too close for comfort.

two weeks ago, we went in for our 13 week sono/nt scan. it looked as though everything was going well, and our midwife and the sonographer told us how beautiful the babies looked, so we had no reason to believe otherwise. but, when we got into the car, c had commented about the twin's nuchal measurements- and how they were sooo different (1.7, 3.1). we remembered that with chicken, they wanted it to be <3.0. i told her that if there was an issue, they would have told us. and that was that.

until thursday.

c called me at school and fratically texted me. of course, i was teaching, so i didn't get the messages/calls until she called my room. "you told me everything was going to be alright" she cried. i wasn't understanding. she was mumbling something about peggy and i thought that her job had been eliminated. but, it turned out that our midwife called her and told her that we needed to go to pittsburgh to meet with a perinatologist because our nuchal measurements may be an indicator of twin to twin transfusion syndrome. i was numb. i had questions, but i didn't know what they were. so, i called our midwife myself, and she told me the same things that c did, but they just weren't sinking in. i escorted my class to my friend's classroom, went to my principal and asked her to get a sub for my room for a bit. then she and i sat there and cried. she pulled a bunch of info up online and we just talked things through.

somehow, i got through the rest of the day. i spent the entire grueling weekend reading anything and everything i could about ttts. i was scared. i have never been so scared in my entire life. i felt like throwing up the entire weekend. i wouldn't let myself look at baby stuff. i kept thinking that we were supposed to be enjoying this pregnancy, not being paralyzed by fear. and i wouldn't let c see me cry. i needed to be strong for her, and that included making her lie on her left side and drink protein shakes and eat a TON of protein to feed the placenta. we didn't leave the house, except to drop off chicken's car seat at our dear friend's house, in case we didn't get home on time to pick him up from school.

today was our appointment. and the babies are perfect. there was no sign of ttts. there was only beautiful babies, measuring right on target, bee-bopping around in even amniotic fluid amounts, with strong heart rates (148, 151). i have never felt such a surge of relief. we will be monitored closely, via ultrasounds (we get to see our babies more often!), but we know in our hearts that all will be well :-)

ttts is HORRIBLE. it is so scary and devastating. monochorianic pregnancies have a 10-15% chance of being affected, and we are shouting out to the universe that we are going to be in the 85-90% that are NOT affected by it. and we are going to be supporters of the ttts foundation, because it has hit way too close to home.

by the way, monochorionic = one placenta = identical. so, our sweet babes are definitely identical = either two boys or two girls. our sonographer tried to sneak a peak, but both babies had their legs crossed. i think that they are girls.

now, without further adiou, here are chicken's siblings at 14w6d: