12 Weeks, 4 days

I've decided to "borrow" my friend Mis' way of blogging about her pregnancy. It's much more efficient than just a big blob of wording. We went to the doctor this morning & got to see "Bits & Pieces" (pictures below). Precious! Anika & Brody got to see their little twins & were so excited...well, Brody was a little scared at the sound of their heartbeats. 

Weight loss/gain: +10 pounds, ugh! I just cannot stop eating. My doctor says it's to calm the nausea & that should subside soon. The problem is that I only want to eat food that is bad for me-greasy, fatty food! 
Maternity clothes: Yes, have been for a while now. Clothes started getting snug really early, like 8 weeks if not sooner. 
Symptoms:  Nausea, most of the time. I haven't been sick in a while & when I was, it was at bedtime & only happened a few times. I'm really tired and short of breath. My OB said that this will likely stick with me my entire pregnancy (the fatigue should let up a little in the 2nd trimester). 2 babies = double symptoms.

Bits & Pieces

Sex (of baby): We don't know just yet. Sonographer said it's a little too early, more likely to be accurate around 16-20 weeks (like a singleton pregnancy). I just know they are girls though! (just a vibe & Chinese calendar says so-I was right & so was the calendar with the other 2). 
Sleep: Not so good. I can't really get comfortable & can't stay asleep. Between repositioning & the dogs making noise & moving around, it's definitely lacking.
Best moment this week? Getting to see Bits & Pieces this morning. I can't feel them moving yet so seeing them & knowing they are ok was refreshing. 
Movement: Too soon. Although, I feel all sorts of things which my OB says is everything stretching itself out for their growth. 

Pieces

Bits

Food cravings: YES! I love anything covered in cheese, especially Taco Bell or fries with cheese on them. Pickles, lemonade, McDonald's hash browns, mashed potatoes. 
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss?  Feeling normal, not nauseas or tired all the time. I really miss being able to get to the gym regularly too. Since I can't drive-that is it's own obstacle but when I feel like garbage, I just want to go home & lay on the couch. 
What I'm looking forward to?  Feeling better & feeling them move around.
Milestones: 12 weeks! I've been really nervous about the babies & am relieved to have 12 weeks & 4 days gone. 
What I'm nervous about: If I'll have to go on bedrest or not at some point. 

TWINS!

8 weeks

Phew! It's been quite the whirlwind lately. We had our sonogram & first OB appointment last Friday. It was sort of amusing because I asked the person doing the sono to tell me how many babies she saw because I thought there was more than 1. She literally pushed her chair back once she saw the screen & said "how'd you know"? I just knew it, knew there were 2. 

I feel like I've had good intuition from the start with my pregnancies. With Anika I felt like she was a girl & Brody-it was really strange that I felt I was pregnant with a boy before I even took the pregnancy test. With this one, my symptoms have been different than the other 2 & I just had a feeling. I have been really nauseous, thirsty, short of breath & just had a feeling.

  

8 Weeks

I felt like there was 1 girl but kept thinking more than 1 was in there. (And I think they're girls).

And, there they were....2 beautiful little beings face to face in 1 amniotic sac. So cute (see picture)! They looked like they were holding hands. Not only twins, but identical twins since they are in the same sac. For those who need brushing up on health & anatomy (which we did too); 1 sperm, 1 egg & the egg splits into 2 forming identical twins in the same amniotic sac. Crazy! 

I keep getting asked if it runs in the family & my answer is "sort of". Why? Well, my Grandma Rita once told me that it runs in her side of the family, someone way back-like a great great grandmother was a twin. Ok good, that explains it even though that's really distant. I still thought i'd look into it a little more & here is what I found:

"Monozygotic (Identical) twins don't run in families. The splitting of a fertilized egg seems to happen at random. It's unrelated to age or race, and a woman who is an identical twin is no more likely to give birth to twins than anyone else." However, there is a gene that is hereditary among women called Hyper ovulation. This "is the tendency to release multiple eggs during ovulation, increasing the chances of conceiving dizygotic (or fraternal) twins." about.com

"The likelihood of you having identical twins is about one in 250 (less than half a per cent)" babycenter.com.
Oh and since they are identical, they are the same gender. 

So my babies are not genetic at all, just a pure blessing from God. 

What now?! I am 9 weeks, 2 days now. My awesome OB Dr. Jaffee gave us the low down on do's & don'ts & delivery, etc. She said that with any multiples pregnancy, there is a higher risk and with identicals it is even higher risk as they are in the same sac together. I will go to my OB like normal, every month until 24 months, then I will start going every 1-2 weeks. At 16 weeks I will need to begin going to a Peri Neonatologist every 1-2 weeks as well to keep an eye on me & the babies through the duration of my pregnancy.

I'm going to back track on something for a second; my seizure.  I have been a-ok, no more seizure activity but I still can't drive. Bryan has been & will continue to be my chauffeur until I am approx. 25 weeks. YAY-November 24th will be my first day I can drive again, If no further seizure activity. My Neurologist said that if my tests stay normal, I may be able to drive sooner, keep your fingers crossed! 

Ok, back to babies. My OB has already told me to cut down on the workouts, as in the bouncing & jumping which I regularly do in my classes. That stinks but so worth it. I was hoping to be able to model after my friend Nicole who recently had fraternal twins. She did our crazy workouts at the gym up to 32 weeks. Nope, can't do that since they are in the same sac, it's too risky. I just have to modify my classes & do lower impact because I'm not giving up the exercise, not now after all i've put into it. 

Doc says that an average pregnancy ideal weight gain is about 25 pounds so I should expect to double that. WHAT?! 50 pounds, ugh! The thought of having to work that weight off stinks. I gained 23 with Anika & 31 with Brody. She is hoping more for a 40 pound gain. I guess that's better but my appetite is insane so I imagine I will gain quite a bit. Doc won't let me go past 37 weeks pregnant which would put me at February 16, 2014. I hope they stay that long but we'll see. They are actually due (40 weeks full term) on March 8, 2014. If they do come in February, i'll have 4 kids under the age of 5 born in February. HA! 

How are we feeling about this? We are excited, mind blown, still in shock but like I said in the beginning-I thought there were more than 1 in there. What's sort of amusing is that Bryan & I have joked for a long time after we had Brody that if we try for a 3rd, we'll probably get twins. It's pretty exciting to be part of the less than 1% with identicals.

Please pray for a healthy pregnancy for me & the babies & for them to stay in as long as they possibly can.