Unplugged

I am pretty sure I lost my mucous plug last night.  I am surprisingly calm considering.  I think I am going to be a little more strict with bed rest to help keep my cervix closed as long as possible.

Guess it's time to start crossing my legs tighter.

Only 8 more days till I am 34 weeks.  Come on babies.  Hang in there!!!!!!

32 Weeks

How far along: 32 weeks, 1 day

Total Weight Gain: 36 lbs 

Symptoms: Contractions....lots and lots of contractions.  The sad part is I know on a scale of 1-10 these contractions are probably only a 1 of how bad they are going to get....but good god, some of them just hurt!

Stretch Marks: Yes. Tons.  Looks like we are holding steady at just above the belly button though.  Since the babies are already dropping, maybe we can avoid getting any higher!

Sleep: Terrible.  I am able to sleep for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours at a time.  That is about as long as I can sleep without having to go to the bathroom and/or readjusting my body so I don't get a cramp.

Best Moment Last Week: Finding out I am no more effaced than I was the week prior!

Movement: The babies are starting to run out of room.  Their movements are becoming very deliberate.  I am no longer able to feel little flutters any more...I can only feel good hard kicks and punches. 

Food Cravings: None.  I have been really focusing on consuming as much protein as possible so that the babies can gain enough weight before they are born.  So I've been drinking lots of shakes and eating protein bars.   Other than that I crave ice cream which is a new one for me. 

What I Miss: The outdoors.  Being on bed rest has given me a whole new appreciation for being able to do simple things like clean my house or go to the grocery store. 

What am I looking forward to:  The only thing I am looking forward to at this point is reaching the magical 34 week mark. I am fairly certain I can do it!  

Milestones: 32 weeks!  The babies have a pretty good shot if they were to be born right now...granted, they would probably require a little bit of ventilator assistance. 

How is Daddy? I can't say enough good things about my husband.  He has been taking me to my doctor appointments, helping me through contractions, taking me out at night on car rides which he calls "walking me" just so I can get out of the house, making dinner, cleaning, ....the list really goes on and on.  He has single handedly kept our house afloat while I have been on bed rest.  I am so blessed to have such an amazing and supportive husband.  I think he is really starting to get excited about the arrival or these babies....which could literally be in 2 weeks!


Now for the 32 week pic....again, forewarning on the stretch marks!

Holding Steady

Today's doctor's appointment revealed that I am still 80% effaced and fingertip dilated.  Great news.  At least I know that all of this terribly boring bedrest is doing something good!   I also had a Non-stress test today (NST) which showed pretty steady contractions.  I had about 6 over a 30-40 minute span.  They aren't really painful, just really uncomfortable because they create so much pressure. The nurse seemed slightly concerned about this.  After showing it to the doctor I was sent home with instructions to call if the contractions get any closer together or get more painful.  Both babies heartbeats showed accelerations which is really good. 

The doctor today said if I go into labor in the next 2 weeks the will do everything they can to stop it, but once I hit 34 weeks they will go ahead and deliver the babies if my body decides it is time.  I am still really hoping to hold out for 36 weeks.  I asked the doctor about this and he said it might be possible to go up until my due date.  He said there is really no way to tell.  So now I just sit and wait! 

Getting ready...little by little

So this weekend we did our last Babies-r-us run.  We exchanged some stuff from the shower that we received duplicates of and picked up all of the final little things we needed like a bottle sterilizer, 2 extra car seat bases for our 2nd car, some extra changing table covers, etc.

It's kind of weird to think that will be our last baby run before we actually have the babies.  The nursery is pretty much ready to go.  The cribs are made, the changing table is fully stocked, the breast pump parts have been sterilized.....all of the little things are done.  My husband did some serious cleaning and organizing in there last week while I napped.  I am so greatful for all of his help...especially since I am on bed rest and feel like a worthless member of our household.

So now I am just laying here with my legs crossed tight in bed doing everything I can to hold these babies in. The contractions are still coming...but very infrequent...about one or two every hour. I go back to the doctor this Thursday for my next appointment.  Hopefully not much will have changed!

In other news, our bedroom furniture that we have been waiting for for nearly 8 months from Direct Buy FINALLY arrived.  So glad we are not living out of card board boxes in our room anymore!!!

Our twin bassinet

Long overdue update...

Sorry.  I've been a terrible blogger.  It seems like things have been getting crazy around here.

So lets start from the baby shower.  We had our BIG baby shower this past weekend.  My mom, dad, and 2 sisters flew in for it.  It was so good to see them.  I haven't seen them since this past Christmas.  It was so neat to get to see my parents at 30 weeks pregnant.  Watching my family rub my belly and try to feel baby kicks is an experience I will never forget.  It was amazing. The baby shower itself was fantastic.  We got tons of stuff and got to spend time with great friends.  Notable gifts include our double stroller from my mom and dad, the swing from my sister, the double bassinet from my other sister, and lots and lots of clothes and things from friends.  Here are some pics from the whole shower weekend.

My sisters kissing their nieces/nephews:

My mom and dad at the baby shower

Here are some pics of my sisters and I working on my baby shower cake:

Week 1 of bedrest

Today begins my first full week of bed rest.  Thank god my job is letting me continue to work while I am out on bed rest (or I might seriously go crazy!).  This weekend was filled with lots of contractions so hopefully being flat on my back will help curtail some of those.  I am erring on the conservative side with the bed rest, so I am trying to remain as flat as possible while I work.

Here is my new fancy shmacny office.... Pardon my double chin.  I am looking particularly puffy these days!

The bedrest begins...

Today's appointment was a little more eventful than I had hoped.  Both babies looked great.  Fluid looks good.  Baby A is our runt and measured 3.2lbs in the 31 percentile, which I thought was small, but is apparently normal.  Baby B is our chunker weighting in at 3.11 lbs in the 74 percentile.  The discordance rate between the two babies is 15% and anything less than 20% is considered normal.

Then came the not fun part....my first cervical exam of this pregnancy.  Apparently I am already 80% effaced and fingertip dilated.  The babies are at -2 station.  The doctor said he could feel baby A's head.  I am officially on "modified bed rest" or what my doc calls "level 1" which means working stops, shopping stops, cooking stops, cleaning stops, etc.  I am less than enthused about this because I was REALLY hoping to work until 36 weeks.

So all the doctor told us was "these babies are coming early."  They prepared us for the possibility of NICU time.  I am sufficiently disappointed that I am this thinned out already and am really praying that I can keep these babies cooking for another 6-8 weeks.

Please say a little prayer for our little guys.