"We may not see a whole lot today" the Nurse Practioner stated as we went in for our first ultrasound. I was around 8 weeks pregnant at the time and really had no clue what to expect. Carl and I had just arrived in Montana after driving up from San Antonio and were anxious to see the first images of our little one. After 4 years of trying, I never dreamed we would be at this point. The nerves started to sink in as soon as we arrived in the exam room. Luckily, Carl, my Mom, and even my Dad were able to join me at the first ultrasound, an incredibly rare thing since COVID began. As the ultrasound started, I heard a familiar "Hmm" from Kelly, the NP. See, I had heard that before at countless fertility appointments and it usually meant something was wrong or they weren't seeing what they needed to see. My heart automatically sank as I prepared to brace myself for whatever news was coming my way. I told myself to be strong and hold back the tears in case they weren't able to find anything. I knew my family would be devastated and I needed to hold it together.
Instead, Kelly began asking me about my last IUI (intrauterine insemination) procedure, specifically how many follicles had developed. I had to think back and remembered they had mentioned only 2 follicles, but there was a 3rd that they hadn't put much faith in. Still looking at the monitor, she announced "Well, you have 4 babies in there!" In a state of pure shock, the only words I could muster were "Shut. Up."
I must admit, this was not the most eloquent choice of words. I honestly didn't believe her! She flipped the monitor around and showed us the first images of our babies (yes, plural!). I looked over at my family who had all broken down in tears and Carl grabbed my hand. 4 babies!! We had never even spoken or dared to dream about having that many! After hearing the news and getting a ton of love and warm wishes from the medical team, we were quickly taken over to see the high risk pregnancy team to do another round of ultrasounds and hear next steps. I was in a bit of a fog as all of this was going on, but remember feeling an overwhelming sense of calm. Our life was about to change in ways we never imagined and the phrase "one day at a time" kept running through my mind. This would become our motto as we started down this unbelievable path.
