just discovered twins at 11 weeks, but w/ size difference? good news/ bad news? terrifying!

Maggie and I went for our first "real" ultrasound yesterday. We had one done a couple weeks ago, but it was on a crappy machine and the doctor just did it for fun. that was a the wow moment when mags and I first saw the heartbeat. Amazing. so yesterday was more of a redo. we were mostly just doing it as part of the first prenatal screening test and so that we'd have a picture to show our parents.

then the technician tells us she sees two!!! twins!

baby A is measuring healthy at 10 weeks 6 days and baby B 9 weeks 3 days. Then the technician tells us not to get excited. That because of the size difference that B likely won't make it and be absorbed by the body. We freak out with questions. I think the technician realized she probably shouldn't have said anything like that because she runs out of the room to call our Dr. on her cell phone. Dr. stein tells Maggie on the phone that there is no way of telling at this point ...to just try not think about it.

!!!??? how in the world do we do that?

She says it could go either way, but we just have to follow up. We have another U/S next week with the actual doctor.

We are totally freaked out. I guess we are feeling a little bit better today and slightly more accepting of our situation. We cant do anything. Just wait and stay healthy... terrifying, exciting, terrifying. We just have to see. All that keeps ringing in my mind is "Welcome to High Risk Pregnancy"

Does anyone have any experience with size difference so early on (especially happy stories) are you in the same boat? is this normal? any advice on what we can do? rest? nutrition

thanks,
from both of us.

 

Welcome to TS and congratulations.

Dianna

 

I dont think there is anything you can do one way or the other-did they see a heart beat? I know that if they did there is a better chance for the baby to survive...I know it can seem like forever waiting until the next sonogram, and I wish you both the best of luck that both babies make it! Congratulations!

 

oh yes. we did see and hear two strong heart beats. which i think is a good sign. the smaller one does however have a slightly smaller sac. ugh waiting... thanks for replies.

~mags

 

Initially the sacs were measuring differently as well, just about a week difference. Currently I am 23.4 weeks and both babies are doing great. they are measuring within a day or two of each other now and my peri is not concerned.
Congrats on the pregnancy and welcome!!

 

We were told at the beginning that Baby B wasn't going to make it, but he's doing great!

 

First off.. Congrats! Now i dont know about that early in pregnancy be cause i didnt find out until 18 week pg that i was having twins. But Mine always measured about 1-2 weeks apart and they are healthy 4 month olds.. If one is going to absorb into the body i think its before 12 weeks.. So i am pretty sure you are almost out of the danger zone. Most important thing... DO Not ever listen to what a tech says.. They arent allowed to tell you what is or isnt going to happen.. They have to relay the info the the Dr so the Dr can advise you! Shame on the Tech!!!!!
Not all twin pregnancys are HighRish.. I never had any problems and i never saw a special OB (like a peri) I made it to a healthy 38.5 weeks..

Congrats again!

 

CONGRATS! AND WELCOME :sign0016: THIS GROUP IS THE BEST!

 

Congratulations and welcome to Twinstuff! We too were scared and had lots of questions when we found out we were having twins, but somehow you figure it all out! You will love having twins!

 

Congrats! Two strong heartbeats is more important than sac size. You are almost to 12 weeks and you have two good heartbeats, so I wouldn't stress about it. I had two good heartbeats at 8 weeks and had an uneventful pregnancy, other than having twins.

 

Congratulations! I definitely agree not to listen to the tech...shouldn't have said anything. If I were you (I wouldn't be able to wait) I would call the doctor and have a personal conversation with him/her before your next appt. Mine differed in size by about 5 days throughout the pregnancy (from the beginning) and are still doing great. I agree the heartbeat is a very very positive sign, and at 11 weeks, you are almost out of the woods! Take care

 

Our DD was considerabley smaller than our DS from the very beginning (she was probably 1/3 to 1/4 the size of our DS on the ultrasound) and we were told that she had a 50-50 chance of survival. She also had a velamentous cord insertion which made her status even scarier. We strongly remember the numerous ultrasounds and appointments anxiously hearing to see if they were ok. It was quite stressful during the pregnancy and even in the NICU, but it does get better! I am happy to say that both our DD and DS are happy and healthy at 19 months! Good luck and we wish you the very best.

 

Congratulations! 2 strong heartbeats is a great sign!

 

Welcome and congrats!!!

First off, shame on that tech for saying that. Techs are NOT doctors and should not even being saying ANYTHING remotely close to what you were told.

Secondly, we were told at 7 weeks we had an extra sac and to come back in two weeks since most likely it would be reabsorbed. We came back at 9 weeks and were told, "Congrats, it's twins!" They measured a week apart starting at that 7 week appt., and that size discrepancy widened as the babies grew. They were born a pound and a half apart...they are TWO different babies with two very different sets of genes. My son is a tank compared to my daughter...even when they were just tiny little embryos!

So think positive thoughts and enjoy the ride. Educate yourself and be prepared to be an advocate for yourselves and for your babies so that you get the best care possible!!! Being a parent is an incredibly wonderful experience, being a parent of twins is twice that!!!!!!

 

QUOTE(twoin2005 @ Dec 29 2007, 01:14 PM) [snapback]549956[/snapback]
Welcome and congrats!!!

First off, shame on that tech for saying that. Techs are NOT doctors and should not even being saying ANYTHING remotely close to what you were told.


I totally agree!! The tech should of kept quiet. Seeing 2 good heartbeats is the most important. Honestly it's so common to have twins that aren't measuring the same. They are like two individual babies. They aren't gonna grow the same way. As long as there is growth from u/s to u/s I'm sure things will be fine.

FWIW, I did IVF to conceive my two and they NEVER measured the same. Baby B was always a week behind in growth compared to Baby A. My OB wasn't concerned because she was growing. At one of our early appts (6w1d) because she was measuring behind WITHOUT a hearbeat I was told she wasn't viable. A week later (still measuring behind a week) she had a heartbeat and everything was considered fine and it was a twin pregnancy.

Congratulations on your twin pregnancy!!

 

I was told at 6 weeks that baby B would not make it because she was measuring so far behind A. We're 23 weeks now and she is only 1 oz behind A in size. So you never know. Two strong heartbeats is great! Don't give up!

 

My twins were measuring different at my 15 week appointment. Now at 28 weeks - they are healthy and big babies.

You'll get a lot more questions answered at your next ultrasound. This is an extremely common concern on this board. I was posting the same things 13 weeks ago.

Take care and congrats on your big news!!!

 

You've gotten lots of great advice, so I'll just say Congratulations! and keep us informed!
Welcome to Twinstuff, and as you said, to High Risk Pregnancy!

 

Congrats and good luck! I don't know much about the size discrepancy issue, but I do know that my doctor did not consider me high risk just because it was twins. I got a few more measurement u/s than my friends pregnant with singles did, but besides that, I wasn't really treated all that different!

Keep us updated!

Erica

 

congrats and welcome!

 

At 12 weeks we saw 2 heartbeats and my twins were measuring about a week difference in size. By week 19, they were 1oz apart. As long as there are 2 heartbeats, you are okay at this point.

 

Congratulations and try not to worry too much. Our twins are measuring about a week apart and we were told this is perfectly normal and fine. They have strong heartbeats and have been developing right on schedule. I wouldn't worry until you talk to your doctor in more depth. Welcome to TS.

 

I wanted to update this post to say that we just gave birth to two beautiful twin boys last week despite that doctor who told us she was 110% sure baby b wouldnt make it. they got closer in weight after 20 weeks, but maintained a significant weight disparity (10-15%) and were born a pound apart. 5lb 6oz and 6lb 7oz! c-section @ 40 weeks (they were transverse so no options). and they are super healthy across the board!

thank you all for your support. This experience has been a major lesson that doctors dont always know what theyre talking about. Its your body, dont let them scare you!

back to feeding! (also, if any of you can get one, I am having the most amazing experience with a post partum doula. in the two days ive been home, she has shown me that i can, in fact, breastfeed twins!! - this is something the hospital staff worked hard to convince otherwise. for me this is alot of work, but really worth it! and its kind of fun)

~Maggie

 

I didn't notice the dates on the posts until the end. I love happy endings! Congratulations on your boys and on making it all the way to 40 weeks!

 

Congratulations on your baby boys! And way to go making it to 40 weeks!! Thanks for the update!

 

Congratulations!!!! That is great news

 

Congratulations! :Clap:

 

Congratulations on the birth of your twin boys! :Clap:

 

Congratulations!!!!!

 

:Clap: Congratulations Momma! :Clap:

 

WTG!!! Congrats, Momma!!! :a_smil09:

 

Truly wonderful! Congratulations!

 

Such great news!!! CONGRATS!

 

Wow! What an amazing update!! This is the second case I have heard this month where the dr's predicted a baby wouldn't make it and the baby came out perfectly healthy. Congratulations!!

 

Congratulations!