Twin Speak or Twin Peaks
It’s no secret. We’re terrible at keeping secrets. The biggest news ever… we are unexpectedly expecting twins! I know Chrissy announced this in her previous post (check it out the ultrasound pics), but I’m here to give you the details!
Chrissy and I headed off to our fertility doctor’s office early Friday morning for a routine ultrasound (we’re 7 weeks along now). We were excited because we figured it was probably the right time to see and hear a heartbeat. We also thought we’d get a better look at our little one, since the last two ultrasounds weren’t very clear (the baby was just too small at 5 and 6 weeks). So when the doctor got started, I was happy to see our little one very clearly (and with its cute little heart fluttering), and I said, “hey there’s something in there!” I was joking around obviously; we all know there’s something in there. However, the doctor said, “well…there’s a few things in there. Let’s talk about that.” And Chrissy said, “HOLY SHIT!”
Then I don’t really remember much more – it’s all a blur! I remember some nervous giggles and then our doctor talked about important medical stuff and while that was happening, I just had an overwhelming urge to laugh, cry, throw up, jump in the air, sit back down and call my mom. I didn’t do that though, it’s a fertility clinic – it’s not polite to celebrate such victories by throwing up. So we calmly collected our stuff and went into the next room so they could draw blood from Chrissy like they always do. In the blood room (eww, I’m squeamish remember), I was sitting on the little step stool which was really close to the ground; I was leaking a few tears and trying to catch my breath. The mixture of emotions was too much, I just needed a time out to process the news.
two little blips on the ultrasound screen with little fluttering hearts
It’s Saturday night now, 36 hours later, and I’m still in time out. I woke up this morning and happily reminded myself that lying next to me is the woman who is bringing twin babies into my life! AMAZING.
Like I said, we’re terrible at keeping secrets, so we just HAD to tell everyone. And I mean everyone. It started of course when we called our moms on speaker phone in the car right after we left the doctor’s office. Then our sisters, brother, best friends and co-workers. Then, anybody within proximity. The gas station attendant. The girl at the grocery store check-out. Random strangers in restaurants. But should we have told everyone?
Because (back to the important medical stuff that the doctor was telling us) after the initial shock began to wear off, I started to think about her warnings. The babies are identical twins. And although our doctor doesn’t know for sure, the babies might be in the same sac. This is called monoamniotic twins and there could be many complications during the pregnancy if this is the case. Babies in the same sac could experience cord entanglement. This would hinder movement and development of one or both of the babies. Worse, cord compression could occur, which would completely cut off nutrients and blood to the baby. Or, one baby could flourish while the other one becomes undernourished. If the babies are in the same sac, this pregnancy will be considered high-risk and Chrissy will have to be monitored very closely.
BUT… we don’t know for sure that this is the case. Knowing the facts and knowing that its a serious matter is very important, but we’re trying not to dwell on it. Apparently, the odds of having identical twins are 1 in 250 pregnancies. Having monoamniotic twins is much slimmer, with the odds at 1 in 35,000 to 60,000 pregnancies which is about 1% of all twin pregnancies. Hopefully we’ll get more information at our next visit, which seems like a lifetime from today.
I can’t believe how much I already love the two little blips on the ultrasound screen with the little fluttering hearts. I don’t know who they are yet, but I know they’re ours and I can’t wait to hold them. Yes, we’ve done some celebrating and have shared this news with everyone around us (along with complete strangers) because we’re incredibly happy that there are 2 babies growing inside of Chrissy, even if it is too early to know what’s happening. We’ve come a long way from just a few months ago when we didn’t know if we’d ever succeed in getting pregnant. Whether it’s good times or challenges ahead, I know you (our family, friends and complete strangers) will be there for us.
PS: Thanks to Joe Piconi (a twin and a very dear friend), for unknowingly lending me the title of today’s entry!
