13 Weeks!!

How Far Along:  13 weeks today!!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: No clue – I only weigh myself at the doctor!  J

 Maternity Clothes:  I've been rocking the Belly Band for a while.  I did order some clothes so it won’t be too much longer.  I had on some maternity jeans yesterday but they were too big (from my last pregnancy when I was like 40 pounds heavier)

Movement:  Nope, none yet.

Sleep:  I’m sleeping pretty well.  I get up on average 3-4 times a night to pee.  Awesome…

Gender:  No idea, but we are working on names for all situations.

Symptoms:  Fatigue, boob tenderness, round ligament pain/cramping, stuffiness, a little rosacea going on.

Cravings:  Pickles…everytime Todd eats one and I can smell it I have to have it…

Freak-out of the Week:  Just waiting for my genetic test results back from the MaterniT21 test.

Looking Forward To:  The test results and finding out what we are having!

Next Appointment:  Quick BP check on Thursday the 31^st at 11:30AM

Miscellaneous:  Feeling pretty positive that the test I took last week will show nothing in particular.  I think everything is going to be just fine.  Tonight I have to bring the new van back to the dealer for some painting.  We bought it at night and it was hard to see all the scratches.  Thankfully we wrote into the sales contract that they needed to be fixed, so tonight I will bring it down and get a loaner so it can be painted and look brand new!  I also am going to complain about their detailing job.  It took a couple of days to figure out the previous owner was a smoker but I can smell it.  Yesterday I covered it in Febreze and put a new car air freshener in it.  Todd thinks maybe a new air filter will help so I’ll try and score one of those for free.  Otherwise I love our new van.  Oh and we might be planning a small weekend Babymoon to one of our favorite places near Denver to stay probably late March or early April.

Here is our van!  It's a 2011 Nissan Quest.  I wasn't sure I wanted a van but it became a necessity fast.  Trying to picture 3 adults and two kids going anywhere together seemed rough.

Oh and we are peaches this week!

Genetic Testing

So as you know I am considered Advanced Maternal Age for being 33 and pregnant with twins.  We opted for a test called a NT scan or nuchal translucency.  This includes bloodwork and an ultrasound.  In the ultrasound they measure the thickness of the skin on the back of the neck, which is a marker for chromosomal abnormalities.  I had the bloodwork done two weeks ago and the ultrasound was this past Wednesday.

I love looking at them in ultrasound.  Especially now that they are moving around.  I drank a glass of orange juice before the appointment to make sure they were awake.  They looked great!  Their measurements were for Baby A 2.3mm and Baby B 1.8mm.  Both within normal range though they called Baby A "high normal".

The genetic counselor came in after reviewing the bloodwork and the ultrasound and said "I'm sorry it's bad news."

I immediately went into panic mode.  Not my babies!  This can't be happening to us...

She went on to tell me the my PAPP-A and Free B HCG levels were extremely low.  This increases the risk of chromosomal abnormalities.  Low PAPP-A can also indicate placental issues further along in the pregnancy. 

She told me that Baby A had a 1 in 11 chance of Trisomy 13 or 18, and a 1 in 464 of Downs Syndrome.  (I'll explain this in a moment)

Baby B has a 1 in 54 chance of Trisomy 13 or 18 and a 1 in 5,000 chance of Downs Syndrome.

There are three main Trisomy diagnosis...Trisomy 21 is Downs Syndrome.  Trisomy 13 and 18 are more severe. 

Trisomy 13 (also called Patau syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which a person has three copies of genetic material from chromosome 13, instead of the usual two copies.  This can cause severe mental retardation, birth defects and heart problems.  More than 80% of children with trisomy 13 die in the first year.

Trisomy 18 is a genetic disorder in which a person has a third copy of material from chromosome 18, instead of the usual two copies.  Trisomy 18 is a somewhat common syndrome. It is three times more common in girls than boys.  Again severe mental retardation, heart defects and other birth defects are common.  Half of infants with this condition do not survive beyond the first week of life. Some children have survived to the teenage years, but with serious medical and developmental problems.

Obviously I am scared to death.  But before you all start to feel bad here is the upside.  Twin blood tests are notorious for coming back with wonky results.  They are many times inaccurate.  IVF can also throw off bloodwork.  More than likely I may end up with a placental issue later in the pregnancy due to the low PAPP-A levels.  These could include interuterine growth restriction, preeclampsia and placental degradation.  Thankfully we know about it early so my high risk OB can keep a close eye on the placenta in the second and third trimester.

So after all this I decided (since Todd was in Florida for business) that I was going to go with the less invasive course of action.  There is a blood test that has come out in the last year called MaterniT21.  It tests for the big three Trisomies with very high accuracy.  I went over to the hospital next door and had the lab draw a couple vials of blood.  They told me I should have the results within the next two weeks.

After doing further research and speaking with come people that have been through something similar we aren't really worrying about anything.  The chances of either baby actually having T13 or T18 is very slim.  The chances of both of them being affected is astronomically small.  If for some reason the test comes back positive, it won't tell us if one or both is affected.  We would then need to do an amniocentesis on each baby to determine which one is affected.

But again, we aren't going to worry ourselves to death for the next couple of weeks.  We can't change what is going to happen, only move forward and do what's best.

And because they looked great in the ultrasound I'm really thinking they are just fine.  They had no physical indications of any issues.  So all in all I think everything is going to be just fine.  I just want my story to be out there in cases someone else goes through the same thing.

12 week fruit :)

This week the babies are the size of plums!

 

Just wanted to make sure I shared that. 

 

Dang...now I'm hungry again...

 

12 WEEKS TODAY!!

Chugging right along!  I hit 12 weeks today.  Took some pictures - so I'll post a picture of my belly.  :)

Wednesday I have my NT scan to check for chromosonal defect markers.  Not anticipating any issues.  Since Todd is out of town for work (in Orlando, lucky boy...) I'll be taking my Mom with me.  Then it's to the OB office right after for a BP check.  Should be a fun time this week.

Missing Todd like crazy though...being pregnant and away from my husband is very hard.

Okay...belly shot!!!

Woohoo - under 200 days!!

It's only 199 days until my due date - obviously they will come before that but it's nice to know!

Had an appointment with my OB yesterday at 9:30am.  We arrived on time.  I went and gave my urine sample and sat in the waiting room.  Todd mentioned he had an 11 o'clock call for work and would need to leave around 10:30 to take the call and I figured it would be no problem.  That gave us an hour.  Well apparently the OB had two emergencies and we waited almost an hour to be seen.  I was freaking out because Todd might not get to see the ultrasound...  So when they took my blood pressure it was 154/86.  Not good.  Se we were placed in a room.  We talked about how I was feeling.  This weird itchy dry patch that showed up on my neck that I now have a prescription cream for and tried to do the heartbeat Doppler on my belly (never works because I'm fluffy though I think he had it in the wrong spot).  So we went in for a quick ultrasound to check heart rates (no pictures this time...sorry).  The heart rates were 159 and 169.  I was told they were located higher than he though, which is fine with me since the farther away from may cervix the better.

We figured by the time we were done I would have been able to lower my blood pressure.  Did it again and it was 159/92.

Seriously?!?!?

I was actually pissed off it was still high.  I have awesome blood pressure always especially when I'm pregnant.

So we had to sit and talk about it.  I need to reduce my sodium (I don't have a lot in my diet anyway...) and go back next week for a recheck.

I ended up putting my cuff on at home that we have when I got home and it was 108/85.  I think it was just a fluke but they want to keep an eye on it which is fine with me...but STILL!!!  UGH!!!!!

Otherwise babies look good.

Next appointment is Wednesday the 23rd for our NT (nuchal translucency) scan.  This basically is a nice long ultrasound with the MFM to look for any markers of genetic defects.  Then right after is my BP check.  Todd will be out of town for work (lucky bastard will be in Florida) so I will take my Mom with me.  I think she will be surprised to see them move and how much bigger they are on screen.  Last time she saw them they were just little blips with heartbeats.

Nothing too exciting

Just feeling some fatigue today at work so I figured I would take a moment and check in.

I hit 11 weeks yesterday.  That was exciting.  I have an appointment with my OB on Thursday morning so I'll get another peek at the kiddos.

Had a good amount of cramping the last few days and am chocking it up to growing pains.  :)

So every week I am given a fruit or vegetable to relate the babies size too.  Well as of yesterday...

Limes!!

 

About 1 1/2 inches and 0.25 ounces each.  :)

High Risk OB (MFM)

So this past Wednesday I had my first appointment with the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) specialist.  We had to wait a little bit for the ultrasound machine to become available as they wanted to do a quick ultrasound prior to meeting with the doctor.  I was so happy for that!!

So they looked at the babies and they were measuring ahead!  By 2 and 4 days!  Which is good - nice strong heartbeats again 175 and 189 I believe.  The technician even flipped it over to 3D mode which is the coolest thing ever!!!

Then we met with the doctor.  She did not decommend placing a cerclage at this time.  She said close monitoring should be enough and we are going to start checking my cervix every other week start at 15 weeks.  We did have to sit down with a genetic counselro though because apparently being 33 and pregnant with twins puts me at an advanced maternal age and at higher risk for chormosonal and/or birth defects.  Though based on our family history they didn't think we had much of a risk.  We will do some blood work and ultrasound to see if our children have any markers for any types of issues but we don't forsee it being an issue.

So I had a ton of appointments set up between now and April, about every other week.  After that I'll probably be seen weekly because I'll be 24 weeks at that point. 

I feel better about things.  The MFM has a good plan to check a lot of different things to make sure I keep these babies in until they are ready to come out.  We agreed on a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks unless they have other plans.

Here are the pictures from Wednesday!!

 

This is the 3D ultrasound - they look like chicken nuggets!

 

 

10 Weeks Today!!

Woohoo!

What a great accomplishment!

I'm almost out of the first trimester.  Which I am hoping to leave behind some of these early pregnancy symptoms!!

I need some energy back!!!

So I had my first OB appointment last Wednesday and we got an ultrasound!  Babies were measuring great with awesome heartbeats....189 and 172.  We had a nice chat and my OB said he was not opposed to placing a preventative cerclage to ensure they stay put.  He wants me to talk to the high risk OB (MFM) who I see this Wednesday and get a second opinion.  HE also pretty much guaranteed that I would be on bedrest at some point during the pregnancy and then be there until the end.  We also discussed forgoing any type of natural childbirth.  The plan is to schedule a c-section and deliver that way.  It's a longer recovery for me but it's best for the babies.

The date to keep in mind is February 18th.  I need to get past February 18th.  That was 16 weeks with Tobin and Miles and I'll feel so much better if I can make it farther than that.  The good news is I have not had any bleeding or spotting like I did last time so I am thankful for that!

As of tonight I am done with all my medications from my RE.  That is going to be so nice.  :)

So here is a picture (albeit a blurry one) of our Stormtroopers at 9 weeks and 2 days.

Chugging along!!

So today I am 9 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  I have been feeling nausea on and off almost every day.  Sometimes when I try to do too much I have a good amount of cramping but all in all I feel horribly pregnant.  I have a meeting with the OB today, our first time I have seen him since my check up after my loss.  I have a list of things to go over with him to make sure we are on track to deliver this time around.

I'm not sure if I am going to get an ultrasound today, but if I know Dr. York at all I will.