“That can happen in pregnancy if you don’t have regular meals and snacks. You have to remember that your body is processing food faster and it’s easier to have dips in insulin levels.” Nick shot her a smug grin as she promised the doctor to eat small meals throughout the day. “Now, if you would lie back, we will listen to the babies’ heartbeats. The Doppler should pick them up now.”
Nick stepped closer as if fascinated. “You can actually hear the heartbeats through that?”
The doctor smiled, charmed as everyone seemed to be with Nick. “We sure can.” Then the doctor put the small probe against Beth’s stomach. Soon, a loud, galloping sound filled the room. The doctor smiled as Nick jerked in excitement. Beth found herself lost in the moment as well, moved to tears at the evidence of the lives she carried. The doctor frowned and continued to move the probe as if searching for something. “I can only detect one of the heartbeats, which happens. Sometimes it can be hard to get in the right position to hear them both. Just as a precaution, I’m going to send you for an ultrasound.”
Both she and Nick turned to the doctor in alarm. “Is . . . Is something wrong with the babies?” Beth asked.
“It’s just routine, Miss Denton. When you’re pregnant with twins, you’re followed more closely, plus I’m sure you would enjoy seeing your babies again.”
Nick gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he helped her up from the table. She could feel her body trembling as she walked down the hall to the ultrasound room. Despite the doctor’s reassurance, she was terrified, and she could tell that Nick was as well, despite how much he tried to hide it from her. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted these babies until she was faced with the thought of losing them. Oh, God, please let them be okay. Please God, please.
The ultrasound technician was overly cheerful, as if trying to set their minds at ease. Nothing would do that though until she saw that both babies were fine. When the black-and-white screen came to life and the technician started looking at different angles, Beth held her breath. Nick gripped her hand tightly, as if he were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When the technician removed the probe and stood, Beth knew something was wrong. “I’m going to get the doctor to check this, if you will excuse me for a moment.”
Beth turned to look at Nick. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” She could see the effort it took for him to smile as if he wasn’t worried.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, princess. Just harder to see two babies than only one. Please relax. I will have you at a breakfast buffet before you know it.”
The doctor came in alone and took the seat that the technician had vacated. Beth asked her the question she had asked Nick. “Is something wrong?”
The doctor didn’t answer right away. Instead, she continued to look at the monitor as if searching for something. Finally, when Beth was certain she wasn’t going to answer, she removed the probe, but left the lights dimmed. “Miss Denton, the ultrasound shows only one fetus.”
“So why did you think I was carrying twins?”
“Miss Denton, you were carrying twins. I’m afraid you have experienced what we call vanishing twin syndrome.”
Nick stood up, still holding Beth’s hand. “What exactly is that?” he demanded.
“It’s when two heartbeats and fetuses are detected on your first ultrasound, indicating twins, and on your next ultrasound visit, one no longer exists. Due to doctors requesting ultrasounds earlier in pregnancies, this is detected much more than it used to be.”
Beth sat forward and, in a panic, grabbed her stomach. “But where is my baby? How could it just not be there? It’s only been a month since my last appointment.”
The doctor laid a hand on her arm, trying to calm her down. “Miss Denton—Beth—since it was so early in your pregnancy, one twin was just reabsorbed by the other one. There is little evidence when this happens that the other twin ever existed, other than the first ultrasound.”
Choking back tears she asked, “Did I do something that caused this to happen?”
The doctor looked at her in sympathy and patted her hand again. “No, Beth, there is nothing you did that caused this to happen. The usual cause is a chromosomal defect. It’s nature’s rather harsh way of handling a pregnancy that isn’t viable.”
Seeing Beth’s agitation, Nick sat back down beside her and gripped her hand. “What about the remaining baby?” he asked. “Will Beth have problems with the pregnancy?”
“Everything looks perfectly normal with the baby you are carrying. Since the loss of the twin happened in your first trimester and you had no bleeding or cramping, there is no reason to believe that your pregnancy won’t continue on normally.” The doctor rose to her feet and said quietly, “I’m going to give you some privacy. When you’re ready, the nurse will bring you to my office and I can answer any other questions you might have. Please take all the time you need.”