11w2d and our first trip to the perinatologist

Things could not have gone better yesterday.

At 11w1d, we had our first appointment with the perinatologist. He came highly recommended by someone I know who went through modi twins and TTTS and laser surgery. She warned us that he was direct and didn't have a good bedside manner, but that he's really really REALLY smart and knows his shit.

Turns out we like him! (and he is wicked smart). His bedside manner was no different than most of the REs we've met (technical, nerdy, geeky, smart) but we're used to that and are fond of it even!

First stop yesterday was the geneticist. We talked about trisome 13, 18 and Down Syndrome. After weighing all options, we decided to do the available blood draw that day, followed by the nucal scan that day and if all looked good on the nucal scan, we'd wait until the anatomy scan at week 16-20, and if need be, decide on an amnio at that point.

Next stop was the ultrasound. Again, I expected to have to get undressed, but she did only a belly ultrasound. Oh, to feel so NORMAL! The u/s tech, Barbara, was simply amazing. She and her hubby went through 9 years of IVF before getting their (now 14 year old) daughter. She hugged us both and chatted happily away through the u/s.

The babies: THEY ARE BOTH STILL IN THERE!! One measured at 11w2d, the other at 11w5d. One had a heartbeat of 172 bmp, the other of 176 bmp. And BOTH were having a DANCE PARTY in there!

Barbara quickly got to the nucal scan part. BOTH HAVE VERY SMALL (less than 1 mm) nucals which was music to our ears.

At that point, I started crying. I had been good about staying more detached this pregnancy, but when we heard about the good nucal scan, I lost it.

At the end of the hour-long u/s, a random doc came in to read the u/s and she smiled at us and said "your babies are perfect." More music to our ears!

Before leaving the room, hubby and I made a deal with the babies. We told them - and all 4 of us shook on it - that they can have a car when they're 16 if they stay in until 34 weeks or beyond.  We then left the room and I gave my first pee sample as a pregnant lady. Apparently they test proteins and stuff in my urine. 

Final stop was meeting with Dr. J. He was great and he also said "your babies are perfect." He went on to tell us things we knew: TTTS is a risk (but only a small one) and we won't make our due date (but he wants us to get to 37 weeks!!!).

He also told us some things we didn't know, including I COULD STILL HAVE A VAGINAL DELIVERY! I put that in all caps mainly because I was shocked it's possible, not because I'm overly excited about it. I had become very comfortable with the idea of a scheduled c-section, and in fact even said last fall "If I get pregnant, I want them to just cut the babies out so my body can't fuck anything else up." So c-section was actually sounding pretty perfect to me. Now we have more to think about and decide. But not right now, since it'll be a game-time decision if we decide to try a vaginal birth. It all depends on the way the first baby is facing.

And then we learned something VERY cool. The idea of a breach baby is not a danger to the baby per se, but the legs and hips are not the widest things so they won't stretch the cervix the proper amount to let the baby / babies out. What this means is that if the FIRST baby is facing the right direction and comes out head first, then the second baby came come out however it chooses, even feet first!

Next appointments are 3, 5 and 7 weeks from now. The  week appointment is the full anatomy scan!