I went in this morning for our first non-stress test (NST) and a regular OB appointment. The NST was first...the nurse hooked up a monitor to each baby using a TON of the ultrasound goop (messy!). She had a hard time finding Mr. Cherry's heartbeat at first because the little guy is so busy. She would find it, and he would quickly move. Miss Apple was very cooperative and once her monitor was strapped on, she did really well. The NST is designed to monitor each baby's activity level. The doctor wants to see each of their heart rates go up 15 points and stay up for a minute or so. Obviously, if they are active, that is more likely to happen. If the heart rate stays up for too long, it can mean the baby is distressed. About halfway through the test, the OB came in to check on things. No surprise that Mr Cherry passed with flying colors (he's A LOT more active than Miss Apple). She decided to take a little snoozer during the testing, so her heart rate wasn't changing. Our OB kept muttering something about a zapper and I was oblivious to what she was talking about. She then left the room, and returned with a tool that looks like a small flashlight. She put it on my belly and pushed a button. It made an odd zapping noise, but didn't feel like anything. However, Miss Apple was then wide awake and eventually passed her testing as well.
The actual OB appointment was pretty routine. My blood pressure is fine, urine test came back normal and I'm continuing to gain weight (eek!). I am now measuring at 42 weeks, so I'm the same size as a mom with a single baby who is 2 weeks overdue. Everyone keeps telling me how small I am, but I do not feel small! I feel like my belly is literally growing everyday, which isn't far from the truth. For the rest of my pregnancy, each baby will gain about 1/2 lb every week!! Wow.
I'm still fairly uncomfortable, but hey, what do I expect with a twin pregnancy, right? It's getting difficult to roll over from side to side at night and I'm generally most comfortable on my left side, so I stick with that. Some nights I still don't sleep well, but some nights I sleep great. I continue to have back pain, and rib pain, especially as Mr. Cherry continues to grow from side to side. His head and butt are nearly always visible as my belly gets distorted where he is pushing.
We have an ultrasound tomorrow and another NST on Friday. More updates to follow.
2 comments:
I think you look fantastic! And just the right size! I was always annoyed when people told me that I looked small.
That zapper thing is weird! I had it once and I felt so bad for little Molly. She was always so low and mellow and then to get zapped....she was going and going for hours after that! I started drinking an orange soda from McD's to ensure good movement after that!
Oh, good tip. Maybe I'll try the orange soda on Friday and see if that does the trick. I had a big breakfast because usually food gets them both moving, but she was sleepy I guess. :)
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