It has been a busy couple of weeks... the twins have arrived! The girls were born Aug. 14 and I'm happy to report they are healthy and we're all doing well. The birth was beautiful, drug-free, and earlier than expected. Here's their birth story. I apologize now for the length, but moms are proud of their birth experiences...
I was 36 and a half weeks and my doctor was talking about inducing me around 37-38 weeks because she felt twins could be safer on the outside at this point. I am not a fan of inducement unless ABSOLUTELY medically necessary and this didn't seem like enough of a reason. There was no evidence to back it up and just because it made her "uncomfortable" didn't seem like enough to induce. So I was telling my husband that I just wished the twins would come on their own, whenever they were ready. Just a few hours later, when I got into bed that night I felt my water break. It's a crazy sensation when that happens. Almost like you've peed your pants and you can't stop (not that I have experienced that, but I can imagine). So I ran to the bathroom and told my husband to call the doctor at the hospital. This was about 11:15pm.
I knew it was time to head to the hospital, so we got our daughter out of bed and took her to a friend's house on the way. We got to the hospital about 12:30 and by that time I was having a few, SMALL contractions. Nothing painful yet, just contractions to let me know that things were happening. I was excited b/c I was afraid that because my water had broken without contractions, the doctor would have to give me pitocin to kick things off (again, inducement). So luckily my body responded without any need for intervention.
While this is going on, my sister (who is a labor and delivery nurse at my hospital) was planning to be there for the birth as my doula, just like she did for my first child. However, this night she was out of town for a funeral for a member of her husband's family. ONE night she was going to be gone. Of course that's the night I went into labor. I called her on the way to the hospital and she called her nurse friends to get the "Dream Team" assembled for me and then she hit the road to try to make it back for the birth.
Back at the hospital, they hooked me up to the 800 monitors (okay, just 3, but there were a lot of wires in my way) to watch both babies and monitor the contractions before the doctor would come in. After about half an hour, the contractions were about 2 minutes apart and very INTENSE. I knew things were progressing rapidly. The doctor came in to check me around 1:30 and I was already past 6 cm. The doctor was very nice, but highly recommended that I get an epidural. He said he understood I had done this once before without medication, but for twins it would get very uncomfortable if he had to turn one of the babies if I didn't have an epidural. I said thanks, but no thanks.
NOTE: I didn't choose to give birth without medication to prove a point or to be some sort of superhero. The truth is that there is nothing heroic about it. It isn't a superhuman feat. It's simply about taking control of my birth experience and allowing my body to do what IT WAS MADE TO DO. Being a woman is pretty frickin incredible sometimes and giving birth has to be the best experience you can have. To fully experience birth, I think FOR ME (not for anyone else) it involves allowing myself to feel it. My favorite quote is: "We have a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong." It's like running a marathon, it takes hard work but the reward is feeling empowered knowing how incredible the body can be.
Back to the birth story... the next half hour after I saw the doctor seemed like one long contraction since they were coming one after another, almost on top of each other. I was thinking that it took me 5 hours to go from 6cm to delivering my first child and I didn't think I could last another 5 hours if my contractions stayed this intense. To explain contractions to someone who has never had them is difficult. It's not constant pain. It's a tightness or cramp in your stomach. A SEVERE cramp that is so intense you can't speak while it happens. It's a wave that comes in and then washes away, usually lasting less than one minute. Transition (the period between 7cm to the complete 10cm) is the most difficult. Contractions are closer together and much more intense than at any other time during labor. It helped me to think of each contraction as a wave and after it washed away, that would be the last time I'd ever have that contraction. And with each contraction, I was one step closer to meeting my daughters.
My husband was a wonderful supporter, who rubbed my back and cheered me on, giving me confidence to continue. When I felt like I was at a breaking point with the contractions, my FABULOUS nurse sensed it and asked if I wanted to be checked again. I was 10cm and we were ready to head to the Operating Room for the delivery. Apparently it's hospital policy to give birth to multiples in the OR, just in case there is a need for a c-section. The c-section rate for twins is about 50% (higher than the 30% rate for all women), so I was desperately trying to avoid that. The more medical interventions you receive (inducement, epidural, etc.), the more likely you are to have a c-section.
It only took 30 minutes to go from a 6 to a 10, so my labor was progressing fast. My bed was wheeled into the OR and it wasn't as scary as I had anticipated. There were a lot of extra people in there (NICU nurses for the babies, anesthesiologist, etc.) and it was bright, but not as cold and sterile as I had expected. My doctor came in and we talked for a little bit. He seemed surprised and told me, "Wow, you're really in control of the situation." I explained that I was fine to chat between contractions, and you really get a break when transtion is over. Instantly you feel the urge to push, but after that ends (again, like a wave it comes and goes) you don't feel any pain -- but certainly there is constant pressure.
Back on the interstate, my sister got the update from my nurse that I was heading into the OR. She was still 3 hours away and knew she couldn't make it back in time for the birth. She pulled over into a Jack In the Box parking lot (this was after 2am), and one of her nurse co-workers stood in the gallery of the OR and gave my sister a play-by-play of the birth over the phone.
In the OR, I pushed for about 15 minutes (only pushing with the contractions, which were each a few minutes apart) and Baby A was born! She was perfect and they placed her on my chest while they cleaned her off. She weighed 6lbs 15oz, which was a good size for a twin born at 36 and a half weeks. Immediately after her birth, the doctor asked how I wanted to manage the birth of Baby B. He said he typically breaks that baby's water immediately and gets Baby B out quickly. I said since we are still monitoring Baby B, let's just take a break and let me catch my breath before we get started on Baby B's birth. I knew the more you intervene, the more likely Baby B wouldn't be ready to come down and we could end up with a c-section for her. The more time we could give her to move down on her own, the better.
After about 15 minutes, the doctor said there was too much bleeding and he wanted to get started on Baby B's birth. I agreed and he broke her water. She came out in one push! She was much smaller at 5lbs 7oz, which is typical of the second twin. She was placed on my belly while they cleaned her. Suddenly I was a mom of 3!
I had an amazing rush after their birth. It's hard to explain, but I would say it's similar to a runner's high. After being exhausted, suddenly you feel renewed and ready to take on anything. After all that hard work, I felt uplifted and full of energy.
We feel so blessed and are excited to start our life as a family of 5. The best way to describe my life is something I'll steal from a recent Julia Roberts interview: Our love is so amazing it burst into 3 people.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Final Countdown
Not only is "The Final Countdown" a fantastic-ly cheezy hair metal song, but it also explains this phase of my pregnancy. I'm 35 weeks today, so that means with a singleton I'd have 5 weeks to go, but with twins 38 weeks is considered full term. So really the babies could come at any time! I'm excited about that, but also anxious. I don't think anxious accurately describes it... it's more like full-fledge panicked! I am not nervous about the same things I was when I was pregnant with my first child. That was more a fear of the unknown. Now I know what to expect with a newborn, so it's a fear of the inevitable change when bringing home a new baby (or babies).
Here are my top 5 stresses right now (believe me it changes daily):
1. Will the babies be born healthy?
I know the odds are good that everything will be fine, but I'm the person who worries about things I can't change and stresses about the 1 percent chance of whatever. I know that every mother stresses about this one (or at least thinks about it). I think having a healthy child is the number one priority for any mom-to-be. I am praying for 2 healthy children and letting go to realize that I can't control this one is difficult for me.
2. How will labor go?
With my first child I had a beautiful birth experience, but things will be very different this time around. With multiples I will be more closely monitored throughout labor (if there is no scheduled C-section--which I hope will not be needed). And that even after I go through labor and birth one child, there's still a chance that the second baby could spin into a breech position and we'd have to do a C-section for the second baby. I'll be giving birth in the Operating Room if that tells you anything. Apparently it's the standard of care for multiples' births, so I have no choice in the matter. That way if a C-section is needed, the doctors will be ready to go almost immediately. While this should make me feel more comfortable, it makes me more uptight because I know the OR will be sterile and cold and I'll probably be confined in ways that I wasn't with my first labor.
3. How will my daughter react to the twins?
This is a big worry for me. I don't want my daughter to feel pushed aside by the twins. I'm sure this is a common issue with siblings of babies, so I want her to be a part of the process so maybe she won't feel as left out. It's hard to imagine loving something as much as I love her, so while part of me fears I will have to split my love to include the 2 new babies, everything that I have heard from friends/family is that your motherly love is not split -- it MULTIPLIES! So it should be interesting to see how things change for all of us. I'm so excited to be adding to our family, I just hope my 2-year-old will agree.
4. How will breastfeeding go with the twins?
Breastfeeding is important to me. I struggled a great deal the first time around and finally got things worked out about 8-10 weeks later. Let me tell you that 2-3 months is a LONG time to struggle with nursing. Had I not been so determined to do it, plus all the guilt I had if I even thought about stopping, there's no way I would have continued. Eventually we made it and I nursed my daughter for about 15 months. It was a wonderful experience that bonded us and gave me a confidence that nothing else has ever done. I knew that I was doing something for her that NO ONE else could do. I grew her for 9 months and now was sustaining her by providing all the food she'd need. That's a big accomplishment.
I'm hoping this time around that I will know more nursing and won't have as many struggles, but with 2 babies everything will be different.
The first 3 months with a newborn are a blur. There's no sleep, lots of newborn crying, tons of stress and did I mention the no-sleep thing? Seriously, it's hard. At least this time we'll know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, on the flip side, we also know how HARD it is those first few months... when getting 3 hours of consecutive sleep feels like a weekend at the beach.
I think this stage can either push a couple apart or bring them closer. I definitely felt a closeness to my husband with our first child that I never had before. When you see your husband holding your child, there's a new level of love and respect that you didn't even know existed. I love him not only for the man he is to me, but for the father he is to our daughter. Ultimately, I am not worried about how these changes will affect our marriage because I know we have enough love to share with more children. I'm just stressing about those early months of sleep deprivation...
Here are my top 5 stresses right now (believe me it changes daily):
1. Will the babies be born healthy?
I know the odds are good that everything will be fine, but I'm the person who worries about things I can't change and stresses about the 1 percent chance of whatever. I know that every mother stresses about this one (or at least thinks about it). I think having a healthy child is the number one priority for any mom-to-be. I am praying for 2 healthy children and letting go to realize that I can't control this one is difficult for me.
2. How will labor go?
With my first child I had a beautiful birth experience, but things will be very different this time around. With multiples I will be more closely monitored throughout labor (if there is no scheduled C-section--which I hope will not be needed). And that even after I go through labor and birth one child, there's still a chance that the second baby could spin into a breech position and we'd have to do a C-section for the second baby. I'll be giving birth in the Operating Room if that tells you anything. Apparently it's the standard of care for multiples' births, so I have no choice in the matter. That way if a C-section is needed, the doctors will be ready to go almost immediately. While this should make me feel more comfortable, it makes me more uptight because I know the OR will be sterile and cold and I'll probably be confined in ways that I wasn't with my first labor.
3. How will my daughter react to the twins?
This is a big worry for me. I don't want my daughter to feel pushed aside by the twins. I'm sure this is a common issue with siblings of babies, so I want her to be a part of the process so maybe she won't feel as left out. It's hard to imagine loving something as much as I love her, so while part of me fears I will have to split my love to include the 2 new babies, everything that I have heard from friends/family is that your motherly love is not split -- it MULTIPLIES! So it should be interesting to see how things change for all of us. I'm so excited to be adding to our family, I just hope my 2-year-old will agree.
4. How will breastfeeding go with the twins?
Breastfeeding is important to me. I struggled a great deal the first time around and finally got things worked out about 8-10 weeks later. Let me tell you that 2-3 months is a LONG time to struggle with nursing. Had I not been so determined to do it, plus all the guilt I had if I even thought about stopping, there's no way I would have continued. Eventually we made it and I nursed my daughter for about 15 months. It was a wonderful experience that bonded us and gave me a confidence that nothing else has ever done. I knew that I was doing something for her that NO ONE else could do. I grew her for 9 months and now was sustaining her by providing all the food she'd need. That's a big accomplishment.
I'm hoping this time around that I will know more nursing and won't have as many struggles, but with 2 babies everything will be different.
- Will they nurse at the same time? Apparently that only works for about 50% of twins.
- Will they both latch on early without problems? Depends on if they are full term.
- Will they be good eaters? My daughter was a "lazy" eater, so she'd fall asleep after 5 min of nursing, which caused many of the problems.
- Will I have time to nurse while chasing a 2-year-old around the house all day? Last time I could hole myself up in the nursery and work on breastfeeding for hours... that's not an option this time.
The first 3 months with a newborn are a blur. There's no sleep, lots of newborn crying, tons of stress and did I mention the no-sleep thing? Seriously, it's hard. At least this time we'll know there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Yet, on the flip side, we also know how HARD it is those first few months... when getting 3 hours of consecutive sleep feels like a weekend at the beach.
I think this stage can either push a couple apart or bring them closer. I definitely felt a closeness to my husband with our first child that I never had before. When you see your husband holding your child, there's a new level of love and respect that you didn't even know existed. I love him not only for the man he is to me, but for the father he is to our daughter. Ultimately, I am not worried about how these changes will affect our marriage because I know we have enough love to share with more children. I'm just stressing about those early months of sleep deprivation...
Friday, July 16, 2010
3 Things I Can't Do While Pregnant
I love being pregnant. I love feeling the babies move. I love being a part of God's miracle. I love helping create life or lives out of the wonderful love I share with my husband.
With that said, there are certainly a few things I miss about not being pregnant.
Here are the 3 things I want to do as soon as I can after giving birth:
1. Wear pants that don't have an elastic waist. Seriously, I miss normal pants with buttons and a zipper. Somehow I feel like either a 2-year-old or a 82-year-old for wearing pants with stretchy material for a waist.
2. Go running. I miss those short 3 or 4 mile runs outside when I could turn up my iPod and forget about the day's stresses. I even miss those long 15 mile runs when I felt like I couldn't take another step without collapsing. Somehow I think this one will have to happen BEFORE I can achieve the first item on my list...
With that said, there are certainly a few things I miss about not being pregnant.
Here are the 3 things I want to do as soon as I can after giving birth:
1. Wear pants that don't have an elastic waist. Seriously, I miss normal pants with buttons and a zipper. Somehow I feel like either a 2-year-old or a 82-year-old for wearing pants with stretchy material for a waist.
2. Go running. I miss those short 3 or 4 mile runs outside when I could turn up my iPod and forget about the day's stresses. I even miss those long 15 mile runs when I felt like I couldn't take another step without collapsing. Somehow I think this one will have to happen BEFORE I can achieve the first item on my list...
3. Drink a large glass of good Pinot Grigio. Drinking isn't the top of my list and it probably won't happen while I'm breastfeeding either, but a girl can dream. There's nothing more relaxing than sipping a good glass of wine with dinner or enjoying a glass (or two) of spirits when out with my girlfriends. Plus, I know I'll need that relaxation with 3 kids under the age of 3...
Monday, June 28, 2010
Things that Annoy Me
Ok, it's Monday. I may not have a "case of the Mondays" but in honor of tired, grumpy people on Monday everywhere, here is my list of recent annoyances:
1. People's Bad (RUDE) Reaction to the Fact I'm Having Twins
Conversation I had couple of days ago with a CVS store clerk while I was checking out:
Me: Well, it does take a lot of room to grow TWO PEOPLE (Note: I have a slight edge of annoyance here).
Clerk: I had a friend who had twin boys and she was huge by the time they were born (she holds her hands out around her as if to imply this woman was as round as she was tall).
Me: Anyway. Thanks for my order. Have a good night.
Seriously. I have had this conversation or one similar to it so many times when I am checking out at the grocery store, buying food at a food court, or really just with anyone I've never met who asks about my baby. I get that they ask about a baby. Clearly, I look pregnant. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the ridiculous reaction to me having twins ("I'm glad it's you and not me!") as if no one on Earth has ever had twins before.
I am seriously considering just lying to strangers from here on out and when they say, "when is your baby due?" I think I'll just play along and say, "Next week." I can say that for the next 2 months, right?
2. Maternity Clothes that Don't Fit My GIANT Belly
I have great friends who have loaned me their maternity clothes. So in addition to my own clothes, I have 5 other women's maternity clothes. This should be all the clothes I'd EVER need for a few months. However, my body has other ideas. Most of my maternity clothes are a size Medium, but I have a lot of Larges too and yet NONE of them are long enough now... at least when it comes to my ginormous belly. All of my extra long tank tops/shirts that I wore when pregnant last time (all the way until the due date) now look like midriff shirts. It's not that they are too tight all over, it's just that my tummy stretches out SO much farther this time that my shirts won't cover them. So I have like 4 shirts that fit right now. Ugh. Going up to an X-Large would just make it bigger everywhere, not necessarily much longer to accommodate my tummy. Good times.
I may look like a white trash pregnant Britney Spears by the end of my pregnancy rocking midriff maternity shirts.
3. People Who Are Annoyed that We a) Don't Have Names Picked Out & b) Won't Tell Once We Do
Asking if we have any names picked out is a common and harmless question. I don't mind anyone asking that because I know it's not unusual for a woman to have the name picked out as soon as she finds out she's pregnant. That's fine. My irritation comes from people who get almost mad at me and when I say, "We aren't sure yet. Still looking at a long list of names." I tell them that we didn't tell the name last time around b/c it was the one secret that my husband and I could share during the whole experience. Some people can't take the hint and ask, "what are your top favorites that you're thinking about?" I just want to shout -- "It's NONE of your business. Thanks for asking."
I guess I'm annoyed mostly because it's just assumed that you would have a name picked out and have it monogramed on pillows before you finish the first trimester. This has to be a relatively new phenomenon considering that up until about 30 years ago people didn't know if they were having a boy/girl until delivery. Now with the use (and I mean OVER use) of ultrasounds, we know so early that people just assume not only do you want to find out boy/girl, but you have also named your child and will want to share that with everyone. Sorry, I want just one little piece that I can keep for myself and my husband.
Okay enough of the grumpy blog, perhaps I can do a happier list next time...
1. People's Bad (RUDE) Reaction to the Fact I'm Having Twins
Conversation I had couple of days ago with a CVS store clerk while I was checking out:
Clerk: So, when is your baby due?
Me: Actually, I'm having twins and they are due at the end of August.
Me: Well, it does take a lot of room to grow TWO PEOPLE (Note: I have a slight edge of annoyance here).
Clerk: I had a friend who had twin boys and she was huge by the time they were born (she holds her hands out around her as if to imply this woman was as round as she was tall).
Me: Anyway. Thanks for my order. Have a good night.
Seriously. I have had this conversation or one similar to it so many times when I am checking out at the grocery store, buying food at a food court, or really just with anyone I've never met who asks about my baby. I get that they ask about a baby. Clearly, I look pregnant. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the ridiculous reaction to me having twins ("I'm glad it's you and not me!") as if no one on Earth has ever had twins before.
I am seriously considering just lying to strangers from here on out and when they say, "when is your baby due?" I think I'll just play along and say, "Next week." I can say that for the next 2 months, right?
2. Maternity Clothes that Don't Fit My GIANT Belly
I have great friends who have loaned me their maternity clothes. So in addition to my own clothes, I have 5 other women's maternity clothes. This should be all the clothes I'd EVER need for a few months. However, my body has other ideas. Most of my maternity clothes are a size Medium, but I have a lot of Larges too and yet NONE of them are long enough now... at least when it comes to my ginormous belly. All of my extra long tank tops/shirts that I wore when pregnant last time (all the way until the due date) now look like midriff shirts. It's not that they are too tight all over, it's just that my tummy stretches out SO much farther this time that my shirts won't cover them. So I have like 4 shirts that fit right now. Ugh. Going up to an X-Large would just make it bigger everywhere, not necessarily much longer to accommodate my tummy. Good times.
I may look like a white trash pregnant Britney Spears by the end of my pregnancy rocking midriff maternity shirts.
3. People Who Are Annoyed that We a) Don't Have Names Picked Out & b) Won't Tell Once We Do
Asking if we have any names picked out is a common and harmless question. I don't mind anyone asking that because I know it's not unusual for a woman to have the name picked out as soon as she finds out she's pregnant. That's fine. My irritation comes from people who get almost mad at me and when I say, "We aren't sure yet. Still looking at a long list of names." I tell them that we didn't tell the name last time around b/c it was the one secret that my husband and I could share during the whole experience. Some people can't take the hint and ask, "what are your top favorites that you're thinking about?" I just want to shout -- "It's NONE of your business. Thanks for asking."
I guess I'm annoyed mostly because it's just assumed that you would have a name picked out and have it monogramed on pillows before you finish the first trimester. This has to be a relatively new phenomenon considering that up until about 30 years ago people didn't know if they were having a boy/girl until delivery. Now with the use (and I mean OVER use) of ultrasounds, we know so early that people just assume not only do you want to find out boy/girl, but you have also named your child and will want to share that with everyone. Sorry, I want just one little piece that I can keep for myself and my husband.
Okay enough of the grumpy blog, perhaps I can do a happier list next time...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Uncomfortable Is Comforting
Today I'm officially 28 weeks pregnant with twins. While this may not seem like a huge accomplishment, let me tell you -- it is! HUGE! At least that's the size of my belly right now. Check out this fantastic image I found online of a twins' belly. NOTE: This is NOT my belly. However, mine is just as big, I'm just not ready to post pics of myself.I've been reading a website about the week-by-week development of twins in pregnancy and basically it looks like I should get used to my new friend -- uncomfortable. The synopsis for weeks 28-32 of twins' pregnancy describes how you probably aren't sleeping well anymore because you can't get comfortable no matter what you do. It goes on to say that sitting is even difficult at this point because of the ever-growing belly. I can personally vouch for both of these. I wake up at least 5 times a night and sleep maybe 4 hours total on a good night. It's not that I'm always waking up because of a squished, full bladder (although that does happen at least once a night now), it's that I simply can't get comfortable in bed. I flip from side to side because if you lay on one side for too long, your bottom leg will go to sleep. Seriously. It's awesome. I highly recommend it. So it's like I got half an epidural (not that I've ever had one of those, but I assume it would feel like that) as punishment because I had the ridiculous notion that I could lay on my side.
Also lying on my side means that I have two babies stacked on top of each other. This causes an enormous amount of weight to sling to one side, and then the babies start kicking each other and I get to take the brunt of their fights. Lying on my back is just impossible because there are two babies lying on my spine and that's not comfortable for any of us. They let me know their distaste for this position by kicking and punching the daylights out of me. Good times.
Okay, so I'm not going to sleep again until the babies get here.... wait, that won't happen for at least 3 months after they arrive or until they figure out how to sleep more than 6 hours consecutively. Maybe I can just get some rest on the couch. Seriously, sitting can't be that big of an inconvenience. This should be easy. It's not like I'm in a stiff office chair -- it's a freaking soft couch! Nope, my tummy literally touches my legs when I try to sit up. Not so much TOUCHES my legs as PRESSES down in a super-uncomfortable/almost painful way.
I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer complainer today, but I'm struck by the differences between being pregnant with twins vs. a singleton. I was slightly uncomfortable the last few weeks when I was pregnant with one baby, but it was never THIS much, THIS early. I'm hoping to go another 10 weeks before the babies arrive, so I can have 2 fat, healthy, full-term babies but it looks like in the meantime I'll be sleep-deprived and uncomfortable. In some way, being uncomfortable and getting larger by the minute is comforting because it shows me that the twincesses are growing and getting bigger. My discomfort is a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make to have 2 healthy babies, so I know it will all be worth it when I get to hold them and snuggle while taking in that wonderful new baby smell.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
To Minivan or Not to Minivan
So it's been a while since I posted something, I've got to get better about that...
Let's chat about the dreaded minivan. The symbol of the All-American soccer mom, it clearly states you are a part of a FAMILY, not a chic, hip, young person. I've always said that I'd never drive a minivan, but things always have a reliable (and often annoying) way of changing. Since we are expecting twins and have a 2-year-old daughter, there aren't many options for a vehicle to fit our family of five. Certainly not any cool options.
We tried to fit all three car seats in the back of our Saturn SUV, but the doors wouldn't shut. FAIL! So we knew buying another vehicle was not a want, but a definite need. I fought the idea of a minivan tooth and nail and vowed to keep my quickly-fading cool points by checking out other SUVs. However, those behemoth vehicles are not all they're cracked up to be. They have terrible gas mileage, they're ridiculously expensive and the biggest con of them all -- they have 2 benches for seating. This isn't bad if you're loading a car full of teenagers or adults, but for moms who have to climb over seats with babies or toddlers to strap them in their racecar-esque 5-point buckle harness car seats, it's not so great.
I still had hope for the Chevy Traverse, the new SUV with a bench in the back and 2 captains chairs in the middle (think--just like a minivan, but cool). But there were again 2 major drawbacks, first the price of the Traverse is highly inflated since it's only been around a couple of years. Second and MOST importantly, the doors open like any other car door. This may not sound like a big deal, but when you are carrying TWO -- yes, TWO --babies in your arms while simultaneously coralling a 2-year-old into the vehicle, it's impossible to grab a door handle and swing open a door without dropping babies and/or losing your sanity. So the appeal of a one-touch button on your remote to open the side doors of a minivan is the closest thing to sexy you can get with a mom wagon.
With ALL my options exhausted, it was time to suck it up and prepare for the inevitable. I was going to own a minivan. We made the trade in on another car we owned (still keeping the SUV) and upgraded to the Honda Odyssey. It has all the amenities you could want. We have 11 cup holders. SERIOUSLY. Eleven! I'm not sure why you need to store that many drinks at once, but apparently it's accomodated by the Odyssey. We have a rear camera that shows up in our rear view mirror when you put the van in reverse, so you can see what you're about to back into. It's a neat feature that makes me feel like I'm driving a spaceship.
However none of these handy features makes me feel like a hip, stylish, young (okay, youngish) woman in my early 30s. But I guess the point is that I'm a mom and what I need trumps what I think looks cool. While I still view the purchase of our minivan as the death of my youth, I also see it as the start of a new chapter in my life. It's appropriate that our van is an Odyssey since I feel like we're getting ready to embark on a new journey into the unknown. Life with 3 kids -- not to mention having twins -- will be a challenge that is sure to test my patience, sanity and our bank account all while giving us immeasurable amounts of joy, awe and love.
Let's chat about the dreaded minivan. The symbol of the All-American soccer mom, it clearly states you are a part of a FAMILY, not a chic, hip, young person. I've always said that I'd never drive a minivan, but things always have a reliable (and often annoying) way of changing. Since we are expecting twins and have a 2-year-old daughter, there aren't many options for a vehicle to fit our family of five. Certainly not any cool options.
We tried to fit all three car seats in the back of our Saturn SUV, but the doors wouldn't shut. FAIL! So we knew buying another vehicle was not a want, but a definite need. I fought the idea of a minivan tooth and nail and vowed to keep my quickly-fading cool points by checking out other SUVs. However, those behemoth vehicles are not all they're cracked up to be. They have terrible gas mileage, they're ridiculously expensive and the biggest con of them all -- they have 2 benches for seating. This isn't bad if you're loading a car full of teenagers or adults, but for moms who have to climb over seats with babies or toddlers to strap them in their racecar-esque 5-point buckle harness car seats, it's not so great.
I still had hope for the Chevy Traverse, the new SUV with a bench in the back and 2 captains chairs in the middle (think--just like a minivan, but cool). But there were again 2 major drawbacks, first the price of the Traverse is highly inflated since it's only been around a couple of years. Second and MOST importantly, the doors open like any other car door. This may not sound like a big deal, but when you are carrying TWO -- yes, TWO --babies in your arms while simultaneously coralling a 2-year-old into the vehicle, it's impossible to grab a door handle and swing open a door without dropping babies and/or losing your sanity. So the appeal of a one-touch button on your remote to open the side doors of a minivan is the closest thing to sexy you can get with a mom wagon.
With ALL my options exhausted, it was time to suck it up and prepare for the inevitable. I was going to own a minivan. We made the trade in on another car we owned (still keeping the SUV) and upgraded to the Honda Odyssey. It has all the amenities you could want. We have 11 cup holders. SERIOUSLY. Eleven! I'm not sure why you need to store that many drinks at once, but apparently it's accomodated by the Odyssey. We have a rear camera that shows up in our rear view mirror when you put the van in reverse, so you can see what you're about to back into. It's a neat feature that makes me feel like I'm driving a spaceship.
However none of these handy features makes me feel like a hip, stylish, young (okay, youngish) woman in my early 30s. But I guess the point is that I'm a mom and what I need trumps what I think looks cool. While I still view the purchase of our minivan as the death of my youth, I also see it as the start of a new chapter in my life. It's appropriate that our van is an Odyssey since I feel like we're getting ready to embark on a new journey into the unknown. Life with 3 kids -- not to mention having twins -- will be a challenge that is sure to test my patience, sanity and our bank account all while giving us immeasurable amounts of joy, awe and love.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Fun Facts about Pregnancy Your Mama Won't Tell You
Weight gain, heartburn, pain during childbirth... these are things that are commonly discussed from mothers to other women. But there are several things -- things you might want to know up front -- that are left out of the pretty little package known as pregnancy.
Let me start by saying I LOVE being pregnant. Seriously watching my body change from what I think is the frame of a 12-year-old boy into a curvy, womanly figure is outstanding. My husband would agree. I also enjoyed childbirth with my first child. Yes, you heard me. ENJOYED it. Yes, there was pain, but it's called labor for a reason -- your body is hard at work. It does what it is designed to do: grow, nourish and ultimately push out a baby. That's pretty damn impressive if I do say so myself.
Okay, back to the list of what you won't hear from your best friend who just had a baby, but you NEED to know before you get knocked up:
1. Deep breaths are a thing of the past. I'm in great shape, or at least I was the month I got pregnant this time around. However, between the 24-hour morning sickness and now the doctor's orders not to workout, I am now so, SO far from that fit person. My point being that I ran a marathon one month before I got pregnant and now I literally can't catch my breath when I get to the top of one flight of stairs. Your lung capacity changes dramatically when you are pregnant because your organs have to shift around to make room for a baby (or 2 of them in my case), so something's got to give and usually that's your ability to breathe deeply.
2. You will pass gas and don't get me started on hemorroids... I'm not someone who chats about such crude, teenage boy humor like farting, but when you are pregnant your digestion changes and yes, you will pass gass frequently and without your control. There's not much you can do about this one except feel embarrassed. Also if you are lucky enough to miss out on hemorroids during your pregnancy, chances are you may experience them after delivery thanks to all the pushing.
3. People will be rude to you and make disrespectful comments to you and think it's funny and/or socially acceptable b/c you are pregnant. I'm sure you've already seen my rants on how people (randoms and close friends/family alike) like to comment on your weight when you're pregnant as if it's their job. But it's not just that. They will comment about your decision to work outside the home or stay at home, your decision to breastfeed or bottle feed, your decision on what color to paint the nursery, your baby's name... and on and on. Anything related to the baby suddenly becomes public domain and can be judged openly by ANYONE and many people feel it's their God-given right to do so outloud. Sometimes I just want to tell people to stop making wise cracks about my weight because I'll catch up with them in a year and we'll see who looks better in a pair of skinny jeans. Or I'd like to tell them that my decisions with my child are none of their business so maybe, just maybe, they should shut up. Of course b/c of my ridiculously high level of aversion to confrontation, that will never happen.
4. Stretch marks creams don't work and your body may never go back to the way it was. Stretch marks simply happen based on 2 things: your genes and how much weight you gain/how fast you gain it. I didn't get stretch marks the first time around, but with twins it almost seems inevitable. Hopefully not, but I can't do anything to control that so it's one less thing I need to stress about. As far as weight, you may get back to your pre-baby weight, but your body may have shifted. Your hips may be wider, your breasts may sag, your tummy may have extra skin that you can't get rid of. I don't mean to scare those of you who haven't had kids because it's not a given that you'll go from supermodel to frumpy mom overnight. I gained 30 pounds with my first pregnancy and lost 40. I was in better shape when she was 1 year old than I was before I got pregnant thanks to old fashioned working out and eating right. With twins I'm not expecting such fantastic results, but I'm not naive enough to think my body will always stay the same.
5. Having a baby will change your outlook on your career forever. Once you have a child, you will never be 100% happy at home or at work. I'm not saying you can't find happiness with an awesome job or that you can't be fulfilled if you choose to stay at home. I'm just saying that "having it all" doesn't really exist. You can have it all, but that doesn't mean that you'll feel like you're doing the right thing all the time.
After having my first child, I went back to my job and was happy. I liked what I did and the people I worked with, but there was an ache inside of me that I was missing out on my child's life. I'm not saying EVERYONE feels like I do, but of the women I've talked to, it's a common feeling. I said it's just the hormones talking and told myself I wouldn't make a decision on my career for at least 6 more months. Finally after even more MONTHS of deliberating, I quit my job when my daughter was 1 year old to stay at home with her. It was the best decision for me that I've ever made. But being at home doesn't mean I'm 100% satisfied with my career either. I love being with my child, but there are times I worry about what the future holds for me and what message I'm sending to her by choosing not to work. Again, these are just MY thoughts on MY situation, not a judgement on women's place in society.
I think it's common to feel an ache to be with our kids when we're at work and an ache to do more outside the home when we are with our children. Catch 22, huh?
Let me start by saying I LOVE being pregnant. Seriously watching my body change from what I think is the frame of a 12-year-old boy into a curvy, womanly figure is outstanding. My husband would agree. I also enjoyed childbirth with my first child. Yes, you heard me. ENJOYED it. Yes, there was pain, but it's called labor for a reason -- your body is hard at work. It does what it is designed to do: grow, nourish and ultimately push out a baby. That's pretty damn impressive if I do say so myself.
Okay, back to the list of what you won't hear from your best friend who just had a baby, but you NEED to know before you get knocked up:
1. Deep breaths are a thing of the past. I'm in great shape, or at least I was the month I got pregnant this time around. However, between the 24-hour morning sickness and now the doctor's orders not to workout, I am now so, SO far from that fit person. My point being that I ran a marathon one month before I got pregnant and now I literally can't catch my breath when I get to the top of one flight of stairs. Your lung capacity changes dramatically when you are pregnant because your organs have to shift around to make room for a baby (or 2 of them in my case), so something's got to give and usually that's your ability to breathe deeply.
2. You will pass gas and don't get me started on hemorroids... I'm not someone who chats about such crude, teenage boy humor like farting, but when you are pregnant your digestion changes and yes, you will pass gass frequently and without your control. There's not much you can do about this one except feel embarrassed. Also if you are lucky enough to miss out on hemorroids during your pregnancy, chances are you may experience them after delivery thanks to all the pushing.
3. People will be rude to you and make disrespectful comments to you and think it's funny and/or socially acceptable b/c you are pregnant. I'm sure you've already seen my rants on how people (randoms and close friends/family alike) like to comment on your weight when you're pregnant as if it's their job. But it's not just that. They will comment about your decision to work outside the home or stay at home, your decision to breastfeed or bottle feed, your decision on what color to paint the nursery, your baby's name... and on and on. Anything related to the baby suddenly becomes public domain and can be judged openly by ANYONE and many people feel it's their God-given right to do so outloud. Sometimes I just want to tell people to stop making wise cracks about my weight because I'll catch up with them in a year and we'll see who looks better in a pair of skinny jeans. Or I'd like to tell them that my decisions with my child are none of their business so maybe, just maybe, they should shut up. Of course b/c of my ridiculously high level of aversion to confrontation, that will never happen.
4. Stretch marks creams don't work and your body may never go back to the way it was. Stretch marks simply happen based on 2 things: your genes and how much weight you gain/how fast you gain it. I didn't get stretch marks the first time around, but with twins it almost seems inevitable. Hopefully not, but I can't do anything to control that so it's one less thing I need to stress about. As far as weight, you may get back to your pre-baby weight, but your body may have shifted. Your hips may be wider, your breasts may sag, your tummy may have extra skin that you can't get rid of. I don't mean to scare those of you who haven't had kids because it's not a given that you'll go from supermodel to frumpy mom overnight. I gained 30 pounds with my first pregnancy and lost 40. I was in better shape when she was 1 year old than I was before I got pregnant thanks to old fashioned working out and eating right. With twins I'm not expecting such fantastic results, but I'm not naive enough to think my body will always stay the same.
5. Having a baby will change your outlook on your career forever. Once you have a child, you will never be 100% happy at home or at work. I'm not saying you can't find happiness with an awesome job or that you can't be fulfilled if you choose to stay at home. I'm just saying that "having it all" doesn't really exist. You can have it all, but that doesn't mean that you'll feel like you're doing the right thing all the time.
After having my first child, I went back to my job and was happy. I liked what I did and the people I worked with, but there was an ache inside of me that I was missing out on my child's life. I'm not saying EVERYONE feels like I do, but of the women I've talked to, it's a common feeling. I said it's just the hormones talking and told myself I wouldn't make a decision on my career for at least 6 more months. Finally after even more MONTHS of deliberating, I quit my job when my daughter was 1 year old to stay at home with her. It was the best decision for me that I've ever made. But being at home doesn't mean I'm 100% satisfied with my career either. I love being with my child, but there are times I worry about what the future holds for me and what message I'm sending to her by choosing not to work. Again, these are just MY thoughts on MY situation, not a judgement on women's place in society.
I think it's common to feel an ache to be with our kids when we're at work and an ache to do more outside the home when we are with our children. Catch 22, huh?
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