Twin Pregnancy: 23 Week Update

Happy 23 weeks to our sweet little girls! 

This past week was another good one - full of blessings and miracles. Our little girls continue to grow! They were both one pound and three ounces - still growing together. On a recent ultrasound, over the weekend, we saw Mary Elliott really moving around for the first time. In the past, we'd seen a slight movement, but recently she's really been wiggling everything. I think she's finally pushing back on her sister who is constantly moving about and kicking at her. Mary Elliott also had a full bladder and full stomach - indicating that internally, things are working. 

I mentioned in last week's update that I was really starting to feel Sadie Ann kick. Well, this week it's even more so! She will get going on these crazy episodes and go non-stop! That girl can throw a punch and kick her legs. Last week I even got to see my belly move from all the kicking. I had Chris put his hand on my belly during her playtime. It was the funniest and sweetest thing to see him react to feeling her. His eyes became as large as golfballs and he immediately pulled his hand away - I'm certain it shocked him. 

For me, my WBC count continues to jump back and forth between 13-14 - which appears to be my normal. I'm continuing to have the Braxton Hicks daily - some days they are more frequent than others. I'm also having lots of other different feelings going on, but my doctor continues to assure me that with two growing babies, I'm going to be feeling a hundred different things. So all is still going well. 

I prayed that the 22-24 week countdown would pass by quickly - and so far it has! Fran and I kept ourselves busy making crafts. This is her last week here with me for a few weeks - she returns in January. My parents, brother, and dogs come back to Alabama this Saturday and they'll be visiting through Christmas and the New Year. Again, I'm just so happy and thankful to have family that is willing to sit with me all day just to keep me company and have that added bit of support in the room. It's been a blessing. 

Here is our weekly countdown banner. One week down and one to go to our first goal!

And here is what Chris has set up in our room for our Netflix bingers. 

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Twin Pregnancy: 22 Week Update

Hello, 22 weeks!

As you can see in this picture, my little pink tee is getting tighter and tighter - which I love! I'm even starting to fill out in my upper abdomen area. These girls are growing!

This past week has been a good one, full of many blessings. As I've mentioned, the girls are receiving an ultrasound every other day. Last week, I ask my ultrasonographer what the babies were weighing. She told me ONE pound each! I could not believe it. They are a pound! Such a blessing.

Then this morning my doctor came in and told be they were both 1lb 2oz!!!

This past Friday morning the girls had an extra long anatomy scan - a typically anxiety-ridden exam. It was completed later in the morning, after my doctor had already stopped by for the day. It wasn't until the next morning that she pulled up the report in my room and read it to Chris and me… "No abnormalities seen in baby A; no abnormalities seen in baby B." There's nothing like getting that kind of news first thing in the morning. All praises to the Lord! What a beautiful report. She went on to tell us that Mary Elliott continues to grow and keep up with her sister. Despite her ruptured sac and lack of fluid, she continues to move about and grow. I'm such a thankful and proud mommy.

Friday morning also marked five weeks since the rupture. Five weeks! Unbelievable. And it marked five months pregnant.

Sunday the girls and I rolled over to 22 weeks - meaning we are now on the two week countdown to 24 weeks! I hope and pray these next two weeks we continue to remain stable, the girls continue to grow, no infections come about, and that the days don't all of a sudden start to slow down. Again, at 24 weeks, I get my steroid injections to help with the babies' lungs and they past the point of viability in which they have a chance of survival should they decide to come that early. I've advised them to stay put for several more weeks - let's hope they listen to their mommy.

My white blood cell count continues to remain stable, right at 13-14.

I've put on eight pounds since being admitted to the hospital. Which I attribute to three fully-loaded trays a day, snacks my doctor ordered me between all means, and the constant sweets and treats that friends and family bring me daily. 

This past week I spent the majority of my time taking online CEU classes. I needed to complete them anyway, but of course I received a letter in the mail not long ago that I was being audited by the state. So that just means I need to turn in some extra paperwork and turn it in earlier than what I would normally have to since it all has to be audited. Thankfully, I finished it all, my paperwork is completed, and was mailed out this morning. Shew!

Also in the last week, my sweet mother in law brought in some Christmas decorations to liven up my tiny room! I have a wreath on my door, garland on the mirror and bulletin board, and a precious Christmas tree. It's all just perfect!

Yesterday she brought in crafts for us to make a countdown to 24 weeks! It's in the shape of a banner with pom poms. We have it all made and set up - and each day, at the end of the day, we will cut off a pom pom until we get to 24 weeks. Then we'll make a new one that will count us down to 26 weeks… and so on. 

Another week has come and gone and it's all being overseen by the Lord. Every day it's increasingly obvious how He is right here with our little family. I thank Him daily for so many miracles, so many blessings, and so much love! 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Twin Pregnancy: 21 Week Update

I have officially been in the hospital and on bed rest for over four weeks now - and on this past Sunday (November 30), I hit the 21 week mark! Which may not seem that monumental to most, but to have suffered a membrane rupture at 16w5d, it's a big deal. So Happy 21 Weeks to our precious little girls! 

I love seeing how much they grow in just one week!

I attribute all success in this situation to God and the non-stop prayer we have received since this happened. Medically speaking, there's really nothing that has or can be done until 24 weeks other than the antibiotics I received the first week and bed rest. I spend 90% of my day in the bed. I don't lay flat, but close to it. I am allowed to get up to use the bathroom and I can take a shower, sitting down, every other day. I've become extremely weak due to the lack of activity - so getting up to use the restroom and my shower days are all exhausting. But I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Enough about me. On to the babies. 

The girls get ultrasounds every other day and at each ultrasound I'm just amazed at the work God is doing. Despite our little Mary Elliott's (baby A) lack of fluid, she continues to grow, move around, thrive, and have a full bladder. All very positive things that are nothing less than daily blessings. She and her sister always measure within a day of each other and on this past Saturday, they both were 20w6d and weighed 12-13oz. This Monday morning they had their second anatomy scan and all looked great! One of my favorite things to see on the ultrasound is both of the girls moving, usually trying to cuddle - and we've seen both of them have the hiccups. So adorable. Fills my heart with joy! 

As far as my white blood cell count, it has remained stable at 13 for the past week - which is also an amazing blessing that infection is staying away. 

As we made our way into 18 and 19 weeks, I began feeling slight movements inside of me - they felt like bubbles and light flutters. As 20 weeks passed by, those flutters became more frequent and have recently turned into full-on karate kicks. The girls are tiny, but they can throw a punch. Sometimes it startles me and then makes me giggle. Since Sadie Ann has fluid, her movements are the ones I feel most often. Mary Elliot's movements aren't as frequent because of her limited space - and because of the lack of fluid around her, her movements feel more like pokes. No matter what I feel, I'm just so in love with both of their completely different feelings of movement and so thankful to feel them on a daily basis - even when they wake me up at 2a..m.. 

I've started having Braxton Hicks. I actually believe I've been having them for several weeks now - even a couple weeks before all this happened. When I first had them, I attributed it to the babies shifting around and just being anterior in the womb. However, my doctor mentioned last week that I may be feeling them soon. Since I'd never been this far along in a pregnancy, I had no clue what to expect and as I did my research on them, I began to realize that the tightness I'd occasionally feel maybe wasn't the babies moving about. In the past couple weeks they've definitely become noticeable and frequent. My doctor said that up to four an hour can be normal. Sometimes I have that many an hour and then sometimes I don't have any for several hours. She said that was normal too - easing my mommy brain.

I've also been so blessed to have my mom and mother in law stay with me every. single. day. since I was admitted. My mom took a month off from work and spent all of November here. She went home over the weekend and my mother in law traveled over to spend the next three (yeah, three!) weeks hanging out in room 205. Chris has spent every night since Halloween here with me without a single complaint. They've all been so selfless and generous with their time and I appreciate it more than what I could ever express. 

So that's some of our big updates as of 21 weeks. Our first big goal is still 24 weeks - which is the Sunday before Christmas. Once we make it to 24 weeks, I'll receive a set of steroid shots that will help with the development of Mary Elliott's lungs secondary to her lack of fluid which plays a crucial role in lung development. It will actually help with both of the girls' lungs in case they do come a lot earlier than planned. Lord willing, once we make it to 24 weeks and get the shots we can breathe a small tiny sigh of relief and then we will look on towards 26 weeks. Following a conversation about how much we both love Thanksgiving food, my doctor told me that if we can make it to 26 weeks she'll feel really good - turkey, gravy, and stuffing good.

We continue to pray and ask for prayers for our little girls.


The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8