13 weeks and counting…

Today we had our 13 week check-up and ultrasound at the OB. I was a nervous wreck leading up to that appointment. Since I had found out that I was carrying twins, I went stalking the Internet and checked out a ton of books for our local library on twins. I feel like I am having to relearn all about pregnancy all over again. Well, in the course of my quest for knowledge, I learned about a couple of scary conditions and situations that could arise from carrying twins. There is a condition called “Vanishing Twin Syndrome” that can happen prior to 12 weeks. One of the twins will suddenly die and be reabsorbed and “disappear”. I was horrified when I learned about this. The next 4 weeks until our next appointment, seemed like an eternity. I had also learned that if the twins share a placenta there is a condition called “twin to twin transfusion” that can occur. In this condition, one of the twins gets more of the blood flow and nutrition than the other twin. I did not know if our twins shared a placenta or not, which added extra anxiety for me. I am such a worry wort. I know that I am suppose to trust in God, but sometimes it is a hard thing to actually do. I am sure that God is trying to teach me a thing or two through this pregnancy.

Well the appointment went well, both babies are alive and well. There heart beats were 163 and 157, both in the normal range. She took a picture of each baby so we could share it with our friends and family. Baby A was moving a ton and she had a hard time getting his/her heart beat and picture, but finally he/ she decided to cooperate! It turns out that each baby has its own placenta, which are on separate sides of my uterus. This means that the babies are not at risk for “twin to twin transfusion” and they are beyond 12 weeks and out of the risk for “vanishing twin syndrome”. Yes, there is always a change that things will not work out, but things look positively good for these babies. My uterus is measuring larger than most women who are caring only one baby. I am 13 weeks today and I am measuring about 4 weeks ahead, which means I look like I am 17 weeks pregnant- hence why I have popped sooner!

Chris and I are really starting to get excited about having twins. The more I think about it, the more excited I become. Yes, I still have fears about the lack of sleep, can I breastfeed, how Cooper will handle the adjustment, and things of that nature. However, I think that having two little ones will be a wonderful experience. I have had so many people tell me great stories about their twins and how they grew up being best-friends. I feel blessed that I get to be apart of this wonderful experience and to see two siblings grow up together and nurture a wonderful relationship between the two.

So what’s next?

Our next appointment is in 4 weeks, I will be 17 weeks pregnant. We will not have an ultrasound done at that time because the babies will be large enough to hear on a Doppler (heart rate monitor). We have a level II ultrasound schedule at our local hospital at 20 weeks with a specialist to make sure that the babies are developing healthy and normal. At this ultrasound we can find out the gender, but Chris and I are starting to think we would like to be surprised. So we are going to see if there is anyway they can keep the gender a secret from us. We were told that keeping the sex of the babies a secret would be hard, but we’ll see. I think it would be a very neat surprise to find out at the delivery. I loved when Chris screamed, “It’s a boy,” after Cooper came out. I think it would be equally exciting to experience that again with our next two children.

Please continue to pray that this pregnancy goes well and rather uneventful! Pray that Cooper will do well with the adjustment with his siblings, and that I would be a good mom to all three of my children. I am grateful for all of you and your prayers!