Monday, March 30, 2009

Our New Friend!


Thanks Auntie Cherish,Uncle Justin, and Cousin Dalton...
Jeremy thinks we had better try it out on our neighbor Bryson first (Daddy doesn't want to scare the babies!)

Thank You!


Just wanted to Thank the following friends/family for the gifts:
Alisha Havens for the boy/girl socks
Sylvia Liddiard for the multiple matching outfits (4 of each) and the ABCD picture frame
Kris and Robert Kent for the Boppy
Stephanie Heppler for our first case of diapers
Cherish Novotny for the yummy nutritional bars
and Joe from the gym for more diapers
Thanks so much to everyone for your prayers, phone calls, e-mails ect.

12 Weeks


Here are two photos from our ultrasound today. In the first photo you have to look close but you should be able to see that baby D's butt is right over baby C's head (the ultrasound tech miss labled the babies, this one really is baby D). It was the funniest thing but baby C kept head butting baby D and it would cause baby D to start kicking and bouncing around. They were all like wobble weebles in there fighting for room. And the second picture is of all four heads.

After reading about Dr. Barbra Luke's diet, I tried real hard to gain some weight and I was very successfull. I have gained a total of 9lbs. Let me just tell you how I went about doing it. Yesterdays lunch consisted of 2 grilled cheese sandwiches with mustard, pickles, and lettuce, 2 packages of cookies, 2 bags of chips, a package of twinkies, and a bowl of ice cream to top it off....wait it gets better, after being married for four years, Jeremy and I experienced McDonald's together for the first time, we both had a hamburger and shared a large chocolate shake and then later that evening we went to Iggy's for dinner and shared a large plate of pasta and chicken. I wonder how much weight Jeremy will gain!!!
As for today's appointment, it went well and as you can see all four babies are growing equally and doing well. My doctor said he will let me work for four more weeks and then I will really have to take it easy. My doctor also wants to send me to Salt Lake City at the end of April to see the Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist for a second opinion, they have more experience than the doctors down here and would better be able to find problems if there happens to be any....Keep praying for us!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Good News!

Last week, while working at the Insta Care I was exposed to a bad virus (Parvovirus AKA fifths disease) it's known to be harmful to the fetus especially in the first trimester, and can cause still birth. I called my doctor's office on Monday morning, his nurse said to come in for a blood draw. When I got there my doctor met me in the waiting room and said "often times working in the medical field we are exposed to things we don't ever know about and become immune". My doctor just called to tell me that I am immune to the virus and have no other signs of infection. Yeah, what a relief! Jeremy and I have really considered me calling it quits... no more working, but we'll just have to see what the doctor says on Monday at my 12 week visit.
I have gained a total of 4lbs and thought that I was doing good until I read a blog from another quad mom who had gained 34lbs by her 13th week. I also found a blog that has info on a book by Dr. Barbra Luke entitled, "When your expecting Twins, Triplets, and Quads". In her book she has a eating plan, and with that studies to show that following her eating plan, babies have higher birth weights and fewer problems. I guess I will have to try harder to make myself eat, although my belly some how doesn't seem to notice... it just keeps on growing. The doctor said the babies are selfish and will take what they want to get the nutrition they need.
Jeremy is already trying to tackle the medical bills that somehow find themselves in our mail box on a daily basis. My Echo alone cost $800, another $350 for the doctor to read it and another $290 for the holter monitor, which I still don't have the results to. It's a good thing we are double covered and have a supplemental insurance for the NICU (Aflack).
Tomorrow will be my last estrogen injection and my last progesterone suppository, how I never thought I would see the day! For all those out there who have to go through the pains of IVF, I understand.
Tomorrow the owner of Wee Kids will be coming out to our house to give us ideas for the nursery. She has offered to give us a discount on cribs...do I really need four?

Saturday, March 21, 2009

10 week visit

We had our fourth OB appointment and another ultrasound done yesterday and all four babies are doing great. They all still have very strong heart beats and babies B and D were moving around; baby D even waved to us. My friend Sylvia (NICU nurse) came to visit and was able to come to our appointment. After seeing the babies she got all excited and went out and bought a bunch of baby clothes (4 of each). We also shopped for the nursery, which I have asked her to decorate for us while we are in the hospital. I have gained a total of two pounds, which Jeremy is very happy about. He gives me a challenge each day before he leaves for work, most days he challenges me to try and eat some protein, spinach, and fruit. I never have a problem eating fruit but forget about the protein and spinach. My Echo came back showing some mild Mitral Valve Prolapse, which the doctor said is nothing to worry about, and has yet to receive the holter monitor report. Life has been much better for me since my doctor put me on light duty at work. I have been able to work at the Insta Care this week, wich is much less strenuous than working at the hospital. I am almost finsihed with school, only 6 more weeks to go! I am looking forward to being able to enjoy my time off and lay in the sun. I planted flowers in my flower pot and am looking to buy a hamock....what a way to lay around!!!
Thanks again to all of you for your love, prayers, and support!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

10 weeks 4 days


I have had so many people requesting to see how big my belly is now... so here it is!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Wednesday March 11th....9 weeks 2 days

I went to the Doctors again today and had my third ultrasound. All four babies are doing great, in fact baby C is already moving around....we think that one will be Lilly! The doctor decided it was time to put me on light duty at work. I can't lift over 20lbs and I must take at least a 15 minute break every two hours to eat and rest. I have also had some palpitations and will be going in for an Echo on my heart on Friday. I will have to wear a 24 hour monitor to try and capture the palpitations and record what I am doing at the time. My belly hasn't gotten much bigger but the doctor said I am already measuring sixteen weeks. I have experienced a little nausea this week only because I need to eat more often. I do have a hard time eating....aversions, I can't wait until I have cravings! We also met with the Medical Director over the NICU. He was extremely helpful and went over statistics on gestational age. He encouraged me to start swimming on a daily basis because the hydrostatic pressure will increase blood flow to the uterus. His goal for us is 34 weeks. My friend Kelly (L&D nurse) called to check on me and fill me in on what to expect. I asked her to be in on our delivery.....I love having friends that are nurses! Well I am doing my best to finish school and make it to graduation on May 2nd. I really don't think my gown will fit but we can get around that. Working full time and carring 19 credits is wearing me down in a hurry.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Monday March 2nd....8 weeks!


Today was our second doctors appointment and for those of you who don't know, the doctor wants to see me and ultrasound me every week. Yes, that means between my OB and my Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist there will be lots of appointments. Today during my ultrasound the doctor and tech were able to see what they were hoping to see....both sets of twins have membranes between them. That means there is no chance for cord entanglement or conjoined twins...Yeah! We are still at risk for TTS or Twin to twin transfusion. Because both sets of twins share placentas, they share the same nutrients, meaning one baby can get more than the other, leaving the other one to starve. As for me so far I am still feeling great, NO MORNING SICKNESS! My doctor is extremely surprised considering my HCG levels. I do feel my belly growing on a daily basis, mostly at night. I do have to get up in the middle of the night not only to use the restroom but to eat as well. Jeremy just loves to see what the babies are doing to me already and has started to call me QUADZILLA! When I am hungry...get out of the way. Today I also met with my Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor and he is excited. He said the babies look great and was also able to see membranes between each set of twins. Today our babies were officially named baby A, B, C, and D.

Monday February 23rd ....7 weeks!

Today was our first doctor's appointment, where the nurse took my history, weighed me, and prepped me for my first ultrasound. Once the ultrasound came up on the screen, I immediately saw two dark sacs and said "Yeah twins!" Then the doctor began to take a closer look...I saw two heart beats in one sack and said "wow, that one split, we are going to get triplets after all" then the doctor moved on to the next sac to take a closer look...saw one heart beat and then he said "Oh no..." I then saw what he was seeing...a second heart beat in that sac too and said "four" and began to cry. The nurse handed me a box of Kleenex and I looked over to my husband and said "forget about the mini van...we need a bus". He was in awe. He didn't mutter but a few words. Yes, we are pregnant with two sets of identical twins. What a blessing!

My belly at 7 weeks and 4 days!

Positive Pregnancy Test!

I came home from work on Super Bowl Sunday during the last quarter of the game, and told Jeremy that I couldn't wait any longer, I just had to know. Earlier Jeremy and I had decided to not look at the test results until I got home from work, when we could look at them together. I honestly didn't mean to interupt the game but I just couldn't wait any longer. Before reviewing my HCG levels, I explained to Jeremy that anything above 5 is considered positive. My HCG levels on day 8 (post embryo transfer) were 147. We had it drawn again on day 10 and it was 262. By this time I was a bit worried because I was expecting the number to be higher, considering it doubled every day. Again I had my HCG level drawn, but this time at day 20 and the Nurse Practitioner said that the number should be around 2000. On Friday the 13th of February, my HCG level was almost 10,000. At this point I knew there had to be more than one baby.
Here is my pre-pregnancy belly!