Womb Mates

Ava Ryan got to accompany us to our regular 12 week, 4 day OB appointment yesterday.  She was so excited to see her brothers or sisters on the ultrasound.  As soon as the tech turned on the screen they were facing each other and it looked like they were kissing!  Everything looked good.  Both heartbeats were 156 and both were very active during the ultrasound.  The ultrasound tech "thought" she might see 2 placentas, which would be THE BEST NEWS EVER!, as we wouldn't have to worry about TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome), a very scary and often fatal disease of the placenta affecting approximately 10-20% of all identical twin pregnancies. That will be another post entirely. About 70% of identical twins share a placenta, while only 30% will have their own.  Adelide and Belle were Mo-Di twins, meaning they had their own sac but shared a placenta.  Initially, it was thought we were carrying Mo-Mo twins ( one sac, one placenta and the most dangerous), but around 8 weeks discovered a beautiful membrane, which eased our minds.  Yesterday, the tech felt as though the babies cords were attached to two separate placentas, but the doctor could not confirm or deny, which was frustrating.  It would be nice to ONLY have to worry pre-term labor instead of having to worry about TTTS, too.  Only time will tell...  My next appointment/ultrasound is in 3 weeks (after my cerclage is placed) to check cervical length and growth.  Beginning to wonder if I will get an ultrasound at every appointment...trust me, I'm NOT complaining!

Screen & Cerclage

Last Thursday,and yes, I am posting late again due to this relentless morning sickness, Matt and I traveled to Lexington to see our specialist for our NT screen and to check for any obvious abnormalities.  Some couples choose to go through this screen, along with a blood test, however because I have to have a cerclage, the screen is highly recommended for me.  It checks for indicators of possible chromosomal abnormalities, including Down Syndrome and Trisomy.  It is suggested that along with the ultrasound, blood is drawn to give the couple an idea of their likelihood of having a baby with a disability. We decided to turn down the blood draw for a few reasons.  The first reason is that we were told that twin pregnancies produce only about a 60% accuracy rate, thus creating a possible worry throughout the entire pregnancy that was not necessary, we didn't plan on aborting, and our NT scan came back within normal range.  This does not mean that our babies don't have chromosomal abnormalities, it just means that the likelihood is relatively small.  As the geneticist was giving us ratios for a couple of our age for various fetal conditions, all that I could think was, "1:250 of having chromosomal abnormalities seems crazy high compared to our 1:70,000 chance of having Identicals again!"
The appointment took over an hour and we left having scheduled my cerclage on the day I turn 14 weeks, which means that in two weeks these two little ones will be "sewn" (for lack of a better word) in.  Given the outcome of my last twin pregnancy, I am glad this option is available to me.