Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Oh, Sunshine. You don’t have to take on the world by yourself,” my mom says, knowing me well enough that I don’t have to finish my thoughts. “Whatever happens, you have an entire family who loves and supports you.” She pulls me into her arms and kisses my cheek. “I love you, Kendall.”
“Love you too, Mom,” I choke out, feeling like shit for all the times I’ve pushed her away. It doesn’t matter how many times I push because she always finds her way back in.
Once I’ve composed myself, the doctor greets my mom, already knowing her since she’s Mom’s gyno as well, and then I explain everything to her.
“Well, first things first,” Dr. Weisberg says. “Based on your blood work, you have high hCG levels, telling us you are pregnant, but we want to do a scan to confirm and get an estimated due date. I’m going to have you lie back and cover you with this blanket. Usually, I would try transvaginal first, but I believe you are far enough along to use a Doppler.”
She hands me the blanket to cover myself and lifts my gown to expose my belly. My mom stays next to me, taking my hand in hers, and I’ve never been so thankful to have a mom who cares enough to know that I would need her today.
Dr. Weisberg explains everything she’s doing as she does it, and then the loudest woosh, woosh, woosh fills the silent room. From going with my mom to her appointments when she was pregnant with my siblings, I instantly recognize the sound.
“That’s my baby’s heartbeat.”
“It is,” the doctor confirms. “A good, strong heartbeat at 141. And…” She moves the Doppler over slightly, the sound fading and then increasing again. “A second heartbeat. Also a strong heartbeat at 135.”
“What?” I gasp.
Dr. Weisberg laughs softly. “You’re pregnant with twins.”
Mom squeezes my hand and leans over to kiss the top of my head. “Congratulations,” she murmurs, causing me to choke up in the middle of my state of shock. Holy shit! I’m not only pregnant, but I’m pregnant with twins.
“All right, so based on these measurements,” the doctor says as she moves the Doppler around and clicks away on the screen. “You’re fifteen weeks along. Due November third.”
Her words have my heart stopping in my chest, my lungs depleting of all my air. No. No. No, no, no… This can’t be happening. I did the math a million times and checked several pregnancy calculators. In order for Declan to be the dad, I could only be, at the most, six weeks pregnant. Yet I’m…
“Are you sure?” I blurt out. “Could they be measuring big?”
The doctor explains each measurement and the weight of the babies. Baby A is measuring at 6.47 inches and weighs 4.03 ounces, and baby B is 6.57 inches and weighs 4.12 ounces. They’re not sharing a placenta, which means they won’t be identical, even if they’re the same sex. Everything looks good, and I’m in my second trimester of my pregnancy, missing the entire first one altogether. She shows my mom and me the hands and legs and head of each of the babies while my mom rubs my shoulder, and I push everything else aside, giving my precious babies my full attention.
“I can’t believe I didn’t know I was pregnant, let alone fifteen weeks along with twins,” I say to no one in particular. Once she’s done and has removed the Doppler from my belly, she hands me some paper towels to wipe the gunk off my stomach.
“It happens,” Dr. Weisberg says, “especially if you don’t have any morning sickness.” She lifts the headrest and helps me sit up.
“I haven’t had any,” I admit, and then I remember something. “I’ve drunk wine…” Though, thinking back, I thought it tasted off and only had a sip. “Can that harm the babies?” My hand goes to my stomach, and now that I’m looking at it in a whole new light, it’s protruding out and has been for a few weeks. I don’t know if I was in denial or really thought I had just eaten too much, but now that my pregnancy is confirmed, my ill-fitting clothes make so much more sense.
“Everything looks good, and a little wine won’t harm the babies. I want you to start on a prenatal vitamin as soon as possible, and we’ll schedule your twenty-week checkup. It’s an ultrasound, and generally, we can see the sex of the babies during that one, so if you have someone you’d like to bring, you can do so.”
While she goes over a few more things and does an internal exam, I try to focus, but my emotions are all over the place: shocked, excited, scared, and the one I hate the most, heartbroken—because I know what I have to do, and it hurts so damn badly.