32 Weeks

32 weeks

How Your Baby’s Growing (from Babycenter.com):

By now, your baby weighs 3 3/4 pounds (about the size of a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How far along: 32 weeks

Pregnancy symptoms: heartburn, tiredness, aches and pains everywhere,carpal tunnel, trouble thinking of words  :)

Food Cravings: snow cones, poached or fried eggs, chocolate

Food Aversions: Lately I haven’t been into leftovers.  I’m happy to eat something once, but I don’t want to eat it later.  That’s unusual for me.

Sleep: Pretty good.  I wake up very sore, but the sleep itself is good.  I am so tired and would seriously benefit from a nap during the day, but that’s just not going to happen.  :)

Measurement: 223.8lbs

Movement: Plenty!  I’m pretty sure I feel A more than B, but I do feel them both.

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions, some of which are doozies.

What I miss: being able to cool off anywhere outside my house, laying on my belly, drinking copious amounts of Dr. Pepper and hot tea, snuggling my kiddos close to me.

What I’m looking forward to: cooler weather, a baby shower for the boys, meeting my babes (but not for several weeks!)

Milestone: I’m 32 weeks!  That seems like a big milestone to me.  I’ve talked with several twin moms who had their babies at 32 weeks.  That’s not something I’d like to do, but their viability just seems so good right now.

Thoughts from the children: James is always coming up to me and wanting to feel “Baby B.”  That boy is so cute.

Doctor’s visit: I had one this morning, including an ultrasound (which means pictures are to come!)  I didn’t write down everything, but here’s the info I came home with:

• Both babies are HEAD DOWN!!!!
• Baby A (on my right) is measuring 4lbs 5oz and 34 weeks 1 day
• Baby B (on my left) is measuring a little bit bigger (5lbs something) and 34 weeks 3 days.  His heart rate was faster than A’s at 164 bpm.
• Baby A was easy to look at and very active.  B was harder to get a view of his face, and the tech described him as lazy.  :)
• Both babies are practicing breathing – yay!
• My cervix looks good and is measuring about 2.2cm long.
• The tech went on and on about what great twins they were and how great my uterus was and how well I was carrying them.  WAHOO!!!
• My weight is 223.8lbs and my BP is 120/70, which is a bit better than it’s been recently.
• I had a chance this week to think through my ideal “birth plan” and come up with questions for Dr. Torres.  If these babies stay head down, it seems like the experience will be very similar to the other births.  I just need to go to the hospital when I’m in labor; there’s no need to let anyone know first.  I will labor in a labor room and only be moved to the OR when it’s actually time for them to be born and just as a precaution.  I felt so much better after that conversation!  Dr. Torres said she would keep my c-section date on the books to “ward off any evil spirits” – ha!  It would be quite a feat for them to flip again, but they could still do it.  I hope they don’t!
• I now have weekly appointments, and I will have a non stress test each week to check on the boys!

Now you have earned some ultrasound pictures!  They look pretty smooshed in there, but that makes sense!

This is Baby A’s profile.

Then the tech (whom I LOVE) switched over to the 3D/4D option (which I’ve never ever had before!), and we got to see some amazing precious shots of Mr. A.  I teared up a little!

I mean, look at those LIPS!!

Mr. B was very hard to get a face view of, so here’s the best we got!

The top of his head is to the right.  You can kind of see his right eye socket, nose and mouth.

Other thoughts: I am feeling so good right now!  Sure, my body aches everywhere, but I’m feeling very positive about the boys’ growth and the labor/birth possibilities.  We got the house pretty picked up and reasonably cleanish this weekend, and that just lifts my spirits immensely.  Matt took today off, and we got to go to the appointment by ourselves while Mamma watched the kids.  It was a win-win!  We’ve still got to get to the grocery store and do Monday’s school work, but I’m feeling great about having a bit of lazy going on.

Baby-related projects:

• I’m putting this on the list kind of after the fact: Work on potty training James.  Hallelujah that boy is doing so so well!
• Clean up/organize the girls’ room to make space for eventual James.
• Go to IKEA.  Look at and possibly purchase the Kura low loft bed and shallow mattress for the girls.  **I’ve been putting this off since it is logistically hard, but we are ready to get this done!
• Move the majority of the toys into the main living area to make space for sleeping and clothes in the bedrooms. I still need to sort through and organize the books, which are in a giant pile on the floor.
• Do some research on the best sleeping arrangements for newborn twins.  *I’m currently planning to use a standard sized pack and play with the newborn “shelf” in it for our bedroom when they’re bitty.  If we discover they don’t sleep well with each other, we can always switch to two pack and plays or just use the cribs.
• Figure out number of diapers that would be ideal for the babies.  **I think at this point we’ll just get a few more newborn sized diapers and then wait and see what works when they come.
• Pick out infant car seats.
• Organize James’ closet.  (This is where the not-in-use clothes live as well as a lot of baby things, and it’s a super-pit.)
• Shop for a king sized bed.  We really really really really want one.  :)  But the logistics and expense may mean this isn’t the best time.
• Tinker with a baby registry.  We don’t need much, but I have started putting some things on an Amazon registry when I think about them
• Pull the baby boy clothes from the attic and take inventory.
• Possibly get some maternity/family pictures made.
• Wash, dry, fold, put away the 0-3 months clothes.
• Pull the new infant car seats out of the boxes and make sure they are what we think they are and work as they should. **Done! And I’ve started stalking Joanna’s new car seat, waiting for a great price.  **We got Joanna’s new seat last week!  “We” have yet to put it in the car and make sure it’s going to work, but it’s here!
• Preregister at the hospital.
• Work on a birth plan (mainly just for us but also to bring up any questions I want to ask my doctor about this different kind of birth coming up!)
• Hospital bag lists – one for labor/delivery/right away, another of things I’d like to have if I stay a few days.
• Work on “decorating” the nursery.  Basically this involves pulling out anything that isn’t baby boy related and putting up things that are!  **I started this last week and am feeling good about at least some progress.