OB, first trimester screening, indigestion, oh my! :)

I've been off of all of my medications for almost one whole week and it feels GREAT! I get to go straight to bed when I'm tired, no more stuffing vials in my bra to warm, taking pills, and finding new places to inject. My butt feels amazing :) I have also not bled for 4 weeks now! This calls for a celebration! I am also just beginning to have a little bit of a "bump". Most who have no idea I'm pregnant, would not notice, but those who do know, have been spying on my stomach every day in hopes that they'll begin to see something. I plan to take a picture this Sunday to send to T&Y as my first official belly picture. It will not look like much to them, but I promise there's something starting there :)

Today was my first OB appointment and I was very nervous about it. A single topic that has been weighing so heavily on my mind.....was about to be broached and answered. Will I find an OB that will support my desire to deliver vaginally as long as Baby A is head down? I had never been to this clinic before and googled reviews of the OBs at this particular clinic and others around here and this guy was definitely a few peoples' favorite, so I figured I'd check him out and hope for the best. Sitting in the room waiting for him to come in, I'm going over everything in my head; what to ask, how to describe what I want without sounding demanding, what to tell him about our journey so far, etc. In walks this almost 7" tall man to shake my hand, whoa! At that moment, everything I had been going over in my head for weeks was temporarily forgotten. This guy was so tall! I almost felt the need to stand up to shake his hand, rather than stay sitting, just so I could reach! Anyways, back to the important stuff. I liked him immediately. He was professional, yet very personable. He had delivered a surrobaby just one year ago for a same-sex male couple from Mexico. I was well behaved and allowed a few topics to pass before I brought up my desire to deliver vaginally. Much to my amazement, he was supportive and on board. I expressed my fear of being delivered by an OB who just happened to be on that evening, who would not allow me the chance and my OB said that he will be discussing my case and my desires with all of his OB team when it gets closer to D day and if anyone is not entirely supportive and comfortable, there will be a back-up, just for me! Amazing! I am so relieved! Now, the only thing I have to worry about now is making sure Baby A cooperates :) Oh, and we mustn't forget all of the other restrictions that have now been lifted. Terry will be a mighty happy man, not only can I do more with lifting/cleaning/etc. (not that I wasn't doing a few of those things all along) we can now be a "normal" couple again....as normal as a couple can be for allowing the girlfriend to carry the children of two other men. 

After my OB appointment, I went to my Nuchal Translucency screening. For those of you who do not know what an NT screening/scan is, it's where they measure the fluid in an area in the back of the neck, to determine or rule out any severe abnormalities such as Down's Syndrome. They measure other parts of the babies as well, but this is, from my understanding, the most indicative measurement for abnormalities. I'm not nervous about it, but I'm sure the guys are as they are typical parents-to-be, wanting to know that everything is well with their babies. The ultrasound tech. preformed an ultrasound and was very amused by the babies and their movement. Baby A was pretty laid back and relaxed while Baby B kept kicking and moving around. I don't know why I get the feeling that Baby A is a girl and Baby B is a boy, but that is going to be my official guess until we actually find out. Both babies continue to measure spot on and have identical heartbeat measurements. They are both also equal distance from my cervix, so determining who is Baby A and Baby B, can be tricky for the tech. She was happy to hear that she is not the only one who was not able to name them appropriately, immediately :) T&Y were so excited for today's appointment. They were expecting results from the NT scan immediately, but I quickly explained the reality of it to them and said we would find out next week some time. They were also really excited to see some updated ultrasound images so I was sure to send them as soon as I got back from my appointment.

My mom was checking in with me last night and asked if I would want my family at the hospital for any part of it. I said I'd love to have them there, before, during and after the birth. It would mean a lot to me and I have imagined that all along. My dad was under the impression that it wouldn't be appropriate since it's not "our" babies. I can understand where he might get that initial impression of the process. If T&Y seemed more reserved, and I knew they wouldn't appreciate the extra company, I would make sure to follow their wishes. But we have a good relationship and I know they would appreciate the added support, knowing that it would also help me during that amazing moment. If I felt that it was too overwhelming for them, I'd send people out of the room for a bit or make them take turns :) I mentioned to my mom that I think it would be fun to throw them a mini-baby shower when they get here, just for fun with our family and all of the people who have been supporting us as they are excited for T&Y's journey, too. My mom said she'd love to help me throw one and that means so much to me. I can't wait!

Our next OB appointment is May 24th and I'll also have my blood drawn one more time for the 2nd half of the NT screening. All in all, things are looking up and I couldn't be happier!

 

Back up to speed - 11 weeks

The past few weeks have been pretty emotional, so I sincerely thank all of you for your kind words of support and wisdom, it really helps knowing that others are there to support me! I really wanted this to be a "happy blog" for others to read and didn't intend for it to turn out to be so negative and "venty", so I hope that will change very soon!

I went in for a repeat ultrasound (2 by now, actually) and it looks like the hematoma is stabilizing, which is great! Although it hasn't gone down very much, it hasn't grown, either. The babies are doing well. Both have been measuring identically, even the heartbeats were identical this last time! During my 10 week 3 day ultrasound, I was able to see the babies moving around quite a bit. They're beginning to take on more of a human-like appearance, rather than little blobs :) T&Y are over the moon and love their babies already. I love being able to share the pictures with them, knowing that they become more and more excited!

Mornings are like a box of chocolates right now, although I really am very lucky, because none of those chocolates include vomiting :) If it's going to be a rough morning, it usually means I have to sit periodically and take breaks from getting ready to keep from passing out. I have low blood pressure as it is, so passing out is definitely a familiar thing for me and I know the instant I need to sit and put my head between my legs. While I don't have my "normal" appetite back yet and it seems that, come dinner time, I am consistently not feeling "well" enough to eat, I can and do eat often throughout the day, so I still have nothing to complain about in that area. How did I get so lucky? 

Over the last weekend, Terry's son had a soccer tournament in St. Louis, MO and we took it upon ourselves to take the trip to hopefully enjoy some warmer weather and some exciting soccer games. I will admit, I was very nervous about the possibility of bleeding while we were away and with only porta-potties around the soccer fields. I went well prepared with all of my "bleeding necessities" on hand at all times and I knew where every bathroom was. But I am happy to report..........I am over 2 weeks post last bleeding episode! A whole 2+ weeks of not bleeding, only the "old stuff", which is an amazing feeling, I'm tellin' ya! I was sick with the seasonal sinus/flu stuff that's going around, so I was kind of a bump on a log, but the weather was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and made the 1000 mile round trip SO worth it! Saturday was windy and icky, but Sunday was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! Warmer, sunnier weather, does WONDERS for me. Meanwhile, I was getting reports from people back home that we received even more of this nasty white stuff and I was NOT looking forward to returning to it! Spring, where are you?

After my last ultrasound, I was released to my own OB. I will also be completely weaned off of my meds by 4/20, yay!!!! Maybe by the the end of the pregnancy, I'll begin to get the feeling back in my butt :)

Because I am not going to the same clinic that I had my son at (I am going to the same hospital, though), I am really nervous about finding "the right OB". One of my first priorities is to find one that will not be "C-section happy" and will allow me the opportunity and chance to deliver vaginally if Twin A is head down. This is very important to me. I meet my OB on 4/26 for the first time and I'm going to do my best not nail him with that question the instant he walks in the door. I might give him until after our initial hand-shake :)