Reaching my second trimester

I have to say, just a few months ago, it never even entered my mind that I would be 13 weeks pregnant today. We were trying so hard to be pregnant, our lives just consumed with numerous visits to the infertility clinic, an insane amount of pills and timed injections, and lots and lots of anxiety and uncertainty.  We had maybe a tiny glimmer of hope that kept us pushing through the journey. But believe me, it was only a tiny glimmer. It was so small that we became too afraid to think of a positive outcome, since it would only disappoint us if we got our hopes up.

Ever since we got that positive pregnancy test, I've been pinching myself (figuratively, not literally) almost every day to make sure that I am not dreaming. To be where we are today, to be pregnant, to have reached the second trimester... today being today just made all of the blood, sweat, and tears over the last three years so worth it. I know that there are too many couples out there who are still trying, testing, hoping, crying, praying, wishing, dreaming. Some have been in this journey for years, far beyond what DH and I had to endure. I think about them and of our journey very often because I want to always remind myself (and DH) to never ever take where we are today, and our children, for granted.

First trimester screening = normal!

Heard back from the perinatal clinic today. The NT test and blood test from the first trimester screening came back normal, showing a low risk of Down syndrome or trisomy 18. What a relief!

First trimester screening (11 weeks 5 days)

Well believe it or not, we're about a week and a few days away from the start of our second trimester. We had our first trimester screening today and if you recall, the first trimester screening is an optional screening test for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18.

I am happy to report that this visit went really well. Since we're having twins, I had to have my appointment at a perinatal clinic that specializes in high-risk pregnancies. The clinic was located on the hospital grounds of where I plan to deliver, so it was nice to see that we'd only be about 3 minutes away from the hospital (after we move to our new place in early Fall).

The visit was also far less overwhelming than my first OB visit, perhaps having had the information sunk in a lot earlier. The ultrasound technician did a pretty lengthy 30 minute ultrasound scan, taking over 20 pictures of every possible angle and measuring everything possible (I only came home with a few duplicates though). But today also marked another first... I got to see my babies in 3D, which was very, very cool. I didn't catch their length and weight measurements, but I did get to hear their wonderful heartbeats again and caught glimpses of the outlines of their brains, stomachs, and the umbilical cords.

The great news is that they are both growing normally, in accordance to their estimated due date. The tech said they're also reacting to the pressure from the ultrasound wand, which was a good sign. As a part of the screening, she measured the nuchal translucency (NT), which is almost like a pocket of fluid behind the baby's neck. Both of the babies had the fluid visible, but both appeared to measure within normal ranges.

By the way, the tech kept chuckling as she did the ultrasound since both babies were rather squirmy and active, and it was initially difficult for her to get some good shots of them. She even predicted that Baby A will be our stubborn child, since he/she was REALLY not cooperating with having his/her picture taken. But after much prodding (via ultrasound wand), she finally managed to get some good angles on him/her. Here are the 3D scans:

Profile of Baby A (heartbeat was 168 bpm)

Front of Baby B (heartbeat was 169 bpm). In case you are wondering, no he/she isn't putting itself in a chokehold. The doctor said those lines by the head were just parts of the skull.

After the tech left the room, the perinatalogist came in and did another ultrasound, verifying everything that the tech had said. Her exact words were, "You can leave the clinic today knowing that the ultrasound is normal." What a relief to hear. She then went over some of my and DH's genetic history and reviewed some future steps in the unlikely event (she was very careful to say this) that the blood test comes back indicating a higher risk for Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Fingers crossed we won't have to go there!!! A painful finger prick later and some blood drawn, and I was home free. We should be expecting the results in about 3-5 days.

I was also reminded to come back for my 20 week fetal anatomy screening where we will most likely learn the gender of the babies, which will be in 8 short weeks! I can't wait. Any predictions so far?

9 weeks 6 days OB visit

Went for my first OB visit today. First and foremost, everything is looking great with the twins today. The gestational sacs look healthy and so do both babies. In fact they were finally big enough to see with an abdominal ultrasound (they're about 1 inch long right now). While my OB didn't measure the heart rates or the fetal growth today (so sorry, no cool pictures today), the heartbeats were visible on the screen. In fact the ultrasound caught Baby A breaking into a series of different moves - first time I was able to visibly see fetal movement, which of course, was very cool.

But man oh man was today an overwhelming day. I gotta say, I'm kinda missing my fertility clinic a little bit with their handholding and my nurse's personalized attention and follow through. Perhaps I should have mentally prepared for this first visit. They asked us a million and one questions about our health history and family history, and in return, threw us a million and one pieces of information. The doctor then went over this abbreviated overwhelming list of topics:

1. Cord blood banking and see if my insurance covers it (it doesn't)
2. Alcohol is bad
3. A possible early delivery date (we are to expect an EDD of somewhere in week 36, which will be early November)
4. The possibility of a C-section, which we will have to do if one of the babies is breached.
5. First trimester screening between weeks 11 - 13 (which is like over the next two weeks) to screen for Down Syndrome and other trisomy disorders.
6. The choices we'd have if the screening comes back positive, including what the law says is legal (you can imagine my panic level at this point)
7. Other tests we should do if the test comes back positive or negative
8. The risks of miscarriages if we do other tests
9. Types of cheeses and fishes I should not eat
10. Types of cheeses and fishes I should eat
11. How to cook steak (he talked a lot about food)
12. Caffeine consumption (which he says I'm clear to have - whoopee!)
13. Makes sure DH cleans the cat litter
14. My symptoms and when they should go away
15. Stop zumba or kickboxing.
16. Light walking or running is fine, as long as my heart rate does not exceed 140 bpm.
17. That I will be seeing the OB at least once a month because of the twins (oh joy).

Right now I'm trying to digest it all and also schedule my appointment for the first trimester screening next week. Because I am carrying twins, unfortunately I will have to go to the perinatal clinic at the hospital for the screening, since it is considered high risk. Hopefully all continues to go well.