A Canadian cycling in the US

Follow the twists and turns of an ART newbie navigating international IVF in the USA!

15w2d - Met my new high-risk OB (+ u/s gender confirmation!)

Okay, so it's good news all round today.

As a recap, I've never had an OB before, or visited a hospital for prenatal appointments.  So this was all uncharted territory!  lol

First off, our new OB was punctual for our appointment (wow!).  And she gave us plenty of time and information.  We liked her.  She's youngish, and has fraternal twins herself, so knows what I'm going through.

She said I'm doing fine, but did write me a prescription for extra folic acid and iron.  My blood pressure is also a little elevated (a bit early for that, but oh well), so she suggested I take extra calcium and baby aspirin to combat that.

She did *not* ask why we went for IVF, so I was relieved to not have to "go there".  lol

She did mention that embryos who have undergone ICSI have a slightly higher chance of birth defects (~4% vs the usual 1-2%).  So that was a bit of news.

Then we did the u/s.  It showed that the twins are looking healthy and on track.  She offered to do gender assessment and I eagerly accepted!

Twin B is a "definite girl".  She had trouble imaging Twin A's bits, but said it is "most likely girl".  Yay!!!  Even though we already "knew" the gender (PGD), DH and I felt excited and surprised when she told us, almost as if we didn't.  LOL!!!

Oh, I almost forgot... when we were getting ready to leave, I unexpectedly saw one of the excellent sonographers from the local clinic!  It was F, who did my emergency ultrasound during her lunch break the day of my initial SCH bleeding, when I was so panicked that I had miscarried.  Turns out, she works mostly at the OB's hospital, but also works 1 day per week at the local clinic.  It was such a lovely unexpected surprise!  She completely remembered me, so we hugged, and she asked how the twins were doing.

BTW, at my last u/s (nuchal at the local clinic), the sonographer had said the SCH was resolved (or nearly so), but today we did see it still there, albeit quite small.  The OB was not concerned, and said it is expected to resolve completely as the pregnancy progresses.  She did not seem concerned in the least.  I have not had any bleeding or spotting in 5 weeks or so, and am completely back in my normal routine, so I am not worried either.  (I did ask if a past or current SCH puts me more at risk of premature labor, etc, and she said possibly, but again, she did not seem concerned.)

So overall, a good experience.  She said if I make it to 34-36+ weeks, that will be excellent.  She said I can keep working for as long as I feel good and the twins are doing well.  And that is my goal.  I think I can do it!

So I have already been telling people today we now know it's two girls.  Everyone is so happy for us.  That has been an amazing feeling.  Yay!!  Hugs Rainbow

PS - Weight gain so far is TWENTY POUNDS!!  Argg!!!  lol

Comments

 

nuthinbutpink said:

What fun!  Congrats!

October 20, 2009 5:24 PM
 

gsbabies said:

Wow! I can't wait to officially "find out" the gender!!! I bet spreading the news is so much fun!

So, how did you not have an OB from your first pregnancy?

October 20, 2009 6:23 PM
 

liv78 said:

Yeah!  So happy for you!

October 20, 2009 6:48 PM
 

GreenZelda said:

GS - I delivered DS myself at home.  Kidding!!  I had a midwife.  In certain parts of Canada, it is not uncommon.  I believe CC had one too.  But in my area, they are not allowed to handle multiples.  So it's OB time for me!  lol

October 20, 2009 7:48 PM
 

RedCanoe said:

Hi GZ!  I'm new to this board and a Canadian as well.  Congrats on the babies!  Your blog is great!  

I've been doing some web research on ART and came across the ICSI stat that says there is greater chance of birth defects, but the speculation is that in normal IVF they use ICSI when there is a problem with the sperm, so that is why they might be seeing a slight increase for birth defects.  Not because of the procedure itself.  Since that is not the case for you, I wouldn't think your chances are any higher than normal... :)

October 21, 2009 12:51 PM
 

GreenZelda said:

Thanks RedCanoe!  I see what you mean, good point.  Good luck to you as a fellow Canuk on your GS journey!  Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions you think I might be able to help with!  :)

October 21, 2009 2:00 PM
 

RedCanoe said:

I will, thank you! :)

October 22, 2009 8:50 AM

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