No news is good news

I fear I may have created a monster. Several of you have requested that I update my blog. Some of you are like blog junkies fiending for your next fix. It's okay though, because I love your interest and appreciate your support. It makes taking time to blog worth while.

The reason I haven't written anything in a while is because nothing really eventful has happened. Everything has been going pretty well. I went in for another ultrasound today, but they just checked the amniotic fluid and the babies' bladders. Both were normal for now. This means that both twins should be getting an adequate amount of nutrients. They also tried once again to get better pictures of "Twin B's" heart. However, she was on her stomach again and absolutely refused to turn over. I was hoping to find out how far along they were developmentally but will have to wait another two weeks when I have my growth ultrasound.

Here are my 18 week and 19 week pictures. I had gained about 11 pounds at my 18 week appointment. I keep eating and keep growing.

...and here are the girls...one with it's bottom in the other one's face. Kinda weird, but kinda funny too!

...and sweet little "twin b" being shy, hiding her face with her hand.

It's a Girl...I mean It's Girls!

Well, I spent 3 hours at the doctor's office this morning for my VERY thorough ultrasound exam. I finally found out that the babies are girls, as everyone suspected. I also found out that one of the twins, "Twin B," has a single umbilical artery.

Normally, babies have 2 umbilical arteries and one umbilical vein. Occassionally, especially with twins, a baby has only a single umbilical artery (SUA). SUA is found in about 1 of every 100 live births, so it is very common. Most are not even aware of it, because without an ultrasound scan, it is not detected. Anywhere from one half to two-thirds of babies born with SUA are born healthy and with no chromosomal or congenital difficulties.

We are hoping that "Twin B" is one of those healthy babies. She is currently about one week behind developmentally, which they attribute to SUA (not any twin-to-twin transfusion, which would be more dangerous to both babies). Although they were unable to get a good picture of her heart (because she refused to turn over), they said that it looked symmetric. All of her other organs and limbs looked normal. Since she has already been screened for some of the common chromosomal defects, with normal results, they do not suspect any chromosomal abnormalities at this point.

The plan now is to go in every other week for ultrasounds. They will be keeping track of both twins' growth, fluid volume, and organ appearance. Hopefully, next time they will be able to get a good look at "Twin B's" heart and rule out any heart defects.

Due to "Twin B's" refusal to turn over, we could not get a 3D picture of her face. Below is a 2D picture of "Twin B" and a 3D picture of "Twin A." (I personally think the 3D image is a little creepy, but...)

And the Sex Is...

Sorry, you will have to wait with us to find out.

I went in yesterday for my regular two week visit. I saw another female doctor. (They like for you to become familiar with all doctors in the practice in case yours is not available when you deliver.) She asked me if I was having any problems or had any questions. I told her that everything was fine, and that we were just real anxious to know the sex. Her response was, "well, you've got an ultrasound appointment next week, right. Hopefully, you will be able to see then." She joked about how we had two chances to find out, since we only need to see the sex of one to know what they both are. I was disappointed by this response but quickly got over it when I saw that both babies were doing well.

She wheeled in the portable ultrasound machine and said that we would check on the heartbeats. Both babies were moving around and both hearts were beating strongly. It was good, as always, to have the reassurance that both babies are still healthy and doing well. My appointment was over within 15 minutes. I guess these short visits are a good thing. It is nice to have the biweekly reassurance that everything is okay.

...and in MY body news, it appears my belly has finally popped. I am finally looking pregnant and not just fat. Below are pictures of my belly last week (at 15 weeks) and this week (16 weeks). Big difference for just one week!