I can’t really believe it, but we almost at 30 weeks. We had a very lengthy doctor’s appointment today. The girls went with us and hung in there so well. They did an extensive ultrasound to measure each baby and look at the fluid around each baby to ensure all was ok. Each baby weighs about 3 lbs. and is about 15 inches. We are still in the same range as a singleton baby, which is great! Especially since I have gained just 27 lbs. The goal was between 40 and 60 pounds and it’s not for lack of trying. They know me at Krispy Kreme and Jack In The Box, as we are there at least once a week, sometimes more. Gotta love cheeseburgers and doughnuts. I’m so trying! What a cruel joke….I can only laugh. Never in a million years did I think that someone would be telling me to gain more weight!
The ultrasound also showed plenty of fluid around the babies. They look for 2 centimeters or more and we are well over 3 per baby. All the heads and bellies look good too. We could even see The doctor said we are doing very well and maybe could go past September 1. I’m hopeful we can, but as I said in my last post, my body is pretty tired and I don’t know where I have room to expand.
We then went on to monitor the babies. They put monitors on to look at heart rate of each baby along with measuring any contractions. Still no contractions, which is more good news and the heart rates are right where they need to be at between 140 and 160 beats per minute. They also drew my blood to check my thyroid. There won’t be any news on that until Thursday. So now I go twice a week to monitor heart rates and contractions. We’ll be at the doctor on Mondays and Thursdays now.
The girls are getting so excited too. They rub the belly and talk to the tummy. Gillian has been carrying her doll in the new stroller for the boys. It’s great!
These days at home are off and on. If I can get a good night’s sleep all is good, but if not, it’s a rough day. I have a lot of lower belly pain and when they move sometimes it’s painful. Chip has been so good about rubbing my feet and back almost every day. Sleeping is a real challenge. Chip told me last week that I sounded like I was 90 years old. Some days I feel like it! Getting out of bed is rough! I try to roll over and it’s painful. I’ll be sitting on the sofa and all of a sudden I will just get a painful cramp. That’s when I know they are moving around. It hurts underneath the ribs. I also have 3 times the blood volume of a not pregnant woman, so my veins stick out and I get weird rashes from my blood vessels pumping so much blood. These are things that aren’t fun, but I am so grateful that the babies are doing well and that we are getting this miracle. I’m truly excited to see these boys.
In the pictures above you can see where they showed us that one baby has hair. It’s amazing! Check out the bottom pic for baby b. The babies are so big now we can see neat stuff, but never more than 1 baby at a time. On the picture on the right, you can see a fisted hand next to the side view. It hurts my back to sit for the ultrasound, but I love seeing all the parts from hair to the blood flow to the heart. It is always reassuring to hear the heartbeats too. That part never gets old. We started our second video tape since we have so much ultrasound on video. It will be a great for them to watch later. Maybe I’m just being sentimental.
I also have an updated list of baby items we have/need, which will be posted in both the past post of “updated list of items needed and received” as well as after this post. Thank you again to everyone who has helped us, supported us and who continues to keep in touch. We can’t wait to call of you on the big day.