Archive for Obgyn appts.

Doctors’ appts.

{ May 4, 2009 @ 1:10 pm } · { High risk specialist appts., Obgyn appts. }
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This post is a little late.  My doctors’ appointments last Friday went well.  My ob-gyn was out so I saw the other doctor in his practice.  The good news that made me so happy is that I only gained ONE POUND in two weeks.  Yay!  I’ve gained 48 lbs total.  I’m hoping I don’t go too much over 50 lbs.  She listened to the babies’ heartbeats, and everything seemed fine.

Later that afternoon, I had my full sonogram at the high risk specialists’ office.  The girls are growing as they should.  Abby is now 3 lbs, 14 ou., and Izzy is 4 lbs, 8 ou.  I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to gain a half a pound each week from here on out.  They are both head down, and the sonographer said that their heads were really low in my pelvis.  She didn’t have to tell me that, I could feel them. 

Again, no date has been set for my c-section.  I go back to my ob-gyn in two weeks.  I’ll be 36 weeks then so I’m pretty certain he’ll schedule it at that point.  I can’t believe I’ll be 35 weeks on Thursday.  Doug and I are going to have our daughters this month…wow!

Appointments

{ April 17, 2009 @ 1:09 pm } · { High risk specialist appts., Obgyn appts. }
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My appointments went well today.  This morning I saw my ob-gyn.  I have gained 2 lbs since my last appointment two weeks ago…right on target.  I’m hoping to only gain a pound a week until the girls come.  So I have gained a total of 47 lbs.  My blood pressure and urine were normal, and the girls’ heartbeats were also normal.  Again, nothing was set in stone as far as my scheduled c-section date, but he said that we would most likely schedule it for 37 or 38 weeks.  I also asked him about my swelling and if it was something to be concerned about, and he said no.  This afternoon I had my nonstress testing, which I go to twice a week.  The girls are active and are looking good.  I can’t believe we have anywhere from 4-6 more weeks left.  I’m starting to get nervous.

Glucose test

{ March 12, 2009 @ 11:25 am } · { Obgyn appts. }
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This morning I had to go in for a glucose test to test for gestational diabetes.  They drew my blood right when I got there, and then I had to drink this clear liquid.  I then had to sit for an hour before they drew my blood again.  I won’t know the results for a week or two.  I will update my post with the results once I receive them.

Ob-gyn/high risk appts. and stuff

{ March 6, 2009 @ 8:22 pm } · { High risk specialist appts., Obgyn appts., Pregnancy }
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This morning I had my ob-gyn appt.  It went well.  I’ve gained 41 lbs to date.  I’ve gained 7 lbs since my last appt. a month ago.  Mantra: “These little girls are worth it.  I won’t be this big forever.”  The protein and sugars in my urine came out negative.  I asked Dr. Ojeda about scheduling my c-section.  He said that I would have a scheduled date, but he wouldn’t schedule it until I’m at least 30 weeks.  I have to go in next week to have a glucose test done to test for gestational diabetes. 

This afternoon I had my high risk appt.  The girls are growing at a good rate.  Abby (baby A) weighed in today at 1 lb, 14 ou., and Izzy (baby B) weighed in at 1 lb, 15 ou.  They were both positioned head down, Abby on the right side of my tummy, and Izzy on the left side of my tummy.  In two weeks when I’m 28 weeks, I have to start going in twice a week for nonstress testing.  In one of the ultrasound pictures, Izzy’s head was directly under Abby’s chin.  They are already touching each other and forming a sisterly bond.

Doug is finishing painting the nursery this weekend.  His friends, Dave and Chris, helped him last week.  He took the day off and worked on the second coats of paint today, and tomorrow he will finish up with the base boards and some final touches.  He is such a good daddy already getting everything ready for his little girls.  And for those of you who will see the room in the future, let me just say for the record that he picked out the shade of green.  I wanted to go with sage for the top half of the walls and brown for the bottom, but Doug wanted something more vibrant.  I gave in.  And though I don’t hate it and it wasn’t my first choice, he really likes it.  I’m sure once all the furniture is in it and the decorations are up, it won’t look so bright.  Doug says the color reminds him of a new blade of grass.

Next weekend we are having my maternity pictures done.  Doug’s friend Mark’s wife Rachel is a professional photographer.  And bless her heart, she has offered to take my pictures for free and discount her prints as a gift to us…such a blessing!  We are driving out to the OC next Saturday, and I can’t wait.  She has some really awesome ideas.  We’re bringing Willow with us…we couldn’t leave him out of the pictures.  We will do a variety of pictures…some family pictures, some belly pictures, and some intimate (but classy…very Demi Moore/Britney Spears in Vanity Fair).  I want to frame one of our favorties to put up in the nursery.

The following weekend, we’re planning on having a 4D sonogram done.  There’s a place downtown that seems really cute.  You get so many pictures printed out, the 20 minute sonogram is put on a dvd to music, and you can bring up to 15 people to watch it go down on a 135″ screen.  My mom would get a big kick out of it so we’re planning on inviting her, her boyfriend, my grandma, Larissa, Christie, and Cayla.

And then it’s just buying the nursery furniture and decorating the walls with shelves, framed pictures, and some wall decals.  We’re thinking about putting a decal of a giant tree on the wall.  There’s a website that sells them, and they’re awesome.  Thankfully, Doug is excited and interested in decorating the nursery so we’re having a good time with it.  I’ll post more pictures as it progresses.  The picture below was taken at night with no light on in the room…just the flash from my camera.  The green looks a bit brighter in person.img_0649

Ob-gyn/high risk specialist appointments

{ February 6, 2009 @ 5:25 pm } · { High risk specialist appts., Obgyn appts. }
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My appointments went very well today.  This morning at my ob-gyn, I was weighed and the results are staggering.  I’m now 174 lbs and have gained 34 lbs in 22 weeks.  When my doctor saw me, he complimented me on the way I looked.  When I told him how much weight I had already gained, he assured me that my weight gain is normal for a twin pregnancy.  He told me that I should expect to gain double what a normal pregnant woman carrying one would.  The average is 30 lbs so I should expect to gain 60.  Goodness gracious!  That will put me over 200 lbs.  I’m clinging to the words of my once pregnant friends who tell me that I will lose most of it after the babies are born. 

They tested my urine for protein and sugar, and it came back negative.  My blood pressure was normal.  I was able to hear the heartbeats, which is always super fun.  Baby A’s was 162 while baby B’s was 152, which are normal fetal heart rate numbers.  On my last visit, I had blood drawn for the AFP (Alpha Feta Protein) test.  This test checks for down syndrome and any neurological diseases.  I hadn’t heard anything back from the doctor’s office so I was assuming that no news is good news.  They confirmed this morning that my results came back negative.  Whew!  What a relief.  My doctor told me that since I am approaching my 3rd trimester, I need to take it easy and make sure not to exert myself too much.

This afternoon was our appointment at the high risk specialist.  The ultrasound tech confirmed that we are having two little girls.  The measurements she took were all normal for their gestational age.  Both babies weigh in at 1 lb, 1 ou., which is great that they are growing at an even pace.  Towards the end of our appointment, she showed us an image of the babies.  They were head to head.  I think they are already forming a bond as sisters and friends.  Hehe!

I go back in another four weeks, and then starting two weeks after that I have to go in to the high risk specialist’s office TWICE A WEEK for monitoring.  I believe my ob-gyn appointments become more frequent in my 3rd trimester also.  Doug and I are debating having a 4D ultrasound done around 25 weeks.  It’s a little pricey ($150), but I think it will be worth it to have as a memento of their time in my belly.  I am just so happy and grateful that the babies are developing well and are healthy.

14 week obgyn visit

{ December 13, 2008 @ 2:32 am } · { Obgyn appts. }
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I went in to see Dr. Ojeda today for my heart issues.  My blood pressure was normal, which is a good sign.  My urine tested negative for sugar and protein…also good.  Dr. Ojeda told me to stay away from caffeine, which for the most part I do.  I have one caffeinated drink a week and have a sweet treat (cookie, ice cream, or fudge) once or twice a day.  I don’t overdo it though. 

Dr. Ojeda thinks it’s PVC, Premature Ventricular Contractions, which is exactly what my dad thought it was.  He said it can be normal in pregnancies, and he referred me to a cardiologist.  After a week of experiencing these heart flutters or palpitations, it hasn’t happened for the past day and a half.  I’ll still make the appt. with the cardiologist just to be safe since it’s a part of my family history (my dad has atrial fibrillation and had open heart surgery to repair one of his valves), but I don’t think it’s anything serious.

I just googled “PVC pregnancy” and came across a message board.  It seems as though many pregnant women are experiencing the same thing…whew!  Dr. Carnevale also attributes this to the fact that pregnant women’s hearts pump more blood to  supply the placenta(s).  My heart is probably just in overdrive. 

I’ve gained 4 more pounds in two weeks.  That’s 16 pounds in 14 weeks.  Holy mackarel.  Dr. Ojeda did another ultrasound today…yay.  The babies look good and are looking bigger.  Looks like things are just as they should be.

12 week obgyn visit

{ December 4, 2008 @ 11:27 pm } · { Obgyn appts. }
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Dr. Ojeda performing my ultrasound at 12 weeks

Dr. Ojeda performing my ultrasound at 12 weeks

On November 25th, 2008, Doug and I had our second obgyn visit.  I’m 12 weeks at this point.  I was once again weighed…never a fun thing….and I gained 4 more pounds.  12 lbs in 12 weeks.  Cheese and Crackers!  It’s for the health of the babies, I know.  My urine was tested for sugar and protein and came back negative.  Dr. Kristy tells me that they test urine for possibilities of diabetes and other potential problems. 

Dr. Ojeda did an ultrasound and though his machines are not as high tech as Dr. Brar’s, it was still so awesome to see the little ones moving around.  It seemed as though one of the babies had the hiccups.  After he/she hiccuped, it kind of flew up in the air of the sac.  One baby was very active, and the other one was pretty mellow.  Dr. Ojeda pointed out how you could count the fingers on one of their hands.  Five fingers….yay!

He was very pleased to hear that the twins were diamniotic and confirmed it when he showed up the dividing membrane on the ultrasound.  We found out that we have the choice of delivering at Parkview or Riverside Community.  We’ve decided on Community.  I also asked him when we would know whether I would deliver naturally or via c-section.  He told us that with twins, he prefers to deliver by c-section because too many complications can arise with a vaginal birth.  He told us that it was our decision and that if we wanted to have the babies naturally, he would be fine with it.

Doug and I decided that a c-section is the best decision for us.  We won’t schedule the date until next year.  If everything goes as planned, we may be having the babies in late May or early June.  My latest addiction is watching every show on TV about babies and delivery….A Baby Story, Baby Diaries, Bringing Home Baby, Deliver Me. 

I’m feeling great and feel blessed that I haven’t had any morning sickness.  I have felt nauseous from time to time, but nothing so extreme that I have gotten sick.  However, I am growing bigger everyday.  A couple of people (who didn’t already know) have asked me if I’m pregnant.  My jeans still fit but are super snug and are uncomfortable to sit down in for long periods of time.  Thankfully, Tedi (a girl in my small group) has been generous enough to loan me some of her maternity clothes.  It’s only week 12 and already I’m wearing maternity jeans.  Oy Vey!  Our next appt. with Dr. Brar is December 12th, and our next appt. with Dr. Ojeda is December 23rd.  Again, thank you to all our family and friends who have been praying for us.  We love you.

1st obgyn appointment

{ December 4, 2008 @ 10:26 pm } · { Obgyn appts. }
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On October 29th, 2008, Doug and I went to our first obgyn appointment.  I was eight weeks by this point and had just found out days prior that we were having twins.  The appointment went by really fast.  I was weighed….eeeek…..and I had gained 8 lbs.  What I didn’t know then that I do now is that for twin pregnancies, the woman should gain a pound a week in the first trimester.  I was actually right on track…8 lbs in 8 weeks. 

My doctor, Dr. Ojeda, performed an ultrasound and confirmed that we indeed are having twins.  My due date is June 11th, 2009.  However, twins are usually delivered early.  Average delivery for twins is 37 – 38 weeks, depending on their development.  Because anything over one baby is considered high risk, Dr. Ojeda referred us to a high risk specialist. 

At this point, we were told by both the ER ultrasound tech and Dr. Ojeda that the twins looked as though they were monoamniotic, meaning they shared an amniotic sac.  After talking to one of my best friends, Kristy (Dr. Carnevale), who is an obgyn in Texas, she gave me a rundown on twin education.  If the twins do in fact share an amniotic sac and they don’t have a dividing membrane, it could cause serious problems down the road with umbilical cord entanglement.  Kristy assured me that this was very rare and kept me thinking positively. 

Dr. Ojeda told me that since I am high risk that I can no longer work out AT ALL!  Ouch!  I could only walk and swim.  I froze my account at the gym for nine months.  I am still able to walk Willow between 45 minutes and an hour each day.  I had to have some blood drawn for testing also. 

I’d like to give a big shout out to Dr. Kristy Carnevale who has not only been a great friend through my pregnancy so far but has also acted as my second doctor.  It’s a great blessing to be able to call her up whenever I have questions or concerns.  I so wish she would be able to deliver my babies, but someone had to take a job in Texas instead of California.  Kristy, BBHHSF, thank you for all your support, advice, and love.  I really appreciate your friendship.

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