Expecting the Unexpected: 30 week update

This past week has been a great one for multiple reasons. Just to name a few, we have both Grandmas in town, we had another good report all said & done & we are on the move getting things ready to welcome the boys. 

On the flip side, I think my body has tried to call it quits this week. I hit the super uncomfortable phase and I was reminded of the beginning of my pregnancy where my doctor said "this pregnancy is going to be much harder on your body." I am pretty sure at 10 weeks pregnant I laughed about this comment thinking "probably not, I did get quite large with Charlotte by the end & I survived."  What may be better advice upfront is "this pregnancy will be harder on your body because at 29-30 weeks you hit the point of feeling like you are 42 weeks pregnant but then you have to stay that way for as many more weeks as possible." I know everyone's body type differs which means that there are some people that make carrying twins look like a breeze. I am not one of those : ) I am waddling like nobody's business &  moving at the pace of a turtle.  I think my pubic bone is completely spread apart now & if I don't have on my support belt I can barely walk without wanting to cry.  I am contracting anywhere between every 5-10 minutes around the clock...more on that later. I am still enjoying this crazy experience of growing two babies, I am thankful to feel all those wiggles & I am even more thankful that they are still INSIDE growing well!

So, here I am at 1 day away from 31 weeks, resting on the couch which is where I spend quite a bit of time..

You can see my Winnie Palmer cup on the far right. That thing has become my best friend.!

 We have had an exciting week full of time spent under the care of medical staff.  On Tuesday, I had contractions on & off all day long. I spent A LOT of time resting that day minus the quick drive to drop off & pick up the Expedition for an oil change.  Around 5:30 I started timing them via my contraction app & quickly noticed they were 4-5 minutes apart & uncomfortable. An hour in, I was thinking that it felt really similar to when I went into labor with Eloise but was in denial. With Elo, I showed up at the hospital & was about 4cm dilated.  That made me nervous but made the decision easy to make since I sure as heck didn't want to be delivering 30 week babies at home or in an ambulance.  With the frequency & increasing discomfort we decided to head to triage after talking to my doctor around 7:15.

They got me in quickly & put me on the monitors.  The boys were very difficult to monitor so they decided to order an ultrasound for a BPP & continue monitoring my contractions.  Within the first 2 hours, we saw lots of contractions. I was overjoyed when the nurse brought me a giant carafe of water & a cup. She also had a dose of a medication that would hopefully slow down my contractions. She said drink up & I did! She refilled it for me a couple times...I love water right now! The doctor checked my cervix & said I was basically closed (good news). They also ran a test called Fetal Fibronectin.  This came back negative showing that the likelihood of me going into preterm labor in the next two weeks is low (also good news). The ultrasound was soon after & the result of that was : Owen behaved perfectly but Anson (our little stinker) waited until the last 30 seconds of his allotted time to get his points for breathing which is basically noted by seeing the diaphragm move up & down. He finally complied : ) The medicine kicked in & the contractions spaced out a bit so we got to go home.

Great medicine really to help those contractions slow down but man oh man, it did a number on me! Robby left me at the front of the hospital while he went to get the truck. He was only about a 20 foot walk from me when he pulled up so I started towards the truck. Side note...I have no problem getting in & out of the Expedition since it has running boards but the truck is a whole different story! The best way for me to get in is for Rob to get in his seat first, I open my door, put my left foot inside the vehicle which is quite a feat, hold on to the handle on the ceiling of the truck with my right hand while putting my left hand in his. We count to three & I attempt to jump while he pulls me in.  We tried the gentlemanly way of him opening the door for me & "helping" me in which was pretty much a double handed tush push. I quickly tired of getting wedgies every time so we figured out the new & improved current way of entering the vehicle. Back to the story, once I opened the door, he was just laughing & laughing.  He said I looked like I may have been under the influence of alcohol as I stared at the ground attempting to walk or waddle rather in a straight line but failing miserably.  The whole way home I kept telling him that he was driving really really fast (he wasn't). I at e snack & then laid down in bed. I think I might have been asleep before my head hit the pillow & it took a good 12 hours of sleep to feel somewhat coherent.  Jeannine, my sweet mother in law sent Charlotte in to wake me so I could eat something before my appointment. Wow! What a trip! 

Here are the two reasons this mama is getting so much rest...Grammy & Gaga

Grammy painted Char's nails today & worked on some coloring.  Charlotte is responding really well to her Grammy & has either napped or taken her full rest time since she arrived. Yea!! Thanks Grammy!

rEloise is pretty much loving her Gaga, preferring her over  me & Rob : ) One morning we walked in to get her from her crib & she just stared at us, held her hands in the air & said "Where Gaga?" Hahaha!

Not only are these two women making sure I rest but they are being my hands & feet to the girls right now with the things I can't do.  They have been pretty happy girls...all four of them ; ) I am SO thankful for their willingness to love on us in such practical ways right now.  I am attributing much of this excellent growth in the boys to them allowing me to rest. 

We had our MFM appointment Wednesday that included a growth check, BPP & review of the past weeks blood glucose results. We saw the regular OB this morning.

Summary:

• Both boys packed in on this week & gained 13 ounces each!                                                                 
• This makes Owen 2 lb 15 oz & Anson 3 lb 15 oz equaling almost 7 pounds of baby in there which explains why my body might feel like it's done ; )  
• This makes the discordance 25% instead of 33% like last visit
• The fluid & dopplers look fabulous
• BPP- Owen was perfect, Anson decided to avoid any sustained breathing for about 35-40 minutes which bought us a ticket for an NST in triage.
• NST looked great so once again we were sent home!
• The MFM doctor was pleased with my blood glucose results. There was only one out of range that said "bit of milkshake" right underneath....I couldn't resist! He said that if he has to deal with seeing one out of range per week because I enjoyed a yummy treat, he is quite alright!
• I weighed the most I have ever weighed in my life today which made me smile...it is for a good reason! Even on my diabetic diet I am gaining 2-3 pounds a week. 
• My fundal height is about 43cm
• Repeat NST in office today looked great
• Still contracting very frequently with slight to moderate discomfort. I have a prescription for the medication I was given in triage & have been advised to take it around the clock if I am contracting that frequently. So, beware I may be somewhat zombie like from now until those little buckaroos arrive!

On the non medical front, we have been busy at home even with the resting! We have made a cute little scrub cap for me to wear in the OR. I have bunches just from working but they are mostly girl colors so I made the switch to some brown, cream, blue & green fabric.  Very cute end result! My mom & I are almost done with two western mobiles for above the cribs which has taken a lot of hand stitching while laying down.  We got the fabric in for the curtains for the boys room which my mom is taking on as her project.   We ordered & received two Wild West little outfits for the boys to wear home from the hospital. 

And one thing that took little work (pretty much just opened a box I received in the mail) was a quilt that my sweet friend Halie made for the boys.  The fabric is SO cute & I love the hand stitching around the edges. She made a quilt for Charlotte which is now shared by both girls so it is extra special to have one for the boys too!

This past week has been full of fun, productivity, a couple scares & lots of laughs. The Valentine Nest is still in working order thanks to Grandma's that haven't lost their touch from the early years of parenting kids & managing a household.  Onto more rest & more water for me (along with that diabetic diet) in hopes that these babies make it another 3-5 weeks!