36 Week Update

Good news, we’ve made it to the point where the babies are fully cooked, now getting their extra oven time to plump up! Last week’s appointment was frustrating, but I may have had my expectations too high. I didn’t have a measurement sonogram so I don’t know how big they are compared to their size on July 3…I didn’t have a pelvic exam so I don’t have any reassuring signs that these babies are on their way out…I saw another doctor in the group who seemed overly casual about this whole labor and delivery thing. I think she sensed how frustrated I was and appeased me by setting a c-Section date so I at least had something to look forward to.

What we do know is this: baby girl did her gymnastics and moved to be head down! This is a good thing since she’s “Baby A” and will be the first to come out. I could have the option of a normal child birth with her positioning. Baby boy did not want to be a male gymnast or a swimmer and continues to be transverse(horizontal). This presents an interesting predicament to the labor and delivery. If Baby A is head down and delivered normally, a few things could happen to get Baby B out:

1. Baby B could thrive in all of that space, do his gymnastics, and also be delivered head first normally. Ideal situation.
2. Baby B can continue to be stubborn and not move, but the doctors could go in and pull him out  breech. Not as ideal.
3. Baby B can continue to be stubborn and transverse and require a C-Section to get him out. Not making momma happy with pushing AND surgery. One or the other, kiddos!
4. Baby B can go nuts without his sister in there, have a change in vitals, and require and emergency C-Section to get him out.

 

Unfortunately, there’s no indication of what can or will happen. And it doesn’t help the situation that Baby B is slightly larger than Baby A. If B was the smaller one, it wouldn’t be such a challenge to deliver, turn, or pull him out breech. Since he’s bigger (as of July 3 anyway…) it would make a second delivery difficult. What really vexed me from the last appointment was that we are scheduled for another appointment this Thursday but there’s no sonogram. So there’s no confirmation that baby boy is/isn’t moving into position, no confirmation on if he’s still bigger or by how much…what is the doctor going to do when I am there? If she starts the conversation with “so, what questions do you have”…I’m going to lose it. I don’t have anymore questions except when and how are these babies going to come out! Although they do have their eviction notice so they'll be coming out next week regardless of position or size!

Outside of OB appointments, we’ve been making progress on other pieces too. We met with the USF pediatrician group – seemed very nice, knowledgeable, and very experienced with twins (makes sense since they are part of the doctors group that does reproductive medicine). We’ll stick with her and if we want something closer to home or in a different place we can always switch. Only downside to them is that they are based in Tampa General or on Davis Island, so the annoying-ness of the parking garage and hustle/bustle of TGH may get old pretty quickly. Unless they’re fine and healthy babies, then we hopefully won’t be at the doctor very much.

We also started looking at child care for starting in January. I seriously don’t know how we are going to afford this or where we’re going to place them. I looked at a listing of care centers and then did a Google Street Map view…I’m NOT sending my kids to some dirt bag places, and even those cost over $160 per week! There is a FANTASTIC place in downtown but it’s over $1,000/month per infant. I also asked my neighbor with twins and she said she uses an in-home nanny and pays $12/hour plus bonus for 40 hours per week, which would still be the $2,000 per month! If I had an extra $2,000 per month I wouldn’t be living in the suburban ghetto of Seffner.  The other places I liked and we’re looking into are around the $185-$200 mark per child per week . Really hefty, but these are reputable, clean, and actual establishments, not hole in the wall houses or ghetto. I've asked around the Mothers of Multiples (MoM) group and most MoMs there are stay at home MoMs or use an in-house nanny. I’m starting to see how it will be difficult to balance finances with wanting the best for our kids. So shout out and THANK YOU to my fabulous parents who never made it look like there was a choice between finance or wanting what's best (even though I'm sure there always was one)...you found the best that you were able to afford and we were none-the-wiser on the financial piece.

It’s going to be a significant life change for Todd and I to make child care work. We’ve reviewed the budget over and over to see if it makes more financial sense for him to be a stay at home/work from home parent but he loves his job too much and has been there so long (and we get 75% off Outback…) it’s a really tough decision. Luckily we’re in the situation where one of our paychecks won’t go entirely to child care so it is still on the positive $$ side to continue working. Please pray for us as we start narrowing down these choices and reeling in our budget and spending; it will not be easy. I’m still secretly hoping that a little old lady (or young lady, no preference) will come up to me in church and say “I’m so bored during the day I would love to come to your house and watch your kids for $500/month”. Hey, God does miracles, this could happen?!

Overall I’m still feeling pretty good – still going into work everyday for the full 8 hours (although wearing the same outfits 2x per week or wearing Todd’s shirts), generally tired but not unable to function. My upper back has started hurting and I’m getting terrible heartburn but nothing that some Tylenol and Tums aren’t helping me cope through. Still can’t complain about the journey we’ve been on and wouldn’t change a thing about our process. And we’re very excited that there’s 1 week left before we jump off the pregnancy tram and move onto the parenthood jet. :)

 

And I know that friends and family are excited to finally know what their names will be in 1 week! I’ll narrow it down…it’s not “Frank and Bea”, “Bonnie and Clyde”, “Jack and Jill”, “Edward and Bella”, “Wally and Sue”,  or “Luke and Lea”. 

33 Week Update

We’re in the final stretch, with stretch-marks to prove it!  I was in dire need of “mommy” time; for the past 2 weeks I’d been a nervous wreck, coming home from work and just crying. I think it’s just the waiting process that is overwhelming at this point and the uncertainty of when they’ll come, where I’ll be, and what it’s going to be like. I guess Todd was sick of trying to console me in my hormonal tear-fest so he called my mom and asked her to come down for the weekend and spend time with me. It was wonderful – we didn’t do a lot, and I think mom was bored because she cleaned, dusted, swept, washed my dishes, vacuumed, did laundry, etc. I felt helpless but it kept her busy. We left the weekend very clear that we have more than everything we need to bring the babies home – we just need the babies to come home so we stop being stir-crazy. It’s amazing how quickly the room fills up with silly baby gear…

Pictures from Mommy time: 

Me and Todd

Family photo (Mac is behind Macy)

Granny Sue and me

My boobs look pretty small even though they've grown 2 sizes

Not my best, but puts into perspective

 

So after washing the newborn clothes, assuming that my twins will be born at a small size (the average weight of twins at term of 36 weeks is 5.5lbs) we went in for an ultrasound and what do you know, the babies are already at 5 pounds!  I’m glad they are healthy and growing steadily but now all of these newborn clothes that I took tags off of and washed may not be able to be used! Just my luck! The last thing I want to do is more laundry and have wasted tiny little clothes…

Other updates from the ultrasound :

•  no reason to be concerned about my excessive swelling. Blood pressure is normal, no other symptoms that should cause me worry regarding my huge feet and sausage fingers.
• Both babies are not vertex and as they run out of room to move I’ll be having a c-section to get them out. If Baby A would be vertex I could try normal delivery but as long as she’s sitting sideways there isn’t any other option. Baby A (girl) is laying in a “C” shape with her head on the left side of my abdomen and her butt on the cervix and she’s facing my back.  Baby B (boy) is laying sideways with his head under my left ribcage facing outward toward my stomach. So unless there’s some major gymnastics this week I’ll be going under the knife. I guess I deserve that – pregnancy just seemed too easy  so I guess delivery/recovery will have to be the difficult part. It’ll be good to have it planned though, I like a good schedule and that can allow time for my parents to get tickets to fly down if they want, get the dogs situated at their temporary home, and allow us a non-dramatic trip to the hospital.
• Baby boy’s head is the size of a 35 week baby…lots of brain in that big Burchell head!
• Baby boy’s size in general  (5lb 3oz) is on the 75^th percentile on the growth charts…of a singleton! That’s right, he’s bigger than most SINGLE babies at this same time!
• Baby girl’s size (4 lb 11oz) is in the 54^th percentile on the growth charts. So combined we’re talking 10 pounds of baby in there right now. No wonder my stomach feels crazy heavy.
• Babies were of such superior weight that they had me do the glucose screening test again to check for gestational diabetes to see if there is a reason they’re growing so quickly. Hopefully the results are OK so I can 1) be correct and rub it in Todd's face and 2) so I don't have to cut out sweets!
• Doctor told a funny joke about c-sections: “selling a c-section to a woman in labor is like selling ice cream to someone in the desert”.

Some fun Twins Facts:

• Twin pregnancy is considered full term at 36 weeks and 3 days
• 22% of twins are left handed; only 10% of singletons are left handed
• 40% of twins invent their own languages
• Twin fetuses start bonding at just 14 weeks and can appear to socially interact with each other just hours after birth. Friends for life!
• Moms of twins tend to live longer than moms without twins

Clean Butts are Happy Butts

I had been in an internal panic that I wouldn’t have any diapers for my children, I was purchasing a package of diapers every time I stopped at the grocery store or Target just to start my stockpile. I officially do not need to think about diapers anymore. Why? Because my work held a diaper baby shower and we have a truckload (literally a truckload!) of diapers! Holy cow!

A truckload of diapers

To put some of the diapering into perspective – we received 3,369 diapers at the party and about 4,000 wipes. Since I’m a nerd and I enjoy math – here’s some statistics about our poop-catching cloths:

·         On average each diaper costs $0.23. We have a total value of $775 in diapers

·         If each newborn goes through 10 diapers each day, that’s 20 diapers for the twins. That will last more than ½ of a year at the maximum usage rate.

·         On average each wipe costs $0.05. We have a value of $200 in wipes.

·         If each changing requires 2 wipes, that’s 40 wipes per day. The stockpile of wipes will last for more than 3 months.

Yea, we have a total of nearly $1,000 value in butt cleaning products stashed throughout the house. It looks ridiculous that diapers are stashed in every nook and cranny, and boxes are stacked high on the camper in the garage. I think what’s most intimidating is that all of these will be used…that’s a lot of poop!

I’ll officially stop clipping coupons for diapers and wipes for awhile. (Unless it’s a deal I can’t pass up like combining a Publix coupon, a Winn Dixie coupon, and a manufacturer coupon to get diapers for pennies…couponing is addicting, I can’t stop that).Now it’s trying to find another focus for my couponing stockpile.  I don’t know what that next level will be but I need to fill this couponing void! I’ve joined all of the baby clubs, rewards points clubs, formula clubs to get maximum benefit of having twins and needing twice the product of everything. I doubt this energy for couponing and rewards points will last once the babies are born…

What else is going on – the “nesting” piece is kicking in. Last weekend I did a bunch of laundry to clean the 0-3 month clothes, sheets, and blankets. I didn’t use that special baby detergent- I’m using All Free & Clear, supposed to be hypoallergenic so I’m hopeful the babies are happy with that. I’m avoiding washing the “fancy clothes”, I’ve just washed the onesies since I’m unsure if these babies will be big or small. I’m still not sure what I “need” still or what I just “want”; we’re quickly running out of space for baby gear! I know we have more than we need already – if the babies would just get here I’d stop worrying about not having enough and realize we’ve got essentials!

We went to the “caring for newborns” class last night; we learned how to wash a baby, swaddle, use the nose-suckers, general wellbeing for babies. Once again left the class feeling very overwhelmed with all of the things that newborns need and I’m sure I’ll forget most of what the instructor said.  Overall the classes at Tampa General have been informative, we’ve been seeing a lot of the same couples in the classes. We feel comfortable with the hospital, aware of their procedures and facilities…so now we just wait…and wait…and wait…

My to-do list for the week for baby prep:

1.    Finish washing 0-3 month items, socks, hats, and booties

2.    Make a hospital bag

3.    Make a birth plan (if I even have an option of c-section or normal)

4.    Continue cocoa-buttering 2x per day to encourage these stretch marks to go away.

5.    Buy more diapers (haha just kidding!)

Wrights cake...SO delicious!

Yes, I weigh more than Todd now.

Thanks to the sneaky beautiful party planners! You're fabulous!

I Was Made For This

Amazing powerful realization occurred on Tuesday night that was just like lightning and hit me. I was made for this. Not only me, but God created all women specifically and purposefully to make, nurture, house, deliver, and sustain babies. I know that might seem painfully obvious, but the details of what I’ve seen in the labor and delivery class as well as the breastfeeding class just put it even stronger in my brain that God has a purpose for me! All of the struggle of conception, the science behind how our babies made it…God knew that my mind and faith were strong enough to handle the process, and he knew and built my body to be tough enough going through a twin pregnancy, delivery, and motherhood. To think that I’m providing every nutrient these babies need right now, and that the babies and I will be working together to deliver, and then I’ll be able to provide every nutrient they need when they arrive…I don’t even have words!

I was made for this. My stretch marks would tell you differently – that my body wasn’t made to be stretched like it is…but seeing how my body has changed, knowing the route the babies will take to come out and how babies instinctually know in the womb to turn vertex and face outward, and knowing that my body will provide every nutrient that my babies will need…it’s unfathomable. God is awesome, and this crazy complex human body was made for this very purpose. Sorry boys, you have a great purpose but yours is more of a support role than THE main act.

I’m jazzed for labor and breastfeeding now! (Remind me that I said this in 2 months when I’m in excruciating pain and at a lack of sleep…). The more education I get, this process really is the miracle of life. The coolest thing that I’ve learned this week was in the breastfeeding class and that there is the natural instinct of a newborn to crawl across mom’s chest to feed right out of the womb. Baby isn’t even cleaned off or really cute yet, but placed skin to skin on mom will instinctually use smell and warmth to find their own way to the milk and latch on. No help needed. This little baby that is just minutes old into a scary and cold external world knows exactly what to do – God programmed that tiny little brain to know mom that well. I think Todd was annoyed with me during the class as I kept turning to him and saying “no way! That’s crazy!”

What else got me jazzed is that my over-achieving nature is helping me succeed in this pregnancy. Now, I know that every pregnancy is different and I’m very fortunate to have Todd so supportive and job that keeps me from going baby-crazy and a healthy body that is allowing success. But when we’re in these classes and I’m listening to women at 29 weeks complain about feet aching, not being able to work, being miserable with 1 baby…yeah, I don’t have much pity for that complaining. I’m pulling 10+ workdays, forgetting to eat lunch, traveling, still taking care of dogs, making dinner…with two. And I don’t think I’m complaining TOO much in the process, but you’ll have to ask Todd. And I haven’t really experienced any terrible physical signs. I was tired the first trimester but never threw up. I never got “pregnancy brain” and the forgetfulness.  So 1 point for Kelly for being tough.  Also, a big risk with multiples is that one baby will grow at a faster rate than another – nope, mine are both right on track at 29 weeks both roughly the same size. No complications, no gestational diabetes, no cervical problems. So 1 more point for Kelly for being a good provider. Many women have difficulty and fear that they won’t be able to provide milk for their babies – well, I’ve already got evidence in my bras that it won’t be a problem for me. So 1 more point for Kelly and my lady lumps. It’s just all a blessing and the pieces of the miracle puzzle are being put together in my mind. Physically God made women’s bodies to do this. Personally, God gave me the mind, body, and strength to do this. He knew exactly what He was doing. So, 1 billion points for God for all of his gifts.

The only parting thought I can leave today is from Jeremiah 1:5 -
"I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart ..."

Hello 3rd Trimester!

28 weeks...at most 10 weeks to go! Time continues to fly by. This past weekend I was honored with a great baby shower. It was so special to have my family in town and my close friends around to celebrate the Burchell Babies. As my mom put it...we have everything we need to bring the babies home (now it's just those extra "fun" things we want). We can change them, feed them, and they have a place to sleep. What other essentials are there? I am in complete amazement at how creative my friends and family are! Miss B had the cutest decorations, great games and prizes, and delicious homemade parting gifts. Miss T made the most adorable cupcake display (almost too cute to eat...ALMOST). My sister and her husband used their kitchen skills and made the coolest fruit salad ever. And my mom finally started the curtains which are the perfect touch to the nursery. I'm honored just at the thought of the time and creativity that went into the day. I have no way to express how grateful I am.

Todd was also a sneaky little daddy too. He planned, scheduled, and pre-paid for a salon day for my sister and I where we got manicures, pedicures, hair cuts, and coloring! He had a little bit of a selfish motive - I have been complaining about my "half and half" hair for quite some time and I'm always complaining about my Flinstone feet. But it was a nice surprise, very unlike my Burchie to do that.

I also have hit my emotional peak I think. I was inconsolable when my mom left on Sunday, really just lay in bed most of the day crying and upset. And it's not that I won't see her or that I never talk to her - we talk a lot and she is going to come down to help once the babies are born. I was just a wreck. Once I was able to gain composure, it was time for my sister to leave and the vicious cycle started again. Once I was able to gain composure in the late afternoon, I was going through one of my many daily Cocoa Buttering sessions and saw how intense and how fast the stretch marks were growing and completely lost it for a 3rd time over the weekend. These babies are definitely taking a toll on my body, not that I ever was or had the dream of being a model but I don't think bare midriff will ever be in my future again.

I am starting to get uncomfortable, but as long as I don't think about it, it isn't so bad. Sitting upright all day is tough and driving is really difficult longer than 30 minutes. I'm getting used to the belly - i notice it's a great place to rest my arms, my cups, my laptop, my plate of food...it's pretty convenient! People still tell me I look great and "small for twins"...I'll take that while I can!

Here are some pictures from the shower - I'm happy to report that 28 weeks after IVF we are still strong and healthy and we continue to be thankful for Dr Meyer and his team at USF for their skill and expertise that makes our family more complete in 10 short weeks (if that!!)

Sisters

Cupcakes! Each chair and decoration hand made...

Decorations and cupcake display

Food! Sorry it was Publix "wraps" and not "Subs"

Creation of Stephen and Becky

Cool kids grow up with GloWorms

The Ladies

The cupcake master

The hostess with the mostess

26 Weeks Update

To put things in perspective...in 2 short months we should be preparing ourselves for the early arrival of the Burchell Babies! Holy cow that's fast! Luckily (or un-luckily)...work is so incredibly busy that I haven't had time to allow my self to worry anymore about the babies and if "we're ready" or allowing my brain to go baby-crazy anymore. Life NEEDS to slow down and I NEED to soak it all in, but I'll wait for June to really start hunkering down :) I'm thankful for my job and being busy; it's not stressful work per say, just a lot of it.

Updates since the last post - we had 2 visits/sonograms,  went to 2 classes, and took some more pictures. Woo hoo! The frequency of doctors appointments are much more frequent now, we'll be looking at weekly visits starting in mid June. The "due date" is still 8/6, that hasn't changed but after the next measurement sonogram it may change depending on how big these babies are. The doctor said that everything looks great - healthy heartbeats, I look good, I'm carrying them well. No signs of complications.

2 weeks ago we had a measurement sonogram. The appointment started as a regular boring check up but the nurse wanted to get better readings on the heartbeats and check their size. Baby girl was 2 weeks advanced in size - 1 pound 12 oz and baby boy was 1 pound 9 oz. Both of them were at least a week a head in "growth". They were very active. 2 weeks ago I felt bits of kicks, nothing painful or that Todd could feel...it's amazing what changes in 2 weeks! My guess is these babies are a good 2.5 pounds each now.

I feel them all day now, sometimes it's painful kicks, sometimes its just uncomfortable tightening as the babies move around. At today's visit I did the 26-week glucose test to measure for gestational diabetes. If you know me, you know my LOVE for candy and sweets...so hopefully my body is processing sugar just fine since I have a constant flow of sugar in my blood but we'll see in a few days. The test consists of drinking a small bottle of orange drink. I thought it was delicious! It tasted like flat orange soda, or one of those Mr. Freezy pops that isn't frozen. Towards the end of the bottle it started burning as it went down because it was so sweet but nothing intolerable. Since the babies were doped up on sugar, it made the ultrasound fun to watch with the kicking, rolling, and punching! Poor baby boy was getting kicked in the head by his bully sister nonstop! What was particularly cool about this appointment was the stenographer took 3D pictures. My sister said these are creepy, and all I can focus on is how gigantic their heads are! They surely have Todd's cranium and my pouting face.

Baby boy

Baby girl

Last night we also went to another education class - the Infant Safety & CPR class. Overall takeaways from the class...First, essentially everything is a danger! It's going to be impossible to raise these babies in the protective bubbles that are recommended. Second, we know infant CPR now which is scary, but a relief as well. we hope to never need to use it but it's nice to know we're educated. Third, there's a lot cool products out there to make safety easier for the babies. A big plastic protective bubble would be easier, but some cool things out there like faucet protectors, door latches, blinds cord covers, and table ends. Oh yea, and don't feed infants french fries, no matter how mushy and smushy they are. (I learned that the hard way about 6 months ago, but it continues to be a traumatizing memory for me. Sorry Ryleigh!)

We also got a hospital tour, the official nickle tour two Sundays ago. Great information, helpful hints. Turns out Tampa General has 2 Labor rooms that also have a jacuzzi in the private bathroom so you can relax in a hot tub while you're going through early labor. Too bad I probably won't enjoy the beautiful labor and delivery rooms at TGH since I'll be in the operating room. We also confirmed again that we'll have the bigger private rooms, and we are the least picky parents-to-be regarding "needs". There was one couple there that was very open about their displeasure with the size of the post partum rooms...I think they missed that this is a hospital and not a hotel...and I think they were actually hoping to have labor or post partum complications so they get a bigger room. They probably are the couple that still calls an airline flight attendant a "waitress".

A few picture updates as well - I've been hesitant to post pictures because I'm not comfortable with my size but it's a part of pregnancy. I officially feel like I look pregnant now and not just fat which is a good thing, but now the mental and emotional part of growing is getting to me and stretch marks are coming with a vengeance...and sitting is becoming uncomfortable. At the end of the day my tailbone really hurts, and I need to sit and drive "gangsta" style to stretch out my stomach so I'm not squishing.Laying down at night is the best feeling in the world to just stretch out flat...until i decide to go to sleep when I toss and turn. I can't wait to be a stomach sleeper again!

25 Weeks

This is a bit of an exaggeration. I wore a tiny t-shirt to accentuate. On Wisconsin!

 Mom's response was "Oh my". 

26 weeks, going to work. i thought this was a smile...

Pulling off the motherly look, not yet in flippy flops

 Next doctor's appointment is the first week of June; the next few weeks will have a lot of excitement including a baby shower, family visits in town, and our labor & delivery class. Busy weekends to look forward to, makes the long hours at work worth it to know that I'm working for the weekend!