place your bets...

oh...if we only knew when these little ones would arrive!  wouldn't that make each passing day a wee-bit less stressful?  yes, but it wouldn't be near as fun!

the infamous "due date."  it's an ironic concept in one's pregnancy.  not many women, those carrying singletons or multiples for that matter, actually deliver on their due date.  some babies want to wiggle on out into the world a bit early. other little ones want to hibernate like baby bears and stay put for awhile.  only a  few babies actually behave and come out on the exact, 40-week date given to their parents many months beforehand.

due dates are subjective extremely subjective in twin pregnancies.  first of all, the due dates that are set are all different lengths based on doctor preference.  some doctors take babies at 36 weeks.  some at 37 weeks.  some at 38 weeks.  some even let mommies with multiples go past that until they pop and explode into a million pieces (just kidding).

regardless of what length is chosen for you, so many other factors come into play that could cause your babies to come early...

1. bed rest issues
2. babies' combined size
3. babies' combined weights
4. discrepancy between baby a and baby b's size
5. blood pressure
6. early onset or late preclampsia 
7. mommy's health
8. babies' overall health/scoring during ultrasounds & profile assessments
9. preterm labor (a biggie)
10. mommy stands on head trying to encourage gravity to work its magic

ben and i have been given constant reassurance from our doctor each visit regarding our chances at reaching our actual september 2nd date.  the babies are doing well.  i've been doing well.  therefore, my doctor truly thinks we have just as good of a chance as anyone carrying multiples at making it.  

the key word in that sentence was "chance". 

while we receive comfort in getting great reports each week, the encouragement is often followed by either "if your water breaks or you have something happen in the middle of the night, don't shower or take your time.  call me and go to the ER immediately" or "grab the bag that should be packed by now and go".  ahh......isn't that a lovely thought?  

is my bag packed?  no.  i don't want my clothes to be wrinkled.  what a disaster that would be!  i used to iron my jeans in high school.  like i am going to wear clothes that are a creased mess in front of friends and family for 3-4 days at the hospital.  

go to the hospital without showering or straightening my hair with my Chi flat iron?  what a disgrace.  i can't possibly go into that place looking a mess.  i don't want these twins to come out, take one look at their mother, and then think "oh no, will i look like that one day?"

the point in all my randomness is this....we do not know when our son and daughter are coming.  the question is...do you?  

(vote in the poll to the right to let me know... i will be checking the results religiously for guidance)