Becoming a mother of twins

Honestly, the idea of becoming a mother of twins is somewhat terrifying. Especially knowing that I have a very loved (that's a good word for spoiled, right?) 2 1/2 year old. I worry about the adjustment for him and what it will do to the sweet little boy that he is.


We tried for over 2 years for Doodle before we were blessed with him and he has been the biggest blessing we have ever received. He is loved so much by not only us, but by our families. These two blessings will definitely rain on his parade. He is so used to having both of us and while I know that 1 sibling would have been an adjustment, I know 2 will be especially hard.


Not only am I worried about Doodle's reaction and having enough time to still make him feel special and loved, I also worry about  many other things, such as breastfeeding. Nursing is a commitment. It really is, there is no sugar coating it. I remember it making me nearly crazy with Doodle. I was constantly stressed about my milk supply. Is he getting enough, is day care over feeding him, they better not have thrown out any of my golden milk= translation, am I a good enough mother?


I can only imagine what this will be like when I am trying to provide for 2. I have read horror stories online about mothers who are nursing 24/7. Constantly pumping and having a baby at the breast. How does this work when you have a toddler who also needs your attention? Where is the balance?


Now I realize all of this will come together, we will adjust, Doodle will adjust and if nursing doesn't work out this time, it doesn't work out. However, even with these realizations in mind, the build up to it is a bit overwhelming.


Breastfeeding and having enough love to go around are only a few of the worries. Scheduling/routines, childcare bills, recovering from a likely c-section, sleep, and keeping a happy marriage are all worries that come to mind. People with negative attitudes/comments are not helpful. My husband and I are both sick of hearing from others how hard it is going to be: "TWINS, oh my gosh you will have your hands full", "better you than me", "your going to be so busy". Seriously, shove it! Didn't your mother teach you "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all". We realize it is going to be tough, we realize it is going to be a change; we didn't expect twins, but really we are both quite capable, and will be fine. Rather than giving us more discouragement, spend sometime giving us encouragement and support, that is what we need.


I know these frustrations are felt by many more mothers of multiples and I know everything will be just fine. I just want to encourage those of you reading out there to think before you speak. Pregnant mommies are sensitive.

24+ weeks

Friday the 1st was my second appointment with the High Risk Doctor. The appointment was extremely long, but I felt better after it than I did the last one. Peanut had a heartbeat of 150 and weighs 1 lb 10 oz, Butter had a heartbeat of 139 and weighs 1 lb 12 oz. They checked out both of their hearts thoroughly and she said she cant give me a 100%, but she is 95% certain there are no heart problems and that they look very good. Praise God!  My cervix remains perfect and Peanut's placenta has moved away from it, which is a very good thing. The only bad news was that Peanut is Breech and Butter is transverse so unless they move (Doc says there is a 3% chance) I will have to have a c-section which terrifies me. I was able to have a vaginal birth with Doodle and was really hoping for the same with the twins. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that they will move for me. I go back to see my regular OB on Monday so I plan to talk with her more about it then.

We got some amazing pictures while we were at the doctor this time:

Peanut's profile

Butter's Profile

Their profiles next to each other

Butter's foot. 

Doodle kissing his brothers 

Well on our way

Sorry, I have been slacking big time with this blog.  So here is an update from my last 2 appointments!

On June 3rd we had our appointment with the high risk doctor. While I didn't enjoy the experience much, it was still fun to see Peanut and Butter. The appointment was different as we had an ultrasound tech doing our ultrasound. She wouldn't let me ask questions while it was going on, which I didn't care for much as this was the large anatomy scan where they check out all the babies parts. The actual doctor was very hard to understand. What I did find out from the appointment: The boys are 100% most definitely boys! They are di/ di twins and apparently that is the "good kind". ( DCDA or di/di (diamniotic / dichorionic) - These twins are usually fraternal (absolutely fraternal if different genders), but some will actually prove to be identical twins where the embryo has split very early in development (about 1/3 of identicals may be DCDA). First trimester scans will show two embryos in two separate sacs. The dividing membrane between the twins is thick, being made up of two layers of chorion and two layers of amnion (one from each twin). This thick separation gives rise to the so-called ‘lambda’ sign, where there is a wedge shaped piece of tissue between the edges of sacs of the twins on ultrasound. The circulations and placentas of the babies are separate, even though the placentas may push up next to each other later in pregnancy. DCDA twins generally carry the lowest risks of all the subtypes of twin pregnancy. *stolen from http://www.twin-pregnancy-and-beyond.com/twin-pregnancy-complications.html). Peanut was 14 oz and Butter was 13 oz and both had strong heartbeats (Peanut 140 and Butter 146). I also was told that Peanut's placenta is a little lower and closer to my cervix than they would like, but there is a chance that it is just early and will move before the next appointment. In the mean time, no heavy lifting, no bending, and I am supposed to lay down for an hour each day and rest in the afternoon (which I am finding is easier said than done). I will be visiting them again on July 1.

I also had an appointment with Dr. Johnson on June 13th. Being my typical every two week appointment with Dr. Molly, it was short and sweet, yet more fulfilling than the other. She updated me on the last appointment I had with the High Risk Doctor. Because I was not able to ask the Ultra Sound tech questions (or rather she was not able to answer them) I had been nervous because of the time they spent looking at Butter's heart. Dr. Molly says that everything is fine and we got a good report. Both the boys looked good, although they were in strange positions and we didn't get a good look at Peanut's face (Heartbeat was 141).

Butter on the other hand must have felt like showing off:

He's got his Daddy's nose and a sweet little face (Heartbeat 160)

I go back again on July 1st to see the High Risk doctors. In the mean time we are starting the remodel of Doodle's bedroom. Dry wall is going up today, its time to start getting ready for these babies!

Movin' and a groovin'

I hit the "twin half way mark" on Sunday. Only 5 more weeks until the first major milestone for twins: viability. Meaning the earliest that the twines can be born and still have a viable chance of making it.

The babies have been moving more and more, thankfully, I was beginning to get worried. Last night their Daddy felt them for the first time. It was so exciting! I cannot wait until Doodle can feel them, I think he will love it.

I go back next Friday for my first meeting with the high risk doctors. They will be doing my big anatomy scan. I am excited for that, but nervous to meet with them....

Sweet Emotion

Holy emotional. I have been crazy emotional the last couple of weeks. Honestly I can cry at the drop of a hat. Sheesh. Normally I am a pretty emotional person anyway, but I can usually hold it in a bit. I don't remember being this emotional when I was pregnant with Doodle.

Today was our 16 week ultra sound. I went in *hoping* that we would find out the genders of the babies. My birthday is tomorrow and it would be a great birthday present. I was not disappointed.

The ultra sound showed very clearly that we are having 2 little boys! I wont lie, I was a bit disappointed, I wanted to have at least 1 girl, but the important thing is that they are healthy. Honestly, I was a little disappointed when we found out Doodle was a boy as well, and I wouldn't change him for the world.

Besides the gender identification we learned that they are both as healthy as they have been the whole time. Butter was up and dancing for us again, and when she showed them to us side by side, they were kicking each other. A look into the future, most likely.

Butter's little leggies

Butter = Boy, heartbeat 154

Peanut = Boy, heartbeat 161

Now its time to start getting serious about names.. I go back again in about 1 1/2 weeks (a little early this time due to a vacation) and then on June 3rd to meet with the high risk doctors and get my BIG ultra sound. Looking forward to it! 

14 1/2 weeks

Can I give a shout out to the total wonderfulness of having Ultra Sounds every 2 weeks?! It is so amazing to get to see the babies grow before our eyes in my stomach. Of all the awful pieces of infertility and/or high risk pregnancies this is truly one of the benefits! I couldn't believe how much they had both changed already since our last Ultra Sound just 2 weeks ago.

Peanut had a heartbeat of 154.

Butter had a heartbeat of 150

I absolutely love the picture of Butter, once again he/she was moving all around and this one captures he/she stretching his/her arms over her head as if just waking up. Both babies and their mommy continue to be incredibly healthy. In 4 weeks I will have to meet with the high risk doctors for the first time. At my clinic this is standard procedure for any mother pregnant with twins. They are just an extra set of eyes on the pregnancy.

What I am really looking forward to is *hopefully* finding out their sexes! I am ready to start planning a nursery if I need to paint and buying things!



12 weeks gone hello 2nd trimester!

Ahh. The 2nd trimester. I have such fond memories of you from my 1st pregnancy. You were complete with the ability to brush my teeth without then gagging, the renewal of energy, and that pregnancy "glow" that everyone talks about.

I have to say I am happy the 1st trimester is over. For those of us who have dealt with infertility this means a "graduation" of sorts from our Reproductive Specialist to our regular OBGYN. It also means the completion of many, many weeks of shots (particularly exciting!) and a sense of confidence that you have passed a milestone that you may have never thought you would see.

My 12 week appointment was fun, uneventful really, but anytime I get to see the sweet little babies it is fun. I have been a little under the weather, sick with a cold or allergies, I'm not sure which. The babies are looking great, measuring just right, and wiggling around (Butter did some pretty incredible rolls while we were watching).

Here is a picture of both of them together.

Peanut had a heartbeat of 167.

Butter had a heartbeat of 161

It is so fun getting to see them every 2 weeks. I really hope it keeps up throughout the entire pregnancy. I am very excited to find out what we are having in a month or so! For now everyone participate in the poll guessing what we are having!