16 weeks — The Good and the Nerve Wracking

So, first off….

We are having girls!!!  OMG!  So we will have three girls within two years of each other.  Eeeeps! 

The other good news is that both babies looked good, had good heartbeats and all the organs and various limbs and seemed to be there, and in working order.  They did what was equivalent to the 20 week anatomy scan, so lots of time with each baby getting pictures and measurements, which means we got to seem them both for quite awhile.  The left twin was moving around a ton, which was really neat.   My cervix also looked great and was long and closed.  The ultrasound tech who did the procedure seemed really experienced and was very positive about everything. 

However.

The  not so great news is that they are starting to see early signs of possible twin to twin transfusion syndrome, or TTTS.  Icko.  This can be bad, bad bad.  This is a vascular issue having to do with the shared placenta, where one twin gets more blood than the other, leading to unequal growth.   I guess at the nuchal scan (measuring of the neck folds — a common screening ultrasound)  a few weeks ago the two babies had a discrepancy that should not be there since they are identical, and the one with a smaller measurement (right twin) also appeared to be slightly less amniotic fluid yesterday.  This is a key indicator that things can be going wrong, so they want to keep a close eye on that twins fluid levels and size, and to make sure her bladder continues to be visible (a sign that she is not getting dehydrated). 

So for the time being (and perhaps for the rest of the pregnancy?) we will be having weekly ultrasounds to keep an eye on this.  The doctor tried to tell us not to worry at this point (ha ha), and that in approximately half of the cases he’s seen (though he was careful not to say any actual stats) this resolves on its own and is fine.  But, how can you not worry when it is bad enough to need weekly ultrasounds starting at 16 weeks!!!  And half of the time, it does become a problem!   

I have been following this blog, of a couple here in Seattle who also had identical twins with TTTS.  Their story is, I have to say, very scary and overwhelming to me right now.  I wish them the very very best, and hope that their babies get stronger by the day.  And I know that what happened to them may not happen to us (nor is their story a worst case scenario — their babies have made it thus far and are doing well, considering all that they are facing).  But, um, yes, very scary.   Hopefully the ultrasounds in the next few weeks will give us good news! 

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