Friday, November 24, 2006

A quick update



Dana: In my last post I forgot another perk that I am shamelessly enjoying while pregnant... my handicap-parking pass.

I was first told that this was an option during the twins class at UW that Walker and I took a few months ago. At that point, I laughed it off, thinking I would never need something so desperate. Little did I know how hard it would be to get around. A few weeks ago my Doc suggested it, and officially signed the referral for a temporary parking pass. I've had it for a week now, and let me tell you...it is god sent!

Some other quick updates...
The latest belly measurement at the Docs office was 41 weeks. That equates to the size of a full term single pregnancy, PLUS one week. No wonder everyone thinks I'm about to explode.

I started my first weekly Non-stress Test last week. This is when they strap you up to a machine while they monitor each babies' heart rates for 20 minutes. They also monitor my contractions, which I've been having more and more of. They tell me that it is normal to have so many (I'm averaging about 10 per day), as long as they do not come in regular intervals, and they stop once I've laid down. Apparently they are my body’s way of preparing for the big day. While they are uncomfortable, and sometimes a little scary, I've grown to appreciate them as little warning signs that I need to slow down, sit down, lay down...what ever it takes to calm things down. I really had no idea it would be so hard to just take it easy. :)

Also, it seems that Baby 'A' (who has always been the more active one) can't seem to sit still and is no longer head down. For a while they were both breach. This position was very uncomfortable for two reasons. First, both heads were pushing against my rib cage and sternum, forcing the muscle tissue around my sternum (or more specifically, my zyphoid process) to stretch and tear. This, you can imagine, is very painful. The tears and the pain are still there, but the pressure has been relieved slightly.

Also, with 4 feet jumping around on my bladder, I have often yelped out in pain at very random and often inappropriate times. Try explaining to the woman at the check out counter that "no, I'm not in labor, my babies have just used my bladder as their trampoline."

Recently Baby 'A' has flipped around slightly, and is now sideways (transverse) across my abdomen. While I can only imagine what kind of assault he is giving his brother, this position is slightly more comfortable for me.

Officially, we have several more weeks to go before Baby 'A's position becomes permanent, thus determining whether I will be able to give naturally or not. I'm just hoping he's getting it all out of his system now, and will settle back in nicely with his head down for the last few weeks before they are ready to come out a join us.

Posted by Walker Lockhart @ 1:27 PM