Just the Stork

After waiting two weeks, and checking the patient portal daily waiting on results of the Panorama prenatal screening I finally was called by a nurse and informed the test was not going to work. Apparently the algorithm only allows for three individuals to be involved and cannot be run with more. It was quite frustrating waiting almost two weeks to be given this information when I was expecting results.  I was also looking forward to this test since the doctor said they would be able to determine the sex of both babies, and that the other tests could only determine if there was at least one male baby. It was a learning opportunity for the practice who offer this screening to all their patients, and now are aware it cannot be completed for everyone. Of course our situation is a little more unique, but very special for all involved. Fortunately the nurse assured me it was not too late to complete another test, the QNatal, so I made plans to go first...

Still waiting on the screening results. Of course hopeful for good news from the screening results and also curious on gender! I am guessing a boy and a girl at this point. I check the portal daily to see if the results are in, so hopefully just a few more days of waiting until they are posted. Weight : 158.5 Feeling : The nausea is still hanging around but not as much. My energy comes and goes, but it is great when I get an energy burst and try to do as much as I can in that time! Heartburn comes with certain foods so Tums have a new spot in my purse, but I am thankful for the appetite. Babies: Your babies are about 1.6 inches long and weigh in at about .25 ounces. They have about a 1:1 head-to-body ratio. Their  hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under their gums, and some of their bones are beginning to harden. They are already busy kicking and stretching, and their tiny movemen...

Week 10 and the first visit with the new OB office. The doctor I met with, Amy Thibault, was nice to work with and easy to talk to. She said once it gets closer to the delivery, we are probably looking at planning the c-section around 38-39 weeks. She suggested a 35-50 pound weight gain throughout the pregnancy to ensure the best chance of reducing preterm labor and low birth weight in multiples. Both babies looked great and were actually squirming around! Their heartbeats were both 164 and they were measuring at 4.6 and 4.8, right on track. They babies are di/di twins, the most common kind and the lowest risk, since each has their own placenta and amniotic sac. Luckily this type of twin pregnancy has the least chance of major problems amongst twin pregnancies, with the smallest list of major complications. With twins we will be having an ultrasound at each visit to make sure the babies are growing as expected. The next appointment with Maitri will be 4 weeks from now on March 1...

Sunday was my last day of medications! November 30th, the first day of medications, seems like so long ago. I am happy that we started with the small needles. I was surprised at the lack of pain, even though every now and then I would psych myself out thinking it would hurt and hesitate so I would poke myself then have to do it again with more force to get it to break the skin. That process always made me laugh a little after knowing what a large needle would be following the first tiny one. I am surprised I was able to come so far, from passing out at the sight of my grandmother getting her blood taken to giving myself shots...large shots! For over 10 weeks straight! After watching hours of videos on how to give yourself a "painless" shot, I failed to believe them and asked for a numbing cream. It was a life saver and I felt pressure but no pain. However I had to leave the cream on for 30-45 minutes for it to actually work and it became so time consuming that I went ba...

Nine weeks down which means we are 1/4 of the way there! I have read at this point you should expect to gain about a pound a week if you have twins, with a total weight gain goal of 37 to 54 pounds. I gained 30 with my daughter and 15 with my son so I am curious how it will go with twins. Luckily they allow me to eat when hungry, slowly gaining my appetite back, but my sense of smell has definitely increased and while I can eat most foods, I cannot always stand the smell of them. There is not really a baby bump yet, other than right after a larger meal, but I can feel my pants getting a little snug and finally caved and bought a pair of maternity pants. As of the last ultrasound the babies were measuring two days ahead, with a due date of September 10th. Weight : 157 Feeling : Food = good. Smelling food = bad. I may have to outlaw cooking pork chops in my house for a little while! Babies: The babies are the size of cherries and measure around .9 inches and weighs about .0...

The 8 week ultrasound looked great. Baby A's heart rate was 172 and baby B's was 171, nice and healthy, so we have "graduated" from Northeaster Reproductive Medicine! They have been so nice and informative it will be sad not to work with them anymore but I am looking forward to a smooth transition to the new OB who will follow us until the twins are born. Weight : 155 Feeling : Getting some energy back but also really enjoying going to bed early and getting sleep! Babies: The babies are the size of raspberries and are now just over 1/2 inch long and constantly moving and shifting. Your baby's hands and feet are developing webbed fingers and toes, their eyelids almost cover their  eyes, breathing tubes extend from their throat to the branches of their developing lungs, and the "tail" is just about gone. In the brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with each another, forming primitive neural pathways. ...