Level 3 Ultrasound

Today, Kevin and I went to have a level 3 ultrasound to check on the progress of our Twinkies. We got an overall good report from the specialist, but like with anything in life there are certain complications that we were made aware of during our visit.

Despite all of the scary stuff they have to tell you about, I'm very happy with the results we received today on these sweet babies!  I'm not going to worry too much about the complications until something comes up (we're all in God's hands), and we will just continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery of 2 strong and healthy boys.

Our original due date was set for September 20th (based on a 40 week gestation).  Since we're doubling up on what has to fit in the available storage space and needed nutrients, they're telling us that 36 weeks is full term for twins, and they don't recommend us carrying these type of twins beyond 37 weeks.  That being said, looks like we're going to have some late August babies (if all goes according to plan).

We ask that you please pray for our family and pray that these babies both get what they need to develop and grow strong (and that we all stay together until the end of August - kicks, punches, barrel rolls and all).

Now for all the fun stuff we learned today:

Twin Update

The doctor confirmed what our last ultrasound had shown and we were informed that we have what they call Mono/Di twins (Monozygotic/diamniotic).
(Instead of giving all of the details, if you have time and are interested, you can check out this website).

Basically, in our situation, there was one egg (that's the monozygotic part) released and fertilized, which then split into two, forming our Hudson and Harrison.  They both share one placenta (the baby's life source), but they each are in their own amniotic sac (there's the diamniotic part).

This is the best image I could find on google to describe what's going on with the twin's current housing arrangements

Right now, Baby A is positioned transverse along the lower section of my growing belly, and Baby B is all kinds of up in my right ribs (booty down).  Baby A is around 13 oz in size currently, which puts him in the 29th percentile.  Baby B is 14 oz, and that puts him in the 40th percentile.  Even though there is a small difference in size right now, the doctor informed us that until their size percentile difference is greater than 20, they don't get too worried.

Today, they wanted to check the babies organs to make sure they're developing properly, and they checked the fluid levels around each baby.  Everything on the organ front checked out as fine during this visit, but we will do more scans in the coming weeks to monitor them.  Fluid levels also looked the same for each baby, which is very good and makes mommy and daddy happy. 

Disclaimer:  I'm not usually a fan of posting ultrasound pictures (because they usually look a little weird), but we got a decent profile shot of each baby today and then Harrison decided to stretch out really nice for us and show off his skinny legs (soon he's gonna run out of real estate and be a little more confined).

Potential Complications

Part of today's visit, that wasn't as fun (but definitely necessary), was the information we received about potential risks for this type of twin pregnancy.  

1.  Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (click here if you want more details) - It's important for them to check the fluid levels around each baby and their bladder sizes frequently in order to catch any signs that the twins have developed TTTS.  Through the shared placenta, there's a chance that one baby can become a donor baby with decreased blood volume, and then the recipient twin would receive increased volume.  This is dangerous for both babies, and can onset at any time throughout the pregnancy.  For this reason, I will receive an ultrasound every two weeks to monitor the fluid levels and we want these to stay as balanced as possible!  The doctor did say that this happens in about 10% of identical twin cases, and that's why they want to monitor it closely.  (It's also not too bad for me that I get the additional scans to check on the boys, which means added reassurance for me each time they check out ok.)

2.  Due to the placement of the placenta and how each baby connects, with mono twins there's a possibility for one baby to (as my doctor put it) get a bigger slice of the pie.  Meaning one baby will get more of the nourishment and be bigger than the other.  Based on how our boys looked today, she said she had no reason to be concerned about this right now, and actually she would expect Baby B to be smaller, and he is in fact a little bigger at this point. 

3.  Organ development of the twins is also a concern.  We didn't get a good image of Baby B's heart today (little booger was a little too active and wouldn't chill out for a second).  We will go back at 24 weeks and do an echo cardiogram of each baby to see how their hearts are developing.  Everything else looked normal today, so we will just pray that they keep on moving in that direction.

4.  Like with any pregnancy, there are risks of complications with me as well.  I'm at an increased risk of blood pressure issues (preeclampsia) and of course diabetes.  So far, we're doing good, and I just hope it continues in that direction.