A 33-Week Update

Every day is one day closer to finally meeting our little miracle Twinks! Every time I see a small baby or a  set of twins while I am out and about (and I've seen lots lately), I can't wait. But, I also know that staying in-utero is the best for these little guys right now.

Last Saturday, my husband, me and our nanny took an "Infant Safety & CPR Class". The first 2/3 were mostly common sense - talking about the necessity for booster and car seats, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, the back-to-sleep campaign, baby proofing our home, etc. The last 1/3 was how to perform infant and child CPR. This was the part I found most useful because many things changed from when I had taken CPR many years ago.

The twinks kicking up a storm and you can now see my belly move when they move. Their Dad is a black-and-white kinda guy - no "maybe" or "grey" areas with him (which is why I waited until the HPT was definitely two bright pink lines to even tell him I was pregnant). Although I kept putting his hand on my belly where they were moving (usually down very low on my abdomen),  he kept saying he couldn't feel it. Finally, this week, he admitted he felt a kick. He is very stoic, so the picture that comes to mind is a Sandra Boynton furry monster jumping about an inch off the ground with a frown on his face saying "Rah." (I'd post a picture if I could, but I can't find one)

My doctors appointment went well this week. My weight went down 2.5 lbs and my blood pressure was 110/71. They also started giving me stress-tests this week.

As my nurse explained, when the babies are under lots of stress, unlike us - where our hearts speed up, babies' heart rates stay steady. So, they put three sensors on my belly - one to monitor each baby's movements and a third to check for contractions. The heartbeats were consistent with what we had seen in the past - one baby's heartbeat was 10-15 BPM faster than the other's - indicating I may be carrying boy/girl twins. Each time the baby the machine was "tuned-into" moved, I could hear a "scratching" sound on the monitor too. No signs of contractions!

They also switched my blood thinner from a once-a-day Lovenox shot to a twice-a-day Heparin shot. If I were to go into labor while on Lovenox, there is no "antidote" - so they would try to delay me as long as possible for delivery. With Heparin, they can "reverse" the effects and deliver me sooner.

My nurse asked me if I had packed an overnight bag yet and I told her I had not. She suggested I pack one because she said at any time, they could decide to send me to the hospital. Things she suggested I pack include:

Slippers
Robe
Two-piece PJ's (and the hospital gown my Mom made for me)
Personal Care Items (hairbrush, toothbrush, lip balm, toiletries)
Breast Pump (so they can show me how to use it)
Outfit for Each Twin to Come Home

For all you "experienced" Moms out there - anything I am missing from this list?

Yes, we're in the last few weeks and these babies will be here before we know it!