Two Placentas, One Baby?

by Heather Sharpe
(Rice Lake, WI)

Ok... this is my 4th pregnancy. I felt movement (definitely the baby(ies)) at 8-9 weeks. At 12 weeks I was feeling kicks to my belly button AND to my bladder at the same time. I measured 16 centimeters at 12 weeks. I was having tons of dreams about twins, and I just KNEW it was twins! Twins also run in my mom's side of the family and have been in every generation. At 13 weeks I stopped feeling so much movement and the twin dreams stopped as well. I no longer felt like it was twins, and the centimeters started to even out with the weeks (15 weeks preggo I was still measuring 16 cent). So the next week (week 14) I got an ultrasound and we definitely saw two placentas. Half of my uterus was filled with placentas! The midwife was very sure that it was two babies at one point, but we could only find one baby. The ultrasound machine was really old and crappy, and the midwife was renting it from another midwife, and she didn't really know how to use it. I felt like she didn't look around enough, but I figured that since the dreams and kicking sort of stopped that I for sure had vanishing twin syndrome. Oh well.

But now... I'm 20 weeks along and I haven't seen my midwife since the US, but I know how to measure myself and I've consistently been measuring 2-3 centimeters higher than the week I am in. With my three boys I always measured 1 centimeter smaller than the week I was in. But in the last 3 days I am now measuring 6-8 centimeters higher! This morning I measured 30 cent, and just a few minutes ago (after walking around all day) I measured 26 cent. Again, I'm only 20 weeks along. I'm also having twin dreams again, and I feel a lot of strong movement. Also, I've been EXHAUSTED this pregnancy, more so than with my three boys.

How many of you had an ultrasound and only saw one baby, and then later found that there were two babies??? I am getting another US in 5 weeks, but I can't wait that long!!!! I'm losing sleep over it! :o) Thanks for all the info you can give!