Officially 12 weeks!

It's finally here!  You might be thinking that I'm excited to be safely into the second trimester stage...which is definitely true, but I'm also excited for one other milestone...

No more PIO shots or Estrogen pills!  Its only been 3 months but holy moly does it seem like having to be home by 9:20 has been a part of my life for so much longer!🤣⏰

No more shots!  My bum can finally start to smooth those lovely knots out🥰❤️.

We had our second OB appointment on Wednesday...and my oh my has it changed since I last came with my own pregnancies.  It's like a 3 hour ordeal now!  

My appointment was at 10AM and was supposed to consist of lab work, an ultrasound, and an exam, which it did...but each was treated like it's own appointment because they send you back to the waiting room in between!  

I first had to go and leave a urine sample, so fun.  Then I was called back for my ultrasound.  (Definitely the highlight)

I was told this particular ultrasound was to check the thickness of the tissue of both babies necks to check for Down Syndrome.  I of course gave the shrug and obligatory nod like ok, whatever you need to do.  He then says, "Now you're using donor eggs, right?"

Probably a perfectly normal question...but it seemed so odd to hear it that way!  I paused for a second...trying to process what he asked..and then he broke the silence and said, "Or was it just the sperm donated?"

Haha I had to giggle and say, "The whole kit and kaboodle are donated.  The eggs were my sister's and fertilized by her husband...implanted via IVF.  So...I guess you can say they were donated to me until they are born...then I'm giving them back!"

Haha I think as I said it, he remembered either me from the last appointment where we had both my sister and my husband there (probably odd to have so many people at a first ultrasound) or it noted in my chart🤣.  In either case he totally laughed and said that's right...gestational carrier.  

Now with the pleasantries out of the way, he got to scanning.  He was super easy to talk to, since the proverbial ice had been broken, so I asked a bunch of questions as he was looking at things.

First, he labeled the baby on the screen "baby A".  So I had to ask...is Baby A always just the first you happen to see?  He said no, it's the baby closest to your cervix, or lowest in the uterus.  Ahh...so we finally have a rhyme and a reason to the A and B thing.  Okay this was good to know!  

He let me know that baby A was on the lower left side and seemed to have their hand over their face 🥰.  They were perfect for all scans.  He was able to get a beautiful measurement of that neck tissue he was going for along with lots of great silhouette pictures.  

Baby A side view 

Baby A was measuring right on track for 11 weeks 5 days.  Heartbeat was cruising at a 171 beats per minute.  They were active, I could see them kicking and moving the entire time🥰.

On to Baby B!  Baby B is above and to the right, and happened to be facing my back. So I was asked to cough so baby would turn around for us.  I honestly was a little skeptical...but it worked!  Baby B moved right on around.  He was able to catch the scans he needed and recorded a heartbeat of 165. 

Baby B was measuring 2 days ahead at exactly 12 weeks.  Everything on both looked great!  As he was going back and forth between babies it appeared as though one baby was literally kicking the other!  So I asked how close they were and if they could feel that?!  (Literally, I think A kicked B in the head mid scan😲.  Sibling rivalry is already starting!)

He said they are right next to each other.  Only separated by the amniotic sac membranes, which he said are about as thin as a rubber band.  So yes they can feel each other!  So crazy and amazing to watch them fidget and kick around together.  I hope they enjoy the room while it lasts! 😕😬

So twins are getting too big to be on the same scan, so he did a split screen so he could capture one then the other but put them both on the screen.  As he was capturing babies he caught a cute little frog legged pose from baby A. (Pictured below 👇🏼)

Baby A frog leg pose

Then he went over to baby B and tried to capture the same thing.  He then asks, "Do you already know the sex of the babies?"  I said yes, one boy and one girl.  He said well I am seeing some anatomy on Baby B that would suggest he's the boy!  (Pictured 👇🏼 below ... would you agree🤭?)

Anatomy between the legs of Baby B

So I'm excited to know the difference between baby A and B now!  B for boy ...super easy to remember too!

After the ultrasound and an additional trip to the waiting room, I was called back for my exam.  It went pretty seamlessly.  I gained 1 pound, my blood pressure was great, and I was told the twins look very healthy and happy!  So I should keep doing whatever I'm doing 👏🏼😁

I was scheduled to come back in 4 weeks, December 6th (which would make me 16 weeks by then) and was scheduled for another ultrasound during the same appointment...so they can check fetal growth.

I waited for a third time in the waiting room and was called back for my blood work shortly after.  The cute lady who maybe only seemed about 10 years older than me, whispers to me..."So twins?!"

Haha I reply yes, that's right!  Twins.  She said wow you're handling this so well.  I was a little confused but simply responded with an uncomfortable, "haha I guess so far, so good!". 

She then starts reading her notes and says, "Oh, these are donor eggs?!  So you aren't too worried about down syndrome then, I bet?"

Oh my goodness, what is up with this office support staff and not reading their notes?🤣 I just said well ...I'm a gestational carrier for my sister.  These babies are on loan with me for a little while, then I'm giving them back!  Her entire demeanor changed and she got so happy and said how wonderful it was that I was willing to do that for her.  (It always makes me feel awkward when people tell me how wonderful I am...I feel like I'm doing something that most people would do, if it were possible.  Maybe I'm different, maybe I'm special...but I don't feel that I am. 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Anyway, after the 9 vials of blood they took and the funniest stories from this conversation starved phlebotomist, who probably missed her calling as a hair dresser, I was finally on my way!  I arrived at 9:54 and left at 12:55! Crazy.  

All in all babies are doing well!  I'm still experiencing sickness...some mornings and evenings are just worse than others, but definitely manageable.  I can still fit into my stretchy jeans but that waistband is definitely starting to dig in 😕.  Instead of wearing my self proclaimed "cute and trendy" clothes to work, I've opted for "cute and comfy"🤣.  Leggings and sweaters are where it's at for me right now.   I'm always cold and I'm always ready for a nap.  Comfy clothes make both of those things manageable 😘😃!

Snacks, Nausea, and Headaches...Oh My!

My days continue to be filled with bouts of nausea and then mini cravings.  I say mini, because other than Grimaldi's pizza, once I start eating what I thought I wanted, it's no longer really what I wanted 😜 🤷🏼‍♀️.  I've also started getting really really tired...like want to take a nap at work, tired! 💤

So I try to drink and sip my freezing cold water when the eyelids become heavy...it helps a little or pull an item out of my "snackpack"... typically a rice krispie treat🤭.

The official "snackpack"

So far I've gotten three headaches and both have been on the weekend or on a day I worked from home, which I've put together, might be related to my morning routine being changed!

Typically, I wake around 4AM (naturally without an alarm) and begin my routine of taking my morning estrogen and thyroid pills, showering, etc and I am usually out the door by 6:45.  At that time I usually have some type of snack on the way into work, cereal, bagel, or an egg sandwich... depending on my mood.  On the weekends however, even though I still wake up early...I try to lay in bed longer...don't get up, and definitely am not eating a snack by 7am.  So it wasn't hard to put together, after two weekends in a row with a Saturday headache and being extra nauseous, that it's probably related to my morning routine!  Aren't I quick one?! Ha.  (So that will change this weekend!)

So when I say I had three headaches...I really had one that lasted two days and almost had me rushing to the ER.  Yes, I was in so much pain, I was actually willing to be taken to the emergency room for some relief!  I'm no stranger to headaches and migraines.  I've had them all my life and after my car accident in 2014 they were pretty severe for about 18 months.  

The biggest issue is while being pregnant I can only take Tylenol.  Tylenol doesn't do much for me and if the headache sets in too long, there's literally nothing I can do but ice my neck and head and pray I fall asleep to alleviate some of the pain. In this particular case (two weekends ago) the headache began on a Friday, late morning.  I was working from home so my routine was changed.  The work was the same, looking and reviewing spreadsheets and volumes of material on Excel (which would give most people a headache anyway😜).  By early afternoon it was pretty bad, I was super nauseous and didn't eat anything.  I kept drinking water and throwing up.  After a short nap, my headache pain dropped a bit and all I felt like was some type of bread and maybe butter.  So random!  (Date night idea, that I was taking a mental note to share with Phil 🤣.)

As luck would have it, Phil texts me a few minutes later and says we were invited by some friends to try a new restaurant in Surprise...which get this.... serves bread and different appetizers and dip!  It was so up my alley, no question we were going!  Btw the restaurant was great and so was the company, but headache was still there when we were done...womp womp.

Fast forward to Saturday morning... headache has not gone away.  I tossed and turned all night and everytime I got up to use the restroom, my headache was very proud to let me know it was still around.  To make a longer story shorter, the pain became so bad that I couldn't move my head without getting stabbing pains in one location on the top of my head.  At this point, I've said hundreds of mini prayers, asking for the pain to be relieved.  I didn't know what to do, then suddenly Phil thought to take my blood pressure.  I didn't know why, but he did and it was 155/114!  Clearly I'm in pain...but my typical BP is around 100-105 over 69-72.  So this is an extremely high jump!  We call the fertility clinic and they let us know that this is really high and they recommend going to the ER.  

As Phil is gathering our items, I stop him and ask for a blessing.  He and Boston give me a blessing that I will be healed and I ask him to get me a bag of ice and just allow me to rest for like 30 minutes longer.  (I know I've already done this...and it hasn't helped thus far, but I wanted to try)

Miraculously, I began to feel the pain subside over the next 30 minutes...the pain wasn't completely gone but it had reduced drastically!  Phil checked my blood pressure again and it had dropped to 134/108.  So he suggested that we go eat something, since I hadn't really been able to eat all day.  

We went to Garcia's (another favorite of mine) where I had some rice and beans and continued to feel better and better. When I got home we took my blood pressure again and it was 127/92!  Still high, but much better!🥳. 

By the next morning it was completely gone.  I'm so relieved I didn't have to go to the ER, but it definitely is making me acutely aware of how important it is that I keep my blood sugar from dropping too low and staying on a routine!  So thankful it went away🙏🏼❤️🥰.

I Smell Hotdogs 🤢

Today is day 8, post transfer.  It's officially been over one week since the transfer of two embryos occured! 

My pregnancy results on the at home tests are becoming darker as the HCG continues to increase.  I've been using the 'First Response 6 days Sooner' which can detect HCG in quantities as little as 6.  Regular pregnancy tests aren't meant to be used for a few more weeks...when HCG levels have had a chance to really grow and their detection level is about 25.  I'm not quite sure how high my levels are yet or if I'm carrying twins, but hopefully this next week we will find out through a few blood tests that my levels are on track and doubling every 72 hours as they should be.

Gradually getting darker
(due to increasing HCG levels)

I had absolutely no headaches or feelings of nausea on Monday or Tuesday and most of yesterday...in the evening I began to get a headache, which made me kind of nauseous.  Nothing too terrible, just stopped me from eating or having any sweet snacks.  (Probably for the best 😜)

This morning I woke up with a mild headache and once I started blow drying my hair...the nausea hit me.  I started getting clammy and talking myself into not throwing up🤪.  

After cooling off under a fan, I was able to pull it together and grab an egg & cheese breakfast sandwich from Starbucks.  My favorite drink (strawberry acai refresher) has caffeine in it...which I'm trying to do my best to avoid...so water for me.  It hit the spot and other than my nagging headache I was off to work.

Shortly after I arrived, the smell of hot dogs started wafting in.  Which is weird because A. It's morning (who eats hot dogs for breakfast?) B. We don't have microwaves or food stored anywhere near my desk location?!

So my only deduction is someone had hotdogs or something similar for breakfast and now my go-go-gadget super sniffer is working in full force.🤢🥲

I texted my husband and I'm not sure what type of response I was looking for...but it definitely wasn't this! 😂🤣🤢😭(those who know him, won't be shocked)

🤢🤢🤢

So hoping the headache goes away soon and I'm praying no more hotdogs will be consumed for the next few months.😜😂