Twin Pregnancy Diary - 24 Weeks

Breathing a little easier now our two boys have reached 24 weeks and it all is still going smoothly. Since we found out they are actually MC/DA it's like a great weight has been lifted of our shoulders and I feel so much more relaxed. I had another scan last week and a check up with my original consultant  I feel much better after seeing her and being able to discuss things with a positive attitude. We are back to expecting them at 36/37 weeks and depending on their position or my preference, I can go for a natural birth or a caesarean  That is something I'm still not quite ready to make a decision about but hopefully we'll have a few months yet.

The babies are now proportioned like newborns while all their organs continue to develop and they put weight on. The growth of both of them is still on track and they are very active. At my last scan they were both breech but I can feel them moving so I'm sure they will continue to switch position for a few weeks yet. Apparently they will stop in one position soon as their won't be much room for them to turn. I can feel them much more than I ever did with Lucas, he never kept me awake at night but these two are starting too.

I'm feeling a lot bigger all of a sudden; I can't even imagine what the last few weeks will be like this time round. I'm also absolutely ravenous! I've gone from having to practically force myself to keep eating to just hovering around the kitchen while I eat anything that comes to hand. I'm taking this as a good sign that my body is preparing for the growing twins. I'm definitely feeling the aches and pains as I get bigger but they aren't bad enough to stop me getting out. Overall physically I still feel good, if it hadn't been for the emotions of the last few weeks this pregnancy would have been trouble free.

I've started putting some things together for my hospital bag; as there is a higher chance of twins arriving early I need to be prepared. Of course this is a great excuse to pick up little mini goodies to stock up my wash bag (alongside the obligatory massive pants!) I have another scan and consultant appointment booked for two weeks then all being well they'll go down to every four weeks and before we know it we'll be preparing for our extra additions.

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 23 Weeks An Early Update

Another emotionally exhausting week has passed and I'm updating a little earlier than usual because so much has changed. We've had some amazing news about our twins that has been a total weight of my shoulders but at the same time feeling very let down by our original hospital. If you've been following my pregnancy diary you'll know that early on I was told the twins appeared to be MC/MA sharing a placenta and sac. When I looked into to it myself it seemed that they sometimes spotted the membrane later on but 5 scans later my notes hadn't changed and no one had told me any different. I had a very scary conversation with the consultant and had to face up to the fact that these babies might not survive  We were referred to a specialist at a different hospital, went in for our scan which was with a lovely Doctor and one of the first things she spotted...a membrane! I held my breath while she checked the babies out and had a double check but even we could see it. All I felt was absolute relieve and struggled to keep my emotions in check while she finished the scan. 

I could not be happier that our twins have been confirmed to now be MC/DA meaning they are still identical, sharing a placenta but in separate sacs. One of the first things she explained was that there is no risk of cord entanglement now - the thing that was keeping me awake at night as my original consultant hadn't given me much hope. She also said I could now be referred back to my original hospital for the rest of my care. The thought does not fill me with much joy; the ante-natal department only spotted the MC/MA on my notes at 20 weeks and I've had it confirmed that I should have seen the doctors at the specialist hospital straight after it was first suspected. Fair enough they still may not have picked it up until later on but I had more information and reassurance from that doctor in that one appointment than I have the whole way through my care. 

I am never quick to complain and it isn't in my nature to kick up a fuss but I can't help but feel like the time wasn't taken to explain things to me. While it all looks good for now and I should be able to carry the babies until 36/37 weeks there is still a chance of early labour as there is with all twins and I'm afraid this experience hasn't left me with much confidence. I have to say that on the whole I am a massive supporter of the NHS, I think so many staff do an amazing job and I have nothing but good things to say about the staff at my first delivery (at a different hospital). I could rest easy with this one and I can't help feeling that maybe some of this stress and upset could have been avoided. It has only been a week since they told me and I feel like it has been months of worry.

Thank you all for your kind wishes, I am honestly overjoyed that these little boys will have a safer future. I can't wait for them to be here safe in our arms! When I first found out I was pregnant I never imagined it being like this and I think this time I will be glad when it's all over and we have two healthy little boys to bring home and add to our family.

Chances Of Conceiving Twins Naturally

Since finding out that we are expecting identical twins I have suddenly been thrown into a world I was previously unaware of. There are so many factors as to whether or not you will have twins naturally and I’ve read a lot of information and statistics about multiple pregnancies since I started researching it myself. I discovered that a lot of what I thought to be true about conceiving twins was in fact a myth and it’s interesting to learn that there are still unknown elements about the conception of twins...

The lovely Shona and Cecile from Wriggly Rascals asked me to do a guest blog on the topic of conceiving twins naturally; as I am expecting identical twins I decided to share my experience and hopefully it will help some other parents. You can read the full article here.

Have you conceived twins naturally? If so, did you have a family history of twins or any of the other predisposing factors? If you have conceived twins naturally please share your experience here and help another mum work out her chances of conceiving twins.

About Wriggly Rascals

Wriggly Rascals was set up by Shona Motherwell, a frustrated mum of twins Mhairi and Archie to get mums together to share pregnancy, baby and toddler advice via quick surveys to get the facts about what other mums do. Our mums pass on loads of great tips to mums who have asked for help. If you would like some advice, get in touch at www.wrigglyrascals.com

Wriggly Rascals are also on Twitter and Facebook so pop over and say hello to them!

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 22 Weeks

This week has been a tough one if I'm honest. For the first time I've had to come to terms with the risks in my pregnancy; I've been blissfully ignorant up until now! I always knew twins were a higher risk and when I found our that our twins shared a sac and placenta (MC/MA) I knew that the risks were going to be even greater. I had read a few things about my type of pregnancy; enough to know that they are very rare and I found a couple of Mums on forums who had had their babies early, all was well and they had two healthy, happy twins. I deliberately didn't Google anything to do with MC/MA twins because I didn't want to read to horror stories.

My hospital seemed to get their act together, better late than never. I had a scan booked and as usual went to see my consultant. As she was going over my notes we were discussing me giving birth around 37 weeks and then she spotted on my scan reports MC/MA. She then had a good look over the NICE guidelines (might be worthwhile swotting up on these if you're having twins!) and we had to discuss the risks and complications. Obviously something I need to be prepared about but I was quite happy in my state of oblivion. Nevertheless, I'm pleased I have now been referred to a specialist at our local Women's hospital and already have an appointment for this week. I now know that my twins will have to be born by c-section, at 32 weeks and will have to spend some time in neonatal. After 32 weeks the risks of cord entanglement are too high to be considered safe. I'll have steroids at 26 and 28 weeks to build the babies up ready for their early delivery and if all goes to plan at least we will be prepared. It's been an emotional week but we are carrying on with a positive attitude. Once we get past the 24 week mark I'll feel more relaxed and every week that passes will get easier as it will be a week closer to meeting our boys.

I have to get organised now as our boys will be here much earlier that we thought and chances are we will be spending time going back and to the hospital so I need to be organised with Lucas as well. I can't help but feel anxious about how he will cope with the next few months but ultimately I know we will all have to; people have done it before us and we will have to manage. We're lucky to have amazing family and friends close by so I know I have people to rely on. Aside from all this I still feel good, this pregnancy has gone smoothly and I have to take that as a good sign. The scan showed that both babies are still growing well and the little guys are both breech at the moment; I'm feeling so much wriggling and kicking! These boys are keeping us on our toes.

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 21 Weeks

Last Wednesday I finally got my consultants appointment; he said I should have seen him sooner which I had thought myself but didn't like to kick up a fuss. Luckily everything has gone smoothly up to this point and I feel so much better now I've met with him. Our twins are still showing as MCMA which means we have to squash in another growth scan so I have 3 more over the next month then they should go to every four weeks all being well. I'll be seeing him much more regularly from now on as well. He told me I can have a caesarean if I choose to and I'm feeling like that would be my preference. I won't be allowed to go past 36/37 weeks but there is a high probability that they will arrive earlier than that so any early labour signs I have to get checked out. There is also a good chance I'll be put on steroids later in the pregnancy to boost the babies in case they arrive early. So far so good so I'm hoping we carry on like this.

Our last scan checked the anatomy and everything is looking good. One of them is starting to get a tiny bit bigger but they are still the same size as a singleton baby would be at this stage...another reason the caesarean seems like a good idea! From now on they are keeping any eye out for Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. As both my babies share a placenta there is a chance that blood will be transferred from one twin to another leaving the other twin anaemic and smaller. Fortunately we live relatively close to a great Women's Hospital so I can be referred to a specialist if need be. They'll be sick of me in the ultrasound department by the end of this month! 

I've felt a lot of activity from the babies this week, still not keeping me awake but I am getting some sharp digs now. It can make me feel queasy maybe if they are somersaulting around. Each time they have scanned since 16 weeks one baby is head down and one is breech and on our last scan we could see plenty of jabs from both babies.

Not much has changed for me this week. I do crash sometimes and need to take myself off for an early night. I'm feeling much more reassured knowing that I'll be seeing our consultant regularly and being monitored. I'm just trying to enjoy this stage while I still feel good, I'm not too big and I can get ready for our boys.

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 20 Weeks

Halfway point! Hard to believe that in a few months our babies could be here. This pregnancy feels like it is progressing so much faster than last time as we really haven't had as much time to think about it. Finding out we are having twins has meant a shuffle of bedrooms and we've been busy making sure Lucas is well settled in his new room, clearing out clutter to make way for two babies and sorting through baby things so we know just what we need. 

Yet another scan this week which is always something to look forward to but I am much more anxious to meet with the consultant. There is still so much I don't know; so many people have asked if I will be having a c-section and I really want to find out the chances of this and if I can elect to have one. I'm not too sure either way if I'm honest but my labour with Lucas was long; I had slow early labour and was in hospital for over 36 hours before he arrived. I'm worried if the same happens this time there could be more complications with two babies. Of course there are chances of complications with twin births especially as our twins still appear to be MCMA (in the same sac and sharing a placenta) part of me just wants to security of knowing they will arrive quickly and at a time when they can be delivered safely. On the other hand I'm a little nervous of a c-section because of the extra recovery time; I just really hope my questions are answered on Wednesday and I have some more information.

The babies should be about the size of a banana and all the senses are now starting to develop. The boys should be able to hear things and will be able to feel when they touch something. We'll have more checks done of their anatomy at the scan but they checked some at the 18 week scan and all looked like it was developing well apart from them being a little squashed in there!

I'm still feeling quite energetic so I'm trying to make the most of this while I can and getting jobs done in the house and garden. I have discovered that if I walk too far it takes it's toll which I don't remember this early on in my first pregnancy. I'm trying to keep up with light exercise though and I'm hoping to get down to the swimming pool to help out those aches. The babies had been quiet for a few days but I can feel wriggles again now. I know it gives all mums-to-be reassurance when they can feel the movements, especially in these early days before it gets too vigorous!

Twin Pregnancy Diary - Week 19

Very nearly at the half way point and every week that passes is a week that the babies are getting stronger. We had our 18 week scan last Wednesday and everything was good; they checked as much as the anatomy as they could see and will try and check the rest at the 20 week scan. As I wasn't expecting them to check as much this time I wasn't expecting it to take so long so as the scan was going on and all was quiet I started to get myself worked up that something was wrong. So silly getting myself in a fluster as I know they have to be quiet to concentrate but still can't help but worry. The consultant had to sign off the scans this time as one of the twins is quite high and a little squashed but she was happy to wait until 20 weeks to see us so I am happy with that. 

The babies are both 14cm and all the measurements are fairly good considering they are twins. I can feel a lot of movement now from both babies; we were shown on the scan where they are lying and Twin A on my left side was particularly active. We could see his little legs kicking away furiously, thank goodness I can't quite feel those blows yet! Twin B is the one squashed higher up so he was more confined but we were still amazed to see the arms and legs so clearly. All the sensory development for them is happening this week and they should be the size of a small cantaloupe. 

Not much has changed for me this week but my husband has said he thinks I am showing more all of a sudden. I have felt so happy everytime I feel a little movement, it's nice to have the reassurance. My appetite is finally coming back and I'm starting to get very hungry at times, it comes on all of a sudden and I have to find something to snack on quickly. I have noticed my hair feeling thicker this time which I didn't last time but my nails aren't much different. I'm not sure I'll ever feel like that 'glowing' pregnant woman but I still feel pretty good so that will do for me.

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 18 weeks

Another week, another scan! I'm looking forward to seeing our baby boys again and making sure things are ok in there. I love the scans as I can see the babies and confirm again that we are definitely having two! I also feel anxious until we go in and they assure me they are well; I get so nervous sitting in the waiting room and I'm glad that my husband is off work for the summer so he can come along with me.

Also counting down the weeks until our consultant appointment so I can pester them with questions. It's occurred to me this week that because twins have a higher chance of arriving early I'll have to be prepared earlier than I thought. Hopefully they'll stay in there for as long as possible but after 20 weeks I'm going to start to recall the baby bits we have got stored in various relatives lofts and garages to have a sort through. Makes it all seem so much more real!

Apparently the babies will be about the size of a large mango and their movements should be becoming more controlled. I have definitely been able to feel more movements, especially at night, but still waiting for a kick that my husband can feel.

I still feel well and the bump is definitely on show now; the giant pregnancy pillow has moved into the bed. I've started to get my appetite back but no cravings to speak of, unless sending people out for chocolate counts as a craving?! My baby brain seems to have really kicked in, I'm blaming double the hormones but it really is terribly noticeable this time round. I really struggle to remember what I'm doing one day to the next and I actually got into the shower last week with my glasses still on! At least it is giving everyone a good chuckle and I can't see it getting any better.

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 17 weeks

Last weeks scan went great and as I had hoped we were able to find out the sex of our babies. I didn't feel as sure about what we were having but I had stopped thinking they would be girls and I was right; they are two little boys! I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be; we had been hoping for girls especially because Lucas has two boy cousins. However, three little boys will be a real treat and I think Lucas will love it. Everyone says boys are easier and while I'm not sure how true that is but I think you definitely know where you are with boys. I've loved having Lucas so much how could we disappointed with the thought of more boys? 

I didn't really get the extra information I was after as it seems I'll have to wait until my consultant appointment at 20 weeks to learn more about twin births. I'm fairly low risk and have had no problems so far so they are happy to leave me to it for these early weeks. It's difficult to find information myself as twin birth policies seems to differ between hospitals so I'll just have to be patient until 20 weeks.

The babies are nearly 13 cm long and we were able to hear one heartbeat at the midwife appointment. It was a very strong one but we didn't get to hear both as I think it's pretty difficult to distinguish between them with twins. I know I am definitely starting to feel some movements now, they must be jostling for space!

I'm feeling much better now and have more energy so I'm going to enjoy these weeks as much as I can before I get too big! I'm measuring around 19 weeks which is normal for twins so I'm happy with that. Most of the initial twin panic has settled down and we are starting to think practically for the future. I've started looking at all those little soft sleepsuits and cooing; getting excited (with my rose-tinted glasses) for those new born baby days.

Girls or Boys?

We are delighted to announce that we are expecting identical twin boys!

I will be the lone woman in a family of men; we cannot wait to become a family of five and here is to lots of adventures with our three little boys.

Twin Pregnancy Diary - 16 weeks

This week is the week I have been waiting for; I have several important appointments and I'm hoping I'll get to have a good chat about twin pregnancies. We are booked in for a 16 week scan at the hospital and we are hoping to be able to see my consultant afterwards. I'm quite anxious for the scan to check that everything is going as it should, they should be able to see if they definitely are in the same amniotic sac now; it certainly looked this way at 12 weeks but I know the membrane can be spotted in later scans. 

We may even get to find out the sex at this scan; as they are identical they will either be two boys or two girls! I must admit we are hoping for girls but either way as long as they are healthy we don't mind. Sometimes the thought of a house boys is too much me but equally two teenage girls is a terrifying prospect! 

All being well we will see the consultant after and I'll be able to find out a little more about our hospital's policy on delivering twins and figure out a game plan to keep these two inside me as long as possible. Later in the week we are seeing my community midwife and again I'll be grateful for any more information.

The babies should be around 10cm long and 0.2lb by now and unique fingerprints are already in place. They'll be moving around and be able to feel any pressure on my stomach. I think I may have felt a few little movements which I'm so excited about. 

I'm definitely feeling like I have a bigger bump now but I'm a little concerned that I have hardly put any weight on. I've found I can't eat massive portions of anything and I've been much more concious this time of eating a balanced diet (this means I'm not scoffing a tub of Ben & Jerry's every weekend). I have read this is normal in the early stages of a multiple pregnancy but still something I want to keep an eye on. No cravings yet but I didn't experience any with Lucas so I'm not really expecting anything. 

I'm still feeling good, there are more aches and pains then I remember at this stage with Lucas but morning sickness and exhaustion has passed. This is going to be a busy week appointment wise so I'll look forward to having more information next week.

Our Special Duo - Twin Pregnancy

This pregnancy has taken me by surprise - not being pregnant; that was planned - but expecting twins was most definitely not planned or even expected. When the sonographer showed us that I am quite clearly carrying two little babies we were thrilled and speechless, then we were scared and anxious and now we swing between the two. I feel like it's pretty special to be having twins and there is so much I'm excited about; I've read a lot about their bond and I could gush about that all day. On the other hand there is a lot I don't know and the chances are that this pregnancy will be different to my previous one with more monitoring and intervention.

After being told we were expecting twins it suddenly occurred to me to ask if they can tell if they will be identical when the sonographer announced to us that she was going to get a second opinion to see if there was a membrane or not. At the time I had no idea what that meant but she thought that they were identical. The second opinion confirmed that they couldn't see a membrane and she told me they were in the same amniotic sac. This meant very little to me or my husband as our high school biology is a quite few years behind us and it was only a few days later with the help of some research and my maternity notes that I learnt a little more. 

I already knew twins are either identical or non-identical; so far so good, our twins are identical and share a placenta. Then I read that identical twins are either Monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) or Monochorionic monoamniotic (MCMA). MCDA twins share a placenta and one single outer membrane, but they each have their own separate inner membrane. MCMA twins share a placenta but are also both in the same inner membrane. A quick scan over my maternity notes and I can see ours babies are MCMA and I then see that this is quite rare, I've read several times that they only account for 1% of all identical twins! Thankfully I resisted the urge to Google this as I knew I would only frighten myself.

I already knew that I would be monitored more as they booked me in for scans at 16, 18, 20, 23 and 26 weeks and then made sure the scans were on days when I could speak to the consultant afterwards. I have more antenatal appointments and there is a higher chance of complications. The scans check the growth of both babies and look out for any signs of twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Every hospital has a different policy regarding delivery of identical twins; some will recommend caesarean straight away and others will see how the pregnancy progresses before making the decision. It seems most will consider the babies full term at 37 weeks and will aim for delivery then. However, after finding out a bit more about MCMA twins, they generally seem to arrive a little earlier then this. 

The extra monitoring doesn't bother me - if anything it puts me at ease to know that they will be keeping a close eye on everything. I'm now just waiting for my chance to speak to my consultant at 16 weeks and get some answers to my questions. I want to know the best case scenario; how far along I can hope to get before delivery and how I can do everything to make sure I reach this. I'd like to hear their recommendations for delivery; both caesarean and vaginal births have pros and cons and although I'm a little scared of caesarean recovery I just want to know the safest option for the babies. Obviously if the babies are born early there is a chance they will need to go into Special Care so I want to know how much we need to prepare ourselves for this possibility. 

At first all this seemed over-whelming but I'm someone who likes to be prepared so the more information I have the happier I'll feel. It has inevitably made me a little more cautious and I'm making sure I stick to the 'rules' with this pregnancy. One thing this had made me realise is that I really, really want these babies! All the worries we had about how will cope and can we afford it seem insignificant when your faced with the possibility of complications. I'll start a pregnancy diary from 16 weeks so I have a record of how everything goes and hopefully it will continue smoothly and I'll be able to carry on with updates!

If you are expecting multiples I would recommend the TAMBA website; I found plenty of useful and sensible information on there.

The First Trimester {Flashback Friday}

I've been finding it very difficult to blog over the past couple of months because I had a huge part of my life that I wanted to share but that I wasn't quite ready to go public with. My head has been filled with so many pregnancy thoughts and I've been reading blogs about siblings and getting all teary eyed sat at the laptop and I haven't been able to share any of it! Everytime I have sat down to blog I've felt like I have nothing to say because I can't say what I wanted to. 

Now I can chat about it to my hearts content! The first 12 weeks went fairly smoothly. Before we found out that we are expecting twins being pregnant this time round didn't seem as life-changing (that changed very quickly when we saw the scan!) Last time it was all I could think about and it consumed my thoughts. I would spend hours looking up baby things and researching and even looking up every little stage of my pregnancy. This time I was a bit more trusting in my body; my last pregnancy was pretty straight forward except I was so anxious and always thought the worst. This time I was feeling happier to let things take their natural course and I had absolutely no inclination that I was pregnant with twins.

I had the normal early pregnancy symptoms; I did feel drained, much more so than I remembered with Lucas but I put that down to running after a toddler all day when I was sat behind a desk first time round. Sometimes I would come home from work and have a nap or go straight for a bath whereas when I felt tired early on in this pregnancy I had to carry on. Although, there have been a few nights when I took myself off to bed straight after Lucas!

I was never actually sick when I was pregnant first time round and it was just the same this time but I was nauseous all day. Again this did seem slightly worse than I remembered it with Lucas and we had one incident when I cooked his tea and couldn't feed it to him because I felt so sick; butties on the couch it was! I generally felt a bit off colour from 6-11 weeks but nothing out of the ordinary.

I hadn't even put any extra weight on that might have given me a clue that there's two babies in there. I must admit I hadn't quite shifted my baby-belly from Lucas so I knew it wouldn't be as obvious early on but I actually lost a bit of weight in the early weeks. I was so fussy about what I would eat as so many things turned my stomach and I could only eat tiny portions. This really is the only thing that might have tipped me off as many woman who are pregnant with multiples find they get full quickly as there quite simply isn't as much room. Then again I know a lot of women who are pregnant with only one baby experience this too but I didn't with my first pregnancy. Even now I can't eat big portions and I have a cut off were I just cannot eat anymore as I feel so full; not like me at all.

I'm 14 weeks on Sunday and I have started wearing some maternity clothes (luckily me and my Sister-in-law have a shared stock!) because some of my clothes won't do up and they are also so comfy, especially when it is hot out. I am going to write a pregnancy diary but I won't start it until 16 weeks as hopefully I'll be a bit better informed by then about everything. There is still a lot I have yet to discover about the ups and downs of a twin pregnancy; I know I will now be monitored a lot more but I am going to take each week as it comes and enjoy as much as I can because I don't think I'll be doing this again!

Letting It Sink In

Yesterday I announced to you all our news that we are expecting two new additions to our family. We have had nearly a full week now to let the news sink in but I did a little writing when I came back from the scan just to get some things off my chest. So much has changed already in a week and I'll do another post about my type of twins and how my feelings have changed over the week. Since I wrote this I've learnt a lot more (but still not enough) and there have been tears and laughter but I thought I'd put this in, just as I wrote it after the adrenaline had worn off:

I've decided to handwrite some of my thoughts as I am too shocked to even move to the computer. Today we found out we are expecting identical twins and other than shock my first thought was happiness but now I'm sitting at home, James has gone back to work and I'm terrified. For every good thought I think I have several that panic me; I'll have a moment of glee and a moment of anxiety that takes my breath away. I look round our tiny house and think of the most stupidest things, like all the extra washing. Then I look at the scan pictures and I think of two babies, two identical babies, two little bundles to make us into a family of five; what I have always wanted! I look and Lucas and think he won't know what has hit him and his little world will be turned upside down. 

The funny thing was I was feeling so confident in this pregnancy; confident that I had found my feet as a mum and trusting my body to do what it has to do. Now, I feel like I've had the rug pulled from under me; I feel so unprepared and I know nothing about twins. I have quickly learnt that my amount of appointments has quadrupled but my head is a whirlwind I have so many questions. I still think of the littlest things, as if my brain thinks obviously you will will be worried about health, money, space, transport but then I think what if we mix the babies up!

More importantly the scan showed both babies are doing well, looking healthy and I know they will be incredibly loved. I will always worry but nothing could wipe the smile from my face when I see my two scan pictures; I think it's pretty incredible.

Our Announcement - Double Trouble

In April I took my first pregnancy test which confirmed that we were expecting. It was planned so we were both made up and I was making it through the first few weeks without too much worry. 

This week me and my husband went along to the hospital for my 12 week scan. We were excited and looking forward to seeing our baby on screen for the first time, I always feel like I need it to confirm that there is actually something in there. As the sonographer turned the screen round we could quite clearly see a baby and another shape over to one side. We have both since said that our exact thoughts were, 'I don't remember seeing the placenta on Lucas' scans.' So when she said to us, 'Well, I have some news' I knew exactly what she was going to say! Twins! I cried and I turned to see James grinning. She quite clearly showed us two babies and two heartbeats and later confirmed that they will be identical! 

I cannot begin to explain how I felt; so, so shocked but absolutely thrilled.  I'll do some more posts on what has happened since and the rollercoaster of emotions but for now I just want to say that we couldn't be happier and we are looking forward to becoming a family of five.