An update on the twins

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, this pregnancy has been less than a joy ride thus far. Hyperemesis Gravidarum (just another way of saying excessive puking) has made most normal every day tasks impossible, as most days I can't even sit up without nausea or vomiting. Still, the 2nd trimester is approaching (albeit much more slowly than I want) and I have hope that things will improve at that point.

My husband and I had our second ultrasound a week ago which revealed two quickly growing little peanuts. Baby A had a heart beat of 160 at our 6 week appointment, this time "he" had a hb rate of 185 and measured at 2.26 cm, apx 9w along.

Baby B had a heart beat of 130 at our 6 week appointment and this time had a hb rate of 192 and measured at 2.08 cm, apx 8w5d along.

I'm a little bit worried about the size difference between the two - even though two days doesn't "seem" like that much, in the world of a fetus it's more serious. My babies are also sharing a placenta, which makes them high risk since it increases their chances of developing what the doctors call twin to twin transfusion.

Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome occurs in identical twins sharing the same placenta. The short version is that one twin receives more of the blood and placenta than the other, which can result in death. There are treatments for TTTS, but it is not a situation I hope to have to face. I'm currently waiting for the doctor to call me back this morning to let me know what her thoughts are on the last ultrasound. Since it is only two days I do have hope that things will be alright, and the fact that the smaller baby had such a good heart beat is reassuring. All I can do is pray.

I thought I'd answer some basic twin questions for those of you curious, so here we go :)

1) Are the twins Identical or Fraternal - and how do you know?
Answer: Our twins are identical! We know because of the way the twins are positioned in the womb. Fraternal twins have their own placenta and sacs, as they come from two separate eggs. Identical twins share a sac/placenta, as they are one egg that split.

2) Do they run in the family?
Answer: Lets start by saying that Fraternal twins are hereditary and are carried on the mother's side. So no, there are no twins on my mothers side of the family. However, even if there were, it wouldn't matter. Identical twins are in no way hereditary. They are merely a blessing from God, a "chance", as previously stated it happens when 1 egg splits, that is not a genetic trait.

3) Do you know what gender they are?
Answer: Not yet, we won't find out for a few weeks or so - but since they are identical, they will be the same gender :)

4) Do twins change the way a pregnancy usually goes?
Answer: Yes! Dramatically! Firstly, if you are pregnant with twins you are automatically considered high risk. Secondly, since there are two and therefore less room to grow, most twins deliver around 36 weeks instead of 40. Twins present a whole new world of risks and complications, but the blessing at the end is worth all the hardships!

If you're curious about anything, please let me know and I'll add some more questions here :) I enjoy sharing my journey in life with people and what is birth if not the beginning of the greatest journey? I'll update as things progress, in the meantime prayers would be wonderful and so much appreciated.
God bless!