Vegan Pregnancy Xtranormal Vid

I got the idea to make this video after viewing Vincent Guihan's Xtranormal videos, which are as informative as they are hilarious. I highly recommend checking them out.

http://www.youtube.com/vjguihan

33 Weeks and Counting...

31 weeks twin bump

29 weeks twin bump

Today is day 34 of hospital bed rest and we are officially 33 weeks pregnant. While I am eternally grateful to have made it this long and to have the boys doing consistently well, it has been less than an easy road to travel being trapped within these four walls. I would say that the hardest part about being hospitalized is being unable to nest and do the mommy preparation things that I've dreamed of for my entire life. Handing over control of your vision is never easy. I acknowledge that this is most important investment to ensure the boys are healthy and strong and that keeps me going! No NICU time is our total goal! Everything has gone rather smooth, though around 30 weeks the monitor picked up some contractions that thankfully turned out to just be braxton hicks.

I have been annoyed by a lot of administrative problems in the hospital, that I won't elaborate on too much. I'll just say that our companion animal Star isn't allowed back here because she barked and the woman who runs the "animal program" seems to have the opinion that animals should be obedient to their "masters" at all times and not exhibit behaviors that are completely natural. I've already set up a meeting with the hospital director to voice my concerns. At least I have a private room and the nurses are pleasant, though I can barely stand being checked on every hour and at night every 2 hours. They just peek in to make sure I'm okay, but still SOOO obnoxious. I understand it is necessary for many patients, so I just have to deal.

I feel perfectly normal, I don't have back pain or any of the common problems most pregnant women complain about at this stage. No swelling, no constipation, no lack of sleep, etc. I feel better in this 3rd trimester than I did in the first 2. I have gained at total of 24 lbs so far, my weigh in is tonight and I can't wait to find out how I've progressed this week. My cervix has shortened quite a bit since I've been here, but I'm not dilating or contracting so we are pretty much golden. I just have to stay in bed and make sure I keep as much pressure off of it so they boys stay in for at least a couple more weeks.

The doctors are still considering letting me go home at 34 weeks due to the reduced risks of any problems, but they aren't making any promises and I'm not getting my hopes up. As much as I despise being confined, I like the peace of mind I have being here. I don't have to worry about the well being of these guys because we are all closely monitored. If I was at home I would probably be nervous and panicking that every little movement I felt was labor or something.

The boys should be here in around 3 weeks, which is just so amazing to us. We are so close, yet being here makes time pass a little slower. I can not believe how far we've come. We both can't wait to walk through the door with our two bundles!

I missed both of my baby showers (one hosted by my mother (a natural born hostess) and the other by two of my closest friends), but was able to participate for a little with each via Skype. We have been humbled by the generosity of our friends and family. We have almost everything we need for these babies. We are using all organic products (clothing, cloth diapers, bedding, plush toys, toiletries, etc) for the boys and we really appreciate everyone making sure they met our needs! My friends did an extra special job hosting and made sure everything was vegan, even though we are the only vegans and weren't able to attend their shower. How cool is that?

Lucas continues to bring me food every day (since they still don't accommodate people who take a principled stand against the exploitation of animals) and I am still "working from bed", which helps me feel relevant and helps pass the time during the week. I am staying pretty sane, though at times I just want to pack my bags and go home. I know that this will just be a distant memory once our miracle babies arrive...

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). My Executive Vice President is super amazing and 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!