Saturday, December 4, 2010
Pictures
Soon I will actually post the story of how these boys entered the world. For now, here are some pictures.
Baby shower invitation!
Thank you rachel for making this happen and I love this invitation!!! Everyone is invited and please spread the news. I won't be mailing these as I don't have everyone's address. Can't wait to see everyone :-)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Brimhall Family of now FOUR! (Part one)
So I figured it was finally time to write this story before I forgot too much of it.
This story starts Sunday October 24th. Jared was sleeping in and I got up to go to the bathroom and clean up a little bit downstairs. When I thought I was done in the bathroom, I suddenly had another gush. I noticed a pink tinge after that one. since I am such an expert on all things related to pregnancy thanks to all the websites I subscribed to, I thought this must be my water breaking. I also know so many stories of women waiting until they have contractions before they go into the hospital after their water breaks, so I decided to not wake up Jared and just go downstairs anyway. I continued to leak small amounts all through out the day. When Jared woke up, he asked how I was feeling and I replied nonchalantly that I thought my water broke earlier but I felt fine. He was a little more startled after that comment but I explained that I hadn't felt any contractions or pains or even discomfort. So we went about our day. Birthday breakfast for my nephew, and we even still went to the Gammage production of Beauty and the Beast with my sister and brother-in-law. (The show was wonderful by the way). I completely felt fine the whole time. I had called my OB's triage line earlier and never got through or a response. After talking to my sister, they said I should still go to the hospital to get checked out. When we dropped them off after the show, we headed to the hospital. We went almost immediately back to triage. They tried finding the boys heartbeats out front but since it was taking so long, they just sent me back anyway since they figured I would be admitted.
Once I got back to the triage room, they started hooking me up. They started running tests. They confirmed my water broke. It took all the nurses to keep up with Jaxson on the fetal heart tone monitors. Each nurse tried for at least 10 minutes but he was just too fast :-) Logan was down in my hips and pelvic bone so as long as I was stretched out he was pretty easy to find. (This became a problem a few days later) They also did 3 tests to confirm if my water broke or not.
The OB came for a consult. All 3 tests came back positive that my water broke. She wasn't happy that I took so long to come in to the hospital. She then proceeded to tell me that I was being admitted and that they were going to try and keep me pregnant. She left us for a couple of minutes to get my room set up. My heart did flips and tears escaped. For a brief moment I felt all the overwhelming feelings that came with realizing that this pregnancy was no longer a normal pregnancy. I told Jared i wasn't ready for my babies to come yet. We weren't prepared. I felt bad that as a mother I might not be able to help them grow and develop inside me for the right amount of time. When the OB came back, the tears stopped and we talked about what will happen next. She said in the morning I would be getting a visit for the perinatalogist(to cover before the babies were born) and the neonatalogist(to cover after the babies were born). She also said that as soon as I got to my room I would be receiving the first of 2 steroid shots to help the boys lungs develop just in case they could not keep me pregnant. These steroids needed 48 hours to take full effect. I had to stay pregnant for a minimum of 48 hours. That meant I was put on Magnesium.
***Side note- Magnesium is a very effective drug however, it has AWFUL side effects. Being on this drug caused the most difficult time in my pregnancy.
Since I didn't get to the hospital until 10 pm, I got to my room after 1am. That meant I got my first steroid shot at 1 am. For me, I have no problem with shots, needles, IVs so when they said they will be giving the shot in the bum I really wasn't to worried. Until the needle went in and the drug was pushed in..... I was not prepared for it to hurt like that. I jumped and cried out. The nurse reminded me not to move. She decided to let me know afterwards that the steroids could burn a little bit.... Understatement. She then let me know that in twenty-four hours I would receive the next shot. Which meant tomorrow at 1 AM I would receive another shot in the other bum cheek. Good times.
To be continued....
This story starts Sunday October 24th. Jared was sleeping in and I got up to go to the bathroom and clean up a little bit downstairs. When I thought I was done in the bathroom, I suddenly had another gush. I noticed a pink tinge after that one. since I am such an expert on all things related to pregnancy thanks to all the websites I subscribed to, I thought this must be my water breaking. I also know so many stories of women waiting until they have contractions before they go into the hospital after their water breaks, so I decided to not wake up Jared and just go downstairs anyway. I continued to leak small amounts all through out the day. When Jared woke up, he asked how I was feeling and I replied nonchalantly that I thought my water broke earlier but I felt fine. He was a little more startled after that comment but I explained that I hadn't felt any contractions or pains or even discomfort. So we went about our day. Birthday breakfast for my nephew, and we even still went to the Gammage production of Beauty and the Beast with my sister and brother-in-law. (The show was wonderful by the way). I completely felt fine the whole time. I had called my OB's triage line earlier and never got through or a response. After talking to my sister, they said I should still go to the hospital to get checked out. When we dropped them off after the show, we headed to the hospital. We went almost immediately back to triage. They tried finding the boys heartbeats out front but since it was taking so long, they just sent me back anyway since they figured I would be admitted.
Once I got back to the triage room, they started hooking me up. They started running tests. They confirmed my water broke. It took all the nurses to keep up with Jaxson on the fetal heart tone monitors. Each nurse tried for at least 10 minutes but he was just too fast :-) Logan was down in my hips and pelvic bone so as long as I was stretched out he was pretty easy to find. (This became a problem a few days later) They also did 3 tests to confirm if my water broke or not.
The OB came for a consult. All 3 tests came back positive that my water broke. She wasn't happy that I took so long to come in to the hospital. She then proceeded to tell me that I was being admitted and that they were going to try and keep me pregnant. She left us for a couple of minutes to get my room set up. My heart did flips and tears escaped. For a brief moment I felt all the overwhelming feelings that came with realizing that this pregnancy was no longer a normal pregnancy. I told Jared i wasn't ready for my babies to come yet. We weren't prepared. I felt bad that as a mother I might not be able to help them grow and develop inside me for the right amount of time. When the OB came back, the tears stopped and we talked about what will happen next. She said in the morning I would be getting a visit for the perinatalogist(to cover before the babies were born) and the neonatalogist(to cover after the babies were born). She also said that as soon as I got to my room I would be receiving the first of 2 steroid shots to help the boys lungs develop just in case they could not keep me pregnant. These steroids needed 48 hours to take full effect. I had to stay pregnant for a minimum of 48 hours. That meant I was put on Magnesium.
***Side note- Magnesium is a very effective drug however, it has AWFUL side effects. Being on this drug caused the most difficult time in my pregnancy.
Since I didn't get to the hospital until 10 pm, I got to my room after 1am. That meant I got my first steroid shot at 1 am. For me, I have no problem with shots, needles, IVs so when they said they will be giving the shot in the bum I really wasn't to worried. Until the needle went in and the drug was pushed in..... I was not prepared for it to hurt like that. I jumped and cried out. The nurse reminded me not to move. She decided to let me know afterwards that the steroids could burn a little bit.... Understatement. She then let me know that in twenty-four hours I would receive the next shot. Which meant tomorrow at 1 AM I would receive another shot in the other bum cheek. Good times.
To be continued....
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Pictures etc.
So I believe that this is a profile picture for just over 27 weeks.... i think. Or just under. It's terrible I can't remember. I just can't believe how big I am. I am 28 weeks today. About 8 more weeks to go. I don't know how I will handle it honestly. Work is already torturous! I think if i don't go on bed rest before hand, i will be for sure done by Thanksgiving.
I had an Old Navy weekend with Shellie B and her friend between conference cessions and i had to get these for the boys. Probably more for Jared than for them but I think they are pretty adorable!
A long time ago I went for a girls afternoon with my good friend Shellie B. It included running errands and getting pedicures and having lunch at Ned's. The ladies at the pedicure place , once they found out I was having twins suggested this design. I love it!
This last weekend was my last travel trip. It was supposed to be to Disneyland but the Doc said that was out so we made an easy trip up to Snowflake. Where SURPRISE! Jareds mom and sisters threw me a baby shower last minute! Pictures and more details to come in another post.
A long time ago I went for a girls afternoon with my good friend Shellie B. It included running errands and getting pedicures and having lunch at Ned's. The ladies at the pedicure place , once they found out I was having twins suggested this design. I love it!
This last weekend was my last travel trip. It was supposed to be to Disneyland but the Doc said that was out so we made an easy trip up to Snowflake. Where SURPRISE! Jareds mom and sisters threw me a baby shower last minute! Pictures and more details to come in another post.
Updates for pregnancy: My feet are starting to swell alot as well as my hands. I am getting carpal tunnel which really is no fun at all. The Amniotic fluid levels stayed the same as of the last appt. which is the best news possible. I still get contractions off and on but no bed rest yet. I did the one hour glucose test and my results were elevated so they sent me back for the 3 hour test. The lab had no early appt available so I decided to just go in anyway. Its a fasting test the second time around. And being pregnant that is difficult enough. However this time, they didn't get to me until 45 minutes after I got there. That and my techs said I was a hard stick (which means my veins are hard to find) I have it on good authority that my veins are awesome and super easy to find. So at the end of it I got stuck 5 times total and wasn't able to eat anything until 12:30pm. It made for a very long day!!
For some reason my ears are starting to ache. Jared thinks its because of the altitude change going up and back to Snowflake. Hopefully it will go away soon.
We put up more halloween decorations and its getting me pretty excited for Halloween. The thing is that I am trying to get as ready as I can be for Christmas since these boys will come sooner than that and there is lots to do. So I am excited for both holidays. Its messing with my head a little bit... :-)
Monday, September 27, 2010
How are you feeling?
I get asked this question a lot. As I am sure all pregnant women are asked this a lot.
I know I have been blessed to be able to truthfully say, " I'm doing pretty good!" Not too much pain or discomfort. I was still able to sleep pretty well. I could get the swelling in my feet to go down. Things like that.
Well this pregnancy is still going well but there have been some recent hiccups.
Baby B has extra fluid. The fluid level in his sac has been steadily on the rise. The normal maximum fluid level around 7, and as of Friday it was up to a 12. Baby A is still in the normal range however his sac fluid level has also increased.
Now what does this mean? Well a couple of questions come to mind. Is this twin to twin transfusion where one twin is getting way more nutrients than the other or stealing nutrients from the other? NO. The reason they ruled this out is because they are both still growing and still growing at the same rate.
Will I need to get an Amniocentesis(a big needle in to my uterus to remove some of the excess fluid)? NO. The reason being is that this is usually only a solution used when I am closer to delivery and want to buy a few days up to a week before preterm labor starts. Since I am just past the 25 week mark, if they started doing this now, they could be doing it anywhere from 2 times a week or once every other week. Not worth it.
What can I expect because of the extra fluid? I can expect a largely increased risk of pre-term labor. Why? Because there is extra fluid, my uterus is measuring much closer to the 40 week size than what I actually am at 25-26 weeks. My body is thinking that since I am that size then it should start the process of getting the babies out of me (even though they are not ready yet).
So how am I supposed to deal with this? I am not on bed rest but they expect me to relax and be off my feet as much as I can. The Dr even said that things like chores and making meals are now assigned to Jared as much as possible. (In a normal situation, its like a wife's dream come true but personally i wish it was under better circumstances). I am still able to work but I am supposed to take it easy and take breaks for deep breathing a such. I am also supposed to pay attention to the contractions I do have. How often and how long. i do feel them every now and then but most of the time I only notice it if I feel my belly and its rock hard.
I will be seeing the Perinatalogist again on Friday (I will have had an appointment a week for the past month and a half and there really isn't an end in sight). They will be checking the boys growth and development to make sure they are still on track. They will also check my fluid levels again to see if they have stayed the same (which is what we are hoping for) or if they have increased. Depending on how much they have increased will determine what happens next. Whether it be bed rest or a medicine regiment or just keep doing what I am doing.
What this means in lamans terms: I am full term uncomfortable a good chunk of the time. This weekend was the first time anything has been painful. A solution that I found actually works to relieve it, warm baths for about 30 minutes at a time. I know things could be worse so I am just grateful that I am able to still work for now. (Even if it does get pretty uncomfortable) I really appreciate the boys movements (which still doesn't actually hurt me yet and it totally makes me laugh at inopportune times....) and I love the time I get to spend with Jared.
This pregnancy has truly been a blessing and a miracle. Jared and I thank our Heavenly Father every day for our boys. So if getting them means some pain and some discomfort, it is a price I willingly pay and even more to have them in our lives!
I figured I was due to share an update on how things are going. I still give the same answer when people ask me "How are you doing?". " I'm doing pretty good!" It is still the truth because I am still out and about and my boys are still growing and moving like crazy. Life is genuinely great!
PS. Baby A is getting the hiccups more and more often. Its totally entertaining. :-D
I know I have been blessed to be able to truthfully say, " I'm doing pretty good!" Not too much pain or discomfort. I was still able to sleep pretty well. I could get the swelling in my feet to go down. Things like that.
Well this pregnancy is still going well but there have been some recent hiccups.
Baby B has extra fluid. The fluid level in his sac has been steadily on the rise. The normal maximum fluid level around 7, and as of Friday it was up to a 12. Baby A is still in the normal range however his sac fluid level has also increased.
Now what does this mean? Well a couple of questions come to mind. Is this twin to twin transfusion where one twin is getting way more nutrients than the other or stealing nutrients from the other? NO. The reason they ruled this out is because they are both still growing and still growing at the same rate.
Will I need to get an Amniocentesis(a big needle in to my uterus to remove some of the excess fluid)? NO. The reason being is that this is usually only a solution used when I am closer to delivery and want to buy a few days up to a week before preterm labor starts. Since I am just past the 25 week mark, if they started doing this now, they could be doing it anywhere from 2 times a week or once every other week. Not worth it.
What can I expect because of the extra fluid? I can expect a largely increased risk of pre-term labor. Why? Because there is extra fluid, my uterus is measuring much closer to the 40 week size than what I actually am at 25-26 weeks. My body is thinking that since I am that size then it should start the process of getting the babies out of me (even though they are not ready yet).
So how am I supposed to deal with this? I am not on bed rest but they expect me to relax and be off my feet as much as I can. The Dr even said that things like chores and making meals are now assigned to Jared as much as possible. (In a normal situation, its like a wife's dream come true but personally i wish it was under better circumstances). I am still able to work but I am supposed to take it easy and take breaks for deep breathing a such. I am also supposed to pay attention to the contractions I do have. How often and how long. i do feel them every now and then but most of the time I only notice it if I feel my belly and its rock hard.
I will be seeing the Perinatalogist again on Friday (I will have had an appointment a week for the past month and a half and there really isn't an end in sight). They will be checking the boys growth and development to make sure they are still on track. They will also check my fluid levels again to see if they have stayed the same (which is what we are hoping for) or if they have increased. Depending on how much they have increased will determine what happens next. Whether it be bed rest or a medicine regiment or just keep doing what I am doing.
What this means in lamans terms: I am full term uncomfortable a good chunk of the time. This weekend was the first time anything has been painful. A solution that I found actually works to relieve it, warm baths for about 30 minutes at a time. I know things could be worse so I am just grateful that I am able to still work for now. (Even if it does get pretty uncomfortable) I really appreciate the boys movements (which still doesn't actually hurt me yet and it totally makes me laugh at inopportune times....) and I love the time I get to spend with Jared.
This pregnancy has truly been a blessing and a miracle. Jared and I thank our Heavenly Father every day for our boys. So if getting them means some pain and some discomfort, it is a price I willingly pay and even more to have them in our lives!
I figured I was due to share an update on how things are going. I still give the same answer when people ask me "How are you doing?". " I'm doing pretty good!" It is still the truth because I am still out and about and my boys are still growing and moving like crazy. Life is genuinely great!
PS. Baby A is getting the hiccups more and more often. Its totally entertaining. :-D
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Changes and not including diapers... yet (Part 1)
It's been awhile since I've posted anything so here and I've had this blog post saved as a draft for the past couple of weeks, so I am finally getting around to it. Here are some updates and fun things we have done recently.
Jared is playing on a city softball team every thursday night. He plays 2 games. He says the team really isn't great but they are getting better and aren't getting slaughtered every game anymore. The games only last a few more weeks. By then I am sure he will be sad to seem them go. I sure miss him on thursday nights because he doesn't get done until I am already asleep but I know its been good for him so I try not to complain too much :-)
Jared put together our changing tables. They look amazing. We haven't gotten to the cribs yet(because we need to paint before we put any more stuff in that room. Any suggestions on painting would be appreciated! ) but I know that since the cribs match the changing tables they will be perfect.
Jared is playing on a city softball team every thursday night. He plays 2 games. He says the team really isn't great but they are getting better and aren't getting slaughtered every game anymore. The games only last a few more weeks. By then I am sure he will be sad to seem them go. I sure miss him on thursday nights because he doesn't get done until I am already asleep but I know its been good for him so I try not to complain too much :-)
Since Jared is gone every thursday night, I decided to take my sister Rachel to the Savvy Shopper sale a week or so ago. My friend Kristin let me know about it and i will be forever grateful! I scored all kinds of swag for extremely cheap. I got a twins breastfeeding pillow for $25 that is normally $60-$90 . I also got a pregnancy sleeping pillow that wraps around you for $20. A bumbo seat for $10. And lots of books :-) I also got several more things but its a long list so I'll just leave it at that. I was only there for 2 hours but my feet were super swollen and I was exhausted by the end of it. The only down side is that I didn't get the twin packnplay for $100 that I loved, or 2 swings. I think those are the only major things we have left to get.
As for another major thing we are almost set on is a bigger family car. I know life will be difficult enough with 2 babies coming at the same time so I thought it would make it just a little easier if we had a bigger car. So we called up my cousin that buys cars at auction and told him to look for a toyota sienna. The next day he calls us back and says he has a 2010 with 13000 miles on it for under $20,000. 
My parents drove up to vegas to pick it up the next weekend. We love it! Its been a little bit of a pain to get it financed but as of Saturday it is official ours.
Now, anyone interested in buying a 2002 Dodge Stratus? Everything just got fixed on it and it runs great. Let me know if you are interested or know someone that would be interested.
I am sure there are other things I am missing but for now this is what you get. All the medical updates will come in a seperate post.
PS this is what was sitting on our back seat when we went to get our minivan. SO CUTE! Thanks Mom (and Dad) :-)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Pictures...
So I wont go into too much detail. This is the car seat/stroller we bought. It comes with 2 car seats, 2 car bases, and the double stroller. Bought it from babysupermarket.com, Great deals there. Check them out.This is the crib we bought. Well we bought 2 cribs. It is a bundle deal from walmart. This month is the Baby Days event, and everything listed gets free shipping. For these 3 items, it was $184 total. PS
for those of you that don't know, movable crib sides have all been re-called and stores are not allowed to sell cribs with movable sides. News to me, especially since all the advice i was getting was the movable side cribs were the best option. Oh well. I like these. The wood looks really nice and we went on other websites to see what they are selling this crib for and by itself its around $250 -$300. Sweet for walmart deals!Next pictures are of the first outfits we have bought for our miracle boys. One comes with a beanie and has an applique of a sleeping bear
with stars and a moon. The other is pinstriped and says "Thank Heavens for little boys" with a moon and booties. We have bought a couple more outfits since then (and when I say 'We' i really mean Jared). Its been a ton of fun so far getting ready for these little dudes to make their appearance.
I had my monthly OB visit and everything is looking good. I have gained a total of 12 lbs since the beginning of this and my goal is to try and maintain under 40 for this whole process. (probably a pipe dream but at least i have a goal.) I have another 
Perinatalogist appt tomorrow to check my cervix to make sure it isn't shortening. I will do that every two weeks until I am 26 weeks. After that, if everything is fine then we will see if I will just see my OB or i will continue to see the Peri for high risk... Who knows what will happen. I am just happy that everything is smooth for now.
PS I made it to the half way point. As of yesterday I was 20 weeks. Crazy as it all is, I don't know if I can wait another 20 or so weeks for these beautiful boys to get here. Although I will be patient because I definitely don't want them getting here too early before their bodies are ready to be here. I am feeling them move much more often. More particularly Baby A. I think he moves the most. but I still feel baby B as well.
Perinatalogist appt tomorrow to check my cervix to make sure it isn't shortening. I will do that every two weeks until I am 26 weeks. After that, if everything is fine then we will see if I will just see my OB or i will continue to see the Peri for high risk... Who knows what will happen. I am just happy that everything is smooth for now.PS I made it to the half way point. As of yesterday I was 20 weeks. Crazy as it all is, I don't know if I can wait another 20 or so weeks for these beautiful boys to get here. Although I will be patient because I definitely don't want them getting here too early before their bodies are ready to be here. I am feeling them move much more often. More particularly Baby A. I think he moves the most. but I still feel baby B as well.
Anyway tootles until next time. If I have any more updates.
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