I wanted to share the "Honey, I'm pregnant" story with y'all. I found out the morning of September 5th when Ian was at work. I was trying to come up with a clever way to share this news with him. I took a picture of the test & kept looking at it confirming the positive result I had seen. It seemed unreal! I have a little mailbox that I made Ian and I frequently fill it with love notes & such. That is how I wanted to tell him. I decided to write him a note & attach the picture. But it wasn't quite enough, so I went to WalMart & found this adorable pair of baby shoes that say "Dad's Team" on them. I placed everything in a shoe box along with a single shoe of Ian's. The baby shoes were inside his shoe. We created someone to walk in his footsteps. The note read, "Babe, I'm not sure how to tell you this, so I'll let the shoes & picture speak for themselves. Congratulations! I love you!" Upon reading it, he was perplexed, and had no idea what was in the shoe box. He certainly was not thinking BABY. He opened the box, and said, "Really? Are you serious?" :) Yup...pretty darn :) Now I'm twice the serious! He informed me recently that he needs another pair of baby shoes :)
Not the greatest picture, but tis true! Ian and I are pregnant with TWINS!! We had our first doctors appointment yesterday. Our little miracles are 8 weeks along. We are overwhelmed & overjoyed! This wasn't planned, but also wasn't prevented. So it is the Lord's perfect timing. Thankfully, I am not suffering too much from morning sickness & haven't found anything that these two won't eat :) Ian and I are thrilled! It is so unbelievably amazing!!
We ask for your continued prayers over us through this process. The rare term for our twins is Monoamniotic. This is a very high risk pregnancy, but we serve an amazing God that has already numbered the days of our twins lives. Thank you for your prayers & for sharing in our joy!
Info below found on pregnancy-info.net
What are Monoamniotic Twins? Monoamniotic twins are identical twins that develop inside the same amniotic sac. Also known as MoMo twins (Monoamniotic-Monochorionic), monoamniotic twins are always identical. These share a placenta within their mother’s uterus, but have two separate umbilical cords for nourishment. Monoamniotic twins are rare, occurring in approximately 1 in 35,000 to 1 in 60,000 pregnancies. Monoamniotic triplets can also develop, but this is extremely rare.
Unfortunately, monoamniotic twins are at great risk for health complications due to the close proximity of the two umbilical cords in the amniotic sac. This makes it particularly easy for the twins to become entangled in each other’s cords, or to compress one another’s cords, endangering their oxygen and food supply. The survival rate for monoamniotic twins is approximately 50%.
Why Do Monoamniotic Twins Form? No one is really sure why monoamniotic twins develop. Identical twins (also known as monozygotic twins) develop from a single fertilized egg that splits at some point after fertilization. Typically, this split occurs a few days after fertilization, just after the placenta forms but before the development of the amniotic sacs. These twins share a placenta but have individual amniotic sacs.
However, sometimes the fertilized embryo does not split until after the formation of the amniotic sac. As a result, these identical twins share both a placenta and an amniotic sac.
Recent research has shown a correlation between the number of yolk sacs present in pregnancy and the number of amniotic sacs twins will have. The yolk sac forms just after conception occurs and is thought to play a role in nourishing the developing embryo. With twins, there can be one yolk sac or two yolk sacs.
It has been found that twins with two yolk sacs are much more likely to have two separate amniotic sacs. On the other hand, twins with just one yolk sac seem to be more likely to have only one amniotic sac. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to detect the number of yolk sacs present during pregnancy, because the yolk sac disappears in the initial weeks of the first trimester.
Complications Associated with Monoamniotic Twins Unfortunately, monoamniotic twins face a lot of potential health hazards throughout pregnancy. Many of these can be life threatening, so it is important to make sure that you receive specialized care if you are experiencing this type of twin pregnancy. Possible complications include:
Cord Entanglement: Cord entanglement is one of the main complications associated with monoamniotic twins. Because the twins have no amniotic membrane separating them, their umbilical cords can easily become entangled. This can hinder fetal movement and development. Additionally, if the twins become tied together in the uterus, one twin may become stuck in the birth canal during labor and delivery, which can be life threatening. Cord entanglement happens to some degree in almost all monoamniotic pregnancies.
Cord Compression: Cord compression is another life threatening condition common in monoamniotic twins. As the twins move around in the amniotic sac, it is possible that one will compress the other’s umbilical cord. This can prevent vital nutrients and blood from traveling to the other baby, resulting in fetal death.
Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS): Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome can occur in monoamniotic twins. This syndrome happens when one twin receives the majority of the nourishment in the womb, causing the other twin to become undernourished and sickly. Typically, TTTS is diagnosed by examining fluid levels in the two amniotic sacs. But because monoamniotic twins only have one amniotic sac, diagnosis of TTTS is much more difficult. Diagnosis rests on comparing the physical development of both of the twins.
Preterm Birth: All monoamniotic twins are born premature. This is because full-term pregnancy is deemed unsafe by most medical professionals. The risk for cord entanglement and compression simply becomes too great after 34 weeks. For this reason, all monoamniotic twins are delivered by cesarean section at 34 weeks. However, many monoamniotic twins experience life-threatening complications as early as 26 weeks, and need to be delivered immediately. Preterm delivery is often associated with a number of life-threatening conditions.
For those of you that don't know, the "Grand Chawhee" is a reference to the movie "All dogs go to Heaven" and has been a title that my siblings & I pass on to each other when we have a birthday in the family.
Yes, today's my 26th birthday!!! I wanted to post something because of the date. 09/09/09 :) It is my special birthday. Not everyone gets one of those. Pretty cool, huh! Yes, 26 means I'm one year closer to 30, but I'm ok with that. As they say, "Growing old is inevitable; Growing up is optional."
The Lord has been SO good to me! And I look forward to many more years of serving & glorifying Him! Thank you for your well-wishes!!
Tis true. Ian and I now have a facebook account. It will not say much as I really enjoy communicating via blog, but at least we can now keep up with friends a little better.
I heard from my baby brother! He left for the Army on August 17th. He mailed us a letter letting us know that he is doing well. He has made quite the reputation for himself, earning the title "Jesus" Jeff as he exhibits his faith to others. No doubt he will make a huge impact on this world for Christ.
PFC Jeff Merryman - 4th Platoon - Alpha Company - 1st Battalion - 13th Infantry Regiment.
Ain't that a mouth full :) We are so proud of him! We appreciate your prayerful support for he & our troops.
We met freshman year(2002) at Western Baptist College, fell in love, got married, moved to Texas, had 3 beautiful daughters, and are living life and loving the Lord!!
