2 1/2 More Weeks...

It’s been a rough week. I previously had been feeling pretty good, all things considered, but over the past week I’ve really gone downhill. Lots of contractions, lots of aches/pains/swelling, and I feel like my belly has been stretched to the limit. I’m happy the girls are doing well, but I don’t know what’s gotten into them over the past few days – they’re going crazy in there! I got a video of baby A yesterday trying bust out of me. Here’s a link.You can’t see her on the other side, but baby B seemed to be having a dance off with her.

Today we had our 34 week ultrasound. I thought going into it that if I honestly told the doctor all the things that had gone on this week (vs my normal “I’m okay” response) that she would likely go ahead and do a C-section today assuming there was little risk to the girls in doing so.

So she walks in and took one look at me and then says to Luke “She’s really looking pregnant!” and then turns to me and said “and by that I mean you look like you’re miserable!” I took that as my opportunity to give her my laundry list of reasons I’m uncomfortable and not thinking I’ll make it to Thanksgiving. After all that she told me she still wants to aim for the Monday or Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It sounds like unless my water breaks before then, she’s not going to budge on that date.

She did acknowledge that making it to 34 weeks was a big accomplishment, but she wants the babies to be able to go home with us right away which is much more likely at 36 weeks. I can’t really argue with that. It’s a little frustrating though because a month ago she would have been thrilled to just get me to 34 weeks, but now she’s getting greedy and wants to keep pushing it. *sigh* I know it’s for the best though.

Bummer of the day - looks like the girls’ birthday won’t be 11/11/11 (unless something happens over the next few hours).

Good news of the day - the girls are now up to 4 lbs 10 oz and 5 lbs 3 oz. We also learned that they have hair! Here’s to hoping it helps disguise how large their heads are by comparison to their bodies!

I have some tests at the hospital on Monday and then will go back to my doctor next week Saturday for another ultrasound. I suspect that will be the last office visit before my c-section (if I make it that far).

Nearly 9 Pounds of Baby!

Today we had our 33 week ultrasound. The girls have now grown to 4 lbs 5oz and 4 lbs 7oz.  I’m so happy that they’ve both crossed the 4 pound mark and are continuing to do well. It's also comforting that they're close in size again. If it had gone the other way, that could have earned me an emergency c-section. We're proud of them for continuing to share!

I asked about the meds that I’m on to keep the contractions under control and whether there was any risk to the babies being on it. No risks that they’re aware of, and it’s actually routinely given to newborns to help their breathing right after they are born (it’s meant to be an asthma/breathing medication). So that was good to hear – I was a bit paranoid because it seemed to be the contraction drug of last resort.

I also asked the doctor about scheduling my c-section and what she was thinking in terms of timing. At 10 weeks I was told that I would deliver at 36 weeks at the latest, which is Thanksgiving Day. Given our previous discussions and the size of the girls at this point, I really didn’t think I’d make it anywhere close to 36 weeks. She wants to plan for the Monday afternoon after Thanksgiving, 11/28, which would put me at 36 weeks and 4 days. I’m glad she thinks the girls and I are healthy enough to make it that far, but I didn’t think going past Thanksgiving was even an option, so I have mixed feelings about it. On the bright side, if the girls stay on the track they’re on, they could potentially avoid the NICU all together and come home with us right away.

I had a rough night last night (admittedly it was my own fault – I was on my feet more than I should have been and I got myself dehydrated), so I was asking if the doctor really thought I’d make it to the end of the month. She basically said she doesn’t know what’s going to happen but wants to try to wait as long as I can. It sounded like she is open to delivering as soon as next week if I really get uncomfortable, but doesn’t want to take them out without having a good reason. She seemed surprised by how well I was doing and mentioned that her partners were trying to convince her to do an emergency c-section at 26 weeks when I was having all the breathing issues.

We go back on Friday for another ultrasound and we’ll revisit c-section timing at that point and get something scheduled. In the meantime I’m still on home bed rest. I asked about whether I was allowed out of the house for good behavior but she laughed at me and said “no, I just told you that you were doing good, why do you want to screw it up?” Fair enough I suppose. She said maybe after next week’s visit I’ll be allowed to leave the house for meals, but I’m not getting my hopes up yet.