Any day now?

Yesterday I had my 28w routine OB appt.

All they did was weigh me (gained 3 lbs in 2 weeks – YAY!)

and take my BP (105/70) – common to be low in late pregnancy

and ask me questions about how I”m feeling (feelin’ GOOOOOD, doc-lady!)

measure my stomach / uterus (32 inches) – holy crap. For a singleton it should be equivalent to how many weeks along you are, within 3 inches. It is used as a way to gauge if the baby is growing at the right rate. For twins, it doesn’t really mean anything, but they do it anyway. I should be between 28-31, so I’ll take 32!!

and use a doppler to check the heartbeats — (found them both!)

Then I go home….

Today I had my last cervical length check. For those who don’t know what that is about, well they measure your cervix doing an ‘internal’ scan. The check the length. My previous length 2 weeks ago was around 3.5cm – 3.7cm. Today, it was 2.7-3cm. The docs seemed concerned, b/c while they were doing the scan they saw that I was having a contraction and my cervical length shortened.

It’s really amazing to see how big the cervix is compared to the baby’s head. It’s really small comparatively at this point. And I’m amazed at how this little ‘part’ is all that is keeping the babies in there.

B/c of the doctors concern over the cervical length shortening, they wanted to put me on a monitor. I was told that it would only take about 45 minutes. But it took MUCH MUCH longer.

I had told TH not to come to the appt today, b/c the cervical chk really doesn’t take more than 5-10 minutes… It would’ve been nice to have him with me while I tried to keep myself from going crazy from boredom in the labor and delivery waiting room and then the birthing room. The hospital apparently ran out of wheel chairs, so after getting admitted to the hospital, I had to wait in the tiny tiny waiting room for about 45 minutes. Then they transported me to a room, they happened to run out of L&D rooms too but I was lucky and got the last one.

I was hooked up to the monitor w/3 straps around my mid section. 1 for each heartbeat and 1 in the center to feel for contractions. I was monitored for about 3 hours, and I had contractions, but nothing severe. Nothing painful, and it wasn’t every 5 minutes. Then I got to go home after speaking with the doctor who basically tells me that the babies can arrive any day now… Oh reeeealllly? Well, I’m not exactly ready. I would LOVE for them to be here and all, but we have no crib mattresses yet, carseats are NOT installed, I have no clue how to breathe through labor and well … the house is still a mess. I understand that if they did come now, they would most likely spend a few weeks in the NICU, so we could prepare at home, but I don’t even want to think about that part. I would really prefer no NICU, but am happy I chose the best NICU hospital in the area.

Tomorrow is my shower, I’m excited. Docs gave me the all clear to go, but limit all activity. I’m not on bedrest, but I’m not to do anything either. Like no walking around the block or whatever.

I don’t know what ‘real’ contractions feel like. But I get the braxton hicks stuff, but not down low. It’s all SUPER high on me. Really intense and they last a LONG time, but mostly occur at night. Like now. She told me that I would start to feel period-like cramps, and when that happens, I’m supposed to start timing them. If they occur every 10-15minutes then I call the doc. Or if I feel a gush of water or period-like bleeding.

Besides all that – not much more to write about. Just glad to be home…