Twin Pregnancy: 37 Weeks!

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks pregnant with the twinbies! I wanted to go ahead and get this post written and published tonight while I have a little time . . . and, just in case I go into labor tonight :-). Most likely wishful thinking, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared!

Here I am this morning before church:

I've reached the point where I get sympathy looks when I walk into a room. I went and got a pedicure on Friday, and when I walked into the nail salon, all the women kind of tilted their heads and just gave me this look like, "you poor thing". One lady said, "You must be due any day now!" to which I replied, "Yes, with twins!" I'm not sure she was all that surprised, ha! Today after church, we went to lunch. There was a short wait and all of the waiting benches were full. One lady jumped up when she saw me and said, "Here, please sit down. You look like you have two or three babies in there!" I happily replied that yes, I am indeed carrying two babies. Then she said, "Oh I knew it. I just knew it." Of course you did, lady :-). That was the second time in a little more than a week that a stranger has given up their seat for me. 

Getting my toes done on Friday . . . the baby belly is always part of the view these days!

I've gained about 1.5 pounds since last week, putting my weight gain total at about 28 pounds for this pregnancy. I gained 30 pounds with Brenson, so I don't think 28 pounds is too bad for twins! However, my belly is SO much bigger this time around. My stretch marks are stretched to the max, and I've noticed that the belly is starting to grow wide instead of just straight out. The other day, I was eating in the recliner and had my bowl sitting on my belly. Brianna said, "Wow mom, it's just like a little table. I have to take a picture of that!" 

I handed her my phone and she took this photo, ha!

I obviously have no shame anymore!!! See how the belly is looking wide?

I had an appointment with Dr. N this past Tuesday. I was 36 weeks and 1 day along at this appointment. My blood pressure was 127 over 80. After doing a quick ultrasound, Dr. N said that he thinks the babies are in good shape to be born. I said, "So are you going to send me to the hospital?" and he said, "No, I don't have a good reason to send you since you are only 36 weeks." And honestly, I was a bit relieved. Brenson had randomly developed a 102 degree fever the night before, so I wanted him to be well before I gave birth. A few days later, Brianna developed a fever as well, but I think they are both well now. She would have been devastated if she wasn't able to come to hospital to meet the babies, so I'm glad I didn't go into labor while she was sick! 

Anyway, during the ultrasound we saw both babies moving and practice breathing. Dr. N was also able to see both babies' bowels, which according to him is a big indicator that they are mature enough to be born. My pelvis is still empty, so he didn't even check me for effacement or dialation. He just said, "You look great . . . see you in a week!" Before he left the room though, I did bring up switching from Lovenox to Heparin injections. He was probably tired of hearing me say something about that, but I didn't want him to forget. And, he did go ahead and switch me this week. So far, the Heparin injections have been fine. They do bruise worse than the Lovenox - and I've had a couple that have bled - but I wouldn't say they are more painful. They ARE more of a hassle because I have to do them both in the morning and in the evening, and they don't come in pre-filled syringes like the Lovenox. But really, those things are minor!

I'll see Dr. N again on Tuesday, and I realized the other night that I have a lot of questions for him. I guess I'm starting to get nervous about the different ways labor might go down. I plan to do an update on here after my appointment Tuesday, and hopefully I'll have a birth date set in stone at that point! He has said all along that I won't go past 38 weeks, but I'm not sure how that will all work if I'm still showing no signs of labor. One of the many questions I need to get answered! 

Yesterday, Chris spent the morning repainting a wall in our living room that had gotten some marks on it. Even though it was just one wall, our living room was kind of a mess with furniture moved around and paint tarps and such. While he was painting, our dishwasher started leaking water. While that was happening, I was in our master bathroom washing my face and our sink stopped draining! I just knew that with all of that going on, I would go into labor yesterday. I mean, it's Murphy's Law, right? However, Murphy's Law failed me! And truly, we are thankful. Chris was able to get the living room finished and put back together, the bathroom sink fixed, and he knows what needs to be done to the dishwasher. He's hoping to get that done tomorrow. 

In the meantime, my friends Amy and Angie came to visit yesterday and we went out to lunch. It was so nice to spend some time with them before I give birth and my life gets really chaotic for a while. After lunch, we were standing in the driveway talking, and Amy snapped this photo of my shadow: 

I thought it was kind of cute, but WOW. No wonder I get looks of sympathy when I walk into a room! 

In some ways, it's really hard to believe that we are truly down to the last days of this pregnancy. The babies are so active these days, and I'm just soaking up every moment. Even when all those rolls and jabs don't feel so good :-). We can't wait to meet these precious little ones!