Tuesday, August 18, 2009

16 Week OB Appointment

Before I tell you about my appt, I have to first tell you about my fabulous birthday yesterday. L and I decided to have a low-key day and we stayed home yesterday morning, rather than going to a play date or the park or story time at the library or wherever else we decide to go. It was so nice just to "chill out" since we have been so busy this summer. DH came home last night and he brought me my presents. He gave me a few misc things that I wanted and then I opened up a large camera-like case. I had just bought a new camera a couple of months ago so I was a bit confused. The next present I opened was a video camera. I was in shock and soooo super happy! We have never had one and have talked about getting one for a long time and my dear, sweet DH decided to just get it and give it to me. Now I can finally tape all of the funny things that L says and does and I can video the babies when they arrive. :) I ended the day with going out to dinner with my two favorite boys.

This morning I had my 16 week appt. I had one day last week when the babies were so active all day long and since them I have hardly felt them move so I was really worried going into today's appt. They took a urine sample to check for a UTI and it came back normal. They also checked my hemoglobin and it is above 11 still. Once it goes below 11, my OB will prescribe iron pills. Here are some of the other stats:

Weight Gain: 16 pounds
Blood Pressure: 114/60
Fundal Height: 20 cm
Babies Heartbeats: between 156-164

So far, everything looks good! I have gained about a pound a week, which is great, my b/p is still low, I am measuring the same as someone with a singleton would measure at 20 weeks and both babies heartbeats are going strong!

I told my OB that I was still taking the baby aspirin (which she told me to stop taking at 13 weeks, but I was too nervous to stop) and said that she actually DOES want me to continue taking it for various reasons. She said that blood clots increase with twins and also to keep the micro vascular arteries "slippery".

I asked her if she thought I would be put on bed rest at some point. She said that she can't tell at this point, but the fact that I have carried a 9lb 4.2oz baby to full term is a good sign and that lowers that risk of going into pre-term labor. She also told me that I am not on any real restrictions at this point except she doesn't want me doing really strenuous stuff like yard work or heavy lifting. I assured her that I am not even vacuuming at this point (thanks DH!). She thought that when I see her at my next appt that she would most likely put me on some restrictions due to fatigue, but hopefully not because of any other medical reasons.

I also asked if I could take a "prenatal splash" class at one of the therapy pools close to our house. It is a swimming/low impact exercise class for pregnant women. They follow all of the recommended guidelines for pregnant women. I am already experiencing shortness of breath going up stairs or walking long distances so I want to try to keep up my strength and mobility as I get bigger. She gave the ok to do this because she encourages movement for as long as my body is able to handle it.

My 20 week u/s is on September 8 and then we have an appt with our OB that same day as well. Things are going to smoothly that I feel like I am waiting for the shoe to drop. After we get through our 20 week u/s, I will hopefully be able to rest much easier:)

2 comments:

Jill M. said...

Happy Bday!!! Glad you had a great bday and a great u/s!

Joy said...

Happy belated birthday. Sounds like you had a great day. Everything seems to be going along good. I am soooo hoping things stay that way for you this entire pregnacy...you deserve it.