Twinstincts

Now that I am nearing 33 weeks, my doctor has ordered that I be seen twice a week at the hospital Labor & Delivery for a Non-Stress Test (NST) and Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) in addition to the appointments I've been going to every two weeks. I'll be seeing three different doctors so often over the next 3-4 weeks until these babies come!

Me and my big stretch-marked belly at my first non-stress test :)

The two blue monitors measure each baby's heartbeat for about 20 minutes to make sure that their heart rates increase during movement rather than decrease. The third monitor tucked under the top strap measures any contractions I may have. 

What we learned is that Baby B's heart rate is consistently higher than Baby A's. Also, while I may not have any full-blown contractions, my uterus still experiences what the doctor called "irritability" which are subtle compressions. 

During the AFI, which is an ultrasound that measures the amniotic fluid levels around the babies, we learned that Baby B also has more fluid surrounding her. While Baby A weighs more, she has less fluid and a lower heart rate. 

We are glad that the twins are being watched so closely, although this is an overload of doctor visits! But all the monitoring is really a huge blessing in case anything goes wrong and one of the babies (or both) experiences any distress. We are very grateful!