Entering Phase 3: The Belly's in Charge

We're now entering the third trimester and the girls are each about the size of a head of cauliflower (so they say). My belly's starting to spread wider, even as it continues to poke out more and more. I've been gaining a little under 2 lbs. a week for the last month and I know exactly where it's all going. I'm actually a little intimidated when I catch a glimpse of the belly in the mirror and have to remind myself that it's my belly and that if I move slowly and speak in calm tones it won't jump out and attack me. I used to feel like I had some control over the situation, but now it's seeming more and more like the belly controls me. I do what it wants, when it wants it, whether that's propping it up on a pillow, holding it up as I walk (very slowly) to the car, feeding it meaty things, or leaving work early to go lie down if it's in a bad mood, etc.

Last Thursday it was very cranky. It started contracting in the morning and just wouldn't stop. They weren't painful or rhythmic contractions, but I couldn't seem to get them to go away all day, even with lying down and drinking tons of water. It got to the point where I couldn't tell any more what was going on down there because the sensations (babies kicking, ab muscles stretching, contractions, full stomach) all ran together. Not to mention that all the twins books emphasize the risk of pre-term labor so I was super sensitive to anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anyone nearby who could give me a quick pelvic exam, so it was off to the hospital for some late-night evaluation.

To make a long story short, everything was fine. The girls were active and responsive during the non-stress test (NST), the contractions hadn't affected my cervix in any way, and the fetal fibronectin (FFN) test came back negative. The nurse practitioner who examined me said it's possible that I'll just have an active uterus for the rest of my pregnancy with more Braxton-Hicks contractions than others, which isn't out of the ordinary for moms of multiples. Our OB wasn't concerned about it when we saw her yesterday for our regular appointment, which was also reassuring. She also gave me my first shot of RhoGAM (I'm Rh negative, Mike's Rh positive), which was less reassuring and more, how they say, "painful."