Eddie and I have been talking about having another baby since Tenley's first birthday. We almost tried for a baby then, but the baby's due date would have been my niece's birthday so we decided to wait. Two months went by and the time just still wasn't right because the baby could possibly share T's birthday. Then, we were moving into a holiday baby...timing just never seemed right. Fast forward to mid-April, we were dying to get the party started. If we were lucky enough to get pregnant right away, the baby would be due at the end of January; which still wasn't a due date we envisioned, but the timing was never going to be perfect and we figured it would take a few months.
Tenley was a big surprise for us so we were excited to plan our next potential baby and actually try this time. We tried so hard for a baby. Ed and I did research beforehand on getting pregnant fast...it was intense and we were determined, but when the time came to try we had a blasttttt!
I was expecting my period on May 14th, but Ed and I said we would wait until our 3 year wedding anniversary (May 21st) to actually take a pregnancy test. Little did Ed know that I had been planning how I would surprise him for months. When I woke up on the 14th and didn't have my period, I rushed to CVS with Tenley to buy a pregnancy test. I balled my eyes out on the car ride home and Tenley was so nervous from seeing me cry. As soon as I walked in the door I took the test and walked away because I couldn't stand the blinking hourglass image. A few minutes later, I ran in to check it and started to scream!! I grabbed T and gave her thee biggest kisses and told her she was going to be a big sister!!
My in-laws were in town and happened to be on their way to our house. When they arrived I was dying to tell them, but knew I had to keep it a secret until I told Ed. I asked them to watch T while I went to run errands and they gladly agreed. I went to the mall to find T a 'Big Sister' shirt and went to Party City to buy a ton of balloons to surprise Ed.
Once my in-laws left, I put T down for a nap and got to constructing my balloon wall to surprise Ed. When Tenley woke up she was so excited to see all the balloons and she could hardly contain her excitement:
I texted Ed and told him that T was asleep on the couch and told him that I buried my garage door opener in the rocks so he could come in through the garage quietly. Finally, Ed got home from work:
After all the excitement, we lost a balloon in our vaulted ceiling and Tenley was giggling so hard as she watched Daddy try to get it down:
(My favorite video of her so far...makes me laugh every time!!)
When my in-laws came back over later, Tenley surprised them in her 'Big Sister' shirt and they were beyond surprised and thrilled. My mom was also extremely happy and couldn't believe it. It still hadn't set in with us either because we really anticipated it taking longer, but I guess God had other plans for us.
I excitedly scheduled my first prenatal appointment for June 4th with the Doctor who delivered Tenley- Dr. Adashek (best Doc out there!!) and I was just beyond anxious the entire day. I spent the morning at the splash pad with some of my girlfriends and I was talking to Chelsea and Karina about my appointment in the afternoon and I specifically remember saying, "what if it's twins?!" and Chelsea replying with, "Oh my God, I'd die! What would you do?" to which I responded, "Shit my pants!" When I left the splash pad I promised to report back to them after my appointment.
We arrived at the Docs with Tenley in toe and waited for what seemed like forever. Then, a familiar face - my favorite nurse, Becky - called me back and greeted me with a big hug and "Congratulations!" Tenley began to fuss when we got into the room because she wanted to touch everything so Becky handed her a fake little baby fetus to play with that read 'Baby B' on it. Becky then asked Tenley if she was going to have a brother and her answer was "yeah, yeah, yeah", then she asked if she was going to have a sister and her answer was "yeah, yeah, yeah", again. I then clarified to Tenley, "no, you're only going to get one." Becky quickly chimed in, "unless it's twins!" and I said, "God, NO!". She then asked me if twins were something I was worried about and I said, "well Ed's grandma is a twin, we've been seeing all these twins at the park and my friends and I were just joking about it today." She quickly said, "don't worry! I'm sure you're fine. I'll be back with the Doctor." I was so nervous that I began to feel like I was going to throw up.
Becky and Dr. Adashek entered the room and after the hugs came the dreaded vaginal exam. Literally as soon as the screen lit up he exclaimed, "OH MY GOD!!" to which I just assumed he was just going to finish and say, "OH MY GOD!! Yes, you are pregnant!" No, no, no. Becky gasped and put her hands over her mouth and said "OH NO!!" Dr. Adashek asked, "can you see that?" and I instantly knew and screamed, "SHUT UP!!", then looked at Ed and said, "I'm going to kill you!"
This is the little screen shot that started it all...FLIPPIN' TWINS!!
Becky then informs me that I can't kill Ed because the twins were my doing and that it didn't matter about his Grandma being a twin. I tried so hard for a baby that I ovulated twice, dropping two different eggs. What? Are you serious?! We were all crying and laughing. Dr. Adashek was having a hard time listening to their heart beats because I was laughing so hard. After I relaxed, we got to hear both of their sweet heart beats and he measured the babies to be 6 weeks and 3 days old; which put my due date at January 25th. After the ultrasound my doc asked if we minded if he went to see his other patients because he thought he was going to be in and out with us, but now had a lot to discuss with us.
When he came back, we discussed the risks...the laundry list of risks. I was totally unprepared for this because I went into my appointment thinking I was going to be a pro this time around and have no questions, but now I had every question in the world! He told me that I had the safest type of twin pregnancy because each baby has their own sac and placenta so they wouldn't be fighting over their food source. This also means that they came from two eggs, making them fraternal twins. He then explained to us that twins were very expensive medically because we have to see him every 2 weeks after I hit the 12 week mark so they can measure my cervix to make sure the babies are going to be held up properly. From what I understand my cervix should be between a 2.5-4 and if it is measuring low then I will have to take pills daily to delay labor and if that doesn't work I will need a cerclage; which means they would sew me up to delay labor. Then, when I hit the 30 week mark I will have to go twice a week so they can measure my cervix and monitor the babies movement because I may think everything is fine because I can feel movement, but that doesn't mean both are moving or growing at the same rate. On top of those appointments I will also have to go to a heart specialist because it is common for twins to have heart defects. It is also more common for them to have disorders or be stillborn. He told me that a lot of twin moms have to go on bed rest after 30 weeks and that most twins are born around 36 weeks (Christmas day...the holiday we were trying to avoid). He prepared me for our next appointment by telling me that it is common for one twin to absorb in your body, the "vanishing twin" effect. The risks were endless...
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How was I supposed to go on knowing all of this? I know it is his job to explain all the risks to me and he did a really good job at telling me that I am perfect for this and that I CAN do it. He put his arm on my shoulder and said, "God made you for this. That is why He had you carry a 9lb 8oz baby before. He was preparing you. You can definitely hold two healthy 5lb babies. You're perfect for it!"...just what I needed to hear.
Ed and I drove separately to the appointment since he came straight from work, so we decided to wait and call our parents together when we got home. On the way home I instantly called Karina and Chelsea. They were both screaming with shock/excitement and Chels obviously cried (she's emotional, like me). Then once Ed and I were both home, we called my mom and she was beyond excited and wanted to tell everyone. Then, we FaceTimed Ed's parents and they were pretty much speechless.
I cried for about two days straight and googled about twins; which totally caused me to not sleep because I was so fearful. Then, it finally set in and I was starting to get excited about it just like Ed had been from the beginning. Thank God for Ed, our families and friends with their constant reminders of how many twins are healthy and assuring me that I can do it! It's scary and I think it's normal to be scared and shocked, but now I'm just thinking about having three babies under 2 and a half years old. We are going to have our hands full, but our house is going to be so full of love.
This pregnancy has been nothing like my first. I can hardly make it to noon without feeling like I'm going to fall over with exhaustion. Now a days, I fall asleep before Tenley when we're cuddling at nap time. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. I have also been extremely nauseous and had days that I just can't do anything because everything makes me feel like throwing up. The only food that doesn't make me nauseous is chicken Ramen noodles and white toast (the two most unhealthy things). I still haven't found a drink that doesn't make me gag either. I thought that this pregnancy was going to be a breeze, just like it was with Tenley, but it has been pretty rough.
At our next appointment I was 9 weeks and 4 days along. My doctor did the typical full-body exam and looked at the babies again. Their heartbeats were so loud. He said any heartbeat at this point is great, but that they sounded and looked perfect so far, which was music to our ears. My biggest fear is that he'll do an ultrasound and I'll only see one baby. Imagine how scary it is when you have 1 baby inside you and then imagine worrying about 2! Ay yi yi... So I asked him what the chances of that happening at this point was and he said he feels confident that we'll for sure be having 2 babies. More good news...YAY! Twin B (the one on the bottom) must be a dancing machine like it's big sister because it was wiggling its little body around the whole time. They looked like little babes this time and were just too darn cute for words:
Fast forward three weeks to our next appointment at 12 weeks 4 days (for some reason the pics say 12 weeks 3 days, but my due date of 01/25 actually puts it at 12 weeks 4 days)...the ultrasound tech measured the little beans to be 12 weeks 6 days. She did their nuchal measurements and said the space behind their necks is very thin; which means the chance of them having down syndrome or heart defects is slim. It was a great visit and our little babes continue to melt my heart more and more each time:
(baby A - heartbeat of 153bpm)
(baby B - heartbeat of 159bpm)
Now that our 12 week check-up was over, we were feeling more comfortable about sharing the news with everyone so we shared some pictures that Karina took of the three of us:
(Thanks, Karina!!)
Finding out we were expecting twins was like riding a roller coaster for the very first time...at first you are scared, nervous, nauseous, and anxious, but when the ride is over you feel exhilarated, excited, and want to do it again! We have gone through all of those emotions (except for wanting to do it again) and are now looking forward to holding TWO babies at once. Life is truly an adventure and we are 100% riding the ride!
Stay tuned... :)
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