34 Week Appointment

Well, technically 33 weeks and 4 days.  But I'm rounding up.

All is well, thank God.  Not that I was worried -- I've been blessed so far with an uneventful pregnancy, and nothing has happened lately to made me think otherwise.  But it's always good to see those babies' hearts beating like mad, and hear a doctor tell me that they are doing beautifully.

No pictures this time, unfortunately.  CC was there with us, and although MJ did a great job wrangling her while the doctors performed the ultrasounds, she was not happy and let everyone within earshot know about it.  So I wasn't about to prolong the experience by asking for a 3D view or any printouts.

For the first time in this pregnancy, we had a significant size difference between the babies.  Baby A is measuring about a week ahead (5 lbs 4 oz), while Baby B is measuring right on track (4 lbs 7 oz).  The doctors are not worried about the discrepancy, because it's very possible that A has recently had a growth spurt, and B might not have his/her own growth spurt for another week or so.  Also, it's possible that Baby A is a boy and Baby B is a girl, which would naturally explain why A is larger than B.

Baby A was also more active at the time of the ultrasound, with a heart rate of 150.  Baby B was resting, with a heart rate in the 120s.  The technician told us that from now on, the babies' heart rates will more frequently be lower, since there's less and less room for them to be very active.

The most interesting thing about today's appointment was the babies' positions.  They were so tangled up in each other, the technician said for the first time in her career she wasn't entirely sure which one was which!  But the doctor confirmed her best guess: Baby A is head down (no change) and Baby B is laying crosswise.  Baby B was crosswise at my OB appointment last week, but oddy enough, he/she was oriented in the other direction!  It's apparently odd for a baby to be in the position that our B is, and yet one week the head was on the right and now the head is on the left.

So to make it a little more clear, Baby A is on the right side of my belly, head down, feet up in my ribs (ouch).  Baby B is laying on his side behind A, curled up with his head on the far left.  Neither baby has "dropped," by the way, so the occasional pressure I've been feeling must just be from their larger sizes.

Lastly, the MFM said that I do not need another appointment with them before the twins are born.  My measurements still indicate that I'm far from going into labor naturally, so it's looking more and more obvious at this point that a c-section will be necessary.  The MFM felt comfortable saying that I can just be monitored by my OB for the duration, although I can always schedule one more growth check in a few weeks if my OB would prefer.

So from here on out, I will just have weekly appointments with my OB, where I will also have non-stress tests to make sure the twins' activity level is normal.  We are truly in the home stretch, and everything is going well!  Hallelujah!