Since Ashley doesn't use facebook, I thought I'd better let her know I had a baby. Then another one. Here are some highlights since May.
- The last few weeks of pregg, I got PUPPS (not to be confused with my newer Pups/Litter that Polo is still growing accustomed too). Was trying to figure out how I was getting so many spider bites, while no one else was. Poor tired liver. Enough to drive a woman mad. Ended up putting my homemade diaper cream on it... if i could resist the urge to itch for a few minutes, it helped. I think it was the beeswax making a layer on my skin so light brushes didn't aggravate my itches.
- May 11th I had by Baby Shower. This was followed by being put on bedrest. Yeah! The night before I suspected a leak. Midwife checked me out, and everyone's hearts were good, my blood pressure was good, and since the leak/ trickle was very occasional/sparse, it looked like a high, small leak... So 35.5-38 weeks, I was on bed rest, and a lot of vitamin E to seal up that leak.
- I snuck out of the house 2 or 3 times for short excursions. Wore me out. .
- Bed rest made my butt disapear. Some people exercise to loose their booty. I, unlike others, have to exercise in order to get a butt. I walked 3 times a day with Polo prior to bed rest and had a very nice bottom that I was quite happy with. By the end of bed rest, I had no butt. It melted.
- My butt has yet to recover. Flat nothingness. Clark butt.
- 38 weeks was awesome, safe to come off of bed rest: far enough along for a safe delivery, and the leak seamed to have sealed slowly over the last few weeks.
- 39 weeks, still pregnant, and getting nervous.
- At about 39.5 weeks midwives were still a bit stumped about their positioning. I had opted against ultrasounds unless necessary, and usually they can feel out position, but the babies were doing something weird. We knew one was breach, and one was not, but beyond that a little confusing as to which legs went with which body. Neither baby had claimed my pelvis as it's territory.
- We did a Robozo (39.5) to try to shift the head over (and a foot out of my pelvis —which explains the occasional really weird tickle flutters I got), but Baby A put his foot down (har har har) and said "Nope, I be commin' butt first, my brother can wait." He sat indian style above my pelvis in protest. Lookin' like I was going to have BREECH Twin FIRST (which is OBGYN speak for "C-section)." Feeling out the leg, the more experienced with twins/breech of the midwives estimated my babies were about high 5 to low 6 lbs, and was ok/ comfortable letting me home birth/vaginal birth my twins.
- 40 weeks, still pregnant, and a little nervous. Don't get me wrong, originally I had wanted to get to 42 weeks to give my little Lumpkins plenty of time to bloom and reach healthy sizes, but when you are put on bed rest at 35.5 weeks, and still make it to 40 weeks, you are a bit shocked.
- 40 weeks (exact) midwives recommended an ultrasound to help confirm size, because they didn't want my Breech baby to get much bigger. I did it, knowing ultrasounds are notoriously inaccurate (the tech said they can be as much as a lb off). The twins measured in at 7 lb 7 oz and 7 lbs 10 oz on the ultrasound.
- This made the twin/breach expert nervous, antsy, and eager to induce me (herbally). This was Wednesday, and the thought of getting enduced that night —or even Thurs— made me want to cry. I had had such confirmation the whole pregnancy that home birthing and waiting for the twins to come on their own was the right thing, and that all 3 of us would be healthy, and God was aware/in support of my choices.
- Blessed that my actual/primary midwife had similar feelings and said she would stand behind my decision, whatever I chose. Such a comparison to a hospital birth where most OBGYN's would have (a) pressured me into inducing at 37/38 weeks according to logic I don't agree with, (b) made me deliver in an operating room "just in case, " based on the fact that I was having twins irregardless of my individual risks, (c) flat out refused to do a breech vaginally, especially when the first was breech. It means so much to have a provider that respects that this is my decision...as well as one that is trained for (and not afraid of) breech births
- I wanted them (babies) to come when they were ready, not when we induced them out, but the twin/brech expert was leaving town Friday or Saturday, and the old/wise experienced midwife who trained most the locals was only available to be backup on Sunday. I also strongly felt one of them should be there. I told my midwife Friday. Thurs was too soon emotionally. Try to get the "local expert" to put off her vacation until Sat.
- That night I had A little talk with the babies and a little prayer for them to be ready. I had maybe 3 contractions about 1 hour apart. Nothing unusual... but often my braxtons are so subtle I don't notice them unless I touch my tummy and feel the tightness... and I hadn't had cramping ones often at all, and none for a while. These ones were a little more painful and with a little more hip/back aching.
- Thurs Morning I got a few more here and there, a little more persistent, by noon, they were not quite regular, but I'd never had so many together or at least as noticeable (cramps). Midwife came, I had Brett come home because I was getting pretty uncomfortable.
- Breech baby came around 8 am Friday, foot and "whats this?" "let me see... well what you are feeling is a scrotum" "Oh, it's a boy....honey, it's a boy... someone go tell my mom A is going to be a boy..." Baby A weighed 6 lb 8 oz (suck it ultrasound and your 15 oz error... you can measure a femur and a skull, but my boy's got boney chicken legs).
- Baby B came about 6 hours later, and took quite a bit of persuading. He had a bigger head by 1 inch, was a little shorter, but weighed more than his brother at 7 lbs 2 oz (only 4 ounce error this time). Oh yah, he was also a boy... surprise... and clearly "younger" than his older bro, even though he was more filled out.
