Hi All,
I officially went on bedrest on December 19th at 27 weeks, per my doctor's orders. He explained to me at my first visit that I should not expect to work past 28 weeks at best with a twins pregnancy. At my 24 week visit, he told me he was being nice in letting me continue to work for a few more weeks.
For those not familiar with the ways of multiples pregnancies (as I was not in the beginning), there is a substantially higher risk of pre-term labor. Approximately 50 percent of twins (compared to 10 percent of singletons) are preterm (or premature), which means they are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. (Full term is 40 weeks.) Preemies are at a higher risk of all sorts of medical problems, and even death in extreme cases. So, it is in our best interest to do all we can to avoid pre-term labor. That's where bedrest comes in.
I'm not sure how "restful" my holidays were. We were certainly busy with shopping and family events. But it was all very enjoyable, and we would not have changed a thing.
With the holidays behind us, I am working on resting. :) I know it sounds silly, but it seems I have been behind in all aspects of life in general this year, constantly in "catch up" mode. But, my body is good at telling me when it needs a break. I require tons of sleep it seems. And, I am working to reinstitute my afternoon nap, which helps me be less of a zombie when my husband comes home from work.
What is bedrest exactly and what restrictions come with it? Great question! It seems there are many definitions, and the doctors' responses can sometimes be ambiguous, as it can mean different things to different patients. From what I have learned there are three basic levels:
House Arrest or Modified Bedrest: This is the least restrictive form. Plan to rest a few hours in the am and again in the pm, then all evening and night. Avoid heavy lifting, housework (note to Jim), exercise, and trips up and down the stairs.
Strict Bedrest: You must spend almost all of your time lying down, with only a daily shower and trips to the bathroom.
Hospital Bedrest: Severe complications can lead to hospital bedrest, where you may not even be allowed to get up to shower or use the bathroom.
Thankfully, I am currently on the least restrictive form of rest, which allows me the most freedom. This is because the pregnancy thus far has been complication-free. Don't get me wrong, I am still experiencing many of the common discomforts of pregnancy, and some to the extreme. But the great news is that the babies are doing super, and we have successfully kept any signs of pre-term labor at bay thus far.
I'm sure everyone would like to hear more about those babies. In my next post, I'll try to include some stats we have received on their growth progression from our ultrasounds. I'll also work to get some pictures posted!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Finally Blogging! The Year in Review...
Hi All! It's taken me much longer to get this blog going, but here it is! I'm hoping our friends and family (especially our dear ones far away) find it fun and informative. Perhaps when you see all that has transpired during the year, you will understand why this has taken me so long. :)
We have had a BUSY year. The beginning of the year kept us busy with my new position at Plante, a move for me to Grand Rapids, and planning for our May 3 and June 1 wedding events (oh, and a honeymoon to New Zealand). Jim's promotion to Partner at Plante was official on June 30th, and we had a few more parties to recognize this big honor. I guess you could also say we celebrated by getting pregnant! We received the news in July that we were indeed pregnant, and it did not take the doctors long to confirm we were carrying twins. This was both a huge surprise and blessing to us. I have always felt compelled to have more than one child, perhaps because I could not imagine growing up without my older sister. However, as I aged, I knew time could potentially be against us. Besides that, I recall thinking even before I was ready to have children, that twins would just be neat! After the initial excitement, it did not take long for a dose of reality to set in. I quickly learned that a multiples pregnancy did not come without greater risks. That coupled with my advanced maternal age meant we had potentially more issues to manage. Still, we happily and gratefully accepted this challenge, with our eye on the ultimate prize - one pregnancy; two healthy, beautiful babies.
We continued our chaotic lifestyle into the summer. We were still looking for our permanent home and working on selling Jim's house. It seemed we had looked forever (well, in reality, we were looking since our engagement in October of '07). I guess we are very particular; there were tons of homes on the market given the current economic conditions. To sum it up, we really wanted a ranch home on a lake within a half hour of downtown Grand Rapids. While searching, Jim's home sold, which necessitated a move in August. Without a permanent home, we made our second move of the year into a rental home. With the prospect of children arriving in March, we were extra motivated to get settled into a permanent home. We were extremely excited to find a home that met our specifications, and we did not waste any time putting down a bid. We had to wait it out a bit, as there were some complications on the seller side and it took a long while to get a response to the bid. However, with perseverance and some extra legwork from Jim, we got the response we were looking for. With a quick counter and acceptance, the home was ours, and we closed in a week! That led to move #3 of the year during the end of September. We are in, and we intend to stay a LONG while!
Since then, life has been filled with figuring out how to prepare for and manage the arrival of the twins. We received news from our ultrasound technician in October that we are expecting a girl and a boy. We could not be more thrilled, and everyone seems happy with the boy-girl combo. Thus far, we have attended three preparatory courses - Preparing for Childbirth, Beginning with Baby, and Twins, Triplets and More. The Twins course was especially interesting, as it included a panel of new parents of multiples.
As of today, we are just into our 3rd trimester at 28 weeks pregnant.
We hope everyone enjoys the holidays and is able to spend it exactly as they wish.
More to come. Bear with me as I learn the in's and out's of blogging!
We have had a BUSY year. The beginning of the year kept us busy with my new position at Plante, a move for me to Grand Rapids, and planning for our May 3 and June 1 wedding events (oh, and a honeymoon to New Zealand). Jim's promotion to Partner at Plante was official on June 30th, and we had a few more parties to recognize this big honor. I guess you could also say we celebrated by getting pregnant! We received the news in July that we were indeed pregnant, and it did not take the doctors long to confirm we were carrying twins. This was both a huge surprise and blessing to us. I have always felt compelled to have more than one child, perhaps because I could not imagine growing up without my older sister. However, as I aged, I knew time could potentially be against us. Besides that, I recall thinking even before I was ready to have children, that twins would just be neat! After the initial excitement, it did not take long for a dose of reality to set in. I quickly learned that a multiples pregnancy did not come without greater risks. That coupled with my advanced maternal age meant we had potentially more issues to manage. Still, we happily and gratefully accepted this challenge, with our eye on the ultimate prize - one pregnancy; two healthy, beautiful babies.
We continued our chaotic lifestyle into the summer. We were still looking for our permanent home and working on selling Jim's house. It seemed we had looked forever (well, in reality, we were looking since our engagement in October of '07). I guess we are very particular; there were tons of homes on the market given the current economic conditions. To sum it up, we really wanted a ranch home on a lake within a half hour of downtown Grand Rapids. While searching, Jim's home sold, which necessitated a move in August. Without a permanent home, we made our second move of the year into a rental home. With the prospect of children arriving in March, we were extra motivated to get settled into a permanent home. We were extremely excited to find a home that met our specifications, and we did not waste any time putting down a bid. We had to wait it out a bit, as there were some complications on the seller side and it took a long while to get a response to the bid. However, with perseverance and some extra legwork from Jim, we got the response we were looking for. With a quick counter and acceptance, the home was ours, and we closed in a week! That led to move #3 of the year during the end of September. We are in, and we intend to stay a LONG while!
Since then, life has been filled with figuring out how to prepare for and manage the arrival of the twins. We received news from our ultrasound technician in October that we are expecting a girl and a boy. We could not be more thrilled, and everyone seems happy with the boy-girl combo. Thus far, we have attended three preparatory courses - Preparing for Childbirth, Beginning with Baby, and Twins, Triplets and More. The Twins course was especially interesting, as it included a panel of new parents of multiples.
As of today, we are just into our 3rd trimester at 28 weeks pregnant.
We hope everyone enjoys the holidays and is able to spend it exactly as they wish.
More to come. Bear with me as I learn the in's and out's of blogging!
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