I know, from experience, that the way I deal with death isn't normal. Or maybe it is, I guess, because the first stage of grief is denial.
During high school, when my grandmother died my senior year (during mid-terms) I simply didn't believe it. I had JUST come back from a visit to see her, and it simply wasn't real. In college two years later my grandfather passed away in his sleep. I spent most of the time around his funeral stripping old outdoor chairs and putting together a flower basket for him.
Sure, I cry, but not as much as you would think I would, considering I cry all the time over little things. I simply don't deal with emotions right away. It takes me a while to process everything.
But that doesn't mean that I'm not grieving.
This morning I found out that my maternal grandmother passed away. I am so sad that my grandmother won't be able to meet the twins. I had looked forward to calling her and asking her more about raising twins. I don't feel like I learned as much from her as I could have, as I'd planned to. She was going to be my go to girl.
I can't feel bad for her though. She really wanted to move on. After Grandpa died, she was really lonely, despite every effort to make sure she frequently had company. She didn't want to die in pain, and she got her wish. Instead she died in her sleep, completely unexpectedly. There's a certain pattern here, between both sets of grandparents. One grandparent dies of a chronic lung problem, two years later their spouse dies quietly and peacefully in their sleep. Interesting, isn't it, that on BOTH sides of the family that would happen.
I wonder if the twins not arriving on time has anything to do with this. The timing, of course, is terrible, but it could have been worse. We have a few more days to deal with loss before new life begins.
A sick cat, a grandmother passing, a husband taking on more responsibilities at work, a loss of a job prospect, a delayed birth. It's all nuts. You can go months, years, without feeling the pull of all the different strands of life, and then suddenly life is all around you like a whirlwind. It never makes any sense. But it's life. And, in it's own weird, chaotic way, it's beautiful.
It is as if I'm in a boat battling a storm, and with the help of God and a little adrenaline, I am surviving the storm. But wow, what a storm.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Lessons Learned
Well, as I sit here, nearly 40 weeks pregnant with twins, and wait, wait, wait, I thought I might as well put down a few thoughts about being pregnant.
I don't think I've ever been one of those people who just couldn't wait to be pregnant. Sure, I wanted kids, and pregnancy usually comes with the territory, but I wasn't looking forward to the actual pregnancy bit. I can honestly say though, that I'm glad to have been (am) pregnant. Here are a few things I've learned:
1) Despite how annoying it can get with everyone asking again and again how far along you are, and if you're having more than one, it's very nice that people are caring and concerned about people who are pregnant. Random strangers basically stop you on the street to wish you well. Even a woman begging for change outside the grocery store asked about my pregnancy.
I tend towards pessimistic, well, maybe not pessimistic exactly, but I see all the problems of the world and often forget about the good parts. People, as a rule, are generally good. They help lost travelers, they send money to people in need, they wish people well.
I'm under no disillusionment. As soon as I have screaming toddlers there may be more judgement than compassion, but it's something to remember for later. People mean well, and they love to see a little hope enter the world.
2) You wouldn't believe the amount of people who ask if I've scheduled my c-section yet. Medically speaking, it's just assumed by many that if you're having twins you will have a c-section. If I need one, so be it, but it's interesting that c-sections are so common that people would ask me what day I had planned to have the kids. It's a little sad actually. Sure, there's a greater chance of c-section in twins, but even then, there's nothing wrong with going to term and THEN having one when the babies are actually ready to pop. I'm not really sure what this says about society, other than perhaps we're jumping the gun a bit with babies.
3) It is really important to learn about pregnancy and birth from somewhere outside of the hospital community. I highly recommend Bradley classes, although I feel a little less avid about some tenants of the class. If I had only taken the mainstream classes I would have believed that I should only gain 45 pounds during my pregnancy. I've gained at least 75, but I'm pretty healthy. I wouldn't have know about the amount of protein, water, and exercise recommended. Mainstream views say to eat more, but not nearly as much as I have. I completely believe that my nutrition is key to why I've lasted this long in pregnancy. Okay, I might be fully ready to give birth now, but it's far better to get to 40 weeks than to deliver at 34 weeks, which is the point where nearly all of the twin mothers I've met have told me they delivered. All of them had NICU stays as well, although they did end up healthy in the end as well.
4) I've learned to take even sage advice with a grain of salt. For instance, although I love Bradley classes, there's one basic tenant that I disagree with. Bradley says that the human (female) body was designed for birth, and therefore everything can happen naturally. I add, in most cases. The hospital's interventions are seen as an industrial complex, which I do believe is somewhat true. We intervene way too much in pregnancies, BUT sometimes it's necessary. Before modern medicine lots of mothers died in child birth. While our infant mortality rate isn't the best right now (we're number 34), it's far better than many others.
Also on that note, while it is important to get your protein in, it won't kill you to have an off day once in a while. Today's breakfast? Carnation Instant Breakfast (2 packs) in a large glass of milk, cheese and crackers, and apples with peanut butter. All said in total, maybe 30 grams of protein, which is where I want to be...but no eggs and no leafy greens. I think we will survive. I just didn't want to cook this morning, so I didn't.
5) I do not enjoy being fat. I know it's really not fat, it's babies, but blech! Not fun. I've been pretty thin my whole life, so it's interesting to deal with all of the physical demands of heaviness. I'm hoping that my dislike of extra weight will help me get back in shape as soon as I'm able.
Overall, I feel like the things I've learned over the past 9 months will only help me through the next stage of parenthood. People mean well, find the right people to learn from, take a critical look at the medical industry, but remember that they're there to help you, perfection is not necessary, remember that you'll want to exercise after birth. Would I have learned these things if I hadn't been pregnant? I think I already knew them all already, but it was a nice refresher.
I'm not against adoption. How could I be knowing that one of my best friends from high school was adopted. She's a great advertisement for adoption. I am, however, grateful that I've been able to go through the experience of pregnancy, even if I never thought I really needed it. Now lets see if I'm grateful for the experience of the actual birth. So far birth videos do not make me any more excited about that part of becoming a mother. But I guess I'll just have to remember that I've enjoyed (can't believe it, but it's true) being pregnant (although I am very, very ready to no longer be pregnant).
I don't think I've ever been one of those people who just couldn't wait to be pregnant. Sure, I wanted kids, and pregnancy usually comes with the territory, but I wasn't looking forward to the actual pregnancy bit. I can honestly say though, that I'm glad to have been (am) pregnant. Here are a few things I've learned:
1) Despite how annoying it can get with everyone asking again and again how far along you are, and if you're having more than one, it's very nice that people are caring and concerned about people who are pregnant. Random strangers basically stop you on the street to wish you well. Even a woman begging for change outside the grocery store asked about my pregnancy.
I tend towards pessimistic, well, maybe not pessimistic exactly, but I see all the problems of the world and often forget about the good parts. People, as a rule, are generally good. They help lost travelers, they send money to people in need, they wish people well.
I'm under no disillusionment. As soon as I have screaming toddlers there may be more judgement than compassion, but it's something to remember for later. People mean well, and they love to see a little hope enter the world.
2) You wouldn't believe the amount of people who ask if I've scheduled my c-section yet. Medically speaking, it's just assumed by many that if you're having twins you will have a c-section. If I need one, so be it, but it's interesting that c-sections are so common that people would ask me what day I had planned to have the kids. It's a little sad actually. Sure, there's a greater chance of c-section in twins, but even then, there's nothing wrong with going to term and THEN having one when the babies are actually ready to pop. I'm not really sure what this says about society, other than perhaps we're jumping the gun a bit with babies.
3) It is really important to learn about pregnancy and birth from somewhere outside of the hospital community. I highly recommend Bradley classes, although I feel a little less avid about some tenants of the class. If I had only taken the mainstream classes I would have believed that I should only gain 45 pounds during my pregnancy. I've gained at least 75, but I'm pretty healthy. I wouldn't have know about the amount of protein, water, and exercise recommended. Mainstream views say to eat more, but not nearly as much as I have. I completely believe that my nutrition is key to why I've lasted this long in pregnancy. Okay, I might be fully ready to give birth now, but it's far better to get to 40 weeks than to deliver at 34 weeks, which is the point where nearly all of the twin mothers I've met have told me they delivered. All of them had NICU stays as well, although they did end up healthy in the end as well.
4) I've learned to take even sage advice with a grain of salt. For instance, although I love Bradley classes, there's one basic tenant that I disagree with. Bradley says that the human (female) body was designed for birth, and therefore everything can happen naturally. I add, in most cases. The hospital's interventions are seen as an industrial complex, which I do believe is somewhat true. We intervene way too much in pregnancies, BUT sometimes it's necessary. Before modern medicine lots of mothers died in child birth. While our infant mortality rate isn't the best right now (we're number 34), it's far better than many others.
Also on that note, while it is important to get your protein in, it won't kill you to have an off day once in a while. Today's breakfast? Carnation Instant Breakfast (2 packs) in a large glass of milk, cheese and crackers, and apples with peanut butter. All said in total, maybe 30 grams of protein, which is where I want to be...but no eggs and no leafy greens. I think we will survive. I just didn't want to cook this morning, so I didn't.
5) I do not enjoy being fat. I know it's really not fat, it's babies, but blech! Not fun. I've been pretty thin my whole life, so it's interesting to deal with all of the physical demands of heaviness. I'm hoping that my dislike of extra weight will help me get back in shape as soon as I'm able.
Overall, I feel like the things I've learned over the past 9 months will only help me through the next stage of parenthood. People mean well, find the right people to learn from, take a critical look at the medical industry, but remember that they're there to help you, perfection is not necessary, remember that you'll want to exercise after birth. Would I have learned these things if I hadn't been pregnant? I think I already knew them all already, but it was a nice refresher.
I'm not against adoption. How could I be knowing that one of my best friends from high school was adopted. She's a great advertisement for adoption. I am, however, grateful that I've been able to go through the experience of pregnancy, even if I never thought I really needed it. Now lets see if I'm grateful for the experience of the actual birth. So far birth videos do not make me any more excited about that part of becoming a mother. But I guess I'll just have to remember that I've enjoyed (can't believe it, but it's true) being pregnant (although I am very, very ready to no longer be pregnant).
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
By the Number
2: babies to be born
4: number of thank you notes still to send out
26: alphabet letters to be nailed up in the nursery
10: days until a medical induction
7: approximate lb weight of each baby (so far)
75: lbs gained by me so far
5: approximate number of miles walked so far this week
4: number of thank you notes still to send out
26: alphabet letters to be nailed up in the nursery
10: days until a medical induction
7: approximate lb weight of each baby (so far)
75: lbs gained by me so far
5: approximate number of miles walked so far this week
Monday, August 6, 2012
On My Mind
Call it genetic, or call it the amount of protein intake I had throughout the pregnancy, but these babies just do not want to come out! I figured I'd have hopefully 2 weeks off before the babies arrived, but ideally one month. I'm going on 6 weeks now, and we set a deadline for induction. Sure, I'm using the time to rest, but overall, there's not much I can do, and when that happens, my brain goes on overdrive.
So what's on my mind?
Well, one thing is that I have been reading more news, and I'm particularly concerned about the different reports on the drought in the midwest. Fish dying because the water is too hot? Organic farmers struggling to fulfill their CSA obligations? Corn growers with land that is too dry to work? We have been pretty lucky here in Boston, but I'm far from immune to the concern over water disbursement. According to Lester Brown this was all going to happen someday, but climate models had it all down the road a little. With any luck next year will be a rainy season, but once the earth is scorched, and the topsoil compromised, the amount of water absorbed will decrease. With increasing bouts of dryness, I wonder how many people realize how serious, how quickly, this can become.
But I need a better news source. I often go to HuffingtonPost.com because, although they have fluff pieces,the also have articles on things I want to know about. Unfortunately, I see more and more fluff and less and less real stuff, and they have bought into the drama of violence in America. Can we PLEASE not give voice to all of these people who are violent?! It does not help any of the victims, or the rest of us really, if we make it so easy for someone to become notorious if they kill others. I'm convinced people do these big acts of violence so they make it on the news. Is that crazy, yes, but I think it's true. I'd rather hear a headline story about a hero during an attack than learn the details of how the killer planned it all.
Houses, houses, houses. After I started looking around for a vacation rental in Germany, I ended up on a site that is selling apartments. For 29,500 Euro we could buy a one bedroom house a few blocks from my husband's mother. We happen to have 24,000 Euro sitting in a bank account that we've been debating how or if to transfer back to the states. That money is a contentious subject between us, as it wasn't supposed to leave the states in the first place, but that's another story. Gerd isn't really sure about the idea yet, and I do wish it was a 2 bedroom place, but I can't help but think of how useful it would be to have a place that we knew we would go to each time we go for a visit. We could leave cribs and toys there, and we would be able to use some of the belongings Gerd's grandmother has in her abandoned apartment (even though she has been in an assisted living community for 5 years, and has no plan on moving back, she still has an apartment in a retirement complex).
Of course that got me thinking about my house in New Mexico too. I've started conversations with a different property manager to determine if my house would be a good short term furnished rental. It would be a bit nerve-wracking, wondering if I could rent it out enough of the year to make it pay for itself, but it would be SOO wonderful if I could actually stay in my own how when I visit New Mexico. I didn't now there were property managers who specialize in furnished short time vacation rentals, but I could hire someone to manage all the bookings, cleanings, bills, etc. BUT, I have a pretty stable renter right now, and I'm not sure it's a good idea to rock the boat. We'll have to see what the property manager says when she drives by the neighborhood. It's possible she could say the area is just not desirable enough and I wouldn't be able to rent it out enough to make it worth the investment.
You would think, with this amount of time on my hands, that you would find my house spotless, meals cooked on time, plenty of projects started and completed, but no. Instead my head just spins and spins. Acupuncture tomorrow, maybe it'll work! Then I won't really have time to think of all this stuff for a while, and that would be a good thing.
So what's on my mind?
Well, one thing is that I have been reading more news, and I'm particularly concerned about the different reports on the drought in the midwest. Fish dying because the water is too hot? Organic farmers struggling to fulfill their CSA obligations? Corn growers with land that is too dry to work? We have been pretty lucky here in Boston, but I'm far from immune to the concern over water disbursement. According to Lester Brown this was all going to happen someday, but climate models had it all down the road a little. With any luck next year will be a rainy season, but once the earth is scorched, and the topsoil compromised, the amount of water absorbed will decrease. With increasing bouts of dryness, I wonder how many people realize how serious, how quickly, this can become.
But I need a better news source. I often go to HuffingtonPost.com because, although they have fluff pieces,the also have articles on things I want to know about. Unfortunately, I see more and more fluff and less and less real stuff, and they have bought into the drama of violence in America. Can we PLEASE not give voice to all of these people who are violent?! It does not help any of the victims, or the rest of us really, if we make it so easy for someone to become notorious if they kill others. I'm convinced people do these big acts of violence so they make it on the news. Is that crazy, yes, but I think it's true. I'd rather hear a headline story about a hero during an attack than learn the details of how the killer planned it all.
Houses, houses, houses. After I started looking around for a vacation rental in Germany, I ended up on a site that is selling apartments. For 29,500 Euro we could buy a one bedroom house a few blocks from my husband's mother. We happen to have 24,000 Euro sitting in a bank account that we've been debating how or if to transfer back to the states. That money is a contentious subject between us, as it wasn't supposed to leave the states in the first place, but that's another story. Gerd isn't really sure about the idea yet, and I do wish it was a 2 bedroom place, but I can't help but think of how useful it would be to have a place that we knew we would go to each time we go for a visit. We could leave cribs and toys there, and we would be able to use some of the belongings Gerd's grandmother has in her abandoned apartment (even though she has been in an assisted living community for 5 years, and has no plan on moving back, she still has an apartment in a retirement complex).
Of course that got me thinking about my house in New Mexico too. I've started conversations with a different property manager to determine if my house would be a good short term furnished rental. It would be a bit nerve-wracking, wondering if I could rent it out enough of the year to make it pay for itself, but it would be SOO wonderful if I could actually stay in my own how when I visit New Mexico. I didn't now there were property managers who specialize in furnished short time vacation rentals, but I could hire someone to manage all the bookings, cleanings, bills, etc. BUT, I have a pretty stable renter right now, and I'm not sure it's a good idea to rock the boat. We'll have to see what the property manager says when she drives by the neighborhood. It's possible she could say the area is just not desirable enough and I wouldn't be able to rent it out enough to make it worth the investment.
You would think, with this amount of time on my hands, that you would find my house spotless, meals cooked on time, plenty of projects started and completed, but no. Instead my head just spins and spins. Acupuncture tomorrow, maybe it'll work! Then I won't really have time to think of all this stuff for a while, and that would be a good thing.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Twins Don't Come Cheap
The babies haven't even been born yet and we're looking into international flights. My husband's grandmother is still alive, and turns 99 years old this month. We would very much like for her to meet the boys, and would probably choose to travel for Christmas vacation. They would be about 5 months old by then, and if I DO retake my job, it would be before I'd be due back at work.
So even though they're not even born yet, I've started researching what it takes to bring twin babies overseas.
First, European carriers are much more kid friendly than most US ones. Air Lingus, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, and United all offer bassinets for babies under 22lbs. I'm not sure how heavy a 5 month old baby is, but I'm hoping it's less than 22 lbs. United, unfortunately, has a policy of only allowing one baby per seating section, so that would probably rule them out. Air France also lets you pay only 10% of the regular price of a ticket for an infant to have their own seat. Very nice to know. Even if babies fly on a lap, there are international fees that are added to the ticket, on all flights regardless of the carrier. They all have "child prices" available for children not flying on your lap, but I have no idea how much they would cost.
Lufthansa flies directly to Munich from Boston, so they were my top choice. Ticket prices round trip were only around $600...but then there are all the fees, and by the time everything was added up, the total cost of a trip was a little over $2000. That doesn't include transportation to Chemnitz, our final destination, but honestly, it could be worse. Unfortunately it's likely to be worse, because there are already only 5 seats available at the economy rate for one of the flights we would probably prefer.
All of the airlines offer 22 lbs extra baggage per child, plus a free stroller check, assuming it's under 20 lbs and folds up. My twin stroller is 30 lbs with car seats attached, so it will be interesting to see if they'll okay it, since it's one stroller for 2 kids. Of course, I can take the carseats off, but then I don't know if that would cost extra for the additional equipment...
The next question of course is how we would get to Chemnitz. Would we fly into Leipzig (one hour drive or train away) or drive the 3 1/2 hours from Munich? Car rentals are much more expensive in Europe, and gas is INCREDIBLY expensive there...like $8.00/gallon. BUT, trying to deal with 2 flights, also expensive and difficult. My thoughts are that the car is probably still the best choice because we can make stops along the way and we would still need a car in Chemnitz. Of course, there's also the option of a train ride directly into Chemintz and a rental there...if we can lug everything on a train. Keep in mind, however, that traveling on trains in Germany is much easier than here. Still, I'm more likely to want to drive, however, I really don't know, and don't want to think of yet, how much two weeks of car rental would cost in Germany over Christmas vacation...
The last time we traveled to Germany we got a rental apartment, and that's what we would need to do again. I believe the cost came to somewhere around $500 (300Euro?) and was just far enough away that walking from my husband's family home was out of the question. Likewise, public transportation didn't really run between the two places.
We would probably need to stay put the first day we arrived in Munich too, because I've learned that for my own benefit, trying to take a trip right after an international flight just about kills me (I in turn, just about kill my husband at every turn when something, inevitably, goes wrong...like sitting on our suitcases in the isles of a train for 3 hours). Hotel costs for the day of arrival and day of return would also therefore need to be calculated into the price.
Another thought would be what equipment we would need to travel with. If we're lucky the rental apartment and hotels would have cribs available. If not, we would need to buy travel cribs. My husband and I don't entirely agree on WHICH one to buy, but I tend toward the Baby Bjorn travel crib. One weighs 11 lbs and it's very easy to set up and take down. My husband, on the other hand, likes the Phil and Ted's crib, which is 6 lbs, but looks like a *process* to put together and take apart. Here's a link to a few of the options... One product not covered is the 4moms version, which is due out any day now, and looks very easy to open and close. The weight, however, has not yet be published, and it looks like it might take up more space than we would have.
We also like this portable exercauser, and would debate taking them with us. In addition, we might need some sort of high chair I guess, but I'd likely pick one of the types that you attach to a chair or table, IF we really felt like we needed one by then. This might seem like overkill for an international flight, but keep in mind, we'd be there for probably 2 weeks, and that can be a long time to try to make due without. Plus, (pre-baby mom talking here) I'd like to try to stick to their regular routine as closely as possible.
So basically, what would we take on the plane with us? Up to 4 bags, with max weight of each at 50 lbs each.
Possible kid inclusions:
stroller
car seats
portable beds
exercausers
folding bathtub
toys
books
blankets for tummy times
clothes
diapers/wipes
I'm sure the list will change as we get closer, but it's really already time to start thinking about it all. Despite the exhaustion that may set in the first few months of parenthood, if we really want to go overseas at 5 months, we will have to buy seats, make reservations for hotels/apartments/cars sooner than later. The problem is...how soon can you try to plan this stuff?
So even though they're not even born yet, I've started researching what it takes to bring twin babies overseas.
First, European carriers are much more kid friendly than most US ones. Air Lingus, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, and United all offer bassinets for babies under 22lbs. I'm not sure how heavy a 5 month old baby is, but I'm hoping it's less than 22 lbs. United, unfortunately, has a policy of only allowing one baby per seating section, so that would probably rule them out. Air France also lets you pay only 10% of the regular price of a ticket for an infant to have their own seat. Very nice to know. Even if babies fly on a lap, there are international fees that are added to the ticket, on all flights regardless of the carrier. They all have "child prices" available for children not flying on your lap, but I have no idea how much they would cost.
Lufthansa flies directly to Munich from Boston, so they were my top choice. Ticket prices round trip were only around $600...but then there are all the fees, and by the time everything was added up, the total cost of a trip was a little over $2000. That doesn't include transportation to Chemnitz, our final destination, but honestly, it could be worse. Unfortunately it's likely to be worse, because there are already only 5 seats available at the economy rate for one of the flights we would probably prefer.
All of the airlines offer 22 lbs extra baggage per child, plus a free stroller check, assuming it's under 20 lbs and folds up. My twin stroller is 30 lbs with car seats attached, so it will be interesting to see if they'll okay it, since it's one stroller for 2 kids. Of course, I can take the carseats off, but then I don't know if that would cost extra for the additional equipment...
The next question of course is how we would get to Chemnitz. Would we fly into Leipzig (one hour drive or train away) or drive the 3 1/2 hours from Munich? Car rentals are much more expensive in Europe, and gas is INCREDIBLY expensive there...like $8.00/gallon. BUT, trying to deal with 2 flights, also expensive and difficult. My thoughts are that the car is probably still the best choice because we can make stops along the way and we would still need a car in Chemnitz. Of course, there's also the option of a train ride directly into Chemintz and a rental there...if we can lug everything on a train. Keep in mind, however, that traveling on trains in Germany is much easier than here. Still, I'm more likely to want to drive, however, I really don't know, and don't want to think of yet, how much two weeks of car rental would cost in Germany over Christmas vacation...
The last time we traveled to Germany we got a rental apartment, and that's what we would need to do again. I believe the cost came to somewhere around $500 (300Euro?) and was just far enough away that walking from my husband's family home was out of the question. Likewise, public transportation didn't really run between the two places.
We would probably need to stay put the first day we arrived in Munich too, because I've learned that for my own benefit, trying to take a trip right after an international flight just about kills me (I in turn, just about kill my husband at every turn when something, inevitably, goes wrong...like sitting on our suitcases in the isles of a train for 3 hours). Hotel costs for the day of arrival and day of return would also therefore need to be calculated into the price.
Another thought would be what equipment we would need to travel with. If we're lucky the rental apartment and hotels would have cribs available. If not, we would need to buy travel cribs. My husband and I don't entirely agree on WHICH one to buy, but I tend toward the Baby Bjorn travel crib. One weighs 11 lbs and it's very easy to set up and take down. My husband, on the other hand, likes the Phil and Ted's crib, which is 6 lbs, but looks like a *process* to put together and take apart. Here's a link to a few of the options... One product not covered is the 4moms version, which is due out any day now, and looks very easy to open and close. The weight, however, has not yet be published, and it looks like it might take up more space than we would have.
We also like this portable exercauser, and would debate taking them with us. In addition, we might need some sort of high chair I guess, but I'd likely pick one of the types that you attach to a chair or table, IF we really felt like we needed one by then. This might seem like overkill for an international flight, but keep in mind, we'd be there for probably 2 weeks, and that can be a long time to try to make due without. Plus, (pre-baby mom talking here) I'd like to try to stick to their regular routine as closely as possible.
So basically, what would we take on the plane with us? Up to 4 bags, with max weight of each at 50 lbs each.
Possible kid inclusions:
stroller
car seats
portable beds
exercausers
folding bathtub
toys
books
blankets for tummy times
clothes
diapers/wipes
I'm sure the list will change as we get closer, but it's really already time to start thinking about it all. Despite the exhaustion that may set in the first few months of parenthood, if we really want to go overseas at 5 months, we will have to buy seats, make reservations for hotels/apartments/cars sooner than later. The problem is...how soon can you try to plan this stuff?
Overdue
Okay, so depending on what you believe about twin pregnancy, I could be considered overdue, or not yet due. I'm at 38 week, which I really didn't think would happen, but has. According to even the midwives, who are a little more nature based than the regular OBs, twins are fully developed at 38 weeks, they have to be because of space limitations. According to the Bradley method twins can, and often should, take the full 40 weeks. Bradley also thinks it's perfectly normal for a singleton pregnancy to take up to 44 weeks as long as everything appears healthy and normal. He's pretty anti-induction.
With that being said, we already know that the midwives want to induce around 40 weeks if I get that far. Pretty much everyone, the OB, the midwives, the doula, say that a 38-39 week delivery is being best if possible. Natural induction efforts have begun and will continue throughout the week. I am hesitant to go too far, so I'm saving the more dramatic induction efforts, like using a breast pump, or a foley pump, until at least 39 weeks (and hoping I don't make it that far). If I make it to 40, there's not much to be done but go with pitocin and hope for the best. At least I'm not actually allergic to pitocin.
So what are the natural induction strategies recommended?
walking/physical activity
bumpy roads (hey, it almost worked before)
spicy food (at least it tastes good)
acupressure points
acupuncture
integrated awareness session (somewhat like Reiki)
sex (sadly, not likely)
breast pump/nipple stimulation
foley pump (to expand dilation)
thumb sucking (but have to already have started some type of labor)
herbs/supplements (I'm a bit wary of this, herbal medicine can be pretty strong stuff)
I might be missing some, but there's the short list. And there you have it. Now I'm off for a walk :)
With that being said, we already know that the midwives want to induce around 40 weeks if I get that far. Pretty much everyone, the OB, the midwives, the doula, say that a 38-39 week delivery is being best if possible. Natural induction efforts have begun and will continue throughout the week. I am hesitant to go too far, so I'm saving the more dramatic induction efforts, like using a breast pump, or a foley pump, until at least 39 weeks (and hoping I don't make it that far). If I make it to 40, there's not much to be done but go with pitocin and hope for the best. At least I'm not actually allergic to pitocin.
So what are the natural induction strategies recommended?
walking/physical activity
bumpy roads (hey, it almost worked before)
spicy food (at least it tastes good)
acupressure points
acupuncture
integrated awareness session (somewhat like Reiki)
sex (sadly, not likely)
breast pump/nipple stimulation
foley pump (to expand dilation)
thumb sucking (but have to already have started some type of labor)
herbs/supplements (I'm a bit wary of this, herbal medicine can be pretty strong stuff)
I might be missing some, but there's the short list. And there you have it. Now I'm off for a walk :)
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