Since my last blog, we had another ultrasound the very next day with the maternal-fetal specialist. No one really told us what we were there for. During the ultrasound the doctor came in. Together they determined, to the best of their observations, that our twins are identical. That means about 7-8 days after the egg was fertilized, it split in two. They determine the "zygosity" (fraternal 0r identical) by seeing how many placentas there are. I guess there's only one, but there is a chance two of them fused and just looks like one.
Anyway, we decided that we wanted to know the sex of the babies as soon as possible. It's a lot easier picking out two names than four. OR if we really wanted to be coordinated, we would have to come up with boy-boy, girl-girl, and boy-girl pairings of names if we wanted to wait until delivery. No way. It was hard enough naming our dog.
This doctor is really funny and down to earth. We told her Allan was crossing his fingers for at least one boy. They said the first baby looked like a girl. You should have seen the look she gave Allan when she looked closely at the second one. It was like "you ready for this?" Then she said, "Well, Dad, it looks like you might have two girls, but don't paint the walls pink yet." It's still early (13.5 weeks at the time). Needless to say, Allan is hoping he'll see a wee-wee or two in the next ultrasound.
Life in the meantime is kind of unpredictable for me. My health determines what I can get done each day. I'm paying close attention to staying hydrated and fed, which is blowing a big fat hole in our food budget. I have to eat every two hours or...well, you know. I'm generally feeling better these days minus a day or two per week when it gets so bad I can't leave the house. It's supposed to start getting better. Life for Allan is getting stressful as he is trying hard to pick up my slack from being sick and quitting one of my jobs. It's still rough financially, but God always provides...somehow.
We got a letter today from our health insurance verifying all of my information with them. I guess my records say that I have a rare disorder called "hyperemesis gravidarum." It's basically severe nausea and vomiting that leads to vitamin deficiency and dehydration. If you want to know more about it : Speaking of our insurance, they enrolled me in a free program for expecting mothers. I can call the "Healthy Pregnancy Line" 24 hours/day to get advice about anything except medicine. Cool! So far I have learned much more from one phone call and a couple books than both of my doctors put together.
I have a bump! I'll post pictures when it's noticeable. Not many people notice it, but to me and Allan it's big! They say my babies are the size of apples. Allan and I wondered what kind of apples. Cameos or little granny smith apples? And why do they have to compare babies to food?
That's all I have for now! Until next time...
Melody
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Searching for Baby B
Another appointment with the O.B today. Upon walking in, I prepared myself for the possibility of not hearing two heartbeats. As mentioned before, this fear was born from reading and hearing stories from people I do and do not know. As much as I tried to tell myself everything was fine and trust in God, it was always in the back of my mind.
Today when I went into my appointment, the nurse used the Doppler to find the heartbeats. She couldn't find them. I heard that sometimes babies react to the Doppler's sound waves, so you can hear them kicking at it. The nurse said she heard them moving, but they were wiggling so much that it was hard for her to find their heartbeats. Hmmm...yeah right. I could tell she was a little worried. I, too, was panicking inside and trying to be calm on the outside. The nurse left the room and said she would have the doctor try it. I was sitting in the room all by myself...waiting and wondering.
A few minutes later the ultrasound tech came in with an ultrasound machine (whatever it's called). At first the tech could only find Baby A. The doctor came in to help her, and they found the top of Baby B's head. We couldn't see its body to determine that it was moving. A few minutes of panic passed and --hallelujah!--they found little Baby B hiding behind its twin with a healthy heartbeat. Little rascal. Moments like these are only the beginning of my children freaking me out.
Today when I went into my appointment, the nurse used the Doppler to find the heartbeats. She couldn't find them. I heard that sometimes babies react to the Doppler's sound waves, so you can hear them kicking at it. The nurse said she heard them moving, but they were wiggling so much that it was hard for her to find their heartbeats. Hmmm...yeah right. I could tell she was a little worried. I, too, was panicking inside and trying to be calm on the outside. The nurse left the room and said she would have the doctor try it. I was sitting in the room all by myself...waiting and wondering.
A few minutes later the ultrasound tech came in with an ultrasound machine (whatever it's called). At first the tech could only find Baby A. The doctor came in to help her, and they found the top of Baby B's head. We couldn't see its body to determine that it was moving. A few minutes of panic passed and --hallelujah!--they found little Baby B hiding behind its twin with a healthy heartbeat. Little rascal. Moments like these are only the beginning of my children freaking me out.
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