Breastfeeding is hard
Wonderful post by loveandcupcakes. I’ve been a little stressed about being able to breastfeed and this blog makes me breathe a sigh of relief. I’m not going to let myself feel guilty about supplementing with formula, especially because I’m sure I will have to. Read on….
I’ve been wanting to write this post since Cielo was born but I thought I’d wait a little to see how things pan out. One month in and I stand by the statement that breastfeeding is hard. And you know what? Every single mom that I have spoken to since Cielo’s birth has said the exact same thing. One even told me she thought it was almost harder than labor itself!
So why is this something I never knew before having the baby? Why isn’t this topic shared in more birth classes and prenatal appointments? Why didn’t my midwife tell me I may have a hard time with one of the most elementary aspects of being a mom? Breastfeeding has been the number one topic of conversation concerning the baby in my household. And after speaking to so many moms and hearing similar stories to mine, I thought it was…
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Wow, 23 weeks already!
It’s mid-April, I seriously cannot believe it, 2014 is going by so quickly!!! July (when the babies will most likely be making their appearance) is coming up very fast, I feel like we have so much to do before they arrive!
My belly is growing at an accelerated rate these days, for the most part I’m feeling pretty good. My back is my main problem, especially when I drive or ride in the car, I get a shooting pain in my mid-back, that feels like a knot that needs to be rubbed out. If I can shift around or lay down (which I can’t do if I’m driving) then I can usually make the pain go away. I started prenatal massage earlier this month and am planning on continuing with it for the remainder of my pregnancy.
This upcoming Wednesday is the last of our Multiples Class, it is a 5 class series, each class being 3 hours long. It’s been very informative and it’s been nice to meet other couples who are also expecting twins. Before we took the class I was sure that I wanted to have a scheduled C-section, but after doing a little more research, I am planning on trying for a vaginal birth as long as the girls are in the right position and there doesn’t seem to be any issue in doing so. There are a lot of benefits of going through labor and having a vaginal birth that I would like to go for it if I can. I would still like to have an epidural in case we have to have a breach extraction, but hoping a vaginal birth may lead to a faster recovery since I’m only able to take about 6 weeks off from work.
I had an OB appointment earlier this week, my doctor said that they could see a slight calcification in Baby A’s heart at our 20 week ultrasound but that it is benign and nothing to worry about. I guess 40% of Asian babies have it and it usually goes away. However, I guess IVF babies are at higher risk for heart defects, so at the end of the month we will go back to the ultrasound clinic for a fetal echo. Praying that the hearts look perfect.
Yesterday, two of my very close friends from dental school threw a baby shower for me. It was a gathering of almost all dental friends and it was a beautiful sunny evening. We had delicious food (homemade lasagna!) and everyone “showered” us with very thoughtful and generous gifts. These little girls are so lucky and are already getting spoiled. We received some really useful gifts-one of our car seats, my twin Brest Friend, a diaper bag (super stylish, looks like a purse!), a noise maker and lots of Wubbanubs to name a few!
Belly Bump 21 weeks
Belly Bump End of 22 weeks (on my way to the shower)
Adorable onesies!
The two beautiful and sweet shower hosts!
Delicious cake!
I’m so lucky and thankful to have such wonderful friends in my life! I can’t wait for our little girls to meet all of you!
xoxo
Sugar & Spice Times Two
Yesterday was our 20 week ultrasound and we found out we are having 2 girls!!!!
My feeling was that it was either a boy and a girl or two girls, but to hear two girls was still a big surprise! Hubby comes from a family of four boys, so he was quite surprised and is a little nervous for the road ahead. He works with all women besides his business partner, so he said “girls at work, girls at home”.
Most of all, the detailed ultrasound reassured us that the girls are doing great. Anatomy looked great and they are measuring normal for their gestational age and almost the same in size. Both were quite active during the scan and it was amazing to see their fingers, toes, noses, lips, etc.
I’m feeling well, some cramping with the expansion of my stomach and just really trying to take it easy. The leader of our multiples class keeps reminding us all that “a twin pregnancy is not the same thing as a singleton pregnancy” and that we all must listen to our bodies and not overdo it. It’s pouring down rain here in the Northwest, so it makes it a little easier to have a cozy day on the sofa.
After finding out we are having two girls yesterday, I headed to the mall and purchased these two small pink Little Giraffe blankies. They are so soft, Mama might one for herself!
Here are the little ones:
20 weeks (21 weeks tomorrow):
My belly is growing very rapidly now!
Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!
xoxo
Things Are A Changing….
20 weeks, here we come! Tomorrow I will be 20 weeks and I must say that my body is definitely changing and my belly is growing at a much quicker pace. I’m either in my pre-pregnancy leggings and the waist band is very tight or I’m in maternity clothes and much more comfortable.
I was feeling a lot of flutters last week and this week they don’t seem as noticeable. Of course this worries me, but I’m trying to be logical and thinking, maybe the babies are getting bigger and don’t have as much room to squirm and move. They are definitely more quiet when I’m at work, but I’m up and about a lot more during the work week and maybe all of my movements lull them into a relaxed/sleep state. One of my besties gave us the book The Happiest Baby on the Block, it’s a great read, hoping it’ll prepare us for the arrival of the babies and making me think more about my movements, etc.
Hubby and I started our multiples class at the hospital that we will deliver at this past week. There are about 10 couples in the class, all having twins, and we have the latest due date in the bunch. All the couples are very nice and we learned quite a bit in the first of our five classes. The first class focused on topics such as nutrition and what signs to look for in pre-term labor. The classes are 3 hours on Wednesday evenings, so it makes for a very long workday for both of us, but definitely something that we both feel is important.
I’ve always been a very active person, so today was a wake-up call for me. Since being pregnant, I’ve really cut back on my exercise, I’m down to basically walking (inside on a treadmill or outside when the weather cooperates), riding a recumbent bicycle (while watching Friday Night Lights) or doing intro-level vinyasa yoga classes. I love being active and I love yoga, so today, when I was in my yoga class and feeling uncomfortable, it made me realize that my body is changing and things are not what they use to be. I’m not complaining, it’s just a weird realization. Today after yoga I started having some noticeable cramping, much like menstrual cramps and after running some errands, I had to listen to my body and go home, lay down, and drink lots of water. I felt really bad because I had plans with my bestie today, but I know at this point I have to be careful and she was very understanding that I had to cancel our plans. I called the on-call doctor to be on the safe side and he said I had probably overdone it and to take it easy. Therefore, as sad as I was to do it, I have cancelled my yoga membership for now. My gym offers yoga which isn’t vinyasa, so I’m hoping to keep some yoga in the regimen. At this point, babies come first!
Hubby and I have had a pretty low-key weekend so far, which has been nice, we are usually busy all of the time. We made tacos last night and watched Frozen, I guess we are 10-year-old girls!
Here is the latest picture:
19 Weeks
Our 20 week detailed ultrasound is coming up at the end of the week, so again, keeping our fingers crossed that everything looks healthy and normal and that we will finally find out genders!
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
xoxo
No Gender News Yet
Hello! I’m sure some of you are waiting for me to post what genders the little ones are. Unfortunately, I don’t have the news yet. We had an appointment with our OB yesterday, she did do an ultrasound and the babies look great, both are laying transverse across my mid-section. Heads are to the right and feet are on the left and both were moving like crazy. It’s so much fun to see them dance around. I did have a tea-lemonade before my appointment to see if the sugar would get them to move a bit more, it worked!
We asked our doctor to tell us what gender she thought they were, she was definitely apprehensive and said “I have a terrible track record”, I think since she was not 100% on their genders, so she didn’t want to say anything. We will have our 20 week ultrasound in two weeks, so hopefully we’ll find out then. Hubby had driven as fast as possible from work to be at the appointment, so he was highly disappointed that we didn’t get to find out. But, I told him we should be happy to see them healthy and growing. I’m content knowing they are doing well, and I’m sure two weeks will be here before we know it.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Babymoon
Sitting on the airplane on the way home from our trip to Hawaii, our last vacation until the arrival of the little ones. The week started off with two days of pouring down rain, not exactly what we thought we would be experiencing since we had left rainy Seattle in hopes of an arrival in sunny Hawaii, but it finally let up and we were able to enjoy the warm Hawaiian sun and managed to squeeze in a couple of beach days. We usually spend three hours at the beach with our books tossing from our backs to our fronts, but I had to either sit or lay somewhat uncomfortably on my back and I felt like I was overheating, so our usual beach days turned into about a hour before it was time to pack up and go back to the hotel.
Hilton Waikoloa Village
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Kua Bay
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The real highlight of the trip was finally feeling flutters from the babies on the last couple days of the trip. I've heard feeling the baby move can feel anywhere from a butterfly to gas to poop rolling through your intestine. Luckily I've been feeling the butterfly variety!
Hubby and I had a fun time thinking about what vacation will be like in the future (although, we are realistic and know that vacationing with small children will not always be fun!) and pointing out little ones and guessing their ages. Hubby is a European blend, while I'm half Chinese and half Japanese, so it was always interesting to see other A-W (an acronym among our friends who are Asian-White mix) couples to think about what our future children might look like.
Sunset on our last night
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Tomorrow will be a day to play catch-up on laundry, grocery shopping, and household stuff before going back to work on Monday. We are both anxiously awaiting Thursday, another OB appointment that Hubby will be able to make it to and hoping that our OB will be able to tell us genders when she does the ultrasound.
I just finished reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty, I thought it was a good read, parts of it made me sad as I know how much infertility hurts, I think often of my friends in my daily life and my blog life that are still struggling with infertility and my heart goes out to them. My pregnancy is truly a blessing and I hope every day that the little ones are growing healthy and strong.
xoxo
Paying It Forward
Dear Infertiles:
I feel so lucky to finally be pregnant and happy (although a little cautiously still) in my second trimester. And I hope that many of you will be in the same boat very soon.
You are my people! You are my community and you have been my support and inspiration along this journey.
I know that the infertility journey is emotionally draining, physically exhausting and a huge financial burden.
The very least I can do to help my fellow infertiles is to give away what is left of my medications. And some of these medications were graciously given to me as well.
I have 11 boxes of Vivelle estrogen patches, these are 0.1 mg patches and there are 8 patches/box. These don’t expire until June 2014.
I also have a 21 day supply of Endometrin vaginal inserts, each insert is 100 mg of progesterone. This supply expires in April 2014.
I also have tons of Sure Comfort insulin syringes, often used for Lupron, etc.
I would like to get these in the mail to anyone who will need them soon, I want to be sure someone can benefit from them before they expire.
Please send me an email if you could use some or all of these meds and I will get them in the mail ASAP.
xoxo,
Hopefulandhungry
Progression
I apologize, I’ve been gone awhile. Hubby had a terrible flu a couple of weeks ago, we both had obnoxious colds last week, I celebrated my first anniversary of owning my dental office, and this week Hubby and I had 3 evening meetings between the two of us. I’ve been wanting to jump on here, but just haven’t had the time or energy.
Everything is going well, I’m feeling good despite the cold, but am just amazed at how fast 2014 is going by so far! Do you agree?
My weight gain was pretty steady and minimal in my first trimester. But this week has been another story, 3 lbs in this week alone and my bump is definitely starting to make its appearance. I’m not complaining, it reassures me that the babies are growing.
We are heading to Hawaii the first week of March and I am SO excited, Hawaii is my happy place and Hubby and I are in need of some R & R and some uninterrupted time together. However, this is probably the last vacation we’ll go on until who knows when. Again…..no complaints, life will be just as wonderful, just different!
Here are a few “bump” pictures. I don’t have one from this week which has been the most dramatic, but I’ll include that one soon.
11 Weeks:
13 Weeks:
14 Weeks:
Our next appointment is on March 13th, I will be 18 weeks, we are hoping we can find out the genders at this appointment. If not, we have our detailed scan at 20 weeks, so hopefully we’ll know what we are having by the end of March. After my next OB appointment, my doctor wants me to come in every 2 weeks! She wants to closely monitor my cervix….fun! I’m just hoping I can work out all the appointments with my work schedule, my doctor’s office is about 20 miles from my work, so it’s not easy to get there in the middle of a work day.
Hope all of you are doing well! Miss you!
xoxo
12 Week Ultrasound
Last Friday Hubby and I went to our 12 week ultrasound. At this ultrasound the babies nuchal translucency (the thickness behind the neck) was being measured to check for risk of chromosomal problems. The doctor called yesterday after reviewing our images (the ultrasound was done at a separate clinic) and said that our risk of chromosomal disorders is very low for both babies and that the risk of heart defects is low as well. Very good news!
As always, it was so exciting to see the babies. They have really grown, have little arms, legs, fingers and toes. Both were sitting in very similar positions and are measuring almost exactly the same. Baby B wasn’t nearly as active as at the last ultrasound.
I’m feeling much better than I did a few weeks ago, but I’m coming down with a cold and that is wiping me out a little bit. There has been a stomach flu going around my office, so I’m just hoping I can escape this flu season without getting a stomach bug. On the day of the ultrasound I had the worst headache I’ve probably ever had, I really didn’t want to take anything for it, but finally had to take a Tylenol after suffering with a pounding headache since I had woken up.
I’ll be heading back to see my OB again tomorrow, I’m hoping to get more information on my calorie and protein intake (a friend of mine who had twins was told to consume 160 g of protein every day!) and also when our next ultrasound will be. Both Hubby and I are anxious to find out the genders of the little ones.
Hubby had an awesome trip to New Jersey for the Super Bowl and the Seahawks are bringing home the Lombardi trophy!!! The city has gone wild. Work has been very quiet so far this week, I think people were hungover from celebrating on Sunday and today is the victory parade in downtown Seattle, so more cancellations have come up. Today is a big day at the office-it is my 1st Anniversary of purchasing this dental practice! It’s hard to believe a year has gone by already!
Here are some pics of the little ones:
Baby A
Baby B
Baby A & B, Ultrasound tech said this will be the last time we’ll be able to see them together in the same image, they will be getting too big soon.
Cinnamon Rolls
Well, it’s February today and it’s about time that I got back into the kitchen. I’ve made it into my second trimester and I’m starting to feel like myself again in the food department. My nausea has subsided and I’m not having the terrible food aversions that I was having in the middle of my first trimester. Although, brussel sprouts (which I normally LOVE) still do not sound appetizing and I am still finding myself picking carbs over meat and veggies. Therefore, with my current obsession of carbs, this recipe is perfect! My hygienist at my office brought in these yummy cinnamon rolls, hers were huge and puffy, and I asked her for the recipe. My cinnamon rolls didn’t turn out quite as large and puffy as hers, but I think they still tasted good and I would make them again. I’m not sure if my yeast wasn’t as active as it could have been. I’ll have to try them again to see if I can get the size and texture that I was envisioning. These are great for sharing, I had made these to share with my book club for a brunch get together.
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
Dough:
- 1/4 ounce package yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup scalded milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
- 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup raisins (ick, I don’t like raisins, but if you do!), walnuts or pecans, optional
Glaze/Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. (I used the bread hook on my Kitchenaid mixer, this could be the difference of why mine weren’t as fluffy) Place in a well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
When dough is doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15×9 inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins, if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
Coat the bottom of the baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nice browned.
While baking, mix the above ingredients for the glaze/frosting. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.
Unbaked rolls
Baked rolls, out of the oven
Ready to eat
These are a little labor intensive, but if you have some time on a weekend, they are really tasty and probably a little healthier than Cinnabon.
Tomorrow I will be 13 weeks and into my second trimester. Like I said above, I’m feeling better and starting to get a bit of a pooch. We had our 12 week ultrasound yesterday and everything is looking good. We did the nuchal translucency screen and both babies had measurements that were below a higher risk measurement. I will post pictures soon! It’s always so comforting and exciting to see the little ones in there.
Oh and one last thing, our awesome Seattle Seahawks are playing in the Super Bowl tomorrow! Hubby flew out this morning and is going with 2 other friends to the game! I’m so excited that he will get to be there. Our city is alive with excitement and I hope they can bring home a WIN for us! Go Hawks!!!!!!
Blogs I Follow
Liebster Blog
Bakin’ Friends
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hopefulandhungry 
