Waste of time

I came to the conclusion today that "regular OB appointments" are a total waste of time. I spend 2 hours at the OB today just so he could do the following.

- Measure the heartbeats of both babies (estimated the actual rate b/c the doppler didn't have a digital readout

- Measure my stomach (it measures 20-21 weeks) and tell me that it doesn't really say anything b/c I have twins

- Tell me I've gained 4lbs so far and then say that there's no need to worry b/c I'll gain a lot in the second half

- Suggest I come back in 4 weeks for more of the same

Please tell me again why I needed to spend my afternoon there.

WOOHOOO!!!!

We have genetically normal twin girls!!!!!! Now I can enjoy my pregnancy (well, as much as one can normally do that)

I have no patience

Really, that is all. Tomorrow morning can't come fast enough. Let's just hope the news is good

Amnio update

We got there at 10:15 (about 15 minutes late as a result of the yucky rain and fog) The counselor saw us really quickly after I filled out a looooong questionnaire about my family history and DH's. She was really sweet to us, and just went over the actual results. She focused on the numbers, which I really appreciated. Our u/s measurements have all been perfect, however our blood work has never been quite right. On the 1st trimester screen, the PAPP-A was quite low and the HCG was a small amount high (JUUUUUST above the cutoff). On the second test (the quad screen), everything was normal except Inhibin, which was about double what they expected. She also told us that, with twins, it's impossible to attribute the levels correctly to each baby. All they know is total numbers, which they just divide evenly between the two. Since I have fraternal twins (or so we assume b/c we did IVF and put back 2 embies), she said (and the peri later confirmed) that it's more likely that one baby has a risk closer to 1:1000 and the other is the one causing the levels to be "off." That baby likely has a risk higher than 1:10! Based on this data, we decided to have the amnio. I really didn't sleep much last night, and we decided that we really needed to know what we are dealing with so that we don't worry ourselves sick over the next 5 months. That would be JUST as bad for the babies. Plus, we were looking at a risk of m/c from the procedure around 1:750 (clinic stats) and a likely DS risk around 1:10 for at least one of the babies (with no real way to know which one).

The procedure went really well. They didn't use a local for the sticks, which surprised me. When they did Baby B (the first one), it was just like you all described - a tiny prick and then a small crampy feeling that passed quickly. After they took the fluid, they then injected a blue non-toxic dye so that they would be certain that they didn't draw from the same baby twice. When they did Baby A (the second one) it was MUUUCH harder. He/she was really wiggling around and spreading out in the amniotic sac, so they had to go in slowly and go through the placenta. That one HURT, and I'm actually still sore. On a positive note, we didn't have blue fluid when they drew it, so it was only one stick. I'm not sure I would've allowed them to do another! I'm a little sore now and a tad crampy. I'm trying to take it easy to decrease the chances of a complication. We should have early results on Monday, so I'll let you know when I know.

Oh, on a side note, I had a silly scare after we got home. When I went to the bathroom, my pee was blue! I was terrified that meant my water was breaking with Baby B (the one who has blue dye in the fluid right now). Apparently, it just means that I am starting to "process" some of the dye that Baby B passed out to me through the placenta

Another appointment, more info

We saw the peri again today.  It was quite an interesting experience b/c we had to bring Beanie along with us.  She's on the mend from coxsackie disease (hand, foot, and mouth), so she just doesn't have the energy to make it through a whole morning without a nap yet.  That means no daycare b/c they put them down between 12 and 12:30.  In case you are wondering, an almost 2 year old doesn't have the attention span to handle an 45 minute ultrasound!  DH was a superhero though.  He took care of/entertained Beanie and still managed to catch all the important info from the appointment.

Right now, both babies are measuring right on target.  They are actually even ahead slightly in heart and brain development, which is really cool and encouraging.  Everything looks great with them, and both of my bleeds have resolved (yay!).  So, that was also encouraging.  They drew blood to re-evaluate my risk for Down's and several Trisomies as well as to look at the risk for neural tube defects.  I'll get those results back at my next appt (almost 3 weeks away).  He did say that he gets the results back to him in about a week, so I may call for the info next week.  Maybe they'll share!

The tech doing the u/s also tried really hard to find out the genders for us.  We were all about 95% sure with Baby A and around 85% sure for Baby B.  (B is almost up in my ribcage, so it was harder to get a clear picture.)  For now, it looks like we're having two more girls!  :)