Go big or GO HOME!
So we were excited about our new prospective little human. At that point I was about 7 weeks along and Christmas was just about 10 days or so away. I started to contact various groups in the Cleveland area about recommended OBGYN’s and specifically I was looking for one that was supportive of a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). With it being the holiday time a lot of people were slow to respond, but slowly I started to compile a list. I started to look these doctors up, check their reviews and decide which I might like to call. But before I knew it Christmas was here and I still hadn’t made my first OB appointment. Christmas fell on a Thursday in 2014 so a lot of places were closed that Friday and Monday. So finally on Tuesday, December 30th I got through to the doctor of my choice. He had the best reviews, was VBAC friendly and seemed to have a more natural approach in general. He was in-network and sounded like a perfect choice. I called and after the nurse did a quick calculation she exclaimed, “OH! You’re almost 10 weeks along the doctor really likes to see people before 10 weeks. She asked if I could come in in two hours that they’d squeeze me in.
So two hours later I was in the office with the doctor having my ultrasound done. I was chatting away that we’d like to have 3 kids and my husband would like to have 4, but he was a bit delusional because we’re kind of older, yada, yada, yada and the doctor was really quiet. So I stop and say, “Well am I still pregnant or not?” When I was pregnant with Isaac I never really felt pregnant. I ran with my dog until 38 weeks and really the only symptoms I had were tiredness from weeks 10 to 15, heartburn and lots of swelling later. But otherwise, I was good. This time, I had felt nauseated, exhausted and the heartburn had already started. Doug teased me that it was a girl. But the doctor, still doing his ultrasound thing says, “Oh yes, you’re definitely pregnant. Do you want to see?” So he turns the screen and I look. He says see this here….that’s a baby. And see this here, that’s a baby. I nod my head, yup, great baby is still in there. Phew. But then he pauses, seeing I’m a little dense and says, “There are two babies….” SAY WHAT???????? He says, “You’re having twins.” I of course asked if he was sure, and he said definitely and I can see both of their hearts beating so you are good to go. He said I was the fourth person in the office that day with twins (the epidemic!).
I’m usually anal retentive when I go the doctor and have a list of questions, but to hell with the list!!! That list I brought no longer applied. So I asked the only three questions that could come to mind. 1. Identical or fraternal. He wasn’t sure. They both are in their own sacs (safest type of twins), but that doesn’t mean anything as far as identical or fraternal. Could have been two eggs that were fertilized at the same time (fraternal) or it could be one egg that was fertilized and split and each formed its own sac (identical). He said the only way we’d know for sure until they were born was if they were boy/girl twins. 2. Was I at a higher risk of miscarriage? Not really. At 10 weeks with both heartbeats detected the miscarriage rate wasn’t that different versus a single pregnancy. 3. Can I still run with my dog? Yes, I can run with my dog and any other reasonable physical activity for as long as I felt comfortable. Exercise is recommended.
As I left the doctor, I was at a crossroads. I wanted to drive straight to Doug’s work to tell him, but at the same time, when would I ever have a chance for this sort of news again?!? I drove home and made up two signs. The first saying, “Our family plan 3+1=4 July 30, 2015”. The second, “God Laughed. 3+2=5 July 30, 2015”. I then printed out some ultrasound pictures. I first printed out single pictures of one baby and then printed out the pictures with two babies. I set up two stations in the house. Station one featured sign 1 and single baby ultrasound. Station two in the bathroom upstairs featured the multiple ultrasounds, sign 2 and a hidden camera.
Doug was at work a long time that night and didn’t get home until well after 7:30 pm. I was eager to say the least! He came in asked about the doctor. I said it went well and they opted to do an ultrasound and look there are pictures. He studied the pictures at station 1, asked a few more questions and went to the living room. I then begged him to please get the pregnant woman her Chapstick upstairs in the bathroom. That I NEEDED IT (not an outlandish request for an addict) and needed to finish dinner. So he went upstairs and I snuck up behind him with my camera and watched him look at the pictures and sign at station 2. He heard me on the steps, turned and said….”TWINS???” This was followed by, “I thought you said there weren’t twins in your family!?!” I said to my knowledge there aren’t!! Then he started laughing and shaking his head.
We spent the night debating if they were boys, girls, both!?! We’re still working on our budget and still working on Doug’s student loans so we also spent time discussing a plan. Doug though was still in utter shock most of the night. He did what I did earlier that day, and just kept repeating, “Twins…twins….twins.” I had gone to the mall because I needed some Auntie Ann’s pretzel therapy and for Isaac and me to have a walk with humanity after news like that! But Doug just sat at the dinner table refilling his wine glass and eating large amounts of ice cream! We went to bed around 10 pm and at 2 am Doug got out of bed sat on the couch in the dark until I found him there the next morning at 7 am. It took him a good day or two to adjust to the idea. We looked at our health care plan to figure out what our maximum out of pocket would be since twins on average are born at 36 weeks and can require NICU stay time. This time it was different from when Isaac was born because then I was working full-time and made good money and had corporate insurance. Now Doug is just starting out at a practice and I’m at home taking care of Isaac and tutoring students and training dogs on the side.
I said this year was going to be quite the adventure. I never disappoint!
Stayed tuned for girls, boys or BOTH!