31 Weeks

This week was fairly uneventful.  We met with the L&D Pre-Registration Nurse at the hospital on Tuesday to sign all of the paperwork required for admittance.  They have you take care of all the details beforehand so you’re not having to sign your life away in between contractions.  Everybody has been so super nice at this hospital throughout the entire pregnancy that we expected nothing less at this appointment too.  Instead, what we got was a “sign here, here, here, and here” experience with an “ok, that’s it, good luck!” on the way out.  Lady, you’re asking me to sign forms stating I and/or my children could possibly die during childbirth – give me a second to read it all and process it!  She wasn't rude, she just wasn't super warm or open to questions either.  I signed all this paperwork “understanding” all of the possible risks of everything and then left her office feeling like “oh my gosh, what did I just sign!?”  Henry and I just kind of had to convince each other that all that paperwork is just a formality and that any real concerns would be handled by our team of doctors and not the Pre-Registration Office or Nurse.

We also had an appointment to meet the girls’ pediatrician – Dr. Straughn.  We felt much better after meeting with him.  He’s so super nice, both Henry and I felt really comfortable with him almost instantly.  He walked us through what his role will be once the girls are born – how often and when he’ll come to check them in the nursery.  He gave us a packet with all kinds of information on visits and immunizations and the services they offer (after hours lines, weekend hours, etc.).  He was open to any and all questions we had and didn't try to rush us.  In talking with him, we found out that he too has a set of twins – boys.  That makes doctor number two in our team of doctors that has first-hand experience with twins!  We both really liked him and are confident he’ll be a great pediatrician for the girls.

In between our appointments, we passed by the nursery just to take a peek at all of the tiny little babies and ran into a dad that was in our Preparing for Childbirth classes.  Henry’s the one that spotted him – I was too busy staring at the set of newborn twins that were in the nursery (it IS possible for twins to not need NICU time!).  Anyway, this guy was there in his flannel pajama bottoms, staring at his newborn baby girl in the nursery.  He told us she was born that morning, at 2:00am, and that both baby and mom were doing really well.  In our excitement for them, neither one of us asked him what the baby’s name was.  But we did find out that she weighed 8lbs 4oz!  He also told us a little about how the whole labor and birth went down before heading back to check on his wife.  He looked both sleep deprived and so in love with his new baby girl.  And Henry and I got excited all over again because seeing them in our classes and knowing now that their baby is here means our time is getting closer!!

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

Sleep: Same as last week: I’ve been sleeping ok this past week.  Once I get into a comfortable position, I can sleep with no problems.  It’s getting into those comfortable positions that are tricky.  I’m pretty much at the point where turning over takes some serious effort.  And sometimes I need Henry’s help to either push or pull me one way or the other – ha!  The weight of my belly leaves me waking up with really sore, really stiff hips sometimes too.  Again, this isn’t really something that bothers me while I’m sleeping; just when I wake up and try to move.  Overall I think I’m pretty lucky that I’m still able to sleep in my own bed and don’t really experience heartburn or any other side effects while trying to sleep (other than my numb, swollen hands).

Cravings: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and hot drinks (like apple cider and hot tea).  PB&J’s because they’re delicious and hot drinks I think because my office has all of a sudden gotten colder.  So I’ve been drinking apple cider or hot green tea at least twice a day just to warm up a little (even though it’s still in the 80’s outside – ugh).

Symptoms: Mega tightness and stretching of my belly!  Like seriously, I feel like my skin is just going to rip sometimes!  Despite all the stretching my stomach has done though, I still don’t have any stretch marks – score!  (*Pause while I go knock on wood.*)  Also, I have no idea what the girls are doing it there, but it feels like they’re pushing off of each other and outwards.  All I feel all day and all night long are different body parts pushing really hard outwards making my stomach look super distorted.  It’s another kind of strange time though – I like when they do it because I like to try to guess what it is that’s bulging out; but it also hurts when they do it and makes me feel like they’re just going to rip through my stomach!  I also had a pretty intense bout of round ligament pain a few nights ago.  Last Wednesday was a particularly rough day – my stomach felt like it was going to pop! – and that evening, I felt like I had pulled a muscle in my stomach.  It hurt so bad to stand or walk or really do anything.  I think it even scared Henry a little because I could not move without wincing in pain.  He wanted me to call the doctor, but I told him if he could just help me get from our bathroom to our bed (which really isn’t that far) and laying down, I was pretty sure that would help.  I needed to take the weight/pressure of the babies off of my stomach muscles.  As soon as I lied down, I felt relief almost instantly.  Henry was still a little concerned and kept telling me that if anything hurt me at all in the middle of the night to let him know.  Don’t worry honey, I’ll let you know. ;)

*** WARNING – TMI AHEAD:  I’ve also felt what is so accurately termed “lightning crotch” this week – classy, I know.  It feels like a jolt of lightning in your umm, crotch and (from what I’ve read) is caused by babies either kicking your cervix or sitting on a nerve that causes this sudden shooting pain.  Whatever it is causing it, it is super painful.  And why didn’t anybody tell me about this!?  The first time I felt it, I was in complete shock (it’s literally a shocking pain) and thought maybe it was my cervix starting to change – yikes!  After some reading though (and no other signs of labor), I’m pretty convinced it’s a completely normal symptom of late pregnancy and am just going to have to deal with it.  I will however still bring it up to my OB at my next appointment, just to be sure. ;) ***

How we’re growing: We’re still growing!  Mom was feeling us stretch a lot this week, and that’s because we went through a bit of a growth spurt – sorry mom!  Each one of use is just over 16 inches long and weighing about 3.3 pounds!  That means we each gained about half a pound in one week – no wonder mom was hurting!  We can turn our heads from side to side, and our arms, legs, and bodies are continuing to plump up as we build more fat under our skin.  We’ve also been moving a lot more lately which makes mom laugh.  Just a few more weeks mom, we’re almost done cooking!

Best moment of the week: Making major progress in washing most of the girls’ clothes (we only washed through size 3 months, and even that might have been a bit much – we’re just not really sure how big they’ll be when they’re born nor how quickly they’ll grow!) and blankets and towels and putting them all away in the closet and drawers.  Next on the washing to-do list is cloth diapers! :D

What Mom & Dad are looking forward to this coming week: Our upcoming visits with both Dr. Weiss and Dr. Parnell (we get to see him again instead of somebody else in the practice!).  We’ll get to see the girls in another sonogram with Dr. Weiss again.  This visit is just a fluid check, so no measurements.  But seeing them is still fun!  And our OB visits are pretty uneventful, but since we’re getting closer to the end, just talking about the plans gets exciting!

And now, for your viewing pleasure...

Not super exciting, but my Halloween costume this year.  You best believe growing humans makes you feel a little bit like a super hero. ;)  

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everybody!!