Dream

I had a dream last night that I had the babies. They were a little small, but very healthy. I was so happy! I felt great physically and was up and dancing around. It felt so good to have these babies out of me!

Then...

The nurse came in and said, "The doctor decided he wants the babies to grow for a little bit longer. He's going to put them back inside of you for a few more months."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Needless to say, it was a very scary dream. :0)

It's Official

I am finally at the safe point of this pregnancy where I can have my babies at our local hospital.

YAY, YAY, YAY!!!

I've been praying for this milestone to get here. I'm so happy!

Baby Update

The babies are still looking great. The last time they were measured was three weeks ago, and both babies measured 4 pounds at that time. So we are hoping they are about 5 pounds by now. The babies will get measured again in about a week.

Baby Boy is still head down and his head is really low. I guess that explains the frequent trips to the bathroom. Baby Girl switched from being head down to being in the transverse (sideways) position. Strange!

I still don't understand how both babies fit in there, but I guess they do somehow. I'm glad both babies have looked healthy during this pregnancy. Now we just need to get two more weeks of growth in and we'll be set!

The Heat Is On

I'm hot. All the time. It's crazy! At night I turn the AC down to 69 (although I'd really like to set it lower), I have the ceiling fan on, and I point a standing fan straight at me. Cooking twins gets hot!!!

My husband is so sweet to put up with it. He's a hot body and even he has been freezing in our room at night. Oh well, he can always put more blankets on. :0)

Countdown!

For once, the birth of the babies finally seems close. My doctor says he won't let me go more than three more weeks. Yay! Hopefully he'll keep his word.

Three weeks still seemed far away until the cute receptionist lady at Labor & Deliver said, "So when are we going to finally see you here with those babies outside of you?" I told her that it would be three weeks at the most. She got all excited and said, "Wow! That's really close! I can't wait!"

It was great to finally have someone acknowledge that delivery is close. Usually the nurses say, "You've still got a LOOOOOOONG time," and I just hate that. On the other hand, her excitement kind of knocked me upside the head. For the first time I thought to myself, "Holy cow, that is really close! Am I really ready for this?!"

Ready or not, they should be here in three weeks. YAY!

Belly Shot - 33 Weeks

My pregnant twin belly at 33 weeks. CRAZY! I actually think this picture makes it look smaller than what it really is, too.

Yes, all my maternity shirts are stretched to the max!

Almost Bed Rest

I understand that the doctor's want me to be on bed rest. I completely agree with that decision. What I don't understand, is how they expect me to sit home and relax when they schedule me five appointments each week! Give me a break, I'm getting exhausted going to appointments!

I really wish doctors and nurses could come to me. That would be nice. That would be true bed rest. :0)

Twice the Love

I realize that I complain a lot about this pregnancy. It's true, I am miserable. Aside from all the discomforts I've had with this pregnancy, I am truly grateful for being blessed with twins. I feel like it's such a miracle and sometimes I feel like I'm pressing my luck asking for two healthy babies.

The most amazing thing I've experienced with this pregnancy (besides the awesome sensation of feeling two separate beings move inside me), is the love I feel for both babies. I feel just as much love for each child as I do for my other children. It amazes me that I can love them so completely and so separately at the same time. I have so much love for each of these babies - as two separate children.

It's hard to express in words, but it is such a neat experience to feel such immense love for these two babies. I can't wait to meet them. I'm sure the feeling of love will be even more overwhelming.

Here's Your Sign

After complaining to my doctor about the horrible parking at the hospital, he was kind enough to give me a temporary handicap parking sticker. Yay! The only places I go anymore are to the doctor's office and the hospital, but it still wears me out. And the parking at the hospital is horrible.

It's nice to know that I won't go into labor walking a mile to get into the hospital anymore. Hooray for awesome doctors!

Time is Gold

We had a scare that resulted in me being placed on bed rest. Not fun.

At 31 weeks I went to the hospital for my normal bi-weekly nonstress test. As if timed perfectly, I started having contractions like crazy right when I got there. They monitored me for awhile and were concerned. They ran a Fetal Fibronectin Test, which tests for a protein that can predict the likelihood of you going into labor within the next couple weeks. To the nurses' surprise, my test came back positive. A negative result is more reliable and gives you a 99% promise that you will NOT go into labor within the next two weeks. Mine was positive, which means that I have a higher chance of going into labor within the next two weeks. A positive result is not as helpful as a negative result, but it still increases your chances of preterm labor. The nurse said, "I've worked here nine years and this is only the second positive I've ever seen...and the other lady who had a positive delivered her baby a few days later." Needless to say, I was kind of freaking out.

They gave me several shots of Terbutaline to relax my uterus in hopes of stopping labor. Thankfully, it worked and my contractions slowed down. They did an internal exam and found that my cervix was still closed. Good news! The nurse was surprised that I was still closed since I'm having twins and was contracting. At least one part of my body is cooperating!

Since there was a definite concern of preterm labor, they decided to give me Betamethasone steroid shots to help develop the babies' lungs faster. I received two shots over a 24-hour time period.

I've been given Nifedipine to take at home to control contractions. The medicine seems to be working and each day seems to be getting better. We'd really like to get these babies to at least 35 weeks. Let's hope my body cooperates!

My body is definitely drained. It's done so much and I can tell that it's ready to be done. I'm already measuring 46cm - which is like I'm a month and a half overdue. Sound like fun? It's not. I really think that my body is trying to go into labor so soon because of how large my uterus is. I feel guilty for putting my body through so much but I'm glad it's been relatively strong for so long. Just give me 2-3 more weeks!

So for those who have been worried, I'm doing okay. I'm stuck laying down all the time, but it will be worth it for every extra day I can give these babies. We'd love to ask for your prayers in helping us make it as long as we can.

And . . . my sweet sister loaned me her laptop for awhile so I'll be able to get online again. Yay! I'm so thankful for helpful people!

And throughout all the monitoring, the babies have looked great. Not a problem with them at all, we just need to bake them a little longer. It felt good to hit 32 weeks, because then the babies had a 99% chance of everything being completely healthy and normal in the long run. They'd obviosuly need to spend a few weeks in the NICU if they were born now, but they'd survive and be just fine. So that's a little bit of comfort. :0) We're still shooting for no NICU time.

Down for the Count

I am not purposely neglecting this blog. This is a result of one of the joys of being pregnant with twins - being stuck laying down all the time. And since my husband and I are apparently stuck in the stone age, we don't own a laptop. It's been too hard for me to get up to my computer and sit down long enough to blog. I really do have lots to say though. And if I can get a laptop to use, you won't be able to shut me up.

All is still well, just too uncomfortable to get online. The only time I get up and leave the house is for doctor's appointments.

I'm glad it's finally June, but I hope this month flies by fast. I'm going nuts!