It's hard to believe that I have no longer than 34 days to go. Where'd the time go? Am I ready? Well, I'm physically ready (we have all the baby gear) and I'm getting more mentally prepared as each day passes. However, are you EVER totally mentally ready to have a baby, let alone twins? David and I are anxious to see their little faces and get to know their personalities. I wonder if they will be similar to the way they are in the womb. If so, we'll have some trouble with Baby B (Left Baby).
The doctor's visit went well last week -- their little heartbeats were 144 and 156 (Baby on Right was beating faster; she's the smaller one). Both were in the normal range. My blood pressure and weight gain are both great. I am measuring 38cm in fundal height (40 weeks is "full term" with a singleton); that's another word for the top to the bottom of my belly. The Doc was impressed with how well I'm doing and didn't even talk about bed rest -- I'm SO beyond that phase anyways! My next doctor's visit (week 34), I will have the Strep B test, which is routine and lots of people have it; however, they put you on antibiotics during delivery because the bacteria can be harmful to newborns. Then, I go in for weekly tests. My next ultrasound is at 35 weeks. It will be a good one because at that point I should know for sure if I will be required to have a c-section or get to labor like old fashioned times. I'm mentally prepared either way, but it would be great to be able to labor and deliver the way nature intended.
The girls are incredibly active, and I can definitely tell when I'm having a braxton hicks contraction (these are practice contractions for those of you who aren't in the know). It's funny how the girls will be very active and then all of a sudden my uterus tightens (that's my whole belly, fyi) and they stop moving immediately. Once the contraction is over, they go back to their normal dancing around. I wonder if they hate it? It's like someone's grabbing them and telling them to settle down. They are still very active around loud noises, they move very little when I'm walking or in a quiet space, and if I ever yell out loudly they are quick to jump (sorry for scaring you, ladies). David talks to them nightly and I'm hoping they will get to the point where they are responsive to his voice (I kind of thing they respond to me, but how will I ever know that?!)
Here's what the girls are up to according to the text books -- This week the girls weigh a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and passed the 17-inch mark. They are rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and their skeletons are hardening. The bones in their skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for them to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a cone head-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
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