I had my first appointment with the ROC (Regional Obstetrics Consultants) today and was once again told everything looks normal! YAY! That word is the one word I hope to hear! There's not much to report, since it'll take about 2 weeks to get the final results from today's screening. They explained to me again why I'm at a higher risk for many challenges and complications, but also said that many in my position (age, multiple miscarriages, twins) go full term with no problems. I'm certainly hoping to fall into that category!

Both babies are doing well. They measured exactly the same (13 weeks 2 days, HR 155). I am 12 weeks 6 days, so they're both still measuring ahead, which is good...fine...normal. Baby B was much more cooperative than Baby A, so I'm going to see if that holds true throughout the pregnancy...then throughout life!

Here are the pictures taken today. They're really starting to look like babies now, aren't they?! It was still too early to even hazard a guess at gender, but hopefully soon! You know us...we're dying to find out!


















Tom's out of the country again, so I've added all the pics so he can be a part of this, just like the rest of you...from afar! He's due home late Friday night. I'm so not used to him traveling so much anymore! It's taken it's toll on both Allan and me, but we are hanging in there. We are both extremely excited he'll be home for Allan's birthday and party on Saturday! I just hope he'll be able to have fun and participate. He's in Australia, so the 14 hour time difference and 28 hours of traveling to get home in time may hinder him a bit the next day for a bunch of toddler/preschoolers jumping and bouncing!

I'm scheduled to go back to the ROC in four weeks. I will see my OB next week, though, so I'm sure I'll update again then!

I think I’ll start with Allan this time. Poor thing’s already being ignored and the babies aren’t even anywhere near being here yet! Last week, Allan went to our final RE appointment with us. The nurses all love him so much, they made me promise to bring him instead of planning the appt while he was in school. I am so glad we did!

Allan got to see the babies in the ultrasound and was pretty thrilled with it. He especially likes telling people one of the babies is upside down in his bubble! I think seeing the ultrasound made it all real for him. He talks about the babies, about holding them, and about how he loves them and how he will teach them to laugh. When he hugs me, he makes me stand up tall so he can “feel the babies hugging him”, too. Allan also talks about holding one of the babies and I can hold the other one. When Tom asked which he could hold, Allan told Tom “Dad, there’s only two of them!” This child completely melts my heart on so many occasions!

My blood work from the Fifth Disease workup came back no exposure, now or previously. This is good news for now, but means I will need another test in a few weeks. Basically the best result would have been if I had been previously exposed, having antibodies in my blood, since that would mean I couldn’t get it again. Because it’s completely negative (which, by the way, is the FIRST time the nurse reading the results had ever seen that!) I could technically still catch it! Nothing is ever just easy with me, is it?! But, it’s good I don’t have it currently, so hopefully it just all stays that way!

My OB appointment went well today. As the first appointment, I met with the doctor first, had an ultrasound with him, then I met with a nurse for the initial patient history and pregnancy overview. It was a looooong day at the doctor!

The babies are doing just as well as they have been! I am 11 weeks along today. Baby A measured 11 weeks 4 days with a heart rate of 180 at first, then remeasured at 168 (she was moving all around!). Baby B measured 11 weeks 1 day with a heart rate of 162. Here are their pictures!








My next appointment with my OB isn’t for three weeks, scheduled for June 3rd. I have an appointment on May 26th with the local High Risk Clinic. My doctor is a high risk doctor, but there is a clinic in town that has all the great equipment for all sorts of high risk patients. I may see them along with my doctor throughout the pregnancy. I am high risk for various reasons (elderly maternal age(!), twin pregnancy, previous miscarriages).

I learned from my appointment today I will definitely be having another c-section. He said they would be ok with a VBAC (vaginal delivery after cesarean) if it were a singleton pregnancy, but with multiples, they do not do VBACs, period. So, c-section it is. Dr Chafin said we shoot for 36 weeks and hope for even longer as a bonus. Many twin pregnancies make it to full term, and many don’t. So, we just keep on going with each day and hoping for as long a gestation as we can get. He did say no long distance travel, no work (or excess mother’s work!) beginning at week 28. He said most complications will show during or after week 28, so no need to exert anything extra. A pregnant mother carrying twins at 28 weeks is roughly the size of a full term mother carrying a single baby. So, after that, the body typically just needs more energy to sustain a longer pregnancy, so he doesn’t want me using energy on window washing (he said it…but I don’t do that anyway! LOL!)

I received TONS of information from the nurse! I walked out of the office with two bags full of things. One had different samples of prenatal vitamins (yay for samples!!!) and the other had a bag full of magazines, sample diapers, coupons, hospital information, etc. Lots of reading for me to do! I also got a cute little pregnancy calendar/journal to document all the info from appointments, as well as jot down my questions to ask at my appointments. I love free things! Here's pics of the tons of info...see...not lying...tons!






I have been feeling well. Still some mild heartburn, but nothing Tums isn’t taking care of and I need the extra calcium now anyway! I’ve been extremely tired lately, but even that seems to be getting a little better. This week was tough on exhaustion because I was playing single parent while Tom was out of the country the last ten days. I’m looking forward to his arrival home tonight, that’s for sure! My Mother’s Day present is a two night stay in a hotel…alone…no Tom…no Allan! I plan to read, nap, shop, nap, sleep, did I mention undisturbed reading and napping?! I’m just going to St Augustine and plan to hit the outlet mall there. They have a Motherhood Maternity store and I’m looking for a few more items. I have my clothes from Allan’s pregnancy, but I’m already using them…EEK! 11 weeks and can’t button my pants!

I think that’s all I have to fill you in on this week! Thanks to everyone for your kind words and notes! I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog and hope I can continue to keep it up!

There's always something that keeps me worried.

Let's start with the good news about the babies! Today I am 9 weeks 5 days pregnant. My ultrasound appointment went well and the babies are "beautifully normal" as the nurse practitioner put it! YAY for that! Both babies were active and moving all around, which was certainly fun to see! Baby A measured 10 weeks and "her" heartbeat was 177. Baby B measured 10 weeks 1 day and "his" heartbeat was 162. (The saying is the faster heartbeats belong to girls and the slower ones boys...but we've got a few more weeks till we will really know!) Here they are, our beautiful babies!



Don't know if you can really make things out, but we sure could see them so much better today! We saw hands and feet and even toes! Baby A is much clearer, and her head is pointing towards the top. Baby B is a bit fuzzy, and his head is pointing down.

So...what's the "something", you ask? Well, Allan has Fifth Disease. This is apparently a pretty common childhood illness, but most people I talk with have never heard of it. It's a relatively mild virus which was the fifth one found that caused rashes in children, hence the name. Children who get it may have mild flu or cold like symptoms and then up to 4 weeks later develop a rash. The hard part about this virus, is until there's a rash you wouldn't know your child has it. Once the rash develops, the child is no longer contagious, however the passing along would have happened long before it without knowledge.

Allan is not bothered at all. The rash does not itch, nor cause discomfort in any way. That's the good news. The "bad" news is that it can be dangerous to fetuses less than 20 weeks gestation. Figures. It's not common, but if the mother contract the virus while pregnant, worst case scenario, the virus can cause a lack of red blood cells, causing the fetus to become anemic, which could cause a heart problem and the fetus could die and the mother miscarry. The good news is I've been having weekly ultrasounds and they look good. I had a blood test taken today to see what my levels of the virus are. That will determine if I was exposed long ago, hence no problem, as you won't contract it more than once. Or it will determine I have it now and we just have to keep having these ultrasounds and praying for the best. Of course the blood test could also determine that I've never been exposed and haven't (yet) contracted it from Allan, either, in which case I would probably still be monitored closely for at least another several weeks.

The other GREAT news about today is I "graduated" from the specialists to the regular (albeit high risk) OB!! It was almost bittersweet. These docs, nurses and staff have been with me through the roughest of times along with the happiest moments of our last couple years. It's weird to realize I won't be going to their office next week, but another doc and his nurses and staff will be seeing me instead. They made me promise to call when I know the sexes and we had to promise to send a birth announcement and come see them after the babies are born.

My next appointment is Thursday, May 13th...my first official OB appointment! As always, I ask you all to please continue to pray for us, think good thoughts and send all your positive vibes this way!