I thought that being on bedrest, I would get better at blogging, but that doesn't seem to be the case. In large part, this is because it feels like nothing really happens around here that's worth talking about - I lay in bed, I lay on the couch, I read, I watch movies... Given the circumstances, no news it good news, but it's not exactly the most exciting stuff to write or read about!
But, this week we have lots of good baby-related news to share!
We reached our first mini-milestone last Tuesday when I hit 24 weeks pregnant. 24 weeks is the borderline of viability for the babies. If they were born now, they could survive, albeit with lots of medical help and time in the NICU. While they show no signs of coming anytime soon, it's a big relief to have crossed that line. Our next milestone is 28 weeks (January 4), when many of the more serious risks of premature birth go way down.
My cervix continues to hold strong, and even measured a little longer this week at 2.6 cm. We've now had three checks since they caught the shortening at 20 weeks, and all have shown it holding steady around 2.5 cm and still closed, with no contractions. The doctors are optimistic that it may stay this way for the duration, and we can keep the babies cooking until March, which would be great! If it does start to drop again, and dips below 2.5, they'll give me steroid shots to help speed up the babies' lung development in case they are born early. But for now, it seems the bedrest + progesterone supplements are working, which is a HUGE relief. Hearing that it's working gives me the motivation I need to stay lying down even when I feel like there are so many things I could to be up and doing around the house.
We had a growth scan of the babies this week and they look great! Frickle is measuring at the 40th percentile for a singleton and weighs (as of Tuesday) about 1 lb. 9 oz. Frack is a bit bigger, measuring at the 49th percentile for a singleton and weighing 1 lb. 12 oz. Both heartrates are great and they are very active babies - especially Frack. Frickle's still head-down, sitting very low in my pelvis, but Frack's come back up and is transverse (lying across my belly). Still plenty of time for them to move, though.
My blood pressure is good, and the doctor is happy with my weight gain (despite the fact that I feel enormous). Also, I passed my gestational diabetes screening test! They might take my freedom, but they will not take my ice cream and cookies!
We've also made lots of progress on the nursery this month. I'll post photos soon.
I've been on bedrest for 5 weeks now. It's frustrating, isolating and boring, but manageable. I'm thankful that it's winter. It would be much harder to be stuck in the house if the weather were nicer. We got our first real snowfall of the year yesterday and I admit it wasn't terrible to be stuck on the couch with a book and a blanket all day while it snowed. In the past 5 weeks, I've read 7 books, watched quite a few movies, and I'm learning to crochet. Matt deserves a medal for all he's done to take care of me, take care of the house, and keep things running. And both our families have visited and helped out a lot with cooking, cleaning, etc. to give him a much-deserved break. So, we're surviving.
We hope everyone is having a great month, and Merry Christmas to all!
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