The First Trimester

The first 13 weeks of pregnancy are considered to be the first trimester. Let me just say that for me, the first trimester of this pregnancy was the LONGEST 3 months of my life! It was fraught with sickness and drama that I thought was never going to end....or more importantly not going to end well.

As I said in my previous entry, I started having morning sickness 2 days after my FET procedure. Now I had SOME morning sickness when I was pregnant with Olivia from about weeks 9 through 14. And even then, it wasn't anything too severe. NOT the case this time. I had full-blown morning sickness from practically day 1 that actually lasted 2 weeks into my second trimester. The ironic thing about morning sickness is that it's actually an indicator of a healthy pregnancy. The nausea is caused by the surge of hormones the body produces in order to maintain the pregnancy. And with twins, you get double the hormone surge so it's very common for moms of twins to have severe morning sickness! And had it I did! About 80% to 90% of my days were spent feeling like I was going to puke. But I'm proud to say I never did. For those that know me well, you know that not only do I not like to puke, I'm downright afraid of it and I will fight the urge to do it with every fiber of my being! Phenergen--the anti-nausea drug--became my new best friend but even it didn't help all the time. And one of Phenergen's side effects is drowsiness. So I'd take it and 30 minutes later need to sleep. So I was pretty much in the bed every night by 7:30/8:00. I actually ended up losing weight the first trimester because I couldn't really eat. It was a very, very rough time. But that was nothing compared to the emotional stress I dealt with. Let me explain....

One of the first things you do after you get a positive pregnancy test is have a sonogram to confirm that there is a heartbeat. This is usually done around 7-9 weeks into the pregnancy. Well I was really looking forward to my sonogram because it was going to confirm for me if I was carrying a singleton or twins (or possibly even triplets). I was scheduled to go in for my sonogram at 7 weeks. Well one day when I was still in my 6th week, I started cramping at work. I didn't think much of it at first as those kinds of things are pretty normal early on in pregnancy. But when I went to the bathroom, I noticed I was bleeding. Not good. That's when the panic set in. I thought I was having a miscarriage and it was the most helpless feeling in the world. I immediately left work and raced to my OB's office. I tried to contact Vincent at work in hopes that he could meet me at my doctor's office but he was nowhere to be found (not a shining moment in the life of my husband, I'll tell you that, but I have forgiven him since then). I found out later he was in a meeting and was unable to be reached. So whatever was to happen that afternoon, I was going to have to deal with it alone.

I got to my doctor's office and they were able to see me right away. I think they saw the panic in my face and my tears so they knew it couldn't wait. My doctor was in surgery at the time so I saw his nurse practitioner. She was so kind and compassionate. I remember telling her that I thought the pregnancy must have been going well because I had been so sick. I also told her about my blood work--how high the numbers were--and she agreed that both were good signs of a healthy pregnancy. But the only way to know for sure was to have a sonogram. They were able to get me in to the sonographer immediately. I remember being really afraid of what I was going to see--or not going to see--on that screen. But almost immediately I saw one little blob with a heartbeat. And it was a strong heartbeat, too--around 150 beats per minute. RELIEF! Then, there was a second blob but at first no heartbeat. I remember thinking that this must be the embryo that didn't make it and I was miscarrying it. But then, after more searching, she found its heartbeat, too! And it was another strong heartbeat! MORE RELIEF! But why the bleeding? Turns out I also had what's called a sub-chorionic hemorrhage in my uterus. It's basically like a blood clot on the wall the uterus that can bleed out. They don't know what causes them and they usually resolve themselves by the 2nd trimester but can also cause a miscarriage in some cases so they're not to be taken lightly. Luckily mine was small but it was big enough to cause a lot of unneeded drama in my life. I was put on bed rest immediately until the bleeding stopped. So the joy of finding out I was having twins was overshadowed by this stupid hemorrhage. GRRR! I bled off and on for the next 9 weeks. It was scary and I even ended up in the emergency room one night because the bleeding was so severe. Each time I had a bleeding episode, I remember being scared that this was it! This time was going to be the end. But each time there was an episode, I had a sonogram to confirm all was okay each time the embies were doing very well--always had strong heartbeats and always measured ahead of where they should which is to say they were growing strong. Talk about being on an emotional roller coaster. Seemed like I never knew what to expect from day to day. Not a fun way to live. But because they did so well, I know these kids are going to be feisty. They are determined and strong already and have been since day one!

So needless to say, the three of us went through a lot during that first trimester. I had actually forgotten about how rough it was until now when I began writing it all out. It makes me really appreciate how far we've come and it makes me more anxious than ever to see you babies, touch your faces, kiss your little hands and hold you tight.

Tales from the 2nd trimester later......