30 weeks excitement!

On Monday, I was exactly 30 weeks. I went in to the Labor & Delivery ward early, early that morning. Tim accidentally turned the wrong alarm on (clock has two), so it went off at midnight. We both had a hard time falling asleep, even though I replayed my hypnobirthing meditation CD. I noticed I was having frequent BHs, so at 1:45am, I got up and took 600mg of ibuprofen and drank about 12 oz. of water, and went back to bed on my left side. The contractions didn't stop; instead they started getting closer and lasting longer. I got up again at 2:20 and called the OB's office. I monitored them online, they were every 2 to 5 minutes, lasting a minute or so each. OB finally called back at 3:10 am and after talking for ten minutes with me, said I should come in, since I'd done everything I was supposed to, to stop them. (At that point, I had nine in half an hour!)

So that was interesting! Tim drove, and we arrived at 4 am. Even though I felt six BHs while laying there, only one registered on the machine. Babies did fine, although Baby B kept rolling away from the monitor. The resident on duty swabbed my cervix for the presence of some "placenta glue" - the fetal fibronectin test - and checked my cervix manually. My results: FFN was negative, cervix remains high, closed, hard. (She checked it again before I left.) The FFN is a test that when it is negative, is a good indicator that a mother will not go into labor for the next two weeks. My blood pressure was very low (but okay): 84/49 when I arrived, then normal 106/69 when we left, which was about 6am. Poor Tim had to go to work with only a few hours of sleep, whereas I got to get another four hours, before getting up for lunch.


And of course I had an appointment in the afternoon, my 30w0d limited scan and office visit. (Click image above to enlarge.) At a limited scan, they just check fluid levels and the cord blood flow. Babies are both head down, and the fluid levels around B are normal! So that was a HUGE relief. I asked the NP about policies around twin births, so that was helpful. She said that epidurals aren't required in twin vaginal births, but they are recommended. I think I will go ahead and do that, even though I still plan to try naturally. I asked how they turn baby B if she is already or flips breech and the nurse said they will either do an external version (they manually try to move the baby by pushing from the outside) or reach in and pull the baby out. She said that is pretty painful. I want the epidural in place in case I go into an emergency c-section; I don't want to have to have general anesthesia and sleep through the birth of a baby(ies)!

It is such a big milestone to me to make it to 30 weeks. Every day I stay pregnant is three days the babies do NOT have to spend in the NICU. A helpful book I've been reading ("When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads" by Dr. Barbara Luke) has photos of baby footprints. They just seem to get so much bigger from 28 weeks to 30 weeks, and then from 30 weeks to 34 weeks! I can tell they are getting bigger... their heads nearly completely fill the ultrasound screen now!

I have started nesting. I'm trying to get things in order with taxes, with having cloth diapers and small clothing on hand, preparing their homecoming outfits, etc. I've started listening to my hypnobirthing CDs, and will be meeting with my doula Lynn again soon. I will probably start packing a hospital bag in two weeks. I already have my list from last year. Things are getting exciting! They could be here anytime from six weeks to nine weeks!

Physically, I feel pretty good. I get breathless getting dressed, have terrible heartburn, and am worn out easily by running errands or doing housekeeping chores for more than an hour. I am wearing extra large maternity now, and weigh as much as I did when I gave birth to Thomas! I've noticed an increase in the BH contractions, and their strength. It is amazing to be in my seventh month, and the third trimester. Spring doesn't seem so far away!