Lexi and Livy's Birth Story

Just thought I would share how Lexi and Livy came into the world.  It was all rather sudden and not the way I would have planned it, but I am so thankful that they are here and healthy. 

I started having what I thought was BH contractions Monday night and by Tuesday morning, December 27th, I thought I should head to L&D just to be on the safe side. I was only 1 cm dilated, but my BP was elevated so they decided to keep me to monitor that for a few hours. The midwife came in to let me know that I could go home and decided to check my cervix again before I left. I had dilated to 4 cm and my bag of water was bulging. Since both babies were breech the OB was afraid that my water would break and a foot would slip out. He said that it would be dangerous because they wouldn't know whose foot it was and they might try to deliver the wrong twin first. Sounded strange to me, but what do I know? Anyway - they ended up bumping a scheduled c-section, and I was in the OR before I even knew what was going on. NONE of our family had time to get to the hospital, and I didn't think they were even going to let Brandon run to the car for the camera. Luckily, he had just enough time. Lexi weighed 5 lbs even and was 18 3/4" long, and Livy weighed 4 lbs 6 oz and was 18 1/4" long. They seem so tiny! Both are doing well. Lexi may even get to come home tomorrow. Livy is having a little trouble feeding so she may have to stay a few more days, but the doctor seems to think they will both be home by the beginning of next week.

Lexi has a head full of dark hair, and Livy has just a little bit of hair that appears to be blondish brown - the same color that Wyatt had when he was born.  I know that doesn't really mean anything, but I hope that Lexi's stays dark and Livy's ends up being the same white blonde that Wyatt's was.  Both of them have tiny, narrow heads, long legs, and really long feet (imagine that).  Wyatt is the only one of the boys that has gotten to meet them, but he seems to like them so far.  I think he was a little worried about his place in everything before, and he probably still is, but he loves his little sisters anyway.

Tyler has been really excited about the babies for a while now, so I can't wait for him to meet them.  Alex told Brandon that he doesn't like babies, so I'm not anticipating him being very interested in meeting them.  :)

I didn't realize how much pain I would be in after a c-section, but it seems to be getting better every day.  I think it will take a while before I'm completely pain free, but it's all worth it to have these sweet babies here.  I'm not at all looking forward to getting rid of the weight, but I know that if I can be patient it will come off in its on time.  For those of you that know me, I'm not very patient, so this will be difficult for me. 

Thanks for following my pregnancy!  I enjoy seeing who is reading my blog and plan to keep updating it with Lexi and Livy's progress.  I wish I had done this with Wyatt because it's so easy to forget the little things that they do that mean so much.

34 weeks 4 days

Size of Babies: Growth scan on Thursday showed Lexi at 4 lbs 14 oz and Livy at 4 lbs 1 oz.

Belly:  See pic.

Sleep: I am exhausted all the time!  I slept really well last night, got up at 8:30 am and fell asleep on the couch a couple hours later.  I would be asleep again now, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to sleep tonight if I do.

Milestones: Not an official milestone for the babies, but we made it through Christmas which was my personal goal.  Officially, I've made it to the point that most doctors will induce if things get the least bit hairy.  :)

Movement: So much movement.   Lexi is sitting on my cervix again, so every movement that she makes really hurts.  I still love to pull my shirt up to watch them move though.

Symptoms:  I'm feeling very uncomfortable again.  Heartburn is starting back up and the back pain is terrible.  The contractions are also getting a lot more painful that they have been before.

Food Cravings: I lost 4 lbs at my last appointment.  I'm just not hungry most of the time.

Gender: 2 girls! We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to:  We're just ready to have the girls here.  Is this the week?

Dr updates: I didn't get to see my own doctor last week since she was in Canada for Christmas.  The doctor I did see is not one of my favorites because she doesn't explain things well.  I saw where she noted that there was a size discordance between the girls, but when I asked her if she was concerned, she said no.  No further explanation.  I won't get another growth scan until next week, but since they are both over 4 lbs, I'm not too concerned either.  She didn't check my cervix, and my blood pressure was normal.  She had me go to the lab to leave a urine sample to check my protein/creatinine ratio.  The next day, I got the results via email.  Her notation said, "Your protein creatinine ratio is mildly elevated, but I would not recommend intervention at this time."  What does that mean?  If it were next week, would she intervene then?  What does the protein creatinine ratio indicate?  I, of course, immediately went to Dr. Google to figure out what this meant.  According to Google, my protein/creatinine ratio could indicate kidney damage and most doctors would recommend induction after 34 weeks.  My doctor will be back in the office tomorrow, and I would expect her to give me a call to check in then.  I definitely plan to ask her about my test results.

Here's our last family of 5 picture.  I cant wait until we can do our next one as a family of 7!

32 weeks 6 days

Size of Babies: Growth scan today showed Lexi at 3 lbs 15 oz and Livy at 3 lbs 12 oz.

Belly:  I might be crazy, but it doesn't seem like I'm getting any bigger.  Everyone can tell that the babies have dropped though.  I'm carrying much lower than before.

Sleep: Still having consistent contractions at night, but I'm sleeping so much better after having to spend a few days in the hospital.  It was so terrible having to sleep on my back to keep the babies on the monitor that now it feels luxurious to be able to sleep however I want to.

Milestones: MFM said that if the babies are born now, they will likely be in the NICU only to learn how to feed and grow. 

Movement: Movement has picked up again.  I've been having ultrasounds every couple of days, and Livy is in a different position each time.  It seems like she wants to move into a vertex position but then misses her sister and turns back around.  They are now lying head to head like they are telling secrets.

Symptoms:  I feel so much better since I've been on complete bedrest.  I think I was just putting too much stress on my body.  I was dreading even a couple more weeks of being pregnant, but now I feel like I can do it.

Food Cravings: I'm on low sodium now, so of course, I'm craving anything salty.

Gender: 2 girls! We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to:  Welcoming our girls into this world!  They will definitely be here no later than 1/21, but the MFM doesn't believe I'll make it much past 35 weeks. That puts us into the last week of December or the first week of January.

Dr updates:  I had an appointment with my OB last Thursday.  She was going to have me do another 24 hour urine collection at home.  Before leaving, I asked her when she usually started checking the cervix for dilation.  She said that she usually started at 32 weeks and since I wouldn't be seeing her the following week, she would go ahead and check me.  She was very surprised to find that I was already 2 cm dilated.  I told her that I had been having a lot of contractions, so I wasn't all that surprised.  She decided to keep me overnight in L&D and go ahead and administer steroid injections to mature the babies' lungs.  When I checked into L&D, I started having very strong contractions every 3-5 minutes that were not slowing down.  Everyone was sure that I would be delivering the babies within the next couple of days.  Surprisingly 6 hours later, I was still at 2 cm.  The contractions finally slowed down overnight, but the babies' heart rates started decelerating while I slept.  I was hoping to go home the next day, but my blood pressure was steadily rising and the amount of protein in my urine had doubled over the last week.  I was told that I would more than likely have to stay in the hospital until the babies were born.  I was not a happy camper.  After 4 days, my blood pressure finally started to come down and stay down, and my doctor decided to let me go home on strict bed rest.  I was told to monitor my blood pressure closely and pay attention to any symptoms of preeclampsia.  Today, the MFM said that they will not stop labor if it starts at this point.  He also said that if my blood pressure goes back up, they will likely go ahead and take the babies.  So now we just wait.  My short term goal is to get us through Christmas.  I think I can make it.

31 Weeks 6 days

How Far Along: 31 weeks 6 days

Size of Babies: They should be a little over 3.5 lbs, but I'll find out for sure next Wednesday at my growth scan.

Belly:  Measuring more than 40 weeks.

Sleep: I've been having consistent contractions which makes it really hard to sleep.

Milestones: 97% survival rate and only a 15% chance of serious medical complications if born today.

Movement: Movement has slowed down.  I think they are running out of room.  Lexi is still the more active one, but I'm feeling more of a rolling sensation now instead of the jabs and kicks.  Livy doesn't move much at all.  I've had two BPPs in the past week and both times it has taken a while before the tech was comfortable passing Livy on movement.  She's practicing breathing well and her heartbeat is great.  She's just very laid back like her momma.

Symptoms:  I'm still experiencing a lot of sciatic nerve pain.  The doctor says that probably won't change until the babies are born.  I've noticed it's worse if I've moved around a lot during the day.  Heartburn is better since I've discovered Prevacid.  I'm now only taking Tums for the calcium!!  What a relief!

Food Cravings: I don't even want to eat anymore.  I think my stomach is too cramped to eat more than a few bites at a time.

Gender: 2 girls! We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to:  The end of this pregnancy.  I'm so tired of being pregnant.  I just want it to be over now even though I know the babies need more time.

Dr updates:  My bp has been high at my last 2 OB appointments.  The first time was at my 30 week appointment.  The doctor had me lie on my left side and seemed satisfied when my bp came down.  She scheduled me with a one week follow up (instead of 2 weeks) just to be cautious.  The next week, my bp was high again so they sent me to L&D for monitoring.  All of the initial tests came back fine, and they let me go after a few hours.  I had to do a 24 hour urine test, but they expected everything to be fine with that as well.  I was very surprised when the doctor called Monday evening to tell me that my test showed protein in my urine.  That combined with the high bp and rapid weight gain over the past week, led her to believe that I might be in the beginning stages of preeclampsia, so she had me come back to L&D Tuesday for more monitoring.  Bp was normal during monitoring, but there was still protein in my urine.  I was told to lie down as much as possible, and that if it gets any worse, I will be on bedrest.  She consulted with my MFM and said that we need to get to 33 weeks.  We could have these babies before Christmas!  I go back to the OB tomorrow, so I hope to have more information then. 

29 Weeks

How Far Along: 29 weeks

Size of Babies: Lexi weighs 2 lbs 13 oz and Livy is at 2 lbs 8 oz, and they are both a little over 15 inches long.

Belly:  Getting bigger and bigger!  Everyone is still saying that I look small for carrying twins.

Sleep: Still not sleeping much which makes it harder and harder to get through work each day.

Milestones: The babies now have a 90% chance of survival!!  I'm still not ready for them to come, but at least I know they will more than likely be okay if they do.

Movement: Lexi is still doing acrobatics and is now sitting directly on my cervix.  It's very uncomfortable, but I love that she moves so much.  Livy gave us a scare this week.  I didn't feel her move all weekend, so I called the doctor first thing Monday morning.  She had me come in for an ultrasound, and Livy didn't move the entire time!  We did see her heart beating and her growth was good, so we decided she's just being lazy.  Later that day, she started moving a little more.  Livy has also decided to be a good girl and turn head down.  Unfortunately, unless Lexi turns, I'll still have to have a c-section.   :( The tech said she has enough fluid and with her level of movement, she still has time to turn, but not much.

Symptoms:  Sciatic nerve pain is back making it extremely hard to walk.  Hopefully, it will pass quickly.  Heartburn and acid reflux are now my daily companions.  I'm eating Tums all day - getting relief for 30 minutes to an hour before it comes back again.

Food Cravings: Still no specific cravings.

Gender: 2 girls! We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to: Thanksgiving!  I can't wait to see my family for Thanksgiving, but I'm looking forward to having a few days off even more.

Dr updates:  I had my 28 week check up with my OB last week.  She dropped the most horrifying piece of information on me.  If everything is looking perfect, she will not induce until 39 weeks!  My mouth dropped, and I told her that I was NOT going to 39 weeks.  She smiled and said that almost no one makes it that far, and everything has to be perfect for that to happen.  Average delivery for twins is between 35-37 weeks.  I'm shooting for 36.

29 week appointment with the MFM doctor went well.  The babies were measuring appropriately on the growth scan, and my cervix is still considered long.  Apparently, long is anywhere from 3-5 cm, and I'm at 3.2 cm. 

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27 Weeks - Welcome to the Third Trimester!

How Far Along: 27 weeks

Size of Babies: 2.25 lbs each and 15 inches long.  I'm up to 4.5 lbs of baby - the same weight as a 33 weeker

Weight Gain: 45 lbs

Belly:  My belly button has almost completely flattened out.  I guess I'm lucky that it hasn't turned into an outie yet.



Sleep: Back to not sleeping well.  Even the Tylenol PM and Benadryl leaves me with fitful sleep, and then I'm tired the next day.  I guess I'd better get used to that though.

Milestones: I'm now in the 3rd trimester!!!

Movement: Sometimes I think that the girls are trying to escape.  They push so hard that it feels like they will break through at any moment. 

Symptoms:  Extreme back pain - Braxton hicks that I can feel all the way around to my back.  It has gotten better since I've cut back to half days at work though.

Food Cravings: Still no specific cravings.

Gender: 2 girls!  We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to: Baby shower in a little over a week!  I hope to see some of you there!  I still miss my Brewton friends and the family that I NEVER get to see.

Dr updates:  28 week check up with the OB next week followed by a 29 week ultrasound and cervix check with the perinatologist.

Maternity Pics

Here are some of the sneak peeks of my maternity pictures.  I love them and can't wait to see the rest!!



24/6 Ultrasound Pics

Here are the pics from our ultrasound today at 24 weeks 6 days.  Lexi was the photo hog today.  Livy was turned toward my back and curled up in a ball.  I think it may have been because Lexi was kicking her in the butt during the whole ultrasound.  I can already tell which one takes after Brandon.  Lexi has heaps of energy while Livy is more laid back like me. 

Livy is on the left and Lexi is on the right

Lexi

Lexi

Lexi

Livy

24 Weeks

How Far Along: 24 weeks

Size of Babies: 1.5 lbs each and around 12 inches long

Weight Gain: 40 lbs

Belly:  Still growing. I'm able to SEE the babies move now. One minute one side of my belly looks huge and the other side is almost flat, and it will change all of a sudden.  So freaky!

Sleep: I got the okay from my doctor that Benadryl is completely safe, so I'm sleeping a little better with a little help.

Milestones: The girls have reached the point of viability now!!!  I know we still have a long way to go, but I feel so relieved.

Movement:  I get so tickled whenever the nurses find the heartbeats with a Doppler or I have an ultrasound.  The babies are always moving like crazy, and no one can believe it.  Of course, I believe it because I feel them ALL the time. 

Symptoms:  Acid reflux and the nausea is back.  It's not nearly as bad as it was during the first trimester, but it's still annoying.  I seem to have developed a severe case of motion sickness.  I get carsick when I'm driving!!

Food Cravings: Still no specific cravings.

Gender: 2 girls!  We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to: Ultrasound this week and my first cervix check.  I know that everything is fine, but it will be nice to get confirmation.

Dr updates: 24 week appointment this week.  Doctor said I should start thinking about cutting back on my hours at work.  I mentioned it to my boss, and he said he would work with me.  So relieved!  Perinatologist appointment this week and then my glucose tolerance test the following week during my 26 week appointment.  I can't believe I'm up to appointments 3 weeks out of the month.

22 Weeks

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Size of Babies:  They were both 13 oz at our 21 week visit.  They should be around 1 lb each now. 

Weight Gain: I've been avoiding looking at the scale, but I think I'm around 32 lbs.

Belly:  It's so weird because while I can tell that I'm growing, it doesn't seem extreme.  The weird part is that I'm having people at work come up to me all of a sudden saying they didn't know I was pregnant or people that knew that are so surprised that I've grown so much.  I guess I'm growing more than I think I am.

 

Sleep: Still not sleeping well, but it's better than it was when I had the cold.

Milestones: No new milestones that I know of.

Movement:  Lots of movement from both girls now.  The u/s tech showed me how to tell which baby is moving based on their locations and where the sacs divide so that makes it easier.  Lexi is still my very active one, but Livy lets me know she's their when I need her to.  The tech said that she was surprised that they are both so active since it's normal to have one that is active and one that's more laid back.  She said that both of mine are little wiggle worms.  I think I have more trouble feeling Livy because she's on the side where the placentas are located.

Lexi

Livy

Livy

Symptoms:  Still having the constant heartburn, but it's cured with Tums so I'm not complaining.  I've started having much more frequent BH contractions which was diagnosed as uterine irritability when I spent 6 hours in L&D a couple of weeks ago.  I'm trying to take it a little easier which is hard when I'm constantly running from one manager meeting to the next at work.

Food Cravings: Still no specific cravings.

Gender: 2 girls!  We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to: My baby showers!  I wasn't expecting to get a shower this time around, but I'm excited that Mrs. Janice and my aunt are throwing them.  Also excited because we found someone to come and paint the babies' room in the next week or so.  I'll be glad to be able to start putting things together and moved in.  The junk in the spare bedroom is really starting to get to me.

Dr updates: MFM appointment went great.  I'll see him again at 24 weeks.  Next OB visit is Oct 12th when we start bi-weekly visits.

20 weeks

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Size of Babies:  They should be around 10.5 oz each, but I'll find out exactly how much next week.

Weight Gain: Still at 30 lbs

Belly:  It seems like I'm growing rapidly.  I would swear that I'm bigger in the evenings than I was when I got dressed in the morning.  However, my OB says that I'm measuring at the same fundal height as the average person carrying a singleton would.  She said it's nothing to worry about, and I can thank my height (specifically my long torso) for giving me so much room to grow.  I'm almost as big now as I was when I had Wyatt!

Sleep: I've had a cold, so sleep is harder to come by than usual.  I'm sure it's going to get a lot worse though.

Milestones: I'm over half way finished!  Technically, I reached this milestone when I reached 19 weeks because my OB will deliver the twins at 38 weeks if I don't go into labor sooner on my own.

Movement:  Lots of movement, but it all seems to be on one side, but I've heard this is fairly common.  I wasn't surprised when they found both babies on my right side with the doppler.  Apparently, my girls like to snuggle together.

Symptoms:  My sciatic nerve hasn't bothered me at all over the last two weeks!  I'm extremely excited about this even though I'm sure it'll be back as I continue to grow.  I've started experiencing more acid reflux and heart burn though.  :( Right now, it's easily cured with SEVERAL Tums.

Food Cravings: Still no specific cravings.

Gender: 2 girls!  We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to: My appointment with the MFM specialist next week.  I so look forward to getting reassurance that they are still okay.

Dr updates: 20 week appointment with my OB was this week, and I'll see the MFM specialist next week.  I'll be getting my official anatomy scan next week and they will hopefully be able to get a good look at all of the girls' organs - specifically their hearts.  This is the last month of once monthly appointments with each doc.  Next month starts my bi-weekly appointments which means I'll be seeing one doctor or the other every week.

18 weeks

I wanted to do a better job documenting my pregnancy this time since it will definitely be the last time that I go through this, but I have failed miserably so far.  I saw this weekly update on another blog, and I like it so I'm going to steal it.  I don't think she will mind.  :)  Here goes!

How Far Along: 18 weeks 1 day

Size of Babies:  Baby A is around 8.5 oz/Baby B 7.5 oz

Picture:  no picture for this week

Weight Gain: 30 lbs!  eek.  Doctor assures me that this is completely normal with twins.

Belly:  getting bigger by the day it seems

Sleep: Sleep is becoming a lot more difficult since I love to sleep on my back.  That's no longer an option so I spend all night switching from one side to the other.  In between rolling over, I am having to get up at least once a night for a visit to the bathroom.

Milestones: I started feeling the babies this week.  I thought that I felt them before, but I could never say for sure.  This week I know  it was definitely one or both of them moving around.  I told Brandon it was too early for him to feel them yet, but he didn't believe me.  He put his hand on my belly and could actually tell me everytime that they moved.  I was shocked, and he was thrilled!  I love how excited he is about this pregnancy and how he wants to experience every step with me.  He has only missed one appointment so far and that was my fault.  I scheduled it during a time when he had to put our son on the bus.  What was I thinking?

Movement:  See above.

Symptoms:  Sciatic nerve pain, though it hasn't been as bad this week, and occasional indigestion.

Food Cravings: I don't have any one item that I frequently crave.  One day it was spinach dip, yesterday it was green olives, and earlier this week it was a banana and strawberry milk.  One thing I don't have much of a craving for at any time is sugary desserts.  Brandon keeps trying to push them on me, but I have no desire.

Gender: 2 girls!  We found out on August 18, 2011.

Names: Alexis (Lexi) Louise & Olivia (Livy) Ann

What I'm Looking Forward to: Getting one more confirmation on the genders so I can get the nursery painted and start moving the furniture in.

Dr updates: Last appointment at 16 weeks 1 day with the MFM doctor went well.  Babies are measuring exactly where they should.  I had a quad screen done this week, and the results came back very low-risk for Downs syndrome, neural tube defects, and trisomy 18.  This is very good news since there is a high false positive rate with twin pregnancies.