Any Late NOV/DEC 2009 Twins

(150 posts)(10 voices)
  1. Kelly--eek! I'm so sorry about your shortened cervix. I am constantly freaking out about mine too, worried it's going to change before they catch it (possibly what happened last time--at 19 weeks it was fine, at 21 weeks I pPROM and delivered). That's great that they were able to do a cerclage, I'm guessing you had the Shirodkar since you have very little cervix? How did that go? I had my (preventative) McDonald cerclage done at 13w4d. I had a little discomfort for about a week, and since then have felt great. And I'm glad it sounds like baby A's heart condition is fixable. Still scary, but I'm sure everything will be fine.

    AFM, I went to my OB last week for a regular checkup and had her swab me just to be sure I didn't have any infections. Well, I'm glad I did because I had a mild case of bacterial vaginosis! GREAT. Guess what that causes? pPROM! Which I'm already at risk for. So I took 3 days of Flagyl and am just hoping and praying that we caught it before it moved up to my uterus. She checked my cervix and said it felt great, no dilation or shortening. But she told a fib to the peri's office to get me in for another cervical length u/s for my peace of mind. (she told them she thought it felt a little shorter and she wanted to have a look! Have I mentioned how much I love my OB?).

    So I went in this morning to the peri's office to have the u/s. Cervix is still measuring over 4 cm, even with pressure. The peri even smiled a little! (this guy is a total dud and had no heart when he told us we were going to have to deliver our last set of twins early). They did a quick abdominal u/s to just check for heart tones (both great) and she even wandered around a little to check out the babies for us. They're both still definitely boys! They were VERY active and were both head down, fighting for the presenting position. My mom said this was the first of many times they'd be fighting with each other to be first

    I've only gained maybe 10 pounds on a good day. On Thursday (17 weeks exactly) I was measuring 21 weeks. She didn't say that was good or bad...I'm really trying to gain weight, but it just isn't coming very easily yet. I think I lost a little bit after the cerclage because I wasn't feeling the greatest. Hopefully I start to catch up soon!

    Glad to hear everyone else is doing well! And Kelly--hang in there, they caught that shortening early and you'll be fine!

    Sara 17w4d

  2. Just checking in to see how everyone is doing? It's been quiet!

    Kelly,

    I'm so sorry to see that you're already on bedrest, but very relieved that they caught things in time. How are you feeling?

    Sara,

    Congrats on your 2 boys!

    Hello to everyone else.

    Things here are ok. My GC had the detailed anatomy scan Monday (16w6d) and both babies looked great. I am worried though because the Peri indicated some concern with her bp which is above normal (and I think in the 2nd trimester, bp usually goes down). For now, he just told her to take it easy and no special restrictions. I'm just praying it won't go up in the 3rd trimester and result in complications.

    Oh, they did confirm at the last u/s that we have 2 boys! I have temptations here and there to buy some stuff now that we know for sure, but am still way too scared to actually do it. For now, I'm just doing a lot of window shopping.

    Staci
    GC is 17 wks 2 days
    B/B Fraternal Twins

  3. Great. Just great. Ladies, I am seriously freaking out here. In my previous post, I mentioned that I had bacterial vaginosis and had to take 3 days of Flagyl. Well, then the culture that they sent into the lab came back with another bacterial infection, so I took 7 days of another antibiotic (Keflex) for that, which I just finished last night. I went to the dr. yesterday for a checkup, had her swab for a rapid culture again, and the BV is still lingering! So now I have to take 7 more days of Flagyl. BV causes PROM, and if it never went away, surely it has to have spread by now. I am so beyond worried right now, I can barely function. And my OB has been out of town for the past 2 weeks so I can't even call her. I saw a different OB yesterday, whom I don't know. My OB will be back in the office on Wednesday!! I can't wait until then. I don't know what to do. Everything else is just perfect--my cervix is still long, closed, and firm, and the babies are moving like crazy. Last night I totally lost it and started bawling; I just cannot lose any more babies. I wish I could just fast forward about 3 months and see that everything is going to be okay.

    Anyway, sorry for the long vent. I really needed to get that out. Kelly, how are you holding up on bedrest? Staci, congrats on the 2 boys for you too! Looks like we're going to have a bunch of boys around here!

    How\'s everyone else? It has been awfully quiet....

    Sara
    19 weeks
    b/b twins

  4. Sara,

    I\'m so sorry you're going through this! It seems like most websites say the treatment is 7 days with Flagyl so hopefully the 3 days just didn't quite do it and the 7 will be successful. Is there any other Dr. you could just consult with to get another opinon? Did the OB you saw seem that concerned?

  5. Sara, ugh how annoying that must be! Did your doctor mention why you seem to have such a persistent infection? Are there any symptoms?

    AFM we go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon for our 20 week anatomy scan. I'm really looking forward to finding out if these two are boys or girls (or both ;-))! I'll fill you in once we hear!

    Laura
    20w3d

  6. I'm heading back to the doctor this afternoon. I really don't think I have BV, I think I have something else. (TMI alert) The discharge I have is not an abnormal amount or anything, but the smell is. It's hard to explain, but everything I've read says BV has a \"fishy\" smell, and that is just not what I have going on down there. I'm concerned that it is showing up as BV on the rapid cultures but it's really something else. I don't know if the doctor will do another swab on me or not since I'm still on the Flagyl, but I at least need to go in for my peace of mind. I have been a nervous wreck the past 4-5 days, crying all the time, because I am just so sure I'm only going to be pregnant a few more weeks. I'm hoping she'll do a swab to be sent out to the lab (because a few weeks ago the rapid culture came up positive for BV but the swab sent to the lab was negative) or tell me I'm peeing my pants or something. My OB has been out of town for 3 weeks, and is just returning this week--but she's not in the office on Mondays (it's her hospital day). So I'm seeing someone else...it'll be fun to explain all of this $hit to the DR who will probably think I'm crazy since I was just in last week.

    So I'll be leaving in about an hour for the appointment, I'll update when I get any news. As I'm typing my boys are having a boxing match in my belly!!

    Sara 19w4d

  7. Okay, I'm back. The dr said she thought the discharge looked like white cells, which is normal when you have a cerclage. The color (yellowish) is normal. She swabbed me for both a rapid culture and one to send away, so we'll know if it's something more than BV in a couple of days. She said if I had a uterine infection I would have a fever and a tender uterus (which I don't). Everything looks fine to her. She didn't address the odor. If by some chance I do have a uterine infection or infection of the amniotic fluid, there's nothing they can do about it right now since the babies aren't viable. If I were further along they would deliver the babies if there was an infection. That's not what I'm worried about, though! I'm worried the infection is going to cause my water to break!!! So, basically I still don't know anything, and I still have to wait and see. I hope I can stay pregnant for a good while longer! My stitch looked good (and it's green--now I know the color, I had never thought to ask before!) and my cervix felt long and thick.

    Laura--that\'s exciting that you will get to find out the genders tomorrow! Update us when you get back, ok?

    Kelly--haven\'t heard from you for awhile. How are you holding up on bedrest? How's that cervix doing? I hope it's behaving itself.

    Take care ladies!
    Sara 19w4d

  8. Laura,

    I can't wait to hear your news!

    Sara,

    How frustrating that they can't figure out what the issue is. Hopefully the results will come back quickly because I know you're probably driving yourself crazy with worry in the meantime.

  9. Hello again!

    Sara, glad things at least look good with the cerclage and hopefully they can figure out what the issue is!

    AFM, we had our 20 week anatomy scan yesterday and everything went amazing. Both babies had all their parts and no issues at all! It was so cool to see the four little heart chambers beating in there! We also found out that we are having a boy and a girl! Baby A is the boy (who was not cooperating for the first half of the u/s) and Baby B is the girl. He weighed 13 oz and she was 12 oz. I'm so excited to finally know and be able to make some plans for them!

    I was worried about my cervix b/c I have been having so much pressure (TMI, esp when I go to the bathroom), but it measured 5.1 cm which was teh same as last time. She said anything over 3 cm is what they are looking for so it was all good :-) She said the pressure was likely just b/c the babies are getting heavier and b/c Baby B is sitting right on top of Baby A right now. They are laying head to toe, so very cute! When the u/s tech was trying to get a picture to measure Baby B's legs, little Baby A kept punching up into the screen :-)

    Hope all is well with everyone else!

    Laura
    20w5d

  10. Hello again!

    Sara, glad things at least look good with the cerclage and hopefully they can figure out what the issue is!

    AFM, we had our 20 week anatomy scan yesterday and everything went amazing. Both babies had all their parts and no issues at all! It was so cool to see the four little heart chambers beating in there! We also found out that we are having a boy and a girl! Baby A is the boy (who was not cooperating for the first half of the u/s) and Baby B is the girl. He weighed 13 oz and she was 12 oz. I'm so excited to finally know and be able to make some plans for them!

    I was worried about my cervix b/c I have been having so much pressure (TMI, esp when I go to the bathroom), but it measured 5.1 cm which was teh same as last time. She said anything over 3 cm is what they are looking for so it was all good :-) She said the pressure was likely just b/c the babies are getting heavier and b/c Baby B is sitting right on top of Baby A right now. They are laying head to toe, so very cute! When the u/s tech was trying to get a picture to measure Baby B's legs, little Baby A kept punching up into the screen :-)

    Hope all is well with everyone else!

    Laura
    20w5d

  11. Hello All,

    Hope every one is doing fine.

    Congratulation Laura!!! B/G Twins!!! It is Great.
    Sara, hope results comes back soon and normal.

    About me. I am currently 22w PG. Finally we told our parents (at 20w). I will have my 2nd trimester anatomy scan next week. I know that it is late but since I had very detailed 1 scan as well as CVS done, the OBG is being very optimistic.

    Best wishes to everyone.

  12. All clear! No infections!! YAY!! The OB nurse was puzzled as to why the rapid cultures are coming back positive for BV but the ones being sent into the lab are negative. She said the ones that go to the lab are more accurate so to go by that. But for now, I am free of infections!! Wooohooo!

    Laura--congrats on the B/G twins! How fun to have one of each!

    dimash--I can't believe you were able to hold off on telling your parents until 20 weeks! We see ours way too often to be able to hide it.

    I have a CL TVU tomorrow as well as my detailed u/s. I'm hoping my cervix is still nice and long (two weeks ago it was 4.1 cm with pressure) and it'll be fun to get to see the boys for a long u/s. Everything up until now has been just a quick u/s to check for h/b and CL.

    Sara
    20 weeks b/b twins

  13. Sara, SO glad everything came back normal. What a relief that must be for you! How did your appointment go?

    dimash, I'm amazed that you were able to wait for 20 weeks to tell! That takes a lot of restraint! Have you gained much weight? I have to say, since about 16/17 weeks it has been pretty obvious I am pregnant since I have this HUGE belly. Very glad it worked out for you to wait until you were ready to share. I'm sure that being able to share the news on your own timetable took care of some of the unnecessary worry.

    AFM, nothing new. We're having construction done on our house to accomidate the new additions, so the dog and I are hanging out upstairs and whiling away some time Hope all is well with everyone!

    Laura
    21 weeks
    B/G twins

  14. Laura,

    Congrats on the b/g twins. Very exciting!

    Sara,

    That\'s great news that the culture came back clear!

    dimash,

    I never would have had the restraint either to not tell anyone until 20 weeks. Too many people knew we were doing IVF and my mom would come take care of our cats every time we went out of town for a cycle. The best I could do was not tell them the result until we had the first ultrasound. I'm sure your family was really excited!

    Kelly,

    Thinking of you and hoping everything is going ok.

    Staci
    GC is 18 wks 3 days b/b twins

  15. Hi everybody... hope all is still going well!

    Just jotting a quick note b/c I feel like I keep getting the same annoying comment said over and over. \"Oh, you are having a boy and a girl, now you don't have to have any more!\".

    I don't know why this is so annoying to me, but for some reason it is. DH and I want to try (at some point... luckily I'm only 27 now) to use all 5 remaining frozen embryos in FET and we also are interested in adoption at some point (my mother was adopted). So, we would LOVE to have lots of kids if possible (I'm also the youngest of 5). For some reason the comment that having one boy and one girl makes everyone on earth want to call it quits is so irritating to me! I'm of the opinion to each their own and I just nod when people say this... but seriously... it's starting to peeve me!

    Anyway, just thought I would pass on the irritation! Anyone else having a hard time with the irritating comments!

    Laura
    21w3d
    b/g twins

  16. Hi everyone,

    I just wanted to bump this thread up to the top and see how everyone is doing.
    Any updates?

    My GS hit 24 weeks yesterday. So far, we've found out that Baby A has an irregular heartbeat. The Peri. said, most of the time, this will resolve before birth. They are going to keep a close eye on it. Otherwise, everything looks good with the babies.

    Has anyone decided what to do about the swine flu vaccine when it comes out? Are your Dr.'s recommending it? My GS just had a bad reaction to the regular flu shot that she took yesterday. She was up all night with sweating and chills and trouble breathing. So, I'm especially worried about what kind of reaction she might have to the swine flu vaccine.

    Staci

  17. Hello! I'm still hanging around here, 26 weeks today. I've had a pretty eventful month, but things are holding steady for now.

    I started Procardia for PTL at 21 weeks and that has been helping a lot with the contractions. Well, except for last week when I was contracting every 2 minutes even after taking it! I had to go to L&D for fluids (doc ordered terbutaline but I couldn't have it because my pulse was too high from the Procardia) and everything settled down after a few hours. My cervix never changed, and I had a negative FfN so they sent me home. That was my second FfN test, I had another one at 23 weeks too. I'll be getting them every 2 weeks until 34 weeks.

    My cervix has stayed above 3 cm, no dilating or funneling (opening from the inside). At my last u/s at 24 weeks, the boys measured 1 lb. 10 oz and 1 lb. 8 oz. I'll have another u/s at 28 weeks to measure my cervix and their growth.

    So far I still haven't been placed on any kind of official bedrest, but I really don't do very much. I find that even a quick trip to the store totally wipes me out (out of breath, contractions, etc) so I mostly stay home and lounge around. I'll be so glad when (if?) I get to 32 weeks and can increase my activity a bit and not feel guilty.

    So that's my long update. I hope to hear from everyone else! Especially Kelly (livelearnvn)--we haven't heard from you since you had your cerclage. How's your cervix holding out??

    Oh, I forgot to mention we decided on names. Maxwell Steven and Isaac Gregory (Steven is my brother and Gregory is DH's brother). Maxwell will go by Max. We never see those neighbors who have a son named Max, so I took your advice and went with it!

    Sara 26w today!

  18. Sara-- Glad to hear that the contractions aren't causing any cervical issues for you, but I'm sure it is really a pain in the neck. Only 6 more weeks until you can relax a bit! Those names are really cute too... so glad you decided to use Max instead of letting the neighbor's child influence your name choice!

    Staci-- I'm for sure going to get the regular flu vaccine, but I'm not 100% sure about the swine flu vaccine yet. I'm planning to ask my OB next week when I see her.... I'll let you know what she says.

    AFM, I am 27 weeks today My tummy is HUGE! I had a full scan with the peri last week and the babies were both doing great. I have been having cervical check and ffn every 2 weeks... last week my cervix was still at 5.1 cm so the doctor said there is very little chance for preterm labor. She said they usually wouldn't do the ffn as well, but they wanted to be overly cautious. I go in again next week for another cervical length and ffn and then I'll have another full scan with the peri at 30 weeks (every 4 weeks with him). GTT came back negative so that was one less thing to worry about. Needless to say I feel like I am at the doctor all the time, but that's better than worrying right!

    DH and I start our birthing classes this weekend and they go for 3 weeks. We just went to the pre-baptism class last night and I am scheduled for infant and child CPR/first aid on the 17th. I'm trying to get all of the \"prep\" items done early so I can just sit back and enjoy these last few weeks/months before the babies!

    SO... I am somewhat distraught (just a little depressed... thought I know it is all for the babies) b/c I just noticed that I am getting a few stretch marks very low on my tummy (just above the bikini line) . I was HOPING against all hope that I would evade them, but it looks like they are going to make an appearance anyway. I've been using creams, drinking lots of water, etc... but I think I am just getting too big now. Anyone else suffering such a fate????

    Hope everyone is doing well!

    Laura
    27 weeks
    b/g twins

  19. Sara,

    I love the names! The middle names go so nicely with the first names. I'm glad you went with the name you wanted. It's so hard sometimes (I think especially with boy's names!) trying to avoid names that a child of a family member, friend, etc. has. With a neighbor though, especially one that you're not close to, I think it was smart not to let it change your mind.

    Sorry for all the stressful medical issues you've had going on. Just hang in there. It sounds like your Dr.'s are on top of things.

    Laura,

    Yes, definitely please let me know what your OB says about the swine flu vaccine. In our case, I'm also struggling because we will have to get the babies home and we are a 5 hour plane flight away from where they will be born. I hate the thought of bringing 2 newborns into an airport and plane with all the germs. The only other option though would be driving 37 hours and that has other cons. So, I had kind of thought maybe the vaccine would pass some protection through to the babies? Of course, on the other side of things, I'm also worried about how quickly they came out with it, possible unknown issues, etc. And, if my GS doesn't want to get it because she's worried about the potential side effects, then of course I have to respect her decision. Although, I think the thought of getting the swine flu while pregnant is a pretty scary one.

    Where did you find the child first aid/CPR class? I'm guessing DH and I should go to something like that....although I would probably feel very strange since I'd likely be the only one not pregnant. Then again, having that knowledge is more important than my being uncomfortable for a few hours!

    Kelly,

    Please check in!

  20. Staci-- Yes, from what I have read on CDC and other medical websites, antibodies from the mother do pass to the child for both the swine flu and the normal flu vaccine. Since the babies cannot be vaccinated on their own until 6 months, that is one reason why they suggest that pregnant women get it. I will certainly pass on what my OB says next week though so you can have a good idea from the doctors perspective.

    As for the infant/child CPR/first aid class, I would definitely look for one in your area! I had covered this stuff a long time ago when I was lifeguarding as a teenager, but I definitely need a refresher course. It is very helpful, and they give you a book/resources that you can have on hand in case you have an emergency. I live in NY and a local store is hosting an American Red Cross class, so that is where I am taking it. BUT if you just look up your local ARC and call they can tell you where you can take a local class. You may also want to ask at your local library b/c they often host classes like this. They are about 3 hours long and cost around $70, but they cover how to respond to infant choking, cardiac arrest, etc. Very worthwhile and I think it is required for people of certain occupations (child care providers, teachers in certain locations, lifeguards, etc.) so you likely wouldnt be the only non-preggo in the class!

    Good luck!

    Laura

  21. Hey guys - sorry I haven't written in a while. Things completely got turned upside-down for us. VERY long story short, I was put on hospital bed rest after my cerclage placement and bleeding from placenta previa. At 25 weeks and 3 days (19 days ago), my water broke with Baby A, and they did everything they could to stop the labor, but a few hours later I started to hemorrhage, and they had to deliver both boys by emergency c-section under general anesthesia. We're all okay, but of course both boys are in the NICU. Wyatt was 1lb. 8 oz, Jack was 2 lb. Jack had to have surgery yesterday for his PDA to be closed, but he seems to be doing okay today. We certainly have a very long road ahead of us, but God is good, and I am so thankful I was in the hospital when this all happened. My doctor saved my life!

    If anyone is interested, we have a CaringBridge website with pictures and updates: caringbridge.org

    I hope you're all doing well. I'm going to take some time to read through and see the updates.

  22. Kelly--
    I'm so glad you checked in. I was worried about you, and thought maybe the reason you weren't around was because things had gotten worse. I'm so glad you were able to make it as long as you did and get those boys to viability. I know of someone else who had her twin boys at the same gestation and after a lot of surgeries and months in the NICU, they were able to come home when they were about 4 months old. You're right, you do have a long road ahead of you, but you have your babies and that's what matters right now.

    I'm definitely going to check out your Caring Bridge site; it'll give me another website to visit while I lie around bored all the time!

    Hang in there, mama!
    Sara

  23. Kelly--

    So glad that you were in the hospital when all of that happened. Those little boys look so very sweet and I hope that everything works out well for you. I had a friend who had her son (a singleton) around the same time as you due to an infection and her son is now almost 2 and doing very well. I wish you all the blessings in the world with your little boys.

    Laura
    27w4d
    b/g twins

  24. Kelly,

    Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I'm relieved that you and your babies are okay. I know you must be under an unbelievable amount of stress/anxiety right now. I will be keeping all of you in my prayers and will definitely visit your website.

    Laura,

    Thanks so much for the info. on where to find the class. I'm definitely going to look into it!

    Staci
    GS is 25 wks 1 day

  25. Staci-- I asked my OB about the shot and she said I should get both the swine flu and the normal flu. She said they do the same amount of testing on both and both vaccines are created in the same way as the standard yearly flu vaccine. So I guess I'll get both.

    My apt. last week went well. They measured the babies and Baby A (boy) was 2 lb 6 oz and Baby B (girl) was 2 lb 11 oz. I can't believe they are almost 3 lbs each!!!! I have to go get the Rhogam shot this week as I am Rh negative. Feeling good though. I had to go get a dress for a black tie event this weekend... what a pain! I'm HUGE and it was almost impossible, but I did it. $150 later :-)

    Hope everyone else is doing well still!

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