Week 29

Your babies are the size of acorn squash! For the next 4 weeks think of the babies as the size/length of acorn squash, cucumbers, pineapples, squash.

Babies already measure about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long. Right now, they weigh about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds but they've still got a ways to go -- can you believe they'll triple in weight before birth?

At 29 weeks our babies are:

• Getting a little cramped in there, since he's growing so fast. But you probably already realize that, since you're getting all those jabs and kicks.
• Growing white fat deposits under his skin, and his energy is surging because of it.
• Feel a subtle twitch? It might be baby hiccupping.

We had another growth check last week and both babies are measuring at 3lbs, 5oz. That puts them in the 67th percentile for weight. Hearts continue to look good and everything else is looking good as well.

My cervix is holding steady at 24mm so the doctor felt confident prolonging visits to every 2 weeks instead of weekly. (granted this will only last another month or so as we near the end!)

The babies are definitely moving a lot, and getting hiccups a couple times a day. I am dealing with continued reflux, pain at times in my left leg and hip from laying on my left side so much, baby boy lodging in under my ribs at times, I'm very thirsty, which then leads to more frequent trips to the bathroom, and some difficulty sleeping. I tend to wake up between 3-4 every morning and have difficulty getting back to sleep.

Bed rest is still manageable. Jason re-enrolled us in Netflix and we bought a Roku which allows us to wirelessly connect to the internet without using the computer so I definitely have entertainment. I'm halfway through making the mobile for the nursery and hopefully will get it finished soon. Jason has to cut a couple pieces of a dowel before I can finish so hopefully he can squeeze that in with everything else he's trying to do!

We're both doing pretty good managing everything though. And I kinda feel like we're getting ready to enter the home stretch. I'm excited to have Mom come in this next weekend so we can finish the nursery and get some of those other to-do list things done!

Anyway, more pictures of things to come soon. (And I have not gotten a 29 week belly picture taken so I'm thinking I'll just wait till 30 weeks and we'll work up to the weekly picture!) So sorry to make the picture lovers wait a few more days!! :)

Week 28

We have arrived into the 3rd trimester!! It's very exciting and yet a little scary to realize that we have anywhere from 6weeks+ before these little guys arrive into the world. I have most things organized in my head...the only problem is that I can't get up to actually complete those plans! There's still plenty of time though and I'm planning on putting Mom to work when she comes to visit in a couple weeks! :)

As for the weekly update on the medical side of things: My appointment on Tuesday revealed very low amniotic fluid levels, which is a bi-product of the indocin I'd been taking. So we stopped the indocin which increased fluid levels, but that also means that my cervix may continue to shorten.

At the follow-up visit on Friday, measurements looked good. I was holding steady between 20-23mm. We also had a Biophysical Profile completed where they looked at the babies heart rates, muscle tone, movement, breathing and amniotic fluid levels. Both babies passed all areas so that was good.

Next week is another growth check so we'll see how big these guys are getting! They definitely continue to move all the time, but there's enough room for them to be doing somersaults. I keep waiting for them to run out of room, but it's not happening yet!

As promised, here is my 28 week picture. I'll also include the 24 week picture so you can see the difference in size. It was requested that I begin weekly pictures so I'll try and start getting a picture up weekly! :)

Folding a Fitted Sheet

There’s probably a correct way to fold a fitted sheet, but I’ve got my own way. It’s not perfect, and it often doesn’t come out rectangular, but it works. The past few months have felt a lot like folding fitted sheets: trying to accomplish all the things I was not used to doing. I think I’m finally in a rhythm now, but the past few months have definitely brought a lot of changes to our house.

The dogs are on a 3-times-a-day schedule instead of whenever they begged Meg to go out. The cleaning gets done a little throughout the week instead of in one fell swoop on Saturday. The alarm clock goes off earlier, and I go to bed later. The times they are a changin’.

Most of the questions that come up are “how?” questions. I know everything will work itself out and God has a plan. I don’t worry about it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about it!

Week 27

This past week came and went pretty quickly, and more importantly, uneventfully. My follow-up check at the dr revealed that my cervix remained at the 22mm mark. I am continuing the indocin until at least week 30 but not longer than week 32 as it can cause problems for the babies if I'm on it longer than that. My cervix is still funneling but it has been for weeks now so that wasn't of concern to my dr.

Blood sugars are looking good, as long as I don't go back for second helpings. :) I can now just fax weekly numbers in instead of having to drive to the office.

Babies are still looking good. Good heart rates and they're definitely moving. We had a couple quieter days, but they have picked up the pace the past 2 days. Jason was able to catch them moving last night and I think it freaked him out a little bit!

Bed rest is starting to make me a little stir-crazy, but I've been on it for almost 5 full weeks so it's definitely moving by. Another 9ish weeks is do-able! :) We have visitors coming in for the weekend so that will help pass time! The nursery is coming together. Jason finished the beadboard and the cribs and rocking chair are assembled. There's still a lot of organizing to do, but Lesley assures me it's one of her favorite things so maybe some of that will get done this weekend too! :)

This is the last week of the 2nd trimester so my posting next week will be the beginning of the home stretch!

Week 26

This week has been crazy full of doctor visits, scares and reassurances all the same. Sunday we had our first little scare. I began having some pretty severe cramps mid-morning. We called the doctor's office (thanks to some persuasion from Jason-I was too scared to want to call) and she recommended to drink a lot of water and lay down on one side. If the pain didn't subside we were supposed to go into the hospital. Thankfully, within a few minutes of laying down the pains went away and have yet to come back.

Wednesday was my normally scheduled ultrasound. This one was a growth check as well. As much as I love ultrasounds and being able to see the little guys, the whole process has become completely uncomfortable and unbearable at times due to the pressure that's being put on my blood vessels having to lay down on my back for even 5 minutes. So, after a lot of breaks with me turning on my side she was able to get the measurements she needed.

Baby girl weighs 2lbs, 3oz and Baby boy weighs 1lb, 14oz. Both of those weights are within a pretty average range for 26 wks pregnant. (Maybe this will be the pregnancy that breaks the Barrett-Cobb/Taylor-Dean 9+ lb baby trends!)

Unfortunately during the ultrasound they noticed that my cervix was continuing to shorten. The doctors put me back on indocin, the medication I took previously to help with fluid levels and to stabilize my cervix. They also went on ahead and injected me with a series of 2 steroid shots to help with baby lung development should they come early. We also re-did the fetal fibronectin test which looks to see if I'm at risk for going into labor within the next 2-3 wks. Thankfully that test came back negative and a physical check of my cervix revealed that it is not even attempting to open up- 'hard as a rock' as my doctor put it.

My bed rest has been stepped up a little bit though. I am still on 'modified rest' so I can still get up quickly and shower, go to the bathroom, make meals, but instead of being able to sit and recline I must lay down and I'm not allowed to lollygag when standing. :) I've been scared enough this past week that I'm doing a good job of it. The coffee table has become my new work station with drinks, books, remotes, snacks, etc. Anything I could need throughout the day is piled up on it! :)

My goal is to make it another 10 weeks. 36wks has been my goal week since we found out we were pregnant with twins, so by power of prayer and positive thoughts I'm hoping to still make it to that date (April 12th!) :)