Yesterday I had my appointment with my new doctor, who will be delivering our babies. She was so wonderful! Leading up to the appointment I was a little nervous, and afraid that I wouldn't feel good about Dr. N and then have to go out and find someone else. But, the appointment went better than I ever could have hoped. I felt completely at ease and comfortable from the moment she walked into the room. I just know that our babies are going to be in the best hands with her as our doctor!
During the appointment she mentioned that she rarely lets twin pregnancies go past 36 weeks, mainly because that's when one or both twins will stop growing and other problems start to arise. So, with that new information in mind, and with yesterday being our official 18-week mark, I am already half way through this pregnancy!
It's probably no secret, but when we first found out we were expecting we were probably more scared than excited. I hate to even admit that, but after all that we've been through it was hard to believe it was something that would actually last. With every passing day and every doctor appointment, our fears have been increasingly replaced by the most incredible joy and gratitude. Our babies continue to amaze us with their growth, their strength, and their incredible sharing of the placenta. I love to think that they're already getting their first lessons in sharing with each other.
We have an ultrasound tomorrow at a different office, but yesterday Dr. N decided she wanted to take a look at the babies herself rather than just listening to their heartbeats. I never get tired of seeing our babies. I'm still in awe that what I'm seeing on the monitor is actually going on inside my body. The creation of life is such a miracle!
We've had some requests to get a glimpse of my growing belly, so here's an 18-week photo:
I was so happy to find out at my appointment yesterday that I gained 7 pounds in the last two weeks. After losing so much weight at the beginning, putting on pounds has been slower than I expected, until now.
According to this awesome book I've been reading (and have totally LOVED!), with twins I should be eating 3500 calories/day and by week 20 I should have gained 25 pounds. At this current rate, I think I actually might make it! Apparently after the second trimester it gets much more difficult to gain a lot of weight, so the idea is to put on the bulk of the pounds early so that the babies have a reserve to feed off of when my stomach no longer has the space to fill up with food.
And, since we're on the subject, I guess I should say that I had my first real craving last week:
After watching the Super Size Me documentary a few weeks ago, I swore I would never eat fast food again. But, I just couldn't resist the craving! Well, and I have a slight iron deficiency, so I need to increase my red meat intake, for the babies' sakes. Plus, it would take a lot of celery to get in those daily 3500 calories. For the record, the Big Mac went down just great... loved every bite! But, the after taste wasn't as pleasant... so, I think we'll stick with our homemade burgers.
Overall everything is going so incredibly well! We have been so blessed. We continue to appreciate all the thoughtful prayers and warm wishes for us and our babies! We have the most wonderful family and friends!
