Phew, 7pm and I’m exhausted. Here’s a summary of my activities today:
The twins – yes, I said twins, look good. I’m not quite as far along (only by a couple of days) as I would have thought, and this is an agonizing alteration to my pregnancy “schedule.” What I mean is that as a loss momma, that last thing I want to be doing is backing up in time… adding MORE time into the 1st trimester.
Both babies are measuring about the same size. Both babies’ heartbeats were easily detected and measured right around 130 which is good for 6 weeks 4 days or so. We were so thankful to see those sweet flickers again.
My husband and I found out definitively about the twins about a week ago. A nurse at the RE’s office recommended a scan because my HCG numbers doubled too quickly. At about 5-1/2 or 6 weeks we were able to see two sacs and even visualize the heartbeats for both babies. I call them my little flickers.
Health Reform: I was thrilled to have been invited to attend a local health reform meeting to represent consumer concerns. I introduced myself as an University professor and a professional opera singer which of course got a couple of laughs. Then, I continued by saying that I’m a consumer advocate and come to this gathering as a woman with a scarred uterus. The main concerns I articulated as a cesarean mom were:
- A high local cesarean rate (around 31%); a low VBAC rate (about 1%) at the hospital
- A lack of support for the local birth center
- Decrease in numbers of CNMs locally
- Insurance and health care costs
- Insurance company driven health “care”
Additionally, it alarms me that even with my supposed “good” health coverage, I am struggling to pay last year’s medical bills. The bills are overwhelming, so they pile up, and my credit score is suffering as well.
Arts Advocacy: I am one of the educations outreach directors for a new opera company. We had a meeting today to help prepare for the next board meeting and our upcoming educational outreach program.
I even managed to mop the floors. I’d say it was a pretty darned productive day.
The Trial of Labor 
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!
Congratulations! How exciting–TWINS!
When the Lord closes a door, He opens a window… and sometimes TWO!!! I’m so stinking excited for you! Of course twins are always an extra special blessing, but even more so, I think, for women who’ve experienced repeated losses as you have. A double blessing for all your heartache.
Cool! Congratulations!!
Great news!!!
Hey, let your DD buds know, everyone is waiting with bated breath to find out if the flickers are ok!!! 🙂
Love you!
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I’m literally Crying with joy for you!!!!!!
Going to do a happy dance now.
HAPPPY HAPPY HAPPY!
oh Congratulations.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe
Somehow I missed your fabulous news, only to learn that it is now fabulous X 2!! Double congrats!
WOW, that is wonderful news. Congratulations!
This is so great!!! I wish we could sit and have a cup of tea to discuss all this!!!! BIG HUGS to you from me!!!!! and by the way, yes, you did have a darned productive day!
Thank you all for your enthusiasm. I’m getting very excited and starting to feel more confident about it all. It means so much to have your support!!
Georg’ann, I could really use your input. You’ll be hearing from me. 🙂
Congrats! I cannot wait to see these little flickers’ sweet faces!
I’m so happy for you! I sent you an email, but i’m not sure if I sent it to the right address. I would love to stay in touch with you – things are finally settling down for us after our move. Blessings!!!
Congratulations!!!!
WOW! Congratulations! Very happy for you!
Congrats!
Wow!! Excellent news!! Congrats on your double blessings!!
Twins! Congratulations. I have twins. They just turned 13 years old last week. I had a hard time carrying them all the way, but I made it just close enough for them to be healthy. Also – just a warning – seems that multiple births automatically get treated as ‘complicated’. I saw only a regular family doctor for my pregnancy until she discovered it was twins, then she wanted me to consult with an OB. In the first TWO MINUTES of that appointment, she mentioned a C section. I was only in my first trimester and I was healthy and everything was normal and already she couldn’t wait to cut me open. She got fired before she was even hired and I went back to the family doc and told her not to send me to anyone else who is like that. EVER. I had my babies the way nature intended even though I was pressured to have a C-section right up until I demanded a last minute ultrasound to prove there was no reason. That birth story is a long one, the low-light was having to threaten the hospital with legal action right from my labor bed to get the staff to stop trying to badger me into unnecessarily interfering with the birth process. The highlight was two great babies! It really is a double blessing. I hope the very best for you and your lovely family.
I have twins too. Two little boys. I just wanted to let you know about this study: “Prospective Risk of Fetal Death in Singleton, Twin and Triplet Pregnancies: Implications for Practice” B. Kahn, 2003. This large study identifies that the risk of in-utero death from placental failure at 40 weeks for twins is 3.09 per 1000, or about 1 in 332. I know that this risk would be considered too great by many women, but it would have given me personally, the reassurance I needed to continue my pregnancy past 39 weeks when I was told that my babies would die if I didn’t allow an induction, which turned into an “emergency” c/s for failure to progress. I tried to fire my doc. but was not “allowed”, so we’ve followed up the whole experience with a massive complaint detailing the non-consensual and non-medically indicated procedures. I love hearing positive birth stories though, and firmly believe that every woman has the unalienable right to bodily autonomy, and I hope that your family will have a positive experience regardless of which way you choose to birth.
If you can get your babies on the same schedule for breastfeeding and sleeping from the first, even if you have to wake one of them up, it’s a lot easier to find some time for yourself. Congrats!