Robin takes on Batman ...

I've officially entered in to my 32 week of pregnancy which means weekly perinatal (high risk) doctor appointments for monitoring. I walked in with not a care in the world! I mean, I've had such a great pregnancy this is just old hat, right? Wellll .... sorta.

Turns out that Batman and Robin are about 19% different in weight. Batman is currently 3lbs 8oz and Robin is 4lbs 5oz. Nothing super major - but enough that my doctor is concerned. Batman should be bigger and more in line with his brother. So to keep an eye on that difference I'm now getting monitored two times a week with the perinatal doctor. And at any point in time - they could tell me to hustle over to the hospital and deliver if they don't like what they are seeing with the boys.

Oh Goodness.

And let me tell you about "monitoring." It's not a horrible experience by any means! But I felt nervous all the same. Each baby gets their own fetal monitor and they look for certain things over a 30 to 40 minute period. How do the babies react during a contraction? How steady are their heartbeats? Are they along the same lines in heartbeats, etc. I found myself constantly asking "what does that mean?" or "is that good?" or "is that supposed to happen?" The nurse was super patient and explained every little thing to me. It was just weird to have the goop they spread over my tummy as she pushed and prodded trying to see how the boys were laying. And of course, they were MMA fighting so it was hard to locate their heartbeats right away and I got more goop spread over my belly (it stinks once it dries. Ew.) I always breath a sigh of relief when I hear their hearts beating - but this was just nerve wracking! And I get to do it twice a week!

I think I have been living in a nice ignorant bubble thinking I could make it 38 weeks to my picked out date of January 14th (for my c-section). Oh silly Mara. My perinatal doc told me I need to make it to at least December 28th where I will be 36 weeks and the boys won't have to stay in NICU. My OB thinks I can make it to January 4th - but no later. I'm crossing my fingers for January 4th. Just for the simple fact that I want more time to prepare - for what? I'm not sure. I think I'm ready as I'll ever be - I just want more time! I still need to order blinds for their room! I haven't found frames for the art work! I still haven't found a pediatrician, for goodness sake!

Slight anxiety. That's all.

So now I'm on my knees praying that I will make it to January 4th. That my boys will be safe and healthy. They aren't an alarmingly small size - but Batman needs to do some major catch-up and it might be better for him to gain the weight in the outside world rather than in my tummy. And those boys are definitely squished in my tummy... When they kick or punch or head bang - they like to do it in opposite directions. I can only imagine some faces I've made while trying to play it cool in meetings. It always surprises me when they go full force!

I will now start my mantra of January 4th and I'll be sure to tell the boys every night before I go to sleep that I don't want to see them until then! It's their first test to see if they will obey Mommy. Here's to hoping ...

~M