16w4d ultrasound – so far so good

I’m glad to report that we came back from an ultrasound yesterday afternoon at the MFM clinic and the quick report is that everything looks good.  DrGav wanted to do a full anatomy ultrasound early and then do subsequent ones every 4 weeks to make sure that the growth of the monsters is on track.  If growth does not seem to be progressing normally, then I may get put on lovenox or heparin.  I weighed in and am up about 7 lbs since the start of things, so that is looking fine. 

MrBeep sat at my side, touched my shoulder and kissed my forehead.  A full anatomy ultrasound takes a while as each thing is scrutinized and measured.  For over an hour I got to lay back and watch the monsters jiggle and wiggle. I saw happy squishy brains, thumping hearts and kidneys and stomachs and bladders.  I got to see the profile of each face, accompanied by waving arms and legs, twitchy hands and feet. I counted 5 fingers on a wee hand held out and easy to see.  I got to see eentsy little toes.  I watched so hard my eyes started to water and by the end my vision was blurred.  I couldn’t help it!  I guess I forgot to blink but the perma-grin was wide on my face.  

It’s amazing how reduced the room is in there compared to 5 weeks ago at the NT ultrasound.  No easy turns doing back flips at will.  They’ll just have to practice to be in Cirque du Soleil once they are in normal gravity like the rest of us.  The ultrasound technician got a couple of shots from under each baby’s legs, she asked me to guess, but I had no idea – remember it’s only 16 weeks along.  She is pretty sure the sex on one and the other is an educated guess, it’s legs were held tight together.  The internal ultrasound showed my cervix was long and closed, that is another very good thing.  DrGav warned that with twins, they want internal cervical checks every two weeks as things can change very quickly and a month span is too long between checks.

DrGav also said that the measurements on both babies looked good.  He needs more time to review all of the pictures to look closely at the placentas, etc.  We expressed our interest in amnio before the appointment and he said that it was really up to us, but that the measurements again put the risks for DS and Trisomy 13/18 as really low (1 in 650).  In the end, we still wanted to do the amnio.  The procedure went well.  DrGav explained each step and all the precautions he took for good results.  My belly was swabbed with iodine.  The ultrasound was on and referenced the entire time.  One quick poke for each twin’s sac/fluid. I watched on the ultrasound and all seemed to go fine.  The babies heartbeats were measured right on track after the procedure.  I have had an easy time afterwards so far.  No spotting, no leaking, no high temperature.  I have felt the babies flutter happily all night and day.  I have added a poll to the right column so you can guess what flavor the monsters are.  I get the results in about two weeks.

Why decide to do the amnio?  Folks, I’m 41, MrBeep is 46.  These are my own old eggs, his own sperm.  I’m going to be very honest, if one of these babies has a condition that is incompatible with life and puts the other baby at great risk, I need to know. I have to think of more than myself.  Screening tests are highly educated guesses, they are not diagnostic and they do not have the real genetic answers.  Also, D/S and Tri 13/18 are only 3 things.  Amniocentesis karyotyping tests for over 40 and we are also getting a prenatal CGH microarray that looks at over 100.  The real risks for continuous scan amnio with a highly qualified specialist like DrGav are significantly lower than 1:200.  They are actually more like 1:1,600.  Please believe that I don’t think that my preferences and decisions are right for everyone, but they are right for us.  In two weeks I’ll either have the hardest decision of my life or I’ll get to finally breathe a little easier for the first time in years.  I am happy to answer any questions for those of you who need to know more, just post in the comments or email ifoptimist.at gmail.com.  I would appreciate understanding and not judgment.  If you have strict religious beliefs and ideals, I respect them.  Please my friends, I’m scared and I’m crying. I will meditate.  I will try to instill calm in my heart.  Now again with a wholly new kind of 2 week wait, I will embrace Hope in all its bright sunshine, glowing at the end of a dark cave.