they're a growin'

Well, today I had my final growth scan for the girls, and the girls made great progress! The last ultrasound was done at 32 weeks, and at that time, here were their estimated weights:

Baby A: 4 pounds 11 oz
Baby B: 4 pounds 2 oz

And this morning:

Baby A: 5 pounds 14 oz
Baby B: 5 pounds 2 oz

Grow, babies grow! If these weights are accurate (which, who knows...) then I've got 11 pounds of baby I'm carrying around! Wowzers. :)

We've hit 35 weeks! We're so close to the end, it's crazy! In two weeks they'll be considered "fully cooked", and in 3 (if I haven't delivered on my own), I'll be induced. So, the longest we'll have to wait at this point to meet our two daughters, is 3 weeks! This is so wild and just unreal to me. I look around at our house and see that we're ready technically. Crib, diapers, monitors, clothes; we're all set. But as far as the whole "parent" thing goes; well, that's just uncharted territory right there! I'm excited, but wow. Two new lives we're responsible for, in just 3 weeks!

Tomorrow is my last day in the office, which is good. It's been very hot here the last few days, which isn't helping with the swelling. But, I sit on my butt for most of the day, every day when I'm at work, so I believe that contributes to the swelling the most. So, not having to do that will be a great help. It's crazy that I won't be at work after tomorrow! My how life is about to change in so many ways....

Speaking of work, Ian's co-workers threw him a surprise baby shower yesterday. I was part of the surprise. One of his co-workers, Sarah, called me several weeks ago telling me the plan. He was very surprised to see me there! They did such a good job! It had a theme; superheroes. If you know Ian at all, you know he has enjoyed comic books and superheroes his whole life, so it was a very thoughtful theme. When I arrived, I was made to put on a homemade "supermom" cape, and then when Ian walked in and got over his initial shock, he donned his "superdad" cape. Pretty darn cute:

They had lots of treats to snack on and beer, and of course baby gifts. Just so sweet of them! And I think the cape suits him well. I do believe he'll be a pretty darn super dad. :)

Well, that's about all that is new around here! We're just anxious with anticipation and excited for the next few weeks and what they'll bring!

We love you, baby girls, and we just can't wait to meet you!

~M

baby stats

First of all; Happy Friday to everyone! So glad the weekend is here!

This morning I went in for my growth ultrasound; because with twins you really have to monitor their growth and the difference between the two. My favorite part of each ultrasound is the very beginning when they find the heartbeats. Nothing is quite as reassuring as hearing the fast “thump-thump-thump-thump” of each of their little hearts. Especially when the sonographer says “normal heart rate for each of them”. That’s always good to hear.

Ok, on to the stats! If you’ll remember, last time (four weeks ago today) this is what they weighed:

Baby A: 2 pounds 15 ounces (73rd percentile)
Baby B: 2 pounds 11 ounces (46th percentile)

And now, four weeks later at 32 weeks 1 day:

Baby A: 4 pounds 11 ounces (66th percentile)
Baby B: 4 pounds 2 ounces (36th percentile)

Almost two pounds each in four weeks! Grow babies grow! Guys, do you realize I have 8 pounds 14 ounces of baby in me right now? Holy crap. That’s a lotta baby. That's more than most women are carrying when they're at 40 weeks. And I still have 6 weeks left if I go all the way to 38 weeks! Wow. Of course, these are all approximations so who knows.

This week the babies weigh as much as honeydew melons! It just blows my mind how much they’re growing. I’m making two little people! Crazy.

We also got some pictures of Baby A today. Baby B was facing away from the wand, so no pictures of her. :) We got one 3D one and one regular profile of Baby A.

I think she’s pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. :) I got all teary when I saw it, because she’s starting to look like a little person! I wish we could see Baby B too, but she’s really squished. I wish she’d turn and give herself a little more room. Even if she turned breech she’d have more space.

Oh… I just can’t believe I’m at 32 weeks! Getting so close it’s unbelievable. This weekend the list will definitely come out and we’ll make sure we start getting some more of those things crossed off. Because it’s gettin’ close to baby time, y’all!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~M

the perks of pregnancy, and also some randomness

On Friday my work was closed for Good Friday. I had an ultrasound at 8:30 that morning, so no sleeping in for me, but I didn’t care. I love ultrasounds! This one was to measure growth. They have to measure growth every four weeks to make sure they are growing enough, and that they aren’t more than 40% different in size. I also was so relieved to see them and their little heartbeats, because lately their movement has SEEMED sporadic. I don’t think it actually is, but it just seems that way. I watched them on the screen on Friday, and they were moving all around, and I didn’t feel every movement they made. So, apparently there’s lots going on in there that I don’t feel. Also, I can’t differentiate between which baby is kicking me. So, sometimes I get all paranoid that Baby B is doing all the kicking/moving, and I haven’t felt Baby A for a long time. But, I think it’s just that I can’t tell who is doing what. It always baffles me when I read or hear pregnant ladies saying “Oh, yes, I totally keep getting kicked in the kidneys or the bladder, or the ribs.” I don’t know how they can tell which internal organ is getting kicked. To me so far, it just feels like they’re kicking my “insides”.

During the ultrasound though, when the tech had finished and left the room, we were waiting for the doctor to arrive to double check everything. I was laying on the table chatting with Ian and all of the sudden there was a BIG kick, and we both saw my stomach move. Ian was at least four feet away from me. It was crazy. This has started to happen all the time; I can actually see the kick from the outside. Crazy!

Anyway, (this is kind of rambly so far; sorry.) after the ultrasound, I had the whole day free. Unfortunately, I had a really un-fun way to spend the day all planned out. My driver’s license needed to be renewed, and since I’m never off work when the DMV is open, I decided I needed to take care of it on Friday. I didn’t think that many people would have Good Friday off. Apparently I was wrong. I got there and there was a line that probably would have taken me over 2 hours to get to the front of. I considered just leaving, because I really don’t think I can stand for that long, but I decided to see if I could tough it out. After about 5 minutes of waiting in line, one of the DMV guys came up to me, looked at my gigantor belly and said, “Here, let me help you out.” He then proceeded to take me up to the front of the line! Wahoo! I apologized to the guy behind me, but honestly, I didn’t feel too bad. I don’t know how I would have possibly be able to stand in line for that long. So, what would have normally been a 2-4 hour trip to the DMV ended up being only about 45 minutes. Huzzah for pregnancy! :)

Regarding the PUPPP itching, it seems to be getting a LITTLE bit better. Ian found this soap that is supposed to help called “Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap”. I’ve been using it 3 times per day for the last few days, and honestly, I think it’s starting to help. I still have to ice my stomach a couple of times a day and also at night, but it’s starting to feel like it could be improving. I really hope so!! I honestly have been having such a lovely pregnancy so far, I would hate to have this itching ruin the last couple of months. I just hope it's gone by the time the summer comes; because the itching is MUCH worse when I'm hot. Keep your fingers crossed!

We didn’t get any pictures from the most recent ultrasound, because both of the babies were all curled up and face down, so no cute profile pics could be taken. I think it might be hard from here on out, since they’re so crowded in there. Baby A they are approximating at 2 pounds 15 ounces, and Baby B is approximately 2 pounds 11 ounces. They are still right on track, so that’s great! I can’t believe we only have 10 weeks to go! Crazy.

Happy Monday to all! I hope you had a great Easter weekend.

~M

oh, and it's twins

I feel like I always have to give this little caveat when someone asks how far along I am, or when I’m due. Most of the time when I say “6 months along” or “due at the beginning of July” people just say “cool!” or “so exciting!”. But a couple of times now, people have said “oh! Wow!” with the implication in their voice and on their faces as they glance at my belly of “you still have 3 more months left and your stomach is already that big?” and that’s when I quickly follow up with “yep, with twin girls!”. Then they usually look relieved, or like I’ve really cleared something up for them.

I’m so excited to be having twins, but sometimes I wish I didn’t have to give this little disclaimer. “No, see I have a REASON I’m so gigantic for only 6 months along!”. Oh well. :)

Ok, on to other news! Today I had a growth ultrasound (I’ll have those every 4 weeks from now till the end, because they have to make sure they are growing ok (not running out of room) and also are no more than 20% different in size from each other). It was so nice to see them! Hearing their little heartbeats always brings me this HUGE sense of relief and happiness. I had a horrible nightmare this week about losing both of them and it just was the worst. So seeing them was just wonderful.

Baby A is still head down (yay- Baby A!) and Baby B is still transverse with her head on the left side and her bum on the right. I feel most of the kicks/movement on my right, and then lower down on the right, so I’m guessing that it’s Baby B kicking, and Baby A punching or something. :) Baby A is measuring 1 pound 9 ounces, and Baby B is measuring 1pound 8 ounces. They’re both in about the 50th percentile for height/weight (this is based on single babies) and are only 4% different in size. Yay! The ultrasound tech said that at my next scan, the growth will probably start to slow, since they’ll start to run out of room. (Read: Oh holy lord, I’m going to be getting more gigantic by the day).

I didn’t get any great pictures of them today, but I’ll post the ones I did get, later this weekend. We noticed that they’re starting to look more and more like little babies in there- which is exciting!

According to baby center, this is what it looks like in my uterus right now (though mine aren't both head down):

Our crib is arriving next week! I’m so excited; I really can’t wait to set up their little nursery corner. :) Also arriving next week; my mother-in-law! She’ll be staying with us for a week and I’m very excited. Also, my friend Jamie is coming in for a short little visit to see her niece and sister, and also come to my shower. I’m having a little baby shower next Sunday, which should be very fun. And having my mother-in-law and Jamie there will just make it even more wonderful! I can’t wait.

We are officially signed up for 3 classes at Mt. Sinai: Childbirth Sundays- which is 3, 2 ½ hour classes, 3 Sundays in May; Breastfeeding, and Caring for a Newborn. I’d also like to sign up for a CPR class, but haven’t done that yet. I’m pretty excited to take these classes! I worried that taking them in May might be too early, but then I also worried that I’ll be too gigantic in June to want to have to worry about that, so I think it’ll be ok. I can’t wait!

And, I promised I’d update you on exercise. Well, I didn’t do what I said I’d do. This week I just didn’t manage to do any of my workouts. I did walk across town twice after work, (instead of taking the shuttle) which is about .8 miles, and I’ll probably do that again today. It’s not much, but it always tuckers me out. I will be cleaning house like a madwoman this weekend, so that should be some good exercise. It’s so hard though; I just am SO exhausted when I get home, that working out sounds like the last thing I want to do. But, I AM going to try and squeeze a little more in to the next two weeks, as I have my glucose test in two weeks and want to do everything I can to make sure it turns out ok. So, I’ll walk as much as I can, and do some workouts here and there and keep trying to eat healthy.

Have a great weekend everyone!

~M

weekly wednesday update

How far along? 20 weeks 6 days! Since we switched the due date at my last ultrasound, I'm 5 days ahead of where I would have been.

Total weight gain/loss: Haven't weighed myself since my last Tuesday doctor appointment, but as of then, I was up 4 pounds.

Stretch marks? Yes. Sad Face. I thought I was going to escape them, since my mom didn't have them, but nope. I don't have a TON yet, but given that it's only March... well, I expect more.

Maternity clothes? I wore a non maternity sweater today. I thought it looked fine before I left, but now I'm seeing that it's not quite long enough. It fits over the belly, and luckily I wore a long camisole under it. Seems as though they make maternity tops longer for a reason. :)

Sleep: Wish I could say it was lovely, but, it's just so so. Not horrible this week, but not great. I wake up at least every 1.5 hours, because my hips ache from laying on my side. So, I wake up, go to the bathroom, flip over my snoogle pillow, and switch sides.

Best moment this week: Having a stranger offer me their seat on the train! That hasn't happened yet, and though I didn't take the seat (I only had to go a few stops) it was a very good feeling. :)

Movement: I haven't felt anything since the first movement. I think it must be because of my anterior placentas, absorbing some of their movement. I wish I could feel them again though; it's pretty great! All of the books say that you'll feel them for the first time between 18-22 weeks though, so I'm not worried. Plus, less than a week ago, I saw them on the ultrasound moving like crazy. So I know they're movin' around in there. :)

Food cravings: Haven't really had any lately! Still mostly just aversions. Though, I HAVE experienced increased hunger this week; more than I have during any other time in this pregnancy. One minute I'm fine; the next STARVING.

Genders: Definitely Girls. We had another confirmation on Friday by a different doctor. So, that makes 3 Ultrasound techs and 2 doctors that say two girls. I think it's official. :)

Labor Signs: Well, not really. I THINK I've been having some Braxton Hicks contractions? Yesterday when I did some laundry at night, I might have pushed myself a little hard, which can sometimes bring them on. Nothing to worry about because they are totally normal, but it's a weird feeling. Last night they took a lot out of me, and I just rested after I did my laundry.

Belly Button in or out? It's in.

What I miss: Beer. I have never been a big beer drinker at ALL, but lately it sounds good. Whenever Ian orders a nice beer, I ask him if I can smell it. :) I've tried a couple of non-alcoholic beers, but they're no good. They always taste like Budweiser or something to me. Blech.

What I am looking forward to: More baby movement please!

Weekly Wisdom: I'm not feeling particularly wise this week- sorry!

Milestones: Over halfway! And, I think it's a milestone that someone offered me their seat on the train. :)

So, this is usually where I tell you what size fruit my babies compare to, but since we changed the due date, you don't get to hear about fruit sizes until Friday. Friday Fruit Day, as my friend Kristin suggested. :)

Oh- I just realized I never posted the most recent ultrasound photos from last Friday! So, here you go!

Baby A

Baby B

Baby A waving hello!

Happy Wednesday!

~M

my belly- 20 weeks 1 day- plus other things, too.

I know what you're thinking. But wait! You were just at 19 weeks 1 day on Wednesday! How is it now only two days later, yet you're a week further along? (Oh, you weren't thinking that? You didn't even notice? Well, fine!)

ANYway... we had our second anatomy scan today, and it went just swimmingly. The reason I'm now at 20 weeks 1 day, is because the hospital confirmed that based on when I ovulated, my due date is July 14th, not the 19th like my doctor originally thought. So, I am now OVER halfway there. Wow!

The girls (yep- confirmed for sure they are both for sure girls!) are doing so well. They are measuring perfectly in every way. They measure the heart, the brain, the bones, kidneys, everything! Kind of crazy. The girls were both super active today, and not wanting to sit still to be measured. I mean, why would they? They are too busy swimmin'! And flippin' around! And waving at us! (Baby A totally waved at us! Pictures to come soon- my scanner at work isn't doing the pictures justice.) There is just so much fun to be had in my uterus.

The ultrasound tech also said I had two anterior placentas- which means "in the front" of my uterus. Yes, I realize most of you know what anterior means, vs. posterior, but I had to ask. Anyway, it's totally fine, but it explains why I haven't felt them move since the one time I did on Monday. It's just an extra little cushion to absorb their movement. But I think it's only a matter of a week or so before I start feeling it more often.

Anyway, here's my bathroom pic for the week. I think I'll have to start having Ian take my picture, because these aren't great. It's super hard to get the right angle without blocking your face. I smiled this time. :)

Here's a side by side comparison from last week. It kind of looks the same to me. :) (click to enlarge)

Anyway, once we scan the new ultrasound pics, I'll put those up. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

~M

weekly wednesday update

How far along? 16 weeks 1 day!

Total weight gain/loss: Up a total of four pounds in 16 weeks. I was really worried about that and asked at my OBGYN appointment yesterday. She was like "No, that's great! You easily could have been up 15 by now." Still, I'm going to try harder in the next few weeks to really monitor portions and add in a little more exercise. I haven't been doing much exercise, so, I need to get on that now that I have a bit more energy.

Stretch marks? Negatory.

Maternity clothes? Yep! Along with the clothes I've purchased, I got a huge box of clothes from Target and Old Navy from my sister and mother-in-law! So sweet of them. :)

Sleep: Still pretty decent. Though recently my body has decided I should wake up every morning at 6am on the dot, and then I have trouble going back to sleep for an hour before I have to get up. It kinda sucks!

Best moment this week: Finding out that we're having two GIRLS! I honestly know I would have been happy with any combo; boy/girl, boy/boy, girl/girl- but just knowing is just so exciting and makes it all the more real. And it was so wonderful that Ian was there with me- just a great moment!

Movement: Not yet- maybe in 2-3 weeks? I hope so!

Food cravings: Last night I really wanted Mac and Cheese. So, I had some. It was Amy's brand, so it was organic; which made me feel a LITTLE better. :)

Genders: GIRLS! Ian is so outnumbered; we'll have to make sure he gets lots of guy's nights out.

Labor Signs: Nope- thank goodness!

Belly Button in or out? It's in.

What I miss: Honestly, nothing. I am loving being pregnant. I don't even care about the fatigue or breathlessness when I climb the 100 stairs up to our apartment every day. (Yep, there's 100!) I just am really happy and feel really darn lucky.

What I am looking forward to: My next big ultrasound in 3 1/2 weeks. It's another anatomy ultrasound, so it will be a long one, and I can see them for at least 30 minutes. Such a treat!

Weekly Wisdom: Having babies means acquiring a lot of STUFF. And we haven't even begun to collect what we'll need! Our poor little one bedroom apartment is looking a tad cluttered.

Milestones: Knowing the sexes! Also, not really a milestone per se, but at my appointment yesterday, my blood pressure is still AWESOME at 110/70, she's happy with my weight gain, the babies are in the 70th and 72nd percentile for size, and my doctor said she couldn't be more pleased about how it's all going. So, that's awesome news. :)

Also, this week, the babies are the size of turnips! That's kind of crazy- in a good way. I read today that they most definitely can hear now, and are starting to be able to sense light (though their eyelids are still fused shut). So, lots more singing and talking to the little turnips will have to happen starting this week!

Happy Wednesday!

~M

the results are in....

and one sonographer and one doctor both agree:


We're having......







.......







.......





.......




.......



TWO GIRLS!



Yep, that's right everyone! We are having TWO GIRLS! So, it looks like most of the people (including myself) who voted on the poll were wrong! We found out a lot earlier than I thought we were going to. I had the early anatomy ultrasound at 16 weeks 3 days, and they were able to tell us with 90-95% certainty that I've got two girls cooking in there. :) I was just shocked. I honestly thought that it was going to be a boy and a girl, or two boys. The girl/girl pairing was the last one I expected for some reason.

We have another anatomy ultrasound at the end of February, so we'll of course ask them to check again, but from what I saw on the ultrasound, it looks like there's no question it's girls.

I'm so excited! I think I honestly would have been excited no matter how it turned out, but now it just feels more real. I'm starting to picture them, and wonder what they'll be like, and it's all very exciting!

Also, the clothes! :) My friend Wendy GENEROUSLY gave us all her clothes that her sweet daughter no longer fits into. And I mean, she gave us like 12 shopping bags full! After we sorted it all, we realized that with two babies, we'll still need a bit more, but it's SUCH an awesome start and just SO nice. It was really fun looking through all the tiny baby clothes and picturing tiny babies in them!

So, that's my news everyone! Two girls! Oh, and also, a picture of our girls:



Happy Tuesday everyone!

~M

weekly wednesday update

How far along? 15 weeks 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure. I was supposed to have an OBGYN appointment yesterday to find out, but it got moved to next Tuesday. So, I won't know until then.

Stretch marks? Not yet. I have to admit the vain part of myself is slightly worried about these, as I've seen some pictures of women with red stretch marks covering their entire belly. But- if it happens, it happens! :)

Maternity clothes? Yep! I bought a dress WAY on sale at Ann Taylor Loft. It was the last one! I wore it yesterday and it's super cute:

Then, yesterday I bought a whole bunch of stuff from the Gap and Old Navy online, courtesy of my mom, and my friends Miriam and Alex and their generous gift cards. :) Can't wait for it all to arrive!

Sleep: Still decent. I still wake up about 3-4 times to pee a night, but always fall back asleep right away.

Best moment this week: My friend Wendy gave me a TON of hand me down baby gear. Seriously; it was so generous. It was so fun looking at it all stacked in my living room imagining that soon we'll have two babies to use it!

Movement: Nope. I think this is still 3-4 weeks away.

Food cravings: This week the only craving I had was I REALLY wanted birthday cake one night. Not just regular cake, but birthday cake. The kind that comes in sheet cakes and has that really sugary frosting. :) I didn't have any of course, but I sure wanted some.

Genders: Not yet, but check out the sidebar to the left and vote for your predictions! Right now boy/girl is in the lead.

Labor Signs: Nope- thank goodness!

Belly Button in or out? It's in. I think this is an odd question. Maybe I won't think it's odd when it's finally out.

What I miss: Still not really missing much. I guess I miss not being so tired, and the occasional glass of wine.

What I am looking forward to: My ultrasound in TWO days! I can't wait. It's an early anatomy scan, so it should be a long one. Yay- can't wait to see you, babies!

Weekly Wisdom: If you have a problem or need advice, ask the Internet! I got lots of great suggestions to my protein post. Thanks, guys! :)

Milestones: None for me really, but according to my "what to expect when expecting" app on my phone, the babies ear bones are in place by this week, so they can hear us now! That's exciting.

Also, this week, the babies are the size of avocados. This does not seem significantly bigger than last week's orange, but I think it's more about the length. 4-5 inches and each weighs 3 to 5 oz.



In other news, It's snowing like crazy here in New York today, and it's really pretty. And Ian and I are going to a Liz Phair concert tonight; babies' first concert! And now I know they'll be able to hear it, so I hope it's a good one. :)

~M

*photos found here and here

2nd tri, babies!

It’s here! It’s finally here! Today is the first day of my second trimester! : ) I’m so very excited that we’ve made it to this point. It seemed to take forever, mostly because the risk of miscarriage drops quite a bit once you reach the second trimester. And that’s pretty darn exciting.

The second trimester is supposed to be where you get all this energy back and you feel fabulous again. I am really fortunate, because morning sickness was short lived for me. I had it for a couple of weeks, and then it was gone. My main symptom has been just complete and utter exhaustion. So, we’ll see if that lets up at all. I’ve read in many of my twin pregnancy books, that the symptoms don’t let up as much for a multiple pregnancy, so I might just continue to be tired. Oh, and also, I get up at least 5-6 times per night to pee, and in a single pregnancy they say that this lets up a little in the second tri, but again, since my uterus is growing faster since there are two babies in there, that symptom might not let up much either.

I also have been dealing quite a bit with the breathlessness thing that happens when you’re pregnant. Apparently you need more oxygen during pregnancy, and your body adapts to make this happen. An increase in progesterone, directly affects your lungs and stimulates the respiratory center in your brain. Basically, your body just wants to take deeper breaths. Also, apparently pregnancy, and especially a multiple pregnancy, is harder on your heart. So, recently when I’m going up the gigantic set of stairs by our apartment, I have to stop and take a break. I never used to have to do that before. Guess those babies really need their oxygen!

Also, thanks for the sweet comments yesterday. I really appreciate it, and I know in my rational mind that all that matters is that I’m healthy and my two little guys are healthy. But, the comments made me feel a lot better and snapped me back into reality as to what is really important.

I don’t have another ultrasound scheduled until the 28th! It’s POSSIBLE I’ll get one on the 25th at my OBGYN appointment, but maybe not. My last appointment, when I thought I’d get one, I only got to hear their heartbeats. Which is cool, don’t get me wrong. You see, it’s actually normal that you DON’T get an ultrasound with every appointment. I was spoiled and had gotten one with every appointment I’d had so far. I think I just did at first because of my previous miscarriage and because it was twins. But, now I think I won’t get one every time for a while. Which is hard! I really like seeing them, and it’s reassuring to see their heartbeats and how they are measuring. Though, in about 8 more weeks, I’ll be able to feel them kicking around, so that will be some reassurance too. : )

So, huzzah for second trimester! I’m ready! : )

~M

holidays, heartbeats, movement and limbs!

So, first off; I apologize for the long hiatus. I could say “oh, yes, busy with holiday travel, shopping, caroling, wassailing, etc. and all of that” but, I’d be lying. See, since I’m all pregnant, my doctor said I should forego flying this holiday season, so we stayed home. And though we made a few treks out for movies and short little trips, we were generally quite lazy. It was lovely, actually. Lots of sleeping in, and relaxing and just cozying up on the couch. We had a blizzard here in NY the day after Christmas, so that made things even quieter. So, I have no good reason for not blogging this last 10 days or so. I just was feeling lazy and not wanting to do much of anything! :)

Anyway! So, on Monday we had what is called the Nuchal Translucency test. It apparently is a standard test in which they measure the back of the babies’ necks. Here’s how it’s defined:

This prenatal test (also called the NT or nuchal fold scan) can help your health care practitioner assess your baby's risk of having Down syndrome (DS) and some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems.

The NT test uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of your developing baby's neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average.

So, that’s the deal with the test. They also took some blood and will combine the results for a “combined screening”. The doctor said that everything looked normal though, so that is good news. We’ll know a bit more when we get the blood results back, but so far all is normal! This was a huge relief.

Another great thing about this ultrasound was that we got to hear both babies’ heartbeats! They are both in the normal range (I believe both were around 165-170 bpm). It was super cool to hear their little hearts. Then we got really good looks at both of them, and we saw their arms and legs! And unlike at my last ultrasound, when they looked like little nubs, they look like regular arms and legs now! One of the babies even did a little dance move looking thing; it was really cool.

I go in next week for a regular check up with my OB. I think it will just be standard; blood pressure, weight, short ultrasound, just a general checking in. This week’s ultrasound was done at the hospital where I'll be delivering (Mount Sinai) since they have the super fancy machines there. I’ll have another ultrasound there in 5 weeks. It’s called the anatomy scan, and it’s POSSIBLE I could know the sexes of the babies then. Though, I’ve heard too many stories about how sometimes the babies won’t cooperate and show their stuff, so I’m not getting my hopes up. I hadn’t planned on knowing until about 20 weeks, so if I know earlier, that’d be great- but if not, no big deal. I honestly just want them to be healthy. I know people say that all the time, but it’s honestly all I care about. :)

I’d post pictures of the ultrasound, but the pictures aren’t that great. I’m sure I’ll get better ones at my next ultrasound. The images were pretty clear on the screen, but once she did a screen capture and printed them off; it wasn’t as clear. Probably would be less clear once I scanned them, or took a picture of them. So, you'll just have to trust me; it was really cool.

I think I’m starting to really believe that things are going to be ok this time. I think there will always be that element of fear that something will go wrong. But as the days go by, I feel more and more confident. I mean, I’m less than two weeks away from my the start of my 2nd trimester!! That’s very exciting.

I promise to be much better about updates from now on. Now that I’m no longer hiding a big secret, or celebrating holidays, I’ll update like crazy! : )

Hope you all had a healthy, safe, happy holiday!

~M

oh, and one more little thing….

So, I must confess a little something to all of you. I have not been entirely truthful with you about one tiny detail with this pregnancy. You see, with what happened last time, we even debated telling ANYone about anything with this pregnancy, because it was so painful to lose the last one. But then we realized that we loved the support we had from family and friends, and also, the interwebs. So, we told you!

If you’ll remember correctly, my first ultrasound was “inconclusive”. This was scary, even though I read everywhere that since we had one so early (at like 5 weeks) it was most likely too early to see much of anything. So, I felt a LITTLE better, but you know, still worried. Then I wrote this post updating you and letting you know the doctor hadn’t expected to see a fetal pole, so the inconclusiveness was expected.

But there was more to that conversation on November 15th, that I left out. It went a little something like this:

ME- Hello?

NURSE- Hi, Mariah, this is so-and-so from Dr. David’s office. I’m calling to talk to you about your ultrasound Friday.

ME- Oh ok. (feeling all gloom-and-doom, because WOE is me! There was no fetal pole. This is probably a call with horrible news.)

NURSE- So, were you surprised?

ME- UM… I don’t know if surprised is the right word. More like worried, concerned, scared…

NURSE- Well, we told you this was a possibility! (Still thinking she was talking about the inconclusive no fetal pole stuff…)

ME- Um, no you didn’t. I never knew that it was a possibility.

NURSE- I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing….

ME- ……..

NURSE- The ultrasound tech saw two sacs. You’re having twins!

ME- ……..

………. WHAT?

NURSE- yep! It’s still very early, so don’t get too excited, but she saw two sacs! You’ll have to get another ultrasound in one week to confirm it.

**End scene.**

So… yep! Twins! We had another ultrasound the day before thanksgiving, and there they both were! Measuring normal and TWO heartbeats! We are excited, but we must admit that we go back and forth between- “YAY! Two babies!” and “HOLY CRAP! Two babies!”

So, sorry for the delay in telling everyone, but we just weren’t ready yet. But, we’re getting very excited! I just had an ultrasound on Tuesday, and they’re measuring at 9 weeks 2 days and 9 weeks 4 days. Their heartbeats were 171 each, and I saw little arms!! They still kinda look like gummy bears, but they are getting pretty big (I mean, relative to when they were as big as a poppyseed). They are now each the size of prunes, and about 1-1.5 inches long. :) Grow, babies, grow!

And, that’s our news, y’all! There are TWO baby Frasers on the way! Craziness!!

~M

a regular ol' update

Well, the ultrasound was a success! It wasn’t as exciting as the last ultrasound, only b/c it was with my regular OBGYN, and my other ultrasound was with an ultrasound tech who spends a lot more time showing you what’s happening in there. But, since I just had an ultrasound a little over a week ago, I was happy with the quick look. Everything is measuring on schedule and I saw plenty of heartbeating. :)

Usually at 7 weeks (almost 8), if you start with a reproductive endocrinologist (Dr. David) you aren’t seeing your regular OB until like week 9 or 10. But, I had to go see her for a separate issue, and therefore had to tell her I was pregnant. SO, I’m currently seeing two doctors, which is just fine with me, because at least for the next couple of weeks, I get to have extra ultrasounds. :) And since I’m constantly worrying that something is wrong in there, it’s nice to have that reassurance.

I have to go in and meet with my hematologist again about my Factor V clotting thing, to make sure that my dosage of Lovenox (blood thinner) is high enough. I’ve been giving myself injections again since I found out I was pregnant, and my stomach is back to looking like someone punched me all over with tiny fists. It’s real purty. Oh well; it’s for a good cause. :)

My nausea is a lot better, though this morning a guy was sitting next to me on the subway eating some sort of hot turkey and egg sandwich and I almost had to get off the train. It smelled SO bad. I think it wouldn’t have been pleasant even if I wasn’t pregnant, but MAN. I had to breathe through my mouth until he finished his gross breakfast. He also chewed with his mouth open and smacked his lips which didn’t help.

I realize I’ve been slacking a bit on updating lately, but it seems as though there aren’t as many things to update recently! I’m going to make an effort to post at least 5 times a week again though, like I was doing at first. I think most of it is; I’m really trying not to get too ahead of myself. It’s really hard, because I’m excited, but I’m quite aware that something could still go wrong. I’m hoping and praying that it won’t, but you never know. So, I hold myself back from looking at strollers, and cribs and reading too many books, because well; you just never know. I’m thinking positively though, just trying to protect myself a bit.

Have a lovely weekend, all! We had company all last week, so this weekend I plan on doing laundry, and a lot of lounging. :)

~M

perhaps i spoke too soon, nausea

Yes, I was hoping you'd show up, because you didn't really last time, and so I see this as a very good sign. HOWEVER... because of you I could barely eat breakfast this morning and am currently trying to decide what to have for lunch, and NOTHING sounds good. Except Sprite.

I also have a cold, which kinda blows. It’s not a really major cold, but it is seriously hanging on since I'm not taking any medicine for it. I am hoping it slowly goes away and is gone by Thanksgiving, because we have company! Our favorite Thanksgiving company; my brother. He is our Thanksgiving tradition. :) We’ve had Thanksgiving with him at least 5 times, though maybe more. Ok, well, I PERSONALLY have had many, many Thanksgivings with him, since he is after all, my brother. But as a married or engaged couple, it has been at least 5 times. So, that will be fun! I’m cooking our tiny little three person dinner, and we’ll just chill around the house watching the parade and Thanksgiving movies. Quite excited!

On the baby front, we have an ultrasound on Wednesday morning, so that will be a good thing. Keep your fingers crossed for all good news. I’d like to be able to see a heartbeat and all the necessary parts; fetal pole, yolk sac, etc. So, here’s hoping!

It's pretty nervewracking waiting for this ultrasound. We both are just praying that it all looks good. I have high hopes, since my hcG numbers were such over-acheivers, and since I'm all nauseated and tired, etc. So, these are all good signs. We'll just have so much more peace of mind after Wed. Another thing stressing us out is that last time, we lost the baby at 7 weeks 3 days, and I'm currently at 6 weeks 3 days. So, we're nearing that point, and of course, it's scary. But, I feel a lot more pregnant this time, so I think it will be all ok.

~M

update on "inconclusive"

So, I get my ultrasounds done at an imaging center; not at my doctor’s office. This is mostly because my doctor is a fertility doc; not an OB, so he doesn’t have time to do all the ultrasounds. Anyway, so, as I mentioned, the OB tech just told me that it was “inconclusive”. AH, how comforting, right? Just what every woman who’s hoping to be pregnant wants to hear.

Anyway, my doctor’s office called this afternoon, and said that my hcG levels are awesome, and are up to 25,321! YAY! And since they’ve only done nothing but good things this time, she told me I “graduated” from bloods, and I no longer have to go in to get them done! Double yay!

GRADUA-SHEE-OHN!

Here’s the rundown, if you care:

11/2- 80
11/4- 247
11/8- 1907
11/11- 5700
11/15- 25,321

So, that’s great news. THEN, she said that they did NOT expect to see a fetal pole in that ultrasound (um, that really would have been nice to know, but whatever.). So, that’s a load off (for now). Anyway, I have another ultrasound scheduled for next week- where they DO expect to see a fetal pole. So, cross your fingers!

~M

ups and downs and ups

So, yesterday felt pretty bleak. hCG numbers dropped, started spotting- didn't seem good. So for my ultrasound today, I was trying to prepare myself for the worst, but once I was on the subway, and sitting in the waiting room, all I could think was "Everything HAS to be ok. It just has to. I can't handle it NOT being ok."

They told me to drink 20oz of water an hour beforehand. I may have had 32oz. You know-trying to go above and beyond. :) Um, they called me in about 3 minutes past my appointment time and I really thought I wasn't going to make it. I was going to pee all over the waiting room. And since Ian and I already looked like the poorest people in the waiting room (seriously; all the women had on designer maternity clothes and had fresh mani-pedi's and perfectly coiffed hair; all their husbands with nice suits. Then there's us in our "yes-this-is-from-Old-Navy-but-it-passes-for-work-clothes" outfits; the last thing I needed to do was make a scene and pee all over the waiting room.

Anyhoo, I didn't pee in the waiting room. But, when she did the external ultrasound, she was REALLY shocked to see how full my bladder was. She said it was so full it was 4 x the size of my uterus! Then, oh happy day, I got to pee. :)

ANYWAY... the part you ACTUALLY want to hear about (though why you don't want to read a whole post about my bladder is beyond me)... the baby is fine! It's measuring at 7 weeks (and we're at 6 weeks 6 days- way to be one day ahead, baby!) and it has a good heartbeat of 137. Wanna see??

This is how happy I am:
This has seriously been the most up and down my emotions have ever been. I'll be so excited when we pass the 12 week mark, so we can feel a LITTLE more confident.

Keep on growin', little blueberry!

~M

more bad numbers

Even though the doctor said I didn't need to get my hCG levels measured today, I decided to anyway, in case they were bad; I thought it would help me be prepared. But honestly; I thought they'd be better.

They weren't. They went back down:

Week 4- (7/29)- 462
Week 5- (8/2)- 2000
Week 5- (8/5)- 2996
Week 6- (8/9)- 3153
Week 6- (8/12)- 2851
Week 7- (8/16)- 3668

today- 2660

I also had a little bit of spotting today, which according to Dr.Google and all my pregnancy books means absolutely nothing, and also, something is wrong. But, nothing to know until tomorrow at the ultrasound. So, I guess I need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

~M

cautious optimism

So, the little sweet pea has been giving us some worries lately. As I mentioned earlier, I have been going in twice weekly to get blood drawn to measure my hCG levels. For those of you not up on pregnancy lingo, here you go:

The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days after conception by a urine test. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy.

So, when you take a pregnancy test, that's what the test is looking for; hCG. And as it mentions above, hCG continues to rise (and hopefully double) every 72 hours. So far my levels went like this:

Week 4- (7/29)- 462
Week 5- (8/2)- 2000
Week 5- (8/5)- 2996
Week 6- (8/9)- 3153

So, as you can see, between weeks 4 and 5 we did ok, but then it started to slow way down. This is generally NOT a good sign. It often means that the pregnancy may not continue. HOWEVER, then you also read stuff like this online:

• In a bout 85% of normal pregnancies, the hCG level will double every 48 - 72 hours. As you get further along in pregnancy and the hCG level gets higher, the time it takes to double can increase to about every 96 hours.

• Caution must be used in making too much of hCG numbers. A normal pregnancy may have low hCG levels and result in a perfectly healthy baby. The results from an ultrasound after 5 - 6 weeks gestation are much more accurate than using hCG numbers.

So maybe we're the other 15% of normal pregnancies where the hCG level WON'T double? GAH. It's really maddening and stressful.

HOWEVER, also, as it mentioned in the 2nd bullet point; the results from the ultrasound at 5-6 weeks are more accurate. Well, it just so happens that I had an ultrasound yesterday. They were checking to make sure the blood flow to the uterus was good and to make sure the pregnancy was in the uterus. Well, the blood flow is just fine and the pregnancy is in the uterus. Also, she said size wise, it's measuring at about 5 weeks 6 days; which is where it should be. ALSO, I saw the heart beat! I couldn't hear it yet, because it's way too small, but I saw it and it was WAY cool. Which is so great, because we were SO worried on Monday night; just really sick with worry.

Anyway, my doctor is advising that we proceed with "cautious optimism". Which, sort of doesn't make me feel any better. I mean- it WAS reassuring to see the little heart fluttering (and also just pretty damn cool) but oh, hCG, why aren't you cooperating?

We'll see what my levels are tomorrow- I'm hoping for a huge jump. If you feel so inclined; send good thoughts our way!

~M

overboard?

Well, maybe a little. But I already owned them all! So, I had to use them, right? I mean, what a waste to not use them. Also, I've had so few symptoms, it's nice and reassuring to see the two lines (even though they were super light in the second picture) or the "Pregnant" again. I also had another blood test on Thursday to check my Beta hCG levels (doctor's orders- will do that for the next 3 weeks 2x per day) and again today. They were good on Thursday at 462. Well, the nurse said that was a good number, and when I googled it, google seemed to agree.

I haven't had TOO many symptoms yet, but I've had a few. I'm always kind of tired, no matter how much sleep I get, I've had some mild nausea, my face broke out (whee!) and I've had a little heartburn. But all of these have been sort of mild and not constant yet. So, so far so good. I have to say- I kind of love the symptoms. I get a little sad when they subside. They are a nice reminder that "yep! Still pregnant!" I know that all of you out there that are pregnant or have been pregnant understand what I mean about this. It's just so early, and I'm so concerned about my little tiny one making it through the first trimester, so I love the symptoms, b/c they're reassuring.

I'm supposed to have an ultrasound early next week to make sure that the little guy has implanted in the right place (uterus, not fallopian tube) and to check blood flow to the uterus. Then, 10 days after that, I'm going in for another ultrasound to hear the heartbeat! That will be very very exciting. :)

My appointment with the hematologist was uneventful. She was very nice and said that indeed I would be on Lovenox (and then later Heparin) for my entire pregnancy. She also said she'd monitor my pregnancy the whole way with my OB (whenever I finally pick one. um, gotta get on that). So, it's comforting to know that someone will be watching over that.

Oh, also, poppyseed has graduated to an orange seed. :) They grow up so fast.

~M