HOLY COW, IT'S BEEN FOREVER!!!!

Okay, it's about time I update this; SOOO much has happened! Where to start....the SEXES!!! So way back, I think at the July 5th appointment, we were told that it looked like 1 girl and 1 boy and the other two were unknown.  Not any more!!!!  July 26th we found out we are having 2 BOYS AND 2 GIRLS!!!! (every time I write more than one exclamation point I feel like I need four!) How perfect is that! Now, here are the pics and unless you are a sonographer, you might have a hard time seeing their special little parts :)

 

This has definitely been the funnest appointment yet! Other than seeing the BOYS AND GIRLS, I love it when Charlie tries to make out what we are looking at! "Is that a wiener, it's huge!?!?" "HA HA sorry, no, it's the umbilical cord." "I think I see a wiener!" "Nope, we're still on baby's head." (sonographer) "I think this one's a boy, but I'm having a hard time seeing." "Is it because his wiener is so small?" To say the least, he was rooting for his boys! We are both THRILLED and so excited to start picking names and clothes and all the STUFF that comes with these little angels!

Lastly, I thought I might as well post the first baby bump pic of me.  I'm finally looking prego!!!!

Even though this post is dated July 26th, It's really Sept 12 and I have so much more to share....more to come! :)

SEXES

At last week's appt. Dr Cousins said we'd be able to see the sexes this week!  It's the second in depth ultrasound (they've scheduled 30 minutes for each munchkin!) and we are soooo excited!  I'm rooting for 3 girls 1 boy, Charlie 3 boys 1 girl but two of each would be nice too.  Countdown to 10:45 tomorrow morning is on!!!

12 Week Ultrasound Nuchal Translucency (NT) Scan

The 12 Week Ultrasound Nuchal Translucency (NT) Scan would be able to tell if the babies would be born with genetic disorders, such as Downs Syndrome.  Happy to report that Team Sandness is still healthy and are looking great!  This has been my favorite appointment yet and the pictures show why!

 

Although it is really early, too early to officially declare, the ultrasound tech thinks that A is a BOY and that B is a GIRL!!!!  C and D were moving too much for her to see but YAY!  Looks like we have one of each so far!  BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!  At the rate they are growing, this may be one of the last times we can see all four in one ultrasound shot!

Team Sandness, take 2

our new primary doctor

Last week's appointment was so the hospital could gather our information.  Now we were here to consult with Dr. Cousins.  He would be the one to perform the actual procedure (if we were going to reduce) and was going to answer any other questions we had...and decide if he would take me on as a patient!

When he walked into the room, we felt the same comfort we felt with Dr. Adamczak last week.  His greeting was warm, kind, and caring.  After looking at the babies himself, we went to his office and started to talk.  Before getting into the 'meat' of the conversation, he asked us which way we were leaning.  After telling him we really didn't want to reduce, his response was a smile, and he said, "okay great, let's get on with the discussion then."  We reviewed the research he has done and published, but the way he covered the risks, helped us understand that while they are risks, and the statistics say what they do, they are only that...statistics.  Every person is different, every pregnancy is unique, and each case is individual.  He agreed that Sharp Mary Birch and his team of doctors had several years combined experience, and would be able to provide us and our babies the best possible care.

WONDERFUL!!!  Not only did we feel good about our decision, we now felt like we had a doctor, a team of them really, who supported us.  We're in good shape now!!!

insurance

After having appointments at both hospitals, we decided that Balboa was not for us.  Being in the military, insurance and referrals dictate where you can be seen.  After several phone calls, I learned that I WOULD be able to be seen at Sharp!  MUSIC TO OUR EARS!!  As long as my new doctor approved taking over my care, I was covered!  An answer to our prayers is putting it lightly.  Keeping our fingers crossed, we prepared to meet Dr. Cousins (the consulting doctor).

encouraging news...a decision is made

June 14th arrived and we still don't know what to do.  All of the 'what ifs' are killing us.  Will I be able to carry them long enough to develop as fully as possible?  If we "reduce" will it give the other two a better chance of survival?  What about money.  Can we afford four babies?  These are just some of the things that were racing through our minds.  We didn't know what to expect at this appointment, but based on the last one, we thickened up our skins and prepared for the worst (PLUS this time we had my mom with us...protective, Irish temper and all :)).

We arrived at Sharp Mary Birch so our consultation doctor could take pictures of the babies and get an idea of what we were dealing with.  The complete Team Sandness are all still viable and doing well!  When the doctor walked in, I was at ease immediately.  Her presence alone was comforting to be around.  After explaining that we somewhat knew what we were in for, we still didn't know what to do.  "Well, here are some POSITIVE things to consider."  She then went on to show and explain to us that if we did decide to carry all four, we were in the best possible situation.  Each baby has it's own amniotic sac when often times it is shared.  We learned that if they were to share, you would have a 'giver' and a 'taker.'  At birth, the 'taker' would be born stronger than the 'giver' because all the nutrients, etc. will have been divided.  In our case, each baby has has a fighting chance (that might explain why I am hungry ALL THE TIME!).

Another risk that every pregnant woman deals with but it is increased in multiples is preeclampsia.  Preeclampsia is high blood pressure and if untreated can lead to serious problems, even death; BUT the only treatment for it is delivery.  Dr. Adams explained that while it is something to consider, I was at low risk.  Preeclampsia didn't run in my family, I am at a good age, I'm not obese, and don't have a history of high blood pressure, migraine headaches, diabetes, kidney disease, or rheumatoid arthritis.

After we discussed a few other things, she said that, in her opinion, our biggest focus would need to be to keep the babies in as long as possible and resources were available to aid in the process.

We left the hospital, both feeling really good!  Over the next few days we put our material fears aside and really prayed, thought about, and discussed the lives we were going to bring into this world.  Will I be able to carry them long enough to develop as fully as possible?  Well, we know they'll be born early, but babies are born early all the time!  I won't carry them full term, but with some help, we CAN do everything possible to keep 'em in!  If we "reduce" will it give the other two a better chance of survival?  That's a no-brainer.  Sure it will...right? not necessarily.  What about the chance of the procedure ending the entire pregnancy?  If all we're going on here is 'what if,' well what if?  What about money.  Can we afford four babies?  LOL, oh money.  Does anyone ever have enough?  I would venture to say no.  So we'll have to make some cutbacks.  I can always learn how to sew!  Neither one of us came from 'rich' backgrounds and we ended up okay.  We both have wonderful childhood memories...most coming from feeling the love of being a family.  Both of our parents made it work, why can't we?  

Sure it will be hard but anything worth having is worth working for right?  What do you know, maybe we can do this.  No, not maybe, we CAN do this!  It's time to make a decision.  We have been fervently trying and praying that we'll be able to have a family and Heavenly Father has now blessed us with the opportunity.  No looking back now.  Risks and all, we are moving forward...with ALL FOUR OF OUR BABIES!!!

the appointment we hope to forget

We had our first appointment with the fetal assessment "specialist" doctor at the main hospital today and don't think we'll be going back.  The first half of the encounter went really well!  She took measurements and heartbeats and Team Sandness is growing like crazy!

The second half however...while we appreciate and realize that we need to know all the risks we are about to embark on, we especially didn't appreciate being told, among other things, that while I and the babies could die, Charlie and I might end up divorced ("because you know that the divorce rate in this country is already 50%, and with the stresses having quadruplets will bring, your chances go up from there" to be exact), we will have a loss of income because obviously I won't be able to work (ya think!?), and that given Charlie's job as a Marine, I will be a single parent while he deploys.  What about the positive things?  Surely there were some!  Did I mention that as I started to cry, she handed me a used paper-towel to wipe my eyes and her office door was open while the other nurses were out there laughing and having a nice chat? 

By the time the appointment was over, we were done.  Had to get out of there.  The next few weeks were pretty rough.  Although everything we learned at that awful appointment was dreadful to think about, we did have to think about and consider what she said.  Should we "reduce" the pregnancy to two babies?  Something we were and are very uncomfortable even thinking about, let alone actually considering.  Because the military insurance doesn't perform or pay for "reductions," we were given a referral to consult with another doctor at a civilian hospital.  That appointment was scheduled for June 14th and in the meantime, we had a lot of thinking, researching, and PRAYING to do. 

and we have a count!!!!

The past two weeks have been the longest EVER!  After the message from Dr. W the 22nd of May was the soonest I could get in for an ultrasound.  We were excited more than anything but terrified at the same time.  He was really anxious to “see how many were in there.”  HE was anxious, how do you think WE felt!  10am rolls around and we’re sitting in the waiting room talking.  “I think two” Charlie says.  “I don’t know what to think!” I say.  We get in the room.  “Okay” the Dr. says, “are you ready?”  Thinking back, I laugh...I don't think we could have done anything to prepare for the following news!

I don’t even know how to say what I’m about to say so here goes…he (the doctor) starts on the right side.

“There’s one” as he points to the monitor..."

“and two”

 

“and three”

 “and baby number four.”

"Are you SURE that's it!?" is my response!  "We're going to need a bigger car," says Charlie.  "We're going to need a bigger house...we're going to need a bigger everything!!!"

Team Sandness, take 1

dr approved #2

2nd blood test...HCG level is multiplying like crazy!

Listen to the message I got from the doc!

dr approved #1

It's true!  Went in for blood test and dr called back with a congratulations!  "Now" he says, "how stressed out would you be if I told you it might be multiples?  The HCG is really high, so there is a chance."  My reply, "hey, it's positive!  Let's focus on that!  Plus, twins would be great!"  Him - "Well let's hope it is just twins!"

the results

Two weeks (and one day, to be exact) after the procedure (2nd round of IUI).  Should I take one or should I just wait.  The dreaded 'pregnancy test.'  Two years of negative results, didn't know if I wanted to see another.  7am, I'm awake and can't sleep.  Eh, what the heck, it's early enough I'll just go back to sleep if it's negative.  10 minutes later I'm standing at the sink and the second square on the stick..........is slowly..............is that a line?  I can't tell.  CHARLIE!!!!!!  He runs in, "what's wrong?"  He looks at the stick.  "I think I see a line!"  I go to the trash, (I secretly took a test the previous Wednesday) wanted to see what a negative 'stick' looked like....or so I thought...to my surprise (surprise is an understatement here) it was a positive test!  By this time the line on the one I just took was becoming more and more defined.  YEP!!  IT IS TRUE....POSITIVELY PREGNANT!!!!!!