We can sleep when we are dead... sure!

oh boy....

Talk about exhausting- having twins at home.  We brought Mila home about 11 days ago and she is doing great.  So is Sebby (Sebastian).  They are precious, adorable, perfect, beautiful and all those other fluffy adjectives to describe newborn miracles.  My DH and I have helped each other out with the late night feedings, changings and cries but it primarily is in my court.  Since I am now at home just four weeks after giving birth to them and he works a more than full time job here in Omaha.  I find it very hard to get much sleep even between their feedings. As you see below- they are SUPER CUTE! :)

This is how we have it laid out for the most part thanks to the guidance of those helpful RN's in the NICU at Methodist Women's Hospital:

• wake each child slowly by changing their diapers if they are not already waking up and do so about every 3-4 hours- typically we are being told by the twins they are ready just before three hours
• then prepare their bottles by warming them in a steam bottle warmer and feed them

This process is a good 20 minutes for the feeding as the nurses taught us that over 20 minutes of feeding is too much for newborns as they are then burning more calories than consuming.  The diaper changing, burping and getting them back to sleep could be another 20 minutes.  So, with twins we are spending about a hour or more per feeding time.  This makes it very hard to get myself back to sleep.  I am spent.  I get the baby blues thing now.  Baby blues are the mildest of the levels of sadness felt by 70-80% of new mothers.  I find myself happy one moment and sad the next.  It is just exhausting.

I love my children so much, it's just very very hard to raise them thus far.  Challenging.  I don't know about you but I hear every little coo and grunt they make so I wake easily.  I have found that their binkys can be my worst enemies and after researching the situation of them falling out of the mouths of newborns, I have decided I need to cut back on my use of them.  Pacifiers were given to them in the NICU as they are proven to increase weight gain in preemies by strengthening their sucks early on.  But, when putting them to bed and they have their pacifiers falling out of their mouths- it can become disturbing to them and fast.

Last night (Christmas Eve), Nate stayed up all night and watched the babies.  Why did he stay up all night? Because he was worried he would sleep through a feeding and he knew I needed sleep like something severe.  I actually messed up the spiral ham and the cinnamon apples I made for Christmas dinner on Sunday here at my house for my side of the family.  I was a very grouchy and irritable person that day and it was totally out of my hands and out of my control.  My husband has been working way too much: evenings, days, weekends, holidays for the most part that when he works I am expected to handle the babies both while he sleeps and while away at work.  Of course we have discussed on many occasions how this is not conducive to twin life for new parents who both want to be hands on.  This just makes things more difficult- primarily for me.  I have never felt to selfish as I type this but I am tired.  Sigh.  True story.

Tomorrow the twins are 4 weeks old.  It's crazy.  Very crazy... We spent so much time in the hospital and in the NICU that 4 weeks just flew by.  Mila was released on a Friday weighing 4 lbs 2 ounces I believe and by Monday she was 4 lbs 7 ounces.  Sebastian was at the dr that Friday and was weighed in at 5 lbs and by Monday he had plumped up to 5 lbs 9 ounces.  Their pediatrician said it was better than textbook for both of them.  We waited a full ten years ever so impatiently to start a family and this is exactly what we wanted and wouldn't trade it for the world.  We wouldn't have it any other way.  Just wish it were easier.  We look forward to them sleeping more through the night.  :)

The Twins Arrive in Small Packages

They are here!  

Well, in the NICU but making progress.  They arrived via c-section on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012.  We had went in for an amniocentesis the day before at my perinatal doctors office but realized that Mila was squished up under my right rib and was not growing much anymore.  We skipped the amniocentesis and went ahead with the scheduled cs the next day at noon at the Methodist Women's Hospital in West Omaha. 

When the babies were born they were:

Sebastian Marcus 4 lbs 9 ounces and 17" long, 12:22pm
Mila Lorren 3 lbs 9 ounces and 17" long, 12:23pm

They are healthy, just extremely small.  I will go ahead and blog the rest of the birth story a little later.  Time to go visit them in the NICU.

Our hearts swell.  They are absolutely amazing little turkeys! Ahhh, LOVE! I am complete.

Amniocentesis: Lung Maturity at 36 Weeks

36 weeks? Wow!  Tomorrow is our amniocentesis to check for lung maturity.  If it's positive the scheduled c-section will be the next day at 1:30.  I am very excited for tomorrow. More excited than scared. I did think they would test both the twins but my perinatal doc said we will choose just pick one sac to test.

If the dipstick test shows my protein level is a 1 or 2 they may just do an emergency cesarean section due to preeclampsia.  Up until now I have only had traces of protein spilling over along with several symptoms including high blood pressure, floaters, headaches, anxiety, etc.  My blood pressure is normally low since knocking off 145 pounds but the last few weeks it stiffly teeters on 140/90.

When arriving at my appointment tomorrow they will first be doing the urine test and an ultrasound to find the area where there is easy access to the amniotic sac of either twin.  If the dipstick test is acceptable then it is time to do the amniocentesis.  An amniocentesis is a fast procedure that scares many. Its when a hollow needle is used to drain a small amount of amniotic fluid from the mothers uterus.  The fluid is then tested for cells that can determine the maturity of the unborn child's lungs within an hour.  They will monitor me for about thirty minutes to ensure there are no complications such as water leaking from the amniotic sac or start going into labor.

I'm thinking that by 3/CST we will know if Wednesday, November 28th will be our twins birthday. :-)

Electric Carts, Wheel Chairs & Contractions... OH MY!

 

Well, I have embarked into the third trimester and the latest level of frustration.  Don't get me wrong- I am so proud to be carrying two tiny miracles but I have been so independent and active for years and staying in bed so much and staying inactive is hard.  Mostly mentally but also physically.  I easily pull muscles in my neck just due to sleeping or laying wrong.  I do see a chiropractor a few times a week but this far along, I am being lazy and going less.  I don't wanna get ready to go.  Ugh.  I am whining.  I know.

I am now 34 1/2 weeks along and the twins are doing great.  They are beautiful as ever.  It is amazing that a year ago we tripped into fertility treatments and went down the following road:

• trying to conceive 8, 9, 10 years
• attempting to adopt outside of using an expensive agency to only come out of it with horror stories
• being told we could not have children together due to my husband shooting blanks (azoospermia)
• finding out he had sperm after all, just needed a biopsy to get them out
• planning our IVF and succeeding after 1 vigorous round
• finding out we were expecting, not only expecting but having Boy/Girl Twins!

So, here we are.  Ready for our family to grow by 4 beautiful, cute, little feetsies!  We have gotten the nursery ready, had our unisex baby shower and had a few uneventful visits to the Labor & Delivery department at Methodist Women's Hospital.  We have decided to have the twins together in one room for the time being to help them feel most comfortable since they have been 'womb-mates' for their fist 9 months in-utero. 

I have been experiencing those fun Braxton Hicks contractions for a few months now.  They have gotten stronger this week.  Well, so strong on Monday night that they became consistent for the first time and I actually thought I was going in labor.  I had a perinatal and OB appointment earlier that day finding out that my cervix was soft, 38" so measuring 38 weeks for a singleton mama, no dilation, Sebastian way head down and Mila is booty down.  When I went to Labor and Delivery that evening I had contractions consistently for 2 hours (ended up being a total of 3 hours), going from 8 min 55 sec down to 5 min 56 seconds apart.  I get hooked up to the monitor and they were just done.  Ugh. Seriously.  Am I losing my mind.  So, I have come to the conclusion they are just more of the Braxton Hicks contractions beings they stopped and were pain free- just very hard and tight.  It was just frustrating.  I thought I might actually have a little excitement but ended up feeling a little silly.  The pain between my legs is insanely painful at times - my pelvis.  Sometimes I cannot walk much till there is a little change in the babies position or a little time passes.  I have graduated into the situation of riding in wheel chairs (thanks for pushing me around Hobby Lobby, Mom!) and electric carts at grocery stores.

(scar from open DS weight loss surgery)

So, here I am two days later chilling out in bed with Kanye West filling my bedroom with tunes and Young & the Restless playing quietly in the background.  My two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels watching my every move.  Yep, this is my life right now.  I am so fortunate to be home and carrying two precious miracles that I truly never believed I would ever be lucky enough to carry myself.  I already love my babies so much that I am a little impatient to meet them.

So that leads us to our birth plan.  On November 27th, 2012 at 1:30pm we will go ahead and do a quick amniocentesis (wish me luck) to see if the lungs are mature enough to do a cesarean section the next day at noon.  Yep, we are on the books ladies and gentlemen. I am told that we will only do one poke and in Sebastian's sac to see if he is ready since boys lungs normally mature slower.  I am excited yet scared.  I have made the decision with my perinatal specialist to do a c-section.  Not only because I am a high risk mama with these twins but also because of my previous surgery- Duodenal Switch weight loss surgery done 9/4/09.  We don't know if there is extensive scar tissue or bowels adhered to my scars so... Dr. Robertson will take his time as he is the one assisting my ob Dr. Berryman.

Our back up plan if their lungs are not ready at week 36 will be to do a cs the week of 12-10-12.  We originally had 12-12-12 scheduled but since we are gonna attempt week 36 with the amniocentesis, the surgery scheduler had to remove my 2nd date since it's 'illegal' in the office to be scheduled twice.  BOO!  I really would love the date of 12-12-12- it's just sweet.  LOL- don't judge :)

Now, these plans only will take place if I do not go into labor on my own.  Which I really may not.  It sure doesn't seem as if I will ever really know what a real contraction pain is- which is probably a great thing.  Pregnancy is just crazy.  It has been hard as a heck for me, however, it's not uncommon to find me rubbing my belly (massaging a baby one at a time) while smiling.  The sensations of each baby are so unique with their movements.  Mila is very gentile and docile.  Sometimes hardly moving or just lightly tickling me with her toes.  Where Sebastian (baby a) is my little break dancer, lol.  He lets me rub his knees and feet as he slowly slides them across the palm of my hand.  He moves a ton and he is very strong.  He is certainly a mover and a shaker.  When on monitor at the dr and l&d, we often have to turn down his monitor cause his movement makes so much loud noise as if he is saying "look at me, look at me!"  It's really cute.  (smiling mommy right here).  Every time that I try to video record what I call an alien movement, they stop.  Oh well, I have locked the memories in my brain.

Now, back to waiting for the calendar to progress forward.

We have the Christmas trees up and ready for them and their first Christmas! :)

Visual Documentation is the Best

Little This & a Little of That (a recap & more)

I find it amazing that I have embarked on the third trimester.  It's been a crazy journey this year.  From traveling to 18 cities in 2 months for work holding back our IVF process to injections, severe all day morning sickness, at home health coming to give me an IV, a lot of time in bed and several appointments-- I now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am 27 1/2 weeks along with di/di boy girl twins and proud as any mama can be.  We are both so proud.  Nathan and I wanted children since getting together over ten years ago.  Last October 2011 we started the fertility journey after nightmares in the adoption process were reoccurring.  The last being a local girl pretending to be pregnant with another girls child that she would adopt to us.  We had it.  No more.  Last October we were told that Nathan had no sperm.  We were told that we could not have children together.  THEN we went to Dr. Maud Doherty and our lives changed.

Nathan did a testes biopsy and we found out within 15 minutes that there was hope and swimmers! Yay! Best news ever!  Insurance doesn't cover donor sperm. Boo!  But we no longer had to take that route.  So... our journey began and here we are now.  Just a few short months away from delivering our beautiful twins: Sebastian Marcus and Mila Lorren (me-la lor-ren).  We couldn't be happier.

4D Ultrasounds!

I was so disappointed when I found out my chosen OB had a crappy ultrasound machine.  She even mentioned it wasn't very good.  Sure she ended up sharing me with a perinatal doctor but I wanted amazing pictures of my twins.  We aren't planning on having more children after this so I needed to soak it up and enjoy and document as much as possible.

At 23 weeks, I contacted Stork Vision in Omaha Nebraska for a second time.  This time for the 4D ultrasound appointment.  Last time we were there was July 10th, 2012 for gender determination and it was such an amazing experience where Nate's dad, grandparents, my brother and my great friend Alisa joined us on finding out the sexes of our twins.  Boy and Girl!  (tears of joy)

We went into Stork Vision and was surprised by Alisa.  I was so happy that she had come to surprise me.  I needed it since I didn't have my mom or sister at my appointments.  :)  So on the table I laid and we started the ultrasounds.  At this time both babies were head down and as beautiful as ever.  I managed to get a ton of pics and also on a dvd/cd.

I highly recommend the Stork Vision experience.  A private and beautiful room with couches and a large screen display of the ultrasound.  You invite your friends and family if you want and it's truly a memorable experience.

to see more of my Twins pics find me on facebook under Rita Lucero in Omaha, NE

Meeting Braxton Hicks

I find contractions to be super confusing.  So many things are different than explained by doctors, other pregnant women or mothers.  I was under the assumption that contractions in general always hurt.  Not true.

A few weeks ago I found myself realizing that the odd and uncomfortable feeling I had occasionally had over the last month of so sporadically were contractions and not my babies stretching out.  Well, suddenly I was getting them every single time I bent over, stood up, got out of bed, out of a vehicle, walking- all those things would trigger them.  They didn't hurt but was more of an uncomfortable and very tight feeling.  That's when I realized I had officially met Braxton Hicks.

I did end up in Labor and Delivery and while walking in I told my mom that they probably won't happen while laying in the hospital bed.... and they didn't.  They never happen when laying on my back.  They had happened while on my side but not at the hospital.  They sent me home a hour later with physical restrictions.  I increased my water intake yet again.  (it's so hard to get so much water in me since my DS weight loss surgery)  So, here I am nearly two weeks after that little visit to L&D and they still occur but not as much.  I have to do much less walking and physical activity to control them.  Confusing.  Glad I understand what they are now!

RLS is Ridiculous!

I've had bouts of RLS (restless leg syndrome) off and on for the last ten years but nothing like I experience while pregnant.  OMG! Shoot me!  I went to my OB.  I went to my Perinatal doctor.  I went to an Urgent Care clinic and quickly each time the door to the conversation of my needing help for RLS was slammed shut.  I started posting on facebook and researching like mad on google and various medical pages.  The best response I found was that I could be lacking iron and/or I'm anemic.  I had already tried heatpad, socks, pants, calf lifts, stretches, massages from my husband, warm baths for my legs only,  a herbal supplement, magnesium (500mg/day), expensive compression hose.  Nothing was giving me relief and I was feeling like the RLS was so severe that I was going to lose my mind.

So, I had my Perinatal doctor check my iron level but in the meantime I started iron supplements.  It drastically reduced by about 90-95%.  That is huge!  I started with 2 iron pills (65mg each) plus then at night taking my RX prenatal vitamin that gave me about another 30 mg of iron.  My levels came back low but increasing, slight case of anemia.  Sure, I had been anemic before but why am I having to find the cause and treat myself when I have all these doctors.  Especially since I had the Duodenal Switch (DS) weight loss surgery three years ago?  That surgery was all about creating a absorption.  Ahhh! I wanted to just scream at my OB the most. 

Now, I am not anemic and I take 3 iron pills per day with calcium and at night my RX prenatal vitamin that I have been taking since my DS weight loss surgery.  I still have bouts of the RLS but in no way is it nearly as severe as it was a few months ago.  So, those of you seeking help for your insane RLS- check your iron and possibly increase it!  I would shout it from the rooftops if I could.  All I wanted was some help and it seemed impossible for it.  I would take Tylenol PM sometimes to get super tired but I still would have trouble sleeping because my legs would kick and jolt in my sleep.  Sometimes my leg muscles were so sore and exhausted the next day.  That's how bad it was.  Restless Leg Syndrome can get worse with pregnancy and I had no idea.  None.  Ahh. So glad to have my sanity back! Lack of sleep and uncontrollable leg movements are a terrible combo!

Exciting & Late Updates

We are expecting BOY GIRL di/di Twins! I have a lot of catching up to do so here is just a little bit until I have a chance to get my notes together and update you!

We are 18 weeks pregnant with twins.  We found out on April 30th- our seventh wedding anniversary that we were indeed pregnant with twins.  We found out on July 10th at Stork Vision that they are boy and girl.

Baby A (being delivered first) is a boy and Baby B is a girl.  They are very active- especially the boy.

It is very exciting and it has been a challenging journey but I will update you all very, very soon!

Pregnant Or.... Not?

Since the retrieval and transfer, I have had various symptoms that have continued until now.  I should be nearly six weeks along and due at Christmas, however, our first ultrasound is Monday (our 7th wedding anniversary) so we will know more then.

My symptoms have included:  sudden extreme fatigue, sore and swelled breasts right away, urgency to urinate, craving really hot tomato juice, don't sleep well at night, loss of appetite earlier in day, cramps in low abdomen. I swear I feel the baby or babies changing my body which is super cool!  Ice cream upsets my stomach and so do sweet drinks like cappuccino.  My sense of smell is super human!

Have I ever mentioned that when I want to do something I am impatient? I wanted to know so bad if either of the 2 embryos we transferred had implanted. I put post-it notes up counting down the days until our first beta test.

It was so hard during the 2ww (2 week window) after the transfer.  It was too early to take home pregnancy tests (hpt) but I couldn't resist.  I was reading profusely soaking in all the information I could on the experience of others and the science behind hcg beta blood tests.  What is hcg?  That silly fad diet I am so not a fan of (no offense to anyone)?  Ahh, yes. HCG is a hormone found in pregnant women.  So.  I did a trigger shot of HCG on Friday the 31 of March and then within 36-72 hours the embryos were ready to be retrieved.  Then I did the 3dt (3 day transfer IVF procedure) as previously  mentioned.  Well, you need the hcg out of your body to get an accurate result on your hpt.  The first pregnancy test I took at home was one of those outdated interpret-the-line tests.  It was negative.  Well.  It was much too soon since.  However, what that test was possibly telling me is that the hcg from the trigger shot was out of my system.  I read and read and believed that it takes a maximum 10 days to be out of your system.  HCG is what pregnancy tests read to determine a pregnancy.  BFN.

I didn't take any hpt's that next day but did the following 4 days.  All POSITIVE.  BFP!!  Started testing positive 7dpt3dt.  My transfer was 4-5-12 and retrieval was 4/2/12.

My first beta test was 10dpt3dt and I was PREGNANT with a beta result (reading hcg levels) of 145. The next test needed to yield a 290 and we ended up with 375.  After doing research and speaking to my cousin (pregnant with twins), we learned that these numbers are within the twin range on the beta master list.  Could it be true? Could both of the beautiful embryos have implanted?  When Dr. Doherty was told of my high beta levels she had replied that they should be that high as they are the best embryos she has seen in years! WOW.  What a compliment! LOL

So, here we are and we should be nearly 6 weeks pregnant.  I am so excited for Monday's first ultrasound but scared at the same time.  I hope all goes well.  I am sure it will though!

The only sad news I have to mention is that we were only able to freeze 3 embryos- the other 5 didn't make it and that did make us sad.  We are attached to these embryos we have a picture of.  So, we really do want twins.  We are 100% unable to conceive on our own without the help of IVF due to male factor infertility.  We must retrieve his sperm to get it via testes biopsy.

Onward we move. Muah! -The Lucero's

Transfer: Such a Beautiful Experience

Time for the Transfer 

April 5, 2012 Thursday

So, we received calls each morning letting us know how great our beautiful embryos are doing.  As previously  mentioned, we retrieved 11 eggs and 10 fertilized on their own.  We remained at ten beautiful healthy embryos.  Dr. Doherty called us the morning of the procedure to do the transfer to uterus.  She said the embryos were just beautiful and did we went to transfer one or two.  We decided we wanted two.  

Just before our 9am arrival at the Methodist Women's Hospital (Reproductive Health Specialties) I was prescribed Valium for the procedure so I took one.  I was told to have a large breakfast and a very full bladder.  At the office I did my normal blood draw and my husband and I were walked over to the hospital where we given our stylish gowns to put on.  We couldn't help but giggle when getting eye contact with each other since we thought he looked a little silly.

We were brought into the same IVF room that I was in on Monday for the retrieval.  They wheel you on a cart/bed to the outside of the doors, they open, you walk in and present your name and birth date to the man behind the glass door which reminded me of the fine Oz from Wizard of Oz.  Well, he happened to be a little late this morning so it was comical to hear him get scolded for not answering his phone or answering the glass doors right away.  It lightened the mood for sure.  

Dr. Doherty and her wonderful staff helped me up on the infamous stir up table as my name band was verified and the room then darkened.  I could see the ultrasound machine to my right and my DH sat in a chair just at my left shoulder.  Dr. Doherty mentioned how we will be able to see the embryos on that screen before they are transferred.  That is when Nate pointed out to me the larger screen to his upper left side.  It gave off a coral color light in the dimmed room as we waited to be able to 'see something'.  Then a moment later I see the petri dish and my name and info on it before they take the labeled top off revealing the treasure.  There are what appear to be translucent globs in a liquid a few spots- nothing that would appear familiar to me.  Then they point out that two black spots were the embryos.  We observed as they sucked them into the catheter that would be the portal of transportation to my uterus. :) Ahh.  This is so moving.  I feel tears go down the sides of my face and directly in my ears.  Yup- wet ears.  LOL But I didn't care.  I was moved.

*we have 10 embryos, transferred 2 and froze 8

After the catheter did its part it was flushed back into the petri dish to confirm the embryos were not stuck in it. "All Clear." I hear.  I wipe my tears.

I was on bed rest for 24 hours meaning NO sitting up at all. Eat laying down- no jokes. It's boring but you gotta do it! :)

So- we have five days before I do my beta pregnancy test to see if our little embryos have attached.

If one attaches, we would have a singleton given a healthy pregnancy.  If either split, that creates identical twins and if both do not split but both do implant/attach then they would be fraternal twins- etc.  We would be due just before Christmas with a singleton.

We have 10 healthy embryos- we implanted 1 and 2 shown previously in this blog. The other 8 are being frozen.

Right now I am still doing PIO (Progesterone in Oil) injections in my upper buttocks and it sucks.  Let's not play.  It doesn't hurt to do it but the after effect gives me headaches and bruises for days.  Not so sure the first one has gone away yet.  I need the progesterone for a healthy environment for the embryo to attach and imbed into.  The oil is so thick that Nate has to push the plunger down after I put the needle in.  I am switching sides but that makes little difference after this long.  All4Baby... All4Baby