Happy Wednesday!
Today I’m sharing my first pregnancy post, as promised in last week’s blog on the results of our frozen embryo transfer. I’m going to be recapping the first trimester of my twin pregnancy and I plan to do a similar post for each trimester. So, lets get into it!
Four Weeks: My beta (pregnancy test) was on August 31st (you can read more HERE). Our pregnancy was confirmed that day and I was exactly four weeks pregnant!
Overall, I felt great this week. I felt normal and was focused on keeping my newly-pregnant anxiety at bay. I did my best to fill myself with hope and excitement for the baby growing inside me!
Five Weeks: This was the week my nausea started. I asked for a prescription from my doctor right away because I have a family history of really bad pregnancy sickness. My mom was sick her entire pregnancy with me and hospitalized a few times for dehydration. My sister was also sick and throwing up the entire 9 months of her pregnancy. So, as soon as my nausea started I called my doctor and got a prescription for Diclegis. (FYI, If your insurance doesn’t cover it like mine, follow THIS link to get the manufacturer’s discount).
Six Weeks: I woke up the morning I turned six weeks pregnant with spotting. I freaked out and feared the worst. I called my fertility doctor who I was still seeing and he had me come in for an early ultrasound. Chris was off work that day thankfully and we were able to go to the appointment together.
We got the shock of a lifetime when our doctor did the ultrasound and found the cause of my spotting: we are having twins! You can read more about that appointment HERE. The good news is that the spotting wasn’t concerning at that point because it is more common with multiples since the uterus stretches and grows much faster than with a singleton pregnancy.
That weekend is also when my vomiting started. I spent all weekend on the couch or in the bathroom and I could hardly keep any food or liquids down. I was able to get my Diclegis prescription and it took the edge off later in the week, but I was still very sick.
Seven Weeks: Honestly, there wasn’t anything super newsworthy in this week. I was still very sick and throwing up every day and just trying to function and get through the day. We were having weekly ultrasounds to keep an eye on the twins which was nice. Chris and I loved seeing them!
Eight Weeks: Vomiting continued and we got to see the babies again.
Nine Weeks: We went on a cruise to the Bahamas to celebrate Chris’ step-brother’s wedding. A detailed post on that trip will be coming next week, so stay tuned! It was a great trip and we had a blast, other than the fact that shockingly, I was still very sick.
Before we left on that trip, Chris and I asked our doctor to put the gender of our babies in an envelope for us to open sometime during our vacation. Because we did PGS testing on our embryo (you can read about that HERE), our doctor knew the chromosomal makeup of the embryo that was transferred and whether it was a boy or girl. Since our embryo split and we are having identical twins, we know both babies will be the same gender.
The day we were in port in Nassau, Chris and I went to Atlantis and decided to open the envelope while we were visiting the aquarium. I had a strong feeling we were having girls and Chris thought we were having boys. It was so special to open that envelope just the two of us and find out what we were having!
We originally planned not to find out the gender and told all of our family and friends it would be a surprise when the baby was born. Well, we changed our minds when we found out we were having twins and decided that was a big enough surprise. So, it was really fun to share with all of our family and friends the news that we are having two baby GIRLS!
Ten Weeks: This was a week of highs and lows. Chris and I traveled back to Dallas after our trip to Charleston and the Bahamas. When we landed in Dallas, I saw that I had started bleeding during our flight. Chris and I were both very worried and since it was a Friday night and our doctor’s office was closed, we went to the emergency room to check on the babies. Thankfully the girls were doing great and my bleeding was most likely due to my uterus stretching and growing.
A few days later, we followed up with our doctor and again, the babies looked great. Since everything was going well, our doctor decided it was time for us to graduate from the fertility clinic!
Chris and I with our amazing fertility doctor, Dr Patel! Photo Credit: Fertility Specialists of Texas
It was a bittersweet day and I cried saying goodbye to our doctor and nurse. There aren’t enough words to thank them for what they have given us. While I was happy to be graduating from the fertility clinic, everyone in the office truly feels like family and it was hard to say goodbye.
Eleven Weeks: I got a second prescription for anti-vomiting medicine because I was still very sick and throwing up on a daily basis. I had lost 5 pounds since finding out I was pregnant and needed some relief. My doctor prescribed another medication, Zofran, that really helped. I continued to take Diclegis and added in Zofran as needed. I still threw up here and there, but I was finally able to eat more and keep food down.
Twelve Weeks: I had my first appointment with my OBGYN since becoming pregnant. When I was there for my yearly woman’s exam in February, I told him we were starting fertility treatments and he said he hoped to see me back soon for a pregnancy appointment, so it was nice to share our good news with him. During that appointment, we confirmed our babies are mo/di twins and that I would be seen by my OBGYN, as well as a Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist during the remainder of my pregnancy. I will go into details on this in a future blog post and explain why it is high risk pregnancy.
This week was also the last week of my injections and hormone medications! Chris had been giving me shots in the backside every day for the past 2.5 months and I was taking Estrogen pills 3 times a day, as well as wearing Estrogen patches. Reaching 12 weeks of pregnancy and being able to stop the injections and medication was a huge milestone! After it was all said and done, I had endured a grand total of 126 injections. And it was 100% worth it.
My last Progesterone in Oil shot!
Well, that wraps up the first trimester of my identical twin pregnancy. Looking back, it seems like it went by fast, but there were several points where it seemed like time was dragging. I hope the second trimester goes by faster!
Are you having twins? What was your first trimester experience like?
[…] post is very delayed. I meant to write it months ago, but between being very sick during my twin pregnancy and the holidays, I have gotten a little behind. […]