35 Weeks 2 Days

The other night, my insomnia returned. I was sitting up in bed 2 nights ago when the babies tried to turn over. They tried really hard, but I don't think they were successful. I think lower baby is now transverse and low in my pelvis because I can feel limbs thumping directly onto my hips and groin ligaments. He feels really snug in there. We won't see them until next Tuesday.

But that's not the big story...it's just a lead up. I think their attempts got things going a bit. The morning after their position change, my belly felt heavier and different. My back pain was gone, which could also be because I figured out how to sway my lower back more extremely when I walk. My belly felt tingly and magical...and then...contractions. Not that hard or that painful, but regular. They began at 1 pm, a tightening at the top of the belly moving in a wave to the bottom with occasional mild menstrual like cramps. I wasn't really doing anything active, just sitting there. I began counting and tracking, knowing that if I had 6 within an hour, I needed to go to labor and delivery to see if my cervix was dilating. I drank a bunch of water and got onto my side. I called Gregg when I hit 6 and we were off. We packed the car, I took a shower, he took a picture just in case these were my last pregnant moments. We were misty eyed and mad at the traffic. I had about 14 more on the way to the hospital. We got to L & D and I was hooked up... and then. And then? 3. I had 3 in 3 hours. False labor. Oh well...a great practice run. My cervix is still closed, but I'm 70% effaced. This means nothing and does not predict when true labor will start, but I like thinking we're almost there. The docs at the hospital were surprised that I have not been experiencing this for the entire pregnancy. Yeah, no. The best part of it was the Gatorade. Hospital Gatorade tastes a lot better than convenience store Gatorade. Maybe the University of Florida's Hospital gets the best Gatorade because they invented it. My back still feels good today. At our appointment the other day, they had me in a position that induced tears, and I hope I don't get that bad again because I'm walking well for the first time in 2 weeks.

As of today, we have arrived at the average delivery date for twins. 35 weeks 2 days. I asked the babies if they wanted to be born today or Saturday and to give me 1 thump for today, 2 for Saturday. I got two thumps, so we'll see.

I'm really grateful to have made it this far and I cannot help but review in my mind the various thoughts I've had along the way. I can't believe there was only a 3% chance of us conceiving twins and that we did. I'm really grateful to have only gone through IVF once. I remember desperate Google searches for the odds of IVF working on the first try. I remember saying "anything but IVF". I remember the dawning realization that we couldn't get pregnant by ourselves. So many events. So many steps. So many more to go.

Last year at this time, we were trying to come to terms with a potentially childless life, and we were okay with it. Now I'm not, but I was then. I went to my local Mini dealer and told them I was about a year away from buying a new Mini Cooper. I told them this because if IVF didn't work, I was going to spend my way out of the inevitable mild depression that would accompany the failure (this in spite of being okay with childlessness.) Mini called me the other day and said they had a Mini I might like and reminded me that 1 year had passed. It was an amazing and startling reminder of my psychological state at that time. I said no thank you, we bought a station wagon.