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Expecting Multiples


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Twin Pregnancy Diary

The Full Ultrasound
(Originally posted Feb. 15, 2001)--Today was a momentous day in the Sanders Family. On Week 21, Day 6 of Diane's pregnancy, we were able to have a full ultrasound taken (there is probably some technical term for this type of ultrasound, but we're not sure what it would be--some people may refer to it as a level 2 ultrasound).

The full ultrasound took about 45 minutes for the twins and allowed us to see each body part of both Baby A and Baby B. Except for their sex organs, which we reminded both the doctor and nurse that we did want to know. The full ultrasound provided us the reassuring news that each baby appears to be perfectly healthy and is growing well.

Feb. 15 Full Ultrasound image

The image above isn't real clear, but was the only photo of the two together that we were able to take home. That's Baby A on the right and Baby B on the left, separated by a very thin membrane (which we enhanced with a white line--the real membrane is too tough to see when we reduced the photo to put online).

The fact that the twins have a thin membrane separating them and that there is just one placenta (according to the doctor) doesn't tell us anything about their zygosity (whether they are identical or fraternal). Our doctor said she could have told us if they were the same sex or different sexes, but we told her we didn't want to know yet.

Here's what we did find out. Baby B is slighly bigger at this point, weighing 15 ounces, while Baby A checked in at 13 ounces. Those are both good weights at this stage (21 weeks) of the pregnancy. They both have the same amniotic fluid level, another good sign. Each organ they looked at (heart, liver, kidneys, brain, etc.) looked great. And they were both very active!

One of the really neat things about the ultrasound is you get to take home a videotape of all the action. The twins will probably want to watch the latest Disney movie first, but one day we hope to all watch their first home movie together...


Resources That Helped Us...
Raising Twins Mothering Multiples When You're Expecting Twins... Raising Multiple Birth Children Double Duty : The Parents' Guide to Raising Twins

More Twin Pregnancy Diary Entries

Entry 1: We Hear the News!
Entry 2: Learning & Waiting Period
Entry 3: When Does the Kicking Start?
Entry 4: ANA Test Results
Entry 5: A Valentine's Day Poem for Our Unborn Twins
Entry 6: The Full Ultrasound (You're Here Now)
Entry 7: The Dreaded 'B' Word
Entry 8: Getting the Nursery Ready
Entry 9: Approaching the Big 3-0
Entry 10: Bigger and Bigger
Entry 11: Naming the Twins
Entry 12: The Home Stretch?
Entry 13: Resting for the Big Day
Entry 14: The Countdown Begins...
Entry 15: D-Day
Entry 16: The Twins Arrive!
Entry 17: Labor and Delivery--A Week Later
Photos: The Twins Arrive Home!
More Photos: July, 2001
More Photos: The Twins First Trip--August, 2001