24 Down, 12 to go

We had our 24 week ultrasound today - I can't get enough of seeing those little muffins! I breathe a deep sigh of relief every time I hear their heartbeats - it's so reassuring. My doctors are great - they are really showering me with the attention a babyloss-mama needs. U/S and doctor visits every 2 weeks until 28 weeks, then it's an U/S and an NST twice weekly - how wonderful is that? I feel like I'm in good hands. Not that my old OB wasn't a great doctor - she was and I really liked her. But after losing a baby right before birth, with NO explanation at all, left me feeling like I needed a high-risk practice.

I met with a Maternal-Fetal Specialist at St. Peter's Hospital here in NJ as soon as I was pregnant, for a consultation on the stillbirth and on recommended care for this new pregnancy. I have to say, the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department there is excellent. But still, after a 2-hour consult and numerous tests, they still have no idea what happened. Hence, the recommendation by the MF-Specialist to be monitored to closely and to have a planned c-section at 36-weeks.

And I'm thankful for the 36-week deadline. I am so big right now, it's a little frightening. I asked the Doctor this morning if I was getting too big, or if I was crowding them out by eating so much and gaining too much weight. She said I only gained 36 lbs so far (she's not counting the extra 10lbs I put on during IVF) so I'm good. That was a relief and yet, I still feel like a whale. She also remarked that the babies are in the 50th percentile and are looking great! woo hoo! Baby Girl weighs 1lb 8oz and Baby Boy weighs 1lb 11oz. It's a good feeling to know that I'm feeding them well and that they'll be a healthy weight at the time of birth. Oh, and my cervix looks good (that gets measured every 2 weeks as well) and there is currently no fear of pre-term birth - phew!

More good news - the doctor is putting me out on leave when I hit 30 weeks (june 1st). I agonized over this decision for several weeks, but after talking with friends and family, I've decided it's the best thing for me and for the babies right now. I'm in sales, and although I work from home, I need to be in front of my customers and their contractors, a good portion of my time. Therefore, sitting home on the computer isn't really an option more than 2 days per week. It's tough driving around the New York metro area all day long - sitting in traffic, riding on horrible roads and trying to find bathrooms when you need them. That, and I crap out at 2pm and have to run home for a nap. Not very productive. 5 more weeks until I can sit home and finish gestating - yay for me!

Of course, an extra 6 weeks of leave means that I'm on short-term disability and I forgo another 6 weeks of commissions - but my babies are too important. We'll just have to tighten our belts and work within a budget. When you decide what's really important, there's really no decision to be made at all.