Smile for your 32 Week Scan!

We've had a couple of trips recently.

Thursday we went to the hospital for the 32 week scan and today we went to see the consultant for the follow up appointment.

Below are some pics from the scan. Amazing to think that the babies are now so big that they can only just fit their heads into the pictures! Compare these with the pics from 20 weeks.

We then visited the consultant on Friday afternoon. All the usual checks were done and everything is absolutely fine. Which led him to ask the killer question.. "Have you thought about the options for delivery?" "Erm, yes. The option without pain please..."

Ante-Natal Week 3

We're getting into this now!

This week was all about the different interventions used in the induction of labour and things used to assist the delivery of the baby (like forceps and ventouse). We then discussed the different things that the woman can do to induce labour herself - things that everyone's heard of like eating a curry - and also some we hadn't heard of like eating pineapple, having a hot bath or drinking castor oil!

I had visions of Clair asking me in a few weeks to make her a pineapple curry cooked in castor oil whilst she's running a bath!

We then watched a short video of a cesarian section of twins (gulp!) - I don't know what hospital this was but everyone seemed to have been to elocution lessons (or maybe it was the cameras?) and the doctors actually had time to talk to you..... or maybe it was those cameras again....

32 Weeks Picture Added

Every week it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.....

New pic in the slideshow on the right. Don't forget, if you want to see the pictures full screen, click here

The Living Room Invasion

Is this what's to become of our living room?

http://www.gotyourhandsfull.com/2007/08/triplets-fun-wi.html

Ante-Natal Week 2

Interesting class this week. The main topic was managing the pain of giving birth - how you can help your partner etc.

At one point, the woman running the class ran through a series of step by step drawings showing the progress of the baby as it's being born. Yikes. The whole class was silent through this! When we got to the second to last slide, she said "...and it's at this stage that people often describe as feeling like your s**ting a melon"!

Later on, the men had to leave the room and write down their thoughts on 'how you can help your partner during labour'. No one was brave enough to write down 'getting the ironing board out for them'.

Whilst the men were out of the room, the women had a discussion about massaging the perineum. Ermmm, google it if you don't know where it is!

The weekly fun continues.....

31 Weeks Picture Added

A more sedate growth rate this week following the eruption that took place last week. Picture, as always, in the slideshow on the right....

Friday Consultation

We had another appointment today and everything is all fine. Check ups are going to be every fortnight now.

The Consultant had a good old feel around on Clair's belly (he thinks both babies are head down at the moment). We also listened to the heartbeats again.

Twin Transportation Part 3

We've tried the car seats out today.

Well, not actually 'tried' them out - we can't do that for a few weeks obviously. But we've set them up, which involved a great deal of seat belt tugging and huffing around. How on earth your meant to fix these in with a crying baby in we've no idea.

It's now obvious that come the birth, the car is going to be solely dedicated to child transportation. With a dog, a holdall full of nappies, clothes, bottles etc. there's going to be no room for grown-ups!

First Week of Ante Natal Classes

We had our first ante-natal class on Wednesday night. There were around 9 couples there but only one extra special couple with twins (ahem!)

Last night's talk (after we had all introduced ourselves) was about the signs of labour. Apparently there are 3, but the only real sign that labour is on it's way are the contractions.

30 Weeks Picture Added

OMG!

Neglected Dog....

Someone in the house is suspicious that things are changing
Someone is starting the think that he's not going to be top dog anymore
Someone is wondering why there is so much cardboard to play with
That someone is......

Bump By The Sea

We had a final excursion BB (before birth) last week - a little jaunt to Brighton for the night! We haven't had a holiday yet this year and this one night away felt like an entire week.

Here's a picture of my lovely wife and lovely twins from the trip....

Ante-Natal Classes Incoming!

We've had confirmation through about our ante-natal classes, which are being run by the National Childbirth Trust. They start next Wednesday 15th August.

We're not quite sure what to expect but we're hoping it's going to be good fun!

Whilst talking about NCT, we watched a DVD from them the other day call 'Happy Birth Day' - all about your birthing "options". Hmm, it was a bit of an eye-opener...

29 Weeks Picture Added

Is it just me or does it look like Clair's bump has moved upwards?

Check out for yourself in the 'See How She Grows' slideshow on the right hand side. Now with added 29 weeks picture!

Common Courtesy

Bit of a winge of a post today I'm afraid.

We had another Consultant appointment at the hospital today. The usual story - urine test, blood test, a feel of the bump and a quick scan for the heartbeats. Except today we also had a couple of trainees sit in with the consultant. Now, I don't mind it when this happens - after all, they've got to learn somehow however, it wasn't until after we asked who they were that they actually introduced themselves to us.

Surely it's just common courtesy that you ask whether it's OK for someone to be in on your appointment, let alone actually say who you are and what you're there for? We often get the feeling when we go to the local NHS hospital that we're 'in the way' and just on a conveyor belt through this process.

Right, winge mode off.

Everything was OK with the twins. One is now facing upwards, one facing downwards (ie. one has turned since our last appointment!). They're going to have to decide on a final position soon - it's getting tighter and tighter in there now.

Clair's now the size of a FULL TERM single pregnancy!

They've Got The Lot.....

....but we didn't buy anything there. It's all cheaper on-line!

Twin Transportation Part 2

The car seats have been delivered!

We're getting used to buying in duplicate now....

28 Weeks Picture Added!

Wow! There's been some serious growth going on this week! Check out the picture in the 'See How She Grows' slideshow on the right...

If you want to view the slideshow in all it's full screen wonder, click here