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Yep, you read that right! We are officially expecting identical twins!
If you’ve been following the Lifestyle section of the blog over the last several months, then you already know about your IVF journey. We’ve been trying for 5 years to start a family and finally we can announce that we are expecting!
Photos by Hayley Jo Photography. Get the balloon here.
In my post last week, IVF: The Pregnancy Tests, I talked about the pregnancy tests (because there are several with IVF) and left off just before the first ultrasound. So let’s pick it up there today, because as I mentioned last week, it’s been a little nutty around here.
So we went into our first ultrasound knowing I was pregnant and just hoping to get to see a little heartbeat. We know that’s the first hurdle with any pregnancy, so I was dying to see one. As the doctor began the ultrasound, we were able to see the baby. A teeny tiny little baby, but there it was – and it’s heartbeat! Yay!
So the doctor is taking some measurements and we’re all happy and watching things and the next thing you know she says, “Oh! There’s another one!”
Now keep in mind that we transferred just one embryo. We were very intentional in that decision. In fact, just a couple days before this ultrasound, the hubs and I were walking Jessie and he said to me, “Could you imagine if it was twins?”
My response – “That wouldn’t happen. We only transferred one embryo. The chances of it splitting are like 2%. Wouldn’t happen.”
Clearly the joke was on me! And crazily enough, I found it hilarious.
Photos by Hayley Jo Photography.
When the doctor said there were two babies, it’s hard to even describe what went through my head. Total shock. Like, are you sure??? And once I realized it was not a joke, I just started laughing. Uncontrollably. The irony and the shock were too much. I think I might have momentarily lost my mind a bit.
The doctor kept doing her thing while I was laughing and eventually had to ask me to stop laughing because she couldn’t get accurate measurements. At that point, I had to look away from the monitor because every time I saw two of them on there, I just couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t believe it! 🙂
Eventually she let us know that both heartbeats were visible on the monitor at the same time so that I could look. Again, when I saw them both, I just started laughing all over again. I had totally imagined crying when I saw a heartbeat for the first time. This laughing stuff was out of control and had to have been the shock.
So once the doctor was done and I sat up, she proceeded to tell us that she believed the babies were in one amniotic sac and may or may not share a placenta. It would be a high risk pregnancy that could include hospitalization at some point. I’d need to find a high risk OB.
Honestly, none of that sunk it at that moment. I already knew twins were high risk. I knew nothing about amniotic sacs and placentas and what it all meant. I just knew it was twins and my mind couldn’t process anything else. Honestly, I was still holding back laughter.
Photos by Hayley Jo Photography. Get the onesies here.
When the doctor left the room, the nurse talked to us a little more and made a recommendation on a doctor’s office and suggested we schedule an appointment ASAP because we’d want to meet with the high risk OB. It all still wasn’t sinking in.
The whole rest of the day, we called friends and family and told them the news – that we were having twins. We got lots of “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh” and even some laughter, which naturally I related to. 🙂 I sat on the couch most of the day totally in shock. I think it hit me so hard because I truly had not even let the possibility of twins enter my mind.
Eventually we called my mom again and while chatting with her, the hubs mentioned that he’d looked up what the doctor was telling us about amniotic sacs and placentas. Apparently the situation we were looking at was called Mono-Mono twins, otherwise known as “MoMo Twins.”
I heard him, but still couldn’t process much. I was very much like, ok, yea. That’s cool.
As the shock started to wear off, I googled. Turns out twins normally have their own amniotic sac and placenta, called Di-Di. In rare cases, you’ll have Mono-Di twins that share a placenta, but have their own amniotic sacs. In even more rare cases (apparently less than 1% of identical twins), you’ll have Mono-Mono twins, which share both an amniotic sac and placenta. Not only is it the most rare situation, it’s also the most high risk and there’s very little information about it to be found online.
Photos by Hayley Jo Photography.
What I did find was that because of the sharing of the amniotic sac and placenta, the twins are at risk of two things. The first is twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, where one twin basically gets more nutrition, blood supply, etc than the other. It can result in one baby growing better than the other and can even result in the death of one baby. The other risk, which is actually the greater concern, is umbilical cord entanglement. Because they are in the same sac, as they begin to move around, their cords will wrap around one another. While it isn’t always an issue, it can create a situation where blood supply, etc, gets cut off and again, can result in death.
It took several weeks and various doctors appointments before I really understood what it all meant and how it meant this pregnancy would play out. Plus, I wanted to hear from my doctor, not the internet.
I was able to get an appointment with my high risk OB a couple weeks later. Because of our unique situation, we “graduated” from our IVF clinic more quickly than usual, at 7 weeks. Once I started seeing my OB, answers started rolling in.
Here’s the gist. Because of the high risk situation, once I hit 24 weeks (I’m at 12 weeks on Sunday, so 24 weeks will be mid-November), I will become an inpatient at the hospital. They will monitor the babies several times a day to make sure heartbeats are ok. If at some point the cord entanglement creates an issue with one or both heartbeats, they will do an emergency c-section. So once I go into the hospital at 24 weeks, the babies could be born at any time, depending on how things go. If all goes smoothly and there’s no issues from entanglement, we could go all the way to 32-34 weeks before delivering the babies. They wouldn’t be allowed to go any further than 34 weeks. The risk becomes too high.
So. I’m going into the hospital in November and will hopefully be there for about 2 1/2 months. The intention is to prevent complications before they become an issue. Once the babies are born (they will be preemies for sure, it’s just a matter of how preemie), they will spend some time in the NICU. Again, the amount of time depends on when they make their appearance.
Photos by Hayley Jo Photography.
To say this information has all been a little overwhelming is a bit of an understatement. It’s A LOT to take in. I am trying to prepare myself for not being able to be in the kitchen for an extended period of time, as I’ll be hospitalized and then I’ll have babies in the NICU. The preparation for basically being “away from the office” is overwhelming and something I have to take day by day. This blog is my full time job and it’s an important part of our household income.
Plus, we will basically have the next 3 months to prepare ourselves and our home for bringing home two babies. SO MUCH TO DO! I am normally such a planner and enjoy the process of things. This is all going to be a challenge, but again – day by day.
On the plus side though, my doctor is awesome! Despite this being an unusual pregnancy and very high risk, he’s actually delivered two sets of these kind of twins in just the last 4 years, which is awesome. He knows all about them and seems super prepared to handle it, which makes me feel better and more confident.
So if you’ve noticed changes around the blog lately – like posting less often per week and slower response time with comments and emails – it’s because there’s SO MUCH TO DO! I literally never have enough time each day to do all the things I want to get done. And I’m so tired and haven’t really felt all that well. Food and I aren’t exactly besties right now and sleep constantly alludes me. So I’m doing my best, but bear with me if I seem out of sorts. I am! 🙂
All that said, aside from the craziness of it all and how overwhelming it can seem, we are truly SO excited! All of this news was a shock, but now that the shock has worn off, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome TWO babies! We already love them so much and can’t wait to meet then whenever they decide to join us. We are so incredibly thankful for these babies. We had no idea was God had in store for us all this time, and still don’t entirely know what to expect, but we are so thankful and can’t wait to see it all play out. These babies are a huge blessing and we can’t wait to be their parents.
So definitely stay tuned! This journey is just beginning! 🙂
Photos by Hayley Jo Photography.
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Congratulations!!! I’ve just recently begun following you and have created some wonderful treats. (Almond Joy cake….omg delectable).
Your fertility story has warmed my heart and the journey is one I’m familiar with. All the best to you and your new family.
Lindsay. I am absolutely BAWLING for you. This is such amazing news, and I hope you know that you truly have been on my mind since the second I read about your miscarriage! CONGRATULATIONS! And ID twins, at that?! Amazing amazing amazing. I can tell you from experience that having a rainbow baby is the greatest joy, and you get TWO to boot?! Seriously, this makes my day so much. Wishing you continued happiness and health for the remainder of your pregnancy. I am so so so happy for you.
Thank you so much, Lynn! 🙂
I came to your site from a Google search for strawberry cupcakes for my almost 5 year old son’s birthday. We too went through many years, 9 to be exact for this baby – now boy, including 6 rounds of IVF, and 4 miscarriages. So when I say, I am so very happy for you, I mean I truly understand what it means to long and have your prayers answered. Even without knowing you or having followed you to know what you are all about, my heart is thrilled for you.
I can tell you from experience that even though most every parent loves and would die for their child, there is another level of appreciation when you have mourned and prayed for so long.
Through the whole process, I stood on this verse – Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Also, I hope this is not an issue for you, but I had to come against the spirit of fear many times through my pregnancy and spoke life and health to his flesh many times a day. I tell you this because hindsight, I wish I could have relaxed more before he was born and hope that you are able to learn from me.
Through it all, God has been so faithful. Congratulations to you and your husband. <3
I’m so happy for you !!!! I don’t comment usually, because i’m french and i’m not so proud of my English, but i remember how sad i was when i read you telling us about your miscarriage … Every mom-in-heart should have the chance to have babies…
So now, i am so so so happy to learn this great news… you now will have all the hapiness you deserve. Take care of yourself. …
and thank you sharing your joy with us.
Thank you so much Kate! And your English is wonderful! 🙂
I know you must be so tired of reading comments, but, I am so happy for you and your husband. My husband and I were married for 15 years, and tried very hard for 9 of those years before the Lord blessed us with a beautiful daughter in 1994. It was a heartbreaking journey, as you well know, but the result is awesome.
Take care of yourself, and don’t let “free advice” get to you. Be strong, it will be stressful, especially during your long hospital stay. Just keep your faith, lean on each other, and don’t worry about trying to keep up with posting, we’ll be here when you around to it.
God bless you, We all love you,
Lisa in Alabama
Thanks so much Lisa! 🙂
Congratulations!!! So exciting!!! I love your blog and will miss your recipes, but taking care of yourself is most important. We’ll all be here waiting for you whenever you feel up to coming back to it. Will be thinking of you!
Congrats! Could not happen to a more deserving couple. May God’s blessing alway be with you and your family. Enjoy your beautiful journey..
Thank you, Ivory!
Congratulations to you and your husband. Sooooooooooo HAPPY for you both!! Take care and enjoy every minute. Maria xx
Thank you Maria!
Welcome to the twin mommy family! I was in shock when we found out it was twins. Best two for one deal you’ll ever receive! I have a 3 1/2-year-old boy and 18-month-old fraternal twins boys ???? You’ll do great! Congratulations!
Thanks Brooke! Definitely a shock! 🙂
Congratulations.
I am so happy for you.I had 2 miscarriages and it’s awful.Third time was lucky and now my daughter picking her GCSC results tomorrow-I am in England.How she got past 16th birthday I still don’t
know-only joking!!Follow Your instinct and You’ll do well.God Bless four of You and the four legged ones as well.
Keep well.
Love.
Margaret
I’m sorry to hear about your miscarriages – they are awful. I’m glad it worked out in the end though! Thank you Margaret!
What wonderful news — congratulations and best wishes on your “cup-runneth-over” pregnancy, Lindsay! I’ll pray for it to be a healthy one for you & the babies. God has truly blessed you & your husband. Darnell 🙂
Thank you Darnell!
Congratulations and best wishes for a safe and healthy pregnancy.
Thank you! 🙂
Congrats! I’ve been following your story and love every recipe you post. I had a hard time getting pregnant as well and my first pregnancy turned out to be fraternal twin boys! Twins are so much fun! Good luck with everything!
Thanks so much Kerah!
Ah, that’s so exciting – God Answers Prayers!!
Blessings to all “4” of you!
Thank you!
Congratulations! ???? I’m so happy for you and your hubby.
Thanks so much Amy! 🙂
Maybe I live under a rock, but I just discovered your blog today while googling cake decorating. I need to brush up on my decor tips for a cake this weekend and I’ve just fallen in love with your whole site. Then I stumbled upon the lifestyle portion of your blog and spent a considerable amount of time (slightly embarrassing) getting to know you and your story. Despite only ‘knowing’ you for the last couple of hours, I have to say how thrilled I am for you and ‘the hubs’ and your pregnancy. Babies are the greatest gift from God and although my pregnancy was not nearly as high risk as yours, we did experience our fair share of scares and prayers to welcome our sweet girl in May. Praying for your pregnancy and family and I look forward to reading more about your journey!
Thank you so much Jessica! I’m glad you found the blog and have enjoyed it so far. 🙂