Likeliness of Twins After Doppler Hears One Heartbeat?

[lactatinggirl]

I know I'm probably just crazy, but I'm seriously wondering if I'm carrying twins.

I don't have any family history of twins nor does my husband. We didn't use fertility treatments and we're young. The things that make me wonder are A. I was breastfeeding (and still am) at the time of conception, which is apparently supposed to increase the likeliness of twins. B. I'm really really big for my gestation (which I know is correct from charting). More on that in a minute. C. My symptoms have been way worse than last time around.

So I'm thinking also that I might be crazy. I've heard a lot of moms just balloon out with their second pregnancies, so that could account for size. I guess what makes me paranoid is that WebMD says that a good rule of thumb for fundal height (which only really works from 15-25 weeks) is at around 20 weeks it'll be at the bellybutton, then for every finger width down it's minus a week and every finger width up is plus a week. I'm 16 weeks now and my fundal height is at my bellybutton. So that's essentially 4 weeks ahead assuming that rule is correct. Though I've also read that fundal height isn't a super reliable measurement before 24 weeks and that conflicts.

Then I'm wondering if my extra symptoms are just because I'm chasing around a toddler at the same time. Of course everything would seem worse when I can't rest as much, right? I'm also losing weight (even though my milk supply is pretty much gone and I'm eating like a cow) so that makes me wonder if it could be twins.

I'm just crazy, right? I keep almost calling my midwife and asking her, but then not doing it. We used a doppler at 11 weeks just to hear the heartbeat to clear my mind. Nice and strong. Don't plan on using it again unless I'm in the water at labor. At the last appointment (15 weeks) I was too early for a fetoscope, so we didn't even try.

Oh yeah, and another thing. I started feeling movement about a week ago. I've heard that for the first weeks/months of feeling movement it should only really be once every few days. For me, most days I'll feel it multiple times. Sometimes even within an hour I'll feel movement like 3 times! Maybe that's just because it's my second so I'm better able to distinguish movement from other body feelings?

Gah I feel like I'm going nuts!

[cameragirl]

Fundal height is kind of iffy all around. How tall are you? That could affect where you are feeling the fundus. I felt my daughter a LOT after the second day or so. She was like a little bouncy ball at first.

If you're concerned, it doesn't hurt to call your midwife. If it is nothing, she'll be able to reassure you that things are going well. If you are measuring a month larger than normal, then she'll be able to figure out what is going on. Good luck, mama.

[lactatinggirl]

I'm 5'5 and relatively slender, so I wouldn't be surprised if the baby sticks out more. I'm going to call the midwife just to be sure, but I think I'm really just crazy.

[Jaimee]

LOL, I thought the same thing with this pregnancy (I kept having dreams about it and even my MIL called up and asked if it could be twins), but everything you're describing is well within the realm of normal for second singleton pregnancy.  Fundal height is not at all accurate before 20ish weeks and there's really no reason for a care provider to even bother measuring you at this point.  With subsequent pregnancies your abs are weaker and your uterus can tend to "float" a bit such that you appear more pregnant than you are.  Increased m/s could be b/c you're carrying the oppposite gender, b/c you're more tired, or b/c that's just how this pregnancy is.  As for movement, I felt my second at 14 weeks and my third at 12.  It's definitely normal to feel movement ealier and more clearly with subsequent pregnancies b/c you know what to expect.

The doppler is really not a reliable way to pick up twins so IF you are carrying twins it would be no surprise that only one heart beat was found.  Do you plan on getting any u/s with this pregnancy?  There's no problem waiting until 20 weeks to figure this out and soon enough your care provider should be able to palpitate twins.

[dsb76]

Well, you do have a similar symptoms as me - I was measuring much larger then expected, more fatigued then with my first...  I don't have any twins in my family and I was breast feeding...  I had a vague suspicion because I was measuring 4 wks ahead but dismissed it until I was confronted with twins on my ultrasound.  I had only heard 1 heart beat on the fetal doppler prior to that but to be honest I had only ever listened for one until after I knew I was having twins.  Of course you might just be measuring larger because it is your second pregnancy...

[lactatinggirl]

Alright thanks everyone. I have an appointment Friday after next so I guess I'll get more answers then.

[lactatinggirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaimee 
Do you plan on getting any u/s with this pregnancy?  There's no problem waiting until 20 weeks to figure this out and soon enough your care provider should be able to palpitate twins.

I don't plan on getting an u/s unless medically indicated. At what point should my midwife be able to feel twins from the outside?

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by lactatinggirl 

Quote:

I don't plan on getting an u/s unless medically indicated. At what point should my midwife be able to feel twins from the outside?

I'm sure it differs greatly so I probably shouldn't have said "soon enough."    I know there are incidences of surprise twins when no u/s are used b/c the twins could be spooning such that it's hard to find the two heads and one butt or two butts and one head necessary to figure out twins by palpation.  But even then twins would feel like "a lot of baby."  If they aren't spooning then it should be possible to palpate 3 fetal poles sometime in the 2nd tri- maybe on the later end, at least from what I've read... So at your next appointment or the following one.  Also, you could ask in the Parenting Multiples forum.