Hello Friends,
First off I want to say thank you- you guys alongside my family put up with very pregnant me for the whole twin pregnancy- and it was a roller coaster. The experience was definitely amazing & I would do it again in a heartbeat but there were a lot of difficulties, great moments, and lessons learned along the way, and I want to share my top 10 with you.
Related Post: 10 Differences Between Singleton and Twin Pregnancy
1. TWIN PREGNANCY IS DIFFICULT
No doubt in my mind this was the most difficult of my pregnancies. It was physically, mentally, and emotionally more taxing than my singletons pregnancies. Mind you this started even before we found out we were pregnant and continued on to the very last moment before giving birth. I needed a lot more assistance from friends and family, specially towards the end.
2. MORNING SICKNESS IS EXTRA
Morning sickness welcomed it’s way into my home at around 4 weeks and did not go away until about week 26ish. It was BRUTAL. Not only did I have it for forever, it was also the most extreme I have ever experienced. There were many days I could not even get up off my couch or eat anything. There were times where I would take a bite of our dinner and have to rush to throw it up! Diclegis became my best friend and it was the only way I was able to semi-function. But hey- double the hormones with a twin pregnancy right!
3. TWIN PREGNANCY IS HIGH RISK
Once we found out it was twins I was automatically put into the high-risk category. Everything about my twin pregnancy was high-risk. In the beginning the risks of miscarriage or one baby “disappearing” were high and towards the end we had a higher risk for pregnancy complications. High risk meant more monitoring and more people in my business. But hey I don’t mind some extra supervision and doctor’s appointments.
Related Post: 5 Twin Pregnancy Complications and What To Do
4. TWIN PREGNANCY = A LOT OF ULTRASOUNDS
Holy Moly! I have never had so many ultrasound photos of my babies before. I had an ultrasound at every single doctor’s appointment. PLUS in addition to those I was scheduled for bi-weekly growth scans beginning at week 24 to keep track of their growth on top of your typical first trimester and 20 week anatomy scan. Mind you at 28 weeks I began bi-weekly doctor’s visits as well and at 36 weeks I began Non Stress Tests twice a week which require an ultrasound as well. so I had roughly 26 ultrasounds this pregnancy! Of course we never got tired of looking at them.
5. PRETERM LABOR IS VERY REAL
I feel like I had this thought in my head that pre-term labor would not happen to me and there was no way I would need my babies to be in NICU. As I approached my 34th week I learned that- IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE! At 34 weeks I was admitted and administered Terbutaline to stop my preterm labor. After that hospital visit every single day that passed seemed one step closer to the ability to bring my babies home. According to the American Pregnancy Association the average twin pregnancy length is 36 weeks, barely enough to avoid some NICU.
6. YOU WILL GROW FASTER
The day we took a pregnancy test I was a few days shy of 4 weeks. The day I stopped being able to comfortably button my pants was around 6-7 weeks. As you can see this twin bump started growing earlier & faster! My doctor explained on average a twin bump measured 8 weeks ahead of a singleton, CRAZY! My bump was always significantly larger and I could totally tell in the clothes I would buy, which brings me to the next point.
7. DRESSING A TWIN BUMP GETS HARD
I stopped being able to wear jeans really fast because even those full over the belly ones dug too much into my bump and hurt. I found one pair of under the belly shorts that I rode out until the very end, however, it did not happen without having to constantly pull them up because my twin belly pushed them down. And shirts- don’t even get me started. If a shirt fit my arms and chest nicely chances are I was walking around showing the bottom of the belly, and if it covered the belly they looked big up top. I basically resorted to some non-maternity super loose swing dresses I scored at Old Navy and rotated those out along with a few loose maxi ones as well.
Related Post: Finding Joy in Maternity Clothes
8. YOUR TWIN BUMP CAN TAKE A FUNNY SHAPE
The majority of the time I carried this super round twin baby bump, and I mean ROUND! The boys took up as much space as possible and caused my belly to go out in all directions. My baby bump took on the shape of however they laid down, if they were side by side I went out and up, if they were in front of each other I went out and pointy, and if they were on top of one another my belly went up until there was no gap between my breasts and belly. AND WHEN THEY MOVED AROUND…well that’s where the real show was at! They made my belly do all sorts of crazy things, I became obsessed with watching them move.
9. CRAVINGS ARE CRAZY
I have never had cravings like the ones I had this pregnancy. I did not crave anything too strange, but it was more of a- if I crave a certain food I better have it ASAP or we are all in trouble! You know the stereotype of the pregnant woman wanting ice cream in the middle of the night- guys that was me! I needed an M&M McFlurry from McDonald’s at 2am one Tuesday morning and I truly mean NEEDED it!
10. TWIN PREGNANCY IS A BLESSING
As much as it was difficult, and high-risk, and an insane journey-it truly was such a blessing. I got to watch my body get pushed passed it’s limits to sustain not one but two lives. I endured so much discomfort and pain but all worth every second. Every single day their kicks and movements reminded me that I would get to bring home two little humans and it filled our lives with excitement. Because I became a #twinmom I was able to find a whole other community of mom’s and become a part of this special tribe of other moms of multiples. It was and continues to be such a blessing, one I will never take for granted.