Beautiful Babies Due in 2011 (Combined Group)

[to_have_fun08]

leorira11 - i have a cheap doppler too. I tried picking up the hb last night with no luck. I could find my own in 3 spots but couldn't find the babies. each time i found one i was so happy then when i actually listened to it i could tell it was my own. BUMMER!!! I have a friend that is sending me hers hoping maybe it is better. yes, i am thinking i should have bought a more expensive doppler. i just want to hear that little thump thump again.

For those doing the GD diet. How do you keep from not losing weight? I know i am not eating enough calories but i am eating 6 times a day and i am full. The only time i might be hungry is the middle of the night but can't eat then cus i have to fast. Since i have been PG, i haven't been nauseated but i just don't eat as much as i used to and that was even before going on the diet. I know i don't want to gain tons of weight since i am overweight already but i didn't think losing weight while preggo was good. Guess it will catch up with me when this little baby starts getting bigger. i'll probably look back on this post in a few months and laugh that i lost a few pounds.

[leorira11]

quick update since I'm on my way out the door for a weekend at my cousins --

We had our NT scan today. Everything is fantastic! Our odds based on age (I'll be 25.5 when they are born) are about 1:1320.... after our teeny-tiny NT measurement of 0.7 and 0.6 mm --- our odds go down to 1:8840!

I asked the doctor to also measure my cervical length. I know that at only 11 weeks, the babies aren't putting much pressure yet, but I wanted a baseline. My cervix is over 4cm long! (The term for "cervix" in Hebrew is "neck of the womb"... doctor told me that my womb has a giraffe's neck!)

Also - doctor asked if we wanted him to guess on the sexes. Of course! He guesses 2 boys! Somehow, that makes this seem so much more real! He said definitely not to hire a mohel (rabbi who does ritual Jewish circumcision) yet, but he thinks boys!

YAYAYAY!

[annashope]

Leora yay for a great NT scan I just knew everything would be ok

[klinger13]

Leora - GREAT news on your NT scan! So happy to hear that everything looks great and I can't wait to hear in a few weeks if the guess of 2 boys will be true.

Chris - Since starting the GD diet a few weeks ago, I stayed at the same weight I was at 4 weeks ago (actually even lost 4 tenths of a pound.) My doc was happy to see that and would like me to stay around the weight I am now for the rest of the pregnancy (I've gained between 15-16 pounds total so far but started off a bit overweight to begin with.) Every doc is different but most will tell you the baby is going to get what they need first so some weight loss on your part should be just fine.

AFM, got my glucometer yesterday at my diabetes class and so far my levels have been great! Doing 4 sticks a day and none of them have been over the limit (in fact most have been WELL under the limit.) I'm a happy camper!

[to_have_fun08]

klinger - Thanks!! Don't you just love getting pricked 4 times a day? my fingers are already starting to hurt. I do advise that you make sure you wait the full hours. this morning i tried to do my about 10 minutes early and the # was 138 then i did it 10 min later and it was 126. both #'s were in the range below 140 but the 126 seems so much better. I think my main problem will be finding different foods to eat. I am kind of a picky eater. Plus eating 6 times a day is hard. I am usually a 4 time a day eater and hardly ever eat after dinner. O'well we will do what we have to do. I tell you one thing, after this 7+ months are up i am losing weight because i don't want to be a diabetic.

Leoria - Congrats on the awesome NT scan and the possibility of both being the blue team. I go for my Nt scan on May 9th. Can't wait.

[LYD10]

quick update since I'm on my way out the door for a weekend at my cousins --

We had our NT scan today. Everything is fantastic! Our odds based on age (I'll be 25.5 when they are born) are about 1:1320.... after our teeny-tiny NT measurement of 0.7 and 0.6 mm --- our odds go down to 1:8840!

I asked the doctor to also measure my cervical length. I know that at only 11 weeks, the babies aren't putting much pressure yet, but I wanted a baseline. My cervix is over 4cm long! (The term for "cervix" in Hebrew is "neck of the womb"... doctor told me that my womb has a giraffe's neck!)

Also - doctor asked if we wanted him to guess on the sexes. Of course! He guesses 2 boys! Somehow, that makes this seem so much more real! He said definitely not to hire a mohel (rabbi who does ritual Jewish circumcision) yet, but he thinks boys!

YAYAYAY!

Oh Leora - that's awesome news! i am so glad things are going so well for you!!!! i love that expression - giraffe' s neck. you are well equipped to carry those boys to term!!! and then chase them around your house as they reak havoc everywhere! boys are great and its nice to have two - as they can entertain each other and leave you in piece occasionally

[lou71]

Hi ladies! Just wanted to wish a Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate.

Gina -- Beautiful babies! I too keep going back to look at them. Both blondes too... how cool! I'm sorry about little Will's set back but he'll be off that c-pap soon. I'm sure it's a precaution. After discharge you can come as a guest and stay with them as long as you want. They'll do great and you'll all be home soon.

Stephanie -- How did the closing go? You're having a busy weekend I'm sure. Take care of yourself please!

Leora -- yeah... I'm going to hint at a scan next friday but i"m seeing the CNM and I don't know if she'll do it. Hope you can find the babies HB's soon with your doppler. Keep moving it around slowly and change the angle too. I start in the middle, below my navel, and rock the wand back and forth slowly. I move up and down first, then to the right, then to the left. Since babies move, sometimes I hold it still and the baby will come to me. It's funny to hear the heartbeat faintly... and then get strong... and then get faint again as if it's doing the backstroke back and forth in there. Hooray for an awesome NT! I wondered after mine if there's a such thing as too low of an NT number as mine was 0.83. I guess not! Awesome if you get two boys. They will be best friends for life!

Ryann -- Great bump! How's your heart rate been?

Ashley -- Let's see a pic of your "14 week, official 2nd trimester" bump!

AFM -- We had an awful week. My DH had a couple of seizures with the worst one being last Saturday. 15 years ago, he had a brain tumor removed and his first symptom was seizures. So naturally we worried that the tumor was back. It was a low grade but can turn into a high grade malignancy if not treated. We were able to get into the neurologists office on Tuesday afternoon and he ordered an MRI and said that the re-emergence of seizures wasn't good. DH had the MRI last night and we waited for the radiologist to read the scan and give us his report. The last sentence read "stable post tumor resection changes with no recurrent mass". I fell to the floor in tears of joy. Now we do have to deal with the seizure issue but that he can live with. If the tumor turned into a glioblastoma multiforme, then the mean survival is only about 14 months. If that were the case, he wouldn't even see his baby turn one. How scary and awful that would be. But we are instead relieved and ecstatic. We're not religious people, but I truly believe there's a God and he's watching us.

Aside from THAT.... we STILL haven't told DH's family that we're expecting. His parents have been out of town on many of the weekends and we did want to wait until 12 weeks. We haven't seen them! We will tell them Sunday at Easter dinner. I know they'll be excited for us but his sister has had bad endometriosis and several failed treatments/IVF's/IUI's over many years. She even went to Mayo. She ended up adopting a newborn 3 years ago. He's super sweet. I hope this doesn't hurt her. She will be there too.

[klinger13]

Lou - Wow, you really have had quite a week there! How terrifying!! I'm sorry DH is having these seizures but so glad it's not a tumor again. Hopefully they can figure out a way to treat the seizures so you don't have more scares like that.

Chris - It seems like everyone I talk to has different times to check and/or different levels. Do you do your levels 1 hour after you eat? My SIL does hers 1 hour after eating but our hospital has me do them 2 hours after eating. Hers have to be below 120 after 1 hour while mine have to be below 120 after 2 hours (she is on insulin though so maybe that's why.) And it sounds like yours have to be under 140. So weird how there's no uniformity in this stuff. My highest post-meal reading yesterday was 109 so I was really happy about that.

[to_have_fun08]

klinger - Yes mine is 1 hour and it should be under 140. Fasting should be under 95. they originally had 130 written on their sheet but she crossed it out and said 130. Since actually doing the diet all my levels have been under 140 so i am happy with that. Just going to miss a lot of things i normally eat. Now its going to be stressful trying to figure out what I should eat.

Lou - Wow you have been through a lot this week. sorry about your husband seizures but so glad his mRI turned out good. have a good time telling family. All of our family knows(i think). I just have to come out to co-workers and most of my friends on FB.

[riogirl71]

Lou - OMG! That is so scary but so glad that you got good news and the tumor is not back. Your DH will live to see your granchildren have children! I think if SIL knows you went through so much that she will not be hurt, it is not like you are there saying opps we got pregnant on first month of trying! QUick question, is mucinex ok while pregnant? Since you are the resident expert...

Chris As long as the baby is growing you can lose weight and be fine. You need to find what works for you, at night I can eat quite a bit of pasta and still keep my numbers very low. You just need to mix things up, if you eat more carbs than eat quite a bit of protein and a big salad and your numbers will be fine. Don't forget calcium, so yogurts are great snacks. I have to have my numbers under 130 after 1 hour and I am on insulin, fasting is under 90. I had GD with DS and now had early GD so I am running out of room and my belly is all purple now.

Leora - wonderful news! Congrats on your giraffe cervix!

Gina - your boys are perfect and hope you are doing well!

Hope - congrats on second trimester!

[riogirl71]

Thought this was good, trimesters explained:
by Development:
This uses actual developmental stages to divide up a pregnancy. From LMP to 12 weeks the embryo develops all the major organs and becomes a fetus. From 12 weeks to 27 weeks the fetus continues developing and reaches viability. From 27 weeks on the fetus finishes development and prepares for delivery. Here the second trimester begins at 12w 0d and the third at 27w 0d.

by Gestation:
With this method you take the 40 weeks of gestation and divide by three. Here the second trimester begins at 13w 3d and the third at 26w 6d.

by Conception:
This method is where you take the 38 weeks of post conception development, divide by three, and add two weeks. Here the second trimester begins at 14w 5d and the third at 27w 3d.

[rypell1985]

I was wondering if I could ask your opinions on something....

I started working on the babies' scrap books yesterday. I want to include all of our ultrasound pictures in there so when they grow up they can see themselves from the very beginning. Do you think it's ok to include the pictures of the embryos? That's technically the firs pictures I have of my twins, and I'm very proud of those pictures...but will that just evoke a lot of questions? I'm not going to hide that they are IVF babies, not even from them, I just wondered what you all thought??

Thanks!!

[margi26]

Ryann: I think it is so special and amazing...I plan on putting those pictures in as well. Not many people can say they have pictures from when they were blastocysts! I personally, think it is a fabulous idea. But, we too are going to be open with everyone, including the babies as well. Do what feels right for you!

[Happy Bunny]

Ryann: I am going to leave out the blast pic. Primarily because we implanted two blasts which are shown together in the picture but only one took. I don't want to answer "Which one is me?" and "What happened to the other one?". Since both your blasts grew into babies, that won't be an issue for you so I'd include the pic.

[baby_blu73]

Ryann - I've been holding onto our blast pic because that's going to be the cover photo of their u/s book. We've gotten so many u/s pics that it's going to be a separate scrapbook. I can't believe you've started yours already, you must be super organized!