Alleluia.
Thank you God, thank you baby hormones, and thank you for the wonderful respite for my throat. Please let this be the beginning of the end of puking.
Amen.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Puke-free for a day.
I just wanted to share that, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I did not throw up the entire day yesterday.
Monday, January 30, 2012
the first prego picture
I personally think that the ultrasound photos make our kids look a little creepy--so, until they come out you will have to endure pictures of me and my growing belly.
Here is me at 13.5 weeks. 
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Oops
Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. In my defense, our power was out, and we've been really busy at all kinds of doctors.
Here's the latest:
My weight is stable, but not increasing. The doctor is okay with my progress, and hopes that I can gain 10 lbs in the next 7 weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need to keep down a lot of Costco muffins to make that happen. :)
We had an ultrasound on Monday, and the babies were so big! (the size of limes) They have all their fingers and toes, we got to see their hearts, stomachs, and brains. It was very cool.
One baby is right on top of the other in the pictures--the top one danced through the ultrasound (clearly my child), while the other one laid pretty still except for every once in a while when he/she scrunched up it's face and arched it's back to protest its dancing sibling. We just laughed. The bottom twin would not pose for the pictures very well, while the top one was very compliant. We are hoping that we can see gender in my next ultrasound, which is in a month.
The OB is hoping that I'll be feeling less exhausted and less nauseated soon, since I'm in the second trimester now. I've been having horrible headaches, and the OB said that just happens in some women, and not to worry about it. Let me share that vomiting with a splitting headache is not my favorite thing.
My most recent blood work showed that I'm perfect! My electrolytes and nutritional status look amazing. Yay me and babies!!
I'm starting to get fluids 3 times per week so that we can stave off dehydration. My blood pressure has been running pretty low, with the numbers close together--so we are hoping the extra fluids will help.
The GI doctor consult was very enlightening. There is not a chance of the pacemaker causing preterm labor, because it's already turned off. Some people who have the pacemaker just hurt from it, even when it's turned off. The doctor thinks that's probably the case with me. He doesn't think that having a new device put in would help as he believes that the same shocking thing would take place all over again. So, I think I'm going to have it removed (perhaps when they do the c-section) if they can.
The past week or so has been crazy with the snow and ice storms in the Seattle area. We got 8+" of snow, followed by 3" of ice on every tree. We lost about 10 huge branches in our front yard, but they didn't cause any damage to the house. I'll try to remember to post pics next time. We continue to have high winds, and our power is flickering, but has stayed on so far.
We are so excited about how God is working in and through this pregnancy. I'm about one third of the way done, and have not been admitted to the hospital!! (thank you, Jesus!!). We are so thankful for His love and blessings surrounding us as we walk through this together.
We love you, thank you for your prayers!!
b
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
trying for once a week.
I'm hoping to try and update my blog about once a week, just to keep you appraised of the latest info, as it comes along. Hopefully that will make it easier for you to pray, not to mention, I really like writing when I make the time for it.
So, here is the most recent information:
1. My gastric pacemaker continues to be a disaster. I had it turned off 5 weeks ago, and it continues to do something which feels similar to the sensation of shocking. This could be that even though it's turned off (no voltage running through it), the lead wires are pressing on a nerve in my abdomen and causing pain. It could also be that the wire is partially frayed, or it could be purely coincidental that I'm feeling anything at all. I'm hoping for the latter.
The second problem with my pacemaker is that it's huge (about the size of a carton of cigarettes). I am not huge, and there is not going to be a lot of baby room to begin with. Since I'm having twins, the perinatologists (high-risk OBs) are worried that the babies pushing on the abdominal and the pacemaker could cause constant pain as my uterus expands. This, in turn, could cause preterm labor.
So, I'm still lots of doctors appointments away from this, but there have been two recommendations so far that I have surgery to remove the device and leads once I hit the second trimester.
I'm not really sure how you should pray for this situation. I don't have a clear understanding of what the best course of action is, and I don't feel like there is a clear-cut solution either. There are risks with removing it, and risks with leaving it in. Please pray that God reveals precisely what to do and when to do it.
2. My greatest prayer is that I live through this whole experience (that's not really in question, but I thought I'd cover all the bases); the babies are born healthy and strong after at least 36 weeks of gestation; that I can go through this pregnancy with as few complications and as little pain as possible.
3. I had a phenomenal love of eggs for the first 8 weeks of pregnancy. It seems I have transitioned to bagels and cream cheese, string cheese, and applesauce. It's pretty much all that I want to eat, all day long. I continue drinking lots of ensure, and my weight has increased a little. (I gained a pound!!) I attribute the weight gain to the phenomenally healthy and delicious blueberry muffins that I concocted. I'm pretty sure I ate 12.
4. Overall, things are going reasonably well. I continue to get fluids twice a week in Issaquah. I just graduated slightly from the high-risk OB. I only have to come twice a month for a while! (hooray!) I'm still really sick each night, and my pain is pretty horrific--I pretty much cry myself to sleep each night because it hurts so bad in my abdomen. I know that a certain amount of pain and nausea come with pregnancy in the first trimester, so I'm hoping that mine will get a little easier to bear in a couple of weeks. (just in time for surgery. j/k hopefully)
Anyway, thanks for reading. Mostly, thanks for praying. We trust that God has this all under control, and that as He's knitting these little ones in my womb, we believe that He's in and through my body and there tiny bodies too.
Hugs and love to all.
b
So, here is the most recent information:
1. My gastric pacemaker continues to be a disaster. I had it turned off 5 weeks ago, and it continues to do something which feels similar to the sensation of shocking. This could be that even though it's turned off (no voltage running through it), the lead wires are pressing on a nerve in my abdomen and causing pain. It could also be that the wire is partially frayed, or it could be purely coincidental that I'm feeling anything at all. I'm hoping for the latter.
The second problem with my pacemaker is that it's huge (about the size of a carton of cigarettes). I am not huge, and there is not going to be a lot of baby room to begin with. Since I'm having twins, the perinatologists (high-risk OBs) are worried that the babies pushing on the abdominal and the pacemaker could cause constant pain as my uterus expands. This, in turn, could cause preterm labor.
So, I'm still lots of doctors appointments away from this, but there have been two recommendations so far that I have surgery to remove the device and leads once I hit the second trimester.
I'm not really sure how you should pray for this situation. I don't have a clear understanding of what the best course of action is, and I don't feel like there is a clear-cut solution either. There are risks with removing it, and risks with leaving it in. Please pray that God reveals precisely what to do and when to do it.
2. My greatest prayer is that I live through this whole experience (that's not really in question, but I thought I'd cover all the bases); the babies are born healthy and strong after at least 36 weeks of gestation; that I can go through this pregnancy with as few complications and as little pain as possible.
3. I had a phenomenal love of eggs for the first 8 weeks of pregnancy. It seems I have transitioned to bagels and cream cheese, string cheese, and applesauce. It's pretty much all that I want to eat, all day long. I continue drinking lots of ensure, and my weight has increased a little. (I gained a pound!!) I attribute the weight gain to the phenomenally healthy and delicious blueberry muffins that I concocted. I'm pretty sure I ate 12.
4. Overall, things are going reasonably well. I continue to get fluids twice a week in Issaquah. I just graduated slightly from the high-risk OB. I only have to come twice a month for a while! (hooray!) I'm still really sick each night, and my pain is pretty horrific--I pretty much cry myself to sleep each night because it hurts so bad in my abdomen. I know that a certain amount of pain and nausea come with pregnancy in the first trimester, so I'm hoping that mine will get a little easier to bear in a couple of weeks. (just in time for surgery. j/k hopefully)
Anyway, thanks for reading. Mostly, thanks for praying. We trust that God has this all under control, and that as He's knitting these little ones in my womb, we believe that He's in and through my body and there tiny bodies too.
Hugs and love to all.
b
Monday, January 2, 2012
the New Year
This year will certainly be a year of firsts for us... and we couldn't be more excited about both of them and all the craziness they'll bring us!
Christmas went well, and we had a great time with all of our families. I came home, have been to the doctor, and am mostly just exhausted. My mom reassures me that being tired is normal--she recalls sleeping through an entire football season when pregnant with my bro and sis. So I'm celebrating the "normalcy" of sleeping 12 hrs+ each day in between my insane bouts of nausea and vomiting.
The first weeks of pregnancy seemed to go really well. The last couple of weeks have been a little more challenging. I'm still keeping down more food than I normally do, but my nausea and vomiting was previously held at bay until about 3 pm. Now, I only make it to 12:30 each day before I begin yakking my brains out despite all the nausea meds that are safe during pregnancy. My friend, Rachel, keeps reminding me that the nausea is a nice reminder that all is going well with my pregnancy--my hormone levels are clearly rising correctly. While I appreciate her encouragements, I'd rather just stop puking. :)
Marcus is, as usual, uber-patient with me and the vomiting/sleeping debaucle that I have become. He does his best to shove food down me at every turn, and I've consumed more Ensure drinks in the past couple of weeks than I care to remember. I'm even getting sick of my favorite flavor, strawberry, because I've had it so much. Sad day.
Beyond all that, I remain super excited and optimistic for the future. I'm not losing immense amounts of weight, but I'm not gaining weight either. The docs say at this point my nutrition markers look good. (they check them in a blood test) I'm seeing the high-risk OB each week so that they can keep a close eye on me and the babies. So far, so good. Each week they do a quick ultrasound, looking for both heartbeats in one picture. Their hearts are getting stronger, and their heartbeats are totally normal and what they'd expect them to be. They are also growing at the correct rate, and look otherwise healthy.
And now, does anyone have ideas about how to get more calories in each day? I've talked to a nutritionist already, but they didn't have any really good ideas, just one or two new things for me to try. I'd love to hear if anyone has any ideas. Even snarky comments are welcome. :)
Love you all, and Happy New Year!
brelin
Christmas went well, and we had a great time with all of our families. I came home, have been to the doctor, and am mostly just exhausted. My mom reassures me that being tired is normal--she recalls sleeping through an entire football season when pregnant with my bro and sis. So I'm celebrating the "normalcy" of sleeping 12 hrs+ each day in between my insane bouts of nausea and vomiting.
The first weeks of pregnancy seemed to go really well. The last couple of weeks have been a little more challenging. I'm still keeping down more food than I normally do, but my nausea and vomiting was previously held at bay until about 3 pm. Now, I only make it to 12:30 each day before I begin yakking my brains out despite all the nausea meds that are safe during pregnancy. My friend, Rachel, keeps reminding me that the nausea is a nice reminder that all is going well with my pregnancy--my hormone levels are clearly rising correctly. While I appreciate her encouragements, I'd rather just stop puking. :)
Marcus is, as usual, uber-patient with me and the vomiting/sleeping debaucle that I have become. He does his best to shove food down me at every turn, and I've consumed more Ensure drinks in the past couple of weeks than I care to remember. I'm even getting sick of my favorite flavor, strawberry, because I've had it so much. Sad day.
Beyond all that, I remain super excited and optimistic for the future. I'm not losing immense amounts of weight, but I'm not gaining weight either. The docs say at this point my nutrition markers look good. (they check them in a blood test) I'm seeing the high-risk OB each week so that they can keep a close eye on me and the babies. So far, so good. Each week they do a quick ultrasound, looking for both heartbeats in one picture. Their hearts are getting stronger, and their heartbeats are totally normal and what they'd expect them to be. They are also growing at the correct rate, and look otherwise healthy.
And now, does anyone have ideas about how to get more calories in each day? I've talked to a nutritionist already, but they didn't have any really good ideas, just one or two new things for me to try. I'd love to hear if anyone has any ideas. Even snarky comments are welcome. :)
Love you all, and Happy New Year!
brelin
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