Ultrasound Appt. Update

We went in for the 20 week anatomy scan on Monday.  We give thanks to our Lord that both babies are developing normally!  The room where the scan was done was large with a flat screen TV up on the wall so Tom and I could watch everything that the tech was doing.  It was so amazing to see every little part of their beings.  Both the tech and the doctor commented on how active they both were -- translated "I can't see what I need to see or measure because this baby won't hold still!"

These precious little boys now have names -- Jonathan and Benjamin.  Jonathan, also known as Baby A, is lying lower on my right side and Benjamin, Baby B, is a little higher on my left.  Jonathan is Baby A due to his positioning which will make him the first to arrive.  At Monday's scan, Jonathan weighed 1.1 lbs., and Benjamin weighed 13 oz.  Of course these numbers are approximate, but there is a difference in their growth at this point, with Jonathan measuring about two weeks ahead of Benjamin (J at 22 weeks, B at 20 weeks).  This is not a concern being that the twins are dizygotic, meaning that they came from two different zygotes or eggs.  They each have their own sac and placenta, and are developing individually as if they were each a singleton pregnancy.  If they were sharing a placenta, the concern would be that Jonathan is getting more nutrients than Benjamin, but that is not the case.  It is always interesting to me to see how the babies are laying inside of me.  So far, the only two positions they have been in are breech (head up) and vertex (head down).  At my 17 week hospital visit, Jonathan was vertex and Benjamin was breech.  Three days later at my doctor's appointment, Jonathan was breech and Benjamin was vertex.  Three weeks later at the 20 week scan, they were still holding the same positions.  Since Benjamin will be arriving second, his position isn't as much of a concern as Jonathan's.  The preference is for Jonathan to be vertex, although my doctor won't hesitate to do a breech delivery given his many years of experience doing so.  It's ME that would prefer a vertex delivery!

After the scan was done, a maternal/fetal medicine doctor came in to meet with us.  She told us that the babies looked as if they were both developing normally and that the pregnancy appeared to be going well.  Her only concern was the placement of Jonathan's placenta which is very close to my cervix, and what appears to be a piece of his placenta that has broken off.  She doesn't believe that the small piece that has broken off will cause any trouble for me or the babies, but it would explain the episode I had on June 30th.  I was disappointed to hear that something like that could happen again, but at least we would know the cause.  She wants to see me regularly in addition to my regular appointments with my OB for the rest of the pregnancy, of which I am very glad.  Two heads are better than one! 

As we approach the 21 week milestone tomorrow, Tom and I rejoice in the Lord for each and every day He has graciously given us with these two little ones.  Truly, we rejoice and thank Him for every day He has given us with all of our children!  Each of them was chosen by Him to be a part of our family, and each one is unique and fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God!