The babies are never coming out

So I have decided that I am going to be pregnant forever. The babies were originally SOO excited to get here, but now they seem to be comfortable where they're at. Go figure. When they are given the green light to make their entrance, they would rather not. They're already taking after their daddy -- tell them one thing, and they do the other!

I had another OB appt today. My doctor is on vacation, so I saw a different Dr L. He jokingly told me that if the babies really don't want to come out, he doesn't see a problem setting an induction date around 41-42 weeks! Yeah right! Good thing my OB already told me that she wouldn't let me go a day beyond 38 weeks. Otherwise, I probably would have thought he was serious...which probably would have made me cry! I am so anxious to meet these little ones. And soooo excited to be done being pregnant. Today marked exactly 9 full weeks of bedrest.

We have a growth scan scheduled for Friday if I make it that far. It will be very interesting to get the babies' estimated weights. However, 3rd trimester ultrasounds can be off by a full pound in either direction...so it truly is a "guesstimate." They better be big considering how much I have grown in the past month! I will try to update Friday afternoon.

35 weeks and still going...

Another week under our belts. I've been counting down the hours until I am officially off bedrest. As of 7pm this evening, the count is at 149 hours (at the stroke of midnight next saturday morning). So far, I have endured 60 full days!! Can you believe that? I am still thinking that the babies will find it funny to have a birthday the day before I am allowed to have any freedom. Little do they know, that mommy will find some way to get back at them when they are teenagers!! Haha. If they play that cruel joke on me, I will end up getting the last laugh!

Anyway, here I am at 35 weeks. As I stated last week, I had to find a new shirt to take the picture in. So without further adieu.....

Explosion Part 2

So if the pictures just didn't convince you that I really did explode, here is some indisputable evidence...I had an OB appt today, and I measured in at an astounding 43 weeks!! That's 8 1/2 weeks bigger than what I really am! So if I was carrying one baby, it would be as though I was carrying a baby who was 3 full weeks overdue. Yes people, I am large. Painfully large. I don't think there is a muscle in my body that doesn't ache.

Otherwise, my appt went well. It was my 16th(!!) visit. Fourteen of them have been with Dr. L. I seriously think I am going to go through withdrawals once this is all over with.

However, Dr. L gave me strict orders that I am not allowed to have these babies until October 4th because she is going on vacation until then. So in the mean time, she told me to use a lot of duct tape! Ha! I did ask her about the "induction date" of 10/18, and like I had thought, she really doesn't think that I will get that far either. But she said that we will at least have our ducks in a row.

Anyway, it was a pretty ho-hum visit...which I'm not used to! Usually the babies are causing some sort of drama! But yeah, so delivery is on hold for at least another 11 days. If only I could control that. Given my size, I really do want to evict them...badly. But I am still holding out hope that if I can make it to 36 weeks (ironically, Oct 4th), not only will Dr. L be back in town, but there is a greater likelihood that we will leave the hospital with babies in tow. 36 weeks has been my goal from the beginning....

I've exploded!!

I now know why the stretch marks have attacked me. I have grown a LOT in the last 2 weeks. In fact, effective this week, I am retiring the purple shirt. If I make it another week, I guess I better find a different shirt to take pictures in...I have officially outgrown this one.

34 weeks. Measuring 40+ weeks!! Ouch!

And for those who don't think I am "that big," here is a little look back in time.

20 weeks. I kind of thought I was big here. Ha!

25 weeks - I remember thinking that I couldn't *possibly* get any bigger. Oh how foolish I was! That or just plain old stupid!

30 weeks

Finally, two weeks ago at 32 weeks.

Any day is baby day!

Well, today marks 34 weeks. And my labor will no longer be stopped!! I can't believe we have arrived at this day. It is a day I never ever thought would be possible. But, here we are, after 53 days of bedrest. I cannot begin to explain how excited I am. I thought for sure these babies were going to be born several weeks ago, but they are hanging in there!!

I'm SOOO excited to meet them. But it's still a bit early. I am hoping to hold out for at least another 1-2 weeks so that they have a better chance of coming home with us from the hospital. If I do make it another 2 weeks (to 36 weeks), they will stop my medication and take me off of bedrest! That's just 14 days away. Hey, I've already survived 53 days (but who's counting, right?), so I know I can survive 14 more if need be. I do worry about how my body is going to react after I am "mobile" again. My muscles are mush and my stamina is darn near pathetic!! Taking a shower makes me feel like I just participated in the Iron Man Competition!!!

In other news, I have been ATTACKED...by stretch marks. Surprisingly, they don't bother me that much, if at all really. I guess going through what I have gone through to get to this point, they are kind of the least of my worries. I easily could have had these babies at 27-28 weeks and avoided them altogether, but then the babies faced a looooong NICU stay and possible long-term disabilities. So if I have to live with a few stretch marks for the rest of my life, then I am okay with that. The health of these babies is by far more important.

I will try to post an updated picture of the ever-expanding belly tomorrow. Could possibly be the last one!

Oh, and the poll is still open. So if you haven't voted yet, see the red box to your right!

Another eventful day

Too much excitement today for my liking. I had an OB appointment in the morning. I am measuring...are you ready for it?? I'm measuring in at exactly 40 weeks!! No wonder I feel huge and can't breathe! And I have gained just shy of 31 pounds. I have been drinking a ton of Ensure and Carnation Instant Breakfast to try to gain weight. It's just been such a struggle to actually put weight on. I'm still shooting for a total of 40 pounds.

The ultrasound she did in the office showed that both babies were practicing their breathing! I could see their little chests and bellies rising and falling. It was so amazing. Baby A has dropped further into the birth canal, so Dr. L wanted to hook me up to the monitors to see if I was having more contractions that were pushing that baby down.

And sure enough, I was contracting every 5 minutes. I was only feeling about every third. So again, I was sent to Labor and Delivery. I knew my luck had to run out sometime, right? Oh yeah, "A" also gave us a little scare while in the office because all of a sudden the heart rate dropped to the 30's-40's. It is supposed to stay above 120. After a few minutes, we figured out that the monitor got confused and was picking up the baby's hiccups instead of the heartbeat!! Whew!

Anyway, on my way to L&D, I made a short stop (via wheelchair) on 7th floor to say 'hi' to all of my 7th floor ladies! It was so great to see so many familiar faces. HI GIRLS!!

Once in L&D, I was hooked up to the monitors again. They ran 2 liters of fluid through as quickly as possible. And I was given 2 shots of terbutaline (the same med I was taking at home every 4 hours). All of that did little to decrease the contractions. So they tried a different med...nifedipine. An hour later, that seemed to be working and they sent me home.

I'm now taking the nifedipine every 4 hours around the clock and they stopped the terbutaline. In just 4 days (Saturday), they will no longer attempt to stop labor. I will still stay on my home meds, but they won't try other meds in the hospital. Hard to believe, isn't it?? Any day now.

Oh yes, and for those of you who have asked whether I (or Dr. L) really think I am going to make it to 38 weeks to be induced...the answer is no (at least that's my opinion). I think she was just giving me that date to humor me! I have gotten so uncomfortable so fast that I think she wanted to assure me that it will all eventually end. Seems like we've been saying "any day now" for the past 7 weeks that it kind of felt as though "any day now" would never actually arrive!! So yes, I am assuming the talk of induction at 38 weeks was just to humor me. Regardless, 32 days or less!

CAST YOUR VOTE!! (and the end is in sight)

So to prepare you for the big election coming up in November, I thought I would give you a little practice at the polls. Ha. There's a little poll in a nice red box to your right. If you haven't voted yet...then VOTE!! You know it's your civic duty! And please, if you have voted already but have access to another computer, please don't vote again. It's a felony. Again, I am just trying to acclimate you to the rules for the big election.

Had another OB appointment today. And there is an end in sight. Dr L will not allow me to go 1 day beyond 38 weeks. Therefore, if (and this is a big if) I still happen to be pregnant as of October 18th, we will have ourselves a birthday! Even though that is a Saturday, she will still induce me on that day. So BEGIN THE COUNTDOWN!!! 37 days (or less).

Mom came to town to take me to my appointment. And one of her first comments is that I am definitely bigger than I was just a week ago when she came to take me to my last appt. And she's right...I measured in today at an astounding 38 1/2 weeks!!

Otherwise, things are going along just swimmingly. I see Dr L on Tuesday. And before you know it, we'll have made it to 34 weeks (which is next Saturday) and I will be allowed to deliver at my local hospital instead of being shipped elsewhere!!!

For your viewing pleasure....

We've made it to 32 weeks...

However, I'm measuring "full term" (somewhere between 37-38 weeks)!!!

7 pounds 5 ounces

That's how much the babies' combined estimated weight is. In fact, it's quite possibly even more than that. Baby A is already wedged into the birth canal, so it's really hard to get an accurate head measurement. Even Paula felt as though Baby A is probably bigger, but she just couldn't get a good view of Baby A's head. So the weight is truly an estimated weight...probably erring on the small side. She wants us to bring the babies in after they are born, because she "wants to have a talk with that baby." Baby A has been fairly difficult, if not nearly impossible, to measure the past 2 ultrasounds. Oh, and Paula wishes she could be at the delivery with us, so she could see the reactions on our faces...because she has known what sexes the babies are since our 20 week ultrasound!

Anyway....
Baby A = 3 pounds 7 ounces (up from 2#9oz three weeks ago)
Baby B = 3 pounds 14 ounces (up from 2#11oz three weeks ago)

What absolutely SHOCKED me was that those 2 sets of feet I thought were under my ribs??? Well, those are actually two baby bottoms...not feet!! I couldn't believe it.

In semi more important news, especially related to the pre-term labor, the exit out is measuring exactly the same as it was 2 weeks ago!! Exactly! 2.3cm without pressure on my belly, and 1.7cm with pressure. Simply amazing.

Are you ready for another picture??

Good appointment today. Dr. L did another Fetal Fibronectin test (the one that is 99% accurate in ruling out a pre-term delivery in the next 2 weeks). I will probably get the results of that tomorrow. She also checked me again, and I still have not dilated any further!! Yippee! She measured my belly...and are you ready? I'm measuring 37 weeks!! And I can sure feel it, because I think Baby B's feet are permanently lodged under my ribs.

We discussed the continued plan for me. At 34 weeks, she will likely take me off of the terbutaline. And they will not stop labor after 34 weeks. So if I go in with increased contractions, they will not try to halt them with more drugs. The only thing I was bummed about is that she will NOT lift the bedrest restrictions until I am about 36-37 weeks.

I haven't treated my reading audience to one of my drawings in a long time, so I thought I would be nice to you today. Here is my depiction of the babies' positions in my belly.

Both babies are head down, with Baby A guarding the exit out. We are 99% certain that Baby A will not be able to flip upright. In fact, that baby has been head down since 18 weeks. So he/she has been pretty stuck in that position. Baby B still has a bit of room to flip...but we are hoping he/she stays put. They aren't always looking at each other either. I'm guessing they probably get sick of each other and turn around...would you want to stare someone in the eye 24 hours a day, days upon days?? I know they turn sometimes, because I often get knees poking out at belly button level while I also have two little sets of feet under my rib cages.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my fantastic artwork! I put a lot of effort into this drawing, so you BETTER appreciate it!

Big ultrasound on Friday. As always, keep your fingers crossed for big, beefy babies!!

Welcome to Birth Month!!

Ok, so this isn't a definite, but the babies will more than likely be born sometime this month. I still have my sights set on October 4th, which would put us at 36 weeks, but I'm not too sure we'll get there. At least September has a pretty cool birth stone!! A nice, blue sapphire! Just kidding. That's pretty irrelevant.

Hope everyone is having (or had) a wonderful and SAFE holiday weekend!