Author: Janet Maclean

April 13 OB and ultrasound appointment – 35 weeks!



OB appointment was, again, routine.  I weigh 193 pounds and my BP was 138/84. My BP spiked a bit over the last week (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday), but it is back to normal today. She talked about induction at 37 weeks (not my preference- I would rather the babes chose their birth date). She said more likely than not labour will progress on it’s own.  

The ultrasound appointment was fun. The technician spent time showing me where each baby, limbs, head etc are located. Baby boy’s feet and head are together in a position they call Frank Breech. He is really squished and curled in, and she is completely sprawled out. Her arms and legs were stretched out and her feet are all way up at my rib. Apparently my uterus is huge!! It is 9 inches above my belly button, all the way down to my hips and up to my ribs. Baby boy was practice breathing, and you could see baby girl has hair, it was flowing in the amniotic fluid!!!Baby Girl’s HR was 143 and she weighs 5 pounds and 3 ounces. Baby Boy’s heart rate was 125 and he weighs 4 pounds 12 ounces. Below is a chart of their development. Baby B’s biparietal diameter is below the average on this chart, but the Doctor at the ultrasound clinic said it is most likely due to his head being squished and the technician not being able to get a proper measurement.

Babies need to be over 5 pounds and over 36 week gestational age to not spend time in the NICU (assuming everything is fine when they are born). I am fully confident we will reach these benchmarks. 
The two photos from the ultrasound are of their faces (blob 1 and blob 2). I asked for photos of body parts (spine, hands, feet, legs) but I guess they thought blurry pictures of faces are better, they are attached for your viewing pleasure. 

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April 6 OB appointment – 34 weeks


34 weeks and counting!!!  The OB appointment was pretty routine.  I weighed 189 pounds, my BP was 127/89.  My BP measurements at home have levelled out, which is great.  We continued to talk about labouring/birth choices with the Doctor so we have a better understanding of what to expect on the big day and so we are more informed.  

My belly measures 42 inches around. ?

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March 30 OB and Ultrasound appointment- 33 weeks


My blood pressure is steady at around 140/86 over the last week. No medication at this time. I actually lost weight over the last week, weighing in at 186 pounds, but again, the Doc doesn’t seem concerned. 
She checked my cervix which, in her opinion hasn’t changed in length, but is a bit more dilated at the top. She said she could feel baby girls head! Ahhh how weird is that?! 
She informed us they will not deliver a breech twin naturally. Baby B is breech. So they will either recommend a vaginal extraction (to which they require the labouring women to have an epidural) or a c-section. So epidural it is. C-section is low on our list of birth preferences. It is an invasive procedure with a large recovery time that is not to be entered into lightly. I am hoping they will let me deliver baby A naturally first before they administer the epidural. We will continue to discuss our options with our Doc. In the meantime I am going to try and spin baby B to be head down- there are at home methods for spinning a baby, but they are less effective at this gestational age.

The ultrasound appointment was uneventful (compared to last appointment).
Baby girl’s heart rate is 147 and she weighs 4 pounds and 4 ounces.   

Baby boy’s heart rate is 136 and he weighs 3 pounds 14 ounces.   

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OB appointment March 23 – 32 weeks

OB appointment March 23I had my OB appointment on March 23, and I am officially off work- doctor's orders. I now have weekly OB appointments, and lab tests (blood and urine) to monitor kidney and liver function and protein in my urine. I also have to take my BP 3-4 times a day (this is my new full time job). There is a very good possibility I will start BP meds this week. 

I weighed 188 pounds at my appointment, which is the same as two weeks ago, but no one seemed concerned about it (and I definitely know my belly is growing!).  

The Doctor performed a cervical examination and determined my cervix was tilted towards the back and appropriate 2 cm long and maybe a tight 1 cm dilated. This is a positive change and does not indicate preterm labour. She said the cervix is like an accordion and can frequently change length. 
The ultrasound showed the boy babe practice breathing and the girl babe was facing my spine head down with her chin tucked in- the perfect birthing position.  She's on it! 

I still feel good and there is lots of movement from the babes.  

Kyle and I had a productive weekend clearing out the garage and purging the house. It feels good to get rid of clutter 😀.
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Blessing Way


Today my friends and family (mom and Diana) came together to commemorate my rite of passage to motherhood in a celebration called a blessing way.  This is in lieu of a baby shower.  At a Blessing Way the only thing people bring is love and food, food for our freezer or for the celebration. 

My belly was painted with hena and everyone brought a personalized  bead or ornaments to create a dream catcher for the kids room.  People also brought words of wisdom to share and love.  All the guests received a candle to light when I go into labour to symbolize our connection and support for me through labour. 

I also got a foot bath and foot/calf massage ?

My friend Tenille was supposed to lead a crystal song bowl ceremony but her van brought down on the way here and she couldn’t make it in time.  Her presence was very much missed.

The blessing way was awesome and beautiful! Thank you to my friends and family for all their loving support ????

March 17 Ultrasound ended in a check up at the hospital – 31 weeks

Baby Girl's HR was 153 and she was practice breathing. She weighs 3 pound 13 ounces.  Baby Boy's HR was 138. He weighs 3 pounds 4 ounces.

The babes are doing really well. Lots of movement, good growth and healthy HR's. 

My cervix was 1.5 cm long which is a significant decrease from 3 cm measurement two weeks ago. And my BP was measuring high. So with both of these factors the doctor at the ultrasound clinic recommended I go to the hospital for further examination and a steroid injection. 

A shortened cervix can indicate pre term labour. I was not exhibiting any other signs of pre term labour though. Also, a shortened cervix past 32 weeks is not a predictor of pre term labour (I am 31 weeks and 2 days)
So I went to the hospital. Fetal HR's and my BP was monitored continuously. The OB did a vaginal exam and confirmed my cervix has shortened and was approximately, in her opinion, 1 cm dilated.
The weight of my uterus has shortened the cervix. This is expected to happen. The weight of approximately 7 pounds of combined babes plus fluid is causing my cervix to shorten. I do not have any other pre term labour symptoms. 
They administered the beta steroid shot this afternoon and I will return tomorrow for the second shot. This will aid in the development of lungs and gastrointestinal track incase babes do come early. There is literally no risk to me or babes only benefit to babes by taking the steroids. 
My BP evened out at the hospital to 130/88. The Doctor was satisfied with this. She said my high BP is an atypical symptom at this point since I am not exhibiting any other signs of high BP. 
My urine does not have protein in it (no preclampsia) and my kidney and liver functions are all normal. 
I am glad I went to the hospital, it gave me a chance to meet some of the nurses and check out the area. The nurse said she was impressed with how well informed I was regarding birth and labour, she could tell I've been preparing for both. 

OB appointment March 9 – 30 weeks

I weighed in at 188 pounds.  My blood pressure continues to be a concern and I will continue to monitor it at home.  High blood pressure is very common with twins in the 3rd trimester.  I started to experience swelling in the calfs and feet and was recommended to see a compression sock expert (my shoes/boots did not fit- I was wearing sandals in this -20C weather).  I was fitted for a pair of (extremely) expensive thigh high socks, but my feets and legs showed immediate improvement. Apparently there can be significant future health complications if swelling is left untreated, so I am glad I went.  I am not able to put the socks on myself so Kyle has been helping me (they even gave us special gloves to get the socks on- it's quite funny!).  Kyle has been taking excellent care of me, the babes and the animals.

the OB told me I am handling the twins pregnancy really well.

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Baby Names?

Below are some names we’ve been leaning towards.  Let us know what you think! We look forward to any comments or suggestions

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Boy: Euan vs Ewan

Other boy names: Seamus, Rowan

Middle name: James, Andrew, John, Shivas (Kyle suggested using Shivas for the middle name of both babies- I think it’s a super nice idea, I am just not sure how Shivas sounds for a middle name, especially for both babies- thoughts?).

Girl: Eileen,

other girl names Paige, Islay

Middle name: Daisy, Nancy, Heather or Shivas

We would love to hear any other suggestions for names

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Ultrasound March 2, 2017 – 29 weeks

This is a picture of Baby boy spinal column (his face was towards my spine and the technician couldn't get a good profile picture- so I asked for a picture of the spine, I like how defined it is).  The other picture is of the baby girl head on, it's hard to make out the features though!

Baby girl is 2 pounds 12 ounces with HR of 136

Baby boy is 2 pounds 8 ounces with a HR of 131.  He has moved back to the breech position (head up and feet down).

Everything is on track with growth and development

My blood pressure continues to be high and I broke down and bought a home BP monitoring cuff.  I will start taking my BP 3 times a day and give Dr. Baranowski (OB) my readings at our next appointment.

My belly is measuring at 42 inches today!! Woah!