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Dear Friends & Family,
It’s been a whole month since we have been outside of Mommy’s belly and this new world sure is a lot different!
We entered the world on Friday, June 24th. There were so many people wearing strange masks and it sure was cold and bright when we came out. They swaddled us up tight in blankets so we felt like we were back in the womb again. That was very reassuring!
We were so excited to finally meet the voices that have been talking to us for so long! We love our Mommy and Daddy so much! Grandpa & Ava Eisenman and Beth Kane also visited us in the hospital.
After 3 nights in the hospital, and a lot of nurses poking at us every couple of hours, we were very excited to head home on Monday, June 27!
A lot has happened this month. We started out at 5lbs 11oz (Katelyn) and 5lbs 6oz (Chelsea) and at our last appointment we weighed in at 6lbs 6oz and 6lbs 2oz!
Everyone tells us we look a lot alike and Mommy and Daddy think there may be a chance we may be identical twins! If that is true, it will be fun to play tricks on them when we get a little older. I guess only time will tell!
Our first day home was very busy. We kept Mommy and Daddy up a lot. Grandpa and Ava were here for over two weeks to help us settle in, keep Mommy and Daddy well fed, and help with our family naps!
Grandma (Moppy) Walker also spent a week with us this month and helped Mommy & Daddy get some extra rest! Having Grandparents visit is the best!
We have experienced a few baths but we are not sure exactly how we feel about them yet. The warm water does feel good but the initial shock is definitely a surprise!
We have been seen by our doctor three times since we have been home and although Chelsea had to be checked a few times for jaundice, everyone tells Mommy and Daddy that we are two, beautiful, healthy girls!
We have been sleeping in Mommy and Daddy’s room each night where we wake up every two to three hours to eat.
Although we sleep a lot, we are already becoming more alert and aware of our surroundings. We love to stare at the lights in the kitchen, Angels games on TV, and Mommy and Daddy of course!
This month, our favorite toy is our bouncy seat. We love the music and vibrations. It is definitely very soothing after a long day of getting new diapers (about 25 total per day), eating and sleeping!
We already feel so much love from our friends and family! We have had many visitors stop by to see us this month! (Grandpa & Ava Eisenman, Grandma (Moppy) Walker, Sean-Beth-Carson-Addison Kane, Chris Brown, Jessica Smith, Debbie Tesla, Kathy Klarich, Nichole Cherry, Jake Bengochea, Chris & Nickie Gordon)
We have been told to drink our milk so we will get big and strong and we are now drinking 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours. We are definitely getting stronger because we can hold our head up for a few seconds already!
The new world is great and we have the best Mommy & Daddy in the world! They take such good care of us and are always there when we need them. We love to stare at them until we fall asleep in the comfort of their arms.
We will keep you posted on life as a newborn as we grow older!
Thank you to everyone who has helped out Mommy and Daddy! We love you all very much!
Love,
Katelyn & Chelsea
P.S. Stay tuned for our newborn photos! Mommy’s friend and photographer, Lindsey Garrett, of Modchik Photography, photographed us on Friday and Mommy & Daddy are very excited to share them with you! Lindsey is absolutely AMAZING!!! Expect a blog post on the photo shoot from Mommy soon!
On Friday, June 24th, Trent and I left the house for our bi-weekly non-stress test. Up to this point, I was still feeling good and experienced no painful contractions. This was our last appointment of the week (four in total). We were 37 weeks 2 days pregnant.
We arrived at Kaiser Irvine and went through the routine of finding the girls heart beats on the ultrasound so they could be found on the external monitors. The girls were both head down but they were criss-crossed and chest to chest.
While we anxiously waited for the nurse to take us to the big recliner and monitor the girls, we received some surprising news. My amniotic fluids were getting dangerously low.
The nurse said, “It looks like today is the day!” She walked us down to labor and delivery. It had not fully hit me that my girls were going to come into this world today.
After a few long talks with the doctor, we decided that the safest way to get the girls out was through a c-section and before I knew it, I was prepped for surgery.
A c-section was major surgery and definitely not part of our ideal birth plan, but when it comes to the safest route, I would do anything for my girls.
After surgery, many doctors and nurses told me that that we most likely would not have been able to deliver Chelsea vaginally, and had we gone down that path, there was a high chance we would have had an emergency c-section.
They took me back to the operating room and gave me the spinal. It is a strange feeling to feel absolutely nothing from the neck down. When everything was prepped, Trent was allowed to come in to be with his girls.
At 3:27 p.m. I heard an angelic cry and Katelyn was born at 5lbs 11 oz and 18 inches long. As they took her out, Chelsea had turned in the womb and was breech. Her back was now toward the incision. It took some maneuvering to get her out but at 3:31 p.m, I heard the cry of my second little angel. Chelsea was 5lbs 6oz and 19 inches long. Tears of joy were flowing down my face.
Daddy was able to cut both umbilical cords once the girls were out and shortly after, I found out that Chelsea needed to go to the NICU for further evaluation. The color of her skin was pink when stimulated but was turning gray when left alone. Daddy followed Chelsea to the NICU and the surgeons stitched me back up.
Chelsea was in the NICU until 11:00 p.m. Friday night, when Daddy finally was able to bust her out! We were all together as a family late that night. Words cannot describe what an incredible feeling it was to hold both of my girls in my arms.
Our girls are absolutely perfect and we have so much love for them.
Recovery from the c-section was so hard the first night because I was unable to get out of bed. The girls were sleeping in their bassinets next to me and I was unable to pick them up when they were crying.
I have the most amazing husband in the entire world and I don’t think he slept a single wink that night. He had his eyes on the girls all night long.
We were finally discharged from the hospital around 1 p.m. on Monday and we were definitely ready to get home!
We loaded up the girls for their first car ride…
Thank you to everyone for your love and support. I know we have been a little of reach with everyone as we have been enjoying every precious moment we have with our beautiful girls.
Please see today’s post on
As our pregnancy is finally in the home stretch, we get to see our doctors and nurses 3-4 times per week! As of tomorrow, we will be 37 weeks pregnant which is a huge milestone, because this means the girls will be considered full-term!
This week, we have four appointments:
- Monday – Non-stress Test
- Tuesday – OB Appt
- Wednesday – Hospital Ultrasound
- Friday – Non-stress Test
I actually like having the appointments spread out because it gives me something to look forward to every day. I get to listen to the girls’ heart beats and see them on the ultrasound multiple times. It reassures me that everything is okay.
Today, we had our weekly check-up, and got some great news!
Katelyn has dropped, I am 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced!
If you are like me, you want to know what this means!
Dilation is the opening of the cervix. There are 4 different stages of dilation and we have entered the beginning phase!
- Latent phase: 0-3 centimeters
- Active Labor: 4-7 centimeters
- Transition: 8-10 centimeters
- Complete: 10 centimeters. Delivery takes place shortly after this stage is reached
Effacement refers to the thinning of the cervix. Prior to effacement, the cervix is long, usually 3-5cm in length. As the baby gets ready to come out, the cervix begins to shorten and thin out. According to our doctor, effacement is the important one to watch. Once a woman is 100% effaced, the babies are coming!
Every woman and body is different so we could be in this stage for a few days or a couple weeks. I still have not had any contractions, aside from braxton hicks, and am still feeling pretty good (for being 37 weeks pregnant…with twins!)
Our entire pregnancy has been great so far and now all we can do is sit and wait. We are on the girls’ watch and they will come when they are ready!
Yesterday, I had my 36 week check up and everything is going great. There is no cervical change and the girls have not dropped.
I asked my obstetrician what the likelihood of induction would be and he said with twins, the chances are slim since they tend to come early on their own. However, if the girls do not want to come out, he would talk induction after my 40-week due date, which is July 13!
I asked him how many weeks his furthest patient with twins got and he said 38.5, weeks but she was also scheduled for a caesarean section. He told me there was achance, since I have been doing so well, I could be his patient who goes the most weeks with twins. I was not sure if I should cheer or cry at that comment. My mom carried me for 42 weeks, so maybe the girls will be as content in the womb as I was!
Obviously, I am ecstatic that my girls are doing so well and yes, I want to keep them in there as long as possible. The longer they are in the womb, the better, and their health is my number one priority.
With that said, the pregnancy aches, pains, and heart burn are definitely getting worse. I am getting a lot slower and exhaustion is constantly kicking in. I will say, I am very anxious to meet my girls and I am definitely getting over being pregnant!
My beloved family and friends keep telling me, “They are much easier to take care of while in the womb” which is true, but I am not looking for an easy path, I just want to hold my girls.
My husband keeps promising “You won’t be pregnant forever,” which I understand, but there are some days where I feel like I really could be!
I feel very fortunate because I have had a wonderful pregnancy with no complications so far. This pregnancy has really been a true blessing for which my husband and I have been very thankful!
A few short weeks is all we have left and as much as I would love to hold my girls, I know they will come out on their own time. I’ve made it this far and a few more weeks of pregnancy will only make me stronger. Knowing my girls are strong and healthy will get me through the pain.
Next week, I have four appointments: 37 Week Checkup, 2 Non-stress Tests, and a Hospital Ultrasound. At least the appointments are helping the weeks pass by!
Yesterday, Trent and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary! It’s hard to believe that 2 years have gone by so quickly. I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world. It is such a blessing to be able to marry your best friend, and honestly, I could not be happier!
Since we are in our 36th week of pregnancy, our celebration was low key this year and we both had a wonderful, relaxing weekend with each other!
On Thursday, I was feeling very sore and tired, laying in bed with my snoogle. Trent came home with a dozen roses, a card, and a gift certificate for a pregnancy massage at Skinsations Spa in Tustin, which I took advantage of on Saturday! It was so wonderful!
Last night, we had dinner at Roma D’Italia, a little Italian restaurant nearby, and then we came home and celebrated with a slice of cake!
The cake was from Rockwell’s Creative Cakes in Orange, the same bakery that made our cake for our wedding day.
As part of our wedding cake package, they offer a complimentary Anniversary cake one year after you get married. Since last year was so busy, we were able to celebrate with our Anniversary cake this year!
This weekend we also decided to take a few pictures of the baby bump. We want to put a couple pictures on the wall in the baby room. Trent was an amazing photographer with his diaper box tripod!
Now, we anxiously await the arrival of our girls. Our original birth plan is to not induce and we are hoping to go into labor naturally and deliver vaginally.
It’s only a matter of time before our angels arrive and we could not be more excited!
It’s hard to believe that we are now 35 weeks pregnant. I have hit the point in twin pregnancy where I not only have a doctor visit every week, but also go to the hospital twice a week for non-stress testing. I know the next few weeks could drag on, but having 3 weekly appointments to see my girls will definitely help out in the waiting process!
Non-stress tests (NST) are a painless procedure used to evaluate the girls condition. We start off with a quick ultrasound to check the positioning of the girls… and, great news, they are both still head down!!
Next, I sit in a big comfortable, reclining chair and the nurse straps three devices to my stomach. Two of them monitor each of the girl’s heart beats and movements while the third one records contractions in my uterus.
During the test, the nurse monitors the girls’ heartbeats, first while each baby is resting and again while they are moving. As you would expect, the heart rate should go up while they are kicking and moving.
I was told to eat a good breakfast to give the girls a little boost and get their feet kicking.
If the baby’s heart beats faster while she is moving, for at least 15 seconds, on two separate occasions, during a 20-minute span, the result is normal and she passes the test! A paper printout monitors every movement and is later sent to my doctor for further evaluation.
Depending on the cooperation of the babies, the test could take anywhere from 20-60 minutes. At our first visit on Monday, we were done in 20 minutes, and the nurse said the girls received their first “A”. I am so proud!
We have our next NST tomorrow morning and I’m hopeful it will go as smoothly as the first one!
We are now in our 35th week of pregnancy!
Full term for twins is 37 weeks. We have had no complications this far and we are hopeful that the girls will be content in their home for 38 weeks. (Then they are free to come out anytime!!!)
I am still doing really well but definitely experiencing the daily aches and pains. It is painful to get up or change positions. The multitude of stairs (in our tri level town home) are really starting to not be my friend and as much as I would love to get one of those motorized stairlift chairs, I think I can make it a few more weeks!
I have found that my happy place is either a warm bath or hot shower – pregnancy bliss – and I try to utilize each one once a day!
I can already tell the next few weeks are going to be the longest, but we are ready (as much as we can be) whenever the girls are ready! Trent and I are such planners and I’m sure we’re in for the ride of our lives soon.. but for now, we’ll focus on the ride for the girls…
This week’s milestone – the car seats are installed!
Everything is really starting to come together! We finished the nursery this week, bought a bunch of diapers, and finished our pre-baby shopping.
With twins, you are considered full term at 37 weeks. Now that I am 33 weeks pregnant, it’s time to pack the hospital bag!
Our plan is still to deliver vaginally, but since twins are considered a “high-risk” birth, we will be delivering our girls in the operating room. There is still a chance that I may potentially be delivering by c-section, which means my stay in the hospital could be up to 4 days.
With this being my first pregnancy, my list of what to bring to the hospital consists of what friends have told me and lists I have found online, but I think I have the basics covered. I have been told to be careful not to over-pack!
Labor Gear
- Hair Ties / Clips
- iPad
- iPhone/Chargers/Mini Speakers
- Birthing Ball
Personal Items
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Mouthwash
- Hair Brush
- Toiletries
- Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash/Face Wash
- Makeup
- Facial Wipes
- Chap Stick
Clothes
- Maternity Gown
- Nursing Bra
- Slippers / Warm Socks
- Flip Flops
- Comfy Going Home Clothes
- Going Home Outfit for Babies
- Change of Clothes for Daddy
Other
- 2 Car Seats
- Birth Plan
- Hospital Registration Forms
- Insurance Card
- Driver’s License
- Snacks for Daddy
My questions to Mommys: Was there anything you packed and did not need? Anything you wished you brought with you?
Once the bag is packed, we are one step closer to holding our girls! I cannot believe how fast time is flying by!
I Am ONLY 34 Weeks Pregnant!
June 2, 2011 in Pregnancy | Tags: 34 weeks, comments, pregnancy, pregnant, strangers, twins | by heisenman | 1 comment
In the past week, I have received a ton of weird glances (as in what is she doing out and about) and the most awkward comments from strangers.
The best comment, I received tonight from a retired police officer, (in his mid-80′s) while waiting in line to pick up dinner,
“I’ve been in the police force for 35 years and have not had to deliver a baby. I’m hoping tonight is not the night.”
I have learned that elevators are great places for strangers to throw comments your way. Last weekend in Huntington Beach, a woman looks at me and asks,
“When are you due, like tomorrow?”
In the elevator at the hospital, a man looks at me and says,
“Wow, it must be any day now!”
Every where I go, I get comments on the size of my baby bump and that I look like I must be ready to pop.
Strangers are also great to jump in and offer advice. Here is my favorite example:
I took my car to get serviced. I dropped it off at the dealership and took the service shuttle back home.
The entire way home, (thankfully only a two mile drive) the female driver noted I was pregnant and went on and on about how I should exclusively breast feed, what worked for her, and what she used to soothe her sore nipples when she fed her son. Um, thank you for the advice but very odd coming from a stranger.
I never realized how much advice a woman would receive, especially from strangers, when she is pregnant. It is like, just because you are pregnant, some people feel the need to remark on your size and look.
I have kind of grown used to the comments, but now that I am getting to the end and still have a month left, the comments that my “baby” should be here tomorrow, are starting to get annoying.
We had my 34 week check up today and everything looked great! Both girls are head down and my cervix is still completely closed up. The doctors said, I have potential to get to 38/39 weeks, which is absolutely awesome for twins!
I have approximately 3-5 more weeks left in this pregnancy and we are so excited for our girls to arrive… but right now, I just want to shout to the world,“NO, I am not due tomorrow!”