Twos

I had my second ultrasound today. With Fable I had three ultrasounds my entire pregnancy and I only had two with Archer so I had to go to one of those tacky mall places that do 3-D ultrasounds with Enya blasting in the background and fake rock fountains, just to find out the sex. I was six-months pregnant and my doctor wouldn't give me an ultrasound, the dick. I got a new doctor when I was pregnant with Fable. The best in the west.

"It's a girl!" he said at week twenty. Indeed she was.

"You'll get an ultrasound every two weeks for the next few months," he told me. So today, at my second appointment, I got to see my babies again. Except this time I wasn't hyperventilating. This time I eagerly watched as my doctor pointed out two tiny beating hearts, heads, limbs. Twins are difficult to see in ultrasound at this point in pregnancy because they block each other. One of the babies (Baby A) is hidden behind "Baby B", who I was able to get a much better look at, although you wouldn't know it from these blurry snaps:

Baby B's front (10 weeks, 2 days):
Baby B, head on
Baby A's back... ish (10 weeks, 4 days):
Baby A, from the back
Baby A is two days larger than baby B, which is normal and totally healthy. Two weeks ago they were measuring two days differently as well. And this time, because I wasn't hysterical I was actually able to ask my doctor questions. (I do NOT need to be eating 1,000 extra calories. Doctor thinks I'm an ideal candidate for a vaginal delivery, that most doctors are C-section happy when it comes to twins when, for many women, it's perfectly doable.) I came home and promptly tossed every book that led me to believe otherwise. The only thing worse than What to Expect When You're Expecting is What to Expect When You're Undoubtedly Going to Have a C-Section and Must eat a Shitload of Crap in Order to Deliver Healthy Babies.

Shut up, books. Just shut your front cover.

The babies are in separate sacs with separate placentas but there's still a possibility that they could be identical (identical twins can be in different sacs depending on when egg splits). If they are indeed the same sex, we won't know until they're born whether they share identical DNA. Fascinating fun. (ED: I'm feeling a boy/girl vibe. Hal is, too. That might be because we have a boy and a girl at home and their vibes have infiltrated us OR we could be psychic. We shall see.)

Also, and I know I've said it before, to any Los Angeles based mothers-to-be who are in the market for an incredible OBGYN, email me. My guy is OBGYN-Kenobi. Not joking. The fact that I get to see him every two weeks is a thrill.

Almost as thrilling as it is to peek inside my uterus and see those tiny dancers.

By the end of this pregnancy I'll have enough ultrasound stills to create an animated feature short subject. Oscars '13, here we come.

GGC & A & B

67 comments:

Margaret | 4:10 PM

I am absolutely loving this! And that's amazing that you have an OB who's willing to let you try a vag delivery! Yay twins!

Marisa | 4:19 PM

So incredible. Have been following you since you were preggers with Fable and I was pregnant with my little one.

Dana | 4:24 PM

Vaginal birth. Totally doable. My Baby A was head down and ready to go. Baby B breech. But even still, my doctor agreed to go ahead with the delivery and asked an old-timer familiar with breech delivery to stick around the hospital in case it was necessary.
It wasn't. As soon as Baby A came out, Baby B finally had enough room to move. She flipped right into head-down position and came out 12 minutes after her brother.
Go you! You can do it!

The Hojo Family | 4:24 PM

Your OBGYN sounds amazing!!

I delivered first (my son) at St. Johns in Santa Monica and also had the BEST doctor in L.A! :-) Since moving to Simi Valley, I can't seem to find one as amazing as my first! With my second child (my daughter) my OBGYN had me freaked out my ENTIRE pregnancy! They started me out thinking that I was having a miscarriage and they kept me worried my whole pregnancy! I wish I could find one as good as the one I had in L.A!

Glenda | 4:25 PM

Love the pictures of A & B. That would be awesome if it's a boy and a girl. One of each for Archer and Fable.

My sister-in-law had twins-vag delivery. They were each 6 lbs. That's great that your OB will let you try a vag delivery.

Yay! x2

wonderchris | 4:29 PM

Vaginal twin homebirths on you-tube are FASCINATING. Truly amazing.

Woohoo!!!

Charis | 4:29 PM

How exciting!
And I applaud your decision to throw out those fear-mongering books. One that may make you feel awesome about your upcoming intenseawesomejourney is Spiritual Midwifery - it has tons of amazing stories in it and reads like a novel. I know for a fact that at least the Santa Monica library has it, b/c that's where I got my copy. I actually did a review on it a couple of months ago, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu-cqwPEAhs

Sandi | 4:35 PM

Vaginal was totally easy for me, no horror stories here. They were six minutes apart, healthy and strong. You can do it!

Sydney | 4:43 PM

Ooh. I'm so glad your doctor thinks you're a good candidate for a vaginal birth! And here I was thinking birth in the USA was all induction, pitocin, epidural and c-section.

How thrilling to be supported by a wonderful doctor and get a peek at your wombmates every fortnight.

Sydney | 4:47 PM

http://www.homebirth.net.au/2008/07/twins-homebirth.html

A good video of vaginal twin homebirth.

I also second 'Spiritual Midwifery' - hugely empowering.

Pretzel Thief | 5:06 PM

You rock the casbah, Rebecca. Congratulations on this beautiful blessing and may your pregnancy (and beyond) be filled with oodles of health, safety, joy and continued love. Love your writing, looooooove it to the nth degree!

Elle | 5:12 PM

Yay for baby A and baby B!! As I have told you before in the comments I had identical twin girls 2.5 years ago. I had them both vaginally (11 minutes a part) and I'm so glad I did because recovery was so fast and painless. I also did not consume an additional 1000 calories a day. For the first 4.5 months I threw up all day. I had my girls at 36 weeks and the were both a healthy 5 pounds and a few oz. I didn't read many books because I hated all the negativity I just found a lot of mom blogs with twins and I found they helped the most. xoxoxo

Anonymous | 5:12 PM

That's awesome your doctor is saying vaginal birth for your twins. Lets just hope he stays that way when you're in labor. I am so excited for you, seems everyone gets pregnant around the same time. I have a ton of pregnant friends at the moment and it's making me want to have another!!

Anyway, congrats again and I second the book spiritual midwifery, Ina May Gaskin is an amazing woman!

Liz | 5:38 PM

I already posted this to you on twitter, but my friend had her twins vaginally at 38 weeks... also awesome because they were both transverse up until the morning before she went into labor (so she had a C-section scheduled), but then they lined up and got into position.

And the coolest thing? They have different birthdays because they were born on either side of midnight.

verdemama | 5:50 PM

Absolutely incredible -- and so informative! I'm getting my twins education. Truly fascinating.

We're all cheering you on! (Obvs.)

mommica | 5:59 PM

So exciting and SO glad you have a doctor who matches you. That's hard to find.

Tracey | 6:00 PM

My sister had hers au naturel. The first one was head down so they said go for it. When he popped out, they scanned her and found the other was breech...the doc didn't bat an eyelid, just said "you can do this" and she had no. 2 vag breech...obviously easier as you've just stretched your fanjito to the size of a baby anyways. So if they are pro natural, go for it.
It'll be a breeze! lol.

Ps. Just gas and air too...in England (not sure if that makes a difference!?!)

Anonymous | 6:09 PM

Vaginal birth is definitely doable. My mother gave birth vaginally (in 1977) to twins who were over eight pounds EACH. There is a picture (or there used to be. I haven't seen the newest edition of the book) of my mother's crazy-huge belly in Elizabeth Nobel's book Having Twins. My mom is the one with her head cropped out of the picture.

lacey | 6:24 PM

I apologize if this has already been covered somewhere---but do you read Here Be Hippogriffs (at http://julia.typepad.com/julia/ )? It's one of my favorite blogs---Julia is smart and funny and relatable, and her children are hilarious. She has one elementary-schooler and three-year-old boy/girl twins, and although I'm sure you've searched out millions of resources by now, her archives might be fun anyway.

Also: those ultrasounds are just beautiful!

joanie | 6:31 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-wULAaD50

This is an amazing video.
power, girl. you can do it. i am days away from my 3rd baby, and planning a doula and midwife. no meds. congrats a thousand times over, and have a happy, healthy 7 more months. ;)
joanie

joanie | 6:33 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-wULAaD50

this is an amazing video of vag twin and triplet births (info not delivery)
congrats again!!!!! have a happy, healthy 7 more months. i am days away from my 3rd baby, planning a doula and midwife, no meds.
enjoy the miracle, and don't stress. you and Hal will be amazing ;)
joanie

Amanda | 6:46 PM

You're lucky to have that mother's intuition. When I was pregnant with my twins, I heard two little voices in my head the entire time saying, "Hi Mom! I'm a boy!"
Luckily, they were both boys and I wasn't completely crazy. The craziness comes after the twins are born.

Anonymous | 6:46 PM

I agree that parts of that book can be crazy making and fear inducing, but it was also a good reminder for me that I needed to eat whatever I could, whenever I could because I really did need the calories. I did a lot of cheeseburgers and milkshakes at the times when my twins were in need of calcium and iron. Take what you can from them, and don't worry about the rest.

There's a lot of discussion about vaginal births on my multiples board. As long as the presenting baby is in the right position and no one is in danger, most docs these days will go for a vaginal delivery. Good luck!

Daisy | 6:48 PM

I'm so glad things are going well and you have a great doctor. It makes all the difference to have your doctor on your side.

My doctor was awesome about me having a vaginal delivery after a previous c-section. Pregnancy isn't a time when you need people stressing you out.

Arwen | 7:38 PM

I specifically chose my docs for my current twin pregnancy (I had to switch, since my former midwives don't/can't do twins) based on their willingness to attempt vaginal delivery. I don't know if any American docs will do attempted vaginal birth with baby A breech, but my docs say as long as he's head-down, we can go for it even if B is breech. "We'll just pull him out by his feet!" the doctor said. (I love her.)

At 27 weeks pregnant with mono-di twins I've now had... let's see... TEN ultrasounds, and at 30 weeks I'll start having them weekly. I never get sick of seeing our little boys, although lying on my back on the table is getting tough! But one of my favorite things about this twin pregnancy was that we got to find out the babies' sex (since they're monochorionic, we knew they were identical) nice and early! The ultrasound tech told me it's usually pretty easy to tell by 16 weeks, and that's when we learned it. So fun! I love knowing, and finding out a month earlier than usual was great. I hope that happens for you, too!

whoorl | 7:53 PM

This is just SO EXCITING. My mom is an identical twin, and it has always fascinated me. Twins for the win!

Sarah Katie | 7:59 PM

How amazing! It is funny to think about the differences between pregnancies when it comes to single and multiple fetuses. More ultrasounds, which is great for you, and your belly also is growing much faster. I noticed that in your last picture. Everyone notices you have babies on board right away. Tehe. Babies just fascinate me, and I can't wait to have some of my own someday.

Elliesee | 8:08 PM

I see I'm not the only one who thought of finding this video for you:-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-wULAaD50
I love it because it is what happened to me. It surprised me so because the terrible twin pregnancy books don't really let you expect this. Prepare for anything though, you'll be glad you did. I love your pregnancy news! I'm giddy when I think of all that is happening to you

Kate | 8:09 PM

"OBGYN-Kenobi."

LOL

Sarah | 8:25 PM

I don't know, I'm hoping archer is spot on & it is two girls, but not identical.

no matter what though, you & hal make gorgeous babies!

NOELLE ALOUD | 8:43 PM

Aww, they look great! And it just makes me deliriously happy that you have a doctor you love.

~ Noelle

L.L. | 9:02 PM

Fascinating! I think its so amazing and affirming that you can do it vaginally. My biggest fear was having a c-section and I know so many women who are so blase about it. I did read the Gaskin books that other commenters have suggested but I personally did not get much out of them. Tried to get the husband to bust out the paper mache and create some birth art with me but it just wasn't our bag..haha :)

Tanna | 9:18 PM

I love that you have confidence in your doc and that you have confidence in the type of birth you want. So many just do what the doc tells them and never asks questions. My OB also respected my wishes. This sounds like it is going swimmingly!

Mlle | 9:41 PM

Oh, doctors. Don't get me started. My favorite comment from an admittedly old-fashioned-ish OBGYN of mine during my first pregnancy was, "A baby is designed to be a really efficient parasite. It's going to get everything it needs from your body, no matter what you do; those vitamins and healthy calories are really to replenish YOU." Not a pleasant image, but it was comforting to me. The Books had me worried that skipping an orange might make my baby forget to grow a limb or something.

I'm so excited you're sharing this with us. And so excited for you and your family!

Anonymous | 9:58 PM

Cool beans! I told my mom about you finding out that you're going to have twins and she told me about when she found out. She was 8 months pregnant when the doctor figured out why she was so huge. One was hiding behind the other the whole time. As she walked back to the car she tapped on my dad's window and just said "we're having twins". Much happiness. Mom took the rest of the day off to call everyone and dad took the next day off to celebrate. Now my brothers are all grown up and not as cute as they were, but eh, whaddya gonna do?

Anyway, I'm so glad I know her story now, thanks to you! <3

Kim | 10:18 PM

You always think c-section the minute there is a mention of multiples. And it's so wrong. Glad you found an awesome OB/GYN who believes the same. My Mom was told I was a twin all along. And I was not. I don't even know how that happens.

Heathrow's World | 11:33 PM

ok, I've been away from blogs for a few weeks and am totally blown away by this news! Congrats! You'll do great!

Megan | 11:36 PM

Another huge fan of Ina May Gaskin's Spiritual Midwifery here. I read it when pregnant with my first boy, then read it three times when pregnant with my second baby who was born at home. It provided me with the best tools for labour I could have asked for. If your library doesn't have it, you should buy it for sure.
I can't wait to share in your journey with twins.

Lindsey | 4:33 AM

Bravo on shutting the books - I hated them too and somehow mustered the strength to just not look (same with the sleep training//get your baby on a routine by week TWO or else you are doomed forever books btw).
I am from a family of twins and think what you have ahead is sheer marvel. xox

Em | 5:12 AM

I tell every new parent I meet to toss "What to Expect When You're Expecting" right out the window. Well, unless you think pregnancy is a medical emergency that needs to be "treated" rather than a natural and wonderful process you get to experience. I like the Sears' Pregnancy Book, and like others have said, if you haven't read Ina May Gaskin, it's definitely worth looking into.

emily | 5:17 AM

This is so awesome for you! I am part of a boy/girl twin pair and I can tell you that they will be best friends for life :) I can't wait to follow your progress. Congratulations to the three of you!

Ali | 5:24 AM

Absolutely ditch the horrible baby books. There are some lovely ones out there but many of the popular ones you can buy from the local bookstore are awful. I know a few mums who have had vaginal twin deliveries.

Elly | 6:23 AM

Love this post, hey. Sounds like you're enjoying this much more now, which is brilliant. Glad that they are both healthy + happy :)

Kim | 6:39 AM

"What to Expect When You're Expecting"...oh, we call that, "the book with the ugly cover."

congratulations & best wishes!

Amelia | 7:21 AM

I'm so glad to hear that your getting good support/advice on preparing for a vaginal delivery!! At the end of the day, however you get those two little rockstars out here will be awesome! I was pretty clear with myself about the kind of birth that I wanted, but ultimately just kept saying, "I signed up for a baby, not a birth story" so that I wouldn't feel like I had in some way let myself down (where does that even come from?) if things went differently than I wanted, because no matter how it happens, holy crap we create life! And you're creating two! In the end, I got the birth that I wanted and...ta da! The baby too :) No matter how it all goes down, you are going to wind up with two more wonderful little loves, and I firmly believe that women's bodies are made for this if we let them do their job.

Somewhat related? Reading your posts is getting dangerous...every time I finish reading one I start getting all bow chicka bow bow in the head and making eyes at the hubs. Must...wait...a...few..more...months.

Christine | 7:36 AM

My husband was on his way to Finland the night before my ultrasound. He called form Amsterdam during a layover and woke me up. I remember answering the phone laughing and saying "I just had the craziest dream! We had twin girls and named them Cranberry and Shamberry!" Fast forward 6 hours and I'm in the doctors office - yup - twins!

Listen to those gut instincts - they're usually right!

Amelia | 8:07 AM

Also, I don't know if this is me or you (and no need to publish this if ya don't wanna) but, Blogger doesn't seem to be allowing me to post through my openid account (with wordpress) like it normally would. Again, I'm not sure if that's a blogger thing or a me thing, but I thought I would give you a heads up in case anyone else is having this trouble. It took me about 10 minutes to navigate commenting this morning...much too slow in this 21st century world that we live in! ;-)
-Amelia from Flux Capacitating

Meghan Elaine | 8:16 AM

So exciting! My OB is also amazing and was confident I could go for a vaginal delivery- and he delivered my boy/girl twins at 36 weeks with no pressure for a c section. I am loving reading all your updates! Sounds like you're still feeling well, yay for no nausea.

MommyLisa | 9:46 AM

UGH - the books and their opinions on twins. My friend is about 5'11" and had vaginal birth of twins with about 5 pushes and she SO did not/could not eat all the calories "those books" told her to eat. She was fine, except the hernia. But she got that fixed.

Ashley | 9:47 AM

Woo-hoo! Toss those books, Mama!

tori | 9:56 AM

Just shut your front cover... Haha! After having my son and realizing it was not the bloodbath, life-wrecking horror most books told me labor would be, I made a decision to stop stressing via Self Help Book!

Sydney | 10:08 AM

Christine -

Please tell me you called them Cranberry and Shamberry!!

Unknown | 10:13 AM

So fun to see the little babes! This is getting to be very educational, learning all about twins in utero. And yeah, you guys are probably just psychic.

kelly | 10:56 AM

this is so damn exciting!!

my doula just assisted in a all natural, vag, twins birth. that mom rocked it out and i'm sure you will too!

grandfather Norm | 2:43 PM

It's really okay to read about some of my genetic material beating away in Los Angeles. I am as thrilled as you mama and delighted you like the doc... so many comments are opposite... a fantastic voyage.

Sarah Dubs | 4:39 PM

Yay for healthy wee-little-babes!!

Saw this and thought of you. How to make twins: http://littlelovely.typepad.com/littlelovely/2011/03/how-to-make-twins.html

Little Miss Moi | 9:06 PM

Of COURSE you're a great candidate for a vag birth - it's what's natural for women and babies. I'm shocked at all these comments that seem to demonstrate that some of your wonderful women readers have had the choice about their birth, their babies and their body taken away from them!

Megan | 3:07 AM

I'm loving your baby posts. You are so honest and positive even when things like morning sickness are totally kicking your ass.
It's great to read especially since I'm pregnant with a surprise not-not-trying baby and there is all sorts of fear/guilt/questions swirling around in my head.

So thank you for your posts :-)

Unknown | 12:57 PM

My sis-in-law did a twin vag delivery. Go girl!

Also? What to Expect series? Written by the devil. No doubt.

Sarah | 10:27 PM

"Shut up, books. Just shut your front cover." Oh, your words ring so true. In my opinion, pregnancy books are so out of touch and cause unneeded stress. I'm with you, just chuck the damn books. Cheers to momma knowing best!

gemini-girl | 6:50 AM

With my twin pg I also had ultrasounds done every two weeks. Its so fun getting to see them in there hanging out.
I had a c-section out of choice. I didnt want to undergo hours of vaginal labor, only to have the second baby breech.
Whatever decision you make- is the right one for you!

BTW: This was the best book suggestion I received when I was pg with the girls:

http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Quads/dp/0061803073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301233747&sr=8-1

Go buy it now!

Lauren | 3:32 PM

Tiny Dancers. I like it. May I suggest Elton for the boy dancer?

Eva | 6:58 AM

Hi !

We have just discovered your fab blog and want to congrats you !!!!!
Baby A and B ultrasounds are amazing !!
Love from Caithlin & Eva

Whitney | 10:46 AM

Hi Rebecca, I'm so glad you posted the link to your Huff Post column about your experience with Archer's circumcision. As a married woman (without any children yet) circumcision is one of those issues I've gone back and forth about, but ultimately decided I probably won't circumcise. I know that your situation is different because Hal's Jewish (and Archer goes to Hebrew school) so in a way, I suppose I wish I had a strong religious conviction pulling me one way or another to make the decision easier.

If either or both of these babies are boys, are you going to choose to circumcise after learning what you did about botched jobs, infections or partial amputations? I'm just curious.

I think I am going to write a blog post about this. Which I know is awkward and premature from a girl who's years away from having children.

So glad you're finally with a doctor who's a perfect fit for you.

xoxo.

whitneywk@gmail.com

Carly | 1:00 PM

I read your book a couple of years back and started following your blog when you were pregnant with Fable. Have been busy the past couple of weeks (I have twins myself, and they just turned 1, so that's been eating up my time lately) and just now got a chance to sit down and check out what you've been up to lately. Was so surprised and thrilled to see that you were pregnant again, and doubly surprised (unintentional pun, so sorry) to hear the news about twins! Reading about your experiences so far reminds me what it was like when we found out we were having two, and I found myself almost in tears because I'm so happy for you and it's so surreal. Congratulations! It is a journey like no other; wonderful and scary and amazing and unreal all at the same time. You will love it, and I can't wait to hear all about it :)

Rachel | 6:29 AM

Congratulations, Rebecca! I found my way over here from the Spohrs. I'm also expecting twins - I'm 9 weeks, which puts me about two weeks behind you. I'll definitely be following your pregnancy as I go through mine.

Ray | 11:09 PM

"By the end of this pregnancy I'll have enough ultrasound stills to create an animated feature short subject. Oscars '13, here we come."

We'll be holding you to that! Hehe. =P

When I found out that you were pregnant with twins: I ALSO got the girl/boy vibe! I'm hoping so, because that would be total awesomeness! =D

Although no matter what your kids are going to be amazing. <3

YAY on your doctor considering a natural birth. I've always thought that about twins. As long as both babies aren't breach, I say go for it! Hope there won't be a need for a c-section, for you.