Okay, so TD and I have processed this a bit more and I can honestly say I'm abso-frickin'-lutely overjoyed. Insta-family. One epidural, one delivery, straight to menopause as far as I'm concerned. I'd never conceived of myself having more than two kiddos at all, so this is GREAT! TD has been tearing up for the past 24 hours and is so happy.
So, here's a bit more about the situation (in case you're interested) - the twinlings seem to be fraternal (thank you Uncle Clomid - although there's a chance they could be early split identicals) - they have separate everything (placentas, etc.), so that reduces the risk significantly. ALTHOUGH, upon talking to my mother-in-law yesterday, she informed us that TD has two cousins (brothers) who both have sets of twins. Ahem. Never knew that little tidbit.
The big thing now is that they need to cook thoroughly, so I might be on bedrest at the end of the summer (as though I wouldn't be laying around listless already). Rebel Lettriste just had 38 1/2 week full term twins (you're my new hero, lady!), so I have a goal! Dr. Canadienne (new name for our baby doc who is from Quebec originally) said that all looks fantastic and that if I can hold out past 35 weeks, she'd be very pleased. I'm at 12 right now.
Here's how it went and how we're apparently the furthest along parents to find out they're having twins in the history of the very large, modern OB-GYN practice we go to:
(*Darkened room, MW lays prone on the table, TD hovers nearby, we squint at the screen*)
Ultrasound tech: (*making conversation as she boots the computer thingy up*) So, how far along are you?
MW: 12 weeks today!
UT: Cool! Almost through the first trimester - quite an accomplishment.
MW: Yep - whoa! Is that blob the baby??
UT: Uh-huh - two strong heartbeats...lemme see if I can get a better picture...
MW: Exsqueeze me? Two?
UT: Yep. One. Two.
MW & TD: (*in unison*) WHAT??!!
UT: You do know there's two in there, right?
MW: No, there's not. Look again.
UT: No need, see for yourself...Baby A and Baby B.
(*MW & TD squint harder and see one manatee twitch and then a second manatee twitch!!*)
MW: Holy shit. Babe, how are you??
TD: (*mouth open*) F*ck.
UT: (*shaking with silent mirth*) I've never had anyone going into their 2nd trimester not knowing there were two - didn't you have really bad morning sickness?
MW: I never had morning sickness. What the hell - shouldn't someone have caught this? Babe, are you okay?
TD: (*voice muffled from putting his head between his knees*) We have to think of more names...
MW: I have to finish my book, like NOW.
So, that was it - we have pics of Uno and Dos (handily labeled b/c I can't tell which end is up) and news spread like wildfire throughout the practice. Apparently, no one ever did a check on the quantity of the hormone in my blood, they just confirmed what the 75 home preg tests we'd done indicated: we were pregnant. We only heard one heartbeat on the doppler and didn't think to look for a second one!
These are the good things about having twins:
1) The diaper period will be over for both our kids at the same time. Sweet.
2) All of my twin friends say the bond between twin siblings is amazing and fun - no toddler getting jealous about the new baby, etc.
3) We have nothing to compare it to, so it won't be twice the work. It'll just be the work.
4) I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of it. It's 8:30AM and I'm already wanting mac and cheese...
My most immediate concern is getting this book manuscript revised and OUT - the Egg will shove off again next month!!! I have the fall semester as maternity leave and then the fall of my 5th year as research leave - I'll teach 2 classes in the spring semester on autopilot. I believe I will get no research done in AY 2010-2011. Maybe I'm wrong, but if my book is under contract before the aliens emerge, then I'll feel damn secure.
15 comments:
Congratulations! You're done with the first trimester AND having twins! Woohoo!
(From what I've heard about fraternal twins, the diaper period may not be done at exactly the same time, especially if they are not the same gender. Boys just take longer on that front than girls, usually. But the diaper period being over is a long way off. It's certainly not over for Absurdist Tot (17 mos).)
Yay Medieval Manatees!
I think you an the Rebel Lettriste are in on some kind of conspiracy to repopulate the earth with baby medievalists. Yes indeedy, the next generation is lookin good!
Congrats again -- you must be thrilled!
Good luck with the book! I expect the prospect of twins is similar to the prospect of being hanged: concentrates the mind wonderfully.
My captcha is "spham." I am a live person, not a spham robot.
Congratulations!!!! So happy for you!
(You're living my dream -- I seriously wished and wished to have twins the first time so I could be done. LOL!)
Love the conversation as you found out.
We are now responsible for four children-of-medievalists!
And Damn your eyes for the no morning sickness part. I was in the UK, traveling some days via ferry, bus, car, train and by foot--and lemme tell you, that was not conducive to keeping breakfast down--during the height of the puke-age. No fair!
Don't worry too much about making it to 35 weeks (you will.) Think instead about eating protein, drinking water, sleeping a lot, and in the interstices, working on the Egg.
And be prepared to grow bigger than you thought possible. (I looked like a cartoon of a pregnant person: all belly and stick legs. And I gained almost 60 lbs.)
I am thrilled for you and TD!
That was a hilarious conversation! As I just joked to D., my first thought might have been "two hearts, one baby. I'm pregnant with a Time Lord!" (But probably that's because we're on a Dr. Who kick right now.)
What great news!
You and I are due at about the same time.
May I ask how you got the entire semester off? Around here, I get 12 weeks, some of them unpaid, and the rest from my accumulated sick leave. (Not happy about that, of course...)
Congratulations! And good luck getting the egg off into the universe.
RL, I know I totally lucked out on not having morning sickness! Whew!
Twin manatees! Twin medieval manatees! So cool. Pat Uno and Dos for us!
Oh what a day that must have been at the doctor's! Good luck with the names ...
Oh my god.
Hey, but congrats! And I think you have the right attitude about *everything.* Good for you and TD!
I'm already thinking about pseudonyms. Depending on the sexes, you can have Arthur and Lancelot! Guinevere and Elaine! Abelard and Heloise! So many creepy possibilities....
Or no, wait: Pseudo-Dionysius and Hildegard! Sweetness.
Amazing! This is great news, and I'm looking forward to the vicarious pregnancy!
BTW,
two good books worth reading/owning are: Elizabeth Noble, Having Twins; and a La Leche League book called Mothering Multiples whose author I cannot recall.
All the other books tend to be geared toward singleton pregnancies and births, and having twins is a whole 'nother ballgame. If you have your heart set on a natural birth, don't read all the hippie midwifey shit because that'll just break your heart if/when you can't go the granola route. And for god's sakes avoid that stupid text called What to Expect... It's so hectoring and rather sexist and it just fills your mind with worry over the worst case scenario.
But the books above on twins specifically are very useful and sane.
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