Just the Stork

Three months down! I am pretty sure I have felt the little flutters of them moving around in there, but now is the time that more defined movements are really felt. With my first I would feel her stretch out like a ballerina most of her pregnancy, slow and graceful, but relatively calm. With my second, I swear I felt him kicking around like a little ninja way before 16 weeks and he never stopped moving. I am interested to see how it feels with two in there making room for themselves. Weight : 161 Feeling : Feeling better everyday. As the babies grow, there is less room for my other organs so I get winded easier and fuller faster but its a slow change which makes it easier to get used to. Luckily, Dave rubs my ankles almost every night so I am hoping to avoid swollen ankles as long as possible. Babies: Your babies are about 4.6 inches long and weigh in at about 3.5 ounces. Their unique fingerprints have almost finished forming, and...

The bump is finally starting to pop! Switching to maternity pants made me realize how snug my usual wardrobe was getting. Until now it just felt like I ate a large lunch that was hanging around but the bump is sticking around now and is a little more obvious. Leggings are quickly becoming a good and comfy friend. I have learned a lot from this process so far and a co-worker of mine, with twins, said I should write a book "What to Expect When They Are Expecting". I was surprised how much digging I needed to do to find information about experiences from other surrogates, especially with twins. I found blogs helpful but each experience is so different you never really know what to expect, from medications, to transfers, procedures and testing, to the entire journey really. And we are not even half way there! It has been fun and exciting so far and I look forward  to learning more as time goes on. Weight : 161 Feeling : Energy is continuing to return which is norma...

Welcome to the second trimester! 14 week ultrasound went great. They were squirming a little bit and I have been feeling a little flutter when I am laying down which I think is them moving around. I can only imagine when it will feel like a few months from now with two babies practicing gymnastics in there. The Qnatal results came back negative for abnormalities, great news after waiting so long, making it worth the wait. And they have confirmed there is at least one boy in there. I am still guessing there is a boy and a girl but we will find out for sure May 1st! Weight : 160 Feeling : Better by the day. I try to snack as much as I can in between meals but getting in 3000 calories is harder than you would think. I never thought I would be trying so hard to gain weight on purpose! I have read around week 14 weight gain increases so I may still hit the "24 by 24", with 19 pounds to go in the next 10 weeks. Babies: Your babies are about 3.4 inches long and wei...

We are in the last week of the first trimester and 1/3rd of the way through the pregnancy! Weight : 160 Feeling : I have read that around 13 weeks pregnant, symptoms change a bit and you might actually be able to get through the day without nausea (if not now, soon) or feeling the need for a nap. All good news to me! Babies: Your babies are about 2.9 inches long and weigh in at about .81 ounces. Fingerprints are forming on your baby’s tiny fingertips, their veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up with the head – which makes up just a third of the body size now. 

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...