32 weeks and 6 days

So let's backtrack...

On Tuesday, July 12th, I went into active pre-term labor. They started magnesium sulfate so that they could stop the labor and administer the steroid shots over 48 hours.

On Thursday, July 14th, I was moved to another unit and put on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

On Saturday, July 15th, my doctor and I discussed going home after the weekend to complete the remainder of my pregnancy on bed rest.

On Sunday, July 16th right after midnight, my water broke, so going home was no longer an option. Antibiotics were started to prevent infection.

On Monday, July 17th right after midnight, some contractions started so I was moved back to Labor and Delivery. My contractions stopped after medication was administered.

On Tuesday, July 18th I had strong contractions all day long, but I would have one once an hour or longer. Around 9:30 pm, I started feeling crampy. When the doctor came to check around 10:00, I was 9 centimeters, so I missed the boat on the pain meds. They started pitocin and by 10:35, I was ready to push. I had to deliver in the Delivery room in the event I needed a c-section.

Kipton William Cooper was born at 10:49 pm.

He weighed 4 lbs 10 oz and was 17 1/2 inches long.

Kipton with a proud Mom and Dad.

Coleson Richard Cooper was born at 10:55 pm.

He weighed 4 lbs 3 oz and was 17 inches long.

Coleson with a proud Mom and Dad.

The boys definitely kept us on our toes early on!

32 Weeks

Thirty-two weeks was definitely not what I expected. I went to work (teaching 1/2 days for summer school) as usual on July 12th. By the end of the day (noonish) I was just tired and swollen so I went home, took a nap and tried to hydrate. I woke up from my nap and still didn't feel quite right, so I took a shower in the hopes that I would feel better. I felt a little crampy, but really thought it was just because I was dehydrated. I texted a couple of friends to ask about Braxton-Hicks, because even though I had those contractions with Mini, I was never able to feel them and honestly I don't really know what "natural labor" feels like because I was also induced with Mini. Around 5:30 pm, I called the on-call doctor and asked for advice and she said to push fluids and if the cramps start coming every 10 minutes or so to go ahead to the hospital. Around 6:30, I finally got hold of Will and told him to come home and prepare for the hospital. Once I arrived at the hospital and was placed on the monitor, I was is pre-term labor and didn't even realize it. They were able to stop the labor after 2 days which enabled them to administer steroid injections which will hopefully help the twins organs mature. The boys have remained oblivious to all of the chaos and look great on the monitors. I will post another update soon!

Boys Project #1

So here is one of the first finished "boys'" project. I had bought some car seats on Craigslist from a local mother of twins prior to finding out the sex of the twins. They were nice Graco seats for a nice price, but they were pink and brown. I contacted Graco and they had exactly 2 styles of replacement covers, one with giraffes and the other with elephants...neither of which I was thrilled about. I also looked online at custom made covers and boy were they expensive! So I decided to attempt to make my own and I am very happy I did. I LOVE the mixture of pirate fabrics! It only cost me about $30 total for both covers and because I made them as slipcovers keeping the original factory cover underneath the warranty will still be good!

PS

PS...I have been working hard this week on stuff for the boys and am sooo excited to post all my projects by the end of this week!

31 Weeks

I can't believe I'm already 31 weeks! Somebody asked me this weekend, "So how do you mentally prepare for having these next children after getting your first child so independent?!" Will and I both just laughed and said, "we don't...we're just going to throw ourselves to the wolves!" Of course, we didn't really prepare for Mini's arrival either, we didn't attend any birthing or parenting classes; we figured we would wing it and ask for help when we needed it and it seemed to work the first time around?! Let's hope it does this time as well!

I had several doctor's appointments this week. The first was just a regular OB visit...guess what, my belly is measuring 35 weeks, HA! Of course this is to be expected with twins and I'm sure it will grow a lot more. My doctor informed me that if baby A, the first presenting baby remains breech, then I will have to have a C-section so I'm hoping and praying that he decides to turn. I also asked about my right foot/ankle which remains swollen no matter what I do and has as if late become sore. They sent me that very day to have an ultrasound of my leg and foot to make sure that there was not a blood clot. The ultrasound was clear and I am beyond thankful to hear those results! I'm assuming that baby B is just in a position that is causing swelling in my right foot. Today I had an appointment with the diabetic nutritionist. She was pleased with my glucose levels and the adjustments that I had already made to my diet...in fact, I had cut out too many carbs, so she gave me better guidelines and gave me a little more flexibility! All in all, the boys and I are doing great!