24 Weeks

This week was busy!  I had another checkup with Dr. Weiss – my Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist.  He said everything is still looking good – he checked the positions of both babies as well as the amount of fluid in each of their sacs.  They both have plenty and equal amounts of fluid, which is good.  That means both girls are getting adequate blood flow from the placenta!  I realize this may not be as exciting to others as it is to me. :)  And just in case you’re wondering, Baby A is head down (let’s hope she stays that way) while Baby B is transverse – laying sideways across my belly with her head on my left and her feet on my right (we hope she eventually follows her sister and flips to head-down or at the very least stays put).  If both girls are head down or if Baby A is head down and Baby B is transverse, we've got a good shot at a vaginal delivery for both – woop woop!  Otherwise, a c-section is on the table and for some reason, that scares me… a lot.  I know I have to be open to a c-section because it’s pretty common with twins.  Something about being sliced open though makes me really nervous!  I’m also super scared of getting an epidural, so I’m shooting for having these babies COMPLETELY natural.  Yes, I’m crazy.

Moving on…

I asked Dr. Weiss if several of his twin moms make it to 40 weeks and if he thought I could make it that far (based on what he’s seen so far).  He said he wouldn't let me go past 37 weeks simply because the babies are sharing one placenta.  Anytime after 37 weeks is considered full term.  So these two full grown babies will have to survive off of one placenta, and at that point, they may not be able to get the proper amount of blood and nutrients anymore, so out they come!  This means our two sweet girls will be here by the second week of December - no later. <3

We also went to our first “Preparing for Childbirth” class at the hospital this week.  We met lots of other nice couples that are all due sometime between October and December.  This first session (of three) was all about what to expect during labor and delivery.  After the class, I came to the conclusion that L&D is going to be intense!  The nurse talked about how labor varies from person to person, but on average, a first timer is in active labor for ~8-10 hours.  She also talked about how the pushing part really only lasts about 45 minutes to an hour (again, on average).  And then she clarified that that’s PER BABY!  So I could be pushing for TWO HOURS!!  I told ya – INTENSE!  It was a really good, really informative class though and I’m glad we signed up to take it.  She talked about the different phases of labor and what to expect along with who (doctors, nurses, etc.) would be visiting our room when and why and kind of what the whole procedure is for having a baby (or two) at Medical City.  Next week’s class is about postpartum care and includes a tour of the hospital – yippee!

And now, our weekly update (as told by the girls)…

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty good this week.  I've been pretty tired lately that the girls’ kicks don’t really prevent me from initially falling asleep.  It’s when I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom that I then have trouble falling back to sleep because of all of their moving.  No girls, 4:00am is not good morning time!

Cravings: I've been craving cheese enchiladas with rice and beans lately!  Not just any cheese enchiladas though - I want some authentic, (read: my mom's) home cooked enchiladas, rice, and beans.  Which I can't find in any restaurant here in Dallas - wahhh!  I'm (not-so-secretly) hoping she'll make me some when we go to El Paso in a few weeks! 

Symptoms: I haven’t really had any new symptoms lately.  My belly is just getting really big really fast and doing certain things (like shaving my legs or picking things up off the floor) are starting to get a bit difficult.  True story: I dropped two packs of cheese on the floor a few days ago while I was putting groceries away, and my belly felt so big/tight that it was way too uncomfortable to bend down and pick them up.  So I just left them on the floor of the kitchen.  I walked to the bedroom to ask Henry if he could come help me pick them up, but then we started talking about something else.  I’d guess that a solid five-ish minutes or so (maybe more) passed by before we walked back to the kitchen and Henry asked “Why is there cheese on the floor?”  To which I replied, “Oh yeah!  I dropped it and couldn't pick it up – can you?”  Oops!

How we’re growing: We’re growing big and strong and like to kick mom, a lot!  We’re both just shy of being a foot long and most likely weigh about a pound (maybe a little more) each.  Our brains are growing quickly and taste buds are continuing to develop.  Just a few more months until we’re done cooking!

Best moment of the week: Seeing the girls during my appointment with Dr. Weiss in an ultrasound again.  And spending time with family at our baby shower!

What Mom & Dad are looking forward to this coming week: Unpacking all of the super awesome gifts we received for the girls at our Dallas Baby Shower!  

Our baby shower was so amazing y'all!  It was so nice spending the afternoon with all of our family in the North/Central Texas area, and everybody was so incredibly generous – we feel so very blessed and truly appreciate every single person that attended!  We took so many pictures and it was such an amazing gathering that it really deserves a post of its own, so stay tuned!