Ultrasound #2

I was a little nervous on the drive over to Genesis today because anything could have happened over the past week and a half (since our last ultrasound). It didn't help that I had to wait in the change/waiting room for approximately 30 minutes wearing my paper skirt around my waist until the doctor was ready for me. I was getting pretty frustrated. And we didn't have our own doctor, we had the newest one to join Genesis, which I was also a little disappointed about.

The ultrasound went really well! Both babies (yes, they're still both alive and kicking...well, not quite, but you know what I mean) are doing really well! Baby A (the second picture...also is not necessarily Baby A from last time) is 16mm long (which makes its gestational age 7 weeks 6 days) and has a heart rate of 178 bpm. Baby B (the first picture) is 17mm long (gestational age is 8 weeks) and has a heart rate of 176 bpm. I googled the average length (CRL, or crown rump length) for a baby between 8 and 9 weeks and the site I found said it should be between 15mm and 21mm. So we're doing good! If you look at the ultrasound pictures you can see the yolk sack 'above' each of the babies, and you can see Baby A's arms/legs. Pretty crazy.

We're officially done with Genesis now (or in their words we've 'graduated') and so now I have to make an appointment with my family doctor and get a referral or recommendation for an OB/GYN. Yikes. Just another new phase in this all that I have to learn. I'm assuming I won't have another ultrasound for a while now which I'm going to miss.

Oh, also, my ovaries are both still quite enlarged (my left one is 6cm in diameter and my right one is 4cm) which is still the OHSS. This means that I have to take it easy still (and no sex) until they're back to normal size, otherwise I could risk twisting one (or both). I once again googled it and most people's ovaries seem to be back to normal size after their first trimester. 4 more weeks!

Anyways, I'm trying to type this quickly so that I can get to bed...I was in bed and asleep by 9:15pm last night so that I could have a good 9 hours of sleep. And I was still tired today, as if I had only gotten 7. C'est la vie.

I'll write up another post on Thursday when I'm 9 weeks.

8 Weeks

Today marks 8 weeks. YAY! I think we've known for 3.5 weeks now that I'm pregnant, so luckily time is passing pretty quickly. I found that this past week I was thinking ahead more...boys? girls? both? layout of room? stroller?...which kind of scares me because I'm starting to bank on everything working out perfectly...so I don't have to remind myself that there still are 4/5 weeks before things are more 'safe'. Luckily we have another ultrasound on Tuesday so we'll be able to see the progress of their growth and measure their heartbeats. Hopefully both are still doing great!

I think I'll start taking the classic 'belly shots' for week 9. I'm hoping to always take the picture in the same place in the house so we couldn't take it today anyways because we're not home. There's not much to see (unless you want to see my fat?). lol.


Week 7 Symptoms

HUNGRY? I don't seem to be quite as hungry as last week, although I do make sure that I'm eating frequently. My portions at breakfast, lunch, and dinner have decreased, probably due to the fact that I'm eating more often.

CRAVINGS? Nope, not really.

POOR SLEEPS AT NIGHT? YES. I guess it doesn't help that we're camping so when I wake up it's boiling hot in the tent. Thank goodness we brough along a bedside fan so that I can stay in the tent a little longer in the morning to try to sleep before I die of heat.

MORNING SICKNESS? Not at all. I started a new type of prenatal vitamin on Sunday (given to my by Genesis) and the directions say to take the morning pill on an empty stomach for optimal absorption. I did that...and felt quite naucious that morning until I ate a meal and allowed for that to digest. I didn't throw up though! Since then, I've been taking it after I've eaten a few graham crackers. I think I've been quite fortunate...although maybe it could start yet? What's the latest that anyone's had it start?

WEIGHT GAIN? Not quite sure, it's been a while since I've been on a weigh scale and I haven't had to wear pants at all this week. It's been a bathing suit for the majority of the day...and I've gotten used to my slightly larger midsection.

MILD CRAMPING? Yes, on and off all day long. Not overly painful, just a bit annoying. At least I know my uterus is growing! It's been my one constant symptom and so it's been comforting because it's a reminder that yes, I am pregnant.

SHORTNESS OF BREATH? Yes, but I think that's because of the extreme heat here in Penticton (it's been upper 30s every day). I spend about half of the afternoon in my parents' trailer, enjoying the a/c. If I'm outside for too long I absolutely die.

I think that's it for now...if I think of something I'll add it in later, but I wanted to get the basics down before I forgot.

I'll update again with our ultrasound results/pictures on Tuesday.

Ultrasound #1 - TWINS!

Ya, you read that right...we're having twins! CRAZY.

It hasn't even really sunk in yet.

Twins.

Two of everything.

Wow.

We had to wait quite a while for the doctor to come to do the ultrasound, and so I was getting nervous.

Finally, he came. We started the ultrasound (an internal one) and I saw the first baby instantly. Dr. Hitkari commented that my one ovary is still massive (I suspect about 4 cm in diameter?) while looking at my uterus from different angles. An then he said, "Just as I suspected...you guys are going to be busy." The first thought that popped into my mind was "HOW busy? Is it triplets?"...and then he confirmed that it was twins. Both Baby A and Baby B were measured to be 10mm long which was exactly where they need to be. We also saw both of their heart beats flashing on the screen, which was cool. When we went to listen to the heart beats you could faintly hear Baby A's, but Baby B's was clear as day, measuring 128 beats per minute.

Here are the pictures we got:

BABY A:
BABY B:

Because we're still quite early in the pregnancy (according to my calculations we're 6 weeks 5 days but the doctor said he has put us at 7 weeks...I'll take the extra two days!), we asked what the chance of miscarrying both babies is. Dr. Hitkari said that for all women, the chance of losing both is 10%, but because we're both young and healthy he said it would be less than 5% for us. That's good news...that means I can start to get excited (and scared?).

We have another ultrasound booked for August 24th so that both heart rates can be measured, and then I would suspect that we would be done with Genesis and would be sent back to our own family doctor.

Week 6 Symptoms

HUNGRY? YES. I'm ALWAYS hungry. If I don't eat every two hours I feel like I'm going to throw up. I'm also starting to dislike eating; it's becoming a chore. And I used to LOVE food.

CRAVINGS? Umm...a little...Salty Food. Give me a pepperoni pizza, some bacon, and some McDonald fries any day. Have I had much of that? No...just bacon once and pizza once. I'm trying to be healthy!

POOR SLEEPS AT NIGHT? YES. Every night, without fail, I wake up at least once. And not even because I have to pee...although I do just so that I can fall asleep quicker again. If it's early in the night then I try to eat a little to make my morning a little easier.

MORNING SICKNESS? Umm...some mornings. It depends on how full my stomach is just before I go to bed and during the night...and it depends on how tired I am. The fewer the hours of sleep I get, the more nauseous I feel during the day.

WEIGHT GAIN? Yes. Sigh. And it's purely because of eating lol. Can't blame it on no babies yet (but the hunger is because of them!)! I can barely close the button of my jeans, so most of the time I just use an elastic through the button hole.

I think that's it. Oh...as promised a few weeks ago I added a picture of the embryos on the day of transfer. Take a look below (WAY below...under the original entry called "Embryo Transfer"! They've come so far already!

Jon and I leave to spend a week in Penticton with my family on Saturday, so there won't be an update for a while. This is my last vacation wearing a bikini!

Twins. Crazy.

Oh - I didn't get an official due date from the doctor, but it will be at the very end of March. Even sooner because it's twins. And Jon is in school full-time...from this September until NEXT August. Oh man. Single-parenting here I come! Thank goodness for family that lives right next door!

And one more thing (sorry this is SO all over the place!)...we aren't telling people yet, so please keep all of this to yourselves for now. I would like another week or two under our belts before we start telling those that don't know yet. I will let you all know when you have the 'okay'. Thank you!

Blood Test #2 - August 3 - Results

I had my second blood test yesterday and received the results this afternoon: my hcG level was (is?) at 12560 mIU/ml. That's really good! The numbers have nicely doubled (and then some) as they are supposed to so that's comforting!

I'm starting to sleep quite poorly at night - ever since we came home from Kelowna. Without fail, I wake up in the middle of the night and have the hardest time falling back to sleep. I find this is really starting to drain my energy, and the mugginess of today is not helping. I just want to sleep!

I've felt a few cramps over yesterday and today (they come and go ever few hours), so I'm hoping it's just my uterus growing (hopefully to accommodate two!).

Because I have A- blood the nurse did tell me that if I start to experience bleeding at all I have to call them immediately.

Our next appointment with Genesis is for August 12th, where we'll have our first ultrasound done (internal, thank goodness!). They should be able to see the heartbeat(s) then. That will be exciting!

Anyways, Jon is home from work and I need to think about dinner...augh.

Blood Test #1 - July 26 - Results

With all of the excitement of last week I forgot to post what our results were! I'm sorry!

Our hcG level for our first blood test was 1112 mIU/ml. This number is supposed to double approximately every 48-72 hours if the pregnancy is going smoothly.

There is such a wide range in what is considered the "normal" hcG level that it's not even worth looking at or comparing to see if we have a singleton or twins right now. We are just hoping and praying that the level continues to double as it's supposed to.

We went to Fintry Provincial Park in Kelowna on Wednesday morning (July 28th) to camp with Jon's family for a few days. We had a great time! I missed being able to run around and play with the kids (like a kid!), but I guess that's a part of 'growing up'? I'm definitely starting to miss that aspect already! But, I shouldn't complain. I had a lot more months to play with the kids than Jon and I had ever imagined I would.

I felt really good camping. I took my last progesterone on Thursday evening and I noticed that my cramping subsided (coincidence? or was that a side effect that I was experiencing?). I did nap every afternoon, but I was also staying up way later and getting up earlier than I was used to. It was also very warm which would drain the energy out of anyone! All in all, it was a good time.