Pregnant with Twins? Join the club :) - Page 17

[Brambleberry]

update:

I've finally gotten my birth plans worked out.  At my last appointment my doctor (FPD) was saying that she would prefer me to have an epidural, but we discussed it further and she did some research of her own.  I finally had another appointment with her on Friday, and she is willing to be totally flexible about it now.  I can deliver in the LDR room if they're both head down, if the second is breech I'll be in the OR, but she's willing to have DH and my doula both in there (partly because my doula is a L&D nurse there anyway), and she's not going to request an epidural.  

In the month between appointments with my regular doc I saw an OB in the university town an hour north of us who is the backup for the area midwives.  He's totally fine with a completely natural delivery as well, but I'd be delivering in the OR with only one birth companion.  That hospital is a level 2, so if I go into labor after 32 weeks (our level 1 hospital has a 35w cut-off) I can deliver there rather than the huge, inflexible big city hospital an hour south of us.  I toured that hospital and was really happy with their policies and flexibility.  If we end up with premies in the special care nursery that have to stay after I've been discharged, they would actually give DH and I a room in the hospital to stay in, which I thought was pretty amazing.

I'm still doing inversions and chiropractor visits to help baby A to turn, but I'm totally confused as to her position right now.  From the kicks it seems like maybe A & B have actually switched order - I think B (on my right) might be head down at the cervix now, and A has moved way up away from the cervix and is now mostly head down and maybe a little transverse.  I've got a week and a half before my next u/s, so I have to keep up with the inversions just in case, since they are quickly getting too tight to move in there.

I'm not taking it as easy as I had planned to at this point, since we are still finishing up some twin-inspired home improvement projects: installing a dishwasher into a space that wasn't originally designed for one, switching our shower out with a tub, and building walls for our bedroom (previously just partitioned off with curtains).  Holly - I saw on facebook that you all just built bedroom walls too - it is crazy how parallel our lives are!

[ilovemygirl]

I just found this thread. I am currently pregnant with twins due in early June. They will be number two and three for me. We'd like to find out the sexes but will not know until mid January. 

I'm fourteen weeks today. What I want to ask more than anything of others pregnant with multiples is ... 

Are you exhausted? I mean can barely move or get out bed exhausted. The kind where you could sleep a full night and still go for several hours more if schedule allowed. This how I'm feeling and I know it's just a build up to life with twins but yeesh. I need to function. I was on progesterone and thought when I came off that and hit the second trimester it would get better but it hasn't yet. 

Anyone else feel like this?

[rblakley]

I was closer to 16 weeks when I started to get my energy back. However I never got it back like I did in my singleton pregnancies. And it definitely didn't last as long either. It's so frustrating to have this nesting urge, but no energy to fulfill it!

[eminvc]

Originally Posted by ilovemygirl 

I just found this thread. I am currently pregnant with twins due in early June. They will be number two and three for me. We'd like to find out the sexes but will not know until mid January. 

I'm fourteen weeks today. What I want to ask more than anything of others pregnant with multiples is ... 

Are you exhausted? I mean can barely move or get out bed exhausted. The kind where you could sleep a full night and still go for several hours more if schedule allowed. This how I'm feeling and I know it's just a build up to life with twins but yeesh. I need to function. I was on progesterone and thought when I came off that and hit the second trimester it would get better but it hasn't yet. 

Anyone else feel like this?

I can't say I have ever had much energy this pregnancy. For me the "first trimester" with all its morning sickness and fatigue lasted until 20 weeks. Then I had about 6 weeks where I felt less tired and no more ms, but still needed a nap every weekend day. Now at 28 weeks, the intense fatigue has returned and I don't know how I will get through the next 3 weeks until I'm off work.

Not uplifting news, but that's just my experience. Also, anemia is more common in twin pregnancies, so you may want to have your iron levels checked if you haven't already.

[Adaline'sMama]

Brambelberry,

Im so glad you found a backup hospital to birth at that is more natural birth friendly :) It sounds like you're doing everything you can to help A turn, and I wanted to give you some hope. At my appointment today OB confirmed that B has moved head down (at 30 weeks! It happened Friday  night while I was cleaning out the bottom drawer of the fridge...Im pretty sure. Huge movement feeling like she was scraping up against my insides). Our bedroom walls are up! Super exciting. We are SO close to being 100% ready for babies at our house. I havent slowed down as much as I'd planned yet either, but DH is almost done working and I fear he is going to take away all my freedoms in the next couple of weeks and insist that I "just sit down" constantly. 

So, Im going to whine and cry a bit:

I have HUGE stretch marks that have developed in the past week out of nowhere. Im really sad and depressed about it. They are really ugly and I fear that they will never go away. Ive been doing so much work rubbing stuff all over my belly everyday (cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond butter blend) and yet they have arrived. Grrr!!!!! 

My back hurts. Like for real, hurts like I want to visit the chiro every single day.

Im peeing all over the place all the time. Its totally gross. Ive had a baby cold the past few days, and everytime I sneeze or cough...new pantyliner, and sometimes new undies too. 

I have major freakin heartburn again, and I thought we were past this. Worse yet, Im eating a low sugar diet, so it seems like so many things I eat are causing heartburn. 

We have a Christmas Tree!

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by eminvc 

 Also, anemia is more common in twin pregnancies, so you may want to have your iron levels checked if you haven't already.

Yep. I have iron in my prenatal, was taking an iron supplement, and I eat plenty of meat and spinach and my level came back last week at only 11. I thought I was getting plenty, but apparently not.

[Brambleberry]

Originally Posted by Adaline'sMama 

Brambelberry,

Im so glad you found a backup hospital to birth at that is more natural birth friendly :) It sounds like you're doing everything you can to help A turn, and I wanted to give you some hope. At my appointment today OB confirmed that B has moved head down (at 30 weeks! It happened Friday  night while I was cleaning out the bottom drawer of the fridge...Im pretty sure. Huge movement feeling like she was scraping up against my insides). Our bedroom walls are up! Super exciting. We are SO close to being 100% ready for babies at our house. I havent slowed down as much as I'd planned yet either, but DH is almost done working and I fear he is going to take away all my freedoms in the next couple of weeks and insist that I "just sit down" constantly. 

So, Im going to whine and cry a bit:

I have HUGE stretch marks that have developed in the past week out of nowhere. Im really sad and depressed about it. They are really ugly and I fear that they will never go away. Ive been doing so much work rubbing stuff all over my belly everyday (cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond butter blend) and yet they have arrived. Grrr!!!!! 

My back hurts. Like for real, hurts like I want to visit the chiro every single day.

Im peeing all over the place all the time. Its totally gross. Ive had a baby cold the past few days, and everytime I sneeze or cough...new pantyliner, and sometimes new undies too. 

I have major freakin heartburn again, and I thought we were past this. Worse yet, Im eating a low sugar diet, so it seems like so many things I eat are causing heartburn. 

We have a Christmas Tree!

Glad to hear B turned!  That means they're both head down now?  So sorry you're so uncomfortable.  I'm quickly getting there but I'm a good 2+ weeks behind you, and my worst complaint is just the hip/pelvis pain.  I was leaking like crazy in first tri, but it's a lot better right now.  But even without the leaks I sometimes have to change undies a couple times a day just for odor control.  DH doesn't say anything, but he stopped visiting down there pretty early on in the pregnancy .  not that it matters now - we've officially been banned from having sex until I'm full term .  Last time we dtd, I had a series of small contractions for about an hour afterwards.  So better safe than sorry. 

[jessmn]

I'm 18 weeks now and have gotten my energy back. I never felt fatigued in the first trimester, but was so sick I wasn't doing much anyways. But I practically feel like my old self again, except my belly is growing and growing and growing...

Brambleberry - can you post your birth plan? I have just started looking into this to figure out what I need to research, and would love to take a look.

At my last appointment the babies were both head-down, and the OB was happy with that. I was surprised because it seemed early?
 

[eminvc]

Originally Posted by Adaline'sMama 

Originally Posted by eminvc 

 Also, anemia is more common in twin pregnancies, so you may want to have your iron levels checked if you haven't already.

Yep. I have iron in my prenatal, was taking an iron supplement, and I eat plenty of meat and spinach and my level came back last week at only 11. I thought I was getting plenty, but apparently not.

Ditto--iron in the prenatal, have been taking a 45 mg supplement since about 15 weeks, lots of red meat, spinach etc and my level was slightly low--I think 12? It was 1 pt. below the range but I think it may be getting worse. I've started adding some pumpkin seeds every day, drinking OJ w/ the iron supplement as vit C is supposed to increase absorption, and eating a handful or two of iron-fortified cereal. I get retested soon. I think I may be more anemic now and that may be causing my exhaustion. Or maybe it's just the work of building 2 babies!

[colsxjack]

Neither Mamacolleen or I participate much in posting, but we do read the boards a lot and take in so much community and knowledge from everyone here!

I wanted to update on us:

Mamacolleen gave birth to two boys on Tuesday Nov. 27th. After 32 hours of labour, she was stalled at 4cm for at least 17 hours. It ended up in a c-section.

It wasn;t what we wished for, as we were trying for a VBAC (with an extremely supportive team). But we (mamacolleen) feels at peace with what happened. Much more so than with our older DD's c-section.

We had a mid-wife and a high risk OB. As midwives must share care in our province with a twin pregnancy, especially a vbac.

Every nurse, doctor and midwife we had were very supportive of vbac. It was very unexpected and amazing.

Lachlan Jack was born at 7:27pm weighing 8lbs and 19inches

Kai Paxton was born at 7:29pm weighing 7lb 6oz and 19inches.

Our 3 yr old DD is over the moon happy and proud of her family.

She does get annoyed at the crying (understandably) but is otherwise adjusting very well for the time being.

Breast feeding is going very well...thank goodness.

Edited to add: 38w5d

[Adaline'sMama]

Congrats!!! I was wondering about you guys :)

I love, love, love the name Paxton. It sounds like you guys had a rough time. I always preface my stories about natural labor with letting people know that I had short labors, and if I had labors that were over 24 hours, Id be begging for them to do whatever it took to get the baby out! 32 hours is a LONG time. Im glad feeding is going well. Is she healing from the section okay too?

[Brambleberry]

Congratulations!  What nice big well-cooked babies!  It's encouraging to all of us who are being told that we should expect to go a month or two early.  I'd love to see pictures if you get time .

[eminvc]

Originally Posted by colsxjack 

Neither Mamacolleen or I participate much in posting, but we do read the boards a lot and take in so much community and knowledge from everyone here!

I wanted to update on us:

Mamacolleen gave birth to two boys on Tuesday Nov. 27th. After 32 hours of labour, she was stalled at 4cm for at least 17 hours. It ended up in a c-section.

It wasn;t what we wished for, as we were trying for a VBAC (with an extremely supportive team). But we (mamacolleen) feels at peace with what happened. Much more so than with our older DD's c-section.

We had a mid-wife and a high risk OB. As midwives must share care in our province with a twin pregnancy, especially a vbac.

Every nurse, doctor and midwife we had were very supportive of vbac. It was very unexpected and amazing.

Lachlan Jack was born at 7:27pm weighing 8lbs and 19inches

Kai Paxton was born at 7:29pm weighing 7lb 6oz and 19inches.

Our 3 yr old DD is over the moon happy and proud of her family.

She does get annoyed at the crying (understandably) but is otherwise adjusting very well for the time being.

Breast feeding is going very well...thank goodness.

Edited to add: 38w5d

Congrats! I echo Brambleberry's thoughts...it is so nice to hear about full-term, healthy weight twins! Mostly I hear, "They're going to come early" and it's encouraging to hear otherwise.

[sophigirl]

Hello, everyone!

I am excited to join this community. It looks like you are all pros at having twins! :) So here are my answers to the questions:

You and maybe your partners age at the birth? 34 and 35 respectively. 

Are the babies Mono or Di or what combo of both? Right now it looks like Di (two placentas, two sacs), but the doctor said that we won't know for sure until our 20-week sonogram.
 

What number of kids will is be for you? 1st and 2nd!

Sexes? Will you be finding out? No clue yet, and absolutely! I'm telling everyone that I can't handle another surprise (we had no idea that we would end up with twins!), but I really just want to know who they are :)

EDD and or planned birth timing? EDD is June 5.

State you live in? Texas

Anything else you want to share? I am very new at this! I thought I could handle one baby allright (had been a nanny before, etc.), but two! I feel quite out of my league. 

Edited by sophigirl - 12/6/12 at 7:53am

[jessmn]

Just thought I'd share the news that we had our anatomy ultrasound last night and found out we're having two boys!

I was 18 weeks 3 days yesterday at the scan.

Twin A was measuring 19 weeks 5 days and is about 10 ounces. He was moving all over the place!

Twin B was measuring 18 weeks 4 days (right on time) and is about 9 ounces. He was more mellow.

I have been trying very hard to gain weight but it's not really working, so I was glad to see their weights are on target/ahead.

I have to go back for more heart pictures since neither were cooperating enough to get the right pictures. The tech did say they had "beautiful" heart chambers. The next appointment is in 2.5 weeks when they and their hearts will be easier to take pictures of.

Now to search for boy names! I was sure we were having two girls, and my husband thought one girl and one boy :)

[eminvc]

Originally Posted by sophigirl 

Hello, everyone!

I am excited to join this community. It looks like you are all pros at having twins! :) So here are my answers to the questions:

You and maybe your partners age at the birth? 34 and 35 respectively. 

Are the babies Mono or Di or what combo of both? Right now it looks like Di (two placentas, two sacs), but the doctor said that we won't know for sure until our 20-week sonogram.
 

What number of kids will is be for you? 1st and 2nd!

Sexes? Will you be finding out? No clue yet, and absolutely! I'm telling everyone that I can't handle another surprise (we had no idea that we would end up with twins!), but I really just want to know who they are :)

EDD and or planned birth timing? Nope - pure mother nature.

State you live in? Texas

Anything else you want to share? I am very new at this! I thought I could handle one baby allright (had been a nanny before, etc.), but two! I feel quite out of my league. 

Welcome! I said the same thing about finding out the sexes--with one baby we were going to have it be a surprise, but twins were all the surprise I could handle in a year!

[eminvc]

Originally Posted by jessmn 

Just thought I'd share the news that we had our anatomy ultrasound last night and found out we're having two boys!

I was 18 weeks 3 days yesterday at the scan.

Twin A was measuring 19 weeks 5 days and is about 10 ounces. He was moving all over the place!

Twin B was measuring 18 weeks 4 days (right on time) and is about 9 ounces. He was more mellow.

I have been trying very hard to gain weight but it's not really working, so I was glad to see their weights are on target/ahead.

I have to go back for more heart pictures since neither were cooperating enough to get the right pictures. The tech did say they had "beautiful" heart chambers. The next appointment is in 2.5 weeks when they and their hearts will be easier to take pictures of.

Now to search for boy names! I was sure we were having two girls, and my husband thought one girl and one boy :)

Congrats! I'm happy to see someone else having two boys on this board! We had one boy name all picked out but it took us forever to choose a 2nd.

[sophigirl]

Quote:

EDD and or planned birth timing? Nope - pure mother nature.

Ok, that was super stupid of me! What can I say? I saw "EDD," and thought it was something else. 

Now, for the REAL answer - my EDD is June 5th. 

[Quinalla]

Originally Posted by jessmn 

Quinalla - oh it's nice to see someone else due near when I am! I am due May 5.

My OB told me the same thing about delivery. I am not partial to any method of birth over another - I just want the babies! Last time I was in (16 weeks) both babies were head down. I go for a big two-hour ultrasound next Tuesday so I'm interested to see which way they are oriented.

Come join the May due date club is you want, there are a few of us pregnant with twins and one with triplets, so you'll have good company Congrats on your boys, I will find out at my anatomy scan in January and I'm so excited I too am glad to see someone about the same place, though it is so great to have all these folks ahead too who can give me a clue of what is coming!

Brambleberry, that's great that you are getting your OB to cooperate! Here is hoping I can get mine more on board too.

Originally Posted by ilovemygirl 

I just found this thread. I am currently pregnant with twins due in early June. They will be number two and three for me. We'd like to find out the sexes but will not know until mid January. 

I'm fourteen weeks today. What I want to ask more than anything of others pregnant with multiples is ... 

Are you exhausted? I mean can barely move or get out bed exhausted. The kind where you could sleep a full night and still go for several hours more if schedule allowed. This how I'm feeling and I know it's just a build up to life with twins but yeesh. I need to function. I was on progesterone and thought when I came off that and hit the second trimester it would get better but it hasn't yet. 
Anyone else feel like this?

I think I just was starting to feel a little more energy at the thirteen week mark and feel much better now, but yeah not the energy of my first pregnancy, but close to normal. Stairs, climbing and lifting more than my purse really tires me out fast, I'm still good with walking. And I feel like I'm at the end of the 2nd trimester how big I am and everything else, not the start. I'm trying to get all I can done now as I don't think I'll be doing much in a month or two. Hopefully you'll break out of the fatigue at least somewhat here soon!

Originally Posted by Adaline'sMama 

So, Im going to whine and cry a bit:

I have HUGE stretch marks that have developed in the past week out of nowhere. Im really sad and depressed about it. They are really ugly and I fear that they will never go away. Ive been doing so much work rubbing stuff all over my belly everyday (cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond butter blend) and yet they have arrived. Grrr!!!!! 

My back hurts. Like for real, hurts like I want to visit the chiro every single day.

Im peeing all over the place all the time. Its totally gross. Ive had a baby cold the past few days, and everytime I sneeze or cough...new pantyliner, and sometimes new undies too. 

I have major freakin heartburn again, and I thought we were past this. Worse yet, Im eating a low sugar diet, so it seems like so many things I eat are causing heartburn. 

We have a Christmas Tree!

I already have a bunch of stretch marks from my first pregnancy, but I'm sure I'm going to get more towards the end of this one. I really think they are mostly genetic, at least that is what I tell myself to feel better, but I don't mind them too much and still wear my bathing suit and screw anyone who doesn't like it! Sorry about the heartburn, mine was really bad for a bit, but I upped my calcium and make sure to take a calcium pill ~1 hour before bed and try to eat/drink dairy before bed and that has helped a lot. And I'll just say I can totally relate on the peeing and yes it is gross

Congrats colsxjaxk & Mamacolleen!

Welcome sophigirl, I already have my DD (3) and was looking forward to being more of a pro at being a Mom this time and bam twins! So I feel you on the overwhelmed, but I'm sure we'll both be great MoMs!:

[imbegliniel]

Hi! I found this forum a couple weeks ago and have enjoyed learning some info about twins by lurking. But I figured I'd introduce myself now . . .

Name? I'll just go by my username for now.

You and maybe your partners age at the birth? Husband = 27, me = 26

Are the babies Mono or Di or what combo of both? Mono/di

What number of kids will is be for you? 2 and 3. I have a 19-month-old son.

Sexes? Will you be finding out? Girls! We weren't going to find out--until we found out they were twins. Then we figured we should probably find out sexes. The initial shock was enough. :)

EDD and or planned birth timing? EDD = Feb. 25th, but my doctor says with mono/di she doesn't feel comfortable letting me go past 39 weeks. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I really hope I go into labor naturally before then!

State you live in? AZ

Anything else you want to share? I'm in the third trimester and still can't believe we're having twins sometimes . . . it all seems so surreal.