News from the belly

Today I went to see my lovely OB again, and I got another peek at the boys.

(Yep, STILL boys. And this time, I have the money shots to prove it. But I won't post those pics, because although I will no doubt embarrass these two little men in countless ways over the course of their lifetimes -- often intentionally -- showing their weenies on a public blog will not be one of them. I hope their future therapists appreciate this.)

The ultrasound was awesome, I never get tired of watching the two of them wiggle and flip on the screen. Even when I'm being basically impaled by the ultrasound wand for 45 minutes while all the measurements are taken. The good news is that they are measuring prefectly, across the board. Yippee! The best part (okay, so that last bit was the best part -- but at least the second best part) was catching one baby nail the other one with an elbow. Seeing a six-ounce avocado-sized little baby jacking the other in the face, right there in my tummy... well, it was not only the funniest thing I have ever seen (other than this movie) but also surely a glimpse into my future. *sigh*

I think we have finally settled on a due date. It's been a moving target, anywhere from April 22 to April 16, but now it's April 18. Which is also my MIL's birthday. Which makes no difference because we will get them out early anyway. But still, hopefully easier for DH to remember because he always tells people the wrong date. Which makes no difference because we will get them out early anyway. But still.

Speaking of getting them out early, we I also seem to have made a decision on the VBAC versus C-section. Before seeing the doc today, I was about 66% leaning towards a C-section, 33% for a VBAC. And 1% lingering hope for that magician. During our appointment, she told me that she had consulted with MFM (maternal fetal medicine). They said that there weren't many statistics on VBACs with twins specifically, as it's obviously much less common than a VBAC with singleton. But they estimated the risk of uterine rupture at 2%, which is four times as high as the singleton VBAC risk. Hmmmm... yeah, not really liking those odds. They advised my OB not to attempt a VBAC unless I was really passionate about giving it a shot.

That risk is scary enough, plus it is unlikely that I will go into labor when my own OB is on call and the other docs in the practice aren't on board with the double VBAC, plus the twins are breech right now anyway so there is a chance I won't even have the option...

So it's looking like we will be scheduling a C-section in early April. God willing, I will make it that far and not go into labor first.

It feels a bit like I am making excuses not to try a VBAC (I keep hearing my Dad's voice from childhood saying, "Sunny, there is an excuse not to do anything."), and I can't say my emotions are entirely stable on this yet. But we'll see what happens.

Moving on, we also discussed my weight gain. Which is a measly 3 pounds, according to their baseline weight for me. UGH!!! Not even close to 25 pounds by 20 weeks, as recommended by my pregnancy book. I do maintain that the OB office's baseline weight for me is higher than it should be (I definitely gained a few pounds in the weeks before my first OB appointment -- no really, I did, I swear!), but still. Like you all did, she encouraged me to eat as best I could and not worry. The boys are growing well, as evidenced by the ultrasound and my enormous belly. Speaking of the belly, it is measuring 21 weeks along, and I am currently 16 weeks. Which is entirely normal and healthy for twins, but it's the trend that worries me. I remember last time reading some study about why pregnant women don't tip over despite their huge bellies (tax dollars hard at work) but I expect to be testing the limits of that particular research.

And finally, my boys would like to say hello.

Two heads are better than one.

The head shot of Twin A that does not look like Skeletor and thus will not keep you up with nightmares.

A foot shot of Twin B. Because baby feet are cute.

In unrelated late-but-at-least-I'm-remembering-it-at-all news, April finished my "Sunny in Seattle" bloggy button, over there on the right column. Look at how cute I am, go ahead and grab me for your blog!