Wednesday, July 16, 2008

22 weeks and first Labor and Delivery visit!


Monday morning I had my monthly OB/GYN appt, and all was well. The doctor says my ankles will get worse and that it's more of a discomfort for me then anything to be concerned about. I do, however, just need to make sure my blood pressure is staying put and to put my feet up every day and drink plenty of water.

Monday night I started feeling a lot more uncomfortable. When I woke up Christian and I both noticed that my belly was rock hard. The day before, we could feel exactly where the kiddos where... that morning it was all hard. Almost everyone told me it was normal and not a concern, but I won't take any chances with these kids. I called the doctor and she sent me into labor and delivery. I was pretty calm until I got there and she couldn't find their heartbeats right away. Once ultrasound came in, they found both heartbeats and both babies look great. They are both head down right now, but that could change a million times from now until October/November. What I thought was Baby B's head, is apparently his/her feet! No wonder my ribcage feels bruised :) My cervix was also nice and closed so they sent me home. I told the triage nurse I hoped to not see her again for 12 or more weeks and she got a grin on her face and said, "honey, you are having twins." Guess that means us MOM's (mothers of multiples) visit the L&D a little more frequently than the average pregnancy. The most interesting thing was that the doctor says that while I am 22 weeks, I'm measuring 29 weeks because I'm carrying two! That's why I'm already starting to feel uncomfortable, have trouble getting out of bed, rolling over, etc.!

Enough of me... here's what the kids are up to now at 22 weeks:
They are about the length of a spaghetti squash and may weigh almost a pound each. The lips, eyelids and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and they are even developing tiny tooth buds beneath their gums. Though the eyes are formed, the irises still lack pigment. Right now they are covered with fine hair (lanugo). The pancreas is steadily developing. Their noses are taking on a more defined shape as cartilage (the soft bone) appears. The babies now have a full complement of neurons in the brain and are learning about their body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and the babies may stroke their face or feel their arms and legs.

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