Our daughter was about to turn 2 and we thought we were ready to have another baby. My husband and I each grew up with an older sister and we wanted our daughter to grow up with a sibling, too. Watching her play with her dolls and stuffed animals really showed the potential she has to be an amazing big sister.
It wasn’t long before I suspected I could be pregnant. My period was late so I checked an online ovulation calculator which confirmed I could be pregnant based on the top fertility times in my results.
It was time to take a test.
The first pregnancy test
I had an extra ept test in my closet from months earlier when I didn’t think I was actually pregnant, but wanted to take a test for peace of mind since my cycle was still figuring out what my new “normal” was going to be. I bought a two-pack of ept tests with the +/- indicator since it cost a little less.
The box for the ept test boasted about how easy it was to read the results, but when you’re already exhausted from chasing a toddler around all day and spending an hour (or more) getting her to sleep at night, things aren’t as simple as they were before you had kids.
I took the test in the morning (as recommended to ensure accuracy) and sat there staring at the results. The pictures on the instruction sheet showed a consistently-colored plus sign for a Pregnant result and the Not Pregnant result was supposed to be just a horizontal line.
My test showed a plus sign, but one line was very faint compared to the other so it was very confusing. The line that was necessary to complete the plus sign was very dark, so I considered it a positive pregnancy test result. I was fairly confident I was pregnant, but wanted a more definitive result before telling my husband.
The better pregnancy test
There’s an alternative to the +/- (or multiple line) result tests. When we were trying to get pregnant the first time, my sister recommended spending the extra money to get the test with words instead of lines or symbols. I went to Target and picked up a Clearblue digital pregnancy test.
I waited to take the new test until morning (again, to ensure accuracy). The test I bought had this cool “Smart Countdown” so I sat there watching the progress indicator on screen until the test had finished. There was no doubting the result on this test. It read “Pregnant” and didn’t require any decoding.
I shared the exciting news with my husband that night after we got home from our Valentine’s Day dinner date.
The surprises didn’t stop there. Six weeks into the pregnancy, I was already showing so we decided to tell close friends, family and everyone at my job since we work so closely each day. At my eight-week ultrasound to determine the official due date, we got the big news.
The big surprise
The nurse practitioner performing my ultrasound had asked me how I was feeling compared to my pregnancy with our daughter. I told her I was constantly hungry and would feel nauseated if I didn’t eat frequently enough.
I also told her that I was exhausted. I felt more tired than I remembered being last time. I also mentioned that last time I could just decide to take a nap for a few hours, but since I have a two-year-old now, napping isn’t an option.
She started the ultrasound and we saw the little gummy bear-sized baby and its heartbeat. She made an adjustment and we saw (what I thought was the same) gummy bear-sized baby and heartbeat.
Then she said, “Well, it makes sense you feel extra hungry and extra tired this time around… You have TWO babies in there!” At that moment, she adjusted the ultrasound and POW! We saw both babies on screen at the same time.
Initially we were in shock, but after the news sunk in we were able to start adjusting our plan to account for two new babies instead of just one.
We’re going to be changing from a family of three to a family of five in a matter of minutes!
I apologize for the time lapse since my last post, but I hope you’ll understand I’ve been working really hard growing two babies! There are still so many things I want to share with you, and I’m sure I’ll learn about even more things I want to share with you after the new babies arrive.
Check back soon for my next post!
This blog is truthful and based on personal experience with the products or items mentioned. It doesn’t have sponsors, and no one paid to receive positive reviews of their products. All of the links provided are for your convenience and are not “affiliate links” — Valerie doesn’t receive payment or kickbacks if people purchase products based on her recommendations.
Valerie Moe is the Senior Graphic Designer for Minnesota Parent magazine. She lives in Bloomington with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter. You can comment below or contact her directly here.
