*Warning*
This is going to be a long post
I have some extra time on my hands these days and I figured it would be a good time to start this whole blogging thing up (again). I know I have said that multiple times in the past and I don't have a great track record, but it's worth another shot. Time is going by way to quick and things are happening way to quickly not to at least attempt to document them better.
I know my last post was about Vivian's birth. But she is now 10 months old. She is still a little peanut (pretty tiny on the scale) and still not sleeping consistently well through the night~ uggh!!! She is getting better which is at least a step in the right direction. She is a very good natured little girl and loves to laugh, watch the kitties, pull herself up on everything, babble, eat, play and put every single thing she can find on the floor into her mouth. Overall a happy and content baby and good thing because her world is about to get rocked!!!!!
Which leads me to the title of this blog "Shock and Awe"
I'm pregnant!!!!
Yikes!!!!!
Again!!!!!!
What~ that's not enough shock?!?
It's twins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't think of a better word to describe how I felt when I found out I was pregnant (even when I thought it was just going to be one)! It took us a long time to get pregnant with Vivian and we were both pretty sure she was our last, so when the little stick showed 2 lines I was pretty speechless! I scheduled an appointment with my midwife and Korby came with me to our first appointment. Everything looked great, except for the fact that she couldn't see the baby during the ultrasound. She reassured us that I was definitely pregnant, just not as far along as I thought. So, I made an appointment to come back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound. It was going to be a pretty quick and easy appointment, so Korby opted not to come with me this time. Mistake!!!!!!!!!!
Right away my midwife was able to find something on the screen and as she was looking I kept thinking I saw the baby, but then she would move to a different position and I would think that there was the baby. I put it together about 3 seconds before she asked me if I was seeing what she was seeing~ TWO BABIES!!!!!
Where was Korby when I needed him?!? I held myself together enough to leave the office, make an appointment with a maternal fetal dr. for another ultrasound (something about not seeing a membrane~ I was in too much shock to ask), call Korby and tell him the news (which he initially thought I was joking about~ like I would joke about this!) and then I did what any girl would do~ I called my mom. As soon as she picked up I started sobbing! I could barely get the words out.
I spent the next 2 days pretty much just sitting on the couch trying to come to terms with the thought of having a 1 year old (barely) and twins. I also started looking up on-line what it would mean if there wasn't a membrane and found it could mean a lot of scary complications for my pregnancy and the babies. Luckily, our ultrasound was scheduled for just 2 days after we got "the big news." We went in and found out that we are having mono-amniotic twins (aka mo-mo twins). It basically means that they are identical twins sharing the same amniotic sac. The scariest complication with this condition is that there is nothing keeping their umbilical cords separated, so cord entanglement is a major problem! This is also the only situation in which conjoined twins are possible (which they spent a LONG time confirming that they are not~ thank goodness!). This type of twins are extremely rare (we have heard odds of 1/35,000 to 1/60,000 among twin pregnancies). They are rare enough that there aren't a lot of studies or stats because there just aren't enough cases. Anyway, you can look it up on-line and read more if you are interested. There is also a very high mortality rate because of the cord entanglement~ which makes me a high-risk pregnancy. I am now seeing a maternal fetal doctor (a high risk ob). I go in about every 2 weeks. They do an ultra sound every time to check the growth, heart rates (which has been neat to watch how quickly they grow and develop). I am on "modified" bed rest~ meaning that they know I have 4 kids, but I should be taking it easy as much as possible (hence the extra time to start blogging while sitting peacefully at the computer). At about 26 weeks I will be admitted to the hospital and put on full bed rest where I will be monitored 3-4 times a day with ultra sounds just about every day. And if the twins can make it, they will be delivered at 32 weeks (at the latest), if not earlier (again going back to complications with cord entanglement). Which will lead to time in the NICU once they are born.
We are still dealing with the shock of having 6 kids, but we are in awe at what a miracle they will be (if we are lucky enough to get the opportunity to raise them). It is a lot to take in, but we just have to take it one day, one appointment at a time. I am 16 weeks and just had an appointment on Tuesday and everything looks great. Both babies are growing well and so far so good~ which is all we can hope and pray for at this time.
Me and my babies on Mother's Day 2012!
