Week 32

This week was my thirty-second week, and I have a lot of catching up to do. There were three appointments this week, well, technically two, since one of them occurred last week but I didn't have a chance to post about it.
First was a consultation with one of the Neonatologists at the NICU in the hospital where I'll be delivering. This was basic protocol recommended by my OB, to be prepared if one or both of the babies ended up there. Overall she was very positive about my situation after she reviewed my history. She went over what basic events would land the babies in the NICU, what would happen while they were there, generally, and what 'tests' they need to pass in order to go home or go to the well-baby nursery. The bottom line is that twins born 35 weeks or farther that weigh more then 4.5 lbs. will have a good chance of skipping the NICU if there are no other complications. We are very close. I'll know what the babies weigh this Monday, when I go for my next level II ultrasound.
The next appointment was with the OB for my routine check-up. Blood pressure was good, 120/68, I think. It was good enough to get a comment out of the girl who took it, she was surprised that it would be so good after a holiday. Guess that means I didn't pig out. I did gain a bit more than I expected since my last appointment. Six pounds, which brings total weight gain so far to 43 lbs. This was not commented on by the doctor, so I'll try not to worry about it. I think I am being lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that I don't have any stretch marks yet. It may be a matter of time, but it is enough to distract me from all the weight I've gained. There was a quick ultrasound to see the heartbeats and the positions of the babies. Same as before, baby A is head down and baby B is doing whatever he pleases. This prompted a discussion of which potential mode of delivery I'm in for, and the doctor puts me at a 50% chance of either a c-section or vag delivery. OK, wait and see.
The third appointment was the first of my Non-Stress Tests, which begin weekly until delivery. One monitor for each baby and one for my uterus. The babies were tricky and the nurse had to hold the monitors in place to keep the babies on. They were fine, of course. My uterus, however, was 'irritable.' Wouldn't you be, too? I was sent home with instructions to take it easy and drink more water. Ugh, I'm really getting tired of water. When I was in basic training we would have to drink an entire canteen full of water after PT every morning, as fast as possible. To prove we drank it all we had to hold it upside down over our heads, showing it was empty. I kind of feel like that.
Overall I am doing ok. I have started to get the dreaded swelling in my hands and feet, especially on humid days, and my joints have started to ache, especially in my fingers. Heartburn is waking me up during the night, making Tums a permanent fixture on my nightstand. I feel like I'm getting bigger every day, and more physically tired.
We are very close to having the nursery finished. The crib and the dresser/changing table are set up. I will post pictures when it is more presentable.

Baby Shower Finale

Sisters M and J really went all out for my shower on Sunday. You can see by all the goodies I got in the picture that everyone who came just really blew me away. It was so unexpected (emotionally).

We started out by opening all the gifts and then went to eat. J made enchiladas and spanish rice, M made hot roast beef sandwiches. There was also chips and dips. The cake was two-layer chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting. Oh it was all so good.

Hippos!

The best baby blankets in the world from Auntie C

Thanks so much D! There's nothing like a brand new mom to make sure you get what you need!

Can you tell we're sisters?

Mom and Me

The cake was delicious!

Thanks to everyone who came, it was a fantastic day.

The Big 3-0

30 weeks. And I'm starting to feel every one of them. So far I have been home on modified bed rest for a whole week. Thankfully they have been able to allow me to work from home on a part-time basis supporting a project, so I haven't gone completely insane. I am proud to say that so far I haven't watched one soap opera, but I have watched at least a hundred or so episodes of Bringing Home Baby, A Baby Story, Amazing Births, Special Delivery and The Baby Diaries. Notice a theme here?

My OB appointment on Tuesday went well.

Blood Pressure was fine. Urine dip was fine. Cervix was fine, again, thank you very much. Total weight gain is at 40 lbs. I asked what the chances were of me avoiding a C-Section because baby A is in the right position right now, even though baby B is not cooperating (men). It turns out the answer is mixed. There are two doctors in the practice who are experienced delivering breech babies. Among the rest of them are doctors who have some experience and doctors who have none at all. So I guess there could be a lot of surprises on the big day. I don't have my heart set either way, both avenues are equally traumatic, I'd just like to know what I'm in for. Luckily for my next appointment in two weeks I'll be seeing one of the two old school doctors, he is also the same doctor who did my Hysterosalpingogram last year (if you are one of my male co-workers I would advise against googling that phrase, for your own sake). We'll have so much to reminisce about.

My sister M gave me a Maternity Support thingy back in February when she came for a visit. It has become my new BFF. When I first saw it I honestly thought I wouldn't need it. Why did I think that? Maybe because I've never been pregnant with twins before and could not have been more naive. I didn't know how to use it so I had to go online, hoping I could find their website for some info. If you do go to the website (this one is safe, male co-workers) you'll see they have step by step pictures and even a video! Turns out I was trying to put it on backwards. The funniest thing is that the pictures of the women look like they were taken in 1974. And I know for a fact that Al Gore hadn't invented the Internet yet. Also the claim that it can't be seen under your clothing is a flat out lie. Unless you're wearing a mu mu or clothes from 1974. Anyway it is comfortable and I feel much better. Thank you so much, M.

Baby Check

Today was another Level II ultrasound, which I have every 4 weeks to check that the babies are growing at the correct rate. Here are the details:

Baby A

• Heart Rate = 144 bpm
• Weight = 3.0 lbs
• Percentile = 60th
• Fluid = perfect
• Placenta = also perfect
• Position = Vertex (head down)

Baby B

• Heart Rate = 138 bpm
• Weight = 3 lbs 4 oz.
• Percentile = I don't remember very well becuase it seemed too high to really believe, it was above 70, I know that
• Fluid = perfect
• Placenta = also perfect
• Position = Transverse, still right across the top of my uterus

Cervix is well behaved, closed and long.

Z went with me to this appointment, he hasn't been to an ultrasound since January, so it was time he went. However, thanks to him and his silly questions we now know that the babies' heads are a bit larger than average. We did not get an actual size becuase the ultrasound tech did not want to make me "nervous." I may be in a good position to get out of a c-section, but at what price, I ask you, what price? You can bet that head size did NOT come from my side of the family. Thanks a bunch, Z.

He may not be joining me for my next appointment, which is scheduled for June 2nd.

Also, a nurse came to the house to go over signs and symptons of preterm labor. She covered the usual topics to look out for, which I have read about in all the books. I don't mind, the more I hear it the better, I learn by repetition. Incidentally, she is the same nurse who will be giving the birthing class I signed up for.

Tomorrow is an O/B appointment, which are now every two weeks.

Wow!

On Wednesday they threw a baby shower for me at work. It was so amazing, I was completely overwhelmed. My team put it together and everyone really went above and beyond for me. Of course, not liking to be the center of attention I did everything I could to subconsiously sabotage the entire thing. It should have been at 2:30 in the afternoon, when a sneaky department meeting was scheduled, and I had been feeling my entire abdomen tighten up all morning about every 13 or 14 minutes. Since I was stopping at the OB's office at lunch to pick up some paperwork I thought I'd ask them about it, just to be safe. They scheduled an appointment for me to come in and by the time I was done I was over in the hospital having a non-stress test.

Everything turned out fine, probably just dehydration or stress, so needless to say I was an hour and a half late for my own shower!

When I got home Z helped me stack up all the gifts on the table and we took some pictures. He was so shocked and surprised by everything, he couldn't believe it. I do work with a lot of great people, I'm pretty lucky!

Here is the cake:

Who's excited? I AM!

And here is the spread at home:

Who loves cake? Z DOES!

Thanks so much to everyone there, it was really pretty awesome! A perfect way to start my maternity leave, which began on Thursday.