My Womb: AKA "Alcatraz"

I can honestly say I never thought I'd still be pregnant right now.  While I was fairly sure I would carry our twins pretty uneventfully to "full term" or very close, I definitely didn't think I'd go past thirty-seven weeks.  Turns out I have a "cervix of steel" (to recycle the term of my fellow full-term-and-beyond twin mama friend, Kimberly) and I have now taken to calling my womb "Alcatraz."  Tagline: There ain't no escapin'.

I'm not complaining, mind you, I'm actually thrilled I have made it this far and still manage to feel pretty dang good, all things considered.  Every additional day I can give these babies in my belly is a gift, as far as I am concerned.  We went to the doctor's yesterday to "assess the situation" and they marvel at how well we're all doing.  The girls are still both head down, though "baby A" (the name they give to the baby closest to the cervix) and "baby B" flip flopped completely, meaning the child we have been calling "baby A" this entire pregnancy has now become "baby B" and visa versa.  Sneaky little fish!  On the ultrasound the girls looked perfect, moving and wriggling away, practicing breathing and the baby formerly known as "B" was sucking on her hand like crazy.  So wild to see.  They actually looked like babies and not mysterious sea monkeys on the screen and the technician guessed them to be clocking in at over six pounds each (though there is always significant room for error in this department) which would be awesome.

So what's next?  Well...since the babies are clearly happy and thriving (plenty of amniotic fluid, great heart rates and all that good stuff), and since I am (relatively speaking) "comfortable", they are going to let me go another five or six days.  They will not, however, let me go past thirty-nine weeks as things can get risky with a twin pregnancy after that.  It is my desire to go into labor on my own if at all possible, so we're hoping to see some action soon (you hear that Universe?  Let's get this party started!)  We go back to the docs on Monday and from there we'll discuss when to induce, most likely Tuesday or Wednesday.  Of course time now is completely skewed and next week seems like an eternity away.  I'm going about life as if nothing is happening and it's business as usual over here.  Babies?  What babies? Oh, the ones who won't be here till, like, next week? Psh!  Funny how that happens.

In the meantime, I'm just plugging along; working on some blog projects and posts, continuing to get my "ducks in a row" and squeezing every moment of Isla as-an-only-child time as I can.  Man do I love that child.  She is such an awesome little person; full of sweetness, personality, zest, heart and soul.  If her little sisters are anything like her, we're totally in for a massive love burst up in here.

While I am typically not a fan of creepy 3-D ultrasound images, this one is pretty dang cute if you ask me.

Side note to fellow women pregnant with multiples:  An excellent book I would recommend to women pregnant with multiples is When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy, 3rd Edition - I read it cover to cover early on and while it's a bit on the scientific side, it is a proven step by step program to give you the best chances for a healthy, full-term multiple pregnancy.  We followed these guidelines and, well, here I am.  Not a guarantee, of course, but worth looking into.