28w Ultrasound

Hi. Well, the babies are fine. The babies are perfect! They are growing wonderfully and every organ is just as it should be. They are measuring 28w4d and 28w6d, and we are currently 28w4d, so they are just perfect.

But.....

Several days ago I felt a shift in their position. I thought it was baby boy moving out of transverse into a more vertical position and I've been waiting anxiously for today's appointment to see just where they are.

Baby Boy is pretty much just as he was -- transverse across the top with his head on my right. Baby Girl has moved OUT of vertex and has put her head right next to his, with her body laying at a diagonal (breech).

An interesting observation has been made by my ultrasound tech over the years.... she has noticed that mid-gestation ultrasounds after the full moon are often breech. It appears that the gravitational pull of the moon causes many babies to turn breech.

With a singleton, there is still plenty of time to turn vertex but with twins.... we'll have to wait and see.


We tried to get good pictures of the babes, but they are both facing my spine and declined to pose for the camera. :-(

She did see HAIR on the back of Baby Boy's head. I hope these little ones are born with a beautiful bushy head of hair! :-) Mine had little hair which didn't fill in decently until about a year old.

Oh, and both genders were confirmed without a glimmer of doubt. One Boy, One Girl.

27 Weeks

Nothing much to report.

I saw Dr. Biter today for a quick check-up. I weigh 159 lbs (eek!) but I gained about 40 lbs with each of my babies, so I'm guessing a 50lb weight gain would be normal for me with twins. That means I can plan to gain another 20 lbs before the big day.

I am 27 weeks pregnant but measuring 32 weeks. I checked my circumference a couple days ago and it was still 38.5in so I've grown more up than out. :-)

My back brace is still a wonderful help and I generally put it on first thing in the morning before making breakfast and doing all my regular mommy life stuff. I have discovered, though, that it's best to take it off before sitting for any length of time. Otherwise, it adds extra pressure to the stomach which is uncomfortable and causes heartburn.

Screening for gestational diabetes sometime in the next week, then ultrasound on the 30th, and next appointment on November 3rd. We're now scheduling appointments at 2 week intervals.

:-)

First Full Day

Today was my first full day of wearing my belly support combo. 6am to 8:30pm (removed for naptime). HONESTLY, my back doesn't even know I'm pregnant today. Wow! What a difference! And Wednesday is my laundry day so I've been loading the washer, transferring to dryer, folding, hanging, and the regular stuff (ie. driving the car, cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming).

Mother-To-Be Maternity Brace
and Amon Maternity Belly Band.

26 weeks today.

Maternity Support Brace

I finally received my Amazon order for a maternity brace. It is the Mother-to-be Maternity Support in size Small. I know I will have a large belly by the end of this pregnancy, but the way this fits I think it is better to go with your pre-pregnancy dress size as the manufacturer recommends. Size Small is for dress sizes 3-7.





$32.99 - $44 Size Small is unfortunately hard to find.















I also ordered the Amon Maternity Belly Support Band in a size Small. This one too is hard to find in a size Small.

My plan was to use the two products together with the spandex-type support against my skin and the brace over the top. This way any chafing issues are eliminated. This works MUCH better than the Prenatal Cradle and I'm happy with the results.


The Mother-To-Be brace is highly adjustable and gives strong support to the lower back. There are inserts available (sold separately) for additional support, but I don't think they're necessary if you have a healthy back. It comes in three pieces, and instructions are included (you wouldn't think it would be necessary, but.... lol, it was, for me). The first piece is the front support band which has it's own elastic band that wraps around the back to velcro to the front. Then the back support is held in place and pulled tight to velcro to each side of the front support. The top band (across the top of the belly) is optional and attaches at the sides.


So I'm wearing the Amon Belly Band (alone, this is very light support and feels somewhat like a Braxton Hicks) with the Mother-To-Be brace over it. Since both work via compression, they do intensify the full-bladder sensation, but, I think that is unavoidable with any maternity support device.


It's definately not a sexy-looking contraption, but if you're looking for a STRONG maternity support to alleviate lower-back strain and arching, this combo gets my recommendation.


:-)

Braxton Hicks

Wow! We're 25 weeks now and Wow!.... I've never experienced such strong Braxton Hicks contractions!

Other surrogates who have carried twins -- Were your Braxton Hicks more pronounced than with singleton pregnancies?


(Yes, I can tell the difference between Braxton Hicks contractions and actual true labor.)