Sunday, September 20, 2015

Since I've Been Home (33 week update)


33 week home from the hospital glamour shots!
I keep having that Kelly Clarkson song running through my head, except with the words "Since I've been ho-ome!"

It has been one week since I was admitted to the hospital. It feels like time has flown by and I am grateful the babies got a whole 7 more days (hopefully more) in before coming to meet us. I have heard people say "Every day in the womb is 3 days out of the NICU." I doubt that has any scientific basis, but it makes me feel pretty good about every day we get to share this space.

Today I am 33 weeks 4 days pregnant. The doctors all seem optimistic we could go weeks more like this and may still need to be induced on October 21 (which crazy enough is only a month away!) so I am very curious to see what happens. I find myself wishing I had a crystal ball to know when they will come, but my own twin ESP isn't kicking in, even with the amplification of three of us twins together.

Which reminds me: Abe came to the realization that he would be the only non-twin in our family. Isn't that weird and kind of funny?

Everyone seems to want to know the plan so I guess I'm not the only one. I have been off work this week and plan to be at least until my next OB appointment on Wednesday (which will be the 34 week mark!). After that I don't know if I will be back at work or not. It really depends on how I am feeling and what my doctor finds/says at my appointment. I would like to be back at work if possible if we are going to continue pregnant for weeks, but we need to do what is smart and best for me and the babies. It is hard to turn off the mentality that gets drilled into you in residency that work comes first, pushing through illness, etc, so a reasonable discussion with my doctor will really help with this decision.

Also, I am not on "bedrest." There are other problems that can come with bedrest so I've been told to "take it easy," and to be a "couch potato," instead of being on bedrest. I have only been sleeping about every other night so I have been enjoying this more than I would have thought. I have only left the house a few times since getting home: to get a much needed pedicure (Holy long toenails Batman!), to go to my baby shower yesterday, dinner at my in-laws, and an hour of church today. I have wondered as I see and hear about other pregnant women out and about if I am being dramatic by lying on the couch almost all day, but after a few of these outings I have learned that I am doing the right thing. Who knew sitting for an hour at church would be so unpleasant? Or that a few hours at my baby shower would wipe me out for the rest of the day?

Still can't wear my rings but my hands are almost back to normal! 

As for how I am feeling, I continue to get waves of discomfort in my back. This seems usually worse at bedtime and very early morning. I had one day of what seemed like more typical abdominal contractions that came every 25 minutes for about 1.5 hours and then subsided but I haven't felt that since. And when I am up and about more I tend to get more of the crampy back pain that landed me in the hospital.

I have had some really kind friends bring dinners and help clean. The missionaries from our church even helped assemble some new furniture for me! I had some lovely friends and my MIL throw me my baby shower yesterday morning which was super sweet and nice. It was great to see so many friends from different groups and times during my life in Iowa and I feel blessed by their generousity and kindness.

We finally got a couch to fit in our basement!
Strangely enough, many of my typical pregnancy symptoms haven't been bothering me as much. I figure I am focusing more on the more acute discomfort of these back/contraction pains that I am not noticing the other stuff as much. I feel strangely less hugely pregnant and more mobile (being stuck in a hospital bed on monitors for hours really makes you feel like you can't move). My hands have shrunk down quite a bit and feel better than they have in months, I'm using the bathroom less despite drinking more fluids, and my feet are less puffy and itchy.

And we finally ordered our car seats and bought a few more of the essentials to prepare for the babies to come. I will feel relieved knowing we have this done so we can bring the babies home from the hospital now when they decide to come.

Week 33:
Weight: 186.5.
Total Weight Gain: 44.5 lbs 
Week 33 day 1: 185.5
Total Weight Gain: 43.5 lbs
*My weight this month has been bouncing. I got up to 187.3 on 9/12 but have bounced back down to 185.5, which is essentially the same I weighed on 9/2 at 185.7 lbs.



Symptoms:
*some really big baby movements from Baby A; Baby B is sometimes hard to find when he crowds to the right (he must like to cuddle his sister)
*arm/hand numbness mild
*hand and foot swelling decreased
*discomfort/immobility -- not bothering me as much
*poor sleep -- some nights horrible insomnia
*frequent bathroom breaks -- less than before
*knee pain -- haven't noticed much
*itchiness with foot swelling -- not bad this week
*reflux 
*very tired
*smaller appetite
*nesting--this instinct finally came back with the babies threatening to come! Too bad I can't do much of anything right now.
*left sided back cramps

Less than 4.5 weeks to go!


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