Mar 26 2009
How Did You React?
When people find out I have quadruplets, one of the more popular questions (after “Was it natural?” and “Do you watch Jon and Kate Plus 8?”) is: “What did you say when you found out?” I wish I had a good answer.
About a week after we did IVF I found out I was pregnant. Maybe it was two weeks, but it was a blood test and it was fast. The phone call went something like this:
Nurse: Your blood test came back and you’re pregnant. Congratulations.
Me: What? That’s great.
Nurse: (continued to talk about HCG levels, etc… vaguely remember her saying something about “high levels,” but didn’t pay attention because:)
Me: (in my head: Thank you, God! Thank you!!!!)
Then we scheduled a five-week follow-up for our first ultrasound. The day before the ultrasound I felt terrible. I was exhausted and the thought of food made me ill. Since I had sent Hubby on a “healthy shopping spree” that week, I thought my new diet was overloading my body. I was determined to eat everything recommended in What to Expect When You’re Expecting. We went to the ultrasound and the technician wouldn’t turn the monitor toward me. In fact, she left the room without saying a word. The Reproductive Endocrinologist came in, looked at the screen and asked me how many embryos we had transferred. Three, I responded meekly. I was sure there had been a mistake and I wasn’t actually pregnant. OK, he said, well, there are four heartbeats. Now this is the point in the story where everyone expects me to say I bawled with either happiness or fear or that Hubby fainted. Nope. I looked at Hubby and said something along the lines of “Four? Well, now I know why I’ve been so sick!” The tears came later, days later and were both tears of happiness and terror. Come to think of it, Hubby didn’t have much to say. Hmmm… maybe he was on the verge of fainting.
3 Responses to “How Did You React?”
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Ahhh…the stalwart husband. My guess is that he was stuck on the number 4 like a scratched record, and hadn’t progressed past that. On the verge of fainting? It’s definitely possible. I know I would certainly want to!
See??? Luckygirl has the story everyone wants to hear! I don’t know why I didn’t cry right away. I was soooooo sick at that appointment that I couldn’t process anything. Plus the Reproductive Endocrinologist was very adamant that we could still lose one or more of the babies in the next few weeks and that we shouldn’t get our hopes up for four. (Luckygirl: yes, I have a set of identicals. They weren’t happy just being identicals, they had to stand out as bookends, too. One is the oldest and the other the youngest.)