I suck at blogging regularly...

Wow, it's been over a month since I've last updated, ugh! Time has flown by like crazy, and I'm hoping it slows down a little bit before the boys get here. Lets see - how have things been? Overall pretty good! I think I was 25 weeks since I last updated on the pregnancy itself, and now I'm at 31 + 2. So, a lot has changed! I'm feeling lazy so this probably won't be as long as I'd like it to be (maybe that's a good thing) but I'm determined to at least post SOMETHING!!

Okay, diabetes wise. I've had a lot of resistance, and finally have seen increases in my basal rates. Not as much as most people get, but my total daily basals have gone from about 23U pre preg to 27U. Pretty minimal, as I know many people have to double their basals during pregnancy, but it's an increase! I've needed to increase my bolus rates/ correction factors more. My old I:C ratio (insulin to carb) was 1:9, meaning I would take 1 unit of insulin for 9 grams of carbs and I'm down to 1:5 at this point. I'm pretty lucky though, I know of many woman who have gone to 1:1!! That would mean for a slice of whole wheat bread, I would be taking 14 units of insulin. I'm really hoping I don't get much more resistant than my 1:5! I had to change my pump settings too, my 'maximum total daily dose' was set at 100, and I've officially exceeded that amount a few times now. My correction factor has also changed dramatically. I used to take 1 unit of insulin to lower my blood sugar 2.7 points, now I am 1:1 for that. So if my blood is 11, I would need 6 units of insulin to lower me to my target of 5. I'm feeling on top of things though! I've been testing like CRAZY, and my overactive bladder at night is really actually nice, because I'm not going through long stretches overnight without checking my blood. I've been running a little high until 4AM overnight, so I'm thinking I might need to make an adjustment again in the next day or so... hmmm :) But overall, things have been okay! Last A1C was 6.0, which is still below the target of 6.2. I meet with the high risk doctor every 2 weeks and so far there are NO signs of issues with the babies caused by my diabetes. Great to hear that.

Babies - I've been having growth scans every 2 weeks. Everything was looking great until 26 weeks where Baby B was measuring a little small and there was a 'slight fold' in his inter-twin membrane which could be an early sign of TTTS. The Doctor didn't seem too concerned though, because their fluid levels were equal, and just mentioned that it was a 'very early sign' and that we'd monitor it. At 28 weeks, things were a little different. Baby B was still small, but growing along his curve (he's just a little baby), whereas Baby A, who had always been measuring a few days ahead was all of the sudden slightly smaller than little Baby B. The Dr described it as 4 days worth of growth in 14 days. We always had our 'big baby' and our 'little baby' and now we just had two little babies. I was warned that I would be admitted for further monitoring if the 30 week scan didn't go well, so it was a nerveracking time! I went home and upped my calories, and took it even easier. I haven't exactly been pushing myself, but I really made a point to take extra naps, and Jamie started bringing me home iced capps for a nice treat. 30 week scan was last week and it went much better. Both babies are still on the smaller end of normal, but both of them grew in the two week period. I think I just make small babies! I was small at birth, so it makes sense that the boys might be too. Plus, they're twins and that makes a difference too of course! Fluid levels are still looking great, heart rates are looking great, things are going okay! I have a good feeling about them, and really feel like they have been going through a growth spurt the past week or so, my stomach is getting BIG. Next ultrasound is next Wednesday, goal is to actually update after that one, when it's all fresh in my memory.

We're now doing twice-weekly non-stress-tests. A NST is basically where they hook me up to a doppler for each baby, and it also monitors my uterus 'tone' to detect if I'm contracting at all (so far so good). They're looking for accelerations when the babies move, and just like an adult their heart rates should rise and fall with activity. I started doing them at 29 weeks and was warned that sometimes babies of that gestational age don't have really strong accelerations, but they've been superstars! We had one day where Baby B was hiding and we were unable to pick up his HR, but we found him quickly with an ultrasound and got a great read on him after that. I love going in twice weekly and hearing their little heart beats, it's so reassuring. I have a little 'jeopardy' clicker that I press every time I feel movement too, so they can track things easily. Today was kind of funny. Baby A was moving a little bit at first, and then both babies were sound asleep for a good 20 minutes. They gave me a glass of ice water to try to wake them up, and Baby B went crazy! We then had to wait for a while for him to calm back down, haha.

Okay, I'm getting sleepy, so survey time. Here's my goal of posts over the next few days: Baby gear (strollers etc) because I've finally made decisions, Babies room because we're finally getting somewhere, and a post about my baby shower, because it was amazing!!! I am determined to get those done!!!

How far along? 31 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain: Wow, last time I did this I was up 14 lbs. Now I'm up 27 lbs.
Maternity Clothes? For shirts, I can only wear maternity or mens tees. I went through Jamie's give away clothes and pulled out a bunch of old Abercrombie shirts he doesn't wear anymore, and I'm officially the person who wears them out in public now. Meh - it happens. For pants, I can still wear my underarmour yoga/sweat pants, but for jeans they would have to be maternity. It's sad with shirts though, my maternity shirts are now becoming belly shirts! I'm getting pretty big.
Stretch Marks? Yep! I have about 5 of them on either side, going up and down. I find that bio-oiling them really well makes them appear less red, so I've been keeping super oiled up and that helps a little. I'm accepting of them, I didn't really expect to NOT get stretch marks. Hoping they fade quickly after the babies are here.
Sleep: Ahhh, not great. I've been really uncomfortable lately. I'm still up to pee often, and I am having some extreme groin pain in the past couple of days, which makes rolling over in bed very very painful. I'm taking it as good prep for when the babies are here.
Miss anything?  I wasn't in great shape before, but I've been looking at 'pre-preg' pics and I look SO SKINNY. I have to say I miss my non-pregnant body. I miss being able to walk at a normal pace (and for more than 10 minutes at a time) and not have to sit down during a trip to Home Depot. I know as soon as the babies come out though, I will miss my pregnant body so much though - I really do love it. I just wish I could have back my old body for a weekend every now and then.
Movement:  Oh yeah. Lots of pushing and rolling, and because both babies are head down, there is a whole mess of legs around my bellybutton. They like to take turns pushing out their butts too, right now B is a giant lump underneath the right side of my ribs.
Food cravings: Hmmm, apples with PB, raspberries and blueberries, iced capps, iced green teas, and anything BBQ'ed!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Best moment this week: My baby shower was an amazing day, it was so much fun. The boys and I are so lucky!
Labour signs:  I actually called L&D the other day. I got caught in a torrential downpour and half-ran about 45 feet to cover, I haven't done any form of running in a long time. I had a lot of pelvic pain when walking but felt fine when lying or sitting so I figured I just pulled something. Jamie was out at hockey and then even lying down I felt SO much pressure constantly. My stomach was pretty hard too, so I called just in case. They said I could come in to get checked, but I probably just over did it and to wait it out. I decided to stay home, and since then walking has been very very painful, but doesn't seem like anything labour related, phew!
Symptoms: A giant belly, two little humans kicking me from the inside, and I think I'm waddling.
Bellybutton in or out? Flat, and starting to pop at the top!
Wedding rings on or off? Still on! They were really tight on a muggy day, so I went and got my extra band sized up just in case I can't wear my e-ring/ wedding band. But so far, so good still. I know it's tighter if you're wearing 3 rings, so if need be, I'll just wear my extra band, and not all 3 at once.
Happy or moody most of the time?  I'd say pretty happy. I love being pregnant, and hate complaining, but I feel like I'm starting to complain more than usual just because it is really uncomfortable and painful. I don't know how I'm going to last much longer, but bring it on! My OB said last Monday that 'hopefully I'll make it to 38 weeks' - AHHH! I'm still hoping for 36!
Looking forward to: Jamie painting the babies room tomorrow! And I have a ton of stuff ordered that I'm waiting for which should be in within the next couple of weeks. And my MIL is working on the babies bedding, and I see the high risk Dr for another ultrasound next Wednesday... Lots of stuff going on!

Photo time!

25 weeks, pre stretch marks!

26 weeks, 4 days

 

 

Hello stretchies!

The bi-weekly diabetes process

I post a little update every time I blog about what's going on with my diabetes, but I have never actually posted what the 'medical' side of it looks like... I'm sure everyone knows I have more doctors appts than the average pregnancy, but what actually goes on with the diabetes side? SO - why not post about that?

 

I have appts with the 'diabetes in pregnancy' clinic at the hospital where I'll be delivering every two weeks. I've been seeing them since early 2011, when Jamie and I started seriously talking about having a baby in the future. There is a lot of preparation that goes into a diabetic pregnancy and my endo thought it was best to start the process early so I would know what to expect and make sure my health was where it should be before I got pregnant. Granted, we put off TTC so many times and it took a little while, I didn't actually end up getting pregnant until November of 2012 - when I hadn't been to the clinic in about 6 months. My A1C (or average over the past 3 months) was at 6.1 though, so things were still looking pretty good! Anyways, here's my routine!

 

I try to keep myself fairly organized by recording my blood sugars every few days in my small little logbook. I used to be awesome at recording ALL the time (actually recorded everything from 2009-2011 as it was happening) but now I'm pretty bad with writing stuff down as it happens. I like to keep it as current as possible though, because it helps me notice trends quickly. Step one - make sure I have everything written down in this logbook.

Don't mind the bloodstains, haha.

Once my logbook is up to date, I transfer all of those numbers onto these wonderful charts (from the 80's) that I need to complete for the diabetes nurse. They are these giant pieces of paper that need to be folded over a bunch of times to fit in a binder, and they use terms like PC and AC (I think that's right) for before and after meals instead of just 'before breakfast' or 'after breakfast'. The charts don't really allow for enough readings, so I need to improvise and put in extra numbers where you're 'supposed' to put carbs/ insulin etc. I have never written down my carbs or insulin on these forms though, oh well. They have a spot at the bottom for averages, and I think that's the main point of the entire thing - it works for me. It would be easiest if I did these weekly, but of course I don't even pull out my binder until about 10PM the night before an appt.

Lots of writing!!!

Once the written part is all done and complete, I have to download everything from my pump and meter to bring with me. I think that they can download my pump at the appts, but they use the old Animas EZ something or other (which was awful) where I use the new and greatly improved website www.diasend.com. It used to literally be a 45 minute ordeal to download my pump, because the program would freeze constantly and the dongle would never work properly, but now it actually works pretty well. It's still a little time consuming, and the dongle can be very finicky - you need to hold it a certain way in order for it to download from the pump without losing the connection, but it is a HUGE improvement from before. You need to suspend (stop delivery) on the pump too, and one time I forgot to turn back on the pump for about 1.5 hours, which led to a little bit of a high afterwards, not too fun. But that was just me being stupid. Don't mind my (successful) thigh infusion site in these pics! I'm now running on my third thigh set in a row - so far so good!!

 

 

Here's what the diasend site looks like as it's downloading - along with a pic of my computer background of cute little Holly before she got hairy and fat. She is long overdue for a full strip! Next week, that's my plan. :)

Cutie patootie!

Okay, so once I have everything downloaded, I usually spend some time going over all of the results. Diasend is awesome because it can give you SO MUCH information! I am a big information person, and like to have all the numbers and stats organized in different ways and review them all. Over time, I've learned which specific reports are relevant to me (because they aren't ALL relevant of course). I am now primarily using the report in the photo below, which I love because it ALMOST looks like I have a CGMS (continuous glucose monitoring system) with how often I test my blood now. It is really great to see where I have highs or lows, and how it relates to how much insulin I am taking at the time. A couple weeks ago I noticed high numbers almost every day at a certain time, and also noticed that my insulin was decreased around that same time. It was pretty easily fixed with a correction to my basal rates! Of course it still isn't perfect, and I don't expect it to be. But I'm glad that I can at least have stats to try to help me through it all.

 

Then.... It all gets printed off. I print my pump settings, a form with all sorts of averages and whatnots, and two separate forms that show what my blood actually looked like over the past week or two. Lots of paper, haha. My file at the clinic is HUGE because they put all of these in there every time I see them. I would probably just throw them out after a few appts, but they have them alllll stored in there.

By now it's usually well after midnight (I get distracted easily so this whole process takes FOREVER) so it's off to bed. Jamie used to help by doing all of my averages, but now that I have much more free time than him, I've relieved him from that duty. At my actual appts, it always starts off with a weigh-in and then a urine test to check for protein, ketones and glucose. I've had traces of protein a couple times, and 2 weeks ago I was apparently spilling glucose into my urine, but apparently it's not a big deal and just 'happens' sometimes. Never had ketones so far, so I'm happy with that. I also test for ketones at home if I have a high that won't budge for a couple of hours. I suck at what it all actually means now, but I'm pretty sure ketones are when your body can't handle the amount of glucose in your blood and starts burning fat and other important things. I can't remember exactly though, and too lazy to google. I just know that they're bad news bears.

I meet with the nurse first, and she writes down all of my averages/ basal rates/ total daily doses, etc into my chart. We talk about where I'm having issues, and what kind of things I want to talk to the endo about. She also checks my blood pressure, which has actually been GREAT through pregnancy. I sometimes have higher blood pressure during Doctor's appts (which is pretty common), but lately it's been awesome. Hoping it stays that way. After the nurse I get shuffled back into the waiting room until it's my turn to see the dietitian. The dietitian part is usually pretty short now. It was longer before when I couldn't keep anything down, but now it's mostly just 'are you eating well?' 'yep' and again we talk about where there are some highs or lows and if it's related more to basal rates, correction factors or crappy carb counting. Because I'm on insulin (instead of just a diet based plan like with gestational diabetes) there isn't really too much to discuss as far as what I 'can' or 'can't' eat. Shuffled back into the waiting room.... Until it's time to meet with the endocrinologist (diabetes doctor). There are three (well now two, because one is on maternity leave) endos in the clinic and they all trade off weeks. Now that I'm further along, we measure my fundal height and go over mostly the forms I printed from diasend. Working together, we adjust the basal rates (how much insulin I take per hour), ISF (insulin-sensitivity factors ie: how much insulin is needed to correct a high blood sugar) and my I:C ratios (insulin to carb ratios, which is how many grams of carb it takes per unit of insulin). This is for sure the most important part of the appt, and I usually leave with a new set of things to try. Granted - it's a moving target. What worked at 23 weeks doesn't work at 24 weeks because I suddenly have more insulin resistance or whatever. It's frustrating, but all I can do is try my best and be diligent about it.

Lastly - the most important part.... Dashing out to the parking lot because my appt ran over a couple minutes and hoping I didn't get a parking ticket!!!! The appt's usually run just under an hour, so I only buy one hour of parking. The next option is a full extra hour, which just seems like a waste. I should buy impark stock, those a-holes take a lot of my money!!! I've been good at not getting tickets, but it is unbelievable how much it costs to park at the hospital. It's not like I'm parking there to go to a concert or transfer to transit or something, crazy!! Also, you have no way of knowing if your appt that is normally 50 minutes will run over for some reason.

So... That's my diabetes routine! Of course every day consists of testing 12-15 times a day, and constantly adjusting/ calculating as I go. It's a big job to be diabetic in general, and even more while pregnant! But it will ALL be worth it in the end. :)

Feeling positive

Flowers from our lilac tree

I am officially at 25 weeks, 4 days pregnant! Things are still going pretty well, but carrying these little guys is still pretty hard on the body. I wouldn't change it though, and love having them in there. This will likely be my only pregnancy (because Jamie and I only want two kids... at least right now) so I'm trying to just enjoy it as much as I can! Let's see, what's new and exciting? Well, SPRING is officially here in the lower mainland! Jamie and I put out the patio furniture this weekend, and had dinner out in the backyard on Saturday night, which was great. The dogs loved that we shared, of course. It's been sooo warm, so I've been wearing lots of skirts and shorts, and loving the sunshine! I need to buy more summery pregnant clothes, I am not prepared. I feel kind of stupid buying like 8 pairs of maternity jeans off of Craigslist, but I'm sure we still have lots of cold days left - spring always likes to leave right when we think it's actually here to stay. The babies have been pretty active, and I love seeing my stomach move so much! It's distracting though, I try to watch TV and usually just sit with my shirt up over my stomach watching the babies dance around in there. Jamie has hockey a couple times a week out in Richmond, so I've started swimming while he is there, because there is a pool right next to the hockey arena! I take it veryyyyy easy, and just slowly slowly kick with my legs while keeping my upper body afloat with a couple of those 'kick board' things. I get a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions if I go too hard, so I don't leave the slow lane, haha. It's really helping my back though, my upper body is completely supported and afloat so I can relax my shoulders and it's great.

Diabetes.... has been pretty awesome! Knock on wood. I have accepted that my insulin to carb ratios are not what they used to be, and am no longer afraid to give myself more insulin. (I'm always a chicken with trying out new pump settings). I am getting into a routine where it's more 'proactive' rather than 'reactive' and that's helping a lot. Don't get me wrong - there are still times where it's stupid and doesn't work properly, but that is usually due to crappy carb counting on my part. Tonight was one of those nights, but my blood came down within an hour or so (from a not too high level) and I'm happy with that. I'm starting to run low in the middle of the night, but don't want to cut my basals. I'd rather wake up at 4AM and have a juice box (because I'm up to pee anyways!!) instead of possibly running high all night long. There is no worse feeling than waking up with a high blood sugar, knowing that it was there all night. I've asked a lot of questions about complications from diabetes to the Doctor I am seeing every few weeks, and everything seems to be okay. There can be a whole bevy of problems if you get pregnant without having a handle on your diabetes, but none of those signs are showing up in everything they've seen so far. The boys have little hearts with all the proper chambers and flow (and they are always so kind to keep their arms wide open during ultrasounds to show off their hearts... Although they do the same with their legs, LOL) At this point, we can start to see problems if the babies are getting 'fat' essentially. They always measure them to percentiles, and we're watching to make sure that their skulls aren't suddenly in the 40th percentile, while their stomachs jumped to the 90th percentile. So far so good, and I'm just hoping and hoping things stay that way. I know there still can be complications, especially with them being twins - and the potential of them being preemies, but all I can do is the best I can and hope it all works out. I'm trying to get an ultrasound report from a little over a week ago, because I hate not knowing anything. Hopefully I'll get that one tomorrow and I can do my usual over-obsessive research on how the results look, haha. Good ol' Dr. Google!

Ooh! And after a terrible experience with a thigh site a little over a week ago, which I accidentally ripped out only a few hours after placement, I had a great experience the past couple of days. I think it's been helpful because I've been wearing 'baggier' clothing, and chanting to myself 'infusion site, infusion site' every time I walk into the bathroom (Thigh sites get ripped out while pulling down your pants to pee, sorry for the TMI) I put in a new one this afternoon, and hoping it goes as well as before. I can't use my stomach anymore, and my hips have just been getting a little bit beat up. I find sites look a little bit worse after pulling them out, which is maybe from the increased amount of insulin running through them in a day? Either way, I'm excited to have a new spot, and the absorption seems to be pretty good too! YAY.

Roxie, the boys and I enjoying the sunshine!

Okay, survey time :)

How far along? 25 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain: I haven't weighed myself in a day or so, but I'm up about 13-14 lbs now.
Maternity Clothes? Mostly, yep! I tried out a skirt Jamie bought me a few years ago (non maternity obviously) and it fit pretty good. I can fit most of my old shorts etc under my belly, although I am really planning on getting a couple more summery maternity shorts/skirts. Shirts are a different story for the most part. Normal T-shirts are no good (except for a mens large) but some of my empire waist tank tops from Abercrombie are working pretty well for me! I would say I'm wearing mostly maternity clothes though for sure.
Stretch Marks? Fingers crossed, still okay. I have a red mark on my belly button, but I think it's scarring from my bellybutton ring, boo. Other than that, they seem to be staying away... I'm not sure for how long though, I don't see how much more my skin can really stretch!!
Sleep: Meh, not great again. The body pillow is helping, but I'm finding that my hips are really hurting in the morning. So I tend to shift to lying on top of the body pillow somewhere in the middle of the night, which is uncomfortable in its own way. Of course, I also have a second 'pillow' which is Holly! She has started sleeping in between Jamie and I (usually on a part of my body pillow) and she takes up a decent amount of room. She also likes to sleep right next to my head, and she smells like white cheddar popcorn for some reason, LOL. I love the cuddles though, so I don't kick her out. She keeps my spot warm while I pee every few hours too, what a nice girl.
Miss anything?  Same as before - no back pain, rib pain and I would LOVE a drink. I saw the chiropractor a couple times, but haven't decided if it was making a difference so I haven't gone back. My regular days are okay, as long as I'm not stuck in a doctors office chair, because it's sitting that kills me. Other than that, I spend a lot of time either on my feet, or lying down which really helps. I've started actually tightening a belt around my ribs when they're sore, and that's been a lifesaver, haha. And booze... I miss booze. I was out this weekend buying some for Jamie and got some dirty looks at the liquor store, sheesh!!
Movement:  Yep! Every week I think 'wow, they move so much more than last week' and it's still continuing. I'm sad for when they run out of room and can't move as much - my OB thinks that'll happen around 30-32 weeks.
Food cravings: I love food! I got my Costco pizza last week (which was amazing, and I bolused PERFECTLY for) and now I'm on a big white cheddar popcorn fix (maybe why I think that's what Holly smells like in the middle of the night?), along with apples and peanut butter, and raspberry/blueberry mixes. I'm spending a fortune on fresh berries, but it's sooo worth it. But yeah, food is great. Jamie also made us hamburgers last week, yum! I love BBQ season.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Best moment this week: Ahhhhh, success with my thigh infusion set!
Labour signs:  Just BH contractions if I do too much, my stomach tightens up really easily now, and it doesn't take much. I have another ultrasound on Thursday and hoping everything is still looking good in there and no symptoms that they're moving down too much or anything.
Symptoms: Still issues with my back, and I had my first bout of heartburn today - ouch!! Oh, and it's a mission in order to get off of the couch now, haha.
Bellybutton in or out? Flat, and starting to pop at the top!
Wedding rings on or off? Still on! They're a TINY bit tighter than before, but they were usually pretty loose. I think it has something to do with the hot weather too.
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! Although I know I've had many 'moments' in the past week or so - Jamie would know that. According to me right now, I think I've been in a lovely mood 100% of the time :)
Looking forward to: Seeing the high risk Doctor on Thursday for another ultrasound. My Mother-in-law is coming along and I can't wait for her to see her Grandbabies in 'person'.... well, kind of! Hoping Jamie is able to make it too.

Comparison Pic!

23 +6!

I am almost 24 weeks! It's amazing to think that those two little aliens in my belly are actually little human beings, and they're more than halfway done their cooking process! Can't wait to meet the little guys!

Diabetes has been okay actually! There are still some insulin resistance issues, but overall it's been relatively manageable! I miss taking between 35-45 units per day, not the 70+ units I'm currently on. And I know it's only going to continue to get worse. I'm having to refill my pump in between site changes, because it is not lasting the 3 days it used to. Numberwise, things have been decent! I'm still testing between 12-14 times a day, and I am trying to wake up at least once in the middle of the night to make sure my numbers aren't creeping up higher than I'd like them to be at. Infusion set wise - that's starting to get difficult!! I can't use the front of my stomach anymore - it's too hard, so I actually am just too scared to try using it. I've been using mostly my 'love handle' area, which seems to work out okay, but I don't want to wear out the area. I tried a thigh site, but ripped it out going pee about 3 hours after putting it in! I'm thinking the thigh sites will be more doable in a month or so when I'm wearing mostly loose dresses, and not tight jeans. It's hard to remember to LIFT underwear away though when going to the bathroom - joys of the 'beets I guess.

Babies seem to be doing great! I had a growth scan on the 11th and they were 1.1 and 1.2 lbs, which works out to about a 8% difference between them, which is awesome. Baby A was over on my left side, sitting on my bladder. Baby B was spread out sideways right below my ribs, head to the right. Granted, they move all the time. I had an appt with the MFM a week ago and they had their heads together towards the upper left area of my stomach, feet towards my right hip. It seems like they really like to be head to head in there - best buddies!! I'm just so relieved that everything is going okay so far. They are sharing the fluids really well, and no one is getting over or underfed. It's amazing to think that they are pretty much at the point of viability now, and every day they are in there - they are growing stronger and stronger! They are moving a LOT, and it's pretty awesome. They can be a little shy when it comes to other people feeling, but they love to kick Jamie if he rests his leg on my belly, just not his hand. Stubborn little guys!

Okay, survey time!


How far along? 23 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: Up almost 10 lbs from pre-pregnant weight now! And gaining steadily... eep!
Maternity Clothes? For sure! I'm still wearing my low-cut underarmour sweatpants, but for shirts, I need to wear maternity. Although I stole a T-shirt from my Dad (one of his car-show ones) and that seems to be big enough for now. Jamie won't let me wear his tee's, he doesn't want me to stretch them out! haha.
Stretch Marks? Still none, but I feel like they'll be popping up any day now... Hoping and hoping that they stay away!! I have a little red mark by my bellybutton, but I don't know if it's scarring from my bellybutton ring - or the beginning of the end.
Sleep: Pretty good. I bought a body pillow and am finding that it is great to keep me on my left side SLEEPING until I wake up around 5AM to pee. At that point, I seem to roll over to my right side, but it's been a good stretch for a couple days!
Miss anything?  I could go for a brewskie with this gorgeous spring weather! Other than that, not having back pain, and a BURNING horrible pain in my ribs. I saw a chiro and he said that the babies are officially pushing my ribs up and out, ouch!
Movement:  Constantly. These little guys move sooo much, and I love it! Tons of movement from the outside too, it's so neat!
Food cravings: I love food! Craving this week - Pizza from Costco, which I haven't had. My neighbour came home from Costco with Hot Dogs the other day and since then I have wanted Costco pizza SO bad. I'll get it one of these days!
Anything making you queasy or sick? I felt a little pukey on Saturday night, but I think I was just a little dehydrated. I had a big glass of water and felt better afterwards.
Gender: Boys, boys, boys! And they were not shy about showing off their parts at my last ultrasound! haha.
Best moment this week: Hmmm, in the past week, probably the increased movement. They actually kicked a bottle of nail polish over while it was on my stomach, I'll post the video :)
Labour signs: Nothing major. My cervix is shortening a tad (at least it was at my last ultrasound) but the Dr doesn't seem too concerned about it quite yet. I get pretty crampy on walks though. I took a 15 minute walk to the bank today and my tummy got pretty hard afterwards.
Symptoms: I have to log-roll off of the couch now... Does that count?
Bellybutton in or out? Pretty flat... Although if the babies are underneath it, it will start to poke out a bit.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on! No swelling yet.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy! When I'm moody, it's usually me just acting like a dumbass cause it's entertaining. I'm in pretty high spirits though.
Looking forward to: My next Dr's appt to make sure everything is fine and dandy!

 

 

Insulin resistance is slowwwllyy starting!

My sweetie cuddling her bros!

21 weeks today! Things are going decently well, except this whole 'carrying around 2 babies' thing is hard on your body! My diabetes has been okay, but I can see that things are starting to change. I had a few days where I would be waking up several times in the middle of the night at 7.5 (135) and even with correcting those, I would still wake up in the morning around the same. I probably would have gone into the teens had I not been checking. I can't quite handle carbs like I used to, which is breaking my heart!! All I want to do is eat, but yet it's time for me to be really careful and cut down on things that don't work right now! I wish the highs could be in the first trimester - when I was not wanting to eat ANYTHING because of morning sickness. Figures that the resistance kicks in as soon as the cravings do, haha. Overall though, it's not awful. It's a constantly moving target that I'm chasing around, hoping to catch up to it! The guilt you feel when you have a high blood sugar is insane though. I just picture the poor babies all sluggish in my stomach and feel so bad. I'm sure they're just fine though. I've been waking up in the double digits if I hadn't been checking throughout the night, so I'm glad I have to get up to pee so often. I upped all of my overnight basals, and that seems to be correcting it, for now... I think I also need to bring up my basals around 9AM too. I ate breakfast around 10AM the past couple days and even though my blood was in the 4's (72) at 8AM, by the time I ate it had crept up to the 6's (108) without any food. Those numbers aren't 'bad' by any means, but it is definitely showing that there is a little bit of a climb that shouldn't be there.

I just booked a follow-up with the MFM in 2 weeks, he wants to get another look at the twins to make sure everything is okay. They were one oz apart in size last time, and I'm hoping that it doesn't spread anymore. I'm sure things are fine with them, but I am sooo paranoid. It's tough though - I originally had my bi-weekly growth scans scheduled at RCH (where I'll be delivering) and I had asked my obgyn if I could move them to a new centre a little closer to home. He didn't see an issue with it, and said to go ahead if I could get the appts moved. His receptionist wasn't super helpful with moving the appts over, and it was kind of stressful. I wasn't sure if it was a good option, so I called the office for the MFM and double checked with them that it was okay to move them, because they're just growth scans, and the reports would be sent out same. I was under the impression if anything showed up that was even a little bit out of whack, I could just drive to the hospital and be checked out by my doctor if need be. Now the MFM wants to see me in person for ultrasounds more regularly, and they aren't really telling me whether or not to keep my existing growth scan appts at the new place.... I'm going to need some clarification. I regret moving them at all now, but thought I had done my due diligence. Last time I try to save $3 on bridge tolls and 30 min/ appt!!! haha.

Okay, I'm exhausted so it's bed time soon! Weekly survey and some pics! I am determined to post about strollers and cribs etc this weekend... That's my goal!

How far along? 21 weeks!
Total weight gain: About 5 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight now
Maternity Clothes? Absolutely. Although I find my old sweatpants work as long as they're really low cut too.
Stretch Marks? None yet.... I need to up my cocoa butter routine though, I'm nervous!
Sleep: Hasn't been great for the past few days. I find my left hip is hurting if I lie on my left side now. I'm still getting up to pee lots, which is good because I can test my blood in the middle of the night while doing so. I just need to find a comfortable way to lie in bed, and I'll be all set. I find I wake myself up with round ligament pain too.

Easter 2013 - 20 + 1

Miss anything? My old back!!! As someone who has never had any sort of back issues before, this is brutal.
Movement: Lots! It's so cute, they always kick me if I tuck in too tight to my desk at work and press up against them. They like their space in there. They are also moving around like crazy.  I am getting kicks from my hairline, right up to my ribs. They have one huge swimming pool uterus in there! Lots of room to flail around right now. Lots of rolling and twisting too, right now actually. I love it.
Food cravings: This week it was Panago pizza, haha. Still loving grapefruits, and I had some tasty grapes and black plums this weekend. So excited for summer fruits. Jamie bought me some raspberries from Trader Joes, and they were worth what they cost (which was way too much).
Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nope!
Gender: Boys, boys, boys!
Best moment this week: Jamie feeling his first kicks! He finally caught some of them, and they booted him pretty good. It was soooo neat!
Labour signs: Nothing!
Symptoms: I'm just slow to get up from the couch/bed and my back is killing me. And I'm huge!
Bellybutton in or out? Still in, but I think it's starttttinggg to pop at the very top.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on, no swelling yet.
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy for the most part. I have my moments, but nothing crazy!
Looking forward to: Next week! I have an obgyn appt on Monday, diabetes appt on Tuesday (although those ones are boring) and another ultrasound on Wednesday! I love weeks with appts, I need constant reassurance things are okay.


Dog park attire, 20+2

17, 18, 19 weeks...

Crap, well apparently I haven't kept up with my 'blogging every week' thing. Boo. I've been meaning to for the past week, but my back has been killing me and my laptop has been stupid and on the fritz for a few days. So even though it's after midnight, I'm getting something out tonight! Big news! Made it to the half way point! I kind of considered 18 weeks my 'half way point' because I don't think they will be in there much past 36 weeks, but now I'm at the 'normal' half way point too!

So - diabetes. Overall, things are starting to get a littttleee bit more difficult. I am starting to see more of the 11's (198) 1 hour post meal, not the 8-9's (144-162) I would like. Saturday was a scary night too... I changed my site prior to dinner and Jamie and I went to Moxies. Got home and my blood was 13.9 (250) 1 hour post meal. Higher than I'd like, but not a huge concern with all of the iob. 45 mins later I was up to 17 (306)!!! I corrected that, and Jamie and I went for a nice long walk; I was convinced it would be down to normal when we got back. Got back from our walk and.... 16.6. (299) At this point I pulled the site, and had a good cry from the frustration of it. It ended up taking an injection and about 3 hours total to get my blood below 10 (180). What an awful night. Of course I then had a couple lows in the night, but I would much rather deal with those than a BG that won't come down. So scary. I'm assuming my insulin resistance will kick in real soon, and I am terrified for that. I'm just telling myself that I'm doing the best I can and I am correcting everything ASAP every time. I am obsessive with testing my blood and I know I don't have highs running through my system without me knowing about them at least. It's not a perfect science, but we're getting through it. Had my appt with the diabetes clinic on Tuesday and they seemed pretty happy with my numbers, yay.

What else is new? We've been doing some shopping! We bought a stroller (a Kolcraft Contours Options LT) and I do really like it! That being said, I am the most indecisive person in the world, so I've also ordered a double graco stroller (which matches our infant car seats) and I'm waiting for that one to come before we make our final decision! I will do a post on 'baby gear' once we decide and I can talk about that sort of stuff, I need more time to write up that one though!


Today was probably the most amazing day EVER. I had the fetal echocardiagram, and my Mom came with me because Jamie was working. I took the day off, and Mom and I went for a nice long walk on the beach this morning which was great. After that, we showered up and went for lunch (mmm Swiss Chalet) and then off to the Ultrasound. Luckily the tech invited my Mom right in and she was able to watch the whole thing. We started off getting some measurements of the babies and then the MFM (maternal fetal medicinist) came in and made sure all the heart stuff was okay.
They noticed that the babies seemed to be face to face and said to 'flip it into 3D'. The tech brought out a different wand, pressed a couple buttons and OMG the babies were forehead to forehead in living (orange) colour. It was AMAZING!! The dr said he'd never seen something like that before and called in a guy named Chris who seemed to be an Ultrasound Guru. They all played with the 4D images for at least 20 minutes and it was just soooo cool. So exciting to see them looking like real babies and not just little black and white profiles! It's funny how it's different when it's your own baby... I usually think 4D ultrasounds are kind of creepy and funny looking, but seeing your own babies on there... I could not stop talking about how cute they are! We also got an amazing shot of Baby B with his hands clapsed together over his chest while he smiles. Plotting a plan of some sort, I'm sure. Overall, just an awesome day. They're both kicking like crazy, and sometimes I can see it from the outside, but Jamie hasn't been able to see it quite yet. Hopefully soon... They get stronger every day.



They gave me a TON of pics at the U/S

Okay, what else is new? BACK PAIN!! I am sleeping well (aside from peeing 3 times a night) and wake up feeling great. I am okay if I am up and moving around, but sitting just kills my back! By 2PM at work, I am in sooo much pain. Sitting at the table for dinner and sitting on the couch is killer at night. I spent most of my evenings lying on the floor in front of the fireplace now. The back pain is primarily in my upper back, and a little bit off to the right. I need to make some time and set up a massage therapy appt, I really think that would help. Today was better than most days though, probably because I was up and around all day long! You would never think that an office job would be difficult while pregnant, but it's been pretty bad - boo. Oh well, we'll see how things go!

Okay, survey time and some pics... this Momma needs to go to bed! I will try to post about strollers (it has been a journey) once a decision is made, haha!

How far along? 19 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: Pre-preg, I am now up 4 lbs! 14 lbs, if you go by what I lost from morning sickness! Yahoo
Maternity Clothes? Absolutely. That or giant baggy tee shirts at home. My regular tees have now become crop tops, haha!
Stretch Marks? None yet, at least that I can see... Really hoping they stay away
Sleep: Better! I sleep really really well, I just wake up often to pee... Good thing with that is I get lots of BG tests done in the middle of the night.
Miss anything? Palm Bays and my back not hurting.
Movement: Stronger and more frequent every day! I've now seen a handful of kicks from the outside, but those ones aren't as often yet.
Food cravings: Haha, everything. Healthy stuff would be grapefruits, strawberries, bananas etc... But I've also had major cravings for donuts (which I've only given in to twice) and sour candies. Cravings are insane though, it's literally all I can think of when I want something. And I wake up hungry and am starving for lunch by noon, when I don't typically take lunch at work until 1 or after.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Morning sickness seems to have LEFT the building
Gender: Boys, boys, boys!
Best moment this week: Everything! The movements, the ultrasound today, my giant belly growing... I love it all! If they'd be nice to my back, this would be perfect!
Labour signs: Nothing! I also have decided that what I thought were Braxton Hicks are actually Round Ligament Pain. Cervix is looking great, so I'm happy about that too. I want to keep those babies safe and cooking
Symptoms: Ahhh, a giant tummy? That, along with cravings and back pain
Bellybutton in or out? Still in, but very wide and flat now!
Wedding rings on or off? On, fingers are still the same size.
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, although I did beat Jamie (joking of course - kinda) because he didn't bring me home snacks last night. Haha, I get lots of hormonal moments, but I am usually laughing as it happens. I know I am just acting over the top and silly so it's funny.
Looking forward to: My next appt on April 9th! I love going in and getting reassurance everything is okay... And I can't wait for the movement to be strong enough for Jamie to feel!!

Just a little growth in 1 month!!


 

16 weeks!

Okay, 16 weeks! Have I said lately that time is flying?? Lets start with the most exciting news.... I had another ultrasound today (a growth scan) and the tech was able to make an 'educated guess' on the gender! It is a little early for them to call it 100%, but all signs point to the babies being.... BOYS!!! Jamie and I are absolutely thrilled and can't wait to meet the little guys! We'll know 'for sure' at the next ultrasound (which I think is March 20th?) but for now, I'm calling it as boys. One baby was shy, but the other one was quite bold in showing us a pretty clear 'twig and berries'. I think ultrasounds can be wrong more often with girls than with boys. Either way, we won't buy the paint for the baby room quite yet, but I am going to start SHOPPING! I'll keep the receipts... just in case!

Okay so let's look at the diabetes side. Things are still looking pretty good! My one hour after meal highs have been cut down quite a bit, and I'm finding instead of the 13's and 14's (234-252) I am seeing them more along the 7-8 range (126-144) which I'm happy with! They tend to drop a little more at the 2 hour point, yay. My A1C was taken again on Monday and it was 5.1%... It's funny, because the clinic is almost urging me to get it up a little bit higher, but I'm proud of it! I find if I don't eat often enough, my blood will start to drop, so it's leaving me with lows pre lunch and dinner. We tried hacking back the basal rates again today though, so hopefully that will help with that problem. Other than that, the only real issue was a 'bad' low yesterday... I tested around 3:30 and I was 4.2 (76)... I can't remember if I ate something after that, but at about 4:55 (just before I was going to leave work) I just felt a low come on instantly. I was literally in the middle of a 3 minute phone call and by the time I hung up I was LOW. I tested and it was 1.8 (32) which is absolutely a very low number, but it doesn't usually effect me that bad. I was sitting at my desk shoving dex tabs in my mouth and sweating like crazy. I was considering lying on the floor of my office, but figured that wasn't a great idea. I ended up with the numb face/ numb hands type of low, and it look about 15 minutes before I really felt comfortable enough to go out to my car. I waited it out in my car for another 10 minutes or so (and continued eating sugar, haha) until I felt safe enough to drive and my numbers were back up to a reasonable level. Ugh I don't get 'bad' lows often, but every once in a while, one comes along that just kicks your ass. All my diabetic friends know exactly what I'm talking about, sadly. I'm glad that those are a very rare occurrence.

So how else are the babies doing? Well, I got the report for the genetic screening (which I need to go over with my obgyn because I don't know what it all really means of course) and everything seems to be screening NEGATIVE! Very excited about that, I know you can get false positives with twins, so I was kind of emotionally preparing myself for a possible 'positive' result that may or may not be true, but I think we're looking pretty good. We did the growth scan this morning and it went really well. Apparently husbands aren't allowed to come in for those ones, so poor Jamie had to wait in a separate room for 20 minutes until I got called in for my appt (why set appt times, when they are never on time??) and then he had to wait about another 30 minutes for the main portion of the ultrasound to be complete! Now we know for next time though. I had the same tech as last time (she's really great) and I guess at this point they measure things like the femur bone, head diameter and the size of the abdomen and they add that all together to create an estimated size and weight. I guess it makes sense that they stop doing the 'crown to rump' measurements, as it's so much harder to get the entire baby in a shot! Either way, once all the measurements are said and done, they were both coming out to .60 lbs, and they seem to be measuring right within a day of each other, such great news. I'm scared every time I see them that they will suddenly be a different size, but so far so good!

After all of the measurements were taken, I got to leave for a minute to empty my bladder (thank god) and Jamie was summoned to the room. We took another look and one baby was being a little shy, but the other one (I think it was baby b) was pretty confident in showing us his parts! The tech of course can't actually document any guesses, or say for SURE, but I feel comfortable that we have blue in our future. Either that, or we have a daughter with some swollen girl parts... Which I guess could happen! Joys of the unknown, haha. As far as positioning, A seems to be on the bottom area (he was lying sideways for most of the ultrasound) and B had his head by A (bottom right, towards my hip) and was lying kinda with his feet facing up towards my chest. Creating a little right angle at that point - heads together, one lying sideways, and one head down. It was cute though, they both moved at one point and I had two heads in the right corner and a jumble of four little legs all facing up towards my bellybutton, so they were both diagonal in my stomach. She said they have lots of fluid right now, and lots of room in their little swimming pool to move around and enjoy. Enjoy it boys, you're not going to have that much room for much longer!!

Anyways, this is getting veryyy long (as usual) so survey time!

Cameo by Holly!

How far along? 16 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain: I'm starting to gain! I'm now about 1-2 lbs below my 'pre-preg' weight so if we count my 'starting weight' as what I weighed after morning sickness really kicked in, I am now up 8 lbs! My dietitian was thrilled... I'm excited to gain weight, but I hope I can keep it to my belly, and not the rest of me!
Maternity Clothes? Absolutely. Love them... Waiting for Old Navy to have another sale, so I can stock up on more shirts!
Stretch Marks? None yet! I try to cocoa butter at least once per week, and so far so good.
Sleep: Meh, not great. I'm up a few times every night and tend to wake up on my back feeling really uncomfortable. I need to get a body pillow!
Miss anything? Not needing to pee in the middle of the night!!!
Movement: Same as last week - little taps and kicks every now and then! Can't wait for them to get stronger.
Food cravings: Still nectarines and strawberries! I bought some Ben n Jerrys the other day, and have barely eaten ANY of it. And Jamie bought me toaster strudels today, YUM!!! Haven't had those in years and that was a craving that hit hard and fast last night, haha.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Knock on wood, but morning sickness seems to be gone!
Gender: Boys! (Most Likely!!!) Sheesh, I'm going to feel silly if they end up being girls.
Best moment this week: Feeling little kicks, and watching my belly grow! I loveeeee my bump! Of course ultrasounds are awesome as well. I'm just loving everything! OH! And I found a protein powder that I actually like! It's not milk based, so I can mix it with water and it kind of tastes like Crystal Light almost! Soooo happy about that.
Labour signs: Braxton Hicks contractions every once in a while, but nothing else, phew!
Symptoms: I'm just getting big.. And my brain doesn't work quite the way it used to!
Bellybutton in or out? Still in, but kinda flat. I had taken out my bellybutton ring last week, and put it back in after a day or so cause I felt naked. I took it out today at my ultrasound because she needed to use the wand over that area, and so far haven't put it back in yet - we'll see.
Wedding rings on or off? On, fingers are still the same size.
Happy or moody most of the time? Happy! I'm loving this journey!
Looking forward to: Another obgyn appt on Thursday, and then my next ultrasound (which should be a longggg one) on March 20th!


Yeah... there's two in there!