Prodromal Labor Continues + 36 week appointment

Hospitals, decision decisions.

We have spent some time now worrying about which hospital we should go to for these boys.  Both are part of the same group of hospitals and clinics.

Option A is 7 minutes away from our house (2 miles), it is the same hospital I delivered Evelyn and Gabriel in. It is also Derrick's place of employment and is close for our family and friends.   It has great ratings and can deliver babies after 34 weeks. This hospital only has a level II Special Care Nursery.
Option B is 30 minutes away for us - farther for my friends and family because its the opposite direction, it has a level III NICU for more serious problems and much more preemie babies starting at 28 weeks.

Once we hit 34 weeks our options opened up. Do we travel farther to a hospital that has a level III NICU (just in case), or do we stay close to home and go to the one that has the level II (Special care Nursery)? We were undecided. If we go to option A and the babies need more intervention than that, then I'd end up in a different hospital than them.... That would bring about a whole slew of new problems both for Derrick and Evelyn, as well as our families.

After spending some time online and asking fellow moms of mulitples I have learned a few things. A) when a mom talks about a NICU stay for their babies, they are interchanging the term NICU and Special Care Nursery.  B) A Special Care Nursery can take care of all basic problems that could arise from early delivery they just can't intubate for more than 24 hours (which is a pretty unlikely need after 35 weeks). 

So we've decided that we are comfortable trusting our option A and staying closer to home.   Hooray for making decisions!

Obviously created by a man... Prodromal Labor Continues.

I worked all weekend, which lucky for me is pretty easy. They now have me sitting and answering phones which is almost relaxing... Sometimes more relaxing than being at home - given I have a 2 1/2 year old that doesn't let me rest this much.  However, the contractions were coming SO frequently Saturday night... I'm talking every few minutes.  I was pretty miserable to say the least. It was incorporated with a low pinching feeling (where I typically feel regular contractions) and had me on edge. Lucky for me, after getting a good nights rest, they were back at it Sunday morning. I wasn't even certain I would make it to work!  But once I got there, got settled into my comfy chair and began to destress and answer the phones they calmed down. Still present, but not as frequent and not painful. 

36 week appointment

35 weeks 5 days today.  Started the morning with a BPP. Once again Baby B passed with flying colors and Baby A decided not to practice breathing.  So we earned another NST which went just fine. Its kinda crazy to see the contractions popping up on the monitor though.

 

 

After passing the NST, we saw our doctor. I have gained 5 more pounds in the last 2 weeks, this puts me up 45lbs which isn't too shabby for twins at this stage. They did the GBS swab but didn't give me the results.  These contractions are basically doing nothing. I'm only at 1cm (which is basically nothing). I feel pretty defeated. I've been battling prodromal labor pains all weekend, some not painful at all, some I actually have to breath through, only to learn that nothing is really happening.  It just would be nice to know these are actually doing something besides torturing me and keeping me on edge. I know things can change dramatically really quickly and these babies still could come any time, but it really knocked me down.  I'm trying to focus on the positive, these babies will *hopefully* have a little more time to grow and get strong.  The longer they are in the better they will be.  And truthfully there is a part of me that isn't quite ready for the pregnancy to be over, that isn't quite ready for them to be here. Derrick on the other hand, has his sights set on this week. He can't wait for these boys to get here and is really anxious to meet them.

 

 

How I cope

 

I feel like I could stand in the shower/bath all day!  I take at least 2 showers a day and take a bath every night.  Its the most comfortable places for me to be.  Standing in the hot shower is very relaxing for my back and muscles. Soaking in the tub takes the weight off and allows me some quiet time to just relax.  Its really gotten me through these last few weeks. I look forward to my nightly bath every day.  I spend a lot of time on the couch reading to Evelyn and watching movies together. My smart little girl seems to understand that mommy is a little restricted right now when it comes to playing and running around. When I'm really struggling and am planted firmly on the couch, she seems to understand and switches into "mommy mode". She'll bring me snacks (whether or not I actually want them) she'll bring me drinks, books, toys etc.  She's such a sweet heart.

 

 

Speaking of Evelyn, its so funny. I've tried numerous times throughout this pregnancy to get her to respond to the movement in mommy's tummy. Earlier on she would grab my belly in both hands and shake it saying "Earthquake!!!" (yes I taught her that).  But, she could have her hand on my belly and her hand is getting very obviously kicked and she doesn't even acknowledge that anything is happening haha.  We'll show her the rolling and kicking we see from the outside and she pays no attention that something weird is happening. Such a silly girl.