At the beginning of this month we had an appointment at OSU MFM that went great! Eli did not have a spot at all this time on his bowel praise God! Eli weighed 2 lbs 8oz and Aly weighed 2 lbs 3oz (these weights are at 27 weeks)! They checked my cervix which is still really long which is great news! We thought that this would have been our last appointment there but they are going to continue to see me once a month until they are born.
We were so blessed to be able to have our baby shower with our family and gift card shower at church this month! This is something we have thought about for 5 years how exciting it would be to get to have a baby shower! So it meant a lot more to us than most would realize! But everyone was so generous to us! We were able to get everything we needed for the babies! Zack has worked extremely hard to get the room done. So while I may have picked the stuff out I didn't put one thing together. Here are some pictures from the baby shower and of the completed nursery (we still have some finishing touches with the changing tables, hanging monitors, and covering the tv cord)
I had an appointment with Dr. Roberts last week and the babies are still growing perfectly! We got some great pictures of Eli face and Aly's foot but she wouldn't let us get any of her face. Dr. Roberts said that starting at 32 weeks I will start having weekly appoinments at her office to keep a close eye on everything and then I will also go every weekend, if I understood correctly, to have a Biophysical Profile done at the hospital. They said this is standard procedure for twins. Here is a chart from the American Pregnancy Association to show what a Biophysical Profile is looking for:
Usually, five specific fetal attributes are studied and “scored” during the BPP:
Biophysical Attribute
|
Normal
|
Abnormal
|
| Breathing | 1 breathing episode within 30 minutes | No breathing episodes within 30 minutes |
| Movement | 2 or more movements within 30 minutes | less than 2 movements within 30 minutes |
| Muscle Tone | 1 or more episodes of active extension/flexion of limbs, etc. (i.e. opening and closing a hand). | Slow extension/flexion of limbs, partially open fetal hand, etc |
| Heart Rate | 2 or more episodes of reactive heart rate acceleration within 20 min | 1 or more episodes of unreactive heart rate acceleration |
| Amniotic Fluid | 1 or more adequate pockets of fluid | Either no pockets or inadequate pockets of fluid |
The total score will help decide the overall health and well being of the baby and help the doctor determine if the baby should be born sooner than planned.
Dr. Roberts also said that probably around my 32 week appointment or soon after we could start discussing my labor options. Right now Eli is head down but Aly is transverse and has been like that for a long time. But Dr. Roberts is sounding a lot more positive that I will be able to have the babies at SOMC as long as its after 36 weeks. I'm not really sure how many weeks they will let me go till yet but hopefully I will find out soon. Here are a few of the ultrasound pictures we got this month:
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| Aly's profile |
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| Eli with Aly kicking him under the chin |
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| Eli with Aly's foot in his face |
Also this month I finally reached the third trimester and it is surprising how I can really tell the difference in how I have felt the past few weeks. On the fun side I can see/feel the babies moving a lot more and I have also got to feel one of them have hiccups which was pretty neat. But I'm also beginning to experience the third trimester discomforts. I have been a lot more exhausted yet can't hardly sleep for very long because I get uncomfortable and I have been having a lot more braxton hicks contractions especially when I am more active. Zack has been really great to help me though. I can no longer reach my feet so he had been helping me get my shoes on until he talked me into getting some different shoes. And even sweeter is every night he pretty much puts me to bed on the couch since I always fall asleep there (I can't breath laying flat in bed so I have to sleep semi sitting up). But last night I woke up and he had set a snack by me in case I was hungry in the middle of the night so I wouldn't have to get up!
Also here are some pictures from the past month:
It's really hard to believe that the weeks are now in the single digits until the babies come! Hopefully I will have one more update at the end of December before they come. So over the next month just really pray that I will be able to hold out and not go into labor early. And just pray that the babies continue to grow perfectly! Thank you all for your support during this entire journey! A lot of people have thanked us for letting them be a part of our journey but I want to thank you guys for joining us in this journey! It's an awesome feeling to know how many people we have standing behind us and praying for us and to know that our babies are going to come into the world having so many people that love them already!
Also here are some pictures from the past month:
