Hello Second Trimester!

I am 13 weeks pregnant today!  I can't believe how fast the first trimester went by.  For the most part, I have felt great, much better than when I was pregnant with my own child.  Just the one day of sickness, a few other moments of passing nausea, and the obligatory feeling of exhaustion.  I am still feeling very tired, but I'm hoping that I get some of my energy back in the next couple of weeks.  Aside from that, I am SO hungry.  With how much I have been eating, I am shocked that I still haven't gained any weight, although I'm definitely starting to get a baby bump:

We had our 12 week appointment and NT screening on Wednesday.  First we had the ultrasound, and both babies looked great.  They were both measuring a few days ahead, and had good heart rates of 170 and 164.  The NT screening went well, they both measured well within the normal range.  They also took some blood to screen to find out what the risks are for genetic abnormalities.  Since we used such a young egg donor, there is no need for an amnio unless the blood work results come back abnormal.

Both babies were very cooperative for their test, the tech was very impressed.  She said she's has twin NT scans take all afternoon, but ours only took about 45 minutes for the whole ultrasound.  All of the babies organs looked great, and we were able to see hands with 5 perfect fingers.  The tech also had gender guesses!  She went on the record to say that she believes my IPs will be the proud parents of twin BOYS!  She told them not to rush out and buy blue yet since it's too early to be sure.  She was pretty confident about Baby B, but Baby A was more of a guess.  It will be interesting to see if she was right when we go in for our anatomy scan at 18 weeks.

Then we had our first regular OB appointment.  It was pretty routine, get my weight and blood pressure, have me pee in a cup, and ask if anyone had any questions.  After that, my IPs got kicked out of the room while the doctor did an internal exam on me.  I got to ask about delivery options, and the doctor told me that at their practice, if Baby A is head down when it comes time to deliver, they prefer a vaginal delivery to a c-section...yay!  If Baby A is not head down, it will be an automatic c-section (as it most likely would be with just a singleton as well).  I also asked about getting special permission for my IPs to be able to join my husband in the delivery room, even if it was in the OR.  She said that she is pretty confident that an exception can be made in our case.

Once the appointment was over, my IPs told me that they did not like/were not comfortable with that doctor.  They didn't appreciate being kicked out of the room and didn't feel like they got enough time to ask all their questions.  So we will be trying a different doctor next time.  I definitely want to make sure everyone is comfortable and able to enjoy the pregnancy experience!

Guess I Should Have Knocked on Wood...

...a little bit harder!  I had my first pregnancy puke, ever, this morning.  It's my own fault though.  Last pregnancy I avoided citrus fruits the whole time because they made me feel gaggy.  Last night right before bed, I decided that instead of eating something blander and more substantial, it would be a good idea to eat an orange.  This morning I upchucked orange juice.  Needless to say, citrus will not be making another appearance on the menu for this pregnancy either.

Normally I'm very strong stomached (I mean, I've had food poisoning without throwing up - twice!), so even though I felt nauseous beforehand, I was still shocked when I actually threw up.  I'm still not feeling so hot today, and really hoping I don't embarrass myself with a trash can puke at work.  I thought by making it past the 10 week mark with no symptoms I would be in the clear, but no such luck.

Other than that, things are still going well.  I've been feeling good, other than this morning.  I'm just starting to get the tiniest baby bump, but I don't think anyone but me would be able to tell yet.  I have been spotting at least a little bit almost every day for the past few weeks, but I've pretty much gotten over being worried about it.  I'm just hoping that the SCH resolves itself soon so the biggest perk of pregnancy (not bleeding for 9 months) doesn't pass me by completely.

In other news, I have been meds free for 2 days now!  I'm really enjoying not having to remember to take my meds every night, and I'm not missing the nasty suppositories one bit!

Only 9 more days until the next ultrasound and our first OB appointment!  I'm excited to get to that stage and to see my IPs again when they come down for the the appointment.  I'm also making a list of questions to ask my OB to make sure she is the right match for me.  Number 1 on my list is finding someone who is supportive of vaginal delivery of twins (I don't think I should have to go through a major abdominal surgery just because it's easier for the doctor), and I'm thinking of already making a case for letting my husband and both my IPs in the operating room for delivery (most likely I will have to deliver in the operating room just in case, even if it's a vaginal delivery).  I figure if I start fighting the strict 1 support person rule now, I might be able to get an exception for us.  I suspect we will be the first ever surrogacy situation at the hospital, so I'd like to work to set a good precedent for others!