33.5 weeks

I cannot believe I am this far along!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weight gained: 49 lbs eeeeeekkkkkkk!

Movement: Goes from insane 3 inches poking out of my abdomen, to very little.  I know they are running out of space.  They have to be there is no more room at the inn!!!!!

Genders: Don't know at all anymore, had been guessing 2 girls, now I am thinking (fearing) maybe 2 boys?  No seriously that would be great, it's just I have a couple friends who the boys in the family are the "rambunctious" ones, cannot imagine 2 toddler boys getting into trouble together :)

Stretch Marks: Yes, a million of them. For a long time it was only a darkening of my previous ones, now there are new ones everywhere, and the old ones are now beet red, one even is seeping some sort of fluid.  And my belly button occasionally bleeds.  THERE IS NO MORE ROOM TO STRETCH OUT BABIES!

Best moment of the week: Ummmmm just the everyday movement, I really love feeling a baby move inside of me, and I imagine this is the last time I get to experience that.

Worst moment of the week: I have another cold and it is making me craaaaabbbbbyyyyyyy.  I can't breathe through my nose at all, I am coughing which sends shooting pains down my lady parts and I feel like I have a fever even though I don't.  I slept last night sitting up breathing out of my mouth for about 3 hours, and peed 4 times during that time.  I feel so rested and refreshed today!  Also P has the same cold so she is whiny and not sleeping well also.

Don't want to sound ungrateful at all, but these last few weeks of a twin pregnancy are just so hard.  Of course I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Here are a few pics of week 33.  Some of you probably saw them on my expat blog:

31+4

Yesterday at 31+4 I had a checkup.  I reported the following "concerns" to my dr: increased swelling in feet, ankles and fingers (mild, but new), blood pressures rising (still ok, but went from 120/80s to 130/88 ish), loose stools, two painful lumps in my left armpit, and more frequent and panful Braxton Hicks contractions.

My dr listened to these concerns, and ordered a urine dip for protein (in the USA this is standard, here they only do it when "medically necessary"), a manual blood pressure, a vaginal ultrasound to check cervical length, and a visit to his colleague - an Oncological Gynecologist.

Urine dip was negative, blood pressure was 130/80, cervix measured long and closed - 3.35 cm (he said "I love your cervix"), and the Gyn I saw did a detailed ultrasound of my armpits and breasts and declared them completely healthy, with some folliculitis from shaving.  I am to not shave or use any deodorant/antiperspirant for 1 week (Oh joy since it's 105 degrees and humid today) and have a follow-up scan with her next week.

Next my dr did a growth ultrasound on the babies.  He declared them completely normal, but I am worried.  Baby A's estimated weight is 3.84 lbs and Baby B's estimated weight is 5.39 lbs.  Since they are fraternal my dr isn't concerned.  From my research (google) it seems Baby A is right at the 50% for twins, Baby B is huge!  I hope everything is ok.  I texted my dr after I came home and voiced my concerns again, and he said when he sees me next week he will do a doppler study of the umbilical cords if it will make me feel better.  Why yes it will, thank you.

So weekly appointments now, wow.  I have been reading a lot of twin blogs lately, especially "twins after IVF", and so many of them seem to deliver around 31-32 weeks.  Crazy.  Many also make it to much later, and I am determined to as well!!!  At this point with P I was on bedrest and feeling awful.  So weird how different this pregnancy is.

Hospital bags are packed, baby clothes are all washed, newborn sensitive diapers and wipes are purchased, breast pump supplies, bottles and pacifiers are all sterilized, changing stations are set up, rock n plays and bouncy seats are empty and waiting.  Eeeeekkkkk!

31 weeks

Tomorrow is 31 weeks!  Yay!  32 weeks was what I had my eyes on from the very first moment we learned we were having twins so it is so relieving to be so close.

Side view 30w5d

Front view 30w5d

P kissing the babies

Still feeling good overall, much better than I thought I would feel at this point.  But I am feeling progressively worse every week.  The skin around my belly button and on the sides of my abdomen are stretched to capacity, it is tight, itchy and feel like they are going to tear.  From here on out the babies gain about a half a pound every week.  So every week another pound of babies will be added to my uterus.  How is this even possible?  I feel like a science experiment. 

I am up 38 lbs.  I gained 40 with P, and since I am measuring 40 weeks now (!) I guess that makes sense!  I started this pregnancy 20 lbs lighter than my first pregnancy though, so that is helping my overall weight.  

Blood pressures are slightly higher than the first and second trimester, but not alarming by any means.  This weeks numbers have been 123/85, 130/87, 128/89.  Not great but not horrible.  30 weeks is when I was diagnosed with PIH last time, and by 31 weeks I was on bedrest with pressures of 170/110, then 200/100, so I will take this!

My wedding rings don't fit anymore, but other than that I have not noticed any swelling, except maybe some trace swelling in my ankles if I was outside too much (100+ degree temps with 50% humidity).  Occasional light heartburn, light nausea, but all manageable.  I think back to how miserable I was last time and I thank my lucky stars that I don't feel that way this time.  It must have been the lead up to the pre-eclampsia that made me so miserable.  There is so much not understood about pre-e, but it is thought to have something to do with placental implantation, so it makes sense that the pregnancy would be "different" from the start.  

I have the babies' (not sure where to place that apostrophe....) hospital bag packed.  Mine/DH's is halfway packed.  We took a hospital tour last weekend, I was very impressed with the facilities but it sure is different than America.  They provide maternity pads, mesh underwear, and diapers.  That is it.  No hospital gown besides the one you deliver in, no infant gowns, no receiving blankets, no pacifiers.  So the packing list is insane.  It's a 4 night stay for a C-section, so I am having to pack like 6 sleepers for each baby, 4 blankets, a few pairs of pjs for me, etc.  Way more than I had to last time.  There are several bags that are going to be lugged into the hospital with me, that's for sure!  Also there is no "regular nursery".  Babies will be in our room 24/7.  Which I like in the sense of establishing breast feeding, but if I deliver before my mom gets here DH won't spend every night at the hospital with me, I will want him home with P.  I don't want her sleeping at my friend's house more than a night or two.  So it will be me, recovering from surgery, with a CNA and 2 newborn babies.  That just sounds awful.  I had planned on the last night at the hospital using the nurses a lot to get some rest, letting them keep the babies except when they were ready to feed.  Ugh.  I'm sure it will be fine but it is just nerve racking.

Best thing that has happened recently is I made a new friend!  Her husband works with mine.  She lives right across the street from me and is pregnant with her first, due 2 weeks before me, so we will probably deliver around the same time!  It's so nice to have a support system here, and by support system I mean someone to text bitchy pregnant and newborn things to. 

Love to all. xxx