33 Weeks: Hangin' in There!

Happy Mother's Day to me! Really, right now, every day is Mother's Day around here.  When Aaron asked what I wanted for a special meal for him to make, I wanted to laugh-- special meal? That I didn't have to make? I haven't been cooking for awhile now and Aaron has taken the reins on cooking along with all of the meal help we've had from my sister and others.  Him making me a meal would be one more thing for him to do in the midst of all that he is currently doing around here. Bless him.

The big news around here is that at my appointment on Monday the doctor told me I had started dilating to 2 cm and was 80% effaced.  Here's the way that went down.

I knew that I wanted to ask about bed rest and about how long women typically work during a twin pregnancy.  I was hooked up to my first non-stress test (NST)--a combination of heart monitors for the babes, a contraction monitor for me, and a button to press each time I felt movement.  In the midst of pressing the button over and over with the active playing that goes on inside non-stop all day, my doctor came into check in on me.

He sat down on the chair and asked, "So, how are things going?"

"Well, basically the same." I then asked him when labor would just be allowed to progress, without trying to stop it and when to stop working.  He smiled that nerdy smile that he has, it's endearing and I've grown to really trust him and his judgement.  Maybe it's because I have seen him so much and he actually knows me now, I'm not just another name on a chart he quickly runs through before entering the room.

He said, "Well, you are 32 weeks which means you are probably carrying like you are 37 weeks along.  This isn't any different than a pregnant woman carrying one child at 37 weeks."

Meanwhile I'm thinking in my head, "Uh, no. I've had three single pregnancies, and this is different.  I don't care that I'm only measuring 37 weeks, it feels like 47!"

He continued, "When you start measuring 42 weeks, let's talk about quitting work.  I can write up the papers for you anytime, but you are going to be so bored if you just stay home all day. You should just keeping working as long as you can." Bored?!? Maybe, but I doubt it!

This conversation happened while I was still strapped to the NST machine, counting movements and watching their little hearts steadily beat.  They passed their test.  However, when he did get around to checking me, he smiled that same smile again, "Well, you're 2 cm dilated. Now we need to have a different conversation. You'll be on an increased schedule."

What this means is that I have go to work late, at 9am. After "helping" to get the kids ready in the morning, they leave around 6:30am. Then, I head to the couch and lay down until 8:30 when I go to work. When I come home from work I lay on the couch again for another 2 hours.  I've been doing this all week and I go back again tomorrow to see if I'm still dilating. If I am, I'll be put on a more restricted rest schedule. I'm really nervous.

A part of me wants to be done working. But, I don't want to lay in bed all day either. I want these babies out, but I want them to be healthy and safe. I want to be able to stand up, walk where I want to go, at any pace I feel like. Instead I stand, pause for the pain to ease, and then hobble to where I need to go, sit down again at the earliest possible point.  I want to grab whatever I feel like eating. But, I don't want to have these babies deal with effects of gestational diabetes.

This post is getting really long, but besides learning about non-stress tests, I've also had an ultrasound this week called a biophysical.  Each baby needs to earn 8 points from the technician. They get points for their fetal breathing (practice breathing that shows their lungs are developing), their movements, their heart rate, and the amount of amniotic fluid they each have.  Both passed easily on Thursday. If either of them were to fail their test, I'd hook up to the NST and then if I still failed, we'd head to the hospital. Again, tomorrow, if the kiddos fail their NST test, then I'll do an ultrasound right away to double check what's happening. The ultrasound technician said that sometimes they fail their NST because one of them is sleeping and we don't count as much movement.

So, I'm "hangin' in there" and without the help we've received, this pregnancy would not be as manageable as it has been. I'm so grateful, beyond grateful for the love shown to our family.  It's truly amazing, humbling, and life giving as we hobble to the end here.