Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Baby Update

I am officially 18 weeks today, and the babies both look great.  A few tidbits I have learned over the past few days:
  • The doctors are pretty certain that they are identical (monozygotic).  For those of you who don't know, that means that there was just one egg and one sperm, and that the egg split after fertilization.  They are actually in two different sacks, but it appears that they share a placenta (a huge indicator of identical twins) and the membrane is extremely thin that separates them.  
  • The doctors are also carefully monitoring the amount of fluid in each sack.  Right now, the greatest risk is for Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome which can only occur when there is one placenta.  This happens when one baby receives too much blood flow (bigger baby) and the other one doesn't receive enough (resulting in a smaller baby).  As of today, both babies are exactly the same size which indicates that they are receiving the same amount of blood.  This is a very, very good thing!  
  • One of the most commonly asked questions is if twins run in our family.  From what I've learned, there is nothing hereditary about identical twins.  It is simply a genetic abnormality where a cell splits when it isn't "supposed" to.  As far as fraternal twins go, there are a lot of factors.  It can be hereditary passed through the women in your family; older women tend to have twins because it is more likely for older women to have two eggs release simultaneously; previous pregnancies can play a factor; and obviously fertility drugs play an huge roll.  But, with my situation, it does not appear that it had anything to do with heredity.   
  • Today, these babies are about the size of bananas.  We have determined that Baby A deserves a much feistier name than Baby B because I can feel him moving NONSTOP and his heartbeat has always been about 25-30 beats faster than his brother's!  In fact, Paige's heartbeat was never as high as this baby (hers stayed around 150 - or lower - all the time, which threw me off a little since we didn't find out her gender before she was born).  They generally say that girls have faster heartbeats, but I have a feeling my little Baby A is going to be a spitfire.  Good thing!  That's exactly what our family needs, a little more energy.  We have so many shy, reserved children already, it will be great to have a change.  :)
  • I am still in so much shock that this is actually happening to us.  I think back to six/seven years ago when we were struggling to do anything and everything possible to try to have "just one more baby."  We really tried to have our kids closer than three years, but it just didn't seem to work out.  That was an extremely hard time for us.  Here we are, just a few years later, and we are going to have five kids under the age of eight!!!  I never, NEVER - in a million years - thought that I would ever have five kids.  We were extremely lucky/blessed to have two.  When Paige was born,  she seemed like the icing on top of an already adorable two-layer cake.  It is just a testimony to me that the Lord really does answer our prayers - even if it takes several years.   
  • When it comes to names, my brain is still turning to mush.  I keep waiting for something to stand out and win me over.  It hasn't happened yet.  We have tentatively decided to give them both of our father's names as middle names.  Now, we just have to come up with a couple of first names.  
  • I cannot express my gratitude for all of you amazing mothers (and fathers) out there who have told me how much you love having twins.  I get such mixed reactions from people that I absolutely cherish the ones with positive attitudes.  Thank you so much!
  • I have officially given in to maternity clothes.  They don't quite fit yet, but nothing else in the closet seems to fit anymore either.  
  • On a completely unrelated note: Now that we are starting the potty training with Paige, she frequently accompanies me to the bathroom so she can "learn by example."  There is nothing better than hearing "Great job, Mommy!  High five."  And they say that you never get any positive feedback when you're a mother!

14 comments:

I AM JOE PESCI said...

My favorite boy name is WILDER. Fitting for Baby A!

Amber said...

Oooo, boy names. Two is tricky, and I think it's even harder to make them match! I think traditional names, like William and Thomas, are cute (but they're a little too generic for our last name!). I also like Caleb, Deacon, Porter, Parker. Or just go with Greg the Second and Greg Jr!

Jackie said...

So glad to hear that everything is going well and boys are healthy. How are you feeling?

Brian and Kim said...

Yeah for healthy babies!!! I am so grateful for you and your positive attitude towards everything you do. You are an inspiration.
Good luck with the name thing. It's killing me this go around.
Paige is a hoot. She is too funny.

Colette said...

Yeah!! I so glad that everything is going well for you and the babies. Good luck with names boy names are the hardest for me.

Jen-ben said...

Yay for the Burr twins!! I'm so happy for you guys. I still like Hank and Frank, or Saul and Paul is always a winner. :)
I still hate you for potty training Paige and making the rest of us look like crappy moms. No pun intended. :)
Loves.

Laura said...

Wow, great news! Thanks for sharing all that cool twin info. You are truly amazing and please remember to shout when you need help. :)

Emily said...

Jen - Don't hate me too much. Just remember our early morning phone call yesterday when I told you that my darling daughter (no, not the toddler, the one that will be five in just a few short months) pooped in the bathtub. What?!? That's right - she pooped IN THE BATHTUB. Obviously, Paige will be trained long before Macy. After doing this three times, I am convinced that the child has much more to do with it than the parent. So, if you must, hate Paige but don't hate me. :)

Lindsay said...

Did I tell you that I have ALWAYS wanted identical twins? Yep, I have, so I am excited for you.

Jana said...

OH, I am so excited for you and your twins! Amazing....
My favorite boy name is Carter, but it would sound weird with our last name...

Kristy said...

I am so happy to hear that those babies are thriving and looking wonderful and perfect. What a precious and rare gift.

Valerie said...

Emily, my twins are seven, and the shock STILL hasn't worn off! And I think I'm going to have to start calling you Skinny-Whinney if you are just now starting to wear maternity clothes!! How many babies have you already had? And you say you're having twins??

I hope everything is going well - you certainly sound happy and positive!

How about naming them Lewis and Clark? =) My family came up with some good twin names. Let me know if you need more.

Michelle Arnett said...

How Emily can you make me laugh with EVERY SINGLE POST! I am excited for you to have twins. . . . I've heard it's hard the first bit, but heaven when they are a little older. . .I never had twins but I did have two 15 months apart. It was hard, but I loved it. They will be the best of friends. I always wanted to be a twin growing up. They always have so much fun.

Bryce & Cherise said...

That is definitely Fabulous that Paige can give you such great feedback!
I'm so happy for you guys with your Double prego-ness! :) That's so exciting!