A Big Thank You!

Thank you all who have been praying for us and wishing us well during this new adventure in our lives. I have been more anxious then excited this time and I know that is because of the prior loss. But everyone I have talked to about the pregnancy and my high anxiety level has been quick to offer their support, kind words and prayers. We really do appreciate it.

When my mom's friend at work (hi Amanda) learned of our two little miracles, she graciously offered to add our story to her Prayer Blog . Thank you Amanda for reaching out to us and posting our story on your blog. Every extra prayer and kind thought is much appreciated! It really means a lot to us.

And Shannon, you are a truly amazing friend. Thank you so much for sharing the story of St. Gerard Majella with us (St. Gerard is invoked as the patron of expectant mothers). Shannon ordered the medal pictured below for me to keep with me during my pregnancy. And the back is engraved with a very touching message, "Bless My Small Fries." Awwww... Shannon and Dave, thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift and thank you for continuing to remind me that the babies ARE going to make it and I need to stop thinking negatively and start being optimistic. Oh, and Shannon, you are super cute when you talk to the babies... Hehe, you are the best!

Our Ultrasound Appointment - and a big surprise!

Today couldn't come fast enough. It seems like this day took forever to get here. I have been nervous and anxious and excited, but mostly nervous. Over the summer, we never made it to our first appointment, so this is a milestone for me. I am 7 weeks and 6 days today; over the summer we lost our baby at 8 weeks. So I am feeling slightly more confident this time around.

The appointment was at 9:20am. After a painfully slow night at home for me and a long busy night at work for Jim, we were up and at 'em early for our appointment. So we were off, heading to the OBGYN office located just a couple miles down the road (and conveniently located right by a Cold Stone Creamery - yes, I planned that when I picked out my new OBGYN!)

I was a nervous wreck, and Jim said he was slightly nervous too. The Doctor (who I will refer to as Dr. D!) could tell my nerves were on edge, so she jumped right in and started the ultrasound without too much delay. She turned the screen so we could see too... but we didn't really know what we were looking at... well, except I kind of had an idea what the baby may look like at almost 8 weeks, since I have been on google every day researching pregnancy related topics and concerns (remember, I am type A!). So I kind of knew what we were looking at.

Well, Dr. D, did a quick peek and then moved the ultrasound around a little so we couldn't really see anything anymore. And she proceeds to say, "Did you see that?" Jim (told me later that he) couldn't see the screen, and I said that I think I saw the baby. Dr. D said, "Did you see what I saw?" So I said again that I think I saw the baby. She said, "there's two babies." AHHHH!! (She didn't say AHHH, that was all me!)

SURPRISE!! We're expecting TWINS!!

(I labeled the pics in case you can't tell what you're looking at!)

Dr. D continued with the ultrasound and showed us exactly where both babies were, pointed out their heartbeats, which I could barely see through my crying eyes, and measured each baby. Both babies are measuring right on track, at 8 weeks, 1 day (so a little ahead of schedule). (FYI: Baby B looks smaller because he/she is hiding behind Baby A, so it was hard for Dr. D to get a good view of him/her.)

We are beyond excited! I am still filled with nerves, as before I was only worried about one baby continuing to grow healthy and strong, and now I am worried for both babies and hope both babies continue to thrive.

Jim and I thought that twins were a possibility. Since I am a twin myself, we knew that the chance of us conceiving twins was slightly higher. And after googling the high beta numbers (see post below), I knew that they were pretty high compared to other normal pregnancies. Everyone always would say don't read too much into the actual number, and instead focus on whether it is doubling or not, so since mine doubled I was happy. But I always held that thought of twins with me, and now I know why - mother's instinct! AH!

So I am still unsure how exactly I am feeling. I mean, I am feeling many things - I am nervous, I am excited, I am happy, I am scared, I am worried, but mostly I am thankful! These babies are growing, and right now I am pregnant and I need to focus on that. One day at a time.

I will now leave you with the first pictures of our babies. How beautiful they are!

Oops, I am a slacker

I am a slacker and haven't posted anything in a while. All is good, nothing much to discuss. My second Beta HCG level came back at 5178 (at 19 DPO). Holy cow! How many do I have in there, 3...4...??

To understand more about Beta HCG levels, I always reference this site to see what is considered the normal range. Well, I am way above the normal range. Which could suggest multiples. Eh!

In other news, I am feeling the wonderful effects of morning sickness. Today is the worst day so far for my nausea. I haven't experienced much nausea lately, just occasionally it will pop up and last for a few minutes or so. And usually I feel nauseaous if I haven't eaten in a while. Well, this morning I have been feeling sick for well over an hour. I ate a piece of toast (and one oreo cookie - hey, you never know, it may help) and have been drinking water to no avail. Still feeling sick. Ugh!

But I am happy that the morning sickness is so pronounced this morning! To me, that makes me feel more confident in the pregnancy viability and it makes it more real. Obviously, there isn't really anything visible that reminds me of the baby growing healthy and strong (thank you pregnancy affirmations) inside of me, so every little symptom I feel is a great reminder that things are progressing!

Reminder: The first ultrasound appointment is on January 26. We cannot wait!

So, I will try to post more updates, more often. But, really, there isn't too much going on right now, so I will update you more when there is something... I think I will take a belly picture today (but really, you won't see anything, just the normal chubby girl).

It's a New Year - and a BFP!!

Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be a great year, I can already tell...

Surprise, surprise, I was able to wait until New Years Eve to take a pregnancy test. I was supposed to wait until after work, but, hey, I was just happy that I held out long enough to get to NYE. So, I tested before work on Thursday and.... surprise, BFP (Big Fat Positive)! See below.

So, I am nervous to tell anyone, and excited at the same time. I am really feeling that this pregnancy is going to be different and this baby is going to make it! I really hope that "mother's instinct" is kicking in and I am going to be right.

I am still feeling very slight pregnancy symptoms. The main symptom I have been experiencing is backache. Pretty much everyday my back hurts at some point. I also have had small bouts of nausea and tiredness, but not very often. I am really looking forward to morning sickness and major fatigue, because I think that will make me feel like this pregnancy is going to last.

I called and spoke with the nurse soon after my + test. She spoke with my Doctor and they prescribed Prometrium, which is a Progesterone supplement. I am not 100% sure I even need it, but since they said it couldn't hurt, I decided to try it. Well, when I went to the pharmacy to pick it up, they were hesitant to give it to me because I am pregnant. I guess the main use if for premenopasal women as a hormone supplement. From my neurotic google searching, I have found out that many expecting moms and those TTC are prescribed Prometrium too to help sustain a pregnancy. The jury is out on whether or not it actually helps, but I thought if it wouldn't do harm, then why not try.

Well, then I googled it some more and found out that there is a higher risk of birth defects (like Cleft Lip) if I take it. AHHHH! SO, as of right now, I am not taking it. My doctor left it up to me, and didn't necessarily thing I had to take it, so I am not (as of now).

I went in for my first Beta HCG blood draw on Saturday. After waiting for awhile with the urgent care patients and possibly picking up the H1N1, I was called back for the quick blood draw (my veins are awesome, by the way!). I called the lab later that afternoon and was ecstatic to hear the result of 2000. Yay! FYI: If you don't know much about Betas, they are supposed to double (or close to it) every 24-48 (or so) hours to show the pregnancy is on-going.

So, as I explained before, I tend to be a little neurotic when it comes to google...so I googled Beta HCG levels. The average beta result for 17 DPO (days past ovulation) is 132... with a average range of 17-429. Um, mine was 2000. After more googling, I have discovered that the higher HCG level, the more likely to be multiples... Oh, my!

Well, I plan to go and get another Beta HCG tomorrow, so I will report back then!

Oh, and a couple more pictures... Me at 4 weeks and 5 days. Looking normally chubby! :-)