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| In this ultrasound, you're seeing the side of the baby in the bottom dark area, and the top of the baby's head in the top dark area. And it was the most shockingly wonderful thing to see in person! |
It seems like everyone has lots of questions (I sure would if I were you), so here's a Q&A that will, I hope, answer some of them.
1. (This is for any guys who may be reading this, because it's the first question they ask. Ha!) Are we getting a new vehicle?
Yes. Over the coming months we will be searching for a new-to-us vehicle that will seat at least 8. If anyone has a lead on a super clean, really great, uber dependable, non-bus-looking van, let me know. :)
2. So how many are in your family?
Now there are 8. Chase, Steph, Lily, Connor, Spencer, Nolan, and the twins.
3. (To quote Chase's grandma) So... how did this happen?
Ha! What I told Grandma Dorothy is that we'll have to ask God when we get to the other side. :) But in all seriousness, we don't know. There is no family history of twins, and we don't meet any of the common "demographics" of people who have a higher likelihood of twins. So, I guess it's fair to say it was an act of God.
4. When are you due?
Twins are almost always delivered by 38 weeks, and often much closer to 36 weeks. It's not unusual for moms to go into labor any time after 34 weeks with twins. If I make it to "full term" (that's 36-38 weeks) we will meet them sometime in the middle or end of October.
Please pray with us that they will be ready to face the outside world when they come. That is, of course, the biggest concern with any birth.
5. What does delivery look like?
(This one is for moms who are like me and overly curious about the birthing part of all this!) Method of delivery depends on so many factors. Everything from position of babies, placement of placenta, size of babies (baby A has to be bigger than baby B for a vaginal delivery), and a million other factors. I'm grateful our hospital and my doctor does not automatically schedule a c-section for twins. If we get to the end and meet the various requirements, we may end up doing an induced labor. There is even the option here to deliver vaginally where baby A comes head down and baby B comes breach. Again, SO many factors play into all this. I'm just already praying that the Lord will prepare me to accept whatever is going to happen if, by His grace, we make it that far.
My goal is healthy babies with a healthy mom with minimal recovery time for all of us... because there will be SO much to do!!!
4. Haven't you always wanted twins?
I did pray for twins for years before we had Lily. I've always been fascinated by the special relationships some twins enjoy and the stories of their interactions. That said, there's something about seeing a positive pregnancy test for the first time that makes you realize how great a responsibility one new life will be. Since I had Lily, I haven't really "wanted" twins anymore.
It was a dream I kind of "retired" because if God was going to give me twins, he'd do that with #'s 1 & 2, right? Especially after having 4 singletons, I had NO idea this was coming. I know I've joked about, "Well, if we had twins, we'd know we were done." I honestly never thought it would actually happen.
In this case, it feels like one of those situations where I asked God for something, and He said, "Wait... wait... wait... wait... NOW!" A shocker when I least expected it.
5. So, how did you find out?
I knew I was pregnant over a month ago, but didn't plan on going to see my doc until the first week of May. However, I had such extreme exhaustion over a period of about 3 weeks, we decided I should go in a little earlier just to make sure there wasn't some nutritional deficiency and to confirm that everything was ok. I had an appointment last Friday.
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| Chase took this picture before we headed for the doctor's office, when we thought there were only 2 in this picture, but actually there were 3! |
When my doctor walked into the ultrasound room and asked how I'd been feeling, I told her that this pregnancy has been harder than any of the others. She responded that I'm chasing 4 other kids, but I told her that while that's true, I also don't have a 9 month old like I have had in the beginning of my last 2 pregnancies. I said that I just felt like it was more than chasing 4 kids. She said, "Ok, well, let's take a look."
The second that wand was on my stomach it was clear as day that there was more than one baby in there. I looked in disbelief. Chase did the same and (as I recall) asked, "Is that TWO?" My doctor laughed and said, "Yep."
Then ensued the laughing, crying, unbelieving, hoping all was well, relief at explanations, and a billion questions.
6. Did you suspect it was twins before this?
Yes and no. I had reason to suspect based on some physical symptoms like exhaustion. HOWEVER, all of these symptoms had other explanations as well like, "you're pregnant, so you're extra tired" or "you're probably lacking iron and other nutrients." I'd be lying if I said I hadn't Googled at 3am "Physical symptoms if you're expecting twins." The exhaustion is just... so intense.
But I didn't want to hope for twins. I didn't want to actually expect them. For one thing, I know too many twins recently born or moms pregnant with twins - the odds of my small network including one more set of twins seemed unreasonable. And what if I hoped for twins, but found it was a singleton pregnancy? That felt to me like I'd be disappointed in some way in who my child was created to be, and I NEVER want them to feel that, be they 9 weeks in my tummy or 90 years on this earth.
So, no. I didn't really suspect, though that might just be because I wouldn't let myself go there.
7. Are they identical or fraternal?
We don't know yet. What we do know is that they each have their own amniotic sac, which is a good thing in terms of complications - the fewer things they share, in a lot of ways, the fewer the complications.
Fraternal twins result from two fertilized eggs implanting and each have their own sac and placenta. Fraternal twins can be same gender or different, but they do not share the same DNA.
Identical twins come from the same fertilized egg splitting and they share the same DNA, so they are always same gender. Identical twins can share the same sac and placenta; they can each have their own sac but share a placenta, or they can each have their own sac and their own placenta.
I asked my doc if our twins shared a placenta, but I'm not sure if she didn't answer because she wasn't sure, or if I just didn't register her answer. What I know is that they have their own sacs. I will go in again the first week of May and be more focused, less shocked, ask more questions, and listen better.
8. Will you find out gender?
Yes! Of course. We're not that patient! We'll find out sometime in June.
9. What did the kids say?
The kids were actually all with us for the ultrasound, which was special. It just happened to work out that way that day. Lily was in shock and awe with us once we explained what those pictures meant. She's been asking for a baby to snuggle for a while now, and boy is she ever going to get snuggles! The boys were kind of oblivious and focused more on their granola bars than anything else.
We have a lot of work to do with them over the coming months in terms of preparation. Teaching independence, some more chores, patience, helpfulness, and grace for Mommy when she can't meet their needs when they want me to. But the pay off at the end of all this, Lord willing we make it that far, will be worth all the effort.
10. Are you ok?
Yes. We're all just fine. Nothing has actually changed since Friday morning before my appointment other than that now we know WHY I've been so exhausted. I still sleep a LOT or just lay in bed or on the couch because I can't do much more than that sometimes. I still feel queasy almost all the time, but I am so grateful I don't have near the morning sickness some struggle with.
I'm SO excited to be carrying twins, but I'm also really cautious about focusing only on the "Wow" moments. We've got a really long road to get these babies ready to meet the world and only the Lord can sustain them and me. Only the Lord knows the future, and that is a blessing. Today, I just need to be faithful to do the next right thing, as best I can.
Speaking of, it's nap time, so I'd best head to bed. Blessings all.
