Heartbeat...s

Thank you, everyone, for your advice regarding OBs (I still can't type that without thinking of tiny tampons...). Shortly after I posted, it occurred to me that the receptionist at my RE's office might know of some options, so I called her and she shared a few names with me. I had gotten recommendations from my RE previously, but he rattled off, like, 10 names to me shortly after I walked out of my first ultrasound when I was a little dazed at having seen two sacs and had nothing to write on and also was trying to absorb all of the prescription medication changes he was making, and instructions on how to use the new progesterone, and who I needed to talk to next, etc., so I clearly don't remember most of what he said. I did remember a few names, because at that point, I was thinking that I wanted to go with a doctor who practiced with the same hospital with which my GP is affiliated. But then, I found out that EVERYONE delivers at the hospital with which my GP is associated, so no matter which hospital group you're associated with, when it comes to obstetrics in this area, you're technically associated with both hospitals, so it doesn't really matter. Second, I also wanted to get my GP's recommendations, because I love her, and she knows me as a patient, and she has never disappointed me with a referral. So I asked for some from her, found the point at which her list and my RE's list matched and then went from there. Which would be the point at which I met disappointment.

So, again, I spoke with the receptionist yesterday and she suggested (duh) that I consider going through the local university practice, since they are technically the same practice group as my RE's office, and thus, they see a lot of IVF patients. So I called their practice (amylynn- I think Dr. Fernandez practices there, if I've got my groups right), and they got me in for a new patient appointment in two weeks, which I think is more than acceptable. At their clinic, apparently you see the nurse on the first appointment, and given your specific circumstances and desires regarding care and delivery, etc., they suggest doctors in their practice which suit your desires. And that sounds pretty practical to me.

Of course, I cannot see the OB until I am released from my RE's care.

So good thing I went in this morning to see this:


Sparkle, aka Baby A


Flicker, aka Baby B

So yes, for those of you playing along, Flicker decided to pony up and grow a little, catching up almost completely to Sparkle. Both little things were on their best German compliant behavior and let us get an excellent look at their heartbeats (120 and 140, respectively, though apparently that's a normal variation at this stage), and a crown to rump length measurement and a perfect view of their yolk sacs and fetal poles. Which means, barring tragedy (knocking on all wood in a 10 ft radius), it's officially two.

Fuuuuuuuugh.

Two hearts. Two babies. Oh, my.

So, that's what's up in my world. Six weeks, six days today.

Symptom watch finds me with some increasing boob tenderness (actually, to be precise, it's nipple/aureola tenderness, where if I roll the wrong way and put pressure on my boobs the wrong way, it feels like someone is jabbing a knitting needle through the center of my boob. Bizarre.), continued exhaustion, typical moodiness, continued smell aversion, a desire to eat all kinds of really bad food (the blander, the better- buttered parsley noodles for dinner last night with steamed squash- delish, but not very flavorful, mashed potatoes, applesauce, etc.), and what I think was my first hint of morning sickness, though in my case, it would actually be three-a.m.-wake-you-up-feeling-barfy sickness, to be specific. It went away after I ate a mini multigrain rice cake thing (the closest I could find to a cracker at three a.m.), and came back after the whole 5-ish calories was digested, but by that point, I was too out of it to go back for more, so I just suffered through till I fell asleep thirty minutes later. But today, it's just been a really growly stomach all day, and occasional uprisings of the ever-growing question mark in my belly. So, still mostly okay, still hanging in there. Considering that I've got an advancing German army in my uterus (and if you know the reputation of German invaders, they aren't the "leave only footprints, take only memories" kind of invaders... they're more the trash-and-conquer types...), or, as Rachel so quaintly put it, an "entire German squash team in there" (which led to an interesting discussion on the way to the doctor's office today-- are there really only two members of a squash team? Are there less in German squash? Or is it a universal sport? Who knows?)-- um, yeah, considering all of that, I think I feel pretty darn good.

Two. Holy McMoly. There are really, truly two extra hearts beating inside me...

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