Pregnant with Twins? Join the club :) - Page 7

[sekenamoon]

Hi all!

I'm new to the thread, but I'm glad to know about it!  I'm about 10 weeks, probably a little behind that due to late ovulation, but so far they haven't adjusted my date. Due March 18,2013. To my untrained eye they seem to be di/di but the ultrasound was blurry, so I'm not sure if the placenta was fully formed yet, separated or fused.

I will be cloth diapering and breast feeding - not sure about co-sleeping for the long term but they will be in a co-sleeper next to my bed for as long as their weight allows. I'm going to get the full sized version. 

I think that's it for now!

[mamalovex3]

Welcome sekenamoon!  Congrats on your babies :)

I met my new OB today at the other hospital as I finally got to say goodbye to my high risk team.  He is awesome!  He is, of course, one of 10 OB's on call so there's no guarantee that he will be the one there when I deliver BUT he says he is fine with me having both babies in an L&D room instead of the OR, no IV (just a hep lock, in case), no epidural, can birth standing up, squatting, or on my side...and he is fine with a breech Baby B as long as Baby A is head down.  SO wonderful!  I can't begin to tell you how much better this makes me feel about going to the hospital. 

And, believe it or not, on the phone last night my midwife brought up doing a stretch and sweep at my next appointment (!!) for no apparent reason.  I'm only 36 weeks!  This is the second time she has brought up induction.  So I told her that I would like to wait and see where we're at then, and as long as babies are doing well, I don't see any reason to rush them out. 

When talking with the OB today he asked my thoughts on induction and I told him and he said he would be perfectly fine going to 40 weeks!  I am so so glad he is not one of those doctors to intervene just for the sake of doing *something*.  He actually seems more easygoing than my midwife....wasn't expecting that!

Anyways, just had to share cause I'm so happy to be with an OB that is so awesome :)

[sekenamoon]

That's so great that your OB is willing to be so great about everything!  One nurse (not a MW) was just like your MW, but I won't be seeing her too much. My doctor seems calm and upbeat, and doesn't make a drama out of everything.   They are having me do the gestational diabetes test at week 12 and I'm seeing a nutritionist, but that's about it for now. I'll learn more on sept 14th

[mamalovex3]

I've never heard of doing the GD test so early....I thought it was always around 26-28 weeks.  Good nutrition is definitely super important, and even more so in a twin pregnancy so the nutritionist is probably not a bad idea.

[sekenamoon]

My BMI is pretty high, and it's a teaching hospital, so I'm not surprised to be a guinnea pig for a new model of Obesity Pregnancy.  I'm ok with it, it's only the hour test.

[QMtwins]

Mamalovex3: so happy you are at 36 weeks!!!  That's awesome! 

[Adaline'sMama]

Mamalove- that's great! My OB is like that, but my high risk team isnt. Im hoping to be in your position at 36 weeks- what a relief!

Welcome sekenamoon!

Well, we went to our gender ultrasound yesterday:

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS!!!!!!

I was surprised, but happy nonetheless. We were both hoping for a boy, but Im just glad they are both still there and both healthy and happy and growing well.

[gozal]

Wait, Adaline'sMama, you are not saying surprise trips, right?! In any case, congratulations on your healthy, wonderful girls!

Sekenamoon, welcome! I remember you from somewhere - ttc One Thread maybe? Congratulations on your twins! I'm surprised they didn't tell you at the 10w u/s at least a tentative diagnosis about chorionicity. I was told at barely 6w, but then again mine implanted one oppsite sides of the ute so it was clear as day. I bet you could call back and ask if you're curious! My 2cents about GD testing and GD is do your research. Being labeled GD leads to a lot of interventions fast, and yet its definition, diagnosis, and risks are controversial within the medical field, even within US obstetric practice, though most docs won't admit this to you. (In many countries outside of the US, standrad practice is to test for it only if you have a history of Type II diabetes/insulin resistance in the family.) My personal expereince is, I have suffered from a tendency towards low blood sugar my whole life, but my 1hour glucola test always comes out near the limit (my OB uses the strict criteria) and they always make a big deal of it. Then I do additional (highly unpleasant) testing and lo and behold, not only do I not have GD, I have low BS. But seriously, feel free to ignore my wholly unsolicited advice. ;) 

mamalove, that is totally awesome! You're inspiring me to ask a lot more Qs at my next appt. I have already confirmed that at my practice they'll deliver a breech B vaginally at my request and that I don't have to birth in an OR, but I am soooo nervous about negotionating my way out of continuous monitoring (= not being able to move & pushing on my back, bleeeeecccchhhh). Also I wonder what the deal is with epidural with both vertex. (I was told for breech B epidural was mandatory - you too?) I was kinda waiting to see if the little guys would cooperate and flip vertex early but based on kicking (I know, not entirely certain) they are still flipping back and forth lots at nearly 32w. Are yours settled into position? You must feel so wonderful getting to 36. Yay for non-induction-happy docs!

[mamalovex3]

 Adaline'sMama - congrats on your baby girls!  So exciting :) 

gozal - My midwife is obviously fine with intermittent monitoring but the hospital policy is that once I'm in *active* labour, there is a transfer of care and the OB is in charge.  Sometimes a portable EFM is available and that way you can at least be up and about.  I know up until the delivery of Baby A, he is pretty cool about me doing whatever, but then they want to monitor Baby B closely so will probably be continuous from that point, which I think I'll be ok with anyway.  My OB is ok with no epidural period, but, of course, the catch is that if something does go awry and we wind up needing an emergency c-section, I'll be put under general anesthesia.  Both  my babies are vertex but if Baby B flips, he will try an external version or just do a breech delivery, he said either is fine.  My Baby B is presenting and has been settled head down in my pelvis for probably 2 months now..?  Baby A was still flipping around quite a bit after Baby B had settled (transverse, vertex, some weird diagonal stuff lol) but has been head down for the last few visits.

[Xerxella]

mamalove - I'm so excited for you and your encouraging health care workers!!!! You're SO lucky to have a supportive team. And, kudos to you for setting yourself up for success. I'm SO excited for you!!!! How far along were you when M & Z made an appearance?

sekenamoon - Yeah for another "March DDC" member. (But, I don't think I'll make it my due date of March 5th!) Yeah, I've been thinking about a lot of questions about co-sleeping and breastfeeding, too, especially if I have preemies (which is a strong possibility for me). I think as my questions form in my head more, I'll start asking them in the premie section and here in the twin section.

Adaline's mommy - Congrats on your girls!!!!!!! So exciting! Wow, a house full of girls!

AFM - My next u/s is a week from Thursday. I'm just hoping I see 2 healthy babies. Good heartbeats and good growth. I'll be 13w2d, so they need to be at least that big. I'm officially 12 weeks today. When's the 2nd trimester officially begin?

ETA - I'm so excited I finally figured out how to post a pic:


Edited by Xerxella - 8/21/12 at 3:22pm

[QMtwins]

Had a growth u/s today....happy to say that despite yucky gastroenteritis and not eating for nearly 3 days that all is good!  We are at 28 weeks.  Their growth is both at the 55th percentile.  Fluid amounts normal.  Cervix is good and long.  Their positions are ever changing.  Really, with the complete changes at every ultrasound, I'm not sure how I can't tell!  Its hilarious!  Even during the scan A went from Transverse to vertex...and is probably breech as I sit here typing!  Who knows!   

Now, I'm just trying to figure out where I want to deliver and part of that will be based on position later on.  We're in a holding pattern...a good one, so I just need to remember to kick back, enjoy and gestate our kiddos!

[~Adorkable~]

QMtwin can i ask if if your di/di girls are DZ or MZ? i was just realizing that since this second set of twins you have now is not a case of hyper ovulation since they are MZ, that you are in a pretty rare category, do you have 2 sets of MZ? or one set of each type? either way pretty amazing.

and hooray for good growing twins, what amazing advice to set back and enjoy gestation now, i really wish i had had the time to o that when i was preggo, it all seems such a rushed blur now.

[Adaline'sMama]

Hey ladies, Thanks for all the congrats :)

When you birth di-di twins, is it baby , placenta, baby, placenta or is it baby, baby, placenta, placenta?

[~Adorkable~]

i was told it usually is baby, baby placenta, placenta.

that is how mine was, but my placentas ended up being fused (despite them telling me multiple times right up to the end that they were wonderfully in two totally separate parts of my uterus, dorks)

[rblakley]

Originally Posted by Adaline'sMama 

Hey ladies, Thanks for all the congrats :)

When you birth di-di twins, is it baby , placenta, baby, placenta or is it baby, baby, placenta, placenta?

My doc today told me that they don't want the placentas to come out before the baby in either case. Not sure if that is a common rule of thumb or what....

[mamalovex3]

Originally Posted by Xerxella 

mamalove - I'm so excited for you and your encouraging health care workers!!!! You're SO lucky to have a supportive team. And, kudos to you for setting yourself up for success. I'm SO excited for you!!!! How far along were you when M & Z made an appearance?

I went to 38w2d with the girls.  Coincidentally I also went to 38w2d with my DS as well!  If I repeat that pattern, these babies will be Labour Day babies lol

QM - do you know the sex of your twins?  I can't remember.  As for place of birth, are you deciding between home and hospital or between different hospitals?  I finally went to check out the hospital I will be at this time and it seems a million times more natural birth friendly than the hospital I had the girls at. 

As for placentas, I've been told babies first, then placentas.  My first set had either a large single placenta or two fused (no one really looked at it....?).  This set is definitely di-di, we had an early u/s to check, but in later u/s both placentas are very close together so they might have fused as well.

[Xerxella]

I know most of you are experienced twin nursers. But, I found this article and just loved it, so I thought I'd share. It's SO sweet (or maybe I'm an emotional pregnant lady).

http://mothering.com/breastfeeding/two-pairs-and-a-trio

[Adaline'sMama]

x- Im loving your new siggy.

[~Adorkable~]

ok that woman nailed it!  Water balloons, that is exactly what they were like in the early days! that really was a wonderful article, thanks for sharing, i am going to save that link for my twins club.

[Xerxella]

I just loved this line: "nursing twins is frequently a circus, at times an altar, occasionally a battle zone, always a reunion." I want to memorize that and say it again sometime....

And this, "One evening, bitten once too often, I'd had enough. "Weaned! And weaned!" I proclaimed as I plucked each boy from my chest. I had been climbed on and tugged at and gnawed on past the point of human endurance. I handed each boy a fistful of Cheerios and started supper for the rest of the family. For 45 minutes I lived the life of a non-nursing mother. And at 6:15 we sat down to nurse again."