The Babies Will Be Here Tomorrow...

The twins will be born tomorrow morning via cesarean section. We can't believe the time has finally come. Words can not describe how I feel right now. I wanted to make one more post before the babies arrive. Today they weighed in at 6lbs 9oz (A) and 6lbs 10oz (B). It is unbelievable how amazing their growth has been throughout the pregnancy and the odds that all three of us have beaten. It is hard to imagine that I have over 13lbs of baby in me right now. Today during the ultrasound the babies had both moved to a head down position side by side. It was insane to see because they have both been breech the entire pregnancy and transverse for most of it. Unfortunately, because they share a placenta this hospital has a policy refusing to deliver them vaginally even if they are in the perfect position for it.

I met with the surgeon (my perinatologist) and the anesthesiologist today to go over every detail of the procedure. I am very nervous about all of the needles that I will encounter tomorrow, but the joy of finally meeting our little bean sprouts outweighs the anxiety. I am not allowed to eat or drink after midnight tonight, just like Gizmo. Lucas is spending the night with me and in the morning we'll be ready to head down to labor and delivery.

I will update the blog as soon as I get the chance. I want to say thank you for following our vegan journey through pregnancy and we hope you'll continue to come back to read all about our vegan journey through parenthood! So exciting...

28 Weeks and Complete Bed Rest...

dc metro snow storm 09

25 weeks bump (will update soon)

Where to start??? There has been such a long gap in my posting for which I apologize, but I have a feeling that I will be posting a lot more in the future.

I'll start at the present and go from there. I am officially 28 weeks and in my 3rd trimester! YAY! The boys are doing great and just 2 days ago they weighed in at 2 lbs 13 oz and 2 lbs 14 oz. They are measuring over a week ahead! We had our routine 2 week appointment on Monday and were shocked to find out that my cervical length had shortened quite a bit. I was immediately admitted to the hospital for strict bed rest. I had been on modified bed rest at home for just around 1 month, but of course when you're on bed rest at home you sometimes tend to extend yourself beyond the parameters of "bed rest".

Having two babies puts a lot of pressure on my cervix and I am here for the duration of my pregnancy as a precaution. Close monitoring should help prevent preterm labor and keep the babies baking for as long as possible. There is a slight chance that they will let me go home at 34 weeks, but there is no guarantee. Luckily, I am not on any medication, or hooked up to any machines or IV. They check the twins' heart rates 3 times a day and check my vitals 3 times as well. I am only allowed to go to the bathroom and take a 10 minute shower a day. This is nothing like home bed rest, but I know it is for the best.

When I first found out I was being admitted I cried and cried. The first thoughts were not being around Lucas and the pups all the time. The last month on home bed rest was so fulfilling to me and I will cherish the memories forever. I was able to spend so much time with my husband and my pups and I just felt so warm, cozy and happy to be able to relax and enjoy being spoiled for the rest of my pregnancy with my greatest loves by my side. Right now I am in a room with another high risk mother, but I should be getting a private room at any time. Once I have a private room Lucas will be able to spend and the night sometimes AND Star and Sunny will be able to come and visit!!!!!! Hearing that information was the best news and totally perked me up. Just thinking about being away from Star and Sunny for 6 weeks or more was tinkering on total emotional break-down for me.

The hospital does not properly accommodate vegans. They have a vegetarian menu full of cows' secretions and chickens' eggs and of course salad, but not the varied diet that a pregnant vegan should be eating!! Lucas to the rescue!!!!! Thankfully, they have a refrigerator where I am able to store my soy milk and other cold foods safely. I keep a bunch of fruits, bread and other dry foods in my room for snacks, breakfast and lunch, then Lucas brings me a hot dinner. Hopefully one day vegans won't have to over-extend themselves just to get the proper nutrition because they choose not to exploit animals, especially at one of the best hospitals in the nation.

We moved into a larger place just a week before I was admitted. Great timing, huh? We were supposed to move a couple of days before, but there was a huge snow storm where we ended up with over 20 inches of snow. It was such a beautiful disaster. My mother-law was in town visiting us just in time for the storm and was one of the lucky few to only have a couple hours of a delay on her return flight home.

I am so happy we moved before I was hospitalized, though we still aren't fully unpacked. Upon being admitted I was also a little upset because I wouldn't have the opportunity to be there to set up the nursery. Though I have everything picked out for the babies, I won't be there to see it all be put together!!! My parents are coming this weekend to put shelves in the nursery closet and paint the room. I am grateful for all the support!!! I have never felt so helpless before, but I know it is all for the well being of these little boys!!

I am still working from bed! My company continues to be supportive. I think that I'd be bored without having any responsibility during my hospitalization. I can't imagine how it will be over the next few weeks, I can only take it one day at a time. As long as the boys continue to be healthy I am satisfied. Once they are born this period of bed rest will be such a distant memory and for now I need to relax and let nature take its course. I feel completely normal, except I have a heavy belly and that makes it even harder to accept the fact that I'm in the hospital when I'm not even sick or in pain.

The babies move around so much. I first felt them really kicking and moving around 23 weeks and they haven't stopped since. Luke has finally been able to feel and see the movement which is amazing to share. I've gained around 19 lbs so far, it seems to be all in my huge bump!! I'm sure I forgot something I wanted to say, but it seems I have all the time in the world to catch up...

The Big 20 Weeks Anatomy Scan...

the top of baby A's head and the back of baby B's head

baby B's profile (so hard to get him to stay still) with baby A's random body parts in the mix

baby A's thinking pose

baby A's profile

star wanted in on the baby bump photo action this week

20 weeks twin bump

our 20 weeks pregnancy evolution

We are now in week 21 and everything is still going great!!! We had our 20 week anatomy scan last week and the babies are doing so well. They are measuring ahead of schedule and they're growing at a pretty even rate in relation to one another. We were able to see every little part of their bodies, from their brains, to each little finger and toe. We loved seeing the 4 chambers of their hearts pumping away and their cute little profiles. They are already looking like their papa!

During the scan baby B wasn't being very cooperative so I was told to drink some cold water and move from side to side to get him to change positions, which he finally did and the tech was able to get all the shots they needed to diagnose our healthy little identical twins. He was such a little rascal and honestly it has been a pattern at all of our recent appointments. Baby A always seems willing to pose for us and baby B just does his own thing. I love it! I can't wait to see how their personalities are when they're born.

The actual scan took almost 2 hours, I started feeling sick after laying on my back for a while so I had to change positions quite a bit during. The pressure made me feel light-headed, but thankfully changing positions and cold water helped a lot. This had to be my favorite appointment out of all of them so far, besides when we found out they were twins and then when we found out they were boys.

Our perinatologist did inform us that even though everything is stellar with the babies and my cervix, I will be on bed rest at 24 weeks (3 weeks away). I am so lucky to be able to work from home from Nov 30th until the babies are born. Then I will be on maternity leave for 12 weeks. I can't imagine being away from my office for 5 plus months, but I will do anything to ensure the best for our little sweeties. I am super in love with my career, but I am more in love with my boys!!! At least I will have some work to keep me busy while on bed rest for 12 to 13 weeks! Can you imagine???

Honestly, I don't think I could have handled going in to the office after the next couple of weeks. Though I'm feeling so much better than in the first trimester I am starting to feel drained, sleep has become a more uncomfortable task as the days pass. My belly is growing so fast, I am feeling the babies' movements more and more, but still not feeling distinctive kicks or punches. I pee like 5 times during the night and toss and turn from side to side. I know this is just the beginning of sleep deprivation and at least I'm still getting a decent amount of shut-eye for now.

My appetite is growing, some days I can't eat enough and some days it is completely normal. Last night I was hungry again like less than 2 hours after eating a wholesome dinner (brown rice and delicious pinto and kidney beans with two different kinds of kale) and I even went back for seconds. When I was weighed at the anatomy scan last week I had gained 8lbs total for the pregnancy and an average of a pound a week since the last appointment. I imagine that will be the steady pace for the future. We are going to appointments every two weeks now so Monday (we will be in our 22nd week) is the next one.

I am extra happy to announce that my best friend is pregnant too. We are only 8 weeks apart and she has just spilled the beans to everyone so now I am finally free to discuss. She even has the same OB I had before transferring to my perinatologist. We have been friends since our freshman year of college and while almost polar opposites in most aspects of philosophy and lifestyle we totally connect. There is nothing better than having someone to share the first-hand experience of something so life altering and enlightening (though I can't stand that she hasn't puked one time her entire pregnancy). I am so excited for future play dates and mommy talk!

we're having identical twin boys...

Baby B @ 14 Weeks

Baby A @ 14 Weeks (sucking his finger)

my pregnancy evolution

15 Weeks Pregnant

12 Weeks Pregnant

6 Weeks Pregnant

Yummy...

Vegan Cake

We found out last week at our fetal medicine specialist appointment that our twins are BOYS! We are absolutely thrilled. We didn't have our hearts set on a specific gender throughout the pregnancy, but during the last two weeks I began to think we were having girls. Boy, was I wrong. We saw two little penises or turtles as the tech called them. It was undeniable that they were boys. Most of our family members and friends had predicted boys!!!

At the check-up I had my cervix measured and it was a normal length. Both babies are doing great and measure a week ahead of schedule each. The fetal medicine doctor said everything was perfect so far! What a relief!!! We go back to our regular OB this Friday and then we see the fetal medicine specialist again on the 14th for an anatomical scan. They check out all the body parts, etc in detail. We actually got to see quite a bit of their bodies this time as well. We saw their hearts, kidneys, spines, fingers, toes, brains, legs and their cute little butts! Baby A was sucking his thumb!! SOOO CUTE. They were both super active too and BABY B seemed to be waving at us!

I have been feeling what I think is movement, but I can't really tell for sure at this point because I've never been pregnant and don't know exactly what it feels like yet. I sometimes think I feel flutters or quickening and then it turns out to be gas. HA! The specialist said that I should surely be feeling their movement in the upcoming weeks and that I will know for sure, especially since they are so active each time we go in.

WOW! Two little boys, Luke's smile was large enough to light the night's sky when we got the news. We can't believe that in a short while we will have two sons!!! Everything seems even more real now that we know the gender and can apply the names we've been thinking of when discussing them. Everyone says boys are easier than girls though a little more rowdy, but I know that every child is different and no matter how rowdy these little rascals are we will love them to pieces.

Oh and since I am now officially in my second trimester you'll be glad to know that I am not having morning sickness anymore (knock on wood). Right at the 13 week mark I started to get better, my appetite was back, my energy was improved. I was better just in time for our trip to Illinois for a wedding that Lucas was a groomsman in. It was a wonderful trip and great opportunity to spend time with Lucas' family and friends. It is hard living so far away from people we love so much, especially in such a precious and momentous time in our lives.

I couldn't handle a layover so we had a straight flight into St. Louis where my mother-in-law picked us up and drove us the hour and a half (or so) trip down to Southern IL (where they live). We decided to grab lunch in the city and used happycow.net to help us locate a place to eat appropriate for vegans! We decided on Shangri-La a cute little diner style joint with great decor, music and food. The food was so awesome and super filling and the desert was stellar too. Unfortunately, it isn't 100 percent vegan, but almost everything on the menu was vegan or could be made vegan. The owner was vegan and would much prefer not to have any animal products at all on the menu. So annoying, but a great place! www.theshangriladiner.com.

Also while in IL I ate my first salad in almost 2 months and it was delicious. I can't imagine what was going on in my body that made me have an aversion to one of my favorite things to eat EVER, but such is pregnancy! I've been devouring them ever since!

The wedding that Lucas was in was for one of his oldest and best friends. They are so awesome that they had this vegetarian place (The Longbranch Coffee House) make us our own special vegan heart-shaped cake to eat at the wedding. DELICIOUS and most of all thoughtful.

http://www.shawneenet.net/menus/longbranch/menu.html

The flight back into DC was horrid for me, though the flight to St. Louis was totally smooth. For some reason I felt hot, sweaty and nauseous the entire hour and a half flight. Luckily I didn't vomit on the plane, but once we landed I had to rush to the bathroom twice for major vomiting. That was the last time I've puked and I had been really good before that for a while. Now its been a full week since my last upheaval and I hope it remains this way. I'm still tired, but not nearly as much as the first trimester.

Another new symptom is that I've broken out a little on my face. I have never had acne or problem skin. I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse than it is now, though I surely can handle a few pimples for the next few months...

The biggest change my body has made is my baby bump! All of a sudden it popped out at week 13. Now at week 15 I look fully pregnant! I love it and can't wait for it to get even bigger as our little bean-sprouts grow and grow!! I am so proud to be carrying these babies and I feel so proud as I watch my body evolve.