The next step was to schedule an ultrasound with the perinatologist (specialist) and determine whether abnormalities were present or not. If abnormalities were found, further testing.....ahem...amniocentesis, would be preformed. For those of you who do not know what an amniocentesis is, or what my thoughts and feelings are regarding the amnio....read on. First, the pure thought of an amniocentesis scares the sh*t out of me. There's my thoughts on that. An amniocentesis is a test that requires the insertion of a somewhat larger gauged needle through the abdomen to collect and test amniotic fluid and possibly other tissues from the fetuses. Although I've never had one, I understand that they are NOT pleasant and quite painful and there is argument that they can be very risky for the pregnancy (here in the U.S we think they are somewhat risky, in other countries they would disagree). When matching with T&Y, one of the topics we discussed was what my feeling were regarding amniocentesis. In Israel, testing, multiple ultrasounds, etc., are preformed WAY more during pregnancy than we do here in the U.S. Here in the U.S we are relatively hands-off. An amnio in Israel is typical and considered minor and normal, a lot of intended parents don't think much of them and can sometimes expect a surrogate to just agree to have one preformed, even when there is no test result to indicate a need for one. I said that I would only allow an amnio to be preformed if there was a significant need for it. Of course I would never reject further testing that is needed to determine abnormalities. But I wasn't agreeing to an amnio "just because". T&Y were ok with this when we matched and I really hoped they wouldn't push me to have one if the ultrasound revealed "healthy babies". I was seriously more worried that they'd want an amnio for no good reason, than I was worried about there being something wrong with the babies, because again, I really felt that everything would be ok.
Yesterday I went in for our ultrasound appointment and asked the technician to keep the sexes a surprise and to place them in an envelope for me to reveal as a surprise to T&Y via Skype after the appointment. The tech. put the wand on my abdomen and I was immediately relieved to see that, yep, there were still two babies in there. She measured both babies and we watched them as they did their little dances. Baby B has always been the active one while Baby A seems lazy and laid back. It's amazing how much they've grown over the past few weeks. Over the past week I have felt movement more consistently and it's much more noticeable from the inside and out, which I am really enjoying and can't wait until it's noticeable enough to catch on video for T&Y. They really love hearing the updates and that I'm feeling movement now. They're so excited!
After the appointment, the tech. left the room to have the specialist come in and wrap everything up. I wondered the whole time if the tech. would have a different expression, like maybe a more concerned expression, if something severe had been found. The specialist came in and announced that the babies look great. Baby A is head down (although I know that can change by the minute!) and Baby B is transverse/breech. There were some minor concerns to watch for. Baby A is measuring 1 week ahead and at 11 oz., which is perfectly fine, but his/her belly was a little bigger than "normal" for his/her size, and they want to keep an eye on that. Baby B's cord inserts at a weird part of the placenta (the side, I think?) instead of in the front. While this CAN potentially hinder nourishment and cause Baby B to lack in growth, Baby B was measuring right on for dates and at 9 oz., they didn't seem overly concerned. Because it's a twin pregnancy, I'll be monitored more closely anyways, but these minor concerns are also something they will keep a watchful eye on while I go in for more regular ultrasounds. I was also dying to know what the sexes were and I knew T&Y were anxiously awaiting my Skype, so I hurried out of there and made it back to work to let them know how everything went. I was happy to share that the babies look great, I talked about the minor concerns, but that everything really looked great, and then they asked about the sexes. I opened the envelopes to reveal that Baby A is a BOY and Baby B is a GIRL! Completely the opposite of what I was originally guessing. They are SOOOOO happy! They of course just want healthy babies, but to have one of each is an extra added bonus and just what they would have wished for. I'm so excited for them! They are going to start thinking of names and they'd like to hear me say them in English, I thought that was really sweet :)
My OB called later to tell me that he received the report and that there weren't any concerns. I have my next appointment on June 14th for my regular OB appointment and another ultrasound on July 16th for another growth ultrasound. Over the past week I have really popped in my belly area. The picture I've included is from 18 weeks and I'm so serious when I say I've grown so much more since then! Even my co-workers have commented on my sudden growth. If I can grow this much in 3-4 days......I don't even want to THINK about what will happen the rest of the pregnancy!
I'm still very tired, all of the time. Like I said last time, I'm almost completely at peace with knowing this will probably only get worse as I get bigger. I know that a single small cup of coffee makes a world of difference, so I don't allow myself to feel guilty for having one every once in a while. My boobs still lactate/leak on a very regular basis, which is just fine. I'm actually already uncomfortable sleeping on my side at night (my hips mostly), and I'm a side sleeper anyways.......I remember this happening with Kaleb. When I wasn't "allowed" to sleep on my stomach or back, I wanted to, even though I've always been a side sleeper. I sleep wrapped around a body pillow and another pillow wedged behind me to keep me from rolling onto my back. Last night I had a contraction that was so strong it woke me from a dead sleep and basically caused me to leap out of bed to figure out what the hell was happening. As soon as I stood up, it went away. That was a little scary. I get up to pee about 3 times each night on average. I have been able to avoid heartburn at night for the most part by eating a very small dinner and then limiting myself to a little fruit, or half a watermelon sometimes (hey, I can't help myself) at night. I force myself to drink at least 64 oz. of water throughout the day and, no,even after doing this for about a year now, my body still hasn't adjusted to it and I spend, what seems like, half the day in the bathroom and the other half contemplating how long I can hold out before I go back to the bathroom. I am still pretty good about watching what I eat. I don't want to gain more than necessary, but I'll admit it is SO hard because I really want sweets, doughnuts, chocolate, candy, and as I sit here I realize I've been obsessing about Perkin's strawberry pie for over a month and ALMOST went to get some tonight. If I hadn't had CherryBerry with Kaleb for his last-day-of-school treat, I seriously would have driven to Perkin's for just one slice. Tomorrow......
All in all, I'd say we're smooth sailin' right now and I'm really happy about it! I feel good, the babies are healthy, T&Y are ecstatic.......I couldn't ask for more!
Aw! You are doing an amazing job at baking those babies! One baby from each daddy and one of each gender... it doesn't get much better than that.
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