What to expect when you're expecting the unexpected

Let me start by saying that this is hands-down, bar-none, the CRAZIEST week of our lives.  It has been so full of ups and downs and making things more complicated, Nick's been out of town on business.  Earlier this week, I was convinced we had or would lose the baby(ies).  By the time I actually got to the ultrasound, I was pretty calm, but still not really sure what to expect.  While in the waiting room, I saw a familiar face peek in at me from the hallway who 'just happened to be in the neighborhood'. ;)  (Thanks, Nicole - it was reassuring to see you!)

They took my vitals (blood pressure and pulse - totally normal!  Shocker!) and escorted me to the ultrasound room.  I saw Dr. G for the first time since the transfer and he congratulated me on being pregnant. 

Now, before I go any further, let me just remind you of a few details. 
1.) This was our fourth IVF cycle.
2.) All three previous cycles had been unsuccessful.
3.) We had transferred seven embryos total in those three cycles - seven beautiful high quality embryos....and yet nothing.
4.) The three embryos we transferred on this fourth cycle were the poorest in quality by far...two of them hadn't even made it to the blastocyst stage.   Had we chosen to only transfer two, we still probably would have ended up with zero embryos to freeze as all of the remaining embryos arrested the day after the transfer. 
5.) We chose our current doctor specifically for his very conservative approach.  He only allows couple to transfer three embryos in situations where they have had multiple unsuccessful cycles and/or the mother is over age 40.

So, that's what we are a little surprised that...
1.) We are having twins.  Identical twins.
2.) Plus another baby.
3.) Plus maybe another baby.

I'll pause and let you do the math.

Yes, that's four babies. 

Three of the babies had identifiable yolk sacs (I don't exactly know what that means but I guess it is a good thing) and the fourth looked empty, however because this was a very early ultrasound, the fourth could still be viable.

There are a lot of emotions going through Nick and I and our families right now, but I am choosing to be happy and positive and we will just take one thing at a time.  We have another ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday of next week.  And, we still have a long ways to go.  Nick and I are both very realistic knowing that a lot could happen as the pregnancy progresses. 

In case you're wondering, this is extremely rare.  Like, winning the lottery rare.  I'm not sure who was more surprised - the doctor, the nurse or me.  Dr. G looked visibly shaken and when scheduling my next ultrasound, the nurse said "Whoa.  I'm going to need a moment here."

So, a long ways to go from here and a lot of unknowns, but I have come to terms that absolutely nothing about starting our family is going to be normal so I just need to focus on one thing - my health and the health of our babies. 

One note - I couldn't ask for a better partner in Nick.  He has truly been an anchor for me this week; as I've said to many of you, the great blessing in all of our struggles to start a family has been that we have gotten closer and closer.  I'm glad that's the case, because we certainly are going to need to lean on each other going forward!

Much love to you all and thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers!  Oh, and I'm sure this goes without saying but please don't mention this on Facebook or around extended family that aren't aware of what's going on.  I think once we are safely in the third trimester, we'll make the announcement public. 

XOXO,

FMOM (Future Mom of Multiples)

Oh, yeah!  P.S.  Here's a kinda crappy picture of the identical twins.  By the time we got to #3 and #4, the doc and I were so flustered, we forgot to print a picture. :)