35 weeks - Updates!

Sunday, December 9 put me at 35 weeks with the twins. 

Monday, December 10 I had a more eventful OB visit and NST than usual.

Tuesday, December 11 marks the point of my pregnancy when my water broke with Elliott.

Wednesday, December 12 is the day I would love to give birth so my kids' birthday is 12-12-12. :)

Thursday, December 13 is the last day I was planning to work, based on what I worked out with my teaching partner.

Friday, December 14, with that plan, would be my first day of much needed maternity leave.

Saturday, December 15 has no significance to me at this point. :)

And now, back to the updates. :)

So, first of all, I should start with Saturday, December 8, when I had about 2 hours of regular contractions while sitting in the car or sitting eating dinner. After getting excited and finding out that the OB that I'm less comfortable with is on call all weekend, I call our fantastic doula, Deb Lawrence, and she says, "Rest and stay hydrated." So as soon as I lay down on the couch, I go from 10 an hour to 2 in an hour. False labor, how you play with my heart! It's OK, I really needed to sub for my partner on Monday, so it worked out fine.

Baby A, fist at mouth

Monday, I had my first documented contractions at my NST. Also, outside of Baby A having the hiccups (which really messes with the NST results), it went pretty smoothly, and the nurse was very kind. You know you're a regular in L&D when they know how to position the bed comfortably for you, which juice you like, and bring you a table because "you like to work when you're here". Wish I could remember her name...anyway, I had contractions I couldn't feel, plus a couple I did. Check out the picture at the top for the one I could feel--those were WAY bigger on the strip than the ones I didn't feel. While I was there, I noticed a mild headache, and headaches are a symptom of pre-eclampsia. My blood pressure was monitored, and while it was a little elevated, thankfully, Liz and Dr. M were not concerned because it wasn't consistently higher, and it's not significantly higher than usual (though high for me). 

Baby B, profile

At my OB visit, I guessed (and hoped) that Baby A had turned back down (vertex) so I could attempt a non-surgical delivery. Dr. Moreira informed me that what I thought was a head was actually his bottom, and that both babies are in fact breech. Still. Baby A is bottom down, Baby B is feet down, which explains the tap dancing on my right hip bone and not the left, and why I thought A might be vertex again. With this in mind, I went ahead and scheduled a c-section for Friday, December 28, 2012 in the event that I don't go into labor on my own prior to that. I still have a sliver of hope, which I think helped me have a better perspective, and not instantly disappointed that I would have to settle for a surgical birth. However, while I was down in L&D for my NST (which was actually after my appt, though not reported in here in that order), the nurse I recognize the most said, "Oh, I just scheduled your c-section. 2 o'clock on the 28th." Then I was bummed. It's ideal, so Dr. M told me, to have a morning surgery due to the 8 hour fast required prior. So, if I'm at 2, I have to skip breakfast AND lunch, and probably won't get a bite of solid food until 5 or later, if I'm allowed (I don't know--never had surgery before!) It didn't help that it was dinner time at that point, and I was already hungry, and I'd eaten lunch and had juice during the NST. The sudden loss of hope (and lack of control, I'm sure) honestly depressed me, as in I lost my appetite and desire to eat, which I clearly just had. 

After returning home, Erin called me and dragged me into the bathroom and went pee-pee on the potty like a big girl--first time for me--and thankfully broke me out of that funk I was in. The funny part was that after she completed the whole potty routine, including flushing, she sat me down on the potty (lid down), sat herself on the small potty, passed out books, and proceeded to go a little more. :) Funny girl! But glad she's enjoying potty training!

Erin using the potty at Nana's house (covering herself, too!)
She's such a big girl!

In other news, the vagueness of my maternity leave is due to the letter I received Thursday night. HR informed me that as a part time employee, I am not eligible for (aka they are not required to give me) Family-Medical Leave (FMLA) benefits. Not a huge difference in the payment department, but significant otherwise. I would have no benefits=no health insurance, unless I want to pay for COBRA when I am not getting paid (makes perfect sense, right?). I'm going to find out more information on how this all would work out during my leave of absence that I have to ask for, and upon my return to work. Once I get the answers to all my questions, we will be able to make an informed decision on when I could afford to begin maternity leave. I'm already huge and slow (though I hear I look great from all my co-workers--they're the best!), and now I'm not sleeping well at all and am exhausted at the end of the day. I have headaches, heartburn, crazy-itchy skin anywhere that has touched elastic, contractions every day, and am in pain when I switch positions (laying to sitting, sitting to standing, etc.) I hope it's soon, or that the Lord continues to strengthen me through all this! Thanks for all your prayers--they are so appreciated!