Happy 29 weeks to us!
Every week that these babies marinate in my tummy is just a gift... 29 weeks is so amazing to me and brings tears to my eyes (slightly hormonal here!). Our next "big goal" is to get to 32 weeks (which would equate with better lung development for the munchkins), but I celebrate every week as a total gift.
Another ultrasound and doctor's visit. Pat and Janelle came with for moral support- I'm sure not many ladies can say they show up for ultrasounds with their own doctor (Pat will be the munchkins' pediatrician) and NICU nurse (Janelle) in tow. But hooray for positive news!!! My blood pressure was actually a little better (meaning lower) than on my previous visit, so that is excellent. Elevated blood pressure can mean complications for both the babies and me, and of course I get super nervous whenever they throw a blood pressure cuff on me (which can elevate my BP!), so I was positively thrilled to know that my BP is staying in check.
29 weeks tummy shot
I'm literally outgrowing my maternity
shirts and dresses at this point...
And most excitedly, my cervix hasn't really changed too much at all over the past week!!!! In a little change from the routine, the doctor wanted to check my cervical length at the beginning of the ultrasound. Janelle told me that as soon as the doctor mentioned checking my cervix, she could see me totally tense up. Well, you would too if yours had shown that it was shortening at your last visit! But it appears that all of the resting and laying on my side, which serves the purpose of taking the weight of the babies and uterus off of my cervix, have not been in vain.
So that's the update on Momma. Now let's talk about the stars of the show- the babes!
Baby A resting his forehead on my cervix
(head on the right just above the words
"Fetus A")
They're doing great! This wasn't a growth ultrasound, so we don't have updated estimated baby weights (next Thursday will be a growth ultrasound, so stay tuned!) yet. Athena, the ultrasound goddess, did take a measurement of Baby A's abdomen. This measurement gives the doctor a "quick and dirty" guess as to how Baby A's doing in relation to expected growth. Keep in mind that Baby A, sitting lowest in my pelvis, had not been gaining weight as quickly or reliably as his brothers. But based on his abdominal measurement, his weight gain is probably keeping pace with his previous measurements. At the very least, he's doing no worse. While a part of me wants him to just be gaining weight like crazy and be as big as his brothers, the likelihood of that happening is practically nil. So I will choose to celebrate that he's not doing any worse than before. That's my little man- so proud!
Baby C was a little shy today and kept turning his head
away from the camera
All of the peanuts' hearts are beating like the doctor wants them to be. Each of the babes is sitting in a nice full bag of amniotic fluid like we want them to be. Baby A continues to lay in my uterus with his head covering my cervix. Although I keep telling him to "get off my cervix dude!", I'd much rather have his head on my cervix versus his foot or hand- much less risk of him kicking through it! :)
Baby B was shy at first like his brother...
Baby B continues to hang out in the middle of my tummy- I think he's the peacemaker of the group, the one trying to bring his brothers together...
Baby C did a 180 over the past week and now has his head on the right side of my belly as opposed to the left side. Definitely a future gymnast...
I'm so proud of my boys. They're fighting every day to grow big and strong and I just can't believe that things are going as well as they are. It makes all of Jason's and my sacrifices just seem so paltry in comparison with what our boys have to do to survive and thrive.
but then Baby B decided to give us a strong
profile shot (along with a quick glimpse of his
umbilical cord in the upper right hand corner)
before he...
I was nervous for this ultrasound. SUPER nervous. I had a hard time over the previous few days waiting for the appointment. Last Saturday, I wasn't watching where I was walking as well as I should have been and almost fell over a sprinkler head in the yard (those things are hard to see in the dark when you haven't been able to see your own feet/legs for months in the daylight!). I didn't actually fall to the ground, but I had to do some quick maneuvers to keep my balance and I was worried that I might have done some damage to the babes in the process. I only worried more over the next few days because the peanuts decided that Monday and Tuesday were really good days to be less active than usual. My hormones kicked in, and I basically made myself sick with worry. Luckily I have a doppler ultrasound here at home (thanks to my sister-in-law), so I was able to check the babes' heartbeats everyday (they were normal!) to keep from sending myself completely over the edge. Had I not, I'm sure Dr. Gilbert would have been getting some panicky phone calls from his neurotic patient!!
Started sucking his thumb!!
(Baby B was quite the performer today)
Jason and I continue to prepare for the munchkins- spent time over the last few days doing more laundry loads of baby clothes and blankets, cleaning/sanitizing baby swings and car seats, assembling our new rocker, etc. I like to sit in the rocker everyday now and talk to the babes, telling them how excited I'll be to hold them in my arms someday and rock them to sleep.
Rock A Bye Baby- I have the
feeling we'll be spending many
hours in this spot...
Funny moment #1037: I went to get into my car yesterday after a late lunch with Janelle and had a reality check on how big my belly is. Unfortunately, the car next to me had parked close enough that I couldn't maneuver my belly through the door opening of my car! I knew there was no way I'd be able to crawl across the passenger seat to rectify the situation. Cue me having to chase down Janelle and ask if she'd back my car up for me!
Janelle laughing at my inability
to even get into my own car (maybe it's
because I had just wolfed down a foot long sub!)
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