Approaching The Finish Line

Today I officially hit 38 weeks, the longest most doctors will let moms of multiples carry. (Delivery-related risks, like placental abruption, go up significantly after 38 weeks because moms are simply carrying too much baby.) I am truly surprised that I made it this long; very few moms of multiples do. And, irrational as it may be, I am proud of myself. It has not been at all easy for either me or DH. Essentially I've been an invalid for the past month, unable to use my hands fully and on modified bed rest. Sometimes simply standing up or walking is excruciating. So poor DH has to do almost everything around the house. We're both choosing to look at it as practice for the first few weeks postpartum: my job will be to feed babies and recover from surgery. His job is to do everything else.

That's not really a fair division of labor, so his parents are driving down help out. They'll arrive the day before we all get released from the hospital and help us get everybody home, prepare dinner, etc. Both my MIL and FIL are retired and said they will stay for as long as we'd like. The renovation still isn't done, so we don't have a spare bedroom. But my in-laws are more than happy to pay for an extended stay hotel. So we get the benefit of their help without having them sleep over. We are so very lucky!

DH and I are both ready for the babies to arrive - mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically. Waiting gets harder every day and almost all the prep is done so we don't have that much to occupy us. DH works from home and this is always a slow time of year, so we've been watching a lot of movies. :) We've also made a point of going out for meals together and enjoying the last precious pre-baby days as a couple. Spending quality time with DH really helps take my mind off how uncomfortable I am, not to mention how much it helps us emotionally prepare for our whole lives to get turned upside down. We're both ready to end this chapter and start the new one, difficult as we know it will be.

Wednesday is my last routine check up and I need to do pre-surgery blood work at the hospital either Wednesday or Thursday. My surgery is at 2 p.m. Friday and if all goes well the babies and I will be released from the hospital the following Tuesday. So we are in "no news is good news" territory. I expect to be pretty groggy and out of it, not to mention exhausted and in pain, for a while after delivery. I will post pictures and salient birth details as soon as I can, but I can't say when that might be.

In the meantime, y'all stay happy and healthy!