Pregnancy Update

So I am now 7 weeks, 2 days along.  Except for the spotting, which continues here and there, everything is totally normal.  Things 1 and 2 are the right size and their heartbeats are both around 140 bpm.  I had a bit of a scare at the ultrasound yesterday.  The technician focused in on both of the sacs and I could see the embryos, but I didn't see the flutter in either one.  Usually, I can spot it right away if it is there.  It was probably one second later that the doctor said, "We see two heartbeats," but it felt much longer.  Thing 2's sac measured normal this time, so the slight concern of a problem there is gone.

None of this means we're out of the woods, but based on my history and the facts we have so far, the most likely problems from here on out would be genetic.  And I'm not worried about that.  In fact, I won't need to have anything but the standard screening tests done.  No amnio, no CVS, nothing. Because of the young eggs, I am considered "low-risk" for those problems.  So the "most likely" problem is actually a very unlikely problem.  I am definitely optimistic!

My due date is technically September 28, but twins usually come 2-3 weeks early.  If I can make it past Sam's birthday on September 2, the Things will be well-cooked and ready to come out.  Actually, they would probably do fine even earlier than that, but I have that date set in my head as a goal.  There is a little bit of extra concern about prematurity because Sam was born over 2 weeks early.  That is not considered premature, but it is certainly not normal.  It could have been normal for me and for her, but it also could have been a problem that was never identified, and which could happen again.  I'll be discussing this with my ob soon.

The spotting has continued, but it is very minor.  When it began, my chances of having a healthy baby went down from about 90% to  about 50%.  (No, I was not freaking out for no reason.  Spotting may be somewhat "normal" in healthy pregnancies, but it is much more "normal" when a miscarriage is imminent.)  But my understanding is that once you see a heartbeat, the presence of spotting becomes almost irrelevant to the chances of success.  I also think (but this is Internet information) that spotting is a bit more common with twins.  So, I've learned to live with the spotting.

We have to continue the estrogen and progesterone until I reach 8 weeks.  That's less than a week away!  I will be so happy to be done with these shots.  They are not as painful now that we're using a different oil medium and doing two shots a day, but it's a hassle, and there is always some soreness.  I'm also a bit concerned that I'm having my first allergic reaction to latex, because of the band-aids I've been using constantly at the injection sites.  I'm allergic to a few fruits, and there is a correlation between those allergies and latex allergy, so I was told to always claim a latex allergy with doctors, because even though I had never had a reaction, I might develop the allergy suddenly.  I've done so, but I didn't think about what having band-aids on my butt 24/7 would do.  I woke up last night itching like crazy.

Actually, Adam is going on a business trip on Sunday, so my choice was either do the shots myself in my thigh or to switch to the suppositories.  I tried the thigh shot once and decided it wasn't worth it.  It's a lot more painful that way.  So I got a free sample of the suppositories just to hold me over until I reach 8 weeks on Wednesday.

As for pregnancy symptoms, mainly I have fatigue.  I take a long nap almost every day.  Sam pointed to my chest the other day and asked, "Are they getting bigger?" but I don't see it.  I'm more clumsy than usual.  Also, I've been feeling cold quite often.  I need to ask my ob about anemia.  Everyone wants to know if I have morning sickness and the answer is not really, but I have been slightly nauseated a few times.  Some foods are repellent to me, but only at certain times of the day, and as long as I don't think about eating them, I'm fine.  What makes me nauseated is water.  Drinking a lot of water during pregnancy is important, but the damn stuff makes me want to puke.

I haven't experienced my favorite pregnancy symptom yet: extreme hunger.  Actually, it would be nice if I don't get that this time around because it's a hassle to have to eat so much.  But I do love the feeling that my body is telling me to feed the parasite, and the eating itself is the first way a mother gets to take care of her offspring.  I have had cravings, though.  Last night I ate buttered egg noodles and ice cream for dinner.  That is not something I would ever do normally, not just because of the health issues, but because those are not foods that would ever satisfy me.  But they did last night.  I also bought some weird stuff at the grocery store the other day: potato chips AND tortilla chips, pepperoni (which I eat with Laughing Cow cheese - I make little sandwiches with the pepperoni as bread and the cheese as the innards), lots of soup, and, yes, I bought half-sour pickles.  I didn't look for them.  They found me, I swear.

I am definitely getting a belly already.  I only have four pairs of pants that fit now, and because I didn't time the laundry right, I had to wear sweats the other day.  A couple more weeks and I'll have to start raiding my old stash of maternity clothes.  I've always gotten a belly early, but this is really something!

Another great thing is that my "mystery pain" is almost non-existent.  This may be because I stopped exercising, but I really do think that the pregnancy is going to keep that at bay.  I'm hoping that my psoriasis goes into remission as well so I don't have to use the topical steroids, but no luck with that so far.

My next step is my first appointment with my regular ob-gyn at 9 weeks.  I delayed that appointment a bit because he's going to do another ultrasound, and I wanted it to happen well after the point at which I've suffered all the miscarriages before.  I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about pregnancy with twins at that point.  I'm trying hard not to get ahead of myself so I've done almost no web surfing on the subject yet.

All of this is what is going on at 7 weeks.  Granted, I didn't get pregnant in the usual way, but still, it's a lot.  I want those of you who have never gone through this to recognize that, when you hear people announce their pregnancies at 12 or 16 weeks, a lot of stuff has been happening that you never hear much about.  I still have over a month to go before the 12 week mark!  I'm letting you know, because this part of pregnancy is the part that nobody talks about.  It's the mysterious part.  It's the scary part.  And we all usually go through it very alone.  So next time you get the announcement: "I'm 3 months pregnant!" you'll have some idea of what that really means.