Finding Out You're Pregnant - Monochorionic Diamniotic Twins

As February fast approaches, I find myself thinking back to February of 2013 when I become pregnant with our miracle twins.  An unfortunate reality of a twin pregnancy is there isn't always a lot of celebrating upon seeing the first tiny heart beats.  Finding out I was pregnant should have been one of the happiest days of my life especially after enduring countless fertility treatments.  Our happiness of being pregnant with identical twins was quickly overshadowed by the risks.

The first ultrasound showed the twins were identical, and my IVF doctor indicated there was potentially no membrane separating them.  At the time I had no idea what this meant other than they'd be monochorionic monoamniotic (Mo/Mo) twins.  Mo/Mo twins share both a placenta and amniotic sac.  They also typically have a 50-60% survival rate due to the serious complications of chord entanglement or Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).  Hearing all this, on top of being sick early on from the pregnancy, was incredibly difficult.

My husband and I made the decision to not share the pregnancy with our families until we knew more. The stress of not knowing what type of twins I was carrying was torture.  My mind was constantly running best/worst case scenarios while simultaneously trying to pretend everything was okay.  Until the babies developed further the doctors were unable to definitively identify our twin type.

It was at my first appointment with the Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) practice that we found out our twins were monochorionic diamniotic or mono/di for short.  I'll never forget laying on the table while the doctor performed the ultrasound.  The MFM doctor kept the ultrasound screen from us while he looked at the babies.  When he swiveled the screen towards us and pointed to the thin membrane separating them all the stress I had been carrying came out.  I wept the rest of the ultrasound as I held my husband's hand.  Waves of happiness, relief, and fear washed over me.  I was relieved the twins weren't the highest risk type, but I also knew we were at risk for complications associated with mono/di twins.

So much in life is out of our control.  I, for one, build up images of how life will go or how it should be.  Learning I was pregnant with identical twins, and ones with serious risk factors, tested my ability to look beyond my own expectations of a perfect pregnancy.  My two little girls were teaching me lessons from day one.

Friday Favorites: Managing Twins Edition

In all honesty, I should call this Friday the Flu Edition.  Our house was hit with the flu, and the past week is pretty much a blur.  Thankfully Tamiflu has helped and none of the littles wound up with any complications so far.  Nursing the kiddos back to health didn't leave much time for anything else so this Friday Favorites is a day late.  It's Friday somewhere, right?  Okay, maybe not.  But better late than never.

1.  Christmas Presents - Entertaining a 3 year old with the flu isn't easy especially when quarantined from his little sisters.  Thankfully I had left many Christmas presents in his closet to be opened later.  His favorites were this Disney matching game and his Thomas the Trains.  He also likes to color with the dot-a-dots markers.

2.  Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - Now that we're in the coldest days of winter, my skin and lips are a mess from the cold and dryness.  The Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments are my go-to for a natural look that also helps tame my dry lips.  

3.  In the Loop - A colleague recommended this movie based on it's dark, sarcastic humor, and hubs and I were in need of something new to watch.  It was smart, witty, and a funny look at life within the DC beltway.  We enjoyed it while we wait for our TV shows to return.  It's been two months since Scandal!!!!! 

4.  New Journal and Calendar - I know many of the Mommy bloggers have their go-to planners like Erin Condren.  I found hers to be too big and bulky for me to carry day-to-day.  My new favorite site, Minted, had numerous adorable options.  I fell in love with this one, and it's been perfect for my needs.  It's a slim calendar that fits easily in my work or weekend purses.  I also bought a journal to jot down random thoughts, ideas, etc.  Everything I've bought from Minted has been high quality.  I also like the site because it supports real artists.

5.  Nespresso - After realizing how much I spent on Starbucks coffee in the first year with twins, I realized I needed to reign in that habit.  It was a much too expensive habit for my comfort level.  I'd rather put the money in the kiddos' college funds.  I invested in a Nespresso machine and have been experimenting with making my own drinks.  Making my own lattes at home has also helped cut down on the processed sugar I used to get at Starbucks.  Trust me, I love my pumpkin spice latte and white mocha, but I realize the stuff in those syrups isn't exactly healthy.  I still go to Starbucks once in awhile for my caffeine fix.  I can't go cold turkey.  Wow.  I sound like an addict.     

Happy Saturday!  Hope the flu epidemic is avoiding your part of the country.

Mom of Multiples

Managing Mealtime with Twins

Mealtime in our home has become one of the most stressful times of the day.  The little ladies go from zero to hangry in the blink of an eye.  Often I walk into the door for a few blissful moments of peace before the screeching starts.  It's amazing how two tiny little girls can make so much noise.  So.  Much.  Noise.

In order to gain control of mealtime, I've resorted to meal planning - make-ahead meal edition.  It's just easier if most of our meal is already made, and I only have to augment with a vegetable or another side dish.  Thankfully this time of year many meals are make-ahead.  Things like chili, spaghetti, or meatloaf are big hits.  The little ladies love their meats.

What I haven't wrapped my head around, though, is how to cut up their food quicker.  It's twice the cutting and do to their feeding issues I haven't been too comfortable with baby-led weaning.  I'm still giving them mostly bite sized pieces.  Most meals I can't keep up with their appetites and spend it cutting, cutting, and cutting.  These girls can eat!

One product I recommend for any mom of multiples is a twin table.  Ours was a gift from another twin family, and it's been used daily for months.  Trying to keep up with cleaning the small crevices of a high chair was driving me up a wall.  Whoever designs high chairs clearly never had a child.  The twin table makes clean-up and mealtime easier.  We use a squeegee-like thing to clean-up at the end.  No crevices or fabric covers to clean.  Someday I look forward to passing this table down to another well-deserving twin family.

    

Monday Meal Planning

Meal planning is a necessity in my home.  Working full-time and getting dinner on the table seems impossible many days.  What's worked best for me, and created the least amount of stress, is cooking meals ahead of time.  Every Sunday I try to cook 2 dinners - one to have Sunday night and one for Monday night.  If I plan right I can get leftovers for dinner from each of those meals, too.  That only leaves Thursday night to account for, and I can plan something easy.  It's a system that's worked relatively well for my family.

Last night I made a delicious new recipe that I highly recommend.  Normally I despise meatloaf yet this turkey meatloaf had me wanting seconds.  Skinnytaste is one of my favorite blogs for tasty AND healthy recipes.  Trust me and try this easy-to-make meatloaf tonight.

 

Losing the Baby Weight After Twins

Losing the baby weight after having twins hasn't been easy.  During 10 weeks of bed rest and a host of pregnancy complications, I admittedly didn't follow a great diet.  I found myself turning to food for comfort during the really hard lonely days staring at the living room wall.  Being isolated on bed rest was hard and those Hostess cupcakes sure looked darn good.  Plus I assumed I'd just lose the weight after the twins arrived.  Riiiiiight.  

Fast forward fifteen months since giving birth, and I know it's time to drop the remaining 20 pounds of baby weight.  Chasing around three little ones all day makes me feel incredibly out of shape.  And truth be told, old.  I get out of breath doing things I used to be able to easily do.  Plus I physically feel weak.  My back and legs in particular are not what they used to be.  I knew bed rest resulted in a loss of muscle tone, but I didn't know I'd still be trying to gain it back fifteen months later.  

Part of my 'renew year' is tackling the weight loss.  Not just losing the pounds but also gaining back my strength and stamina.  Mothering multiples requires both, and I find myself running on empty far too early in the day lately.  So I joined Weight Watchers today.  Again. This is the 3rd time in the past fifteen months I've committed to doing it.  I'll see a drop in pounds for a few weeks then something will derail me.  And by something, I mean me.  

Today I took the twins and my 70-pound dog out for a thirty minute walk.  Afterwards I had to sit down and put the fan on me.  Seriously.  That's a sign I need to do something.  My goals for this week are small and indicative of the horrible eating habits I've adapted, but it's a start.  

#1 - Eat at least 1 fruit or vegetable with each meal.  Aim for 2 fruits/vegetables each meal.

#2 - Drink 64 ounces of water.  

#3 - Drink only one coffee per day.  

#4 - Do 30 minutes of exercise 3x this week.

None of those goals are earth shattering or newsworthy.  Yet they're the little things I'm not consistently doing.  At least not for myself.  I make a concerted effort to ensure my children get fruits or vegetables or enough water.  But I don't do the same for me.  Please join me in setting small goals this week to tackle your health or fitness obstacles.  What small thing can you do to make a positive change?  

Happy Renew Year

Happy Renew Year.  Cheesy, yes.  Accurate, yes.  I've decided to name 2015 the year of renewal for a variety of reasons.  As indicated by my lack of blog posts, I continue to struggle making time to write.  Each day I think of the things I want to say and to put down into writing, but I allow hurdles, many self-induced, keep me from just doing it.    

The New Year is bittersweet as I love the holiday season.  From October to December are my happiest months with the anticipation and excitement of each holiday from Halloween to Christmas.  While I'm sad to see the festivities end, there is something to be said for a clean slate.  A blank sheet of paper.  

That's how I view 2015.  The story of the year has yet to be written.  I need to remember that each day.  It's easy, especially for me, to get entrenched in old (read: bad) habits, patterns, and thoughts.  Mothering three small children is physically and emotionally draining at times.  And I often get caught up thinking I'm the only one feeling overwhelmed or unsure.  I need to remember that feeling overwhelmed is not synonymous with being a failure or not good enough as a Mother.  

In lieu of New Year's resolutions that I'll inevitably break, I'm simply going to name this the year of renewal.  A year to start doing things again I used to do before becoming a Mom of multiples.  A year to gain further confidence in this mothering gig.  A year to renew confidence in myself as a woman.  I hope you'll join me in the journey. 

Christmas Week

Christmas week is finally here.  Considering the bombardment of holiday ads started the day after Halloween it seems we've been preparing for this week for a long time.  I don't mind, though, as I love this time of year.  Now that I have three little ones it's even more exciting seeing the holiday season through their eyes.

Tonight I decided to get baking, and it turned into quite the experience.  After doubling a new chocolate chip recipe and discovering they weren't baking right, I remembered I forgot to double a key ingredient.  Butter.  I dusted off my wounds with flour (a little baking humor)  and got right back to it.  I made my favorite sugar cookie recipe in hopes of decorating them with big brother tomorrow.  

It's easy to get swept away in the busyness of the season.  I'm trying my best to slow down to enjoy these moments with the kiddos and my family.