Caught a little off guard.
It's hard to believe that it was one year ago this last weekend that we were spreading our deliciously exciting news to family to let them know of our impending parenthood. I have to laugh at how really clueless we were. Clueless that we were having twins. Because if I had done any research AT ALL, it would have been very obvious. And looking back, I think we were probably in denial...
I remember the first two weeks after we found out I was pregnant- how I was giddy with excitement, cautious with anticipation and envisioning our near future: how it would be being pregnant, taking care of our ONE FIRST kid with my FIRST pregnancy. The difference between what I imagined before we found out and AFTER we found out is so distinctly different in flavor and taste. My envisions AFTER we found out were so clearly muddled with the feeling of "We are having TWINS", that the feelings and envisions don't even resemble each other. As one parent put it "Whereas friends with their first singleton babies seemed to recover from the initial disruption, and with baby on hip could more or less get back to normal, this is never the reality with twins." Or a twin pregnancy for that matter...
Clue # 1: Enlarged Uterus: About two weeks after we found out I was pregnant, I began having strange sharp pains in my stomach area and occasionally my back. Unbeknownst to me, my long ligaments were already starting to stretch out much earlier and already causing me pain. Since the strange pain wasn't going away, we made a trip to our health providers Emergicare on Sat morning. "Are you sure of the date you got pregnant?. Your uterus is measuring larger for the date." the nurse said after the exam. We were of course sure, my husband and I discussed later as we walked to the car. "Unless there is something I don't know about" he stated jokingly. "Yeah of course we're sure of the date....There can be other reasons I'm sure for an enlarged uterus.-like cysts or ovary issues or twins" I stated matter-a-factly trying to make some sense of why she seemed adamant that the date could be wrong. I'd had some larger cysts before anyway. We brushed off the twin comment like bread crumbs off of a nice shirt and the subject never even came up again til THE DAY.
Clue # 2: Excessive morning sickness: The weekend of Halloween, nausea hit me like I'd been run over by a Mac truck. It was so bad that I spent several days seriously wondering if I was ever going to be able to do "this pregnancy thing" again for our second kid, though I never said that to Hubby. It was the same morning we went to the emergicare that my nausea began. "It's a little early to be having morning sickness." the nurse stated matter-a-factly. It usually doesn't start until 7-8 weeks along." Oh?' I replied. Well I was DEFINITELY having it. The date was still right in OUR heads. What was this nurse talking about anyway..."Was your morning sickness really bad?" I asked my sister-in-law, who was due soon, as I implored her eyes for understanding and questioned my "wimpness factor." Maybe I HAD misjudged pregnancy and tolerance for differing levels of pain. I didn't consider myself a wimp after years of training for heptathlons. But maybe there was something I didn't know.
Clue # 3: Above average weight gain: By the time I had my first real appointment with the doctor at 8 weeks, I had gained 10 pounds already.(3-5 is normal during the first trimester). We took a trip to NY city at about week two of pregnancy. I scarfed delicious hors d'oeuvres at Jean Lucs wedding every time the plate came around (except for sushi, of course) and we tasted delicious tiramisu at those luscious bakeries-several times. It was only because of the trip, right?
Clue # 4: The rate of twins pregnancies is higher in African (Americans). I KNEW this stat. (Yes I am part African American. What, you can't tell from the pics? Trust me on this one. I may not have gotten the dark skin gene but I DEFINITELY have the hair gene. I straighten my hair, by the way, or should I say relax...). Anyway. It really COULDn't happen to me, right?
Clue # 5: Fraternal twins run in families. Yeah, I know . You THINK if I knew this, I would have figured out, or at least suspected it and not had the bejesus shocked out of me at the Dr.s office after that ultrasound. But alas, I am adopted. So maybe if I HAD known it, all of the above would have made perfect sense. So if we decide to tempt fate again and go for round two, at least we'll be much more in the know...
I remember the first two weeks after we found out I was pregnant- how I was giddy with excitement, cautious with anticipation and envisioning our near future: how it would be being pregnant, taking care of our ONE FIRST kid with my FIRST pregnancy. The difference between what I imagined before we found out and AFTER we found out is so distinctly different in flavor and taste. My envisions AFTER we found out were so clearly muddled with the feeling of "We are having TWINS", that the feelings and envisions don't even resemble each other. As one parent put it "Whereas friends with their first singleton babies seemed to recover from the initial disruption, and with baby on hip could more or less get back to normal, this is never the reality with twins." Or a twin pregnancy for that matter...
Clue # 1: Enlarged Uterus: About two weeks after we found out I was pregnant, I began having strange sharp pains in my stomach area and occasionally my back. Unbeknownst to me, my long ligaments were already starting to stretch out much earlier and already causing me pain. Since the strange pain wasn't going away, we made a trip to our health providers Emergicare on Sat morning. "Are you sure of the date you got pregnant?. Your uterus is measuring larger for the date." the nurse said after the exam. We were of course sure, my husband and I discussed later as we walked to the car. "Unless there is something I don't know about" he stated jokingly. "Yeah of course we're sure of the date....There can be other reasons I'm sure for an enlarged uterus.-like cysts or ovary issues or twins" I stated matter-a-factly trying to make some sense of why she seemed adamant that the date could be wrong. I'd had some larger cysts before anyway. We brushed off the twin comment like bread crumbs off of a nice shirt and the subject never even came up again til THE DAY.
Clue # 2: Excessive morning sickness: The weekend of Halloween, nausea hit me like I'd been run over by a Mac truck. It was so bad that I spent several days seriously wondering if I was ever going to be able to do "this pregnancy thing" again for our second kid, though I never said that to Hubby. It was the same morning we went to the emergicare that my nausea began. "It's a little early to be having morning sickness." the nurse stated matter-a-factly. It usually doesn't start until 7-8 weeks along." Oh?' I replied. Well I was DEFINITELY having it. The date was still right in OUR heads. What was this nurse talking about anyway..."Was your morning sickness really bad?" I asked my sister-in-law, who was due soon, as I implored her eyes for understanding and questioned my "wimpness factor." Maybe I HAD misjudged pregnancy and tolerance for differing levels of pain. I didn't consider myself a wimp after years of training for heptathlons. But maybe there was something I didn't know.
Clue # 3: Above average weight gain: By the time I had my first real appointment with the doctor at 8 weeks, I had gained 10 pounds already.(3-5 is normal during the first trimester). We took a trip to NY city at about week two of pregnancy. I scarfed delicious hors d'oeuvres at Jean Lucs wedding every time the plate came around (except for sushi, of course) and we tasted delicious tiramisu at those luscious bakeries-several times. It was only because of the trip, right?
Clue # 4: The rate of twins pregnancies is higher in African (Americans). I KNEW this stat. (Yes I am part African American. What, you can't tell from the pics? Trust me on this one. I may not have gotten the dark skin gene but I DEFINITELY have the hair gene. I straighten my hair, by the way, or should I say relax...). Anyway. It really COULDn't happen to me, right?
Clue # 5: Fraternal twins run in families. Yeah, I know . You THINK if I knew this, I would have figured out, or at least suspected it and not had the bejesus shocked out of me at the Dr.s office after that ultrasound. But alas, I am adopted. So maybe if I HAD known it, all of the above would have made perfect sense. So if we decide to tempt fate again and go for round two, at least we'll be much more in the know...
posted by Andrea at 11:09 PM
5 Comments:
Girl, Ihad those same red flags--really early weight gain and morning sickness(oh, God the sickness!), but was convinced right away it was twins. Maybe it was the fact we were undergoing fertility treatments. It came as no huge surprise to me at the 6 week ultrasound to see two sacs. My husband, however, was not convinced by my "sixth sense" feeling, and was shocked when I was right. How many times do I have to tell him...I'm ALWAYS right! Ha.
Oops...forgot to add how brave you are to already be thinking about another pregnancy down the road.
I was taken completely off guard with my twins. The only of your symptoms I had was the crazy morning sickness. I was so sick that I LOST 10 pounds during my first trimester.
I can completely relate to your feelings before and after finding out that there were two of them. I went from being thrilled to being terrified. I had a pretty good idea of how to take care of one baby - but two?
Even when they were little, I remember thinking that twins were a cruel joke. Another twin Mom I knew said she felt sorry for people that only had one baby, and I thought she was nuts. Now I understand. We really are the lucky ones.
Wow I did not know that extreme morning sickness is one sign that you may have twins. I had morning sickness right away and it was so bad that I lost 10 pounds my first trimester. But I just had one baby. Go figure.
And I was pleased to read that you also didn't think you'd survive the morning sickness. I thought it would do me in, let alone think about pregnancy #2.
You and your husband are doing wonderfully raising your babies!
Alright, Ladies, I've two kids already and I've been sick like crazy with both of them for the entire pregnancy. Both times I've lost over 20 lbs just in the first trimester and usually broke even (with 3 lbs actual gain on the top of my pre-pregnancy weight with the 2nd). Both my morning sicknesses started around 8-9 weeks..Now I am pregnant again and my sickness started at 6 weeks!! I can't get over it and I keep thinking what if it's twins..I know from my own example that severe sickness doesn't always mean twins but severe sickness starting this early...?
I've always wanted twins when I was little but now I have two under two so it's actually a scary thought now! Nevertheless all my admiration to twin mamas!!
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