The Twins and I

I know this is a business blog, but so many of you have requested updates on the two upcoming additions to the Wylde Ivy family I thought I’d take the time to share.

Wow, I don’t know if I’m coming or going at this point. Things are just crazy around here. We’ve got the normal holiday rush going on and are swamped with orders. I’m still training my new help and all the normal “baby stuff” that needs to be done to get ready for the baby’s arrival is doubled when there is twins involved!

I’ve been to so many doctor’s appointments….they like to see you a lot when you are carrying two! It really cramps my schedule, but I’m so grateful how proactive my doctors are. I see a local doctor ever two weeks and a special high risk team every three to check the twins growth. The specialist are almost an hour and half drive one way but I’m fortunate to be even that close to a nationally recognized hospital. I’ll be delivering there so it’s nice to be getting to know the staff there so well. All these doctors appointments are on top of the lab work and tests I keep getting scheduled for. All the normal tests pregnant women have, I’m having twice. I’m having early tests done for everything to catch any problems before the occur, then I’ll have them at the normal time later in the pregnancy as well. Wow, all I can say is I really love how overprotective my doctors are…even if it does tighten my work schedule.

So the great news is that we’re expecting two healthy little girls! Lily Emma and Maya Juliette are identical sisters and we are so excited to get to witness the bond that only identical twins can share with each other. My little girls aren't only sharing their looks, they are sharing a placenta, instead of each having their own so there is some special care that I have to take with this pregnancy. This had put them at risk for something know as Twin to Twin Transfer Syndrome where growth problems could occur in one or both of the babies due to the fact they are sharing the same blood supply within the placenta. We found out early that this might have been a possibility when they noted that they were indeed sharing the placenta. I can’t even tell you how nervous we were about it. For almost eight weeks in the beginning we just wondered if that was going to be a factor in the pregnancy. Our doctor told us that the symptoms of TTTS are usually easily diagnosed by 18 weeks. If my 18 week ultrasound showed no signs then there was a really good chance that we were in the clear. Well at the 18 week ultrasound we were able to see that there was absolutely no sign of TTTS! Yay! Both girls were measuring exactly 8 ounces. Of coarse they did lots of other in depth looks at the blood flow through the placenta and umbilical cords to rule it out.

I just had my 21 week ultrasound and the doctor was thrilled. Lily and Maya are still growing at the same size…and are weighing in ahead of the norm (for even a singleton pregnancy) at a pound each! I feel so relieved!

I never stop moving. I’m the type of person who has to keep busy all the time. I’ve been threatened to be tied to a chair if I don’t start to take it easy. That comes to the special care that I need to give to this pregnancy. To ensure that we all stay healthy and safe, and because the babies have on large placenta instead of each having their own, my doctors want me to go on a modified bedrest starting the end of this month. Oh the shock of hearing that news! First they are telling me how great I’m doing and how excellent the girls look, then the “this is what we’d like you to do” speech comes in. To be off me feet for 10 weeks or more is a scary and hard thing for me to accept. I usually never sit still! I’ve had a little over a month to get used to the idea of being on maternity house arrest and to get things in order. I’ve decided that I want to do everything in my power to keep these two little girls safe and healthy for the last half of my pregnancy….even if that does mean…gasp…watching tv with my feet up! I've got one shot at doing this pregnancy thing right.

So what does this mean for Wylde Ivy. Well as I said, I’ve been working as hard as I can (as hard as a woman pregnant with twins can anyway!) for the last few weeks getting helpers trained and stocking inventory. Wylde Ivy will remain open for as long as possible while I’m on bedrest. I have people that will pick and pack the orders, so it will be business as usual here as long as the inventory holds out. I never did have the time to train someone to take over making all of the products (even though my husband has been kicking out some awesome swirled soaps as I’ve needed help making the heavy stuff like soap for the last few weeks…go hubby go….do I smell another soap maker in the works?) So unfortunately as the inventory is depleted, it won’t be restocked until the spring. There will be a brief closure in the spring, most likely somewhere around the end of March (or whenever these two girls decide to make an appearance).

Turnaround times may be slightly longer then usual for the next few months since none of my packers will be working full time. I’ll be overseeing the operations remotely so it will be a bit of an experiment until we get a smooth system running. I will do my best to keep everyone informed.

Wylde Ivy has consumed 90% of my time for the last few years. What am I going to do with myself if I can’t get into my soap making room and play with all my lovely scents and ingredients! I’ll be sitting on the couch dreaming up new soaps, scents, and products…that’s what I’ll be doing! Perhaps I can convince hubby to bring me some pipettes and scents from "the lab" so I can concoct!