B+C+B+C+B+C: 33 week update

Monday, June 28, 2010

33 week update

Feeling fine - no major complaints - had weekly checkup today
Measuring 38 cm (weeks), 31 lbs gained
Still on the low end of normal BP (that's important because Preeclampsia is a major cause of preterm labor for twin moms)
No contractions, not even the fake ones
HRs were 145 and 135
No cervical changes (progression) at all
Definitely having a cesarean birth. I know the risks. I've done a lot of research and talked to my doctor about a VBAC with these twins. I've been thoroughly freaked out by the stories and statistics of uterine rupture. I'm resigned to my surgical delivery fate, and trusting that everything will go okay.
I used to constantly get told how good/small I looked... now I'm mostly asked how much longer I have left. Just waiting to start hearing that wonderful phrase, "you look like you're about to pop!" Note to world: pretty sure no pregnant woman likes hearing that.
Still running 3-4 miles nearly everyday, sometimes on the treadmill, or preferably on the trails if I can drag myself out of bed early enough. Loving every second of it. Still lifting a couple days a week, but definitely not as much as I could/should/want to.
Getting more serious about name choices. We don't want to make this decision on delivery day, and don't want to leave the hospital nameless. Major contenders: Braxton, Charlotte, Bethany, Chandler. Minor contenders: Cassidy, Bennet, Brayden, Courtney, Camelia, Bridgette, Carson. Middle name choices are set. Feedback welcome, though in the end we'll probably just let Brianna decide.
Lots of baby wigglings in all directions.
Hands and feet are a little swollen in this hot weather. Or maybe I'm just calling fat swollen. Wedding ring came off yesterday after a minor panic attack and a rush to find soap and water.

So, so, so much to do before they come. I want my house to be in perfect order and to finish all unfinished projects. Unfortunately Brianna doesn't share my ambitions and just wants to play outside all day.
I think I'm forgetting what it's like to NOT be pregnant.
Still not sure about the sleeping arrangement for all 5 of us. Wish we had a bigger house!
It is seriously so flippin fun to be carrying two babies. I love it. I love the looks I get from people when they ask if it's a boy or a girl and I get to say, "BOTH!" I love talking about them instead of it or just him or her. I love that I can justify almost any amount of weight gain because I'm carrying two. I love thinking about them poking each other inside me. I love the extra excitement and anticipation. I love the twin-mom friends I'm making and the instant connection we have. I love practicing twin-holding with babies like my friend's twins, M&M:

I love being ALMOST DONE!

6 comments:

Unknown said...: I have 100% decided that this baby is going to be a c-section again as well. If the word risk is anywhere around anything I am doing, I will err on the side of caution.
I love the name Beckett for a boy. I know that is not one of the contenders or even a second choice, but I thought I would share since it seems I am never going to have a boy!; June 29, 2010 at 7:34 AM
Melissa said...: Wow! Its hard to believe you are already 33 weeks...and even harder to believe that you are running 3-4 miles every day! You go girl! Thats amazing!; June 30, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Jordan and Crystal said...: Your wonder women chelsea! Will they schedule you at 37 if hasn't happened already? Or what do they do? I like Braxton, charlotte and chandler a whole ton...yes let brianna decide!; June 30, 2010 at 12:39 PM
chelsea mckell said...: Crystal - I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen. My doc says I won't go past 38 weeks. That's August 4th. But most twin moms don't make it that far, especially ones like me set for cesarean. But I want to hang on as long as possible so these babies are born at a healthy weight. So we'll see. Who knows. I'm just taking it day by and day and trying to be ready for anything!; June 30, 2010 at 12:49 PM
Sally Jackson said...: I can't believe your on the home-stretch--this pregnancy is going by way too fast! I'm excited for you! (duh); July 2, 2010 at 6:07 PM
summer said...: you look fantastic - and to be running every day....incredible! I am not even doing that in my non-pregnant state!

and you are right - I think most mom's would prefer not to be told we look like we are going to pop!! :); July 2, 2010 at 7:55 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Monday, June 28, 2010

33 week update

6 comments:

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