The Third Trimester

I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my last entry--blame it on pregnancy brain if you will....starting at week 25, my OB put me on bed rest as a precaution. So since March 22nd, I have been at home staying off my feet as much as possible. This is in a attempt to avoid strict hospital bed rest later.

Little side note about my OB, Dr. Staub. This guy is a crazy nut--and I mean that in a good way. He is so funny, so witty, so sarcastic. My mom--who has been taking me to all my OB appts for the last several weeks--thinks he should be a comedian. She's probably right. He makes what could be otherwise stressful or embarrassing visits so much more tolerable. I wish I could share some of the funny things he has said to me over the years here but since my kids could be reading this one day, I better not b/c they tend to be somewhat on the crude side. To put it in movie terms (since I am such a movie buff) he's like the perfect combination of Dr. Richard Kimball from "The Fugitive" (not b/c Dr. Staub has been accused of murder but b/c he's so damn smart) and Stiffler from "American Pie". Not so sure he'd agree with those comparisons but I think he truly is the perfect combo of medical genius and funny. He is himself a father of twins so he is extra-cautious with his multiples mothers--hence the bed rest starting at 25 weeks. I really like the fact that I am being taken care of by someone that has been through all this before in his personal life. I feel like he can relate so much more to me and my situation more than a doctor who has not. I feel very fortunate that he is my doctor and I trust him completely.

So, as I said before, I have been on bed rest at home since 25 weeks. It might sound great--no work, little to no responsibilities at home, but trust me when I say it's NOT. The novelty of it wore off after about 3 days. I had to be on bed rest the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy with Olivia but this stint is twice as long--and twice as boring. I swore when this started that I would catch up on TV shows I had been meaning to watch but that has yet to happen. I don't know why. Just not in the mood I guess or maybe I don't have the brain power to invest in starting a new show--something I have to think about or pay attention to. It's much less effort to watch re-runs. I have been reading some wine books a friend let me borrow--trying to gear up for that oh so wonderful day when I can indulge in a glass of red again. But other than that, it's been a lot of online shopping for baby things and Facebooking. Good Lord, I'm LAME!

I've been feeling okay considering the situation. Okay, let's just say it.....I'm HUUUUUGE! As I write this, I am 34 weeks pregnant but look like I'm 134 weeks pregnant. To put it in layman's terms.....a normal pregnancy goes to 40 weeks gestation. If all goes well, I will be delivering by C-section at 37 weeks. Each time I go to see my OB, he measures the size of my belly in centimeters. The number of centimeters measured should measure the number of weeks you are in your pregnancy. Now obviously since I'm carrying twins, my measurement is going to be more than if I carried a singleton due to simple logistics. But even for someone carrying twins, I am measuring big. At my last appointment, I was 33 weeks but measuring 48 centimeters!!!!!! It literally looks--and feels like--I have a beach ball in my belly. But as miserable as this makes me feel at times, it really is a good thing b/c the bigger the babies are, the stronger they'll be when they're on the outside.

And if I'm being truly honest here, I have to admit that my most miserable moments now aren't nearly as bad as when I was pregnant with Olivia. Don't get me wrong, I'm uncomfortable, I'm starting to swell which hurts, I'm not sleeping well at night and I'm as clumsy as a gawky, preteen boy. But it hasn't been nearly as bad as when I was pregnant the first time. It's so weird. But the only things I can chalk it up to are that 1) I know what to expect now whereas the first time I didn't, 2) I don't have to worry about the pain of labor this time whereas it was a HUGE fear of mine the first time around, 3) I can actually see a light at the end of this tunnel--June 14th--whereas I had no idea when Olivia was going to come so it felt like it would NEVER end. Well, whatever it is I'm so glad that it's been easier on me this time. I hope this is the sign of a smooth transition to come--the transition to a life with 3 kids.