September 23, 2008 (a Tuesday) will be the girls' birthday as long as they stay inside until then.
We scheduled the c-section at today's appointment with our OB. We also filled out a pre-registration form for the hospital to help simplify things when we first check in for the birth. It is very exciting to have an actual date for their arrival, and we hope they cooperate by not deciding to arrive sooner on their own.
As for the actual appointment, Charlotte is still head down but Ruby flipped and has her head in my rib cage now (yay for heartburn). My cervix is still closed up tight and I do not show any signs of preterm labor. I'm measuring 36 weeks now that Ruby shifted to the head up position.
The girls have been EXTREMELY active since the past week, for longer lengths of time at once. Bob has been able to enjoy the views of my stomach jumping and shifting with the strength of their movements. He is also able to feel them when they roll inside now. We found that they do not like to be a table, especially for my dinner plate – they kick at it until I remove it, then they calm down. We tried it a few times in a row to make sure it wasn’t a coincidence. Books and remote controls are also not allowed.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Growing Fast
We went to the high risk doctor (perinatologist) for our growth scan today. Both girls are head down, growing on schedule and weigh 2lbs 14oz each.
A view of Charlotte's left side (she is cramming her hand into her mouth):
Some sort of view of Ruby (we can't quite figure it out but the tech said it was a partial view of her face):
As for me, I am measuring 37 weeks (practically full term for a singleton pregnancy) and have gained 42lbs so far. My stomach doesn't stick out as much as it is tall. It feels like the girls are standing up straight instead of curling into the fetal position even though the ultrasound shows otherwise. I passed my one hour glucose test for gestational diabetes, nowhere near a borderline result so it seems I am in the clear on that. My blood pressure was 112/72, which is normal (if not on the lower side of normal). I have yet to feel any contractions or show signs of preterm labor. My worst complaint is that the girls are displacing my ribs which causes a searing pain that I am unable to do anything about. Other than that, I am generally awkward in any sort of situation that requires me to move. But as long as the girls continue to grow and be healthy inside, I can deal with anything for 9 more weeks.
We see the OB on Friday, and will have appointments with her every 2 weeks from now on until I reach 36 weeks. We go back to the high risk doctor for another growth scan 4 weeks from now.
A view of Charlotte's left side (she is cramming her hand into her mouth):
Some sort of view of Ruby (we can't quite figure it out but the tech said it was a partial view of her face):
As for me, I am measuring 37 weeks (practically full term for a singleton pregnancy) and have gained 42lbs so far. My stomach doesn't stick out as much as it is tall. It feels like the girls are standing up straight instead of curling into the fetal position even though the ultrasound shows otherwise. I passed my one hour glucose test for gestational diabetes, nowhere near a borderline result so it seems I am in the clear on that. My blood pressure was 112/72, which is normal (if not on the lower side of normal). I have yet to feel any contractions or show signs of preterm labor. My worst complaint is that the girls are displacing my ribs which causes a searing pain that I am unable to do anything about. Other than that, I am generally awkward in any sort of situation that requires me to move. But as long as the girls continue to grow and be healthy inside, I can deal with anything for 9 more weeks.
We see the OB on Friday, and will have appointments with her every 2 weeks from now on until I reach 36 weeks. We go back to the high risk doctor for another growth scan 4 weeks from now.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
3D!
Our 3D ultrasound was quite the experience today. Both girls are now head down, though Ruby was face up and Charlotte proved to be more of a challenge as she was face down. After much poking, prodding, shaking, and having me change positions, she decided to flip over. We ended up with some better views of Charlotte since Ruby was folded in half with her legs and umbilical cord covering her face. Charlotte's face was getting crammed against the membrane, showing a flattened nose in many of them. Our first view of Ruby showed her yawning, though the DVD had not yet started recording.
Here is a 2D view of the top of their heads, showing how close they are:
Charlotte's best 3D images:
We are fairly certain that Charlotte has Bob's large mouth.
Ruby's best 3D images:
You can see Ruby's toes on top of her head in this one:
Despite the awkward positioning of her legs (straight up in front of her face) and umbilical cord, from what we could see it looks like Ruby has inherited the chubby cheeks that run on my side of the family.
We feel very lucky that technology has allowed us to have a sneak peek of how the girls actually look even though we have about 11 more weeks to go until we meet them. I would like to have another one done closer to their due date, but with a twin pregnancy 27 weeks is the cut off, since the babies get too crowded to see. I am 26w5d today, so I scheduled it as late as possible.
Since Bob doesn't post on here, I asked him for his thoughts on having the 3D ultrasound done. Bob feels it was "good & fancy" while "impressive". He just can't describe the feeling of seeing their hearts beating and watching how they compete for space, though it is a good one. Overall he felt it was an exciting experience.
Here is a 2D view of the top of their heads, showing how close they are:
Charlotte's best 3D images:
We are fairly certain that Charlotte has Bob's large mouth.
Ruby's best 3D images:
You can see Ruby's toes on top of her head in this one:
Despite the awkward positioning of her legs (straight up in front of her face) and umbilical cord, from what we could see it looks like Ruby has inherited the chubby cheeks that run on my side of the family.
We feel very lucky that technology has allowed us to have a sneak peek of how the girls actually look even though we have about 11 more weeks to go until we meet them. I would like to have another one done closer to their due date, but with a twin pregnancy 27 weeks is the cut off, since the babies get too crowded to see. I am 26w5d today, so I scheduled it as late as possible.
Since Bob doesn't post on here, I asked him for his thoughts on having the 3D ultrasound done. Bob feels it was "good & fancy" while "impressive". He just can't describe the feeling of seeing their hearts beating and watching how they compete for space, though it is a good one. Overall he felt it was an exciting experience.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
12 Weeks Left
At the regular OB appointment today, I had my glucose tolerance test (meaning I had to drink a bottle of flat but extra sweet orange soda tasting liquid in less than 5 minutes) before giving five vials of blood an hour later. The OB checked my cervix and found it to be hard and closed up tight. The girls have the same heart rate of 142bpm. Charlotte is now head down while Ruby prefers to stay head up. Most impressive is the fact that one week ago my uterus measured 28 weeks, and as of this afternoon I am measuring 32 weeks (I will actually be 26 weeks along this Thursday). Finally, I had my second RhoGAM shot since I have RH negative blood.
In three weeks we have our next high risk and regular OB appointments scheduled, but after that I will be going every 2 weeks until I reach 36 weeks along. Then it becomes a weekly appointment until the girls arrive. The doctor is fairly certain I will start feeling contractions between now and the next appointment since my uterus is the size of someone who is well into the third trimester already.
Our next blog post will be in a week after our 3D ultrasound. We are crossing our fingers that the girls cooperate and show their faces easily.
In three weeks we have our next high risk and regular OB appointments scheduled, but after that I will be going every 2 weeks until I reach 36 weeks along. Then it becomes a weekly appointment until the girls arrive. The doctor is fairly certain I will start feeling contractions between now and the next appointment since my uterus is the size of someone who is well into the third trimester already.
Our next blog post will be in a week after our 3D ultrasound. We are crossing our fingers that the girls cooperate and show their faces easily.
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