The Combs Krewe

TMI WARNING! This post contains a candid description of my twins' birth experience which contains details about birth and bodily functions. If the words mucus plug, placenta, or nipple or infant nudity make you cringe, this is not the place for you. = P Okay, so after I reached the 34 week milestone I was kind of like, "Alrighty, babies, come on out!" I was definitely uncomfortable but also totally willing to go the long haul should they decide not to come out for a few more weeks. However, Sunday morning I noticed that I was beginning to lose bits of my mucus plug. This was both really gross and really exciting. I've actually never had it happen before so I felt it was a good sign that my body was actually readying itself for labor. After a self check that night, I knew that I was beginning to dilate. Monday I had an appointment with a chiropractor. (If you're local go see Dr. Rizer at Provance Chiropractic!) Unfortunately he is not certified in the Webste...

I feel like we've reached a big milestone! Weeks and weeks ago my doctor told me, "Just get to 34 weeks." If the babies were born at this point, they would most likely be fine to come home with me. So now I'm all like, "Okay, come out babies." Generally I'm 100% for waiting until your body and your baby (babies) decide to birth. I know that due dates are really just guess dates. I've been really encouraged lately by a couple of mamas who chose to go 41 and 42 weeks with their babies. Yep, that's my position on birth...just let it happen as it will! It's hard to keep that in mind though when you get to this point, however. Days aren't so bad; nights are. Doesn't it always seem that way, though? Sickness, loneliness, whatever. It's always worse at night. All day I feel resolved; some nights I accidentally break down and cry. It's truly not THAT bad but there is a culmination of little things that wears me down.  Fir...

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant! According to my Babycenter email the babies are around 3 pounds (which supposedly they were 2 weeks ago at my ultrasound) and are a little more than 14 inches long. I am feeling lots of hiccups and lately they have all been very low so I'm hoping that is a sign of a couple of head-down babies. I also have Braxton Hicks contractions constantly. Sometimes it's so strange during these contractions; it feels like my stomach isn't even part of me just something sitting on my lap growing harder and heavier. Other times the contractions are uncomfortable, and I find myself trying to sit very still during them then running to the bathroom to empty my bladder! The kids have begun to ask about the babies often. Jathan and Ryland love sitting next to me and feeling them move. They think it's funny that the girls are already kicking their brothers. This morning the girls were moving so much that Jackie could feel the bed shake! Tomorrow is my ...

Last week I had my regular OB appointment. Keeleigh and my mom got the opportunity to go with me. After arriving late thanks to stupendous NOLA traffic and a long wait, we were finally called back. I was happy to find that I weighed two pounds less on their scale than the scale at the ultrasound office, ha ha. It was also great that my BP is still wonderfully perfect. The doctor saw us quickly since we'd had a long wait, and because my mom and Keeleigh were there, she did a little impromptu ultrasound right then and there to show them the babies. She took her time pointing out all their little parts...feet and fingers and other slightly less cute sounding things like brains and amniotic sacs. I will now be seeing the doctor every two weeks and because preterm labor is a risk in twin pregnancies the doctor wanted to check me for dilation. I was actually opposed to this mainly because it seems pretty pointless to me but consented. Of course I was not dilated at all and the twins...

This morning at church I learned that today is Sanctity of Life Sunday , a day of recognition of the value of human life first instituted by Ronald Reagan. Our church flyer talked about it and shared the remarkable story of a young woman who has recently joined our church. Last year she found herself pregnant with her third child and made an appointment to have an abortion. God worked in several ways (including the closing of the abortion clinic) to save her unborn child who turned out to be a beautiful little girl that I got to see today. The baby's big sister is in Ryland's Sunday school class (where I'm a helper) and is so sweet. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know this story; I know so many stories go unheard! That's why I wanted to share a little bit of my story. 13 years ago I was 15 years old and pregnant. Of course it was heartbreaking to my parents and family. An abortion would have been completely acceptable, understandable, and even welcomed. And ...

My entire fourth pregnancy had been different than any other. I didn't have one bit of morning sickness and my baby bump didn't "pop" for months and months. At each of my first and second trimester doctor appointments my blood pressure was absolutely perfect. While I knew that whatever would happen would happen, I held out hope that the uniqueness of this pregnancy would extend into the third trimester and birth--that I would not have pre-eclampsia for the first time and that I would have the experience of going into labor on my own. At my doctor's appointment, one day before the 37 week mark, the nurse frowned as she took my pressure. It was 140/100. She took it again and the doctor took it and then they sent me to the hospital for an evaluation which included serial blood pressure readings and various tests. All the tests came back "stone-cold normal" as my doctor put it. I did not have pre-eclampsia. But the doctor did suggest I take it easy and try ...