14 weeks and worried

Hi everyone,

I found out about this site from a friend (she just had her twin boys a few weeks ago) and have been reading but this is my 1st post.
I am almost 14 weeks along now with twins (fraternal, we assume) conceived from our 4th IUI cycle. Today I have my 4th OB appt and everything is looking good so far. I’ve been very worried b/c we lost a twin pregnancy last April (our 2nd IUI try) due to an abnormality and I am still afraid that something will go wrong with these guys.

Does anyone know- are the doctors able to determine from the later ultrasounds (I am thinking 20 weeks or so) if everything is anatomically correct- internally and externally? I have been wondering if any birth defects/issues are ever a surprise at birth anymore. I know about the screening for Downs and trisomy 18 but just wonder what else can go wrong. I feel like such a pessimist but can’t help it. I also have visit #1 with a perinatologist tomorrow.
On a much lighter note, I am also wondering if he'll be able to tell us (or guess at) the genders at this point.
Thanks, everyone, for the support. I am glad I found this board.

Kelly

 

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!! I'm no expert on the questions you asked but just want to wish you a healthy and worry free (yeah...easy to say) pregnancy. I think 14 weeks is too early to tell the sex. I think also with a twin pregnancy that you will have so many ultrasounds it is unlikely that you will have any BIG surprises at delivery time, but again, I'm no expert and I think anything is possible! Try to stay positive and enjoy your experience!! GOOD LUCK!

 

:hi: Welcome to Twinstuff! I think every pregnant woman worries, especially those pregnant with multiples or those who have lost babies! Yes, towards the middle of your pregnancy you will get level 2 ultrasounds where they check the babies' heart, umbilical cord, and take many measurements that will help determine if there is something wrong with them. It's not 100% accurate, no test is. But, it will give some piece of mind. At this stage it might be difficult for them to tell the genders, although not impossible. Great questions!

 

QUOTE(cinnikell @ Jan 17 2008, 01:34 PM) [snapback]576406[/snapback]
Hi everyone,

I found out about this site from a friend (she just had her twin boys a few weeks ago) and have been reading but this is my 1st post.
I am almost 14 weeks along now with twins (fraternal, we assume) conceived from our 4th IUI cycle. Today I have my 4th OB appt and everything is looking good so far. I’ve been very worried b/c we lost a twin pregnancy last April (our 2nd IUI try) due to an abnormality and I am still afraid that something will go wrong with these guys.

Does anyone know- are the doctors able to determine from the later ultrasounds (I am thinking 20 weeks or so) if everything is anatomically correct- internally and externally? I have been wondering if any birth defects/issues are ever a surprise at birth anymore. I know about the screening for Downs and trisomy 18 but just wonder what else can go wrong. I feel like such a pessimist but can’t help it. I also have visit #1 with a perinatologist tomorrow.
On a much lighter note, I am also wondering if he'll be able to tell us (or guess at) the genders at this point.
Thanks, everyone, for the support. I am glad I found this board.

Kelly



Congrats on your twins! We got fraternal boy/ girl twins from our third IUI cycle.
Getting to 14 weeks is great and means your chances of m/c are much less now. At 14 weeks, there is a chance they can tell the gender, but it'll still be somewhat guess work, and also depends on how the babies are laying in the womb.

Your anatomical scan, usually done around 18-22 weeks, will be able to determine a lot of things regarding whether the twins are healthy, including seeing the four chambers of the heart, measuring bloodflow through the cord, and doing detailed measurements of the head, tummy and femur, but there are some things you just won't know about till the birth.

 

Congratulations on your pregnancy!! I understand all those worries you have because I have them too. While I've never lost a baby, I did have one born with some brain malformations that were discovered at my 20 week ultrasound. The wonderful thing is that because they saw it early, we were able to have him checked out as soon as he was born and learned that it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked in the ultrasound. I'm trying hard to minimize my worrying because truly it's like an olympic sport for me . I'm going with the mantra that as long as I take good care of myself and follow my doctors advice/orders/recommendations things will be fine. A friend of mine is always telling me to not worry about those things I have no control over, which I know is easier said than done but I'm trying. I hope you can find some way to ease your worries and enjoy your pregnancy.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, worry-free pregnancy!

 

Congratulations, and so sorry you are worrying so much. Hopefully your per. can eliminate some of the fears for you. But, being a pregnant mother, your worries will never truly disappear. That said, try not to let them consume you and just enjoy being pregnant (as much as you can with multiples). They are little miracles growing inside you.

 

welcome and congrats on your twins! my u/s tech wouldnt even take a guess at 14 wks not til 18 wks til she take a guess.

 

I have my anatomy scan U/S at just a few days over my 18w mark. So you will probably get one around that time, too.

I am wondering if you know what kind of defect caused the loss - was it just one or both with the defect?

 

Welcome and congratulations! I had a m/c last March, so I completely understand what you are going through. It is such a scary time for a mom. As PPs have said, you will have so many u/s that I don't think there can be many surprises. When you go in to the Peri tomorrow, a lot of your questions will be put to rest. I had mine on Tuesday, and they went over both babies so thoroughly that if there was any concern at all, he would tell you. I am getting up there in age, not too much, but my mid 30's and so I had some concerns. You will have blood tests and different types of screening, as well as the u/s. Write down any questions or concerns you have. When you go in tomorrow, you will be there for such a long time, they will give you information on the twins, and you may forget a question or two that you really wanted answered. It is about 2-3 hours long usually. Good luck! I think it would be a little early to find out genders. They wouldn't tell me at 14 weeks, and at 16 weeks told me it looked like 2 boys. Tuesday they told me a boy and a girl! (21 weeks now) If they guess, don't take it to heart! Wait till they are much bigger!!!! Enjoy seeing your little ones tomorrow!

 

Thank you so much for the replies-the support means so much to me.

Rachael, they diagnosed conjoined twinning at 9 weeks, so we were advised to terminate at that point. It was an extremely difficult decision, but dh and I ultimately decided we didn't want to bring children with that condition (if they even made it to birth, and we were told the odds were slim for that happening.
The first thing our doctor told us (after confirming that it was twins) was that they are in 2 separate sacs. Good news, for sure, but I never did stop worrying about what else couod go wrong.

We are just a week apart, it seems. I'll be eager to know how your 18 week appt goes.

Kelly

 

Hi Kelly,

Seeing a peri is best for all the information you need. Things can come up but you really don't know if they will
and when? I know, it's hard not knowing. I'm sure they can tell some things in advance??? It depends on the
situation. I found out we were having idnetical girls around 13/14 weeks. So you may find out. Good-luck on
everything, I know your real nervous about everything because of your past situation. Stay positive and
take care of yourself. I'm happy we're having twins, but I'm scared because of all the high risks. I am so
glad I see a specialist though! My friend didn't and she had complications that the OB didn't notice until later into
the pregnancy and that became a problem... it was cervix related. Hang in there

Tina