be strapped down unless general anesthesia becomes necessary during an emergency. If at all possible, Jen would like a pillow under her head so that she can have a better view and be more comfortable during the surgery.

Jen would like to view the birth either by lowering the screen or positioning a mirror.

Birth

If our babies need assistance during the birth, please use a vacuum instead of forceps.

Jen would like the babies to be placed on her chest immediately after the birth, or as soon as possible.

Jen would like to see the placentas after they are delivered.

Jen prefers that all incisions be sutured with subcutaneous, dissolveable stitches, or surgical glue, but not staples.

Baby care preferences

Our pediatrician is (name and contact information).

Jen wishes to have the babies with her in recovery so that she can breastfeed immediately.

We would prefer that the babies stay with both Jen and Alain at all times. If a baby has to go to the NICU, Alain is to remain with that baby at all times.

If our babies need to be given IV fluids in the NICU, please ensure that the IV fluids are aluminum-free.

We are refusing the Hepatitis B vaccine at this time. We consent to having the Vitamin K shot and eye ointment administered to our babies.

All tests and procedures are to be done in the presence of one of the baby's parents, and with our express consent, barring an emergency situation.

Please do not bathe our babies immediately after the birth.

Please do not circumcise our babies.

Jen would like to have a lactation consultant available to help with her first breastfeeding session. If Pat or Emma is available, they would be her first choice.

Our babies will be breastfed. Please do not give them pacifiers or bottles without our express permission.

We would like our babies to room in with us. Please do not come and take our babies to the nursery unless we request it. Any procedures or pediatric checks can be done in our room. This includes ultraviolent light therapy for jaundice.

Post-partum care

Jen is allergic to gluten and thus all of her meals must be gluten-free.

Jen would like to try to eat as soon as possible following surgery. She would also like to walk around as soon as practical, to speed healing time.

32 week ultrasound and NST test

I had another NST test and ultrasound yesterday. The babies quickly passed the NST with flying colors, kicking when they were supposed to, resulting in appropriately accelerated heartbeats. Good babies. Their estimated weight is now 4lb1oz and 3 3/4 lbs. That's still at the high end of normal for singleton babies, much less twins. Go babies! I'm so proud of them for growing so well. On the other hand, my OB gave me a lecture about not needing to set any records with two 9-pound babies. No kidding. Ouch.

They're in the yin/yang position and haven't moved for two weeks, and there's no more room for them to move. So we confirmed that it will be a c-section and went over my c-section birth plan, and most of what I'd hoped for will be possible. I'm glad to have that decided for me, and to have a plan I can live with. I'll post the plan in a separate post in case it's helpful to anyone else.

Meanwhile, I've actually lost weight. I gave myself food poisoning last weekend (seriously, where was my brain when I ate that stack of raw, cold prosciutto?) and stuff's been coming out both ends ever since. I'm trying to choke down as much healthy food as I can stomach and take extra probiotics to get rid of it and get healthy again. If it's not gone by the end of the week I'll ask my OB for antibiotics. I have an appointment with my GD nutritionist today and I plan to ask her whether there's anything I can do about the fact that I haven't gained weight since I started on the diet. I've been pushing really hard and have gotten my protein intake up to 100 grams a day, which is quite an accomplishment given the return of pregancy nausea and my desire to eat nothing but cereal and fruit all day long.

My last IVIg brought my NKC cells down from 20 to 11.5. 12 is the high end of the acceptable range so all's good. The clinic said I no longer have to do NKC tests, just keep a close watch on the babies with ultrasounds. So that's it, no more IVIg for sure! Woohoo! And I get to stop the Lovenox shots in just a couple of weeks.

The nursery is ready to go now. I love to sit in it and dream about babies. I have to finish the quilt that I've been working on. It's pieced but I still need to quilt and bind it. I also have one more freezer meal that I want to make, and that should be enough to get us through for a while without having to cook.

Last night Alain and I went to a couple of twins group meetings. The first was on making your own baby food. It seems so insanely easy that there's no reason not to do it, especially since we get all these great fruits and veggies from our CSA farmshare. The second meeting was about putting together a will and trust to make sure your kids are taken care of in case something should happen. We need to do that but to be honest, it will probably be a few years before we get around to it. Seems so grown up to do that.

Aaand while I was typing this, the cat brought me a live baby rat. How kind and generous of him. Apparently he's making up for the lizard I prevented him from bringing in this morning. I caught the rat in a yogurt container and threw it outside but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it reappears inside.

Belly shot 29/30 weeks

Here's what I look like today, about 29 1/2 weeks. At least once a day some stranger comments "So, anytime now, huh?" And I say no.... still two months to go.

It's over 100 degrees (F) here right now. I am so thankful that Alain installed air conditioning.