Taking One For The Team

(10w2d)
The first few days after our appt with Dr. Peri and our phone consult (90 minutes long!) with Dr. El.liott were overwhelming. I was drowning in stats... most of them not very favorable. It took me a few days, but I did come to realize that the answers we were looking for would not be found in the statistics. Partially because there is very little relevant data in regards to quints, and even less in terms of the situation with the twins and the effect they may have on the rest of the fetuses. The numbers cannot tell us what will happen in our particular case (especially as I am not known for following the averages...). Dr. El.liott was great and at least somewhat reassuring although the twins (in particular the fact they aren't doing well and their location) make this an unusual situation and even more high risk than a "normal" quint pregnancy. Well, of course. Not only can I not just get pregnant like others, or just have one or two fetuses like everyone else... no... I have to get pregnant with quints and even then I manage to come up with a complicating factor (i.e., the twins) that hasn't been dealt with in a quint pregnancy to term before. Fabulous.

I am calmer and more peaceful than last week. For reasons I won’t get into here, it became clear to me over the weekend how we should proceed...

Plan A: Move to Arizona in two months if still have the quintuplets
Plan B: Stay home and deliver triplets if we lose the twins
Plan C: Do another few IVF cycles or take a cruise around the world and forget the whole "having children" thing if this all goes to pot and I lose the entire litter.

Now we will just wait and see what is in store for us.

I finally gave in and went maternity clothes shopping today. None of my summer clothes fit, and it is already getting warm where we live. I bought a B.ella band to prolong the amount of time that I can stay in my jeans, and I bought several tops to wear with the few pair of nice pants I can still fit into for work (granted, with the top button undone…)

Dr. El.liott told me I should be eating 5,000 calories a day. I am already significantly behind the weight goals for a quint mom. I have much catching up to do. According to him, my ideal food is a Big Mac, a fudge sundae or a banana split. He considers all veggies to be “junk food” and “empty calories” and I should avoid them whenever possible in favor of high calorie foods. I know it sounds fabulous! Who wouldn’t want to eat as much fattening junk food as humanly possible every day? And although it is nice to be able to eat what I want when I want it… it is a serious shift in my diet and is difficult to get used to. And eating such food every day is not nearly as fun as it sounds. But as I told Dr. El.liott, I suppose I will sacrifice by eating a fudge sundae and “take one for the team.” :-)

I am waiting to hear when my next US will be (either late on Wednesday or sometime on Thursday).

I Have Some Good News And Some Bad News...

The last set of quints born in Las Vegas was in 1987.
The last set of quads born in Las Vegas was in 1997.

Which means there is no one currently practicing here that has delivered quints.

I called the office of Dr. E.lliott… known by some as the “Q.uad God”. He is the most experienced MD in the US in regards to treatment of women with high order multiples. His quints on average gestate nearly three weeks longer than the national average. I heard a rumor that he would consult with local Perinatologists for women who were unable to travel to Arizona. So I called and talked to one of his nurses. He will consult with my doctor, but will also do a phone consult with us to give us an idea of our odds, his recommendations, etc.

I tentatively set one up for Friday.

As an aside, my insurance agreed that if my Perinatologist says my case requires treatment and experience not available here, they will most likely pay for me to be treated in Arizona.

So armed with such information, we met with the Perinatologist this morning.
He will hereafter and forever more (or at least until I change his name) be known as Dr. Peri.

Dr. Peri was nice but also very straightforward... no sugar coating for sure.

The twins are monochorionic (25% miscarriage rate and risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome).
And are lying over my cervix.
Apparently this is significant b/c loss of the twins, increases the risk of losing the whole pregnancy (and as a reminder, the twins are not progressing normally).

He was very clear from the beginning that my “situation” is beyond the experience of those in our state. He strongly recommended that I speak with (or travel to meet with) a good friend of his who happens to be the US guru of high order multiple pregnancies. This MD has delivered close to 100 quads, and several sets of quints. You guessed it… Dr. E.lliott.

After the ultrasound, Dr. Peri called Dr. E.lliott and told him about me.

We have a phone consult with him tonight.

This pregnancy has just gotten even more complicated than expected.

But I am confident at least that I have great doctors on my side.
That has to count for something.

Will update tomorrow.

And Then There Were... Five

9w2d
I really wasn't expecting this.
I expected to be titling my post "And Then There Were... Four"

But Runt is still struggling along.
He is still a good week behind.
The other ID twin also remains questionable.

Here is the US picture from today. Baby E is still crammed up against the right side of my uterus in this view, but you can see at least parts of the others quite well. And if you look at Baby A just right... feet at the top of the sac, arms in the middle and face at the bottom-- the face resembles a pug dog that is really annoyed :-).



Perinatologist on Wednesday...

So Much For "Morning" Sickness

So I have been asked by several people whether or not I have much in the way of morning sickness. A few days ago I was preparing to write a post about how lucky I have been... that my nausea and vomiting have been manageable.

But I have been too busy being sick the last few days to blog.

Yes, I was feeling all smug that despite the litter I am carrying, I was eating pretty much whatever I wanted... as long as I ate every 30 minutes from 3am to 10pm. But in the last few days that has changed. I am now officially "Morning-noon-and-night sick".

Trust me.

I take slight perverse pleasure in the sickness, as it would seem to indicate that I remain in the knocked-up state. But however reassuring the nausea has been, I have had some trouble keeping enough fluids down today. And I have lost 2 lbs in the last 3 days... not a good thing with 5 buns in the oven.

Dr. D just called in a prescription for Z.ofran (aka. Wonder Pills).
Who knows... I might just be able to eat dinner tonight...

****************

Our last appointment with Dr. D (complete with an US) was scheduled for today. A few days ago the Fertility Center called up to reschedule for Monday. I was surprisingly nonplussed by the change. Previously, such a postponement would send me into a bit of a tizzy. Waiting three extra days can feel like an eternity. But this week I have been quite calm about the whole Pregnant-with-quintuplets thing. Don't get me wrong, I am anxious to see how many of the little buggers still have a heartbeat.

But I can wait until Monday.

Another Look in the 'Ol Uterus

I talked Dr. D into giving me another ultrasound today (7w6d)
And I am so glad that I did.

The three embryos (A, B and E) with individual sacs all look good... they grew 4mm each (all now 14mm) and their heart rates are now in the 150s.



The set of identical twins is another story.
Baby "C" (which I have lovingly nicknamed "runt") was the one on the last US that was small with a heart rate of 98.
Today (4 days later), it has grown 2mm, but the heart rate remains at 100.
Dr. D is pretty sure we will be losing that fetus.

Baby "D" (C's identical twin) is giving us mixed messages.
D only grew 1mm, but the heart rate increased into the 150s.
So a little unsure which way that fetus is going to go.

I never expected I would ever have occasion to say so...
I am relieved that it appears we may only have quadruplets.

There is a chance this will turn into triplets (which really, after looking at quintuplets, sounds like a piece of cake...). A triplet pregnancy is not nearly as scary as a quad/quint pregnancy.

I have been trying to decide between two perinatologists. I have heard great things about both, and they are also the two that Dr. D is recommending. I called one to make an appointment and the scheduler said he didn't have openings for at least three weeks... that is... until I told her I was pregnant with quintuplets.

She is clearing his schedule for me.
(Amazing how much power one word... "quintuplets"... holds!)

Five

That is how many heartbeats we saw on our US today (7w2d).
Five.

We have quintuplets.

WHHHAAATTT? (Yes, that was my reaction...)

It appears all four of the embryos implanted... and one split.
Four of them are measuring well and have heartbeats in the 130's.
One of the twins is half the size of the others and has a heartbeat in the 90's.

The sac in the upper right is actually split in two, you just can't see it well in this picture.

Matt and I are... well... stunned.
And excited, scared, giddy, anxious, elated, etc.

No wonder my pants are already getting tight...
I will have more to say soon.
Tonight... well... I am a bit overwhelmed.