It's all about the belly

Last week it was appointments, ultrasounds, needles and stress for these girls. This week it's all about taking care of them and their bedroom.

I had a doctor's appointment with my regular OB. He checked on the girls, both breech but good heartbeats. Measured my fundal height. Im 24 weeks but measuring 32! So 6 months measuring 8! Crazy. I will see him next month when I'm 28 weeks, then I will see him twice a week till the babies are here. I will get to know him well.

I also had a chiropractor appointment and got adjusted. I just want to go every week. It feels SO amazing! My left side is really tight so having her work on my left hip and my back was heaven. If you have never gone to a chiropractor during pregnancy, you should go. You will tank me and wonder why you waited so long.

The day after that, I went and got a massage! OMG! I took a bath in a jetted tub filled with amazing oils and bubbles. It was so relaxing. The water was a perfect temperature, candles were lit, music was playing and there were fruit snacks to enjoy. Heaven! After that I was escorted to the room for my massage. A full 50 mins but it went by so fast. It was so relaxing. I plan on going again next month!

Today I went to yoga. So peaceful and so good on my hips to stretch everything out.  I can't imagine not doing yoga while pregnant.

It's getting harder to get up with Penny after I rock get to sleep. Not sure yet what I will do in a few week's when it's really hard to get up! Have Bryan push me out of the rocker... ha ha ha.

Speaking of Penny sleeping... Time to lay her down.

Results are In

So surprised to get the call today. As soon as I saw the number calling me was restricted, I knew it was Ashley.  I was nervous to answer but did along with quickly getting to the closest thing to me to write this information down. I can get so nervous I forget what I am told and have to make sure I write down what I hear. Well, I am relieved to say that both girls are in perfect health! I knew that test was wrong! All this stress and pain this week to find out what we really already knew. The girls are PERFECT! So the final results will be in next week as these were preliminary, but they won't change.
Whew! I can breathe again! I can get back to normal life with no worries or concerns about the future except making it to the next mile stone. Which is hitting 24 weeks. This is when the girls are viable, should I deliver early, the hospital will do all it can to save them. I will be 24 week's on Tuesday. Omg, I'm just so happy. Tears of happiness overwhelm me. Life is so good and amazing right now. I'm emotionally exhausted and yet re-energized at the same time

From now on it will be boring pregnancy updates and belly pictures! I will talk about fun pregnancy feelings like heart burn and constipation. Food cravings or not. And then eventually the birth!

I think in the next couple of weeks I'm going to get a GOOD pregnancy massage. I deserve it.

The saga continues

Yesterday late afternoon I received a call from Ashley letting me know what was going on with the results. Apparently the courier that picked up the sample on Tuesday failed to deliver it to the lab that evening. They actually didn't even deliver it until two days later on Thursday, which was the day that I was to get the results! It's frustrating that this happened. The lab knows how important this is and is going to expedite getting the rapid results done. However they still need 24 to 48 hours to have the results complete. They do work on Saturdays, so as soon as they have the results then they will call Ashley and let her know. At this point I'm not holding my breath to get the results any sooner than Monday afternoon.

I let the IM know. She told me not to stress and is, confident that everything will work out great.

I do believe that all things happen the way they are supposed too and that nothing happens by mistake. So I get to just trust in the process for now.

Squeaky wheel

It's early in the afternoon and I had not heard back from the doctors office. So I decided that I would give them a call after they get back from lunch around 1:30pm. Spoke with the receptionist there and she said they have not received the results yet. They decided to contact the lab and find out when the results are going to be in and get back to me. When the receptionist called me back she informed me that the lab said my results will not be complete until tomorrow! I went from having a very peaceful morning to stressing out this afternoon. So I decided to call the genetic counselor I have been working with ( we will call her Ashley) and see if o could get some more information. She is so sweet, understanding and helpful. She understands the situation and I figured she might be able to get me more detailed information as to when three results will be in.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to reach her. The woman I did speak with said she would contact Ashley and also contact the lab understanding the time restraint I am under and try to get the information today. So now I'm just waiting again... Now full of anxiety.

I'm not one to be such a squeaky wheel. But this time it's needed.

It's one thing when its your own pregnancy and you can make all the decisions and choices for what you're going to do in the future. But it's completely different when you're carrying children for another couple. It almost feels like there's more pressure to make sure I get them adequate information on time. They have trusted me this far and I want them to continue to feel like their girls are in good hands. That I am doing all I can to get them answers. Hopefully I will hear an answer quickly.

Results Day

Today we should get the preliminary results from the amniocentesis. I woke up feeling the girls moving around thinking about hearing there results, and again feeling 100% that they are both healthy.

Bed rest was good. Had some jewellers come over to play with the girls and get them what they needed ands enjoyed adult conversation. Something I don't get most days with the girls.

My stomach is still sore and my ligaments have been really sensitive too. Even my back was hurting yesterday morning bad. It was crazy how much that procedure effected me this time.

I had it done once with my own daughter ands it was much easier that time. I also wasn't as far along or carrying twins, so I know that plays in to it all.

This day will mean we get to move on with out any further complications or well I'm not sure what that or is. It's the black abyss. The unknown.

Time will tell.

The Procedure

Today didn't start out like I planned. I woke up late and that seemed to set in motion the rest of the day going off track. I was glad that my mom showed up early to watch the girls and my friend, who is also a surrogate, was early as well. We talked the whole way down to the doctor's about everything. The amniocentesis, why the need for this, understanding the IPs point of view and how I was feeling. Once we got there we didn't have to wait to long to be called back to the room. The genetic counselor came in and explained that she had spoken with the IM in detail the day before and did explain the risk of preterm birth at this point in pregnancy is very high with this procedure. She also said that it would be completely up to the doctor if he could do the procedure our not. It really depended on the size of the babies.
When she was done the doctor came in and explained all the same. The look of concern on his face worried me. You could tell it wasn't in his ability to do the amniocentesis, but in the risk factors with this procedure. With twins you are  already high risk. Amniocentesis done at the 17 weeks will increase the risk of preterm labor. But to throw all of that together, including being further along, could cause the girls to come sooner and have a long stay in the NICU. Hearing those facts was very nerve wracking. After explaining all the details, he did an ultrasound to look at the girls, measure them and make sure he knows what area he would be putting the needle in. 
It's interesting, on Friday they were head down, but today they were both head up. They both looked great as per the usual.  Then it was time to collect the samples. Being that there are two babies and they need to make sure they collect from each sac, they have to find away to mark one of the babies. So first they collected a sample from Twin B. When the put the needle in it stung a bit. I felt some pressure when the sample was collected. After that they got the blue dye and added it in to the babies sac. The blue dye helps them so that when they collect from the other baby, Twin A, if the fluid they pull out is blue then they are in the wrong sac. When that one was done I was thinking about the next prick I would feel, but knew it wouldn't be that bad.
I was wrong.
When the doctor found the spot for Twin A and inserted the needle, my uterus contracted. It was extremely painful as well and I wanted to grab on to the nurses arm. The doctor decided to remove the needle and find another location on my belly. Of course the area that was good for him is my sensitive spot on my stomach. I did some deep breathing to help me relax. The doctor asked if I felt like I was going to faint, I told him no. When he was ready, he let me know he was going to put the needle in again. This time it wasn't as bad. It still hurt, but not as bad as last time. The doctor took out a small sample of fluid and it was clear! So this meant he was successful in getting Twin A's sample. As I watched him pull out the amniotic fluid I was relieved knowing it was all over. He then pulled out the needle and had me roll on to my left side for a few mins. He checked with me to see if I was having any cramping, but I wasn't.  He told me how amazing I did and to make sure I rest over the next 24 hours. Then light activity for the remainder of the week.
My friend was there the whole time and let me squeeze her hand through it all. I tried not to squeeze to tight and she said I never did. She took me to get an Oreo cookie shake after and drive me home. My stomach is sore and I have had a few contractions / Braxton Hicks. But staying hydrated and resting otherwise. I pray that the results come back negative, and we find birth girls completely healthy! We should know the preliminary results by Thursday.
What an experience.
Also here is a picture of my belly and the three injections they had to make.

Appointment Scheduled

After a lot of phone calls back and forth my amniocentesis is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The genetic counselor explained everything to me and was very detailed about it all.  The IPs want what is called a Rapid Test, which will be preliminary results, but will let them know in 48 hrs if one of the girls does have Down Syndrome.   I really believe they are going to find both girls are perfectly healthy and we can go on to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy.

I am trying to stay positive.  Worry is wasteful and yet this morning I did nothing around my house because all I could think about was this test.  A test I have had done before.  I remember it not be horrible, but also not the most comfortable.  Another surrogate friend of mine has offered to go with me tomorrow and I am considering taking her up on the offer.  I just don't want to be alone.

I also talked with my IM and she is so shocked by all this news.  She really is trying to stay positive too.  She has been so scared and nervous this whole time and once I got to 20 wks and had the anatomy ultrasound done, which came back BEAUTIFUL, she started to breath a little easier and started going shopping for her girls.  I really can't image having to go through all that she has to get to this point and hear something may not be ok. I honestly feel for her.  They want the amnio so they can have peace of mind that everything is ok or know what to expect.  Time will tell.

I am truly hoping this is just a little bump in this journey that up to this point has been beautiful .  <3

Amino instead

I got word this afternoon that I need to have the amnio done ASAP. I will be calling first thing Monday morning to schedule the appointment.

I have had nothing but wonderful feelings about this pregnancy and feel in my soul everything will be fine. I don't want to venture down the 'what ifs' road. I'm not there and that is to much emotionally too have to think about if there is no reason to. My mind wanders that way and it makes me very sad, but I remind myself, for today I'm not there. For today I have two beautiful girls growing inside me. For today I am doing exactly as I planned, growing life for another family who can not themselves. That is what I have to focus on.

I thought PGD testing was enough..

When I had my second trimester screening done, knowing that the embryos were PGD tested, I really didn't think much of it. Just another routine test that needed to be done. So when I got a call that my test came back positive, I figured something must be wrong. My doctor reassured me that the PGD testing is far more accurate than this test and not to worry. So I schedule an appointment to meet with a genetic counselor and have a detailed ultrasound done.
I went to that appointment today and talked to the genetic counselor who was very wonderful. I had both of my girls with me and she was great at being understand to their busy needs. She explained what the risks meant, that based on the egg donor age and the amount of protein found in my blood, there is a 1/150 chance that one or both of the girls has down syndrome. She said that I would be having an ultrasound done that will be more detailed and if there are any markers (white spots) that could also be a sign of DS they would let me know.
She also let me know that I could have either the Maternity21 blood test done or the Amniocentesis done as well. The Maternity21 is 99% accurate, which is similar to the PGD test that was done. The Amnio test would be 100% accurate. For twins they actually put blue dye in one of the babies sacs so when they draw out the fluid they know they didn't get the same sac twice.
I declined the test at this point because depending on the ultrasound, it will really be up to the IPs what they want to do.
When it was time we went in for the ultrasound. Daisy was excited to see her friends on TV. Doctor measured everything on twin A first. She is head down and all her measurements were perfect. However, he did find one small ICEF (intracardiac echogenic focus) This is a bright white spot in the left ventricle of the heart. This spot alone really doesn't mean much and is likely a normal variation in development. But along with the blood test, could mean Downs. It's not a definite though.
The doctor then checked twin B who was also head down. He found that all her measurements were perfect as well and she didn't have any spot in her heart. So her risk factor is a lot less.
Twin A weighs about 1lb 3oz, and Twin B weighs about 1lb 2oz.  Both there heartbeats were great. 147 & 135.

I emailed the girls mom to let her know this news. I feel for her. To come this far and then hear this news... I really believe both girls are healthy and well but will do what needs to be done if they ask for reassurance.

As the BUMP grows

I have been taking weekly pictures of my bump to watch it grow through this pregnancy.  Here I am weeks 13-22 and the changes that came with it.

14 weeks below

I am using the same pink shirt so I can see the change better.  Yes the bump is growing nice and strong!!!