13 Weeks Worth of Twins

This week I spent some time looking back at my old pregnancy photos. I actually did a month by month comparison of my belly for the first two pregnancies on our old website. At the time I wondered why I was spending so much time doing it, but now that we are having twins I’m so glad I did. Now I don’t have to search through my files month by month to compare. All I know at this point is it’s going to be much bigger. Perhaps grotesque. Already this time around my 3 month photo looks like my 4 month photos in previous pregnancies!

Jack was getting in the bath last week when he asked me why my nipples were sandy. They were not sandy, I told him. And please don’t touch my private parts, I added. They were growing milk for the new babies. And growing they are! As I’ve discussed recently with a few of my girlfriends, pregnancy makes your boobs grow and grow and grow. Then you have the baby and they get even bigger. That’s when you buy nursing bras. At three months pregnant, I’m wearing the nursing bras from my first two pregnancies and they fit.

The whole episode with Jack made me wondered if my nakedness was going to scar him for life. Then I thought – maybe I should stop showering while they boys bathed. But then, more thoughts. When would I find a new time to shower? When they were sleeping? That’s during my precious few hours of freedom! Suddenly a little scaring didn’t seem so bad.

This week we had another ultrasound. This time it was for genetic testing. We were screening for Trisomy 18, Trisomy 13 and Down Syndrome.

Trisomy 18 is called Edwards Syndrome and happens when there are 3 as opposed to 2 copies of chromosome 18. The syndrome has a very low rate of survival, resulting from heart abnormalities, kidney malformations, and other internal organ disorders.

Trisomy 13, also called Patau Syndrome. It is an extra or third copy of chromosome 13.  An extra chromosome here will interrupt the normal course of development, causing heart and kidney defects.

Before we took the tests, which include a blood draw and ultrasound, we had a statistical risk of 1 in 190 for both Trisomy 18 and 13. After the test we were reduced to 1 in 3,781. Both babies were considered within a safe range, no further screening is required or recommended.

Down Syndrome is an extra chromosome on chromosome 21. This impairs cognitive ability and physical growth. For this test they use the Nuchal Translucency Scan, measuring the fluid behind the babies necks. We were told that under 3mm is good.

Both ultrasound technicians were very positive about our twins Nuchal Translucency, which was under 2mm on our ultrasound this week and last week. Twin A was measuring 1.7 mm. Twin B was 1.8 mm.

I walked into the doctor’s visit after the screening very confident. So you can imagine our surprise (Adam was with me, and Jack & Ben) to find that Twin B was showing ‘increased risk’ for Down’s. I little millimeters difference between Twin A and Twin B put one in a safe range and one in an increased risk range!

Before we had the tests, both twins had a 1 in 106 chance of having Down’s Syndrome. After the test Twin A had a 1 in 309 chance and Twin B had a 1 in 252 chance. So taking the test dropped our odds of both kids having Down’s Syndrome, just not enough for the doctor to feel comfortable.

If we want to do more testing there are a few options.

We could have a Chorionic Villus Sample (CVS) done. It is similar to an Amniocentesis, but instead of drawing fluid from the amnio sac, they take a sample of the placenta. At this point, the chance of miscarriage from the CVS test are about the same as having a baby with Down’s Syndrome.

Or we can wait another month and have the United Screening Approach. It is simply a blood draw that combines your first and second trimester screenings. It detects at least 97% of cases of Down syndrome with an overall false positive rate of 5%.

We had planned to do the United Screening Approach even before the tests came back, as we have with all our other pregnancies. We decided to wait on the results of these tests before we decide anything further. The blood draw for this test can be performed anywhere from 15 – 22 weeks into the pregnancy. I’ll let you know how it turns out…

I’m happy to report that there is absolutely nothing to report right now. Yesterday we had our monthly check up which included an unexpected ultrasound. Normally our doctor just uses a little wand to listen to the heart beat but I guess it’s a bit confusing to find two heart beats.

The babies have grown quite a bit since the last time we saw them. Instead of just a little dot on the ultrasound we were able to see real babies. Heart rates were normal. Brains were developing equally on both sides. The nuchal fold, or fluid in the back of the neck which can screen for down syndrome, was normal. There were four arms and four feet. There were two placentas. There was a thick line between the two babies.

Since we do not want to find out the sex of the babies before they are born, our doctor says we will have no way of telling if they are identical or fraternal until birth.

Even though it’s our third time, it is still a miracle to see those tiny little babies up on the screen.

Since I’ve been pregnant, my skills as a human being, mother and wife have suffered. Before my hard working husband would come home to a nice, warm, healthy home cooked meal at night. Now he’s forced to forage in the fridge or freezer for whatever can fill him up. I’m too tired. And by the time I cook something myself I don’t want to eat it anymore. I think my cravings are on speed.

After seeing the ultrasound I’m pleased to know that at least somewhere, deep on a cellular level, I am still functioning well.