Last Thursday, we had our regular 2-week visit with Dr. Donald - the high-risk specialist. This was Tim's first time seeing A, B, C & D in action on the ultrasound screen - so it was pretty exciting.
All 4 babies are measuring right on track: ranging from 13 weeks/1 day to 13 weeks/4 days. (right around 7cm in length). All 4 heartbeats are strong and Dr. Donald was very pleased with our progress. He said I'm measuring around 22 weeks. (The size of my belly will certainly catch up to Nikki and Katie before too long!)
The big news from this visit is that we were able to see (plain as day) a membrane between the identical twins (babies C & D). Whew! The main thing we'll need to watch out for is the Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) that I mentioned after our last doctor visit. This occurs in about 15% of all identical twins. The vascularity in the shared placenta can get mixed up - crossing veins and arteries. When that happens, a shift in pressure occurs: one twin sort of becomes a high pressure zone and the other a low pressure zone. This forces the majority of the blood flow and amniotic fluid from one twin to the other. This can result in a much slower development rate for the twin with lesser fluids. There's no way to keep TTTS from happening, so it's something we'll just need to watch for. Due to the increased risk for the identical twins vs. the other 2, Dr. Donald said the twins and their condition will pretty much drive this pregnancy - and may be a huge factor in determining the time of delivery.
During our appointments, while the ultrasound tech takes all the measurements (which takes quite a while with 4 babies), I can't see the monitor. So this time I watched Tim's face for his reactions to what was going on on the screen. When his eyes lit up and he smiled, I knew it was because a baby was moving, or he recognized specific body parts in the black & white blobs on the screen. But the best part for him seemed to be when the sound wave of the heartbeats was up on the screen. He'd smile big for that part. :)
As you can see in the photos above, the babies are definitely growing and looking less like aliens and more like babies. They're labeled a little differently, but Baby A (Sac A, Baby 1/A) is looking right at the camera. Baby B (Sac B, Baby 2/B) is bumping heads with Baby C and was quite a wiggler according to the tech (B is the one on the left). Baby C (Sac C, Baby 3 C) is waving at us this time. And Baby D must have been taking a nap and provided us a wonderful profile shot with a clear view of an arm and a leg too.
As for Tim and me, we're certainly keeping busy. Thanksgiving weekend, my sister-in-law Nikki joined me at Babies R Us to help me register. (Thank you Nikki!) Talk about overwhelming. I'm still not done with the registry - after almost 3 hours in the store. I'll finish the rest from home and do it online. Last week I taped around the moldings on the walls we need to paint in the nurseries and Tim put on the primer yesterday. The plan is to paint the walls yellow this week so I've got time to work on the stenciled border in the nursery we're still using as a guest room before the Sasse Christmas on the 20th. I think we'll come in just under the wire... We're also starting our Christmas decorating and finishing our Christmas shopping. Lots to do this time of year - and we're doing our best to get in all that we can without over-doing it. So far so good.
Thank you again for all your wonderful comments - and for all your thoughts and prayers. I'd also like to send a big thank you to Aunt Bonnie for her wonderful prayer before Thanksgiving dinner (even though you made the 2 pregnant girls cry!). It was beautiful and we certainly appreciate your love and concern for our babies' health. Thank you!
Love
Kristin & Tim
