33 weeks, 1 day

I am now being monitored at the peri's office twice weekly, so this month with ultrasounds and monitoring and OB visits and growth scans, I should have a little over $300 in co-pays. (Ouch!) The upside: we have insurance when it seems that so many people don't.

My growth scan earlier this week shows some big changes with the boys. Baby A (Quinn) is more active than his brother. I feel him almost non-stop, but he is also the one whose placenta is covering my cervix. It looks like that is finally catching up with him a little because for the first time, he is noticeably smaller than his big brother. They aren't saying IUGR or anything because he is definitely on the high end of normal in size. But it is just starting to become a little more apparent now. That could indicate the placenta isn't working as well as it would if it were in the right spot or it could just be simply the way he is. He also has less fluid than his brother, but not too little.

Baby B (Aidan) is a chunk. I don't feel him as much, which the tech says is probably because his placenta cushions him from my side more and because he suddenly has more fluid than he knows what to do with. Just to put it in perspective, during my monitoring this morning, he went from head-down to head-up to transverse and back to head-down in a matter of two minutes. And there is just no more room left to do that, so my stomach becomes radically lumpy and painful as he does his little circus act. Quinn's heart rate is almost always higher, they have had to buzz Aidan with that stupid little taser machine a few times to wake him up during monitoring. But they both show adequate accelerations and movement and practice breathing. I think they will just carefully be monitoring their fluid, etc. in the next few weeks.

The other interesting thing is that when I first began being monitored weekly a few weeks back, I had a random contraction here or there on the monitor. But now, I can very easily tell when I am having one, see them on the printout, and see how relatively regular they are. They are avoiding giving me anything to slow them because obviously, they are still BH contractions and my cervix is unchanged, but that medication also can counteract my heart condition. So, all of the time I have off now has been spent resting, feet up, trying to let me body relax and get what it needs. The tech did say that sometimes one twin's fluid will increase towards the very end of the pregnancy and that is usually the one that breaks. So . . . I am a little nervous, but hopefully I will make it to our scheduled c-section.

As of now, we are celebrating Ainsley's 4th birthday early (next Sunday) and then we are scheduled for an amnio on the 7th of April. If that is good, then I will have a c-section the 9th of April. The peri said they will only test the twin's fluid who has the most fluid (Aidan) because that one is always less mature, or dilluted more, than the other. So, if that one is mature, then the other one is almost always mature. Kind of interesting.

As for weight, as of this Tuesday, Quinn is just over 4 pounds and Aidan is almost 5 pounds. I hope the measurements are accurate and they are growing big for their upcoming arrival! I will post pictures soon . . . .

Comments

[a]

I can't wait!!!! So excited to meet the boys!!

[Amber]

So exciting! I'm so happy that you seem to be truckin' right along! It definitely won't be long now! Rest up, GF!

[Heather]

Can't wait to hear about the safe arrival of your boys! Their sizes sounds great. Our boys were both about 4 lbs when they were born at 31 weeks. I love love love the names!