Nearly four years have passed since that unforgettable day, yet the memory remains vivid in my mind. The room was dimly lit as I reclined on the examination table, feeling the cold gel spread across my belly. I shivered, detesting the sensation. “Is there any chance you have that stuff not warmed up?” I asked in a hushed tone.
“What? Most people prefer it warm,” the technician replied, looking puzzled.
“Not me! It feels so uncomfortable.”
“Wow, I’ve never heard that before,” she responded, a smile breaking through her initial confusion.
“Alright, let’s get started,” I said, trying to brush off my discomfort.
As the technician maneuvered the plastic wand across my abdomen, sound waves (or whatever magic was happening) painted images on the monitor. She took measurements while I watched intently, curiosity creeping in.
“What’s that ‘hmmm’ for?” I inquired, my mind racing with possibilities.
“Is this your first sonogram?”
“No, I’ve had a few with my first child,” I replied, blissfully unaware of the gravity in her tone.
“No, I mean, is this your first one for this pregnancy?”
“Oh yes, first one. We don’t know anything yet. Well, we know I’m pregnant, right?” I chuckled, oblivious to the impending revelation.
“Okay, let’s take a look at what we’ve got,” she said, moving the wand to another area. “What do you see here?”
“Um, the baby turned?” I guessed, noticing the change in angle.
“Nooooo.”
A long, pregnant pause followed.
“Two babies.”
“WHAT?” I exclaimed, sitting straight up, eyes wide in disbelief.
“I’m just the messenger,” she said, flinching slightly.
“WHAT?!” I repeated, as if the word could somehow alter reality.
“Two babies.”
“WHAT?” I gasped again, my mind racing with the implications. “HOW?!”
“Let’s see…” she said, gently guiding me back down. “You have two umbilical cords, two placentas, two amniotic sacs, and look—there are four arms, four legs, and two heads.”
Shock coursed through me as realization set in. Fear clouded my thoughts. We had only wanted to give our daughter a sibling—not two! The idea of three children felt overwhelming. “Three is an odd number,” I thought. “We’ll never fit at a table for four. Someone will always be left out.” I grew up with two sisters, and uneven teams haunted my childhood. “Five? Our family will be a party of five? I mean, ‘Party of Five’ was a disaster!” I thought in a frenzy, recalling the show where the parents died. “And our house has only three bedrooms! It’s too small for twins!” I panicked. “Two screaming babies at once? I barely managed with one! HOW could there be TWO?”
The technician reassured me, explaining that the twins were fraternal. “Two eggs,” she said calmly.
“Two eggs?” I echoed, incredulous. “So this is my fault?”
“What?” she replied, momentarily taken aback. “There’s no fault here, just two babies.”
“But how? There are no twins in either family,” I gestured toward my silent husband, still digesting the news.
“Well, let’s see,” she looked back at the screen. “It says you’re 35. As women age, the body is more likely to release multiple viable eggs.”
“Like rats off a sinking ship?”
“Uh, yeah, you could say that,” she chuckled, and I slowly laid back down.
I somehow made it through the rest of the exam, where measurements were taken for the routine tests required for expectant mothers over 35. As I left the office, I called my sister and, still reeling, said, “You will NEVER believe what just happened.” Four years later, it still feels surreal.
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Summary
The author recounts the shocking moment of discovering she was expecting twins during a routine sonogram, leading to a whirlwind of emotions and realizations about family dynamics and her capacity to handle the unexpected.
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