We Are Back!!

Well is has been quite awhile since my last post. So much has happened and I am not sure I will be able to blog about it all, but I will do my best. So please be patient as I update the blog. My goal is to stay more on top of things, but having two babies changes everything :) Let's start from the birth of the girls.

It was Thursday May 17th and I was so uncomfortable at that point. It didn't matter if I laid down, stood up, or took a bath I could not get comfortable. I was ready for the babies to come out. I decided to go for a walk with my mom. She had come up early to keep me company while I was on bed rest. Now I should make it clear when I say go for a walk I mean go down a few driveways. We made it two driveways and came back. I laid in bed as I was very uncomfortable. My mom and Brandon finally decided I should go into the hospital to get checked out. I did not want to go as I thought they would just send me home, but I was outnumbered so we got in the car and away we went.

Upon arrival to the hospital they asked me if I was in labour. I told them I was not sure. They sent me into a room to be checked out by a nurse. The nurse checked to see if my water had broken. She did not even have to examine as she took one look and immediately said your water broke. She took a sample to double check under a microscope. She quickly came back and said I would not be leaving the room as I was in labour. I was shocked as I never felt my water break. I assumed it would be a big gush of water. Instead I had a slow leak and was not aware of what was going on. They had me change into a hospital gown and we were waiting for a room to transfer me to the labour wing. I was admitted about 2am. They started me on Pitocin to jump start my contractions. At first everything was great and I did not feel anything. Things quickly turned as the Pitocin kicked in and I started having pretty intense contractions. Thank goodness Brandon was right by my side and held my hand through it all. He helped me breath and get through each contraction. He was my rock. The contractions started to hurt pretty bad and the nurse asked if I wanted an epidural. I wanted to wait as long as possible as I did not want it to slow down the process. The nurse assured me it would not slow it down so I said ok let's do it. They checked to see how far along I was and I was already 5cm. The epidural was more scary than anything. I did not like the fact I could not see what was going on and was exposing my bare back to a stranger. Once I got the epidural I felt great. The doctor came in to check on me and I was already 8cm. She said I would be delivering the babies in no time. However, I was so tired I ended up falling asleep. The nurses let me sleep as they told Brandon I would need my strength in the delivery room. I woke up and was feeling intense contractions. They gave me a button to push anytime I felt pain. This button would increase the epidural, but only went up every so often. Let me tell you I pushed that button every contraction. In my mind I knew it wasn't doing anything, but it was nice to push a button. The doctor came to check me and I was 10cm and it was time. I asked if I could take my button with me, but they said unfortunately I could not. They wheeled me into the operating room while Brandon went to put on scrubs. I had to deliver in the operating room in case they had to do an emergency c-section. I was so excited and ready to meet our baby girls.

Upon entering the room I got really nervous and was not sure I was ready. My pulse spiked, but Brandon quickly held my hand and got me through it. They strapped my feet into the straps and everything hit me this was really happening. The doctor was in the next room in a c-section so they were talking to me until the doctor came into the room. My contractions got so intense and I felt like I needed to push immediately. The nurse looked down and told the other nurse to get the doctor immediately. Next thing I knew a doctor was in front of me and said your baby has a full head of hair. Then it all begin. I started pushing. I never knew what people meant when they said the ring of fire. However, that quickly changed. I will never forgot that feeling. I remember Brandon looking down and saying she is coming out. You are so close. After a few more pushes Faith Kimberly Newell came into the world at 10:14am weighing in at 5 pounds 2 ounces. The nurse took her to a team to clean her up and check her out. Then it hit me there was still one more baby to deliver. However, Kaylee was content and did not want to come out. So the doctor reached up to try and pull her down from my rib cage. She didn't want to budge. I pushed several times and they had to use a vacuum to get her out. The first few tries the suction slipped off her head. Finally they got it attached and before I knew it Kaylee Walker Newell was born at 10:23am weighing in at 4 pounds 7 ounces. They took Kaylee over to a team of nurses to get cleaned up as well. They took both babies to the NICU as they were born premature. In the meantime they cleaned me up and put in 3 stitches. I had a slight tear. Of course my first question was if I had pooped on the table. haha.

After they put the stitches in they transferred me to the recovery room and got me all settled. Once in the room the nurses came in checked on me and prepared to move me to the overnight room. They put me in a wheel chair and first took me to the NICU to see our babies. It was the greatest day of my life and one I will never forgot. I have never loved two people more in my life (except of course for my husband). And so our journey started into the world of parenthood.

Kaylee Walker Newell

Faith Kimberly Newell

    

Belly Cast

A few weeks ago we decided to do a belly cast to capture the memories of being pregnant. It was such a fun experience and we had some good laughs. After it was all said it done Brandon thought it would be funny to pretend to wear the cast so of course I had to take some pictures. We are going to have Brandon's brother do some artwork on the cast so we can hang it as artwork in the house. We thought it would be way prettier than just a plain white belly cast. We also had our maternity shoot and should get the photos in a few weeks. I will make sure to post those!!

Update on Babies

Well I am officially 33 weeks and 3 days today!! I was put on bed rest 26 days ago and was not sure if I would make it to this day with the babies still cooking. I am happy to report that the babies are still cooking away!! We had an ultrasound this morning and I am happy to report both babies are very healthy. Baby A stands in at 4 pounds 15 ounces and Baby B stands in at 4 pounds 14 ounces. The doctor said if I were carrying a singleton baby they would be in the 60th percentile and large. His words exactly were " for twins they are very large. You two don't make small babies". The doctor said it is a waiting game at this point and I could make it to 37 or 38 weeks or I could go into labor in the next few days. I see my actual Doctor this Friday to see if he will take me off bed rest. He told me last visit he would take me off between 34-35 weeks. I will be 34 weeks on Saturday. I am keeping my fingers crossed to get off bed rest and get out of the house. The doctor said as soon as they take me off bed rest they encouraging labor and will do nothing to stop it. Both babies are still head down so I will get the chance to push!! Not sure if I am ready to push out two babies, but I know with Brandon by my side I can do it.
    Since my last update a few things have changed. I am now having more intense contractions. Boy oh boy do they hurt!! Unfortunately my body likes to tease me. I will have 3 contractions 10 minutes apart and think the day has arrived only for everything to stop and go back to status quo. I have a contraction every time I sit up and get up to walk around. The only times I do not have them are when I take a bath or am laying on my right side. The other day I thought we were for sure headed to the hospital as I had a contraction with a shooting pain that I have never felt before. Brandon and my mom said the look on my face was priceless. Brandon said he has never seen me in such pain. I can only imagine what my face will look like during labor. I told them if labor was going to be worse than that pain I quit. I do know one thing for sure is I will probably have a few choice words to say while in delivery. So we are now in a holding pattern. The hospital bags are packed and each night we are prepared if we need to go. It would be nice if someone could give us an exact day the babies would make an appearance, but no one can seem to answer that. The Doctor said my body is definitely preparing for labor with the contractions, but the babies are still content to bake inside at this point. I am torn between wanting them out because I am so uncomfortable at this point, but also want them to be as healthy as possible. And did I mention I am not the most patient person. Below are a few pictures taken recently. Please disregard the stretch marks. I am growing so quick that my stomach is stretched to the max. I will continue to post updates as we get them so keep checking back.

Ultrasound that led to Bed Rest

We had our latest ultrasound appointment on April 10th ( I was 29 weeks 3 days). The ultrasound started great. The tech was super nice and helped accommodate me so I did not have to lay on my back. Both babies looked absolutely amazing!! Both babies are head down which is great. Both have developed hair and are both practicing their breathing. During the ultrasound we got to see Baby A knee her sister in the face and Baby B had the yawns! They are both so adorable!! Both babies are measuring ahead of schedule. Baby A was 3 pounds 6 ounces and Baby B was 3 pounds 10 ounces. They are both in the 90th percentile for growth. No complaints during that part of the ultrasound other than we were not able to get any pictures as the babies have decided they do not want their picture taken.
   Next we moved on to the internal exam that measures my cervix. I knew almost immediately something was not right based on the techs face. She tried to be discreet, but I could read the expression. She said well I need you to get dressed and we will talk to the doctor about where we go from here. We had no idea what was going on. They brought us into the room to talk with the doctor and as we were walking down the hall I heard the nurse on the phone saying they were having me head to the hospital. I was so confused. I felt fine so what could possibly be going on. Brandon said lets just wait and see what the doctor says. The doctor came in the room and delivered the news. The Doctor said last appointment my cervix was at 29mm. This time it was at 10mm and was funnelling (fancy way of saying dilating).  He said I needed to go the hospital right away as I was showing signs of preterm labour. So we got in the car and drove to the hospital. The Doctor decided the next step was to give me a steroid shot in the butt. The steroid shots are to help the babies lungs develop faster. At this point they described their lungs are sticky wet balloons so it does not allow them to inflate easy. These steroid shots help them to develop more rapidly. It is a series of two shots. I got the first one on Tuesday and followed up with the second one on Wednesday.  In the meantime I have been put on bed rest.
       I was admitted to the Antenatal Community Care Program. My doctor decided to admit me to this program where nurses come into our home. He thought this was a better alternative then being admitted to the hospital on bed rest. They find women do better in the comfort of their own home rather than a hospital bed.  I couldn't agree more.  Although if things change then I will be admitted to the hospital so hopefully these babies will be content to be at home.  The nurse came on Friday April13th and went over the program and filled out all the paperwork. I will have a nurse calling me everyday to check up on me and they will come by the house 1-2 times a week. When they are here they check my blood pressure, temperature, listen to the babies heart beats and do non stress tests. The non stress tests is where you are hooked up to monitors. They monitor both babies movements, heart beats, and trace a scan of them. The pattern on the scan shows if the babies are in distress at all. They also hook me up to another monitor to test for contractions. All the nurses in the program are required to have a minimum of 5 years labor and delivery experience which is reassuring. Our nurse today has been a nurse for almost 40 years so I was very comfortable with her. I have to monitor the babies movements multiple times throughout the day as well as contractions, etc. They have given me a chart that tracks morning, afternoon and evening. In terms of babies movements I am to time how long it takes to get 6 movements from each baby. I need to fill at least 6 from both babies within two hours. They also have me monitor contractions, and other symptoms such as back pain, abdominal pressure, etc. I also have to record how much rest I am getting. The nurses teach you signs of preterm labor and what to look for. For example what I thought was Braxton Hicks Contractions has actually been contractions so I have to pay attention to those. If I experience any preterm labor symptoms I am to empty my bladder, drink some water and lay down on my side. If symptoms do not change after an hour I have to go to the hospital.  The positive was the nurse told me she had a twin mom on this program who started at 17 weeks and made it to 34 weeks so that was great to hear.
labor of twins. They have a ton of them from breastfeeding, preterm labor, etc.

We have our next ultrasound on Tuesday April 24th. Best case scenario I will have a dynamic cervix which means it will not be funnelling anymore. If this is the case it usually means the babies were pushing on it and have moved. This would be ideal, but we wont know until the ultrasound. I also have a doctors appointment on Thursday April 26th. So that will be a big week for me as I will also be 32 weeks that Saturday. In the meantime I am following doctors orders and will keep our blog posted as we get updates!!

  

28 Week Baby Bump

Here is a photo of my baby bump at 28 weeks!! Currently I am 30 weeks and 2 days. Not sure I can get much bigger. Here are some of my thoughts thus far

Weight Gained: 52 pounds
Cravings: Mexican
Baby A: She is a very active little girl and kicks all the time
Baby B: She changes positions about every two seconds and takes up all the room
Aches and Pains: Backache

Bellingham Baby Shower

On March 31, 2012 my family and friends had a baby shower for me in Bellingham, WA. I was so excited to go home and see everyone as I had not seen most people since Christmas. The shower was absolutely perfect. All the details were beautiful and well thought out. I was truly touched and it meant the world to me. The best part was being able to see family and friends. I received so many wonderful gifts at the shower and wish I could have stayed longer, but it was nice to get to see everyone. It was also fun getting baby advice as this is a new process to me. I cannot thank everyone enough for such a joyous day.

Baby Nursery

Well the Baby Nursery is basically done. Brandon and I have been working very hard to get everything in place. At the time we kept thinking we were doing things way ahead of time, but now that I am on bed rest the timing could not have been better. It was amazing to watch the transformation from a spare bedroom into our little girls room. I made a post earlier with initial pictures of the painting of the room, etc. Now the room has all the furniture built, decorations on the wall, and a closet organizer. After Brandon saw all the clothes the babies received at the Baby Shower he was determined to have a closet orgainizer to keep everything tidy. We will see how long that lasts once our two little angels get here. The last piece we are missing is a black shag rug we ordered which will be here at the end of the month. Brandon also installed our baby monitor. We got a monitor/camera that allows us to see both babies in the room and allows us to talk to them as well. That was Brandon's favorite purchase and it is fun to play with!! We both are so happy with how the nursery turned out. In fact I tell Brandon all the time I might just move in the room myself. The very last thing we will put in there is the glider/recliner which is currently in our bedroom so I can get out of bed some. We will move this at the first part of April and get it set up. We also still need to put up some floating shelves for their books, but at this point we are down to the final details. We cannot wait for them to see their room!!

Ultraound 27 Weeks 4 Days

We went in this morning Tuesday March 27th for another ultrasound. Brandon and I get so excited for ultrasounds because we know we get to see our baby girls. At this point in the pregnancy we can definitely feel them and see them moving around in my belly, but there is nothing better than seeing our two angels.
  I started with my normal check in with the nurse where she took my blood pressure (118/70). She was very happy with the number and said I am right on track. Next we went to see the ultrasound tech to perform the exam. Her name was Jessica and she was an identical twin. About 2 minutes into the exam I started getting nausea and the room started spinning. I had to stop the exam and sit up. I told the tech I have major problems anytime I am on my back and usually get sick if not pass out. She was very understanding and said with two babies it is incredibly difficult to lay on your back as it cuts off the oxygen support to me. She let me lay completely on my side which was amazing. Both babies are doing fantastic and are right on track. Baby A is still head down and has not shifted at all. If she continues along this path I will be able to have a vaginal delivery. Baby B on the other hand was laying sideways all sprawled out. Baby A's heart rate was 157 and Baby B was 133 which the tech said was normal. Baby B had the hiccups and has started growing hair on her head. Baby A is still bald at this point, but we will wait and see. Baby A is practicing her breathing and developing her lungs. The tech said they usually see this more around 29 weeks so Baby A is a little over achiever :) They are both incredibly active and would not stop moving around. We told the tech they are feisty girls and move all the time. She was amazed at how active they were.  Unfortunately because they are so active we were unable to get any pictures today as they would not sit still.
   After the ultrasound we met with the Doctor whose exact words were "the babies are perfect". It was music to our ears. The babies are growing right on track. Baby A is 2 pounds 9 oz and Baby B is 2 pounds 13 oz. The ultrasound could not have gone any better. We now switch to going every two weeks and have another one scheduled for April 10th. Can't wait to see our girls again.

My "I feel Silly Moment"

Yesterday Thursday March 22nd I was feeling a little different than normal. My stomach was rock hard all over, I had a shortness of breath, sweating, didn't feel the babies move, and just didn't feel like myself. From our birthing classes I learned the best method is to drink lots of water and lay down. So I did just that. It was not helping much so I went for a walk and still felt off. I contacted my friend Erica who has twins in Florida to ask for some advice. It sounded like I was having Braxton Hicks Contractions. I was thinking as the day went on they would subside. However, my stomach stayed rock hard. Luckily, in Canada they have a Health Link Line you can call 24 hours a day to speak with a nurse to discuss whatever symptoms you might be experiencing. So last night just before 10pm I decided to call. I spoke with a nurse who told me to hang up the phone and go straight to the labour unit at the hospital. I was a little freaked out as I did not know what to think at that point. Brandon happened to be out of town so our friend Angie came to pick me up to drive me. The hospital is about 40 minutes from our house.
    We got to the hospital and parked. It was our first time there so we were trying to figure out where everything was. We went to the main entrance where the door was locked. We hit the call box and had to have someone page us on. Upon entering we took the elevators to the sixth floor to check in. When arriving they asked for my health card and ID. I gave them the information, but the lady behind the desk was having a hard time finding me by my health care number. She called down to the main lobby where we realized the reason they were having a hard time was I had never been to the hospital before. So we had to fill out some paperwork. The positive side of this is when I go into delivery I will be in the system and already have a chart on file. Next, they brought me back to the room and hooked me up to the monitors. As we were walking back we heard a woman moaning and sounded like she was miserable. That definitely did not help calm my nerves about labour.  I had three monitors (one for each baby to trace their heart rates and one to monitor contractions). They took all my vitals which were normal. The babies heart rates were normal. It took them awhile to get all the monitors on as the babies would not sit still. When I was all hooked up they monitored me for about an hour. Then the nurse came in to do a health history followed by the resident on call to check up on me and finally the Doctor. I spent most of the time talking with Angie about having babies. The Doctor reassured me and said everything looked good and the trace from the babies was normal. She said she wanted me to come back the following morning for an ultrasound as I was still not feeling Baby A move. So they took me off all the monitors and we headed home. We got home just before 2am. I was very fortunate to have Angie here to take me. She is a sweetheart and a very dear friend. I called Brandon to fill him in and to let him know I was ok. I went to bed and set my alarm to get up 4 hours later.
   I went in this morning for the ultrasound. The nurse came in and listened to the babies heartbeats and took my vitals. Everything looked good still. Of course this morning I felt the babies move :) She told me because I did not have an order for the ultrasound I would probably be there all day. They called the Doctor that saw me last night to tell them all looked good and ask if I could go home. The Doctor said she would leave it up to me. I decided since I have an ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday morning I would go home. They told me if anything changes to come back to the hospital. So now I am back at home feeling good. I definitely felt silly going into the hospital last night, but better to be safe than sorry. Our goal is to keep those girls inside and healthy until at least 36 weeks.

Working on the Nursery

I cannot believe we are starting to put together the nursery. Brandon had finished painting the room  before and we decided to move on to the next project. We rented a carpet cleaner and cleaned all the carpets. Once the carpets dried Brandon built one of the cribs as well as the dresser/changing table combo. The other crib is back in the States and I will pick up when I head home for the Baby Shower next week. We put on the changing cover and the crib bumper around the crib to get a sense of what things will look like. We still have a bit of work to do with wall decor (a zebra themed border), building the second crib, hanging letters above the cribs, lighting, etc. It is so fun to walk in the room  now and realize our two little angels will be living here in a few months.  We will post more pictures as more gets updated.

Crib #1

Dresser/Changing Table Combo

Changing Pad Cover

I absolutely love this color and pattern

Crib Bumper. It is not tied on yet and there are no sheets. Just wanted to see what it looked like

Another View with a blanket. I love this!!

24 Week Baby Update

We have hit the 24 week mark!! We met with our Doctor on Friday February 10th for the first time. In Canada you see you GP until around 20 weeks and then switch over to an Obstetrician. Our Doctors name is Dr. James Graham and he works out of Chrysalis Obstetrics and Gynaecology Office. He is a very nice man and extremely laid back. We will start seeing him once a month and then eventually switch over to every two weeks. Our next appointment with him is Thursday March 8th and we are very excited.
   We had another ultrasound on Friday March 2nd. Our ultrasounds have now switched to Fetal Assessments. Each time we go in we see a nurse before the appointment to check my blood pressure, an ultrasound to check the babies growth, and then a Doctor to go over all the results. Our ultrasound went great. My blood pressure is right on track and the babies are growing beautiful. One baby is 1 pound 9 ounces and the other is 1 pound 12 ounces. The doctor said we are right on track and my chances for preterm labour are very low which is great news. We did not get the best pictures as the babies were very active and did not want to pose.  We scheduled another ultrasound at the end of March (I will be just shy of 28 weeks). After that ultrasound we will switch to having one every two weeks and then once a week as we get closer to the delivery date. It is amazing to see all the changes each and every day, but the most special part of this is holding Brandon's hand and seeing our two beautiful baby girls on the screen. It is a moment I will cherish forever!!

24 Week Belly Bump

Growing by the Day

Spine Twin B

Spine Twin A

Profile Twin A

Profile Twin B

Fingers Twin B

Leg and Foot Twin B

Nursery

The nursery has officially started. We moved all the bedroom furniture out of the room to start. Well Brandon moved everything while I supervised. We put up paint swatches on the wall to try and decide on a color. We knew we wanted a pale shade of pink, but who know how many different shades of pale pink there was. We finally came to a decision and went to Home Depot and purchased the paint, painting supplies, and drape to cover the carpet. We made sure to mix in the no chemical solution in the paint so there would be no odours and it would not be harmful to the baby. We came home and put the tarp on the floor and proceeded to tape the room off. The next day Brandon started painting. I did not help as I could not stand the smell and thought it would be better to just take pictures. Once the first coat finished drying Brandon painted the second coat. The color turned out absolutely amazing and we both love it. We also bought a zebra print chair rail to go around the border of the room. We might put a hot pink strip around the zebra chair rail, but are undecided yet. So officially the room is painted. Our next step is we are having the carpets cleaned and will then put up the zebra print and start building the furniture. I cannot wait to see this room come together for our two beautiful girls. I will post more pictures as we progress, but here is the start of them. The final coat of pink is hard to see, but trust me it is beautiful.

The room prep

All taped off and ready to paint. The room started with a purple color

The first coat of paint

Brandon painting. He is such a good husband

The Final Outcome

We love the pink