Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I think 8 weeks is very early to hear the heartbeat.  My doctor
    doesn't even try until about week 12.  Even then, she isn't 
    concerned if she doesn't hear it then and will try again at
    week 14 or so.
    
    I ask this question ONLY because I don't know if you had a
    regular cycle (because I find it to be an extremely annoying 
    and stupid question), but could you be further along than you think.  
    Some people aren't sure of when they conceived.  
    
    About the heartbeats everywhere they listened.  Did they tell
    you it was the heartbeat each time?  When they put the dopler
    down and I hear womb sounds (flowing blood, etc), it can sound 
    very much like a heartbeat. Then they'll move it again until they 
    get to what is really the heartbeat and say, "There it is, can  
    you hear it?"   So it's possible you were hearing normal internal 
    sounds and not the heart beating. 
    
    Then again, with your family background, twins are always a 
    possibility.  Let us know the results.
    
    Good luck.  
    
    Donna
    

    I was always told that a sudden large weightgain about the fourth month
    may indicate twins.  I think too that mulitple births would skip a
    generation. i.e. if your grandmother were a twin, I would think this
    would increase your chances of twins.
    
    I may be way off base here, and can't remeber if either of these came
    from "reliable" sources.
    
    Have fun, no matter how many you have!!
    Lyn

    My wife's g.mother had twins, and one of her twins had twins! So much
    for always skipping a generation!.
    
    8 weeks is *extremely* early to hear the heartbeat....question....are
    you counting 8 weeks from conception, or 8 weeks from your last
    menstrual period? If it;s from conception, then you are actually 10
    weeks, going by the way they date pregnancies. And we were always told
    that 10 weeks is the *very* earliest to hear the heartbeat. Maybe that
    explains why they heard it.
    
    
    You wouldn't hear the heart beat any earlier with twins. And hearing it
    in more than one place means little at this point...the sound sometimes
    kind of echoes through the amniotic fluid.
    
    The ultrasound will tell! Let us know!
    
    --dave--

    With me I kinda had a weird feeling that it was twins way before
    it was possible to actually know.  I wasn't any bigger than normal
    really.  But I was unusually tired.  Not even my doctor suspected
    it was twins until I had an Ultra sound at 16 wks and they saw
    two little bodies in there!   There were twins on both sides
    of our families, but it's generally fraternal twins that run
    in families.  I have identical twins.
    
    Good luck and please let us know how the ultra sounds comes out!
    
    

�   With me I kinda had a weird feeling that it was twins way before
�   it was possible to actually know.  

    Studies that I have read show that a large percentage of mothers of
    multiples, (something like 40-50%), reported dreams or premonitions of
    having more than one baby before the multiple pregnancy was diagnosed.

    So, have you had any strange dreams lately?

    When I was pregnant they checked for the heartbeat at 12 weeks.
    Sometimes when she checked she would hear my heartbeat instead of the
    baby's. I guess they sometimes confuse the mothers with the baby's. But my
    doctor said that you usually don't hear a heartbeat before 12 wks.
    Can't give you any info on the twins but good luck no matter how many
    babies you have
    
    Sandy

    As a mother of twins who are now six years old there are a few things
    you could look for, but by no means are POSITIVE signs you are pregnant
    with twins.
    
    One thing is the dreaded morning sickness, but all day long. 
    Particularly intense between the hours of six and nine pm!  But, as I'm
    sure many noters will concur, this is not inherent in twin pregnancies
    only!
    
    Another thing is early increase in size of your tummy.  I looked six
    months pregnant, and was indeed the size of a six month pregnancy, at
    about four months.
    
    Other than that there's not much to determine it other than an
    ultrasound.  Heartbeats all over the place is not an indication because
    often times you can hear the heartbeat in several different places. 
    Now if your doctor were to use two heart monitors, find one heartbeat
    with one monitor, then find a distinctly different one with the other
    monitor, beating at different rates, and being sure it isn't YOUR
    heartbeat they were listening to, then you could be fairly certian
    there were two in there.  I actually had the doctor do this to me only
    once during my twin pregnancy, it was quite a hoot!
    
    One alternative is that you could be further along than you think you
    are in your pregnancy.  This would account for hearing the heartbeat
    already and your size.
    
    If it's twins, you'll know with the ultrasound.  I found out at about
    ten weeks gestation.  Let us know!
    

    Hi, I'm the author of the note....
    
    The only thing I can say, is that I'm almost positive that I'm now
    by Dr.'s count, 15 weeks pregnant.  My stomach has just popped out.
    I thought it was bigger than it should be and at my visit, without
    my even saying anything, the Dr. said....well you certainly have
    sprouted out there, it could be that you're just carrying high,
    but we'll have a look.  When the Dr. heard the heartbeat the first
    time, I was, by Dr's count 101/2 weeks pregnant.  I haven't had
    morning sickness or any sickness at all.  Just a few days in the
    beginning of extreme nausea and sleepiness.
    
    This past visit the Dr. put that device on my tummy, heard one heart
    beat and moved it around a bit and heard another or the same one,
    I'm not sure, he said he thought it was the same one from a different
    angle, but could not be sure.
    
    Either way I'll be happy.  I've been looking forward to being a Mommy
    for a very long time.  
    
    I'm a DEC Tag and I get let go on May 17th for one month, then I should
    be called back.  If I get back into DEC, I'll be sure to look in
    here and let  you all know what the story was with the Ultra-Sound.
    
    Lisa
    

    
    From a fellow "15 weeker", I wish you the best of luck in your
    ultrasound (if its twins you want) and in your pregnancy!
    
    (You were lucky you didn't get the morning sickness, right Cherie? ;-))
    
    In case you don't come back....  Good luck!
    
    Chris
    

    Hi Everyone,
    
    I'm the author of the base note.  I thought I'd let you all know,
    that I am not having twins.  The Ultra-sound revealed one baby.
    
    My husband and I are very excited and can hardly wait.  the reason
    for my larger size...three fibroid tumors in the walls of my uterus.
    Has anyone every heard of this before?
    
    Lisa
    

    I had fibroids, one identified at 62 mm in diameter (the size of a
    tennis ball) and one that showed up later (after the birth, as it was
    behind Nathan!) at 42 mm.  Both have shrunk, almost 50%, and have
    caused little problems (worse PMS, slight cramping with periods).
    
    I read a lot on them, so give me a call, I'd be happy to talk with you
    about them.  Near the end of the pregnancy, the known one was hard and
    sore, and sat up on top of my belly, like a tennis ball on a beach
    ball.  My, wasn't I cute!
    
    Adrienne
    234-4532