36 weeks, and I'm still pregnant! Woo-hoo!

I know what you're thinking... most women who are as huge as me are not usually happy to still be pregnant at this point. But, for someone who has spent most of her pregnancy freaking out about the possibility of pre-term labor, I see every week closer to the safe zone as a tremendous victory. Truth be told, I freaked myself out so much, that I was convinced I would have delivered 1- or 2-pound babies long before this point! So, to know that we have made it this far, and that our babies weigh over 5 1/2 pounds EACH, is quite gratifying.

Now, this is not to say that I've spent my entire pregnancy as a big ol' ball of stress and paranoia. However, I like to think that it was a little healthy dose of paranoia that has kept me pregnant for this long, because without it, I probably would not have taken all the precautions I have. So, without further ado... I would like to reveal the secrets to a successful pregnancy with multiples:

1. Slowing it down. When my doctors told me at 20 weeks to start slowing it down, I did. It was hard at first, because everything was going smoothly, and I felt really good - but I tried to start recognizing the things I shouldn't continue doing. Unfortunately, this was a great disappointment to our dog, who saw her regular walks become not-so-regular... but she'll get them back again, though accompanied by a double stroller. :-)

2. House arrest. Now, when my doctors had me go on modified bed rest, or "house arrest," at 28 weeks, I'll admit that I didn't take it all that seriously at first. I still was feeling pretty good, so it was hard to see the need to REALLY slow things down. But looking back, this was the best thing for me. Despite my desire to get-up-and-go, I forced myself to schedule "horizontal time" - morning, afternoon, and evening. I set up a great system working from home (which I've been really lucky to be able to do), and alternated between the desktop and the laptop, using the laptop during my scheduled horizontal times. I am convinced that if I had continued slogging to work on the metro all this time, I probably would have delivered 2-pound babies weeks ago.

3. The best book ever: When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy, by Dr. Barbara Luke and Tamara Eberlein. When we first found out we were having twins, I read every drop of information I could find in my What to Expect... and Pregnancy Week-by-Week books... which came to all of about 5 pages. Desperate to learn more, I bought this off Amazon, sold on the title. Later, I discovered that this is the multiples pregnancy bible, so I guess I made a lucky choice! Now, I will admit - this book made me paranoid as hell, and I cannot tell you how many times I read and re-read about the warnings of pre-term labor. But, I'm glad it did - because it also taught me that while some things are beyond your control, there is also a LOT you can do to minimize the risks of pre-term labor. Some of the advice was even more extreme than what my doctors were telling me, but I chose to take almost all of it very seriously.

4. Joining a multiples group. It sounds lame, but I am so happy we joined the Northern Virginia Parents of Multiples group. During pregnancy, hearing real-life stories from mothers of multiples who delivered at 28 or 30 weeks motivated me to not let that happen to me... and hearing about mothers who went all the way to 38+ weeks has given me a goal to strive for. And after pregnancy, we have no doubt that these other parents of multiples will continue to be a great support for us.

5. Prenatal yoga. I cannot recommend this enough. As a fan of real yoga, I will admit that I found this just a little disappointing at first, as it is definitely way less challenging. But eventually, I got myself into the mindset that it is just different - and its purpose and benefits are different. It is the perfect, non-strenuous pregnancy exercise, even if you're on modified bed rest. I truly believe prenatal yoga is what kept my backaches at bay for a long time, and is the best way to create more space for your baby - or in my case, babies, who needed all the space they could get! Shiva Rea's Prenatal Yoga video has never left our DVD player, and I kept up with it about 5 times a week for most of my pregnancy.

6. Temporary handicapped parking pass. Laugh all you want, but this is the best thing EVER! Granted, I don't really leave the house except for doctor's appointments - but since my doctors are at the hospital, parking was becoming exceedingly difficult. So now, I thank my doctor for helping me get my temporary pass every time I go in. :-) I think every pregnant woman, and definitely high-risk pregnant women, should ask their doctor about it, too.

7. Make those calories count. Sure, I've indulged in my share of sweets, but I have really worked hard to maintain good nutrition all throughout pregnancy. The key is really to eat tons of protein and small but frequent meals - which is good for everyone, not just pregnant women. I have kept myself to a regular plan of breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and then bedtime snack. Keeping myself on this schedule has been especially helpful later in pregnancy, when it is common to not get as hungry (due to all the abdominal crowding) - and has helped ensure that those babies are still getting the nutrition they need.

8. Drink a lot, pee a lot. All I can say is, thank god I've always drunk water like a camel, or pregnancy would have been really tough. I had heard that pregnant women should drink 16 8-oz. glasses of water per day - and that mothers of multiples should drink twice that. Needless to say, a watering schedule like this makes a peeing-prone pregnant woman really run to the bathroom often! But again, going back to my pre-term labor paranoia - once I learned that not peeing frequently enough can bring on contractions and labor, that was all I needed to hear to make myself want to pee every 15 minutes. Annoying, yes, but I've just let myself go with the flow on this one (really, no pun intended).

9. A wonderfully helpful and supportive husband. I've saved the best for last here, because it is really the most important. Without Joe, I seriously do not know how I could have maintained my pregnant lifestyle - particularly with having extremely limited activity for about half of it. With all of our baby preparations, Joe has had to take on countless trips to Target, Costco, Babies 'R Us, and the grocery when I couldn't - and has been in charge of many household tasks that we used to share. Again, I am convinced I would have delivered teeny-tiny babies weeks ago if I did not have a husband who was willing and able to do as much as Joe has done, just so that I could rest and gestate.

One more thing I should also mention... while this is isn't something you can control - I do think genetics have played a big part of keeping these two babies in for this long. For the first time in my life, my wide hips that were always the bain of my existence have finally proven themselves useful for something! Without them, I probably would have run out of space a long time ago. :-)

Stay tuned to see how much longer I stay pregnant - it could be a matter of days at this point!