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The Mommy Chronicles - In Pursuit of Quadruplets

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The Mommy Chronicles is a blog of a local North Carolina mother in her last trimester carrying quadruplets. This blog will chronicle her journey through this amazing period in her life.

August 21, 2007

The Girls Feed All Night Long

Today I am 35 years old and I have reached one of my goals. I wanted to have ALL my kids by the time I turned 35. My "due date" for the quads was August 29th which was 8 days after my birthday, but they were born July 11th. So that "goal" can be checked off of my list! (if I had a list)

I am typing right now in a trance!! My Aunt and Mom are still here from California. (my Aunt leaves this Thursday morning. I am sooo bummed, but THRILLED she has been here for over two weeks to help!!) My Aunt and Mom have been feeding the babies at 11 or 12 at night (they are growing a TON right now and keep eating earlier) so Luke and I can sleep thru til their 3 or 4 a.m. feeding.

Well, Sophie woke up at 1:38 a.m. this morning....STARVING. (ok, she had just eaten at 11:30) So I nursed her and tried putting her back in the crib with her three other sisters. She did NOT want to be in the crib and was still STARVING. (she is very dramatic with her food!) So I brought her in my room and nursed her again, then put her in the co-sleeper next to me. She fussed and turned and just wanted me to hold her. So I prepared her bottle and fed her AGAIN!!!

Then Willow and Kaidan started stirring. I woke up Luke and he went and got Kaidan and I got Willow. We fed the girls....and of course Bella too. Meanwhile Sophie was awake in the co-sleeper the whole time watching us and "hanging out".

After we put the three other girls in their crib, I swaddled Sophie and let her stay in the co-sleeper next to us in bed. So around 4:47 a.m. she fell asleep!!!

I guess I should mention..at 6:32 a.m. she woke up again................me soo tired!! But I am BLESSED to be tired with FOUR healthy babies and ONE healthy four year old!!!

August 16, 2007

Allaura Gets Sick

The babies are Five weeks out/old today!! Or 38 weeks gestation, if they were still gestating?

I am getting a taste of the "Mommy life" with four babies and a 4 year old today. Allaura had her four year check up yesterday....that included FOUR vaccines. Early this morning (3 a.m.) she woke up with a high fever and aching. Poor baby. Her head hurt, her throat hurt and her body ached.

So here is where it gets tricky. I need to take care of her and "cuddle bug" as much as possible, while caring for four babies....and try not to get them sick. Allaura's doctor said since her throat hurts and her head hurts, she is contagious.

We also have decided after much research and medical prompting to take Allaura out of preschool this year. She was signed up to attend the YMCA preschool FIVE days a week this year. With RSV season starting in October and ending in April, it is TOO risky to send Allaura to school with FOUR preemie "sissy's" at home.

I want to take a paragraph and THANK everyone who has helped, offer to help and brought over GOODIES!!! We live in a subdivision that is pretty "close knit" and have had many offers of help and help. One neighbor works for Similac and has provided formula and coupons, others have made goodie baskets, bags and brought my girls (all FIVE) goodies!! THANK YOU. Other neighbors have called when stepping out to the store to see if I needed anything or came over for feeding time to help feed a baby. My church at Crossroads has brought a TON of great meals for us and my friend Brenda's church has also provided meals. Ladies have made homemade blankets and hats and booties from North Carolina to California for them. Friends with busy lives and kids of their own have also brought over meals and baby loot! THANKS THANKS THANKS!!!! Azul Photography keeps photographing my family and I treasure this deeply. My friend Rachel, the quad mom of almost two year old quads who has kept me sane and helped me many a time during pregnancy with answering my frantic phone calls, weird questions and offered a ton of encouragement. And of course to my Mom who has been here since the week of Memorial Day to take care of me, Allaura and the babies in my belly! She hasn't been home to California since and my Dad has been able to visit once. I know she has a California life, but am SOOO happy she has put this on hold for me and my family. THANK YOU Mom. I really appreciate all you have sacrificed to be here.

August 13, 2007

Managing the Girls and Everything Else

Alright, today the girls have been home for 2 weeks. I am home alone right now...my Mom and Aunt and Allaura went to Costco and Luke is at work.

Let me describe what my room looks like right now. I am writing this blog on my laptop on the bed . Willow is on the bed next to me, on a pillow. She likes to lay on pillows, and when I am wide awake and watching her, I will lay her on one. Bella is on the floor in a bouncy seat that is on vibrate. This is her FIRST time sitting in a bouncy seat that is on and it WORKS, she is "chillin" in it well. Kaidan is next to her in a "floor sitting" swing. Kaidan LOVES the swing and when she is fussy, I put her in one ASAP. Sophie is behind Bella and Kaidan in a regular size big swing. She is VERY content in a swing also.

Now that all the girls are situated until feeding time, I am paying our bills, checking emails and making phone calls. I THINK I am getting this down. :)

At 2 this morning....not so much.

Oops, it is feeding time.........the natives are getting restless, I will write more tomorrow!

August 8, 2007

The Four Week Check-up

Today we had the girls FOUR week or one month check up! Getting out of the home on time with all the girls...WOW, what a show.

They are ALL gaining more weight daily then expected. :) Kaidan and Sophie both weigh 5 pounds and 4.5 ounces. Willow is 4 pounds and 12 ounces and Bella is 4 pounds and 11 ounces. All of their eyes, ears and hearts are perfect.

My Aunt Rose flew in late last night from California and now this house is really rocking. My Mom and my Aunt are a blast together. Allaura and I are VERY happy to have them here.

I am now feeling more and more comfortable with LITTLE babies and our schedule. Every day I am getting more and more strength and feeling like myself again. I am ready to start working too! So take a note, Melanie Osborne is ready for buyers and sellers, babies need a new pair of shoes and shoes and shoes.

August 6, 2007

What is it Like to Sleep Again?

Ok, I am feeling human right now! My AWESOME Mom let Luke and I sleep thru the girls midnight feeding. We got to sleep until 4:00 a.m.

Now I want to describe my girls to you:

Willow: She is my little blonde baby. She was born the smallest and has been the healthiest (out of the four already healthy girls). She is SOOO sweet. At night when I am changing her diaper and feeding her, she is so quiet and just looks around. She isn't fussy at all and just goes along with whatever you want her to do.

Bella: Bella is a little darker in hair color then Willow, but will probably have lighter hair too. She needs a little more attention then Willow, but not much. Everyone that sees Bella thinks she looks just like me! She is also a quiet baby girl....who looks around and when you lay her next to a sister, any sister....she always inches around and finds them. Then she will stick her little face next to them and sleep very peacefully.

Sophie: My brown haired Sophie needs attention. She was always on my left side in the womb kinda by herself and very independent of the other babies. Outside the womb, she is also independent and likes her Mommy, Daddy or Grandmama alone time. She doesn't like to be fed and then laid down to sleep like the others. She wants to be held and cuddled. And of course, it is our pleasure to do so. She has the prettiest big eyes and fat little cheeks.

Kaidan: Kaidan is the biggest and LOVES to eat. She is normally the first to wake up and wants her food ASAP. Before she starts to make noise, she will be just wide eyed awake and looking around quietly. She also LOVES the swing. I will just put her in her swing and give her a pacifier and that will hold her for the next feeding. She reminds me most of Allaura our eldest daughter. They have the same curious eyes and way they crunch their eyes and forehead.

Allaura: Our eldest daughter is doing pretty darn good at adjusting. She is learning to be quiet around the babies (well inside voice) and not to be "fast" around them. She loves them ALL dearly, but for the life of her, can't remember who is who. She just guess's all of their names when you are holding one. She is settling for calling them just "sissy" or "darling".

August 1, 2007

My Babies are Finally Home!

All the babies are home!! Yes.......I was surprised too! Let me go back in time for a sec. Last Thursday, I was feeling even worse then I normally did. I just thought, I really needed a day of sleep and was getting run down pumping all day and night at home and then running back and forth to hospital. Well in the middle of the night I wake up with a 103.8 temp. I dragged myself to the doc's office and find out I have a MAJOR kidney infection! UGH.......just what I need. So I was in bed and unable to go downstairs or visit the babies ALL weekend. Monday morning I wake up with a temp of only 99.1 and feel almost human again. :) So as usual, I wake up and immediately call the NICU to check up on my girls. They said they were doing great and ALL ready to come home that day!

So we are on day two of them being at home for a FULL day. It is great and a lot of work. But we have had old friends and now new friends here helping us when they can and that has been great. We also have had meals delivered and also GREAT.

When we were getting ready to pick up all the babies from WakeMed, which I need to say.....ALL the people there are WONDERFUL!!! From my nurses in Triage, Labor and Delivery and Mother and Baby to the TEAM of people that delivered my babies and of course THE ICN or NICU. The ICN took such great care of our babies and were awesome with us! THANK YOU ALL!!! Ok, back to my first thought. All the car seats ALONG with our daughter's booster seat didn't work in my Toyota mini-van. We had to immediately buy a new car to fit our family. Luckily, Luke has been looking since we heard I was pregnant with quads for a vehicle able to fit our whole family along with all the baby stuff needed.

We bought a diesel Sprinter from Hendrick Dodge in Cary. Tonya in the commercial sales department assisted us. She got us the van that was not due to Cary until mid August...here in HOURS!! Thanks Hendrick Dodge and Tonya! We got the van Tuesday evening and were able to ALL take one car to the babies first doctor appointment this morning. :) A lot easier then two cars following each other.

I had pictures taken of the girls last week at WakeMed. When I get those, ABC will link them so you can see them.

Now that I have the kidney infection under control and am able to try and heal from C section I hope to be able to blog a little sooner then I have been. Carpal tunnel is still here and bad....but if that is the only thing I am battling, I can take it and blog!

July 25, 2007

Waiting on the Girls to Come Home

Today is July 25th and I was told that my girls MAY start coming home early next week!!! They are 35 weeks old today......or two weeks out in the REAL WORLD.

They are ALL doing great!! All are putting weight on daily, eating well and nursing well. I was told yesterday (before their feedings were raised again) that to nurse them all I need to make 41 ounces of milk A DAY! And now they all went up again in how much they need. At first I was overwhelmed when I heard this. I am pumping AROUND the clock 24 hours a day around 1.45 hours to 3 hours apart, or at hospital nursing. I almost started to cry. As it is, I am NOT getting sleep (and they aren't even home yet), I am still in pain from the incision, my back is totally tweaked and I walk like IGOR from old scary movies. Then I just decided, I WAS/AM doing the best I can and that is ALL I can do.

My Mom is still here from California taking care of Allaura and I. This has been a HUGE lifesaver. Without her here, I am not sure how I could have done this. My Aunt will be joining us on the 7th of August and then the FUN will begin! My daughter, Allaura LOVES having my Mom and Aunt together around. There is NEVER a dull moment. I also LOVE it. It will be fun to learn about caring for my SUPER TWINS with them here!

My carpal tunnel is still KILLER........it has taken me about 1 hour to type this. I can't wait for this to go away.

July 20, 2007

How Do I Divide My Time?

Hello all, I have been swamped. I have about 40 personal emails that need answering and a million Thank you cards (those are just going to have to wait!) to send. I have the WORST carpal tunnel in BOTH hands....so typing and talking(holding phone) are not easy. I have to save my hands for all my girls.

Our daughters are ALL doing great! They as of this evening are going to ALL be sleeping together in an OPEN CRIB! This is huge. Two nights ago, they were all changed to "intermediate status" and a different part of the NICU.

Willow the smallest baby (small in weight not HEART!) is a feisty fighting baby. She never needed a CPAC(I think that is the name) for breathing, first to nurse great (they have all been nursing since Saturday (three days old) and first to get IV out....first out from ultra violet lights. Willow is getting blonde hair and so stinking cute.....you just want to kiss her the whole time you hold her.

Kaidan, the largest baby is also the cutest baby!! (they are ALL so cute, it drives you crazy!) She has darker hair....and is VERY curios and alert. She was the first to open her eyes and just look around. She is now almost back to her birth weight too!

Bella, my beautiful Bella is a sweet heart. I know she has Daddy wrapped around her finger already! She is the second smallest also getting close to her birth weight! I am told be all the nurses, my Mom and Luke that she is the spitting image of me! So of course, I think she is beautiful. (again....they ALL are!)

Sophie. Seeing her out of my womb, she looks just like her ultrasound pix. I saw her face on a 4D ultrasound MONTHS ago and said, "that is Sophie, that is my Sophie". She is the second largest baby and has the most exquisite eyes.......watch out boys.

Sophie and Bella are hilarious at nursing time. They are on the same hour feeding time schedule and I always change with all the girls who goes first and second. So whoever goes first will normally NOT WANT TO stop. I will try to remove my nipple from their what I thought was a sleeping mouth and they will all of a sudden frantically start nursing again! Sophie and Bella never want to give up their Mommy time. Kaidan and Willow......will normally fall asleep after nursing...so this isn't an issue with them.

My hands are killing me and today is my eldest daughter Allaura's birthday!! She has also been sick all week (making this week REALLY hard) poor thing and won't be able to visit her sissy's this weekend. She will be SOOO SAD about this. I need to go spend time with her!

I will write again SOON!

July 16, 2007

Pumping Like Crazy

Today is July 16th and it is 5:00 in the morning. I am on my breast pump again, this is my THIRD time pumping this evening/morning. I am not really able to sleep. I know to get my girls home, I need to get a lot of milk and nursing done for them. So sleep is hard.........knowing if I pump for my milk every 2 to 3 hours.....I will get better results and MORE milk. Plus I want to be at hospital all other times to nurse them.

Well, this evening I had a breakdown. I am home now, I came home yesterday (Sunday) about 1:35 p.m. It is/was very bitter sweet. I am back home after being in the hospital a total of 3 weeks and 5 days. So I am back in my home and with my freedom from all night checks at the hospital and cafeteria food. I am with my PRECIOUS Allaura again BUT my babies are NOT here. They are in the NICU in intensive care. THIS IS VERY HARD. I cried and cried last night, I missed them, yearned for them and SO want to know they will 100% for sure be home soon and all of them will be A OK.

When you are pregnant with quads and on bedrest, you have a lot of time to read and think about what is to come. You KNOW they aren't coming home with you, but when you go home without them it hits you for real. Actually, at first I was pretty OK. By the time we left the hospital, I had nursed and visited girls about 3 times already and hand over my GOLDEN hard to come by breast milk which was also pumped thru out the night the previous night. Then by the time I went to take a nap after arriving home (about 15 minutes) I kept dreaming about my smallest daughters and seeing their BEAUTIFUL little faces. They are all SO cute, innocent, precious and UGH......what else can I say. They are PERFECT and MEMORABLE. :) So as soon as I woke up from that nap and dream of them......I PUMPED and called the NICU. Happy to hear yet again the girls were ROCKING health wise.

A good family friend Brenda, brought over a delicious meal. My family ate and then we headed to NICU. I wanted to hold and nurse someone ASAP! (I think nursing is better for me then them!) I nursed Bella, all the rest of the girls were sleeping.

My Dad, Mom, Luke, Allaura and I all got home around 10:30 p.m. from visiting. As soon as I got home, I ate some dinner and pumped before bed.

Then laying there in the dark with my BIG girl and eldest daughter asleep next to me, I wept and wept.

I have my eldest child here lying next to me, so HAPPY that I am home and "have a lap" now so I can hold her and read to her......but the beds in my room for the babies are all empty. I want to frantically see their faces....so I can at least "see them" and picture every detail of their faces. My Mom had borrowed my laptop to email friends. Crying uncontrollably I ask her to bring my computer ASAP. I have pictures on my computer I run as a slide show...of my babies. I need to view these pictures, pray and wait for calm. I decide to focus on my child that is HERE with me now. I cuddle up next to her sleeping little body and watch her beautiful little face as she sleeps. This is a BIG help in 'the calming".

Complete calm doesn't really come for awhile, so I call the NICU to hear about my girls. They again are doing FINE, just their Mommy isn't.

This whole night I doze off between pumping. I haven't gotten any "real sleep". But 7:45 a.m. is getting closer and this is when I can see my babies!

July 15, 2007

Checking on the Babies

Ok, I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear from me. BOY, I thought the growing part of my pregnancy was the hard part, who knew C-sections could kick your hinny HARD.

The night before my girls were delivered I was SOO excited I hardly slept. Then I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and stayed awake. After the c-section (which went famously well) I went to recovery for about 1.5 hours, then came back to my room and immediately asked for a wheelchair ride to the NICU.

I was able to see my girls for the first time and it was great. After all these months of waiting and caring for them, I FINALLY was able to view my little miracles. It was a little hard to see them from my wheelchair but PERFECT nonetheless.

It started to show I had "over done it" in the NICU, so I was sent back to my room to try and rest. Rest, is very hard when you have four little babies in the NICU and a daughter who misses you at home AND a lot of pain.

My night after the surgery I wasn't able to sleep with everyone checking in on me. Then since I was up, I desperately wanted to know how my babies were doing. So thru out the night I stalked the NICU with phone calls. :) The girls are/were all doing great.

The following day...July 12th, I was VERY tired and in pain. So staying on top of the pain meds is a must. I was able to visit my babies twice on this day. By this day they were all on ROOM AIR and in isolates, which is a good thing.

The night of the 12 th was by far the WORST night of the whole pregnancy. I was up all night violently throwing up and in INTENSE pain. I was warned of "gas pain" after the surgery and didn't know what that meant. MAN OH MAN I know now. I guess when they pull out your insides to get babies.......and then shove them back in, air collects. So the air is in your body and HOLY COW it kills. So it needs to escape, but until it does, it is VERY painful on top of contractions and your stitching wound.

So the 13th was NOT a good day at all for me. I finally got to sleep around 5 a.m. and napped off and on until 2 in the afternoon.

I was able to visit the girls twice on this day too, but they were very short visits. I was feeling beat up and could barely keep my eyes open. Again, the girls are a wonder and I am awed by their beauty already and little Trooper spirits! I AM SOOOO IN LOVE with them.

Alright, this blog so far has been written over the last two days, I am very busy now as a Mom of five with four being brand spanking new. I will end this blog now on the July 15th at 6:00 a.m. I am trying to finishing pumping for milk for my girls and head up to NICU before they close for shift change.

I am going home late this morning on Sunday, and will need to REST and try and get strong. I also need to get a lot of breast milk pumping for my babies. So.......please understand, I am home, not the babies. They won't be home for weeks. I need the rest.........and will be heading back and forth to hospital A LOT. So calls or emails are great, visits aren't high on my list of wants. I have A LOT to do when awake.

I will write more tomorrow........PROMISE!!!

July 11, 2007

Quadruplets Are Born!
By Michelle Clark - Good Friend

After what seems like the longest 33 weeks EVER, the babies are finally here! Mel's mother Yolanda reports mom and babies are ALL healthy and doing well! They decided at the last minute that all of the girls middle names will be Marie, just like Melanie's and her other daughter Allaura. So, without further ado I now introduce:

Sophie Marie Osborne: 4 lbs and 6 ounces

Willow Marie Osborne: 3 lbs and 13 ounces

Kaidan Marie Osborne: 4 lbs and 8 ounces

Bella Marie Osborne: 4 lbs and 1 ounce

I still remember when Mel told me she was having quads - the first thing I thought was if God could pick anyone to be able to handle something like this, he sure did a good job this time around! She is truly one of the strongest people I've met in my life.

I'm going to the hospital tonight for a visit - hopefully I'll get to see the girls and post some pictures tomorrow. Knowing Mel she'll be blogging away before you know it! We'll have an update for you as soon as they allow our cameras in the see the new family of SEVEN: Melanie, Luke, Allaura, Sophie, Willow, Kaidan and Bella!

July 11, 2007

4 More Hours to Delivery! Today is the day!! Four more hours until our daughters are here!! I am so excited I woke up several times last night and then for good at 4 this morning.

I pray my daughters all do well, although since I learned of my pregnancy, I have felt they will be. I personally am pretty scared of my c section. Since I have a HUGE uterus right now, there are a lot of things that could go wrong, I pray they don't.

July 10, 2007

My Babies Will Be Delivered Tomorrow

Yeehaw, 19 hours until my baby girls are delivered!

I have had several visitors from the NICU, who said they are ready and excited about my daughters! I haven't had a migraine today either!!! Today is going by quick, which is great. I am so STOKED, I thought it would be the longest day of my life, and it is going by nice and fast.

So, with the knowledge my daughters will REALLY, FINALLY be here tomorrow, the realization that now the REAL work will begin is hitting me. Since I found out I was pregnant with quadruplets my only focus was their health and keeping them inside me for at least 32 weeks (and I made it 33 weeks!).

My pregnancy is almost over and I now have time to think about my family. Wow, we are going from a family of 3 to 7!! We are all in for a wild ride, but what a ride it will be. I know the first three years will be a blur. But after that......it will probably be crazy awesome! (I am sure it will be crazy awesome before three years, but after diapers are done and they can feed themselves, more independence)

I can't wait to see my daughters tomorrow and HOLD them and KISS them. Smell them too, gotta love the smell of a CLEAN baby.

July 10, 2007

Picture of Me Sideways

Can you believe how big I have gotten? I can't. It is amazing I can stand up.

July 9, 2007

Two Days To Go

I have two more FULL days to go, then the babies will be delivered this Wednesday morning. I have learned several facts since my last blog.

1. I am really 5 feet around from waist to top of belly
2. WakeMed isn't the ONLY NICU or nursery full. I guess Duke, UNC, Rex and Western Wake are also ALL bursting with babies. So it sounds like the whole Triangle area is short on beds or hasn't been able to catch up with the FAST growing Wake county and surrounding areas.

I just pray that some little babies get healthy and get to go home!!! And that mine are born not needing too much "attention" and can quickly go to a regular nursery or HOME and then make beds available for babies that are earlier then mine and smaller. :) All babies need attention.........and healthcare, I know! Especially as a Mom of preemies.

Also, I hope this somehow gets the attention of hospital administrators who can add beds in all hospitals!

July 7, 2007

Wrapping Up Loose Ends

1. Tongue biopsy was non cancerous
2, My Uterus is now measuring 70 weeks pregnant
3. I am 4 feet 11 inches around from waist to tip of baby belly
4. New "delivery date" as long as my body can hold out is July 11th at 11:30 a.m., which will be exactly 33 weeks pregnant
5. The WakeMed NICU is HOPING to have four beds available for my daughters if I am able to deliver on the 11th. If I have them before Wednesday the NICU doctors have said they WILL "divvy" them up between 3 Wake County hospitals. WHICH IS STINKIN ridiculous. Even though they PERSONALLY talked to Luke and I and told us they were not taking transfers and had our beds on hold, they are STILL not guaranteeing that our quads will have four beds on Wednesday. UGH
6. On the brighter side.....maybe the girls will be close to 5 pounds......when they are born.

I have not been able to sleep this last week to good at all. Even on Ambien, I sleep about 2 hours.......stay awake for awhile...then nod off for about 2 more, then it is morning. So then I nap thru out the day....and fight off major migraines. My blood pressure is also creeping up.....even though the contraction meds lower my blood pressure. I also have basically NO swelling. Which is great.

July 6, 2007

No Room at the Hospital?

Well, the WakeMed NICU doctor just came down and even though I have been told for a couple of weeks the NICU was "on alert" for me and holding beds open for my HIGH risk pregnancy and babies, they have NO ROOM FOR them. They are hoping to discharge some babies this weekend BUT still may not have room for my babies on Wednesday. (new delivery date is Wednesday the 11th, I will be 33 weeks exactly) So we are pushing back the delivery date from tomorrow to next Wednesday with still NO 100% chance of having beds for my girls. I have worked as closely as I can with WakeMed to make sure they knew about the girls and were ready for them. So this is a BIG disappointment.

My OB's are great though........and so are the nurses here at WakeMed. They were all excited for me this morning at the thought of having the babies tomorrow. Now they are all bummed and VERY understanding of how I am feeling now that it has been moved.

Let's see if the girls will stay in me until then and some beds will open up and stay open.

July 5, 2007

The Doctor Said I Will Have the Babies on the 8th!

Yeah, Dr. White woke me up this morning at the hospital to tell me, I AM HAVING THE BABIES!!!! Tomorrow the 8th of July at 11:30 a.m. we be birthing some babies!

I have had A ROUGH time these last several days. Being on bed rest for 16 weeks (especially with my personality, I am a TOP producing RE/MAX real estate agent, who isn't used to laying down 24/7) has been wearing me out emotionally. I am a numbers person or "goal reacher" type personality. So since I first sat down and talked to my doctor's about quadruplet pregnancy the goal was set for 32 weeks. It was highly doubted I would make it to that, but the goal we were striving for. And with my competitive nature, I was SET on 32 weeks. Which I reached yesterday the 4th of July.

After my great ultrasound with Duke Perinatal the goal was then changed to 34 weeks. A change I was not ready for. The babies are SOOOO big they squish my lungs and tighten up around my heart. When my contractions come on....this is the side effect. I feel as though I can't breathe, and get worried someone might crack a rib! I have some big strong babies in my belly.

So after talking, crying, pleading with my doc's..........we are having the babies tomorrow at 32 weeks and 2 days. The average quadruplets are born at 29 weeks 6 days. They are also normally 3.5 pounds and less. Mine are gestationally older and a decent amount heavier, so all the doc's here INCLUDING the baby's doctor's said they are A OK to come out tomorrow. Also, women who may make it a little longer, normally get preclampsia and or gestational diabetes. My doctors and I decided it would be best to get them delivered BEFORE I go downhill health wise too.

We will make sure everyone hears about the babies and their weights and health tomorrow!

July 2, 2007

Bad Headaches, Contractions

Today I am 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant! I have had a HARD weekend, hence no blogs. I am not really able to sleep, so when I am awake I am very TIRED, have bad headaches and contractions. The contraction meds are given every 6 hours throughout the day. Sometimes my uterus just won't listen to the meds and I get pretty strong contractions that last for like 2 minutes. When I have these contractions, my babies are so big and high in me, that they squeeze my lungs. That is the "scary" or "disturbing" part of the contractions. Your lungs feel as those they are getting squeezed and like you aren't getting enough oxygen. Then it makes my heart get sharp pains.......that sometimes shoot to my back and make it feel like a back spasm.

Also, if you have read about my TONGUE episode, it has never healed and is now bigger and a rounded cluster of tissue or a tumor. So the ENT doctor's here at WakeMed have looked at it, and were also stumped. They decided to biopsy it on Saturday, so I am anxiously awaiting the results.

Everyone here at WakeMed has been AWESOME!! They are taking great care of the babies and I. My doctors at Kamm, McKenzie, Harden, Bass, Smith, Sacks and White are also all great doctors and cheerleaders for me.

I am personally hoping my girls are born on the 4th of July, the 32 week mark everyone wanted to hit initially - or the 7th of July. This way I have four girls on the 4th, or we become a family of seven on 7/7/07!

June 28, 2007

Bring It!

I slept GREAT last night!!! Even better when I woke up, I am 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant! Yesterday wasn't the best day, hence no blog. I slept awful.......and napped thru out the day.

But today....I woke up with a good night's sleep and then napped until my MUCH awaited breakfast. I will tell you one thing...when on bed rest there are TWO things you look forward to. 1. EVERY meal 2. What is on TV.

So my days are uneventful (which is good for me and babies) except for ordering food and looking forward to what is on the TV. I can't really read anymore due to the bad carpal tunnel in both hands.

Last night, Luke and I went up to the NICU to see where our daughters will be taken when they are born. I have been up there twice, but it was Luke's first time. He was a little surprised at HOW small and delicate the babies looked laying there in their incubators with all their IV's. It made him a him a little more nervous, and now determined for me to make it to 34 weeks. The babies we saw were all smaller then ours though, so for me it was reassuring to see that my babies were bigger then the ones we saw, and everyday in me, only getting bigger.

After my great ultrasound on Tuesday, ALL my doctors are also wanting me to go to 34 weeks.....or July 18th. Since the babies have dropped and aren't on my lungs and heart area anymore...I saw BRING IT!! I can hold them in for 2 weeks and 6 more days! (but who is counting)? :)

June 26, 2007

The Babies are HUGE!

Yippeeee, my baby girls are HUGE!!!! Three are right at 4 pounds and Bella is 4.5 pounds!! Tomorrow I am 31 weeks pregnant also.

Last night I started off with a good sleep, then as my contraction meds wore off, I hardly slept. So I am back from my field trip from the ultrasound and ready to try and NAP! I also noticed that my belly has dropped, so I can breathe a little easier now. Another good thing. ;)

I am very tired, so this is short but sweet.

TATA, the Super Uterus Momma

June 25, 2007

A Trip to Duke and a Shower!

OK, I just successfully marked ANOTHER day off of my calendar. I am now 30 weeks and 5 days and still pregnant! Here is the "game plan" as I understand it.

As long as my contraction meds keep working, my water(s) don't break and I don't dilate anymore, they want me to make it to AT least 32 weeks, which is FOURTH OF JULY!

My BIG event I have to look forward to tomorrow, is leaving WakeMed for a bit and going to my Duke ultrasound. Latrall gets to tell me HOW big my babies are now. :) For today..........I AM GOING TO SHOWER!! (hey, believe it or not, this is a big event for me, and the shower)!

Now that the facts and gameplans are out of the way......I call tell you how I FEEL. My belly and babies are SOOO large, they are squeezing and pushing my lungs and my heart. Just laying here in bed ALL DAY.....my lungs feel as though I can't breathe at times, thus making me have "panic like attacks." When my contraction meds start to wear off, my contractions are so hard and HIGH (my uterus is up to my breasts or even higher right now) that when I have one, it seems to squeeze or hurt my heart area and then give me a feeling in my left shoulder blade like a back spasm waiting to happen. NOT GOOD, PLEASANT........all that.

After talking to my friend and other local quad mom Rachel, I have found out this is ALL normal. She also felt the same lung, heart things. So after hearing that, it did help. :) I WILL still be OK! She made it to 32 weeks and 2 days......and I will do my best to follow in her footsteps.

In case everyone missed it before, WakeMed does allow gifts to be delivered. :)

June 23, 2007

Not Delivering Yet

Today I am 30 weeks and 3 days! I had to quite taking my contraction meds again last night. My blood pressure was WAY too low. So as a consequence the contractions came and came HARD. They were definitely a number 6 on their scale of discomfort and a little less then 5 minutes apart...and LONG!! So at 5:30 this morning they gave me my contraction meds......and now the contractions are 7 to 9 minutes apart and don't even hurt like they did!

Even with all of this contraction movement my cervix is still unchanged. So I am still 2 dilated and 70% effaced and -1. (not sure what -1 means!)

Yesterday, bless their hearts the ultrasound technicians tried their hardest to measure my cheerleading squad of ACTIVE baby girls. We know for sure they are all above 3 pounds.....but hard to narrow down HOW much over. So we will just wait and see.

IF I can make it to this Wednesday...they will be 31 weeks....so every hour that passes now if my NEW goal, but Wednesday would be nice!

June 22, 2007

In the Hospital Ready to Deliver

OK, I am at WakeMed and it appears I maybe here until the girls are born. I am 30 weeks and 2 days pregnant!

Yesterday about 11:20 a.m. I had a LONG strong contraction...followed by shorter ones. So, I headed up to doctor's office. The midwife Janet and Karen at KIND nurse were there to take care of me!! THEY were AWESOME! My Mom, daughter Allaura and I all learned I was 2 centimeters dilated and about 70% effaced. My contractions were about 6 minutes apart too. Needless to say.......I got my walking papers to WakeMed.

I am in labor and delivery and taking a medicine to help stop or at least reduce contractions. I had too much in my system last night...and my pulse got rather high. So we skipped my 1 a.m. dose....and they let me retake it at 6 a.m.

Luke and I are here.......he brought his camping gear and is sleeping on the floor. :)

My schedule as I know it SO FAR is...1 p.m. I get my second round of steroid shots and at 1:30 I go down to Radiology to have them check on girls, cords, fluids and MEASURE them!!! My goal is to my have girls at 3 pounds and up!!! I will send another blog in today....as long as I don't have them... and let you know their health, my health and their weight!

CIAO!

June 21, 2007

Babies Getting Bigger, Healthier

Today I am 30 weeks and one day pregnant! I read yesterday, that only 50 percent of quadruplet pregnancies make it to 30 weeks. So, way to go baby Sophie, Bella, Willow and Kaidan. Yesterday was my weekly visit to my OB docs. They were happy to report that I am doing perfect and so are the babies. I have great blood pressure, no swelling (except for fingers) and my cervix is still unchanged from my hospital visit on Thursday. Each of the girls heat beats was A OK, their fluids were normal and they were kicking and dancing away inside of me. At night I am getting SOOOOOOOO uncomfortable and it is very hard to breathe. But hey, as long as that means they are getting bigger and healthier, I will deal with it.

June 18, 2007

No More Triage Please

Today I am 29 weeks and 5 days pregnant! My uterus is measuring 63 weeks pregnant. I am HUGE and getting bigger everyday. Last Thursday I had to go to WakeMed for three hours......but luckily I got a prescription to help stop my contractions and was sent home. I LOVE being home vs. the hospital. It is SOOOO hot in the Triage area.....and dull and UCKY!!! The labor and delivery area is much better, but you have to wait in Triage on these SMALL gurney's in a room with no circulation and the WORST pillows ever made. I have been to Triage twice and both times...my cheery disposition leaves after being stuck in that room in the most uncomfortable circumstances and NO air! (yes, I am very passionate with my dislike for the Triage area)!

So here are my next goals that I am trying to reach BEFORE giving birth. 1. This Wednesday I will be 30 weeks! I have a doctor's appointment at 8 in the morning and look forward to seeing/hearing how my cervix is doing and see the girls heartbeats. 2. After I pass the Wednesday 30 week mark, I want to make it to Tuesday the 26th. That is my next Duke ultrasound appointment.

After that appointment I will be ready to have my babies!! So........here's to this Wednesday....and then Tuesday the 26th!

June 13, 2007

29 weeks today! HOT DOG First I will tell you from my waist to my outmost part of my belly it is measuring 4 feet 5 inches around. UGH....at least there are FOUR healthy baby girls in there. I put on 8 pounds last week.....and it didn't seem like I ate a lot. So hopefully the girls got that weight.

Ok, now the low down on my cervix. It measured with the ultrasound 2.3 centimeters, so it has shortened some. It is now 50% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated. Kaidan's head is ready in position to come out, IF I were giving birth vaginally.

I am VERY tired now a days. Talking is taking up a lot of energy AND walking to the bathroom is becoming very difficult. My daughter Allaura is picking up on it....and said "Mommy you are grumpy!" I told her I am trying not to be.....I love being pregnant with my little angels, but am so tired and uncomfortable, that I can't help but be a little grumpy.

June 11, 2007

Strange Side Effects

All right...much to my husband's dismay, I can TALK again!!! My tongue is no longer bleeding and I can eat too! That tongue episode was just a weird side effect of a multiple pregnancy and blood vessels bursting sporadically.

Now that I can talk and eat, my next pregnancy side effect is the swelling. First I will start off saying that I have been VERY fortunate and have not swollen at all, until yesterday. I woke up Sunday and realized my fingers looked swollen. Saturday, I wasn't swollen at all. So, my wedding ring was still on my finger. I tried every trick in the book to get my wedding ring off, but wasn't able to. My OB doc said to try and wait until first thing in the morning to take it off. So this morning, Monday June 11th at 28 weeks and 5 days pregnant I tried again to take it off with NO LUCK!

Dr. Harden said that the only way to get it off would be to have a jeweler take it off, but as we all know, I am on strict bed rest. These past 3 days, I can barely walk to the restroom, much less head down to a jewelery store. So I called CMI Jewelers in Raleigh, they are locally owned and operated and I have had things done there in the past. I called and explained my situation....and luckily for me, the lady who answered the phone had seen me on ABC news and knew I really was on strict bed rest and who I was! She transferred me to Kim the owner, who understood my situation and sent out Tim to cut my ring off!!! My finger nail was getting a bluish tint to it and my finger was red and swollen. Tim came out within 1 hour of my call for help!!

So now my finger is getting it's normal coloring back and my fingernail is losing it's bluish tint. I was so happy and pleased that CMI Jewelers came to my home to help me SO QUICKLY and then they didn't even charge me!! THANK YOU!

I am 29 weeks on Wednesday, I know I can make it!!

June 9, 2007

Week 28

Today is my 28th week of pregnancy and 3rd day. Yesterday was my Duke ultrasound and we were ALL deliciously surprised to find out the approximate weight of our baby girls. Kaidan is a whopping 3.6 pounds! Sophie is 2.14 pounds. Willow is 2.10 pounds and Bella is 3.3 pounds. The ultrasound lady, Latrall (she rocks!) also mentioned they maybe be bigger then what she ended up with as their weights....cause they are ALL over their Momma's belly!

So, this morning I woke up happy to be pregnant yet another day. As I was innocently sitting minding my own business, I all of a sudden I tasted blood in my mouth. A ton of blood was just gushing out of my tongue...even though I did nothing. I guess because a regular single baby pregnant woman has a lot of extra blood when pregnant, a pregnancy like mine with 4 babies is a lot MORE extra blood.

The theory is ablood vessel rose and "popped or exploded" on my tongue due to all the extra blood in my body. I had bled a lot...and then a neighbor of mine who is also a doctor came over and helped my Mom and I to stop it from bleeding. Now I can't talk (and for those who know me, know this is quite a challenge) and I can't really eat anything.

I am trying to justto ice cold liquids, yogurt and ice cream. I awhile ago I just tried to swallow...and it started bleeding a little again.

So to recap, babies great, me healthy but weird tongue thing going on. It doesn't hurt...BUT with four babies, I GOT TO EAT! So we will see how this plays out.

June 7, 2007

Smooth Sailing

Well, today I have made it to 28 weeks and 1 day pregnant! It has been a hit and miss week. I was in the hospital Friday afternoon thru Saturday this last weekend. Then Monday morning I headed to the doctor's for an unscheduled visit. I had been having a "constant" contraction or tightening of my belly all night in early Monday morning. So I went to the doctor's and my cervix was the same...and NOTHING was happening! HALLELUJAH!

So then this Tuesday was my regular scheduled doctor's visit. I had great blood pressure, my iron is still HIGH and I gained 5 pounds last week. I am now 70 pounds heavier then when I first got pregnant. I am REALLY hoping it means I have four 12 pound babies in me. Hmmmm, you think??

They did my usual ultrasound measuring of my cervix and it was STILL 2.9 centimeters long. So I am 30% effaced.....a LITTLE dilated but have a long cervix. Leading me to believe I can now make it to 30 weeks!

Tomorrow Amber (ABC reporter) and my family will be at my ultrasound at Duke place (sorry pregnant Mom can't remember the FULL name). My goal is to have my girls at around 2.6 pounds on up! According to my research...the average baby is about 2.2 pounds at 28 weeks, but WHO WANTS AVERAGE BABIES!! :)

June 3, 2007

The First Overnight Hospital Stay

Boy do I have a lot to catch everyone up on. This Friday evening at 27 weeks and 2 days I started to have contractions that were kinda close together and hurt! My favorite doctor, Dr. Michael White was on call (thank God!) and had me come to the hospital for "further checking". My Mom and I went to WakeMed and my husband kept our daughter busy and took her to show homes! My poor Fort Knox cervix....is now becoming just a regular ol cervix. I was 30% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated. The girls are ALL doing well. The poor nurses tried for about 45 minutes to get ALL the babies on a heart monitor. But my little girls are VERY active in the womb and just as Marcy (our nurse) would get a baby on a heart monitor and try to move on to the next baby, the previous baby would move away from her monitor.

We waited for Dr. White and then all agreed to get an ultrasound of the girls.......to check their heart beats and fluid. They were all A OK. I stayed overnight in Labor and Delivery and took some medicine to stop the contractions. About 40 minutes after taking the meds, it kicked in and worked. But one of the side effects they have to look for with this medicine is blood pressure lowering. My did lower so I was only able to take the one dose, which did the trick! All night I was on a contraction monitor and the contractions almost stopped completely. In the morning when Dr. White checked my cervix I had not changed at all. I was still the 30% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated.

With the contractions "under control" I was released and allowed to come home FIRST thing in the morning on Saturday. AH, HOME SWEET HOME!! I immediately crawled into my big bed with fifty million pillows and SLEPT!

So now I am feeling VERY VERY tired and even talking is hard and wears me out. I am only to get up to use the bathroom (which was basically what I was doing before) and then to get right back in bed. I am also to have NO STRESS what so ever. So I am turning almost anything to do with work over 100% to Luke and my real estate team. Wow, what a way to learn how to delegate! (that word wasn't the most used in my vocabulary in the past)

My new goal is to keep Sophie, Willow, Kaidan and Bella in me until at least this Friday the 8th of June. That day is my next big DUKE ultrasound and I want to see HOW BIG my babies are. If they are almost 3 pounds, I will feel a great amount of relief!

June 1, 2007

I Need a Fork Lift for My Belly

Well, today I am 27 weeks and 2 days pregnant!! Just 5 days away from the "at least 28 week" goal. My doctors have all told me that the 28 week mark is a good number to try to reach FIRST(then it is 30 weeks!) for the girls. At 28 weeks it makes it pretty certain the girls will have NO long term handicaps or disabilities. I know I can make it to 28 weeks! I have to.

It is getting harder and harder to do the usual everyday stuff. Getting up to go the bathroom from my bed...I feel as though I need a fork lift for my belly and body. If I happen to drop anything on the floor, FORGET ABOUT IT! It is gone until my mom, husband or daughter come along to help me.

Well, I got my test results back. I am FAR OFF from having gestational diabetes!! My iron is now BETTER than normal too. I have also only gained 65 pounds so far. Not too bad considering I have FOUR little girls in me.

May 30, 2007

Everything Looks Great

I am 27 weeks pregnant tomorrow!!! Today I had my weekly OB/Gyn appointment. My iron is way UP!!! Better then normal even. My blood pressure is still good and we are waiting for my blood sugar/glucose test results to come in.

My cervix was a little shorter today. It was 4 centimeters last week. Today it is 2.91 centimeters. Still longer then what it normally should be, but it shortened rather quickly this last week. Before going in this morning, I told my Mom I was pretty sure my cervix shorter today. I have been having contractions a lot more often and am VERY tired! I am getting contractions when just talking too much also.

Allaura's dance recital was AWESOME!! She is a PERFECT performer! No squirming, picking or tugging. After the show, we presented her with a trophy and necklace! Then my friend's son, Cameron who is 11 gave her pink flowers! She loved those the most! Cameron is her best boy friend.

Amber with ABC is coming to our home tomorrow to see me "working from bed" and what being on bed rest entails! My Mom has been getting my room and the baby's room ready this past weekend, so hopefully we won't look too bad on TV.

May 25, 2007

Ultrasound Now Every Week

Today I am 26 weeks and 2 days pregnant! YAHOOOO.

I went to my regular OB/Gyn yesterday and had yet another great appointment. Me and the girls are doing well. My doctors confer with the Duke specialist I see every four weeks on a bi-monthly basis. They have all decided I need to get an ultrasound at my OB's office every week to check on my cervix length and babies fluids and heartbeats. And then still see specialist every four weeks for in depth ultra sound.

This weekend is an exciting weekend for me and my daughter. Allaura is almost four and has her first Ballet dance recital this weekend. She gets to wear (a limited amount) of makeup for the stage....a fancy dance costume and we have bought her flowers and a trophy! Her Grandmama (my Mom) is here from Los Angeles and will be getting her ready and taking her early. Then a family who are like my "blood family" are picking me up and we are all heading to see her dance! I will be going to see her dance and then heading home ASAP. I really do look forward to seeing what type of performer she turns out to be. Will she be the nose picker? Dress lifter upper? Or the one who remembers the dance!!! I am excited to see her in action. Anything she does, I will be TOTALLY thrilled with of course, but I can't wait to see her!!

I will blog after her dance recital and let everyone know what type of performer she is! Happy Memorial Day Weekend.

May 22, 2007

False Alarm Today

Today I am 25 weeks 6 days!! I had a false alarm this morning. I felt as though I was having "period cramps" all night and early this morning. So I headed into my OB/Gyn at 8 a.m. this morning and was thrilled to find out that NOTHING is happening. That is a GOOD THING! My cervix is still a miraculous 4 centimeters. My baby girls all have strong and good heartbeats with lots of fluid in their sacs.

I am also doing good, I have great blood pressure and no water retention. I am even MORE thrilled that my Mom arrives in from Los Angeles tomorrow morning at 5 a.m.! I can't wait for her to be here. My daughter Allaura has been sick since Mother's day evening and I am just run down and TIRED!! I need to rest and sleep and haven't been about to do so for almost 9 days. I must be able to relax and rest.

I have noticed contractions more since I have been trying to care for my daughter. So with my Mom coming into town, we are guaranteed GOOD food, my daughter WELL taken care of while my husband Luke goes to work and I get to REST!!

My Mom will be staying with us until our daughters are born. I know with her here and taking care of me and my household, I will be able to keep my daughters in until at least 32 weeks! (my goal) I hear the ticket is being in bed, resting and NO stress. I will also be able to blog more.....so stay tuned!

May 17, 2007

I Will Be Ok

Today I am 25 weeks pregnant and 1 day. What a relief!! Everyday that passes and every week that goes by, I am so relieved and HAPPY. I had my weekly appointment at my OB/GYN yesterday and everything is still going along perfectly. My blood pressure is perfect, all urine tests were clear and my cervix is still "Fort Knox". All four girls had great heartbeats.

My oldest daughter Allaura has been sick since Mother's Day evening. She has had a HIGH fever and been my bed rest buddy now for four days. It is VERY hard being as large as I am with the babies (I can barely walk without walking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame) and trying to care for a sick preschooler. She is FINALLY showing some improvement today.

Last night while trying to sleep, I had the weirdest feeling. The babies were SO heavy in me, I felt like I couldn't breathe and they were squishing my organs. It went away after about 1 hour, or I finally fell asleep, I am not sure which came first. I have a local quad Mom friend who has been telling me what to expect and she explained this to me earlier when I first was pregnant, now I understand. It is a very "uncomfortable" feeling. Scary in a way....you wonder if you will be able to breathe as the babies get bigger. I know mom's do this more often now...so I am sure I will be able to breathe. But in the moment when you can't do it well, it definitely is scary.

But, the bigger they get the better. So I will need to suck it up and realize I will be OK, because of course I will be!

May 13, 2007

Today is 24 weeks and 5 days pregnant and also Mother's Day!! I received breakfast in bed, but for the last 6 weeks, I have been eating breakfast everyday in bed. :) Even so, today's breakfast was VERY special. My parents sent a VERY beautiful bouquet of flowers that also smells -YUMMY. (I am VERY good at smelling things while pregnant) My husband Luke and daughter Allaura bought me a beautiful ring but even better THE BEST card. My husband reassured me that he is extremely happy and ready for our FOUR new daughters to join our family!

While my parents were visiting from California around Easter this year, Luke made the comment "I have always wanted to be surrounded by beautiful women my whole life! I just never thought I would be related to them all." I still chuckle at that comment when I think about it. It will be funny to see my 6'3" former Marine husband help toting 5 girlie girls around. We thought we had a lot of pink and purple in our home before finding out our quadruplets were ALL fraternal girls.

I am getting contractions a little more these last two days. I think I have been trying to do too much (and believe me, I haven't done a lot) and look forward to my Mom coming back out from California in a week and a half.

I LOVE being a Mother and hope I do this job BETTER then anything else I will ever do in my life. I say "Bring them on"!

May 12, 2007

I am 24 weeks 4 days pregnant! I am very happy my girls are "still with me/in me!" The last few days it feels like Willow and Bella have moved a little down towards Kaidan and my pelvic area. That means IT IS HARD to walk or waddle, depending on how you look at it.

I am still at 56 pounds of weight gained so far! I think that is a little less then where they want me to be, but with ALL these hormones inside of me it makes it hard to decide what I CAN eat and keep down. Then when I do eat...my stomach is so compressed, I can eat a bunch of little bites. After several bites (I eat sitting semi-perched up by pillows in bed) I must lay down even more to help make sure I don't "toss up lunch".

All that being said, yes my eating has changed, the fashion in which I walk/waddle has GREATLY changed and being in bed ALL week until a doctor's appointment is hard. BUT I wouldn't change a THING EVER!!! Everyday my little girls stay in me is a HUGE relief to me and my family.

I want my babies to stay AS LONG as they want! I am hoping they feel like staying until I am at least 30 weeks. After I reach 30 weeks, I want 32 weeks!

May 10, 2007

When it All Started

Luke and I got married in 2002 and wanted to start our family ASAP. Our daughter was born at the end of July in 2003. After having Allaura we wanted to immediately start to try having another child. After three years of trying and no more children, we went to a fertility specialist. After a lot of tests, they couldn't find any reason why we weren't getting pregnant. Luke was in MINT condition and I was too. We tried only one round of IUI and became pregnant. What we weren't expecting was FOUR babies at once.

Well, today I am 24 weeks and 2 days pregnant!! All of the girls are going great. Every time we go to the Duke for our "big" ultrasound they are amazed there at how good the girls are doing and even me too! According to ALL the reading I have been doing whether it be books or internet, Kaidan, Sophie, Bella and Willow are all measuring LARGER then the average singleton baby (one baby).

The average baby at 24 weeks weighs 1.3 pounds. Kaidan is 1.7 pounds, Sophie 1.7 pounds, Willow 1.11 pounds and Bella is 1.9 pounds!

Also the doctors get "worried" or watch for the cervix shortening (which can lead to preterm labor). My favorite doctor, Dr. White told me that as of this 24 week ultrasound I would probably be 2 or 1 centimeters in length. Well, I was 3.85 centimeters!!! They called me FORT KNOX! So that is also a great sign.

So I am on my 6th week of bedrest and it is VERY MUCH SO WORKING!! YEEHAW!

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