I honestly didn’t think I would “get” to write a post about how my 37th week of pregnancy went. Everyone said, “twins? oh you’ll go early….” —doctors, friends, other twin moms, family. In traditional Becky-fashion, I’m here to prove you wrong and blaze my own trail (though this time, I really would have liked to live up to the expectation).
Doctors want me to schedule an induction soon (so the babies will be small enough for a vaginal birth). Shane and I are still praying about it, at the risk of the C-section I’ve worked so hard this whole pregnancy to avoid. Time will tell what God has planned for the birth of these kids. One thing is for sure, God has proven faithful thus far, and will continue to do so. My body is more powerful than I ever thought, and carrying two souls this long has broadened my perspective on God’s grace to sustain me.
Here’s to the week I never thought I’d have (of course there is still more time to have babies this weekend):
37 Weeks: July 6-12
Babies size: Watermelons (2 of them!)
What’s new with babies? Babies have definitely “dropped.”
What’s new with Mama? I keep feeling those stretchy pains of my skin and belly making more room for bigger babies.
Sleep: I’ve been getting 13+ hours per every 24 hour day this week! It could be all the extra walking/ball bouncing, but I have been logging in the hours of deep rest, and I’m not taking them for granted.
Best moment this week: a conversation with a friend that didn’t completely revolve around the babies/birth/pregnancy.
Babies’ Movement: Still kicking’ and rolling, especially when Shane plays and sings sweet songs to us.
Genders: a Boy and a Girl.
Labor Signs/prep: I dream every night about having a contraction. Still nothing in reality. I do get a sharp pain at the top of my uterus every few hours. Several weeks ago, I thought it was my bra digging into my belly. After the babies dropped, I realized the pain was lower, but still a consistent, burning/digging-in feeling. Not sure if thats a weird form of braxton-hicks or what.
Natural Induction Attempts: Knowing my doctors would like to induce me soon, I thought I’d try a few “home remedies” to get labor started. Here’s what I think, (beware of TMI!):
- Dancing–
- Effectiveness: babies definitely dropped after 20 minutes one day.
- Thoughts: fun activity
- Spicy Food
- Effectiveness: nada for labor… but my sinuses clear up a bit!
- Thoughts: I could do without the gas pains (dirty little trick to make me think I have labor pains)
- Walking–
- Effectiveness: I thought I felt a contraction while racing through Walmart during Rodeo week (what was I thinking going in there this week?)
- Thoughts: I passionately enjoy the runners high: pushing my body to the almost-breaking-point while running. Of course, I have avoided that through the whole pregnancy, to stave off pre-term labor. Now that we are past that point, I am enjoying the “9-months-pregnant-walker’s high” every day.
- Pineapple–
- Effectiveness: zilch
- Thoughts: tasty!
- Evening Primrose Oil (orally)–
- Effectiveness: can’t tell yet, but hopefully it softens and dilates.
- Thoughts: Smells so gross!!!
- Birth-ball–
- Effectiveness: sore quads, perhaps more open hips?
- Thoughts: I have no shame. I bounce like a circus monkey in our living room while watching youtube videos and admiring our gorgeous view. I’m sure our neighbors find my ball-work quite entertaining.
- Labor Cake–
- Effectiveness: No contractions
- Thoughts: DELICIOUS! (its a mighty chocolate overload)
- Leaving the house a wreck–
- Effectiveness: I figured a sink full of dirty dishes would DEFINITELY do the trick. Alas, I woke up with no labor signs and a kitchen to clean.
- Thoughts: I’ll try to keep things in order for our lovely puppy-sitter when we do head off suddenly. Maybe the cleaning will initiate a “nesting” mentality and get things going.
- Stimulating the “lovely lady lumps”–
- Effectiveness: nothing
- Thoughts: uncomfortable, though I haven’t tried the breast pump yet
- Gettin’ frisky–
- Effectiveness: what are we measuring here? I feel like my big belly is a walking advertisement of our effective sex life. Unfortunately, the same tactics to get the babies in there hasn’t worked to get them out (yet).
- Thoughts: Ladies don’t kiss and tell 😉
Symptoms: Pain in my hips (there’s a baby getting ready down there), and more swelling in my feet.
Mood: I started this week out with a major hormonal shift. Sunday morning I woke up feeling like a 13 year old girl experiencing PMS for the first time. I was irritated and grumpy at everything. By the time we arrived at church, I was ready to weep. Thankfully, everyone at church is quite understanding of a woman who weeps during worship and communion. By mid-week, I was so burnt-out on emotional upheaval, I was beginning to feel a bit callused and inattentive.
Through it all, I strive desperately to come to Jesus every hour, searching the scriptures to shape my attitude in truth, not just what I’m feeling at the time. It can be a lot of work to fight your emotions and stay on track with truth, and I will say I am exhausted spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally from it (maybe that’s why God has granted me so much sleep this week! Hallelujah!).
Lullaby of the week: Every night this week, while we are getting ready for bed, Shane starts singing “This is the night…. its a beautiful night…” to my belly. The babies haven’t been cooperating with Shane’s tactics, but it definitely lands Bella Notte, from Lady and the Tramp, as the Lullaby of the Week.
Truth I’m dwelling on: Striving to be more desperate for Jesus than I am desperate to have these babies.
“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…” Phil 3:10
Looking forward to: Experiencing all that God has planned for us these next few weeks.
Questions for the Mamas:
Did you try natural induction techniques? What worked? What would you steer clear from?
Comment below to answer. And stay tuned, hopefully we will be posting the grand introduction of our beautiful son and daughter soon!
Yay! Getting closer, so exciting! Bouncing on the ball is so much fun, good leg workout and makes ya feel like a kid! Awesome! That was one of my favorite things to do the last 2 pregnancies and I will start again soon with this one lol.
I would suggest NOT doing the caster oil and orange juice method of trying to induce! It may prep you for labor with intense intestinal cramping and possible all night party with the camode but it is NOT fun! You may achieve a very clean intestinal tract but the lack of sleep that also comes with this method is unfortunate.
Praying for a safe, easy and fast delivery for you, wisdom for your doctors and patience for you and Shane! And of course healthy happy babes!
Do not jump off a washing machine. A friend tried that…..doesn’t work. It seriously was a friend. Excitedly waiting for their arrival on the outside!
We bought a pineapple to eat, but it was underripe so we put it in a bag with a banana overnight to try to speed up the ripening process (we had gone to 4 stores to try to find a ripe one…). My water broke at 5am the next morning. So apparently pineapple shopping is effective, even if pineapple is not! I took evening primrose oil capsules, no taste or smell, for the month before my due date. Not sure if it helped or not. There are some essential oils that are supposed to induce labor! I hadn’t tried them, but we were talking about it. I didn’t want to try to get baby to come out if she wasn’t ready, but I was 6 days overdue, so we figured it wouldn’t hurt. 😛 Ultimately, we didn’t really try any thing special and she came in her own time!
So glad to hear you and babies are well. You know, doctors cant make you do anything. Trust God. The babies are ready when they are ready. I know twins are different than singles, but God gave them to you and He knows how to get them out of you. Even though their added weight is LARGE, individually, they are still cooking and only one comes out at a time! I. Have a. Ten and half pounder at home with mo induction or medical assistance. God is so great! He gave me that story to tell people to show them that He is greater than western medicine. That His design is PERFECT! Maybe He has a story for you to tell like that? We never known unless we are letting Him lead us. I am praying for you and those babies. One thing is for certain, God sure picked an amazing woman to bless with two lives to care for and teach His ways to! Hang in there. ( clary sage is suppose to get that uterus squeezing. Worked for a friend at 38 weeks)