Phew!

I won't hold you in suspense. Today's OB appointment was great. Everything is doing what it should. We heard two awesome heartbeats today (Baby A at 155bmp and Baby B at 160bpm). Baby B was a little more difficult to get a clear reading for and the nurse said that will be the one with attitude. If they take after their mother, they'll both have attitude!

They weren't sure if they would be able to find the heartbeats with the doppler as I guess it is still on the early side. The fact that they were able to find both was very encouraging and the doc thought it was a really good sign. Now that we've heard the heartbeats, she said risk of miscarriage goes down to 3%. To any normal person, this would sound great, but I know how quickly things can go wrong. I'm just taking a deep breath and letting myself feel relieved for now.

My weight is up to 121.5, up from 119 in early April when I had my annual exam right before the IVF cycle. I did lose a little bit of weight at first, so I'm relieved to be back where I started and up just a tad. I probably would have gained those 2.5 pounds at this point anyway even without being pregnant if I wasn't working out (which I haven't been). My blood pressure is still nice and low and there were no ketones in my urine, so I'm plenty hydrated. All good stuff.

My belly is measuring 18cm and you can already feel my uterus just above my belly button. The doc said this is what you would expect around 18-20 weeks if you were having a singleton and that this is a good sign for having twins and being 12 weeks (where I am). So now I can stop worrying that I'm growing elephants in there and be comfortable with how fast I'm growing. I'll have to post another belly picture soon. I swear I'm getting bigger every day.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've told more people that we are having twins. By far the most common response is "but you're so small!" I'm 5'1", so yes, I'm short. But this response was starting to freak me out. Like, "hey, I AM small! How is this going to work?!" The doc assured me that short women do just as well with twins as taller women and it is nothing to be concerned about.

I asked the doc about the need for seeing a nutritionist and she said let's play it by ear and see how I gain weight. I guess that is incentive for me to try to pack on the pounds on my own because, honestly, I'm a little scared of seeing a nutritionist. I have a hard enough time finding things that sound good to me and that sit well. I just don't want to have to start counting servings. I obviously want to do what's best for these babies, but I want to also be able to relax a little and trust that my body knows what it's doing.

I am supposed to continue with my baby aspirin for the duration. The doc said it wouldn't hurt anything and it may have some benefits. I do need to add an extra 1mg of folic acid in addition to the 1mg I get from my prescription prenatal. So I'll be taking the baby aspirin, prenatal, folic acid, and col.ace (my best friend) for the near future.

I got permission to take baths! I know it sounds paranoid, but after so much time and effort to get here, I was just trying to be really cautious about everything. Apparently hot tubs are a problem because the water is constantly heated, whereas bath water, even if it starts out hot, cools off as it sits there, so it shouldn't raise your core temperature. The doc also suggested still laying low and not exercising other than walking and floating in a pool if I feel like it (as if I own a swimsuit that fits right now).

We also talked about hospitals. My OB's group practices out of 3 hospitals. One of them is out by CCRM, which is not very convenient to where we live. She also said that she wouldn't recommend the NICU at that hospital unless I made it to 32 weeks (which, hopefully I will, but you never know). Out of the other two hospitals, one has been renovated and has a much newer feel than the other. The nurse had told me that the NICU at the older hospital was better, but the doc told me today that she would be comfortable delivering preemies at either one. She said that the same group of neonatologists rotate between the two hospitals. I always thought we would deliver at the newer hospital, but once we knew twins were on the way, I just wanted the one with the best NICU. They both take about 20-30 minutes to get to from our house, but the older hospital requires going through lots and lots of stoplights and a road that tends to have a lot of traffic depending on the time of day. The newer hospital would just require highway (65mph) and a major road to get to, so we could speed (shh!) if need be. Knowing that the doc is comfortable at either one makes me feel good. I think we will tour labor and delivery at both and go with gut feeling, but right now I'm leaning towards the newer hospital.

We talked about doulas and the doc is very supportive of using a doula. They are actually trying to put together a list of local doulas that their patients have used and had good experiences with. If anyone has any good ideas for questions when interviewing a doula, I'm all ears (eyes?).

I was told not to expect to travel after around 24 weeks (at least if traveling by air). I am going to Baltimore for a work training from Tuesday through Friday next week, so that might be my last flight for awhile.

We also talked about what to expect with bed rest and work. My goal will obviously be to work up until I'm told I shouldn't anymore or until I just can't stand it anymore. I want to save as much leave as possible for after the babies are born, but I will still need to do what is best for them before then.

The doc also explained to us about how the position of the babies will be the biggest factor in determining whether I will deliver vaginally or by c-section. If both babies are head down, the prognosis for vaginal delivery is good. If the bottom baby (Baby A) is head down and the top (Baby B) is either breach or transverse (side to side), it is up to us if we want to try for a vaginal delivery. They will monitor both babies because sometimes Baby B goes into distress when Baby A comes out. If Baby A comes out and Baby B is still doing well, they can try to turn him/her, or grab him/her by the feet and pull out breach. However, if Baby B isn't doing well, then you end up with vaginal delivery for A and c-section for B. Not the best scenario in my opinion! If Baby A isn't head down, it would be an automatic c-section.

Overall, we got a lot of good questions answered and I'm starting to feel a little more prepared. We do still have to decide if we want to do any screening. There isn't really any indication for anything other than the Jewish panel, which we declined with CCRM. Given that everything seems to be going so well and I'm not yet 35, there is no reason to do any early screening unless we want to. Yet another thing to think about.

Sorry, this was a bit of a long post, but I just wanted to get it all down before I forget things. We are heading up to the mountains tomorrow for a couple of days of fresh, cool air. It is only an hour drive for us, so if I start feeling bad and want my own bed, we can always come back early. But I'm hoping I will do okay so we can enjoy a couple of days away. Hope everyone has a nice 4th of July (and hope my Canadian friends had a nice Canada day)!