All Stitched Up

This week I went into hospital for a day surgery procedure to have a cervical stitch put in...to stop the twins deciding they want to come out early. This is also done for pregnant women who have gone into premature labor in the past. It's usually taken out at week 37... that way labor can happen naturally and at a healthy time for the baby. For me, it will stay in until after my caesarian because the OB does NOT want me to go into labor!

It was a lot easier than I'd imagined.

I had to be at the hospital at 6:30am for an 8:00am procedure. Perfect...first patient for my Doctor that day, which meant he'd be on time. Which he was. WIN

Calling it a "stitch" is a bit of an huge understatement! It's actually more like a piece of tape that's about 15cm in length and has a metal hook at either end. I was a bit lot surprised when my OB showed it me what it looked like, when I was in his office the week before.

I was more surprised when I woke up from surgery an hour later and felt nothing...as in no pain, not nothing like I was numb! After forcing down a white bread sandwich and a cup of tea, I was allowed to go home. A girl friend picked me up and I was back in my apartment by 11:00am.

The rest of the day was spent lying on the couch and generally taking it easy, but apart from some bleeding, which I was told may happen for at least a week, I'm fine. No pain. After next week when I go for my check up, I can start back at yoga. Something I've been really missing.

I'm now in my 2nd Trimester and still in shock when I tell people I'm pregnant!!! I feel SO blessed that I am finally living something I've dreamed about for.so.long.

12 Week Scan

Every time I have a scan I get a shock when I first look at the screen and there are TWO babies!

I made it to 12 weeks and had my Nuchal Translucency (NT) scan on Friday. This is done instead of and before an amniocentesis as it's non invasive. The babies are measured and checked that everything is growing as it should and everything's good in ma belleh!

Until I know the sex of the babies, I'm calling them B1 and B2. Now B1 was very cooperative during the scan. He/she lay very still so it was easy to take all the measurements and pics. B2 was another story...he/she was curled up and would NOT move! I had to wiggle around. That's meant to help. It did, a bit, but B2 kept moving.
It took twice as long to measure B2 than B1, but both are gorgeous and perfect.

B1

B2

I don't need an amnio...it all depends on the age of the eggs and my donor is 20 years old. I'm on the lower side of the lowest scale.
Thank goodness
Having two needles stuck in me was not anything I was looking forward to. Also the chance of a miscarriage with an amnio is quite high and higher with twins.

Next...cervical stitch. I'll find out when I'm having that when I see my OB later today.

N x

Week Eleven

I cannot believe how nauseous I still feel...but I'm learning to live with it...no choice really.

This is going to be a bit of a ranty post, but it's my blog, so I'm not going to apologize. I just wanted to warn you.

All my friends...actually EVERY woman to whom I've told that I'm pregnant, has a story about her or a friend's experience with morning sickness/exhaustion/birth. I welcome other's anecdotes as long as they're shortish and pleasant. However, every now and then someone doesn't think that what is in their brain should not be formed into spoken words.

Here's just one example...

Me: How was your trip to Los Angeles

Girl Friend (GF): It was great, caught up with lots of my friends but there was something that I can't stop thinking about that happened which was awful.

Me: Oh no...what?

GF: I wasn't going to tell you, because, you know, you're pregnant and this is about a friend who was also pregnant.

Me: Ummm, well now you've started and if you want to tell me the story, go ahead. (I was kind of hoping she was going to say NO, I'll save it until you've had the babies..but the words kept comin' out of her mouth).

She went on to tell me how this friend of hers was 25 weeks pregnant and had a miscarriage whilst she was visiting. Every second sentence was "I really didn't want to tell you this"

THEN PLEASE DON'T

It's a very sad story and I realize things like this happen to many women, but, you know what, I have been trying to have a baby for SO MANY YEARS and now that I finally am, I just want to hear about butterflies and fairies.

Friends...this is one of many stories I've heard since being pregnant, whether in person or on social media (Twitter or FaceBook). Please think about what you are about to say to someone BEFORE hand...it could really upset the recipient.

N x

Meeting A New Doctor

This week I had my first obstetrician (OB from now on) appointment.
Sitting in the waiting room, I realized how different to mood was there to the one at the fertility clinic. The women at the clinic don't make eye contact and everyone is "hopeful". They're there for a blood test to check hormone levels. The results of which will tell them when they can start their IVF cycle/change, up medication/when their egg pick up will be/if they're pregnant.

In the OB's waiting room, however, all the women ARE pregnant. Most have probably never seen a fertility clinic and are lucky enough to conceive naturally. I like this waiting room. PLUS, I didn't even have to wait very long.

He answered all my questions, explained what's going to happen in the next couple of weeks and did an ultra sound. They're still there...tiny hearts beating away.

I left with a giant folder full of information and a book titled TWINS

Still.cannot.believe.it

Nine Point Three Weeks

Yesterday I had another scan. I was fine until about an hour before, when the anxiety started. It wasn't because I thought anything bad had happened, more that I was a bit worried the Doctor might find that the third embryo was actually still there!!!

Thankfully that didn't happen!!!

The twins are there. It's still a bit very surreal

They look a bit like astronauts

They now have heads, stumps for arms, legs and even knees. Bloody amazing.
Cannot believe they're inside ME!!!

After three years of visiting my fertility Doctor, today's visit was my last. I thought I was with him until week 12, but nope. He recommended an Obstetrician, who is the one I have been asking around about and hearing only good things.
I bade everyone farewell and promised to visit when my belly is HUGE!

When I got home, I called the OB and have an appointment on Friday...
Thus begins a new chapter

N x

Eight Weeks Down

I'm now eight weeks pregnant. It's been such a long road to get to this point, I still find it weird to say, and even type the words
"I'm pregnant"

Three weeks ago, on a Friday afternoon, I started bleeding and, naturally, I totally freaked out.
FREAKED THE FUCK OUT actually.

I called my Doctor's emergency pager number and whilst waiting for him to return my call I Tweeted about what was happening. I couldn't believe the responses. I was NOT alone. This happens to LOTS of pregnant women, sometimes it's a one-off, other times they bleed for days/weeks/the whole pregnancy.
PHEW
By the time my Doctor called back, which was only about 20 minutes after I paged him, I was feeling a tad better. He talked me off the ledge saying pretty much exactly what I'd just been told. Also, there was really nothing to be done except keep taking my hormones and wait 10 days (TEN DAYS) for my first scan. He said I was welcome to come in on the Monday but was a week too early to see any heartbeat, so it would be kind of useless.

I resigned myself to the fact that truthfully, I was doing everything right and hopefully it was one of the three embryos that didn't attach, making a dramatic exit. I bled most of the weekend, but not as badly as Friday night. I still had all the same symptoms...sore boobs, all day nausea and beyond tired by 10:30pm, so I was pretty sure I was still pregnant. Just to be *sure* I bought more pee sticks and, sure enough, they kept coming up positive.

Just some of the pee stick tests I invested in

I spent a lot of the week with a friend who was visiting from New York. He and I had severed ties 18 months before. He made contact with me a few weeks ago, emailing me to let me know he's been thinking about me and he's having a mid life crisis and he'd love me to respond but wasn't sure whether I would.
I did and we started emailing back and forth, just like we'd never stopped. He told me he was contemplating coming to Australia to see a friend of his who lives in Queensland and would definitely visit Sydney but felt strange coming without me knowing.
WHAT?
HERE?
NO WAY
YES!!!

So, as perfect timing would have it, the week before my scan, when I really needed to have my mind focused elsewhere, he arrived. It was awkward for about one second when we met at a movie theater...between when I first saw him to when he gave me a hug.
All good

It only took me about ten minutes to tell him about me being pregnant!!! We were early for the film, so we sat in the bar area. He asked a couple of times if I wanted a glass of wine and I had to say no thanks. To curb the same question at dinner after and any meals following, I decided this was as good a time as any.
He was shocked at first, but only because my news came out of left field...he was and still is, very happy for me.

This was the week my nausea and tiredness started getting worse! After the movie we went to dinner. I absolutely love(d) the menu at the restaurant but took one look at it and realized there was not one thing I wanted to eat. We settled on sharing 2 pasta dishes. I ate exactly three mouthfuls. By 10:00 I was ready for bed so he put me in a cab which I nearly fell asleep in!!!

The same thing happened the following night and the one after that. I'd told him about a great new restaurant that had opened only a couple of weeks before and was getting great reviews. it just happened to be attached to the hotel he was staying in!!! We ordered their signature dishes, one of which is Peking duck and I basically forced myself to eat them. The food is really good and I'm now looking forward to returning when I have an appetite so I can enjoy what I'm eating.

Finally came Scan Day. Mum insisted on coming with me, which was fine. She'd been with me (in the building, not in the room) for my transfer, so I felt it was right to let her do the same for my first scan. I made her wait in the Doctor's office. Not because I'm a bitch, because I wanted to find out on my own first.

FAR THE FUCK OUT...I'm carrying TWINS

Well, this is head shaking, tear making stuff.

I still can't get my head around it and don't think I will until I start showing, which will be ???

I'm really nauseous all day...the only thing I can equate it to, for those who have never experienced morning sickness (also everyone's morning sickness is different) is that I feel car sick every moment of the day...AND NIGHT. I also have overwhelming tiredness. So much so, that I've been having a nap most afternoons if I can and have now been going to bed at about 8:30pm!!!
I cannot make arrangements unless it's before 11:00am because I don't know how I'm going to feel. Mornings are my best time. My friends, thankfully, are understanding because they've all been there done that.