Calling all twin mamas :) - Page 2

[Nanette56]

I. am. so. freakin. sick. UGH! I thought it was viral, just a cough, extremely sore throat, and mucus which didn't look infection-like, no fever or anything else. Took some Robitussin DM a couple of times for the cough, because I just COULD NOT SLEEP, but this is day 3 without a voice, and mucus is starting to get a green-ish tinge (I know, gross right?) I'm thinking it's a URI, I get those A LOT when I'm not preggo. So, hopefully some Amox will kill it dead. And then likely give me yet another yeast infection I think I'll start yogurt and garlic protocol now, because it is inevitable.

I hate being sick. UCK!

But as for the baby names:

1) Cassie Nanette for our baby girl.

The story behind the name:

Nanette is my middle name, and my mom's, and Cassie is the name of the wife of DS's Godfather. DH and I met in high school ROTC, and this man was the Naval Science instructor for the program. He's a Marine Corps Colonel. He ended up marrying the two of us back in '01, and then we asked him to be Godfather to our first born. He and his wife have been active in both our lives for the last 15 years. His wife was a very spunky Italian who kept her husband in line, and never could keep her opinions to herself They loved each other dearly. His wife died a year ago, and he's been absolutely heartbroken ever since. He's in his 80s now, and just diagnosed with cancer. We've asked him to be Cassie's Godfather too

2) Cael Elijah for our baby boy.

The story behind the name:

Alas, not a big story. A year and a half ago DS had a little boy on his baseball team named Cael, and we fell in love with the name. I thought it was kind of original. And I've always been partial to the biblical name Elijah, so there we go. DH's last name is kinda unconventional too, so we have to be careful about first and middle names

What about you guys? Do you have names picked out?

ETA- I'll add some sono pics soon and LIORA I'm psyched for your u/s tomorrow!!!

[Liora]

We have 2 girl names picked out:

Isla Grace
Liora Cecile

I just love the sound of Isla. Liora means "God's gift of light to me" and Cecile is my DH's grandma's name.

For boys:

Boston Robert

DH loves Boston. It is growing on me. Robert is my dad's name.

We're up in the air on the other boy name (so hopefully we won't need one!) I like Asher and I'm considering Lucas, which is my maiden name (my dad is a jr. and had only daughters). And Samuel for a middle name which is my grandfather's name and means "God has heard" and was Hannah's son in the bible that she prayed for after years of barrenness. So it has meaning in the world of infertility.

However, Asher Samuel is a no go because my last name starts with an S...so his initials would be ASS. lol

ugh. 2 girls or one boy and one girl would be so much easier!

[babygrey]

Liora, sorry to hear about the headaches. I had them super bad (like, in the ER begging for meds) w/ my DD's pg and have had them fairly regularly this pg. This pg, the only thing that is helping me is my chiropractor- seriously, she does WONDERS for me. I get migraines when not pg sometimes and take Fioricet for them- it has worked really well for me non-pg. I tried it for one of the headaches this pg and it didn't help it one bit. I it helps you. hope you find some relief, headaches are such a drag.
I hear you on being disappointed on taking so many meds (that's why I held out for weeks before I took the anti-emetics). I feel the same way. What helps me is to realize that the benefit I'm getting from the meds (ie- eating or not being in pain) is huge for the babies. It is hard, tho, isn't it?

oh, and I'm not Nanette, but re: BP cuff- you should totally request manual if the machine reading isn't great. The machines can be way off sometimes. W/ my last pg (the BP nightmare), we went to only manual reads bc the machine would read all over the place.

I LOVE Liora for a g name- TBH, I thought it was your name and I was jealous bc I've always thought it was pretty. I actually like Liora Grace a lot... Lucas and Asher are both fantastic boy names (see my list). Tho, Isla and Boston are a really great pair. You can't go wrong

Nanette- sorry you are sick. I've always thought pg women should get a pass on being sick until... the baby goes to college or something Hope you feel better soon. Love your names! Cassie has such a great story and I just love Cael.

I'm funny about posting names, but I'm going to do it bc I just can't not share, too
For a girl we have:

Eden Sophia Elise (or Eden Elise Sophia)

Eden bc, when I dream or meditate on the babies, I always see a beautiful garden in a river valley. Which makes the name fit most perfectly with our boy choice; Vale (a river valley)
Sophia is DH's all time favorite name bc of the meaning. I like it okay, but our other kiddos have very unique names and it didn't feel right to match the uber-popular Sophia with three unique names.
Elise- this is probably the best story. My grandmother had twins that died at birth. Their mns were Elise and Louise. My DD's mn is Louise, so Elise is an obvious choice

Boys we have, in this order: (as in the babe we know is a boy is Vale, and should the other be a boy, he's Asher)

Vale:
(meaning as above) also, my grandfather's name was Gale, and this somehow feels like a tribute name, even tho I didn't intend it to be.

Asher:
oh, Asher. I've always loved Asher. DS was *almost* Asher. DD would have been Asher if she had been a boy. I'm not sure why I feel pulled to use Vale instead, but I do and I feel like that's important.

we're having a problem w/ mns for boys. I'd really, really like to do Vale Asher, but our ln starts w/ a J and, online at least (I'm not sharing IRL), some people have thought the initials VAJ might be a problem. IDK. DH strongly feels like it would be no big deal at all, and I'm still on the fence. If it were any other name, I'd look for something less questionable, but Vale Asher just seems like my son's name... (before you suggest it, DH is very strongly against using mn as common name, so that rules out Asher Vale, called Vale) sigh. Names are hard.

We're waiting to make the Vale Asher vs Vale something else choice until we see if we have one or two boys. The good thing is, even tho I really have a preference for b/g babies- if we end up w/ two boys, it solves ALL my name problems!

[Liora]

I think Eden is beautiful! Sophia is one of my fav names too. Darn popularity! I'm so afraid that Isla is going to go that way because of Isla Fisher but I'm hoping that the "weird" spelling keeps it out of the top 100!

So we decided on our second boys name (I really want to name them tomorrow (assuming we are sure of gender)): Asher Charles. Charles is DH's middle name (and his Dad's - he's a III). I just couldn't do A.S.S. initials.

However I think VAJ is a little more obscure. I wouldn't let it hold you back!

At this point I love all my names so much I need 4 babies!

OMG, what did I just say?????!!!

ETA: Nanette - I get yeast every time I'm on antbiotics too! Ugh. I hope lots of yogurt will save you from it. Hope you feel better soon!

[JoyfamMama]

Nanette - So sorry you are sick also *hug* So far, I have NEVER been sick when I'm pregnant. What a blessing! I was just wanting to give you hope that garlic is a natural antibiotic, as is coconut oil. If you were able to get those down, along with the yogurt and some major amounts of Vit. C, you might able to completely stay off the ab, and thus skip the yucky Yeast infection. Just a thought. Either way, I hope you feel better very soon

[babygrey]

Liora! I'm sooo curious here- how was your scan? Hope you have two little healthy ones in there... and I'm dying to know if you know b/g! (I'm gonna go out on a limb judging by your new avatar- cute, btw) and guess you have at least one girlie?

Hope everyone is healthy

Nanette- how are you feeling?

AFM, holy cow, mamas! I can't breathe bc the babes are already squishing my lungs! I swear this didn't happen until well into the 3rd tri w/ my last pgs, but I'm gasping for air if I'm not sitting in perfect piano posture

[Liora]

Boys!

Only 70% sure so we'll get a confirmation at the next u/s the day before Thanksgiving!  I just can't believe it.  I was kind of wanting a girl but I literally talked about wanting twin boys since I was 8 or 9.  So it is just serendipity!

[babygrey]

 Woohoo, Boston and Asher! <3 (I'd put lots of cute smiles here, but the smiley tab seems to have a life of its own) Was today your full anatomy scan or just a growth scan? How are they looking/growing? Love the serendipity. Both of you knowing is making me sooo impatient! Come on, 11/23! (my anatomy scan)

[Nanette56]

Originally Posted by JoyfamMama 

Nanette - So sorry you are sick also *hug* So far, I have NEVER been sick when I'm pregnant. What a blessing! I was just wanting to give you hope that garlic is a natural antibiotic, as is coconut oil. If you were able to get those down, along with the yogurt and some major amounts of Vit. C, you might able to completely stay off the ab, and thus skip the yucky Yeast infection. Just a thought. Either way, I hope you feel better very soon

Thanks Mama. I think I'm getting better (FINALLY!) I have most of my voice back. The doc wanted to give me a ZPAC but when I called my m/w, she said she preferred Ampicillin, so we could get rid of the GBS infection while we were at it. So now, of course, despite my yogurt/garlic/vinegar washes, I have a yeast infection. I'll keep up my routine, and hopefully when I'm done with the Ampicillin I can make it go away. It's so frustrating. As soon as I get rid of one thing, something else pops up.

 

Originally Posted by babygrey 

Liora! I'm sooo curious here- how was your scan? Hope you have two little healthy ones in there... and I'm dying to know if you know b/g! (I'm gonna go out on a limb judging by your new avatar- cute, btw) and guess you have at least one girlie?

Hope everyone is healthy

Nanette- how are you feeling?

AFM, holy cow, mamas! I can't breathe bc the babes are already squishing my lungs! I swear this didn't happen until well into the 3rd tri w/ my last pgs, but I'm gasping for air if I'm not sitting in perfect piano posture

I am so with you on the gasping for air thing. But it happens whenever I walk more than 2 feet It's so ridiculous! We are going to Universal Studios tomorrow and I already know I'm getting a wheelchair, because of the lack of air thing and the backache thing. It won't be any fun if we have to stop for breaks all the time. KWIM?

 

Originally Posted by Liora 

Boys!

Only 70% sure so we'll get a confirmation at the next u/s the day before Thanksgiving!  I just can't believe it.  I was kind of wanting a girl but I literally talked about wanting twin boys since I was 8 or 9.  So it is just serendipity!

WOOHOOO!!!! Congrats Liora two healthy little boys! That's wonderful news- I'm so happy for you!

 

Originally Posted by babygrey 

 Woohoo, Boston and Asher! <3 (I'd put lots of cute smiles here, but the smiley tab seems to have a life of its own) Was today your full anatomy scan or just a growth scan? How are they looking/growing? Love the serendipity. Both of you knowing is making me sooo impatient! Come on, 11/23! (my anatomy scan)

Can't wait to hear all about your anatomy scan! It's not too far away, but the last week or so is TORTURE lol Hang in there!!

AFM- Ok, as mentioned above, I have this backache/ribache thing and it's driving me NUTS. If I sit down for too long, my ribs start to hurt really badly, (hard to avoid, since I sit at a desk ALL. DAMN. DAY.) and my back just hurts all day long. I went out with my mom yesterday, we hit the fabric store and Carter's- we were walking for maybe 45 minutes total, and when I got back in the car my back felt like it was going to break in two. I have tried the pregnancy belt (you know the one with three pieces) and it works a little bit, but it's just so darned uncomfortable! Are you all having the backache ribache issues? If so what are you doing about them? I'm thinking about going to see a chiropractor. I swear these babies had better be 8 pounds each by the time they get outta there, or else!

[JoyfamMama]

nanette - So glad you're starting to feel better. OMG!! Have you seen some of the pics around online of twin mama's from about 28 weeks on until they deliver?? i swear they look like their poor bellies are going to just break off and hang from the bottom half of the skin! It looks so painful on their backs. I know...that's not very encouraging...lol

I hope we (even if I'm not having twins, my back is killing me and i'm huge) find some way to comfortably move around.

My friend is begging to be at my u/s tomorrow. she swears it's triplets, because i'm measuring 8+ cm over. ROFL 

[Nanette56]

Hey ladies- do any of you know whether a girl twin tends to be smaller than a boy twin? I've been googling like crazy, and can't find an answer. I'm only curious because she's going to be coming out first, and it seems like it would be better if the first baby was a little bit smaller, so there would be no problems with the second one coming out. KWIM? I'm so paranoid...

ETA: I just discovered this study. It talks about gender mixes and outcomes. Kinda had some scary stuff in it :/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3016.2005.00616.x/pdf

But the answer is "In unlike-gender twin pairs, it has been reported that the female prolongs
gestation for her brother, resulting in a higher birthweight for the male twin than that
of like-gender male twins" which I find incredibly interesting...

Edited by Nanette56 - 11/16/10 at 12:14pm

[~Adorkable~]

Originally Posted by Nanette56 

Hey ladies- do any of you know whether a girl twin tends to be smaller than a boy twin? I've been googling like crazy, and can't find an answer. I'm only curious because she's going to be coming out first, and it seems like it would be better if the first baby was a little bit smaller, so there would be no problems with the second one coming out. KWIM? I'm so paranoid...

ETA: I just discovered this study. It talks about gender mixes and outcomes. Kinda had some scary stuff in it :/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3016.2005.00616.x/pdf

But the answer is "In unlike-gender twin pairs, it has been reported that the female prolongs
gestation for her brother, resulting in a higher birthweight for the male twin than that
of like-gender male twins" which I find incredibly interesting...

DDCC

just came back from an ultrasound and since i was just talking to a surprisingly amazing doc about this i figured i would chime in.

it is very common for the boy to be bigger in general,

as long as they are not to different it is not an issue

you actally kinda hope for the big one to come out first, since it leaves more options for the second to come easy even if they are breach.

he said his standard is that if baby b is larger and also breach he works really hard to flip them over so they can use there head for that extra opening up you will need. if they are the same size or smaller than A he does not really care what way they come out since the space for their head has already been made.

my girl is A and the smaller one mine were 9% different (1lb15oz and 2lb1oz) at 25weeks and 15% 3lb5oz and 3lb13oz) at 30 weeks, he is not concerned at all.

of course all these are estimetes that have a pretty notorious margin for error!

[Nanette56]

Thanks Adorkable! I never thought about it that way. I'm hopeful they'll be around the same size since they have their own sacs and placentas. Right now they're about the same, but I know anything can happen in the next 4 months! And your babies are getting BIG! That's great :) I can't wait to hear a great birth story in another couple months!

[Liora]

My babies are within 4% size difference.  My doc said that's great.  I have a good friend pg with MZ twins that are 30% different and they are talking about delivering at 29 weeks.  Poor thing.

My ribs started hurting.  What's up with that?!  It isn't like I'm getting kicked there yet or anything.  Ouch!

[Hope4six]

Mind if I join this thread?

I had it confirmed today that I am indeed carrying twins, two boys nearly identical in size. Separate sacs and placentas, so I'm hoping to still be able to have a home birth. :-)

I'm rather relieved that all my horrible symptoms have been for a *reason*, you know?

[Nanette56]

Liora that's great! I'm hoping my m/w can tell me whether there is a size difference, I forgot to ask my sonographer, but he measured them, and they're both the same length. I don't know if that's the same thing though? Oh and sorry about your ribs- I can't sit for longer than an hour without getting that pain- it sucks doesn't it??

Hope4six of course you can mama! Welcome and CONGRATS!!! Yay for separate sacs and placentas- we're in the same boat, but living in FL, so no H/B here. Maybe a U/C maybe not :)

ETA- I almost forgot! I'm halfway today!!! Yay for hitting the 20 week mark!!!! :joy

[Liora]

Welcome Hope!  Congrats on your twins! 

[babygrey]

Hi mamas. Checkin in.

Hope- hooray! What a great surprise! Glad you're joining us.

Liora/Nanette- I don't have the rib pain you both are suffering. ouch. I do see a chiro 1-2x/wk and she's a lifesaver. Plus, I'm carrying reeeeaaally low (have you seen my belly shot on the belly pics thread?), so it might just not be up to my ribs yet.

What I do have? headache from hell. whine b*tch moan. :( I know you've both been there.

Liora- I saw you mention on another thread that you were having cervical check US bc of previous cervical surgery. do you mind if I ask what cervical surgery you had? I've had a cone biopsy and a colposcopy, but not a leep, and I'm wondering if this is something I should be asking for.

I wanted to :yeah Adorkable's thoughts about hoping baby A is bigger so I have more options for B's birth- tho, it seems like baby A usually is bigger. But the girl baby usually is smaller... soooo... IDK how that plays out. Guess we'll see if we have a girl baby A :)

Speaking of...Tuesday's tomorrow. Ultrasound Tuesday!! Hooray!! This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but this is the longest I've gone (what...3 weeks?) w/o a US this pg. I'm dying here for the instant reassurance. I keep making up all sorts of scenarios that are scary and I wish I could just.stop.worrying.... really, tho, I'm 19+weeks and I hardly feel a whisper from these babes, and when I do feel movement, it is only in one tiny spot (which makes me think of one tiny hand punching me and that's sweet. aw). This is my third pregnancy (of a gestation to feel movement) and I have twice the babes... what gives?!?! I'm assuming my half-anterior placenta is fully anterior now, and I don't like it!

On a semi-personal note, DH feeling way stressed about impending babies. He had an unexpected cut in job load, which is brutal, since I can't return to work until the summer. We need a new car. Baby B makes our fourth kid. I totally understand he's stressed, but I'm sad bc he doesn't want to come to the US on Tuesday. :( He's been uber-supportive thru TTC and my HEG, so I'm guessing it is something he'll work out quickly, but, still, it seems kind of big to me. (he came to a quick peek at 15 weeks, so he has seen them). I invited my mom to come Tuesday and she is thrilled to come with me, so that'll be nice (esp bc if you remember how upset she was that I was pg. She's happy now. She actually bought the babes two adorable hand-made blankies at a craft fest. So sweet)

okay, before this devolves (more) into a headache induced whine fest, Ima leave you. Just think blue AND pink dust (does that make purple?) and healthy healthy for me, k?

[Liora]

Hi babygrey!  I hear you on the agony of waiting 3 weeks between u/s!  Mine don't move as much as I remember my DD moving and it is worrisome!  Thinking pink and blue thoughts for your u/s!  Mine is Wednesday morning and I'm praying for a couple of good crotch shots so we can get on with planning for 2 boys.

I had a colposcopy and it was 11 years ago.  I really don't feel like it is a big deal but I WANT all those u/s so I'm happy they have this "reason"!

I think men automatically go through the OMG! phase.  They think about the money but don't also have the wonder of knowing there is life growing inside them.  My DH is stressed about the car situation but I found out our car *will* fit 3 car seats across.  It isn't ideal but it took alot of pressure off.  We still need LOTS of cloth diapers and we want to buy a twin bed to pair with our king so we can all 5 cosleep (my mainstream friends think this is NUTS!)  I hope you DH comes around soon.

I only vomited twice last week.  I still feel nauseous a little every day but this is definite improvement.  My biggest problem is the headaches.  I wake up EVERY day with one.  It is horrible.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving because I love to cook!  I hope I'm feeling good on Thursday so I can enjoy!  I got DD a t-shirt that says "I'm going to be a big sister of twins" to wear.  It isn't a surprise to anyone of course but it is still cute!

Are you guys on FB?  I'd love to friend you there if you're up for it!  let me know and I'll PM you my "real" name.

[Nanette56]

Originally Posted by babygrey 

Hi mamas. Checkin in.

Speaking of...Tuesday's tomorrow. Ultrasound Tuesday!! Hooray!! This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but this is the longest I've gone (what...3 weeks?) w/o a US this pg. I'm dying here for the instant reassurance. I keep making up all sorts of scenarios that are scary and I wish I could just.stop.worrying.... really, tho, I'm 19+weeks and I hardly feel a whisper from these babes, and when I do feel movement, it is only in one tiny spot (which makes me think of one tiny hand punching me and that's sweet. aw). This is my third pregnancy (of a gestation to feel movement) and I have twice the babes... what gives?!?! I'm assuming my half-anterior placenta is fully anterior now, and I don't like it!

On a semi-personal note, DH feeling way stressed about impending babies. He had an unexpected cut in job load, which is brutal, since I can't return to work until the summer. We need a new car. Baby B makes our fourth kid. I totally understand he's stressed, but I'm sad bc he doesn't want to come to the US on Tuesday. :( He's been uber-supportive thru TTC and my HEG, so I'm guessing it is something he'll work out quickly, but, still, it seems kind of big to me. (he came to a quick peek at 15 weeks, so he has seen them). I invited my mom to come Tuesday and she is thrilled to come with me, so that'll be nice (esp bc if you remember how upset she was that I was pg. She's happy now. She actually bought the babes two adorable hand-made blankies at a craft fest. So sweet)

okay, before this devolves (more) into a headache induced whine fest, Ima leave you. Just think blue AND pink dust (does that make purple?) and healthy healthy for me, k?

YAY for ultrasound Tuesday!!! Boo for Headaches :( I hope they start to get better. I have no idea what causes them, but changed my diet around a little bit and they seemed to have gone away, but I know that doesn't always work.

And I'm sorry DH is having such a rough time. I completely agree with Liora on this one- I think sometimes it's hard for them to get into it (it being the pregnancy) especially when they have a million things on their mind otherwise. We, on the other hand, get the full experience along with MS, not to mention all the crazy pregnancy scares and paranoia, and all that other good stuff that makes it the center of our world. I'm sure he'll come around soon though. And yay for mom- I knew knew knew she'd come around. I think it's very hard for a grandma to be unhappy about new grandkids, no matter what the situation :)

And re: the kicking- I've only NOW at 20 weeks 3 days been feeling some strong jabs. It still feels like it's coming from one baby, but I have to keep reminding myself how close together they are, and that it's most likely both at different times. I think I felt a lot more movement with DS, but then again, there's a lot more amniotic fluid in there, and I think that also has something to do with not being able to feel them as much.

Originally Posted by Liora 

I think men automatically go through the OMG! phase.  They think about the money but don't also have the wonder of knowing there is life growing inside them.  My DH is stressed about the car situation but I found out our car *will* fit 3 car seats across.  It isn't ideal but it took alot of pressure off.  We still need LOTS of cloth diapers and we want to buy a twin bed to pair with our king so we can all 5 cosleep (my mainstream friends think this is NUTS!)  I hope you DH comes around soon.

I only vomited twice last week.  I still feel nauseous a little every day but this is definite improvement.  My biggest problem is the headaches.  I wake up EVERY day with one.  It is horrible.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving because I love to cook!  I hope I'm feeling good on Thursday so I can enjoy!  I got DD a t-shirt that says "I'm going to be a big sister of twins" to wear.  It isn't a surprise to anyone of course but it is still cute!

Are you guys on FB?  I'd love to friend you there if you're up for it!  let me know and I'll PM you my "real" name.

Yay for only vomiting twice last week!!!! Feeling better definitely helps the mood swings doesn't it?? The T-shirt is too cute- I bought one for DS like that when we first announced and he loves wearing it to school- the teacher made a big deal of it and made him feel really special :love

As for the co-sleeping, that's WAY cool. Our DS is 6 and sleeps in his own room now (unless he's sick or there's a big thunderstorm) so we'll just be co-sleeping with the twins. Have you decided how you're going to arrange that? I'm thinking of a co-sleeper on the side of the bed, and then one little one IN the bed, and we'll just switch them throughout the night. I don't know how that will work out though.

I'm on FB, and I'd love to be friends- I'll PM you my name :)