26w1d - Random thoughts - pregnancy, NICU & childbirth classes

Before we get to the update, I wanted to let you know how much your comments mean to me. Every single comment lifts me up, and gives me the strength and encouragement needed to stay positive. So thank you!

Today the belly circumference measures a whopping 44 and a half inches. It's feeling heavier, to the point where I want to lift the belly with my arms to reverse the forces of gravity. An amazing triplet mom gave me her maternity support brace, and I believe the time has come to forget about vanity and to start wearing it religiously.

I've gained 26 pounds so far. Gaining weight definitely became easier from 20 weeks onwards, just as the nutritionist said it would. (Yes, I was skeptical.) I can suddenly tolerate coffee and chocolate again (hooray! life is good!), but I have been careful to limit my overall caffeine intake.

Remarkably, there have been no pregnancy cravings yet. And this from a woman who has always had regular, intense cravings during PMS (for super sweet and super salty foods, often combined, that I had to have RIGHT NOW. Like sushi with tons of soy sauce, and then some chocolate.) The absence of cravings is truly weird. I thought for sure I'd have to send Dh on a few wild goose chases after midnight, but so far he has dodged that entirely.

Interestingly, during the first trimester, I would get nauseous if my stomach was empty. Now, I get heartburn whenever I go too long without eating. I've been alternating between papaya enzyme chew tablets and T.ums, and only taking something when it gets REALLY bad. My definition of "REALLY bad" is definitely changing as the heartburn becomes a constant companion. I guess one learns how to cope, which includes cutting out tomatoes and only eating fruit with other food (not on an empty stomach). Milk has helped too.

The contractions come and go, but fortunately they've never reached the frequency (more than 4/hour) where I feel I need to call the peri. May this last, as I want to avoid terb and the other awful meds as long as possible.

Rolling over in bed is a production. I often joke that it's the equivalent of an unsuccessful 3-point turn in a narrow road. Our king size bed is not big enough for me and all the pillows. The pregnancy pillow is too cumbersome, so I'm back to using an assortment of loose pillows. Despite the nest I build and rebuild for myself all night long, I'm still waking up with the most intense hip pain every morning. 4 a.m. is my limit. That's when I can't take the tossing and turning anymore and simply call it a day, or a night, or whatever. Watching the sunrise every morning and hearing the birds wake up have been unexpected, rediscovered pleasures. This ritual is usually accompanied by breakfast at 4:10 a.m. (I'm a night owl, hate getting up in the morning, and don't do breakfast. Oh how things change.)

The girls are kicking often, but I haven't felt a hiccup yet. I've noticed that Dh touching my abdomen always gets them going. Usually, they go from being completely quiet to kicking right where his hand is, which is pretty special. If I touch my belly, or someone else touches my belly, nothing happens. Whether the babies can sense their dad, or whether there are physiological changes in my body when he touches me, I don't know. I just know that it's no coincidence as we've tested this in various circumstances and at different times, mostly without him making even a sound. I love that he can communicate with his children already.

We're looking forward to the girl's growth scan on Friday. I've made special arrangements for my husband and I to tour the NICU beforehand, which will hopefully alleviate some anxiety. This is like the insurance of carrying an umbrella - it will only rain if you forgot your umbrella at home.

We'll be part of a larger group to tour the L&D unit later this month, and we also hope to make it to a 3-hour Multiples Class in October. I was so happy to see that our hospital offered something for multiples as I didn't want to sit through hours of information on natural birth when that will clearly not be an option for us.