Week 23

The weeks are starting to chug along now.  I'm hitting a familiar stride, very reminiscent of this time during my pregnancy with CC: I'm squarely in the middle of the 9-month marathon, with the end not really in sight, yet the weeks are passing by fairly quickly.  I think it's because I haven't gotten to the point where I'm horribly uncomfortable, or or dying with anticipation -- that makes time really crawl!

I've gained 29 pounds so far, and I'm still feeling good.  My appetite isn't as voracious as it was at the beginning, yet clearly I'm still eating enough because the weight is packing on.  Boy, I hope it comes off as easily as it did after CC was born!

I had another appointment with the MFM this week (Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist), and all was well.  They confirmed the check that assured them I am at very low risk for pre-term labor, which is great news.  Unfortunately we didn't get any good pictures of the babies, but it was still great to see them squirming around in there, hearts beating strongly.

My next MFM appointment is in three weeks, when they will do a fetal echocardiogram on both babies, which is a detailed look at their hearts.  Apparently twins have a very slightly elevated chance of heart defects, so when I am 26 weeks along, their hearts will be big enough for a very in-depth scan.  The doctor assured us we shouldn't worry, because a) the increased risk is very small, and b) both twin's hearts were examined during my 20-week anatomy scan, and no abnormalities were noticed.

At this week's ultrasound, the size estimate for both babies was 1 pound, 5 ounces, which is right on track for their age.  They are about the size of winter squashes.  They are practicing their "breathing" at this point, and their skin is starting to become less translucent.  In the next month, they should double their size!

I have an appointment with my OB this coming Thursday, and I think it will mark the switch from monthly to biweekly appointments.  My calendar is really starting to fill up!