Goodness me..has it really been that long since I last posted? I am SO busy you would not believe!
I am 24 weeks pregnant with the twins today, and I have celebrated with a Dennys breakfast this morning and floating in THE POOL all afternoon to keep cool!BLISS!!Why am i celebrating? Well as of today IF the girls arrive they will in all likelyness survive..it's one of the last milestones I have to overcome on this rare pregnancy journey. I am no longer working as I am on disability till the birth ( actually better off financially, as don't pay tax on my reduced earnings). My doctor wants me to rest and take it easy until I go inpatient in hospital for 4 weeks of fetal monitoring before a planned C-section at 32 weeks...
Many families in the USA opt to go inpatient from 24 weeks( minimum viability), but after alot of soul searching and advice we decided 28 weeks was right for us, as we just felt that the issues and medical complications that effect tiny premature babies ( 24-28 weeks) were something we did not want our family to go through/deal with, and when we go in for monitoring it means we are essentially saying we are prepared to have an emergency C-section IF the twins go into distress ( possibly indicating cord compression issues) whilst they are being monitored. It's certainly not a fun job discussing or thinking on these decisions, and there seems to be no right or wrong answer..what we do know from all the research is , that at 28 weeks they have a vastly increased chance of having no 'life long complications', and by 32 weeks they should be well able to handle life outside the womb....staying inside any longer has been likened to " being a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs" by one woman on the support site I belong too....so 32 weeks is the MAGIC number...please pray ( or keep your fingers crossed) that we make it!
It's kinda weird as people keep asking when i am due( because I look much bigger than my 24 weeks) , and I find myself stumped for an answer! I mean, my offical due date is given as November 11th, but 32 weeks is September 16th....it just isn't an easy question to answer..so i just say I am having twins so I'll be having them much sooner than my November due date...then I run ( well waddle fast holding my belly! ha, ha)
I have crammed quite alot in the last 4 weeks.I have been to Portland in Oregon for a weekend with a friend ( last solo trip for me for the next 18 years I expect), which was great, we hired a Mustang Convertbile, shopped, ate ( she drank :<)
stayed in posh hotels and pretended we were young,rich and free of family and other commitments ..luckily I have a very vivid imagination ( being an only child helps) , and we had a few Thelma and Louise moments that I really enjoyed. I also went away for 5 days last week to a friends cabin about 4 hours North of the city, in Northern Saskatchewan. It was bliss..BD stayed over 1 night, then the boy and I just chilled out at the beach and topped up our tans with my wonderful friend and her family..I didn't know that there are over 100,000 lakes in this province of Canada, mostly up North, and after seeing some of this myself I can see why people love it up there! I think we are going to have to invest in a cabin, boat and better fishing tackle..for sure the kids would LOVE it..Dylan is such a beach, surf dude all ready, and he spent HOURS just amusing himself in the shallows. The water is that warm, it was lovely to cool off...just wish i didn't look like an obese Pamela Anderson in my pregnancy bikin!!
As for how i am feeling, well, I DEFINITIELY feel heavily pregnant now, at the last scan the girls were both over a 1lb, and they are KICKING me all over! I am allready noticing different 'personalities' . One of the girls is at the top of my womb ( above my belly button to the right) just under my ribs, and the other is bottom left under my belly button. The top twin has one hell of a kick and is quick to let me know when shes A. Hungry B.Awake C.Enjoying the Food. She just loves it when I eat and gets all excited,especially when I have something sweet ( which is rare as i don't have a sweet tooth). Bottom twin kicks are much softer and less frequent, and I think she is just dominated by the top twin. She is most lively first thing in the morning when they both kick me out of bed for breakfast ( no lie ins here) ....it's a really bizarre feeling being kicked all over at the same time by 2 pairs of little feet and hands i can tell you!
I am struggling to get in and out of bed and chairs, and am suffering with horrendous acid reflux that shoots up my throat at 100mph making me gag... so instead of a bottle of wine being my solace, these days it's a glass of Gaviscon that i have before bed!
I was never blessed with particularly thin ankles or legs,( blame my mother..she should have made me stick to dancing when I was a kid!)now I regularly have wonderful swollen feet and 'Cankles' if I don't remember to elevate my feet..very sexy!
The boy goes back to day care next week, to give me a rest, so I will have more time to keep this updated!
4 comments:
So much happening in your life. I'm happy to hear you've made a decision about when to go inpatient. That's one of the hardest decisions, but I think once it's made it's like a burden is lifted. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your vacations.....to the lakes and to Portland. I am 9 miles SW of Portland. Do you know I didn't have ONE stranger ask when I was due before I went inpatient? I was showing, but not enough that people were confident I wasn't just thick around the middle, so I didn't have any awkward.....when do I say I'm due moments. Love hearing how well you, the babies and your family are doing! Enjoy your last 4 weeks of freedom and remember, you'll probably never get more "free" days like you'll have in the hospital, so bring things to do you really want to!! :)
Hey slw, its been a busy period for you! Happy 6th month anniversary...that's some great news to hear. You sound like you are handling everything well and I absolutely love your descriptions of your little girls "doing their thang" inside you. It's something very few people go into detail about. I have never been pregnant before and it's something that has always intrigued me...the actual feeling of, I don't know, a side kick to the ribs, or a jab to the kidneys...I like your description. Thanks for sharing! Get plenty of rest...the not-so-dull times probably start from here on in, even if you're already doing well in that department! Best wishes...all the way from Europe.
So many memories came back to me in this post. We also struggled with 24 vs. 26 vs. 28 weeks. We kept saying, "Just because a baby can be born at 24 weeks, should they?" We settled on 27 weeks. It was an agonizing decision and I don't envy you at all.
I had to laugh, too, at your struggling to get out of bed, being kicked and punched in every direction at the same time, the bottle of Gaviscon instead of wine and "cankles." There are days when I think, "Gee...maybe I'll have just one more baby." Then I remember the things you've posted about and I come back to reality!
I also recall my girls' personalities being apparent, even in the womb. To this day, Faith is still my predictable, quiet child, while Gracie is all over the place. Some things never change.
Congrats on getting to 24 weeks. Hang in there, sister. You're doing great.
Hey there. . . I saw your belly shot on ivillage - TOO CUTE. . . and have been reading your blogs - funny! I was wondering where you were - and for some reason, I thought you'd already had the twins - call it pregnancy stupidity. . . anyhow, I'm glad to read that you're doing well, and your humor is still intact. :o)
I had a funny moment when I was 14 weeks myself, and I was reading an old blog of your's when you were 14 weeks and found out you were having twins - I thought the moment funny. . . and thankfully, we're at 16 weeks now, and only just one.
Good luck w/the rest of your pregnancy!!!
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