My Extreme Babysitting Adventure: (17) Stay in there!

It’s Thursday, July 17^th, and the day has finally come to confirm what I already know to be true. Two little boys are growing inside of me! And I fall in love with them even more as the days go by. I know I shouldn’t, but for some reason I can’t help it. I know they are not mine. I know I’ll be willingly handing them over to their real parents when the time comes. But I still love them. Silently, I promise that I’ll take the best possible care of them while they’re inside of me.

They are getting pretty big, so I often get a kick to my rib from one baby, and a kick to my “lower region” from the other. It is such a strange feeling to describe, and it isn’t pleasant. It’s like he’s trying to claw his way out. But we need both of them to stay put for a while. We’re almost 19 weeks along, but that’s still too early for these two to survive on the outside. So, stay in there!

We meet Holly and Darren at the MFM office for the lengthy anatomy scan. It will be around 2.5 hours with the scan and doctor visit afterwards. Since I was there three days ago for the scary contractions, they start with a cervix measurement. Of course that means removing my bottoms during the scan because they have to measure this internally. The guys decide to stay in the waiting area until we tell them I’m dressed. Holly asks if she can be in there. I tell her “absolutely”, and I’m a little surprised she still asks. Of course she can be there! It really isn’t a big deal to me. It’s not like I’m lying there naked. I have a sheet covering me! Sure, it’s a little awkward the first few times, but we’ve already shared some intimate details with each another. What’s one more modesty-busting detail at this point?

We call the guys in after the cervix measurement, so they can witness the rest of the anatomy scan. The ultrasound tech starts by just looking the twins over in general. She also confirms: two boys! Then they start measuring the circumference of their heads and the length of their arms and legs. She shows us their full bladders and then empty bladders just a few minutes later. They check things that I didn’t even know they could. She takes a short video of their heart function too. We learn that the boys are about 1 pound each. It’s very high tech. I feel fortunate to be able to witness this first hand. The ultrasound tech doesn’t quite get all of the measurements and explains that they’ll finish up next time. I’ve been lying on my back too long, so she gets the important stuff for the doctors. This often happens with multiples: too much to do in the allotted time frame.

We are then taken to another room for the doctor visit. As always, Dr. Merrill is happy to see us. But, he says my cervix has shortened again and decides to prescribe some drastic measures to stop whatever might be happening. He explains that I might just have a short cervix to begin with, but since they don’t know for sure, he asks me start using a progesterone suppository every night. I can tell this is worrying Holly. She tries to hide it, but this new unknown scares her. He also ups my BP medication. I’m not having any side effects so I’m okay with it. I’m a little weirded out having to put two suppositories in my nether regions daily for the next 18 weeks, but I suck it up. Anything to help keep these kids cooking in here longer. I know once we hit 24 weeks, Holly will be able to relax a little. Plus, that’s when we plan to finally reveal our very well kept secret to Holly and Darren’s families. That night I attempt my first suppository deposit, it doesn't go very well:-( It says to stand while inserting (obviously a man wrote these instructions!) My second attempt the next night goes way better. I lie down on my bed this time, yeah, way easier!

Monday I was told “no more gym”. I didn’t like to hear this, but I completely understand the reasoning. The more pressure I put on the uterus, the more likely it is for me to go into premature labor. Why risk it? I ask Dr. Merrill if I can still use the swimming pool. He is reluctant to say yes. He doesn’t want the drive to the gym or any other potential (avoidable) stress to be added to my day. I assure him it’s only a few miles from my house. I also tell him Dr. Winkler sees the benefits, so Dr. Merrill agrees (for now). After all, I’m now coming in weekly to have my cervix length checked. I hope the cervix situation improves. If not, even more drastic measures might be needed…