Twins!!

As you can see from the ultrasound picture above, we are expecting two more little Charters to arrive most likely mid/end April!  Both babies are doing very well so far and are almost the same size (6 cm from crown to rump). We had the 12-week scan yesterday and both of them displayed a very high level of activity and a rather worrying degree of stubbornness.  (It is always rather concerning when you realize that you might be passing on certain genetic traits  to your children... :-))  Just as Samuel did at the same stage, neither of them were still for an instant.  They waved hands and feet and bounced around.  There were times it almost looked like they could feel each other through their amniotic sac walls (they are side by side) and they were already pushing each other around!

We had the scan done at the clinique where we plan to give birth.  It's a 25-min drive from our house and has a good reputation as well as having a basic neonatology unit (important for us as there is a high probability that the twins will come early - typically at 36-38 weeks).

The doctor that performed the ultrasound for us was wonderful.  She tried 3 different scan probes, kept jabbing me repeatedly, but nothing would get the babies to move into (and keep!) a position where she could get the measurements and pictures she needed to make sure that all was well with them.  If they did move into position, it was only fleeting - and at one point we could have sworn that we could see one of the babies smiling at us as this was happening!  The doctor spent an hour and a half with us, talking to and cajoling the babies, and even got me to walk around the building for 5 minutes to help the babies move around... and eventually we got enough detail that it seems that all is well with them.

We will have monthly scans from now on, so hope to know more (including maybe the gender of the babies) next month.  In the meantime we are figuring out the French medical system, trying to book a doula to help us (and translate!) for the birth, and dealing with the twice-as-bad nausea that comes from having twins (2x the hormones).

We cannot say enough good things about New York Presbyterian/Cornell, where we did our IVF in August.  They truly are the best in the field as after 2 visits we now have the possibility of 3 children - where before, after disappointing results elsewhere, we weren't sure of having any.

The great news is that we finally get to benefit from being on a French contract with P&G - I will have a 9 month paid maternity leave!  I expect to stop work around end Feb (if not earlier) and return to work in Dec / Jan.  Of course... we will need this as the babies will likely arrive around the time of Samuel's 2nd birthday, so our lives are about to get extremely hectic.  We also don't know when (and where) we will need to move again.  I will have to be replaced in my job in France, so will need to change country again for a new job.  We will let you know more when we do!

In the meantime, we continue with life as semi-usual, with me spending most of my non-work time asleep and/or suffering severe nausea (hopefully all over in the next few weeks!) and Dave being his amazing self in looking after (spoiling) me and having to be a mostly single parent to Samuel.  The strangest thing is the speed at which my belly is growing... I had to move into maternity clothes at 10.5 weeks and am sure that I will soon be as big as a house!

Julia (+ the 2 little bouncy bumps)