We just came back from our latest MFS check-up. Both babies are doing really well and the tech said she was surprised we hadn't already delivered them. Baby A weighs 6lb 8oz and Baby B weighs 5lb 9oz. Initially we were a little worried with the babies being almost a pound apart. The doctor said that the real situation is that Baby B is where they would expect him but Baby A is on the large side. They're actually more focused on Baby A since bigger babies develop slower. All of that being said, both are doing really, really well. They're practice breathing all of the time, squirming around, and have excellent cord flows.
The current plan is to have my next check-up on Monday at the regular OB. Wednesday we'll go in to the MFS for the ambio to check for lung development. If the test is positive, I'll most likely be induced or scheduled for a C-section the next day. They also gave me paperwork for over the weekend, should I go into labor before the test. I get the impression that they're taking bets on how long I'm going to last. hehe
5.28.2009
5.27.2009
0
Week 35
So far 2 of the 3 doctor's visits are done for the week. Because of the holiday this week, we had to go to the hospital for yesterday's check-up. Once Baby A woke up, both got the seal of approval to head home. Heartbeats and movements were right where they were supposed to be. I only had 3 contractions during the hour or so.
Today we went to the regular OB for my check-up. They had a really hard time finding Baby A's heartbeat. He is so J's baby. hehe It took the doctor, an ultrasound machine, and a tech to find even a glimmer of the baby. Apparently I'm sporting double-decker babies now (one on top of the other). The machine just wasn't strong enough to see through Baby B to Baby A. Hopefully that won't be an issue at the MFS on Thursday for their growth scans.
At this point I'm off both contractions medications and the home monitoring. The upside is the yuckiness they made me feel is gone. The downside is that the babies are awake a lot more for extra kicking and hiccups. It's very hard to move around and I've been spending a fair amount sleeping. If I'm not sleeping, I'm either laying down or eating. hehe At the doctor's today I was approaching the 50lb mark, which is really good.
Today we went to the regular OB for my check-up. They had a really hard time finding Baby A's heartbeat. He is so J's baby. hehe It took the doctor, an ultrasound machine, and a tech to find even a glimmer of the baby. Apparently I'm sporting double-decker babies now (one on top of the other). The machine just wasn't strong enough to see through Baby B to Baby A. Hopefully that won't be an issue at the MFS on Thursday for their growth scans.
At this point I'm off both contractions medications and the home monitoring. The upside is the yuckiness they made me feel is gone. The downside is that the babies are awake a lot more for extra kicking and hiccups. It's very hard to move around and I've been spending a fair amount sleeping. If I'm not sleeping, I'm either laying down or eating. hehe At the doctor's today I was approaching the 50lb mark, which is really good.
5.18.2009
0
Week 34
There's not too much to report this week. The babies continue to do really well. Their fluid looks great and they're all about the practice breathing.
For me, things have gotten rougher. I ache most everywhere associated with the babies. Even the couch is uncomfortable now. J set up the air mattress in the living room so I'm not stuck in bed all day. Luckily I don't have too much longer to go.
For me, things have gotten rougher. I ache most everywhere associated with the babies. Even the couch is uncomfortable now. J set up the air mattress in the living room so I'm not stuck in bed all day. Luckily I don't have too much longer to go.
5.14.2009
4
Week 33, Day 4
There wasn't too much to update from the doctor's appointment. The babies are doing exactly what they're supposed to be. My regular OB said she didn't have any issue with trying to deliver them vaginally when the time comes, as long as they're both head down.
The fun part about today, and the reason for the bonus post, were the cute pictures we got from the ultrasound.
The fun part about today, and the reason for the bonus post, were the cute pictures we got from the ultrasound.
Baby B
Baby A
Baby A Conveying a Message to the Ultrasound Tech
5.11.2009
0
Week 33
This weekend was full of people coming over and good food. On Saturday we had a few friends over for a potluck dinner and a game of Cranium. My mom made a salad and bruschetta while J got some cakes from Strossner's. Our friends brought an Asian noodle dish, a chicken curry concoction, and a cheesy Greek lamb entree. I held down the couch. Cranium turned out to be pretty hilarious.
On Sunday it was Mother's Day. J claims that it counts for me since the babies could technically do fine on their own at this point. I'm not so sure. Either way, I got a really sweet card from Baby A and B plus a dozen roses. The nephews also got me a card, complete with custom artwork on the inside. We had most of J's family over for a cookout. Our littlest nephew fell asleep on me while clutching a plastic penguin. What people couldn't see was Baby B kicking him. hehe Luckily it didn't wake him up.
Word at the doctor's is that the big countdown has begun. At our check-up today the MFS outlined the plan. I have one more week of the home monitoring. This is also the last week that they would throw me into the hospital to stop the contractions. From 34 weeks on they'd only use turbutaline to try to slow them down. No more magnesium sulfate! At 35 weeks I can stop taking procardia, the muscle relaxer I've been on for months now. No more setting my alarm for all sorts of weird times to take that medication.
When we clear the 36 week mark, the MFS wants to do an amnio. This won't be anything like the one I had before. Instead it's just a regular one where they take a very small sample of fluid. They use it to check for lung development. If their lungs are ready to go, then I'll go ahead and have the babies that week. If they still need more time, we'll give it to them. The biggest risk at this point is that the placenta stops providing them with enough nutrients, so they want them out as soon as it's safe.
We'll continue the twice weekly doctor's visits to check for practice breathing, movement, and general feistiness. Today's check-up went really well. Both babies were awake and moving around. Their practice breathing has gotten a lot stronger than last week. Before you could only see a little movement in their bellies. Today their bellies were really pumping. Fluid levels were great. Baby B had his legs pulled up close to his body and had his head laying on Baby A's chest.
On Sunday it was Mother's Day. J claims that it counts for me since the babies could technically do fine on their own at this point. I'm not so sure. Either way, I got a really sweet card from Baby A and B plus a dozen roses. The nephews also got me a card, complete with custom artwork on the inside. We had most of J's family over for a cookout. Our littlest nephew fell asleep on me while clutching a plastic penguin. What people couldn't see was Baby B kicking him. hehe Luckily it didn't wake him up.
Word at the doctor's is that the big countdown has begun. At our check-up today the MFS outlined the plan. I have one more week of the home monitoring. This is also the last week that they would throw me into the hospital to stop the contractions. From 34 weeks on they'd only use turbutaline to try to slow them down. No more magnesium sulfate! At 35 weeks I can stop taking procardia, the muscle relaxer I've been on for months now. No more setting my alarm for all sorts of weird times to take that medication.
When we clear the 36 week mark, the MFS wants to do an amnio. This won't be anything like the one I had before. Instead it's just a regular one where they take a very small sample of fluid. They use it to check for lung development. If their lungs are ready to go, then I'll go ahead and have the babies that week. If they still need more time, we'll give it to them. The biggest risk at this point is that the placenta stops providing them with enough nutrients, so they want them out as soon as it's safe.
We'll continue the twice weekly doctor's visits to check for practice breathing, movement, and general feistiness. Today's check-up went really well. Both babies were awake and moving around. Their practice breathing has gotten a lot stronger than last week. Before you could only see a little movement in their bellies. Today their bellies were really pumping. Fluid levels were great. Baby B had his legs pulled up close to his body and had his head laying on Baby A's chest.
5.05.2009
0
Week 32
On Friday I had a quick check-up at the normal OB's office. Both babies were doing their practice breathing and squirming around like normal. The promise of no more cervix checks was a lie. I was still at 0cm.
On Saturday J's mom and her husband came over. It's really nice to have visitors, especially since I'm pretty much on lockdown. I think people on home arrest get out more than me. hehe She brought over a roast with veggies. We managed to contain ourselves while they were there but about 10 min after they left, J was in the kitchen digging into it. It was very tasty and didn't last long. My mom also made bread and chocolate chip cookies that morning. Saying we're spoiled is an understatement.
Sunday night I got an 8 on my contraction count (the limit is 5). They had me take a turbutaline and remonitor. I got a 3 on the second try but I think the babies and I had a rough night. I know Baby A got the hiccups pretty bad and we were all jittery. On Monday Baby A wasn't moving like normal. He would kind of squirm every once in a while, but no kicking. Baby B took advantage of the situation and was kicking and flailing all around. I did my normal monitoring and talked to the nurse about Baby A being lethargic. She recommended drinking a big glass of juice and seeing if he perked up. He squirmed a little more, but I was still worried. Long story short, we went into the hospital just to be sure he was ok. When they hooked him up to the monitor, his heartbeat was a little low at 135 but within a few minutes he was in the normal 140-150 range.
The best we can figure out is he was just tired and wanted to sleep most of the day. They couldn't find anything wrong but checked my cervix again just for good measure (still 0cm!). I felt a tiny bit silly for dragging my mom and J to the hospital for apparently nothing, especially since I had a doctor's appointment the next day. I would have felt much worse if something had really been wrong and I ignored it, though. Today Baby A is back to his normal punching and kicking self. I should have enjoyed the break while I could. hehe
Today we had our normal check-up at the MFS plus our growth measurements. Both babies looked excellent. They met all of their criteria for practice breathing and movement. In fact, I don't think Baby A stopped the whole time we were there. Baby B was in a weird position, like he was trying to hide behind my belly button. Baby A weighed 4lb 15oz and Baby B came in at 4lb 10oz. They're in the 65th to 75th percentile for a singleton baby's weight. The doctor said that at 32 weeks for twins, he'd consider normal to be around the 25% percentile, so they're definitely big for their situation.
This was the largest difference in their weights so far at 5oz. The doctor said that's pretty normal and they're within 5% of each other. Apparently that's all that matters. They won't get concerned until they're more like 15% different. I was surprised that both babies are closing in on 5lb so fast. I've been holding steady at 34lb over my pre-pregnancy weight for weeks now. I guess it's just a redistribution of what I already have.
The only other news that's sort of baby related is J's layoff/furlough has been cancelled. They called at 9:30am on Friday to tell him he needed to be at work on Monday. They got a big order in from a sister plant that morning and need to start up a production line. A 1.5hr layoff is pretty funny. While I know he was looking forward to being at home for a bit, we both feel better about the change in plans. J prefers to have a paycheck and I like that he can save his vacation time for after the babies arrive. If he thinks this will get him out of the to-do list I've drawn up, though, he's sadly mistaken. hehe
My mom will continue to stay with me through the month of May since the earliest they'll restart her plant is June. It's weird how things seem to just work out.
On Saturday J's mom and her husband came over. It's really nice to have visitors, especially since I'm pretty much on lockdown. I think people on home arrest get out more than me. hehe She brought over a roast with veggies. We managed to contain ourselves while they were there but about 10 min after they left, J was in the kitchen digging into it. It was very tasty and didn't last long. My mom also made bread and chocolate chip cookies that morning. Saying we're spoiled is an understatement.
Sunday night I got an 8 on my contraction count (the limit is 5). They had me take a turbutaline and remonitor. I got a 3 on the second try but I think the babies and I had a rough night. I know Baby A got the hiccups pretty bad and we were all jittery. On Monday Baby A wasn't moving like normal. He would kind of squirm every once in a while, but no kicking. Baby B took advantage of the situation and was kicking and flailing all around. I did my normal monitoring and talked to the nurse about Baby A being lethargic. She recommended drinking a big glass of juice and seeing if he perked up. He squirmed a little more, but I was still worried. Long story short, we went into the hospital just to be sure he was ok. When they hooked him up to the monitor, his heartbeat was a little low at 135 but within a few minutes he was in the normal 140-150 range.
The best we can figure out is he was just tired and wanted to sleep most of the day. They couldn't find anything wrong but checked my cervix again just for good measure (still 0cm!). I felt a tiny bit silly for dragging my mom and J to the hospital for apparently nothing, especially since I had a doctor's appointment the next day. I would have felt much worse if something had really been wrong and I ignored it, though. Today Baby A is back to his normal punching and kicking self. I should have enjoyed the break while I could. hehe
Today we had our normal check-up at the MFS plus our growth measurements. Both babies looked excellent. They met all of their criteria for practice breathing and movement. In fact, I don't think Baby A stopped the whole time we were there. Baby B was in a weird position, like he was trying to hide behind my belly button. Baby A weighed 4lb 15oz and Baby B came in at 4lb 10oz. They're in the 65th to 75th percentile for a singleton baby's weight. The doctor said that at 32 weeks for twins, he'd consider normal to be around the 25% percentile, so they're definitely big for their situation.
This was the largest difference in their weights so far at 5oz. The doctor said that's pretty normal and they're within 5% of each other. Apparently that's all that matters. They won't get concerned until they're more like 15% different. I was surprised that both babies are closing in on 5lb so fast. I've been holding steady at 34lb over my pre-pregnancy weight for weeks now. I guess it's just a redistribution of what I already have.
The only other news that's sort of baby related is J's layoff/furlough has been cancelled. They called at 9:30am on Friday to tell him he needed to be at work on Monday. They got a big order in from a sister plant that morning and need to start up a production line. A 1.5hr layoff is pretty funny. While I know he was looking forward to being at home for a bit, we both feel better about the change in plans. J prefers to have a paycheck and I like that he can save his vacation time for after the babies arrive. If he thinks this will get him out of the to-do list I've drawn up, though, he's sadly mistaken. hehe
My mom will continue to stay with me through the month of May since the earliest they'll restart her plant is June. It's weird how things seem to just work out.
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