Week 32

 

We've made it to the magic mark of week 32. This is the point at which twins would be okay if they were to be born now. There might be medical issues and a couple weeks in the hospital, but it wouldn't be anything life-threatening. So now the goal is to keep them in the oven for as much time as we can.

That's clearly getting harder.

This past week, I've really taken a turn for the worse. I've been to the hospital three times this past week. On Monday, my ultrasound showed some concerns with my cervix. Then I started having contractions too frequently (every 4 to 7 minutes). So they gave me a drug that stops the contractions, did a fibronectin test (this determines whether you might go into labor in the next two weeks) and gave me a two-dose set of shots of steroids that help the babies' lungs develop just in case they come early. The fibronectin was negative and exams showed my cervix completely closed -- so it doesn't look like they're coming immediately. But the contractions are a concern, particularly if they were to go unchecked.

The drug they gave me kept the contractions at bay from Monday afternoon til Friday. Then they were back. So off I went to the hospital again. This time they gave me pills that I have to take every 6 hours. Those seem to be working so far.

I'm also finding that being on my feet or walking any distance is getting too difficult. My belly starts to tighten and those contractions are more likely to occur if I'm up and about. So, although I'm not officially on bedrest, I've basically given myself orders to restrict my activities.

Today, Jamey and I made a trip to Target. To make it easier on me, I rode around in one of those motorized carts. It was a bit embarassing, but it sure made it easier for me to get around that huge store!

We've got an appointment with our regular doctor on Tuesday morning and I'm expecting she will give me orders for either limited activity or bedrest. This may include either only working from home or limiting my work hours, as well. I'm thinking complete bedrest is a long shot. It seems I'm okay for SOME activity, but clearly not as much as before.

So Jamey is now on laundry and groceries duty, and any major housecleaning. He's not too thrilled about that, but I just point to my enormous belly and tell him to suck it up since I'm the one doing all the suffering!

We're hoping the babies stay in there for at least another month. I'm starting to believe that they'll be born right between Christmas and New Year's. It's going to be an interesting Christmas at our house this year!