Ultrasounds - help

amother

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 5:44 pm

I'm B"H pregnant with twins and I'm anxious about one thing that's driving me crazy.

We did ultrasounds (very simple ones, just to hear the heartbeats) on weeks 11, 14, and 17.
The baby in the bottom is absolutely active - always moving. The one on top never moves! The doctor checks the heartbeats and that's it, ultrasound is over - and every time I ask him why the baby on top isn't moving, he says - they both look great and everything is perfect!

I know I cant expect to see the baby moving davkah during those 5 seconds, but the one on the bottom is ALWAYS moving!

Please tell me what you think... Thanks!

amother

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 6:09 pm

what do u mean by " always moving" ? do u know how to read u/s?
with my twin pregnancy I did u/s at every visit, and I never saw anything moving, besides when the dr moved the probe around.
and if the dr says that everything is great, why dont u believe him????????????? if there was sth wrong, he would tell you.

amother

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 6:24 pm

Quote:

what do u mean by " always moving" ? do u know how to read u/s?

Original amother here.

When you see the baby moving it's totally clear that it's moving! Legs, arms, head... even the dr. says: see, the baby is moving!

Yes, I should really trust the dr.

TwinsMommy

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 6:43 pm

do YOU feel that baby moving well at other times? Could just simply be naptime for that baby davka during the ultrasound times. I had one twin MUCH more active than the other during pregnancy. Now at age 6, they've switched and the non active baby now has incredibly severe adhd and never stops moving for a second. lol.

trust the doctor--- if the heart is beating and growth looks good, I wouldn't worry about a sleeping baby for a few visits. YOU should be able to tell the diff between the diff babies moving and know which baby is moving when you're sitting still. So if you're feeling that baby move at least once a day there's really no concern, in my opinion. I don't know if it's true for everyone but for me it was crystal clear which baby was moving when I knew from frequent ultrasounds where each baby was.

I think a high sugar snack or orange juice can wake up a sleeping baby before your next ultrasound. maybe you'll get a great performance from both twins that way.

amother

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 10:45 pm

I'm still 16w5d, not feeling much movement yet. Yesterday I felt both babies (I think) for 2 seconds and that's it, today I felt nothing.
I think the beginning of the "movement stage" starts too slowly for a 1st pregnancy! Hope tomorrow will be a day full of healthy movements - for both of them.

Dolly Welsh

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 11:28 pm

Some people are more twitchy and active than others, lifelong. That's just personal. (You didn't say they are identical.)

Trust the doctor, I would say.

B'sh'a Tova

IMHopinion

Tue, Jun 25 2013, 11:37 pm

I've given birth to a few babies b"h.
Some pregnancies, the baby was so active, I was going insane with kicks and twists.
Some pregnancies, the baby was so calm, I was going insane with worry and checking every half hour if I feel the baby!

All children are different! It's the first thing you should learn as a mom! Smile

Bshaah Tova!

amother

Thu, Jun 27 2013, 5:12 pm

Thanks everyone.
The twins are fraternal.
Well, yesterday I did start feeling them more, and also today B"H. It's the best, best feeling!

BTW, is the one on top ALWAYS on top, and same for the one on the bottom, or do they switch around? Meaning, do the placentas move around or stay in the same place?

amother

Wed, Jul 17 2013, 9:55 am

amother wrote:

They will constantly be moving and switching places until there is no more room inside- probably closer to 8 months if I remember correctly. (that was the case with my twins)

My twins are going to be 3 now I"yh. But thinking back to the kicking that I went through during pregnancy sure gave me a preview of what they were to be like after they came out!! They haven't stopped moving and jumping around since they were born b"h.

Fox

Wed, Jul 17 2013, 11:18 am

They've even discovered that twins fight in utero! There was some publicity about it a while back -- researchers were using MRI technology in connection with an unrelated condition, and they got great images of twins slapping and poking at each other.

Of course, this was hardly news to most women who've carried twins. I distinctly remember feeling one twin start to move; then a series of kicks and pokes; and then the second twin would awaken and start moving.

Marion

Wed, Jul 17 2013, 11:21 am

16 weeks is EARLY to feel movement. Maybe less so when it's twins because they take up more space than a singleton, but certainly nothing to worry about!

IMHopinion

Wed, Jul 17 2013, 11:31 am

I have a stupid question which came up as I'm reading this thread.
Can't one baby hurt the other while kicking around? Like punch his eye or in the stomach etc? No laughing please!

Fox

Wed, Jul 17 2013, 12:15 pm

IMHopinion wrote:

I have a stupid question which came up as I'm reading this thread.
Can't one baby hurt the other while kicking around? Like punch his eye or in the stomach etc? No laughing please!

All fraternal twins and the vast majority of identical twins have their own amniotic sacs, which serve as toddler gates to keep them (and their umbilical cords) apart.

Though I realize Wikipedia isn't a great source, it explains the variations in how twins divide initially and develop: Monoamniotic Twins.

Fortunately, monoamniotic twins are very, very rare, since there can be problems more severe than before-birth bullying!

mochacoffee

Wed, Jul 17 2013, 1:04 pm

Bshaa tova!

I agree that 16 weeks is still early to feel movement. I didn't feel movement until around 5-6 months and even then I had the same thing, my son was always so squirmy and my daughter would barely move. And yes they do fight, a few times I went for ultrasounds you could clearly see them kicking each other. The doctors couldn't help but laugh. Now when they play in the same crib, they don't mind kicking around at each other.