Some twin pregnancy questions

[annettemarie]

Hi there. I had an ultrasound today and we saw this. We just lost two, one in July and another in October, so this is especially wonderful. Scary, but wonderful.

I have a couple early pregnancy questions:
Is there a particular prenatal vitamin that's especially good for a twin pregnancy? The nurse said I needed 800-1000 of folic acid and the Supermom vitamins I have only have 400.

The doc was very... cautionary, I guess I would say. He said he wasn't going to put me on bed rest, but I should slow way down, not do too much, not do anything chore-wise that I can make someone else do. He said if I was his daughter, he would tell me to hire help and stop homeschooling. I'm not going to do either but I am wondering how much I need to slow down.

Any tips you have for getting through this pregnancy would be more than gratefully accepted.

[Intertwined]

Wowsers! Congratulations on your twins! It's such a fun thing.

Hmmm, I'd say he's being overly cautious. Why on earth would you need to be on bedrest now? Did your previous losses have something to do with an incompetent cervix? Other than that, bedrest isn't shown to do much of anything unless you have an acute medical condition. I didn't even KNOW about my twins until 20 weeks!

That being said, listen to your body. I was pretty clear on when I needed to start slowing down (third trimester). I got tired and sore easily, my feet hurt, I got cranky, etc. You'll know.

good luck!

[Red Pajama]

Congrats! I have an ultrasound picture like that. My boys are now 5. Time just flies.

As for vitamins, I take (and took while pregnant) Usana vitamins.
http://shop.usana.com/shop/cart/Prod...tID=101.010102

When taken twice a day (as directed) they offer 1000 (I think it's micrograms) of folic acid.

My doctor looked over the vitamins and agreed they were excellent, and never prescribed a prenatal.

Things I wish I knew going into it...
Be prepared for bedrest. Doctors manage twin pregnancies especially so.
I was so very tired for the first few weeks-- Sleeping all the time, and hungry!
I was very busy after my second trimester trying to juggle my doctors' appointments (regular ob, maternal-fetal medical doctor.)

Line up help for after the babies are born, and maybe during the last few weeks if at all possible. My mother lived in with us for quite awhile, and it was a lifesaver.

If you're in the us, look into FMLA for your working spouse. My husband got three weeks off at first, and three weeks later in the school year. It was a big help.

Twin births do not always go as we want. Expect to be flexible.

And again, congrats!

[Julia'sMom]

Congrats! I too think the Dr is being overly cautious for this early. However, that said, listen to your body. I found out in the first trimester that there was no way I could keep up with my usual yardwork. If you have any cramping or soreness, then stop and rest. You will have to slow down at some point, so be prepared for it. I was able to avoid bedrest, but by third trimester I was only in survival mode and simply going up the stairs to bed would make my heart race and require me to rest at the top.

Line up help for the end of pregnancy and definately for when the babies are born. It's tough, but wonderful.

[verycozy]

Congratulations! It looks like they each have their own sac, am I right?

I'd suggest having a plan in place in case you do wind up on bed rest.

Also, stay hydrated. And get lots of protein.

Good luck!

[tanyalynn]

Thorne brand, available lots of places online, has real folate, it's the form found in food, and it has some advantages over folic acid. The prenatal has 1000mcg of folate per dose (3 capsules, I wrote it wrong the first time).

[Valerieg]

Congratulations!

I also think your dr is being overly cautious but it is definitely better to be cautious than not IMO. I didn't know about my twins until my 20-week u/s so I didn't do anything different- I tended my garden all summer, swam and ran with my older kids, and since I don't get typical pregnancy symptoms (even with the twins) I felt great. It was fantastic. In fact, I felt great until about 32-33 weeks.

Make sure you get Barbara Luke's book, the name is escaping me, and it talks about vitamins. She really focuses on eating though! Protein protein protein. But I took a regular Rainbow Light prenatal throughout and then additional C & E.

[annettemarie]

His big thing was that supposedly "studies" show that the easier a mama takes things, the longer the babies stay in? And to be fair, I think I come off as a bit of an overachiever. I have 4 at home I'm homeschooling, I direct 4 children's choirs (plus a bonus one-shot deal I'm doing at Synod Assembly), I teach a Kindermusik-style class at our homeschool co-op, I'm a LLL leader, I do a lot at church. He might just be trying to slow me down a bit, LOL!

Not that I need him to. I'm so incredibly tired and nauseated and I have no energy. Literally, none at all for anything.

Which is my next question-- I was tired with my last pregnancies, but it got better after the first trimester. Will I feel better soon or is this just one long slow descent into lethargy?

Also, are the hormones worse with twins. Cause I am finding myself crazy ticked-off annoyed much of the time, and the rest of the time I am crying. Which I know is a little bit just from being pregnant, but it's worse than it's ever been.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by Intertwined

Did your previous losses have something to do with an incompetent cervix?

Nope. To be fair, he didn't say bed rest, he just said to take it really easy and make everyone else do whatever they could.

Originally Posted by Red Pajama

If you're in the us, look into FMLA for your working spouse. My husband got three weeks off at first, and three weeks later in the school year. It was a big help.

Thanks! DH has worked into his contract that he gets 2 weeks paid but only one Sunday (he's a pastor). I'm not good at asking for help, but we're already talking about lining up help.

Twin births do not always go as we want. Expect to be flexible.

This is going to be kind of hard. The OB office already loves me as their token hippie and DH has vetoed homebirth, which is something I'm willing to go with. I think they're willing to work with me because I'm willing to work with them. What I want most of all is for everyone to be safe and as healthy as possible.

Originally Posted by verycozy

Congratulations! It looks like they each have their own sac, am I right?

Yep! I can't wait to know what their gender is...

I'd suggest having a plan in place in case you do wind up on bed rest.

When does bed rest typically happen? I'm really nervous about homeschooling. We do Waldorf homeschooling, which is pretty mama-intensive and I'm worried about how that will work.

Originally Posted by Valerieg

Make sure you get Barbara Luke's book, the name is escaping me, and it talks about vitamins. She really focuses on eating though! Protein protein protein. But I took a regular Rainbow Light prenatal throughout and then additional C & E.

Thanks, I'll look that up!

I actually ordered the Thorne vitamins today because I could get them on Amazon.

Thanks for answering my five billion questions. I'm sure you get asked a lot, but you've all been so positive that it's been a real pick-me-up. In real life, things have been a little "ZOMGosh, how are you ever going to do it?!??!!" and I was starting to panic.

[~bookcase~]

annettemarie - congratulations

((it's lovely to see you here))

i agree with doc you should cut some of that high powered life down a bit
plenty of rest, protein, water, gentle exercise and relaxation.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by ~bookcase~

annettemarie - congratulations

((it's lovely to see you here))

i agree with doc you should cut some of that high powered life down a bit
plenty of rest, protein, water, gentle exercise and relaxation.

Thanks so much!

And yeah, every time I think of an obligation right now, I have an overwhelming sense of fear and exhaustion. I can't wait until everything I signed up for is over and I can say no to everything else, LOL!

[verycozy]

I don't know when bedrest typically happens. For me it was 28 weeks and it was because my cervix was funneling thinning out and I was having contractions. If you don't have cervical changes or frequent contractions, most OBs aren't going to put you on bed rest as a routine twin pregnancy precaution.

Any chance you have another waldorf homeschooling family nearby that wouldn't mind helping you out?

[klocke]

I would say just listen to your body. I am 36 weeks right now and really haven't changed much in my daily life. I have a DS who will be 5 in May, a dd who is 3 1/2 and another ds who will be 2 in May. So I'm pretty busy all day. Not to say I'm not tired as all get out at the end of the day but things have to get done when you have other children and a DH that works, LOL. I have had no complications so my Dr. has never told me to slow down or go on bed rest. It really depends on each situation.

Oh and I have had 1 previous loss but that didn't seem to bother my Dr. It would depend on the reasoning behind the loss I'm sure.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by verycozy

Any chance you have another waldorf homeschooling family nearby that wouldn't mind helping you out?

Sadly, no. And my husband is pushing for me to put the kids in school next year.

[annettemarie]

Another quick question-- is it normal to have a kind of random heart racing/shortness of breath while I'm just sitting still? It almost feels like a panic attack but I don't think that's what it is.

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Also, are the hormones worse with twins. Cause I am finding myself crazy ticked-off annoyed much of the time, and the rest of the time I am crying. Which I know is a little bit just from being pregnant, but it's worse than it's ever been.

Yes, unfortunately, I found this to be the case, esp. in first trimester. Morning sickness was also worse.

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Another quick question-- is it normal to have a kind of random heart racing/shortness of breath while I'm just sitting still? It almost feels like a panic attack but I don't think that's what it is.

I don't know if it is associated with pregnancy or not (might make sense, since your blood volume level increases?) but I also have palpitations/racing heart/arrythmia sometimes, pregnant or not. It's usually triggered by making a sudden movement while lying down. I have found that magnesium supplements help w/ this.

As far as whether to slow down, I did not really slow down or change my life much at all during pregnancy. It was important for me to remain active and to feel like my life hadn't turned totally upside down. I worked p/t right up until giving birth, although I did/do have a quiet desk job - much easier than chasing after toddlers! I continued to go on long walks, clean the house, etc. I didn't have any problems with pre-term labor. OB said that as long as there wasn't shortening of the cervix, there really wasn't a need to restrict activity. As everyone else said, though, listen to your body! GL!!!

[attached2mason]

My OB told me the heart racing/pumping hard/take your breath away stuff is a result of dramatically increased blood volume. I experienced it for about a week (felt like my heart was going to beat right out of my chest, although it wasn't always beating any faster). Certainly mention it to your OB, but I think it's fairly normal.

Congrats on your babies, mama!!!

[verycozy]

About the palpitations/heart racing/etc: Thyroid hormones can go a bit crazy with a twin pregnancy, especially if you're having severe morning sickness (meaning your pregnancy hormones are elevated); it shows up on blood work looking like low TSH (hyperthyroidism). This happened to me and I was having palpitations and all that. I went to an endocrinologist and he said it was totally consistent with twin pregnancy. Chatting with the OB wouldn't hurt.

[annettemarie]

Hmmm... I don't go in again until May 3, and that's just the entrance interview, so maybe I'll just call the nurse tomorrow to be reassured.

One of the reasons I am stressing about bed rest is that my third I ended up on bed rest for the last month due to high blood pressure. It didn't happen with the fourth, though. I don't know if it's one of those things that is more likely to be a problem if it was a problem before.

[amnesiac]

I think that as long as everything looks okay medically you just listen to your body & do what you feel up to doing. My doc said I didn't specifically need to do anything any differently just because it was twins but maybe yours thinks it sounds like you're putting a lot of stress on yourself??? I didn't do anything any differently until like 30 weeks - because I was physically feeling too tired to work all day, I cut back to only working mornings.