Week 21

I think I start out every post like this. hehe Both boys are doing really well. Baby A still has extra fluid and Baby B is considered normal. Heart beats were in the 160's. Stomachs, bladders, and umbilical cord flows all looked really good. My cervix, blood pressure, and protien were all where they needed to be. I'm at about 21 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight.

The only hiccup this week is that on Thursday's MFS visit, they found that I was having contractions. These weren't prelabor ones, or even Braxton Hicks "practice" contractions. Basically because Baby A's bubble is so big, my belly is having to grow really fast. This makes it kind of irritated and every once in a while it would contract. I can't feel them and they don't hurt. I'm not sure of the exact frequency but I do know that J making me laugh caused a much bigger spike on the readout. hehe

But the doctor seemed to feel that the contractions either needed to be closely monitored (I'd have to be admitted to the hospital) or stopped with medication (a shot of terbutaline). Naturally I took the shot. Unfortunately the side effects were pretty bad. My heart was pounding, I felt like I couldn't breathe (but I could), and when the nurse came in to check on me, she found me bent over the trash can with J holding my hair. I also was soaked in a cold sweat.

The contractions stopped eventually but I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. We were there for 3 hrs, most of which were with me hooked up to the monitor. The shot only lasts for so long, so the doctor put me on a different medication to stop the contractions. So far I've had zero side effects from that.

I have to go back in on Monday for them to check me again. J wants to be there for every MFS appointment but they seem to just get longer and longer. It's one thing to take a long lunch. It's another to take an unannounced half-day.

So now the good stuff. The boys were their normal rambunctious selves this week. On Tuesday the regular OB had a hard time pinning down Baby B for a doppler heartbeat check. He kept squirming all over the place. Then on Thursday, the ultrasound tech found the following situation going on.

Baby B Sitting on Baby A's Head

Baby A Trying to Fight Off Baby B's Behind

Baby A Not So Innocently Kicking Baby B in the Head